They stared at each other for a moment before He Sui’an suddenly leaned in and kissed the corner of Qi Buyan’s lips. His hand paused, and his half-lowered eyelashes seemed to tremble. He lifted his gaze, and his eyes reflected her image.
The Love Gu made He Sui’an affectionate towards him even in her sleep.
But somehow, Qi Buyan always remembered a line from the book on charms. He couldn’t quite understand it—what did it mean by true love? Could love be false? Wasn’t he helping He Sui’an fall in love with him?
His fingertips turned slightly pale.
Just as He Sui’an was about to pull back after her quick peck, Qi Buyan held the back of her neck and deepened the kiss.
Their breaths mingled, lips and teeth intertwined, and his faint fragrance gradually enveloped her. His lips brushed against hers, one hand wrapped around her waist, the other still holding her nape.
He Sui’an’s body started to feel warm, already heated by the charcoal fire.
Her consciousness slowly returned.
Realizing they were kissing, He Sui’an bashfully turned her head aside. Her long hair fell to her waist, and her chin rested on Qi Buyan’s shoulder, her cheek brushing his earlobe, more like an intimate caress.
She had just woken up, her voice nasal. “When did you come back?”
“About a quarter of an hour ago.”
Qi Buyan’s lips were now a bright red, almost the same color as He Sui’an’s, an unavoidable result of their kiss.
She didn’t notice, rubbing her eyes instead.
He Sui’an looked over at the table in the room. The dozen or so storybooks tied with a thin string were there, and she was eager to go through them.
So, He Sui’an got off the bed, untied the string, and checked the titles one by one. They all seemed to be to her liking. She opened one and, just from the first page, felt the desire to keep reading.
She put the book down and turned to him.
“Is the snowy Chang’an street beautiful? I’d like to see it someday.” He Sui’an was just asking casually, without any particular intent.
Since Qi Buyan had gone out today while she hadn’t, she wanted to know from him. They had returned to Chang’an late last night and couldn’t see clearly. Besides, daytime and nighttime were different.
Qi Buyan replied, “It’s fine.”
She didn’t ask further.
He Sui’an told Qi Buyan that Princess Luoyan had visited after he left.
Qi Buyan picked up the orange silk ribbon that He Sui’an had dropped on the stool while she slept. The ribbon was full of life. “Did she come to see you for something?”
“No. The princess was just kind enough to check on me since I had been away for a few days.” He Sui’an leaned against the table, her shoulder blades slightly protruding, facing Qi Buyan, who was sitting on the bed.
Qi Buyan nodded.
Having been bored for a while, He Sui’an wanted to read but didn’t want to leave Qi Buyan sitting alone, so she picked up the top book and walked towards him.
After a few steps, she suddenly remembered the red snake. “Where’s your snake?”
“It went out.”
Qi Buyan put away the bone flute from his waist, knowing she probably wanted to lie on the bed and read with him. “Are you looking for my snake?”
He Sui’an quickly returned to his side. “When the princess came to see me, I wanted to open the door for her.”
“And then?”
Feeling like she was complaining, He Sui’an’s face turned slightly embarrassed, but she continued. “Your red snake was coiled around the door latch. I couldn’t open the door, so I had to make an excuse and ask the princess to leave.”
Qi Buyan looked directly at He Sui’an. “I told it to do that.”
He Sui’an was stunned.
He took her hand and pulled her to sit down, explaining directly, “I don’t want you to see the snow. Opening the door might let you see it, so I had the snake do that. Are you upset?”
He Sui’an wasn’t upset; she just wanted to tell Qi Buyan about it. Knowing that he had instructed the red snake to do such a thing, she felt no resentment. She took off her shoes and rolled into the bed.
Qi Buyan smelled He Sui’an’s scent as she moved closer to him, and he unconsciously leaned in.
His indigo clothes pressed against her orange skirt.
The ribbon hooked onto his silver ornament.
He Sui’an propped her chin on her hand and pinched her face, realizing it seemed a bit fuller. She had been eating well recently, and there was nothing she could do about it. Qi Buyan seemed to like kissing her cheeks, though.
Thinking of this, He Sui’an looked at him.
Qi Buyan’s facial features were soft. Having spent most of his time in the secluded mountains and caves of Miaojiang refining charms, he rarely saw the sun, giving his skin a sickly pale look, yet he still had a youthful innocence.
His appearance leaned towards the delicate and enchanting, with deep, well-defined features, like a mountain spirit—harmless on the surface but inherently malevolent.
He Sui’an looked away.
But now, she no longer feared him.
Even though He Sui’an was well aware of his nature, she knew one thing clearly: Qi Buyan would never harm her.
He Sui’an focused on her book.
However, as she turned the pages, she got distracted again, noticing how small her hand was compared to Qi Buyan’s slender, well-defined fingers.
She quietly pulled her hand back under the quilt and said sullenly, “You turn the pages.”
