Chapter 403: "Who Do You Want More, Me or Him?

"Louis... I..." Yu Zhizhi heard the questions from the man behind her. The words she’d been about to say to Yusen died on her lips, and she could only swallow them back down.

"Do you want to go with him?" Louis asked again.

Yu Zhizhi didn’t know how to answer. ’If I go with Sensen, Louis will be heartbroken, won’t he?’

"Let’s return to Paradise together. The lighthouse is even more beautiful now. If you miss Zero Star Street, we can live there too. I promise, no one will be able to take you away against your will."

Louis’s gentle voice was right beside her ear.

Yu Zhizhi’s thoughts drifted to Zero Star Street, to Paradise...

The warmth, the light, the thrills, the shadows—all of it.

"I’m not the only one waiting for you,"

Louis said softly.

’It’s not just him.’

’There’s also Lou and Spider.’

’And their cubs.’

Yu Zhizhi was torn. Listening to Louis’s words, she almost agreed on the spot.

’If I had to choose one person, I think I would be very happy with Louis.’

All eyes were on the entrance to the Extreme Ice Palace.

Everyone saw the Paradise Leader’s earnest courtship.

The elderly Moonrise Member was incredibly excited. He clenched his fists, waiting with bated breath for Miss Rabbit to say yes!

Just then, Yusen let out a soft sound. A trace of loneliness appeared in his ice-blue eyes. "Zero Star Street..."

’That’s where he and Zhi Zhi first met.’

The Mermaid Youth slowly lowered his right hand.

Yu Zhizhi’s heart skipped a beat. She quickly looked over and saw Sensen’s pale face, his eyes slowly turning red...

She grabbed Yusen’s hand, almost by instinct.

Yu Zhizhi looked at him nervously.

’Sensen, please don’t be sad...’

To the onlookers, the Rabbit Clan Lady was being held from behind by the Paradise Leader, yet her hands were still tightly clasped with Prince Merfolk’s.

The three of them remained in a stalemate.

Yusen looked at her. "Zhi Zhi, if you return to Paradise, it will be very hard for us to see each other."

’...Can you bear that?’

A faint breeze stirred the bangs on the Mermaid Youth’s forehead. His blue eyes seemed to hold years of sorrow. "You don’t want me anymore?"

Just hearing his words, Yu Zhizhi’s heart felt like it was about to break.

’How could I ever not want Sensen?’

"I—I—" Yu Zhizhi tried to say something.

She felt the arms around her tighten.

’Louis...’

"Him or me? Who do you want more?" Louis’s voice trembled slightly.

Everyone was waiting for her answer.

’Two people...’

’Can I only choose one?’

Yu Zhizhi was on the verge of tears from anxiety. She didn’t want to make Louis sad, and she didn’t want to see Sensen get hurt. She gripped Yusen’s hand tightly, the warmth of Louis’s embrace seeping into her back.

"I..."

At this very moment, only a single thought occupied Yu Zhizhi’s mind.

She said it, her voice trembling, "I want... both of you!"

After the young Rabbit Clan female gave her answer, both Louis and Yusen froze. Their gazes collided in midair, and in each other’s eyes, they both saw a glimpse of a possible future.

Yu Zhizhi’s rabbit ears drooped slightly. She looked back at Louis. "Can we go to Zero Star Street together? Or..."

She turned to Yusen. "Can we return to the Undersea Palace together?"

A wry smile slowly spread across Louis’s face.

He nuzzled his cheek against the little rabbit’s fluffy ears. "Probably not."

Louis and Yusen belonged to different empires; it was impossible for them to travel to each other’s nations.

He knew his little rabbit had always been naive; she wouldn’t have thought that far ahead.

"Your answer from before... did you mean it?" Louis asked.

Yu Zhizhi nodded gently.

Yusen saw that the little rabbit was still clutching his hand, as if afraid he would disappear. The corners of his lips curved up slightly.

She had finally given her answer.

—She wanted both.

When Yusen arrived, he had been afraid. He was afraid the little rabbit would choose Louis without a moment’s hesitation. He wasn’t sure how much of her heart he truly held.

He slowly took Yu Zhizhi’s hand in his.

He gently drew it to his lips and placed a soft kiss on her palm.

In the distance, atop a giant Sea Whale, Shen He stared intently at the trio. It seemed their fates had been entangled from the very beginning.

’What kind of answer is that?’

’She was asked to choose where she belongs, and her response is that she wants both?’

’A greedy little rabbit, indeed.’

In mid-air, Cang Lan’s patience seemed to reach its limit. The previously invisible sword beneath his feet slowly materialized, carrying him back to the ground.

The Moonrise Member hurried forward to greet him. "Your Highness..."

The Little Octopus, who was closest, looked at the Mermaid, then at the Spider. ’Sigh, it really is a tough choice. No wonder the little rabbit is so torn.’

It shuffled closer and hugged the little rabbit’s calf, afraid she would forget about it.

’No matter who she chooses, she has to remember to take me with her.’

’I don’t want to go back to the Beast God’s Homeland this early.’

Atop a carriage belonging to the Divine Hall Alliance’s Delegation, a young man from the Cat Clan sat cross-legged. He wore a white mask and rested his chin in his hand, his index finger lightly tapping the mask at his cheek. No one could see his expression.

Slowly, the Cat Clan youth let out a soft chuckle.

He suddenly raised his right hand. "Please, wait a moment."

All eyes turned toward him.

Yu Zhizhi also looked in his direction.

The Cat Clan youth’s voice carried a hint of a smile. "It seems the honorable member from Varolan still has important business to conduct."

Beside him, a flicker of gratitude crossed the middle-aged man’s face.

’The Yuling Envoy is so kind!’

’I’ve been agonizing over this for ages, but I didn’t dare to interrupt them.’

The moment Yu Zhizhi heard the word "Varolan," she tensed up.

The member from Varolan took a few steps forward. "Ms. Zhi Zhi, I have a letter here for you. Perhaps you should read it before you make your decision."

Yu Zhizhi hesitated for a moment before slowly walking forward.

Louis and Yusen immediately followed her.

She came to a stop before the member and accepted the letter he offered.

’This is...’

The letter bore the seal of the Empire Alliance.

After opening it, Yu Zhizhi found it was her old land grant application. Stamped prominently on it were two words: APPROVED!

A look of delighted surprise spread across her face—

’It was approved?!’

She’d applied for this territory a long time ago, but the process had been incredibly slow, and there was no way to check where it had gotten stuck. To think it would be approved at such a critical moment!

The Cat Clan youth sitting on the roof of the carriage saw the smile on the little rabbit’s face and smiled as well.

Before coming here, he had already noted that a new list of land grant applications had been approved by the Empire Alliance.

And Ms. Zhi Zhi was on it.

The person who had once held up this application and the person who had now approved it in an instant were one and the same.

The First Duke of Varolan.

From the moment he saw that, Yu Ling knew what the little rabbit’s final choice would be, now that all the major delegations were gathered in the Extreme Ice Domain.

Yu Zhizhi happily spun around and looked at Louis and Yusen. "I have my own territory!"