The moon is bright and stars are sparse tonight.
In this grand city, the last flickering candlelight quietly extinguishes.
It is time to dream.
Ji Lingruo is wearing a loose cloud-patterned robe, leaning against the window, gazing outward.
The robe naturally slips off her shoulder, revealing her fragrant shoulder. Her skin is as white as condensed cream, glowing under the bright moonlight,.
The girl remains lost in faint melancholy, oblivious to the graceful skin inadvertently exposed.
"Senior brother..."
"Hmm?"
You Su just stepped out from the bathing chamber, his body carrying a refreshing moisture, his ink-black hair casually tied up.
"Do you think... Qiao Xiuying and Xiang Wenting regret meeting each other?"
Ji Lingruo and You Su have just confirmed their feelings these past two days, yet they’ve witnessed a tragic event born out of love, compounded by the racial divide between them, making the young girl naturally anxious.
You Su keenly perceives the unease in her heart. He softly walks to Ji Lingruo’s back, gently embracing her waist from behind.
He rests his chin on Ji Lingruo’s right shoulder, inhaling the delicate fragrance of her hair, and softly says:
"Spring silkworms forge silk till their death, candle wax turns to ash and tears dry. If there were regrets, Xiang Wenting wouldn’t willingly seek death."
Feeling a firm grip around her slender waist, Ji Lingruo stiffens momentarily.
Although the two have had more intimate exchanges, such natural gestures of closeness still make her somewhat uncomfortable, yet her cheeks only slightly redden, without pulling away.
In her unsettled emotions, having someone hold her for comfort...
Perhaps this is the meaning of love...
The girl suddenly feels a great deal of reassurance, silently reciting the poem You Su just recited, with a heart full of emotion.
She knows well that You Su isn’t just saying these words; he indeed would burn to ashes for her if necessary.
"Where did you steal these verses from? They pierce one’s heart so profoundly."
You Su leans his head against Ji Lingruo’s forehead, intimately rubbing against her cheek, then laughs:
"Didn’t I tell you, it’s not stealing for scholars, it’s borrowing."
Ji Lingruo smiles lightly at his words yet rebuts:
"Pretentiousness. A thief of hearts is a thief, whether stealing or borrowing."
The winter night is cold, and a gust of wind suddenly blows through the window.
You Su, having just bathed, still not fully dry, inadvertently tightens his embrace around the warm, tender body before him, causing the girl to blush, and even her body seems a bit warmer.
"Whether stealing or borrowing, it’s better than the way the younger sister openly stole someone’s heart like a robber."
"Who... who’s a robber..."
Embarrassed, the girl slightly turns her head, knowing You Su is alluding to the event three years ago when she aggressively joined his Mandarin Duck Sword Sect, then forcefully entered this blind man’s mundane life.
Back then, You Su was unwilling; now, he wished never to part from her.
"Rather than blaming me for being a robber, you should blame your heart for being so easily stolen."
Ji Lingruo retorts using the incident of You Su gallivanting with her sister, though she merely hints without fully revealing, for she doesn’t wish other women to intrude in this night of flowing affection.
This undoubtedly touches You Su’s sore point, leading him to change the topic, feigning melancholy:
"Regardless, hasn’t my heart been stolen by you? I wonder if I’ve stolen yours..."
Ji Lingruo gently furrows her eyebrows; these past two nights, You Su whispers countless sweet nothings in her ear, yet she finds it too shameful to express.
Isn’t her actions enough; does he need to hear her admit it to be assured?
Given her nature, admitting ’my heart has been stolen by you’ feels challenging, so the girl bites her lush red lip and murmurs, voice soft as a mosquito:
"Why don’t you check for yourself if you’ve stolen it..."
You Su’s expression freezes, doubting his hearing, yet the girl’s gentle trembling seems to convey a mysterious sentiment through a peculiar frequency.
This makes You Su somewhat guilty; he didn’t expect his teasing words to cause this tender girl to show her vulnerability.
Unable to suppress emotions, You Su’s hand gradually moves from her waist, reaching for the heart he has stolen.
The night wind is chilly, and Ji Lingruo, enjoying the moonlight by the window, pulls the cloud robe tight. Yet her rounded plumpness stands firm and proud, the only exposed exquisite collarbone bathed in the bright moonlight.
Sensing her heart being held, Ji Lingruo’s face turns crimson, breathing heavily, her heart tingles with numbness.
She had already decided tonight would be the last, regardless of the reasons You Su gives, she wouldn’t consent.
The first time was a reward for his true feelings, the second helped him break through the Spirit Platform Upper Realm, but why willingly offer herself this third time?
I, Ji Lingruo, am not a woman torn by desire!
Continuing like this, wouldn’t it lead them to sing and dance every night?
How could this be permissible?!
But in deep emotion, her body softens, unable to muster the strength to resist You Su.
Perhaps, for a couple newly in love, their hearts yearned to be inseparable, deeply intertwined.