Hi everyone! I’m sorry for the irregular postings. I’ve been training out of town since last month so I can’t be consistent with the updates on the website. I’ll post when I have the time tho (˶ᵔ ᵕ ᵔ˶) thank you for reading and supporting 𖹭
The wind blew in gusts from outside the window, carrying his hair across her eyebrows and eyes, and hers across his face.
The moment their lips touched, both Wei Yun and Xie Tao had forgotten to breathe.
Especially Wei Yun.
This unexpected kiss had frozen him on the spot, leaving his mind completely blank.
And the courage for such a sudden act came quickly and left just as fast.
As Xie Tao opened her eyes and saw his eyes filled with astonishment, the sound of her heartbeat seemed to ring in her ears, each beat clearer than the last.
She hurriedly stepped back, almost falling off the stool.
Wei Yun reacted quickly, grabbing her wrist and supporting her waist with his other hand.
When their eyes met,
It was as if he had been scalded, instantly releasing her wrist and standing up abruptly.
His ears hidden under his black hair were thoroughly flushed.
“You…”
He opened his mouth wanting to say something, but as soon as he parted his lips, he found himself unable to utter a word.
It seemed as though the warmth of her soft lips lingered on his, along with the sweet taste of the pastry she had eaten earlier, his Adam’s apple moved slightly, but he couldn’t speak a word for a long time.
And Xie Tao, covering her mouth, dared not look at him.
In the silent room, only the occasional sparking of the charcoal fire could be heard.
The two of them, one standing stiffly, the other sitting, his pale face tinged with a light blush, her cheeks already burning hot.
Neither dared to look at the other.
Until fine, pale golden light began to shimmer around Xie Tao, enveloping her bit by bit.
In the blink of an eye, the girl who had boldly kissed him had vanished from his sight.
Wei Yun stood there for a long time, his gaze falling on the book “The Unpolished Jade” she had flipped open on the table. Under the dim light, he slowly reached out, touching his lips with his fingertip.
Just that once.
He lowered his hand, and the temperature of his ears seemed to become even hotter.
Meanwhile, Xie Tao sat at her desk, staring blankly at the snowflakes drifting outside the window.
The room had no heating and was particularly cold.
But the temperature of her cheeks remained very hot.
She suddenly leaned over the desk, burying her face in her arms.
Ah, ah, ah, ah!!
How had she… kissed him??
—
A semester of study had finally ended, and after the final exams, it was time for the winter break.
That afternoon, after finishing her last exam and listening to the homeroom teacher, Xie Tao said goodbye to Shi Cheng, and then went to her part-time job at the dessert shop.
After finishing up at the dessert shop, Xie Tao went to the market to buy groceries.
This time, she specifically bought a fish.
When she walked into the small tavern, Xie Lan saw the fish in the bag she was carrying, his eyes lit up, and he hurried over to help her with her things.
“Tao Tao, having fish tonight?”
Xie Tao nodded and then asked him, “Fish hotpot, wanna eat?”
“Eat, of course, I’ll eat!” Xie Lan hurriedly replied.
At the right time, Old Xi lifted the curtain from inside and came out, seeing the fish and a bag full of various ingredients that Xie Lan was holding, he asked with a smile, “Tao Tao, are you making a feast for us tonight?”
Xie Tao also smiled at him, “I’m on winter break now, after taking exams for two days, we deserve to eat something good.”
When a pot of boiling red soup fish hotpot was placed on the table, Xie Lan’s chopsticks never stopped.
“Tao Tao, I heard from Xie Lan that you can now use some small spells?”
Old Xi asked while eating.
Hearing Old Xi mention this, Xie Tao’s round apricot eyes brightened even more, she quickly put down her chopsticks, “Uncle Xi, let me show you!”
Saying so, she stretched out her palm.
In a few seconds, a ball of flame gathered in her palm.
“I can also set off fireworks!”
With a flick of her finger, the ball of flame in her hand suddenly shot out, exploding in mid-air and turning into multicolored light shadows.
“Just setting off fireworks, and you’re having quite the fun yourself.”
Xie Lan said, holding a bowl, his mouth all spicy and red.
“Then you haven’t taught anything else…” Xie Tao glared at him.
Old Xi’s eyes always contained a smile, he poured himself a cup of steaming wine, took a sip, and said, “No hurry, take it slow.”
Xie Tao smelled the clear and fragrant aroma of the wine and actually felt a bit of a desire to drink.
“Want a drink?” Old Xi saw her thoughts at a glance.
Xie Tao smiled and nodded.
“No way, you’re just a little girl, what are you drinking for?”
Xie Lan started in “old father” mode again.
“It’s okay, let Tao Tao have a little,” Old Xi directly poured a cup of wine for Xie Tao and placed it in front of her.
Xie Tao held the wine cup, “Thank you, Uncle Xi!”
Having never drunk this kind of liquor before, Xie Tao first smelled it, then cautiously took a sip.
It wasn’t very spicy, and it didn’t irritate her throat much; the warm liquor flowed down her throat, at most causing a bit of a burning sensation in her belly.
