Su Nian’s body suddenly stiffened.
Her shimmering sky-blue eyes flew wide in an instant.
‘What was Chu Tian saying?’
The shock hit her without warning, surging straight to the crown of her head.
A scorching current of air exploded from the soles of her feet and rushed upward.
He wanted her to… sleep in his room tonight?
Su Nian’s brain buzzed, and her cheeks burned a fiery red.
‘This guy… How could he be so impatient?’
They had only just confirmed their relationship.
Even their first official date had been a mess of his own making, and now he actually wanted her to sleep in the same room!
Could he not wait a little longer and let everything happen naturally when the time was right…
‘Idiot! He was the most insensitive idiot in the world!’
Her heart, which had just softened from that kiss and was nearly melting into a pool of spring water, instantly froze over again.
“In your dreams!”
“I hate you!”
Su Nian threw out those words with a sharp but hollow bluster, not even daring to look at him again.
She lifted the hem of her flowing, moon-white dress and turned, walking quickly toward her own room.
Her exquisite silver high heels hit the hard stone path, making a series of hurried, frantic “clack, clack, clack” sounds that silently voiced their owner’s embarrassment and indignation.
Watching the young girl’s retreating figure, which looked as if she were fleeing for her life, the expectation and smile on Chu Tian’s face slowly froze.
He stood there, stunned for half a second.
He seemed to want to reach out and grab something, but in the end, he only caught a handful of cold air mixed with the fragrance of the night epiphyllums.
A wave of intense regret, like a cold tide, instantly submerged him.
What kind of nonsense had he just said?
That kiss and that soft touch had awakened a strange, violent impulse within his body.
The chaotic, broken fragments of memory flashing through his mind — those images of confinement, conquest, and possession — had caused him to instinctively treat her in a more aggressive manner.
But the current Little Nian had only just become willing to open her heart to him.
She was a treasure who would blush and get shy even over holding hands, someone who needed to be cherished with the utmost care.
What he had just said must have terrified her.
In Chu Tian’s sight, the girl’s figure grew more distant, looking somewhat frail under the moonlight.
The burning light that had just been ignited in his eyes dimmed rapidly, replaced by a visible sense of loss and dejection.
Su Nian walked a dozen steps in one breath.
The cool night wind blew against her burning cheeks, finally dispersing some of the shame and anger that had rushed to her head.
Her footsteps unconsciously slowed down.
Behind her, there was a long silence.
Was Chu Tian… angry?
Would he think her reaction just now was too extreme and misunderstand that she didn’t actually like him that much?
Or would he feel his pride was wounded and never treat her this well again?
As soon as that thought surfaced, it made her feel breathless.
She stopped walking and hesitated for a moment.
No.
She couldn’t just leave like this.
Ultimately, she couldn’t help herself.
She quietly turned her head and stole a quick glance through the gaps of her falling golden hair.
The man’s tall silhouette cast a long, lonely shadow under the cool moonlight.
Chu Tian’s head was lowered, making it impossible to see his expression.
However, the armor pieces he had tossed aside on the grass, shimmering with a cold metallic luster, and the visible dejection radiating from his entire body pierced Su Nian’s heart like a needle hitting its softest spot.
Su Nian’s heart gave a sudden, sharp tug.
No.
She really couldn’t just leave.
She bit her lower lip as if making a decision.
Turning around, she walked back toward the man who had made her heart race.
The night wind grew colder, blowing her thin silk dress tight against her body, outlining the girl’s graceful curves.
Chu Tian heard the hesitant footsteps behind him and slowly raised his head.
Under the moonlight, he saw that the slender figure who had resolutely left had actually returned.
The last spark of light that had just gone out in his eyes was instantly replaced by joy and confusion.
Su Nian walked up to him and stopped.
She didn’t dare look him in the eye.
Those eyes had been filled with a heat that could melt a person just moments ago; now, there must be nothing left but disappointment and coldness.
Her gaze fell frantically, eventually landing on the tips of her shoes hidden beneath her moon-white hem, as if there were some magnificent scenery there.
Two slender, fair index fingers twisted together unconsciously in front of her, the knuckles turning slightly white from the force.
She opened her mouth, but her throat was incredibly dry, and she only managed to produce a faint sound.
“I… I didn’t mean that. I didn’t mean that I really hate you.”
Her voice was as soft as a mosquito’s buzz, carrying a trace of grievance and urgency that even she hadn’t noticed.
These nine words exhausted all her strength.
“I just think… it’s too fast.”
The moment the words left her mouth, a wave of heat rushed to her cheeks again, making her wish she could find a hole in the ground to crawl into.
‘It’s too fast.’
Doesn’t that basically admit that it’s not that she’s unwilling, but just a matter of time?
‘Oh my god. Su Nian, how could you say something so shameless!’
Just as she was overthinking and nearly drowning in her own embarrassment, she plucked up the greatest courage of her life.
