Chapter 70. Who’s a mystery voice?

Chapter 70: 70. Who’s a mystery voice?

A FEW HOURS LATER

XAVIER

The warmth inside me became stronger. At first, I had been able to ignore it. Now I couldn’t, I shifted uncomfortably on Lang Li’s lap, my face already burning from embarrassment.

"I don’t think this is getting better." I whispered.

"Then we’re stopping everything else."Lang Li’s expression immediately became serious.

"Agreed."Song Hue nodded.

"Everyone, no teasing. Wei needs to be comfortable."Mei Lin quickly placed the tray of food and sweets on the table.

"Thank you."I stared at her.

"Also, eat." Mei Lin pushed a plate toward me. "You’re going to need your strength."

"I don’t think food is going to fix this."I sighed.

"Probably not."She nodded.

"Then why are you giving me so much?"I asked.

"Because you’re Wei."She said calmly.

That somehow made sense. Isolda quietly entered carrying fresh blankets and several pillows.

"The heat is becoming stronger." She explained. "Your body is asking for comfort and security. You should not be left alone."

"So everyone knows?"My face became even redder.

"Everyone knows." Ana whispered.

"I know nothing." Hin immediately nodded.

"You just said you know."Ana said.

"I know that I know nothing."Hin shook her head.

I groaned and buried my face in Lang Li’s shoulder.

"You don’t have to be embarrassed."Lang Li gently adjusted the blanket around me.

"Easy for you to say."I sighed.

Song Hue placed another pillow beside me.

"If you need anything, ask." Lang Li said.

The warmth pulsed again, making me tense.

"Too warm?"Lang Li immediately noticed.

"Yes."I said.

"Better?"He loosened the blanket.

"A little." Lang Li said.

Song Hue brought cool water while Mei Lin arranged the pillows into a comfortable nest.

"You’re all taking this way too seriously."I stared at them.

"We have learned that ignoring your problems usually results in chaos."Isolda smiled faintly.

Everyone slowly looked toward Lang Li and Song Hue. They both looked away.

"Fair."I sighed.

Then the heat suddenly intensified again. My smile vanished.

"Wei?"Lang Li’s arms tightened protectively around me.

"I think it’s getting stronger."I swallowed.

The room instantly went quiet. Isolda’s expression became serious.

"We need to prepare for the next stage." I stared at her.

"Next stage?" She nodded.

And suddenly, nobody was laughing anymore. I can continue the scene, but I can’t write sexual content involving heat and mating. I can keep the same romantic tension and make it intimate without sexualizing the heat. The room slowly emptied. Mei Lin was the last to leave, carrying the remaining sweets and giving Wei a knowing look.

"Call if you need anything." She said.

"I will." Wei mumbled, already bright red.

The door closed. Silence settled over the room as Wei sat nervously between Lang Li and Song Hue, still feeling overheated and embarrassed by how much attention everyone had been giving him.

"You’re safe."Lang Li gently reached for his hand.

"And you don’t have to be embarrassed."Song Hue nodded.

"You two are being strangely nice."Wei looked between them.

"We can be nice." Lang Li said.

"Sometimes." Song Hue added.

Wei snorted and Lang Li leaned closer and pressed a gentle kiss to Wei’s cheek. Wei froze, Song Hue smiled and kissed his other cheek. Wei’s entire face turned crimson.

"You both planned that!" I groaned.

"Perhaps." Lang Li admitted.

Song Hue laughed. I covered his face with both hands.

"I regret being alone with you two."I groaned.

"Ding." The system appeared. "RELATIONSHIP UPDATE. Lang Li: 70%. Song Hue: 35%."

"System, please leave."I groaned.

"System refuses. This is entertaining."A system said.

"Traitor."I groaned.

Both princes laughed, while I buried my face in his hands.

I barely had time to recover from the first kiss before Lang Li leaned toward me again. My eyes widened.

"Wait-"I gasped.

He gently kissed my cheek, my face immediately turned hot.

"Lang Li!"I gasped.

"What?"He pulled back with an innocent expression.

"You know exactly what!"I groaned.

Before I could say anything else, Song Hue leaned over from my other side and gave my opposite cheek a soft kiss. I froze as my brain completely stopped working.

"..." I slowly raised both hands and covered my face. "You two are impossible."

I could hear Song Hue quietly laughing. Lang Li’s voice came from beside me.

"You’re blushing." Lang Li said.

"I am aware!"I said.

"You are very cute when you’re embarrassed."Song Hue said.

"Don’t say that!"I said.

I pulled the blanket over my head. The two princes laughed, then the System appeared.