Carrying warmth, spreading to her limbs.
The taste was mild yet mysteriously fragrant, making her look eagerly at Old Xi after finishing one cup.
Old Xi, smiling, shook his head and poured her another cup, then said, “Okay, no more, this liquor might not burn the throat, but it has a strong kick. Two cups are enough for you.”
Little did Old Xi know, just after two cups, Xie Tao was already feeling dizzy in no time.
“Sister Tao Tao, look at me, how many fingers are these?”
Xie Lan stretched out two fingers in front of her.
Xie Tao seemed not to hear, her head swaying back and forth following Xie Lan’s fingers, as if feeling a bit dizzy; she shook her head and then looked at Xie Lan again.
“…Old Xi, I told you not to let her drink! Look, she’s gotten silly from drinking, hasn’t she?”
Xie Lan, while holding Xie Tao’s arm to prevent her from grabbing his hair, complained to Old Xi, who was still sipping his drink across the table.
“How would I know Tao Tao’s alcohol tolerance was so low.”
Old Xi put down his wine cup and picked some vegetables from the pot to eat.
“Do I have to pour both glasses of wine myself?” Xie Lan gritted his teeth.
Old Xi, however, just smiled and said nothing.
“Now, great, I have to wash all these bowls tonight!” Xie Lan said with a trace of grievance.
Old Xi nodded, then pointed at Xie Tao, who was still tugging at Xie Lan’s hair, “First, take Tao Tao back, then come back to wash the dishes.”
“…And what will you be doing?” Xie Lan glared at him.
Holding the wine jug, Old Xi stood up, perhaps a bit drunk, as he was somewhat unsteady on his feet.
He squinted his eyes and smiled, “Me? I’m going to rest.”
Xie Lan felt that being this boss was really stifling, but there was nothing he could do, for he simply couldn’t beat Old Xi.
Xie Lan had no choice but to pick up Xie Tao on his back and walked towards the main door in his slippers.
Just as Old Xi was about to turn around and head to the backyard, he suddenly looked back, watching the figure of Xie Lan carrying Xie Tao fade away, his eyes slightly reddening.
It was that day again.
He closed his eyes and let out a long sigh, which was crushed in the dense night.
Carrying Xie Tao through the dimly lit night, it took just a few minutes for Xie Lan to carry her to the apartment complex where she lived.
“Wei Yun…”
It seemed like the girl murmuring on his shoulder said something.
What was that?
He didn’t quite catch it.
When Xie Lan finally put Xie Tao on the bed and had just covered her with the quilt, she kicked it off with a foot.
“Miss Tao Tao, can’t you stay still for a bit?” Xie Lan looked at the girl lying on the bed, her eyes wide open, and he felt a bit weary.
Turning around to pour her a glass of water and coming back, Xie Lan saw Xie Tao tilting her head, looking at the screen of the mobile phone in her hand.
“Miss Tao Tao, can you even see the screen? Are you still playing with your phone?” Xie Lan walked over.
“I want to, want to call Wei Yun…”
Xie Tao rubbed her eyes, her speech a bit slurred.
This time, Xie Lan finally heard the name she mentioned.
Wei Yun.
Who’s that?
Xie Lan frowned, realizing that the situation was not simple.
“Who is Wei Yun?” he hurriedly asked.
It took a while for Xie Tao to react, then suddenly she looked up at him and for some reason started to giggle, her eyes curving up.
“Why are you laughing? Who is this person?”
Xie Lan was a bit puzzled, but he decided to put that aside for now, handing her the glass of water, saying, “Miss Tao Tao, take a sip.”
It was at this moment that Xie Tao’s finger finally accurately pressed “video call.”
In a few seconds, a figure in indigo appeared on her phone screen.
As soon as Xie Tao saw the young master on the screen, she couldn’t help but laugh, “Wei Yun!”
“…?”
Just as Xie Lan was moving a water glass towards her, he heard her call out this name again. Reflexively, he tilted his head towards the phone screen she was holding.
In that instant, he locked eyes with the young master on the screen, dressed in an indigo robe embroidered with silver cloud patterns, a golden crown and a jade belt, his appearance peerlessly beautiful.
Xie Lan was stupefied.
Isn’t this the person from the painting Xie Tao had shown him before?!
At that moment, Wei Yun was about to speak, but the next instant he saw another man’s face suddenly appear on the screen. His expression turned cold, and his eyes filled with displeasure.
Although Xie Lan had known about the existence of many mysterious things in the world since becoming the owner of a small tavern, he was still shocked by this sudden turn of events.
He realized that the person on the phone screen was Xie Tao’s boyfriend from another dimension.
“Are you Xie Lan?”
Suddenly, he heard the young master’s clear and cold voice coming from the phone screen.
Xie Lan nodded blankly.
The next second, he saw the video call on Xie Tao’s phone being decisively hung up.
???
Xie Lan was still a bit dazed.
But in a moment, he saw Xie Tao, who was holding the phone and yawning, surrounded by a pale golden light.
Then, her phone dropped onto the bed, and she disappeared right before his eyes.
