After the Shiyu defensive battle, Mo Xuan enjoyed several peaceful days. There were no new Hollows, no sudden secondary Hollow disasters. The belts he received each day were only used for a quick transformation at home to test them out before they were replaced the next day.
Time flew by, and soon it was Friday, with the weekend just around the corner. Mo Xuan made a decision: it was time for him to take the initiative and ask Zhu Yuan out. If she agreed to his request for a date, he would seize the opportunity to confess and avoid any further complications.
Mo Xuan wasn't bragging, but he felt that his relationship with Zhu Yuan had developed enough. If a confession was just a little premature before, now it felt like a natural progression. To wait any longer wouldn't be cautious; it would be avoiding Zhu Yuan's feelings. They could already hold hands and hug freely. A confession was the final step to give Zhu Yuan the assurance she deserved.
The only thing missing between Mo Xuan and Zhu Yuan was a kiss, and that was something best saved for a romantic time and place after they officially became a couple.
"Zhu Yuan, are you free this weekend? I'd like to go shopping with you," Mo Xuan asked as they were leaving work. After hours was the time for personal matters, and she would be able to give it her full attention.
"Hmm... I have to work on Saturday. Is Sunday okay? I can squeeze out half a day on Sunday afternoon." Zhu Yuan said, feigning deep thought.
Her first sentence made Mo Xuan's heart sink a little, knowing she had to work overtime at the Public Security Bureau. "Working a makeup day" was just a nicer way of saying it; she had accumulated almost three months of deferred vacation days, with no telling when she'd ever use them.
But her next words made his heart soar. Zhu Yuan was willing to make time for him even with her overtime. It clearly meant he was on her mind, which naturally made him happy.
"Of course! Whenever you're free is fine," Mo Xuan replied.
"Perfect. My parents have been asking about you again. Why don't you come over for dinner at my place on Sunday? They'll definitely be happy to see you."
"Then I'd be delighted to. Hehe." Mo Xuan nodded and chuckled foolishly. It felt like his future in-laws were about to give him another assist. With timing, location, and people all on his side, if he still couldn't win Zhu Yuan over, he might as well go become a monk.
"What are you giggling about?" Zhu Yuan asked with a smile, amused by Mo Xuan's silly grin.
"Nothing. I was just thinking that I miss your parents," Mo Xuan said with a very serious expression.
"They're not your parents, what are you thinking about?"
"I feel like... that's not entirely out of the question, right?" Mo Xuan glanced around, and seeing no one, he took Zhu Yuan's hand. The Public Security Bureau discouraged office romances, so he usually had to be sneaky about holding her hand.
This was Mo Xuan's final test before his confession, all but stating that he wanted to become family with her. Of course, she understood.
"Think whatever you want. It's not like I can stop you," Zhu Yuan said, turning her head away, but her voice was gentle. This tacit approval made Mo Xuan feel a little light-headed.
"Zhu Yuan, you're the best," Mo Xuan said, now holding her hand with both of his, treating it like a precious treasure. Zhu Yuan rolled her eyes at him playfully. The atmosphere was so good that he could have confessed right then and there. Unfortunately, he had to wait two more days. Mo Xuan wished someone would just knock him out and let him wake up on Sunday afternoon.
But no one was that bored. Mo Xuan could only go home, do his daily workout, and go to sleep, waiting for the belt to refresh. His daily life lacked tension and excitement, but it was a necessary process to relax his mind and body. Even an iron man couldn't handle fighting every single day.
The next day, Mo Xuan woke up in a strange state. He felt as if someone was lifting him up high. But he wasn't a child, who would be doing that? He opened his eyes to find himself in complete darkness, his center of gravity all wrong. It felt like he was lying on a slide, slowly sliding down into a dark space.
"What is this?" Mo Xuan was full of questions, feeling as if he wasn't fully awake yet. In his panic, he reached out, grabbed something, and yanked hard. The "slide" beneath him immediately squirmed and made a retching sound.
Mo Xuan was instantly spat out, landing back on his bed. Still dazed, he stared blankly at the giant creature before him, at a loss for words.
In front of him was a massive, all-red Tyrannosaurus. At nearly five meters tall, it couldn't stand up straight in the room. Even lying down, its head nearly touched the ceiling. Judging by its gagging, Mo Xuan had probably pulled on the soft flesh inside its mouth, which was why he had been regurgitated.
"X-Rex, why did you eat me?" Mo Xuan was horrified. He looked at the giant T-Rex and asked the question. If he had woken up any later, he might have been... processed. That would have been the worst possible ending. As the guardian of New Eridu, the eighth Hollow Hunter, and Zhu Yuan's beloved boyfriend, to die in the stomach of his own summon would be the most humiliating death for a Kamen Rider in history.
"Grrroowl." The X-Rex let out a low, rumbling growl. Mo Xuan roughly understood. It was feeling cooped up and wanted to go out and play, to be free. But it also knew it couldn't cause trouble for Mo Xuan, so this was its way of waking him up.
"Alright, alright, good boy. You've had a rough time," Mo Xuan said, patting the X-Rex's enormous head. Assuming it had emerged from its card at 4 a.m., it had been stuck in this stuffy room for four or five hours. It was a miracle it had held back for so long.
"U-FO!" A strange cry came from beside Mo Xuan. He turned his head and saw a yellow flying saucer clinging upside down to the ceiling. Its body was a disk with two long arms, which were also shaped like two smaller disks.
"Great. The little guys didn't show up, but two Level 10 Chemy big shots did. What's the deal with this?" Mo Xuan looked around and found only these two had come with the driver. None of the Chemies he had already bonded with were here. There were 101 Chemies in total. If they all showed up one day, it would be a scene straight out of hell.
"Ha... achoo!" The X-Rex suddenly sneezed. Mo Xuan saw something green fly out of its mouth and land on his head.
"Waba!" The green grasshopper cried out, its voice full of grievance. Mo Xuan was silent for a moment, then looked at the giant X-Rex and decided it was better to let the grasshopper feel a little wronged.
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