After a moment, just as Shen Yue found the suffocating silence unbearable, the man before her spoke again.
"Are you still giving me the cold shoulder?"
"..."
Cheng Qian Gong appeared thinner than he had six months prior. Tall and slender, his demeanor was refined and serene, yet he seemed to exude a different aura now.
As if veiled by a thin layer of melancholy.
Like a plum blossom standing proud amidst a field of snow, there was a lonely, desolate beauty about him.
Shen Yue lowered her long eyelashes, trembling slightly. She pressed her lips together, but still offered no response.
Cheng Qian Gong seemed flustered. He looked down at Shen Yue's seemingly indifferent face, and a pang shot through his chest for some unknown reason.
He didn't know if Shen Yue had truly moved on, as rumors suggested, and had lost all interest in him.
After a pause, Cheng Qian Gong relaxed his grip. The oil-paper umbrella slipped from his hand and fell to the ground. He then grasped the girl's wrist and pulled her into his embrace.
Suddenly enveloped in a warm, firm embrace, the scent of plum blossoms grew stronger. It was a familiar yet unfamiliar embrace.
Shen Yue, who had never been actively touched by him, was taken aback. An inexplicable panic made her instinctively want to break free. But his arms tightened, their possessiveness holding her captive. Shen Yue froze.
"Yue Yue," the intimate, slightly ambiguous address sounded in her ear. The man's voice was deep and pleasant. His warm breath brushed against her sensitive earlobe, and Shen Yue's mind went blank. She forgot to struggle.
"Don't you want me anymore?" Cheng Qian Gong asked softly, yet with an undertone of trepidation. His dry, soft lips were almost touching Shen Yue's ear. His hands circled her waist, pinning her in place.
Shen Yue parted her lips, unable to speak. Her brows were lowered, her dark eyes filled with a gentle, misty moisture. Her entire body felt weak.
The man's embrace was truly warm, as if it could ward off the biting winter wind and the snow outside, creating a small, warm world for her.
Shen Yue trembled uncontrollably.
Why was it that just when she was about to give up, Cheng Qian Gong was acting in such a misleading way?
She truly couldn't refuse this Cheng Qian Gong.
She had already decided to let go, had already prepared to move on...
But...
This embrace was so warm.
Shen Yue was a rather stubborn person. Her heart was small; it could only hold one person, and she could only love one person.
Loving him wholeheartedly was like a raging fire, ultimately leaving both of them exhausted, body and soul.
Cheng Qian Gong was her medicine, the only one who made her feel the meaning of life.
When she decided to let go, it was as if she had dug out her own heart and thrown it away.
And she understood clearly that Cheng Qian Gong's actions were not born of affection, but perhaps a desire to gain something from her...
Shen Yue was very intelligent; Cheng Qian Gong's clumsy acting couldn't deceive her.
Unless, Shen Yue was willing to be deceived.
Tears blurred her vision. Shen Yue felt truly pathetic. It was just an embrace, yet her nose felt sore, and she wanted to cry.
Crystal tears fell almost uncontrollably. She desperately tried to control her emotions, her eyelashes clumped and soaked with tears.
Cheng Qian Gong also sensed something was wrong. He reached out and cupped the girl's delicate chin. Tears were streaming down her face.
She was crying.
The warm tears splattered onto his palm, feeling faintly hot. His voice trembled slightly, "Why are you crying?"
His slightly rough fingertips wiped away the tears from her face. Her pale complexion was fragile and soft.
"Cheng Qian Gong..." her shoulders trembled. Her butterfly-like eyelashes were dotted with tears, rolling down. Her voice was choked with sobs, "Don't lie to me."
Her words were nonsensical, yet Cheng Qian Gong's nerves tightened like a taut string. His Adam's apple bobbed dryly, his expression gentle, yet seemingly mixed with something else. A flickering, elusive light gathered in his eyes, making them unreadable.
When he opened his mouth to speak, he found his voice to be terribly hoarse.
"...Alright."
He agreed.
Shen Yue believed him.
---
Cheng Qian Gong led Shen Yue into the house. The charcoal fire inside was sparse, not enough to warm the entire room.
Shen Yue wore a light purple cloak with a white fox fur trim. The fluffy white fur framed her neck, making her richly adorned and beautiful face appear even more delicate and exquisite. Her cheeks seemed to be dusted with a faint blush, making her as captivating as a peach blossom, impossible to look away from.
They hadn't seen each other for more than half a year, but being in the same room now felt no different.
Her hand was still held by Cheng Qian Gong. The snow stains on his dark hair had been wiped clean. As their breaths intertwined, Shen Yue felt her face being gently cradled. His lips, tender and affectionate, landed on her eyes, kissing them delicately.
His dry lips traced paths across her face, not missing a single inch of skin, from her forehead to her brows, then to the corners of her eyes, her nose, and finally lightly settled on her mouth.
Shen Yue's pale, slender fingers instinctively clutched the man's collar, trembling as if scalded, but she didn't push him away. Instead, she held on tighter.
Her lips were cool, while his were dry and warm. They pressed against hers, as if trying to melt her.
The kiss was gentle and lingering, Cheng Qian Gong treating her as if she were a fragile, easily broken piece of porcelain.
After an unknown amount of time, they finally parted slightly.
Their foreheads touched, their breaths intertwined.
Shen Yue's lips were swollen, a vivid red as if about to bleed.
She asked softly,
"Cheng Qian Gong, do you like me?"
Cheng Qian Gong faltered.
The girl gazed at him with such an expression, pure and direct, as if hiding a soft affection.
In that instant, Cheng Qian Gong's mind went blank. Almost instinctively, he said, "Yes."
He answered quickly, as if eager to reciprocate this passionate affection, not even realizing it himself.
Shen Yue smiled, dimples appearing on her cheeks. The tear mole beneath her eye sparkled. She seemed very happy, his simple "yes" filling her with a warmth that dispelled the cold.
She reached up and touched the man's face, her voice quiet, "Do you know how long I've waited for you to say that?"
Cheng Qian Gong blinked, his gaze shifting evasively. For some reason, he seemed hesitant to meet Shen Yue's eyes.
His chest felt full, a bittersweet sensation, an emotion he had never experienced before. The tips of his fair ears subtly flushed red.
But soon, the tenderness in his eyes faded, gradually turning as cold as frost and snow.
How many others had he said these words to?
Shen Yue was swept away by joy and didn't notice the change in his expression. She wrapped her arms around his neck and, without further hesitation, kissed him again.