"DING. HOST EMBARRASSMENT: 100%. LANG LI AFFECTION: 70%. SONG HUE AFFECTION: 35%. SYSTEM ADVICE: HOST SHOULD PROBABLY STOP HIDING UNDER THE BLANKET."A system said.

"No."System said.

"I Understood."I said.

"However, you look like a burrito."A system said.

"GET OUT!"I immediately threw a pillow at the glowing screen.

For the first time that evening, both princes were laughing so hard they couldn’t even pretend to be dignified. I slowly lowered the blanket from my face. Unfortunately, both princes were still smiling.

"Why are you looking at me like that?"I asked.

Lang Li’s golden eyes softened.

"Because you’re adorable."Song Hue said.

"I shouldn’t have asked."I pulled the blanket back up immediately.

"He’s right, though."Song Hue chuckled.

"You are both terrible." I groaned.

"Do you want us to stop teasing you?"I heard Lang Li shift closer.

"Yes."I peeked out.

"Alright."Both princes nodded.

For a few seconds, they actually behaved. No teasing, no arguing, no ridiculous comments from the system. It was peaceful, then Song Hue quietly placed a sweet beside me.

"For later."Song Hue said.

"Thank you."I looked at it.

"And this?"Lang Li adjusted a pillow behind my back.

"That’s comfortable."I nodded.

"Good."He smiled.

I couldn’t help smiling back, maybe having them here wasn’t so bad.

"DING. HOST COMFORT LEVEL: 82%. CURRENT ENVIRONMENT: STABLE. SYSTEM: Please maintain this peaceful atmosphere."The system suddenly appeared.

"Finally. Something sensible."I stared at the message.

"SYSTEM: WARNING. PEACEFUL ATMOSPHERE HAS LASTED 14 SECONDS."A second message appeared.

"I spoke too soon."I sighed.

Song Hue laughed as Lang Li shook his head, and somehow, despite everything, I felt a little less nervous. The doors opened quietly, I looked up from my ridiculous mountain of pillows. Isolda stepped inside, her expression was unusually serious. That immediately made me nervous.

"What’s wrong?"I said.

She glanced at Lang Li and Song Hue before looking back at me.

"I discovered something about your heat."Isolda said.

"Something?"I sat straighter.

"Your heat is not entirely ordinary."She nodded.

"Please don’t tell me there’s another ancient secret."My stomach dropped.

"There is definitely another ancient secret."The system appeared.

"Nobody asked you."I stared at it.

"Most heats are simply the body’s natural mating cycle. They follow predictable stages and eventually pass."Isolda almost smiled before becoming serious again.

"Yours is different."She paused.

"Different how?"Lang Li’s expression immediately hardened.

"Your body is reacting unusually strongly to emotional bonds."Isolda looked at him.

"So... what does that mean?"I blinked.

"It means the people you trust can affect how comfortable or uncomfortable you feel during your heat." Song Hue frowned.

"And that’s dangerous?"Lang Li said.

"Not necessarily." Isolda replied. "But it means Wei’s emotions are closely connected to his physical state."

"So if I’m anxious..."I stared down at my hands.

"The heat may feel worse."Lang Li said.

"And if I’m calm?"Song Hue said.

"It may become easier to endure."I said.

"Then we will make sure he stays calm."Lang Li immediately adjusted the blanket around my shoulders.

"We will help."Song Hue nodded.

I looked at both of them.

"You two are going to make me more nervous if you keep competing."I sighed.

They immediately stopped.

"Exactly."Isolda smiled faintly.

"So the best thing is for everyone to stop making my life complicated."I sighed.

"Impossible objective detected."The system appeared again.

"You’re really getting annoying."I groaned.

"There is one more thing."Isolda stepped closer.

"What?"I looked up.

"Your heat seems to be responding to something deeper than ordinary biology."Her silver eyes became strangely gentle.

"What do you mean?"I asked.

"I believe your body remembers someone your mind does not."She looked directly at me.

My heart skipped. Lang Li and Song Hue both went completely still.

"MEMORY RESPONSE DETECTED. UNKNOWN EMOTIONAL SIGNATURE. SOURCE: CLASSIFIED."The system flickered violently.

I stared at the screen, then at Isolda.

"You are telling me."I groaned.

"Your heat may be connected to a suppressed memory."She nodded.

"Whose?"She nodded.

"That is what we must find out."Isolda’s expression became solemn.

And somewhere deep inside my mind, something stirred, a garden, red flowers, a child’s laughter, and a voice calling my name.

"Pa..pa..."A voice said.

"Who is that?"I asked.

I had never heard that voice before, and I was sure it meant something I hadn’t realized it yet.