"Ling Xue" quietly stroked Xiaobai's head, and Xiaobai nestled obediently in "Ling Xue's" palm.
A rare trace of ease appeared on "Ling Xue's" sharp face. She, who was always meticulous, did not notice the uncontrollable anger in the round eyes before her.
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"Your Highness, have the osmanthus trees in the courtyard bloomed?"
Xiu Yong asked Zhu Xu slightly, tilting his head.
Zhu Xu hooked her lips, recalling the beautiful sight of the courtyard full of osmanthus flowers in the past: "Of course they have. It's a pity you can't see them, and neither can I.
"Oh, right, do you still remember when I took you up the tree, and a gust of wind blew you down."
Zhu Xu couldn't help but laugh even more as she remembered Xiu Yong's embarrassing moment before he had taken human form.
"For...forgotten." Xiu Yong avoided Zhu Xu's gaze, feeling shy. Although there was embarrassment in his almond-shaped eyes, there was more nostalgia.
"Zhao Xue, the osmanthus trees in my courtyard are beautiful when they bloom. When we return to the Nine Heavens, I'll cast a spell to make them bloom."
As Xiu Yong was about to say something else to Zhu Xu, skipping over the embarrassment of falling from the tree because of the wind, Zhu Xu unexpectedly looked at Zhao Xue beside her.
Seeing this, Xiu Yong pursed his lips, feeling that the smile that had once warmed him now felt a bit dazzling.
"Okay," Zhao Xue lowered his head slightly, trying his best to suppress the deep darkness in his phoenix eyes. He did not look at Zhu Xu, but merely responded.
...
Not long after, Xiu Yong began to chat enthusiastically with Zhu Xu again.
Whenever they reached a part that delighted Zhu Xu, she would always share it with Zhao Xue.
The gradually darkening sky concealed the gloom in Zhao Xue's phoenix eyes, preventing Zhu Xu from noticing Zhao Xue's abnormality.
Zhao Xue, who was struggling to control his emotions, also failed to notice that Zhu Xu had been sharing with him all along.
At this moment, Zhao Xue only felt a vicious dislike, a dislike for the male immortal who had suddenly appeared, with whom Zhu Xu had endless past stories.
"Ah, we're finally back." After a day of wandering, the three of them finally returned to the inn.
Xiu Yong, who had been chatting with Zhu Xu all the way, naturally returned with Zhu Xu.
"Respected guests, it's late at night. Do you require any food?" The waiter immediately stepped forward upon seeing the three of them arrive.
"This young waiter seems unfamiliar," Zhu Xu looked up at the waiter's waist, which was clearly a bit thicker than before, and asked doubtfully.
"Respected guest, I had a stomachache yesterday and asked for leave from the shopkeeper. You must have seen this one yesterday, right?"
As the waiter spoke, he pointed to another waiter who was wiping tables by the counter.
The waiter, who was wiping the table with his head down, inadvertently looked up and met Zhu Xu's crescent-shaped eyes, then immediately lowered his head again.
He naturally remembered Zhu Xu, especially since he had openly tried to poach Zhu Xu's love interest that morning.
He was just a waiter, and they were customers. He had to keep his tail tucked in, otherwise, if he ruined the shopkeeper's business, he wouldn't even be able to keep his title as a waiter.
"Oh, you're still here," Zhu Xu mumbled ambiguously, and the small hand wrapped in Zhao Xue's suddenly gripped Zhao Xue's thumb.
Zhao Xue turned his head to look at Zhu Xu, and his stiff face finally relaxed a little.
"No need to prepare anything. We've all eaten," Zhu Xu said to the stout waiter, then pulled Zhao Xue's hand and walked upstairs.
"Your Highness, wait a moment."
Before they had taken a few steps, Xiu Yong's voice reached them.
Had Xiu Yong not eaten enough? She had clearly seen Xiu Yong eat a lot on the street. After not seeing each other for nearly a hundred years, had Xiu Yong's appetite grown so much?
Zhu Xu turned around in confusion and saw Xiu Yong had somehow walked to the shelf behind the counter, picked up a wine jar with one hand, and was raising his eyebrows at Zhu Xu. Sudancan.com
"I heard the osmanthus wine here is exceptional. Won't you try some?"
Zhu Xu was momentarily stunned by Xiu Yong's raised eyebrows. Didn't he always do that when she was about to drag Xiu Yong into some mischief?
She just didn't expect that the gentle Xiu Yong would still look so gentle even when he raised his eyebrows.
In a daze, Zhu Xu felt as if the days of climbing trees with Xiu Yong were just yesterday. This couldn't help but evoke Zhu Xu's lament for the passage of time, as well as her joy at meeting an old friend.
"Okay," Zhu Xu replied, then hooked her lips and skipped down the wooden stairs.
Zhu Xu walked very quickly, her long sleeves and skirt trailing behind her. Her joyful appearance made her look like a butterfly gently flying downwards, and everyone downstairs was involuntarily drawn to her.
Zhao Xue looked at Zhu Xu's retreating back, a strong sense of unease rising in his heart.
"Zhao Xue, you go up to the room first." Just as she was about to reach Xiu Yong's table, Zhu Xu suddenly stopped and turned to Zhao Xue.
As soon as Zhu Xu spoke, the obsession, jealousy, and unease in Zhao Xue's eyes instantly surged to their peak: "Can't I go with you?"
Zhao Xue tightened his grip on Zhu Xu's hand, his voice low, looking at Zhu Xu with eyes like those of someone clinging to their last straw.
Zhu Xu then silently placed her other hand on Zhao Xue's wrist, freeing her hand from his grasp.
Zhao Xue gradually loosened his hold on Zhu Xu, and the desire for destruction in his eyes shot upwards.
The next second, Zhu Xu cupped Zhao Xue's face and said, "Qingqing, have you forgotten you're a lightweight?"
"Just because my alcohol tolerance is low?"
The warmth from Zhu Xu's palm transmitted to Zhao Xue's cheeks, strangely calming him.
"Zhao Xue, if you can't hold your liquor, you'll feel very uncomfortable when you get drunk," Zhu Xu exerted a little force, wanting Zhao Xue to lower his head and look at her.
But no matter how hard she tried, Zhao Xue wouldn't lower his head. Zhu Xu could only helplessly stare at Zhao Xue's perfect jawline.
"Zhao Xue, look at me." Zhu Xu's hands slid down from Zhao Xue's cheeks, finally resting on Zhao Xue's sleeves and gently shaking them.
Zhao Xue took a deep breath, his Adam's apple bobbing. He took in all the subtle emotions in those phoenix eyes, then lowered his head to look at Zhu Xu.
Finally meeting those phoenix eyes, Zhu Xu's smile immediately widened, her crescent eyes curving into moons.
She liked being looked at by Zhao Xue like this.
Over the past few hundred years, Zhu Xu had cherished the person before her in her heart, her heart filled with longing and a bittersweet ache. She had never imagined that one day she would be so intimately close to him.