Betrayal

On a shaded path by a flowing stream, a man and a woman stood by the water's edge, locked in a passionate kiss, oblivious to time.

Tang San's mind went completely blank for over a minute, staring in a daze at the mature and fervent face in front of him.

Even though he had lived two lives, accumulating nearly 50 years of experience, he was, at heart, still a virgin and had never been close to a woman.

Fire Dance's mind was equally blank. Though she was a fiery woman in her daily life, she had never been this intimate with a man, let alone kissed at such close range. It was beyond her ability to process.

Half a minute later, Tang San suddenly snapped back to reality, pushing Fire Dance away abruptly. In a panic, he wiped his mouth, as if disgusted.

"What are you doing?" Tang San asked, both shocked and angry, glaring at Fire Dance in frustration.

The scent of the opposite sex stirred his hormones, causing his heart to pound wildly, almost as if it wanted to leap out of his chest.

Raising his voice to force himself into anger, Tang San tried to mask the turmoil inside.

Fire Dance, having been pushed away forcefully, staggered back and nearly fell. She immediately became displeased—this was, after all, her first kiss. It had taken her a lot of courage to take this step.

"Tang San, what do you mean by this? You were kissing me just fine a moment ago, and now you're acting like you're disgusted with me?" Fire Dance's face flushed red as she glared at Tang San, furious.

They had been kissing for nearly two minutes, and he hadn't pushed her away then. Now that it was over, was he rejecting her?

Fire Dance was livid. She was a woman with a proud heritage, a body to die for, and a face that could captivate many. The line of men pursuing her stretched from here to the Heaven Dou region.

She had rejected all of them, yet Tang San, after taking advantage of her, had the audacity to act all superior. How hypocritical!

This had been her first kiss, her very first, yet she was treated so poorly. Why?

Fire Dance's expression turned icy, and she said coldly, "You saved my life that day. I don't like owing people anything, so I've repaid you with my first kiss. From now on, we owe each other nothing!"

With those words, she turned and left, her cold silhouette gradually fading from view.

Tang San's emotions were in even more disarray after this. His mind was a jumble, and the memory of the kiss, that scene, was burned into his brain, impossible to shake off.

Eventually, he too left the forest and returned to the Shrek camp.

In the corner of the woods, a figure dressed in green emerged, their face as dark as a storm, eyes filled with malice.

"Tang San!"

Feng Xiaotian gritted his teeth, eyes glowing with hatred as he stared in the direction Tang San had left. His fists clenched tightly, producing a series of cracking sounds.

The green outfit he wore only made him stand out more, piercing his heart with bitter pain.

...

Meanwhile, after separating from Fire Dance, Tang San returned to the Shrek camp. Strangely, after searching around, he couldn't find Xiao Wu anywhere.

"Fatty, where's Xiao Wu?" he asked Ma Hongjun urgently.

Ma Hongjun gave Tang San a strange look, staring at him for a long while. Just as he was about to speak, Dai Mubai appeared, quickly covering Ma Hongjun's mouth.

"Xiao Wu went to buy something, don't worry about her," Dai Mubai said, coughing a few times. He then casually mentioned, "By the way, how are things going with Fire Dance, Little San?"

At the mention of Fire Dance, the image of their kiss immediately resurfaced in Tang San's mind. His face flushed red with embarrassment, and he became visibly uncomfortable.

This was something he preferred to keep secret. If Xiao Wu ever found out, it would certainly affect their relationship.

Seeing Tang San's reaction, Dai Mubai understood and stopped asking. He exchanged a knowing glance with Ma Hongjun, the kind all men understand.

"I'm impressed, Brother San. You already have Xiao Wu, can't you leave some chances for the rest of us?" Ma Hongjun groaned dramatically, clearly unable to handle it anymore.

In Shrek, everyone seemed to be paired up, except for him, leaving him feeling like the odd one out among the Seven Monsters.

Dai Mubai coughed again and added, "Actually, Little San, I lied to you. Just after you and Fire Dance left, Xiao Wu followed right after."

Tang San's face immediately changed at the news. A bad feeling surged in his heart. This meant there was a high possibility that Xiao Wu had seen what had happened earlier.

Dai Mubai patted Tang San on the shoulder and teased, "Looks like our pure and innocent Young Master Tang will need a new name after today."

Tang San had no time for jokes. Panic filled his heart, and he rushed out immediately, hoping things weren't as bad as they seemed. Perhaps Xiao Wu hadn't seen anything yet.

After all, it wasn't something he had initiated. Surely Xiao Wu would understand.

But what Tang San didn't know was that Xiao Wu had indeed witnessed the kiss between him and Fire Dance. Her heart was already broken.

Half an hour earlier.

Xiao Wu had run away heartbroken, crying uncontrollably, leaving the painful scene behind.

Chen Xuan, who had left early, was waiting by the exit. He was caught off guard when Xiao Wu, who wasn't watching where she was going, crashed straight into him, knocking them both to the ground.

Chen Xuan felt terrible. His chest ached from the collision, and he was in considerable pain.

Xiao Wu, her eyes shut, continued to sob loudly, not realizing she had bumped into Chen Xuan. She just felt immense sorrow, her heart aching as if it were being torn apart.

The scene of Tang San and Fire Dance kissing played repeatedly in her mind, causing her unbearable pain and a deep sense of betrayal.

She didn't want to believe it, but she had seen it with her own eyes. At that moment, her heart was filled with grief, and she cried uncontrollably, clinging to the person in front of her, not caring about anything else.

Her sorrow was overwhelming, and her loud sobs echoed around them, as if her heart was being ripped apart.

Chen Xuan, lying on the ground, looked at the tear-streaked Xiao Wu and felt at a loss for what to do.

"Damn it!"

Soon, Chen Xuan felt a cold sensation on his chest. When he touched it, his hand came away wet and sticky with some unknown liquid.

He was speechless. Xiao Wu had soaked his entire upper body with her tears.

"Wait a minute, this sticky stuff isn't... snot, is it?" Chen Xuan realized with horror. It really seemed like that was the case.

Then he witnessed something even worse. This tearful, snotty girl was now rubbing her face against his chest, as if she were wiping her nose!

"You... I... damn it..." Chen Xuan wanted to swear. He was a clean freak and couldn't stand this. He really wanted to curse, but the words stuck in his throat.

Because the one doing this was Xiao Wu, technically his half-wife. Suddenly, he couldn't bring himself to say anything.

Watching her cry so desperately, Chen Xuan softened. He couldn't bear to scold her, so he decided to just let her vent.

He slowly extended an arm and gently placed it on Xiao Wu's head. Seeing that she didn't resist, he began to softly stroke her hair.

Chen Xuan didn't understand why the timeline had shifted again, straying from its original course, resulting in subtle changes.

At first glance, it seemed irrational, but upon deeper reflection, it made sense. Perhaps this was the way things were meant to be.

No matter the cause, the result was good. Xiao Wu hadn't kissed out of jealousy; instead, she had become sorrowful out of love.

If things had gone according to the original timeline, he would have stepped in to stop it. He wouldn't have tolerated it, even if he had no rightful claim to interfere. So what? He was willing to be selfish just this once.

Chen Xuan thought that maybe he had been too attached to the idea of maintaining the original timeline. The way things were unfolding now seemed more reasonable and genuine.

After all, Xiao Wu's love for Tang San was deep, but so was her potential for hatred. It was only natural for love to turn into hurt.

Who could witness their beloved kissing someone else and not be devastated by it? The idea of reacting with jealousy and a kiss of her own was unrealistic; escaping from the pain was the truest reflection of her emotions.

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