“Wait… wait three more days, okay?”
After she finished, she suddenly raised her eyes and stole a quick look at him.
In those crystal-clear sky-blue eyes, there was a shimmering light filled with nervousness and anxiety.
“Okay?”
The last word was drawn out, soft and gentle.
It was like a feather lightly tickling the tip of Chu Tian’s heart.
That soft, pleading inquiry was like a warm spring breeze, instantly blowing away all the gloom, dejection, and loss in his heart.
The world became vibrant once more in that instant.
The light in his eyes was relit.
No, it wasn’t just lit.
It was ignited.
That brilliance was more dazzling than at any other time, like 10,000 stars exploding in the night sky, strikingly bright.
“Okay! Of course!”
Chu Tian was so excited he became somewhat incoherent, his voice trembling slightly with ecstasy.
He instinctively wanted to reach out and grab those small, twisting hands to pull her into his embrace.
But halfway through the motion, he forced himself to stop.
No.
He couldn’t scare her again.
His reason was screaming, but the blood in his body was boiling, and his joy was almost overflowing from his chest.
Looking at the girl’s face, which was so red it looked ready to drip blood, and those eyes that didn’t dare meet his out of nervousness, his mind began to race at an unprecedented speed.
Su Nian hadn’t refused!
She just thought it was too fast!
That meant she wasn’t rejecting his request, just that he was too impatient.
In that case… she needed a way out, a reason that wasn’t so embarrassing!
An excellent, even perfect idea instantly formed in his mind.
“Perfect!”
Chu Tian suddenly slapped his hands together, his tone filled with excitement as if he were eager to show off a treasure.
“The Constant Temperature Ventilation Magic Array I’ve been researching lately is almost finished!”
Su Nian was slightly stunned.
‘A Constant Temperature Ventilation Magic Array?’
She listened as Chu Tian continued to enthusiastically introduce his “great invention” in that magnetic voice.
“Once it’s installed, the room will be very warm. It’s much more comfortable than using a fireplace, and it won’t be dry!”
He looked at Su Nian, his eyes shining with sincere and expectant light, as if it weren’t just a simple magic array but a miracle that could change the world.
“Three days. In three days at most, it will be ready.”
“At that time, you can move in, okay?”
“When the constant temperature ventilation is complete, it won’t be cold or dry when you sleep at night.”
He watched Su Nian with burning eyes, using an incredibly natural tone to deliver the invitation that made her heart stop.
Chu Tian’s voice was filled with unquestionable confidence.
Hearing his words, Su Nian was completely dazed.
In her heart, the heavy stone that had been tightened by shame and nervousness quietly loosened and then crashed to the ground.
‘A Constant Temperature Ventilation Magic Array…’
It sounded like the magical civilization’s version of an “air conditioner.”
This reason sounded…
Indeed, very reasonable.
Even if she moved in, she could say it was to experience the latest achievements of magical technology and feel the convenience and comfort that magic brought to life.
It was absolutely not for any other shameful reason.
Yes, that was it.
Having found this perfect excuse, Su Nian felt the scorching heat on her cheeks finally recede a little.
Her heartbeat also gradually began to calm down.
She looked at the man’s sparkling eyes that were full of the expectation of ‘quickly praise me,’ and at the sincere, somewhat silly smile on his face.
The softest part of her heart was gently nudged.
This idiot.
What was clearly an impatient and embarrassing request had been presented by him in such a way that it… actually made her feel a trace of cherished consideration.
She finally gave a soft, solemn nod.
This meant… she had promised Chu Tian that she would move into his room three days later.
***
After returning to her own room.
Su Nian looked at herself in the mirror, her face flushed with shame, and began to let her mind wander again.
Three days later…
She would be… sharing a bed with him.
Just thinking about that image, Su Nian felt her body start to heat up uncontrollably again.
A secret flame was quietly growing.
An indescribable tension made her almost unable to breathe.
That flame carried a hint of sweetness, a hint of an itch, and a hint of… expectation that made her heart race.
She looked forward to the feeling of being held in Chu Tian’s arms.
She looked forward to feeling his steady breathing and warm body temperature in the middle of the night.
She looked forward to that absolute intimacy that belonged only to the two of them.
‘Oh my god.’
‘Su Nian, what on earth are you thinking!’
She shook her head vigorously, trying to throw those shameful thoughts away.
But the more she suppressed them, the clearer the images became.
She raised her head, looking at the mirrored version of herself with flushed cheeks and shimmering eyes.
In those sky-blue eyes, there was a complex mix of emotions she couldn’t even read herself.
There was the shyness of a young girl tasting love for the first time.
There was anxiety about the unknown future.
There was a shudder and a longing for a certain destiny.
And… a trace of something she hadn’t even noticed herself, buried deep in her eyes… expectation.
She reached out and placed her hand over her chest.
Her heart was still beating incredibly fast.
‘Was this fear, or was it excitement?’