The task of turning the pages fell to Qi Buyan. He Sui’an didn’t have to move; she just had to read. As she read intently, Qi Buyan turned his head slightly to watch the little colorful butterfly on her cheek that was almost fading away.
He Sui’an noticed and covered the little butterfly on her cheek. “Why are you looking at it?”
“It’s almost gone.”
The butterfly was disappearing bit by bit. At this moment, only half of a wing remained, and in a little while, it would vanish completely without a trace.
He Sui’an acknowledged with a sound and continued reading until her eyes felt dry and sore. She closed them to rest for a while. Qi Buyan lay down on his side, facing He Sui’an but not closing his eyes.
He called her, “He Sui’an.”
“Hmm?”
He Sui’an, resting her head on her arm and covered with a thick quilt, responded to Qi Buyan’s call.
But Qi Buyan said nothing more.
She wanted to ask if he needed something but the room was too warm. As she waited for him to speak, He Sui’an quickly drifted into a half-awake, half-asleep state.
When it got cold, she became more prone to sleeping.
In just one day, she had napped twice. This time, He Sui’an slept straight through until nightfall, waking up only because of the urge to use the bathroom. She hadn’t gone out all day, let alone relieved herself.
He Sui’an carefully climbed over Qi Buyan, who was sleeping on the outside, making sure not to wake him. She didn’t want to drag him along to the bathroom.
Moreover, Qi Buyan hadn’t been sleeping well recently, evident by the faint shadows under his eyes.
He tended to sleep more during the cold.
But he was also very good at enduring it.
He Sui’an hoped Qi Buyan could sleep well, so she took the indigo silk ribbon and left the bed, tiptoeing to the door. If he was in the room, the Poison Gu wouldn’t be guarding nearby.
Although He Sui’an had taken the ribbon meant to cover her eyes, she didn’t use it.
Firstly, she wouldn’t be able to see the way. With Qi Buyan around, he would guide her, but she didn’t want to wake him. Secondly, it wasn’t necessary to cover her eyes as long as she didn’t look directly at the snow.
With a creak, He Sui’an pushed open the unlocked door and stepped outside.
Every courtyard in the princess’s residence had a latrine, and the courtyard they were staying in was no exception. He Sui’an headed straight for it.
She didn’t need to walk through the snow, just follow the corridor without looking away.
The wind blew, carrying a few snowflakes.
He Sui’an paused.
The corridor was silent, the remaining wind brushing past her ears, bringing the cold of the snow.
To be honest, ever since she learned that looking at the snow for too long could cause hallucinations of her parents, He Sui’an had been somewhat tempted. Even if it was just an illusion, she still wanted to see them again.
He Sui’an clenched the indigo silk ribbon in her hand, hesitating for a moment before deciding to quickly dash to the latrine. She resolved to return the same way as soon as she was done.
The wind and snow continued to rustle.
He Sui’an quickened her pace.
She couldn’t stay outside for too long, fearing she would succumb to temptation. She lifted her skirt and started to run, her footsteps making slight creaking sounds on the wooden boards of the corridor.
Before reaching the room, He Sui’an slowed to her usual pace, afraid that the noise might wake Qi Buyan. She walked the remaining distance at a moderate speed, took a few deep breaths to calm herself, and then pushed the door open.
As soon as she entered, she froze.
Qi Buyan had left the bed at some point and was now sitting by the table, calmly watching the door.
He Sui’an raised the ribbon in her hand.
He continued to look at her.
She walked over slowly. “I took the ribbon with me. I didn’t look at the snow. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have returned so quickly.”
Qi Buyan glanced at the ribbon in her hand. “Did you cover your eyes with it?”
“No,” she admitted honestly.
“If I covered my eyes, I wouldn’t be able to see the way.” He Sui’an took his hand, surprised to feel a slight coolness. Qi Buyan’s body temperature usually stayed within a warm range.
In that case, taking the ribbon out was unnecessary, but since Qi Buyan had given it to her, He Sui’an didn’t want to let his efforts go to waste. She thought it would be good to carry it with her even if she didn’t use it immediately.
Qi Buyan’s fingers twitched slightly, his expression unchanged. “Why didn’t you wake me?”
“I didn’t think it was necessary.”
He Sui’an twisted the hem of her clothes. “I wanted you to have a good sleep. I won’t do it again.”
Qi Buyan moved on from the topic, smiling as if nothing had happened. “Alright, let’s eat.” The table was set with steaming dishes.
The servants had delivered the evening meal punctually before He Sui’an returned from the latrine. Qi Buyan had been awakened by their knock and, upon opening his eyes, found that He Sui’an was not by his side.
Now he filled a bowl of rice for her.
He Sui’an quickly tied up her loose hair and went to wash up, not wanting Qi Buyan to wait for her to eat.
She hurriedly finished washing up, forgetting to wipe the water droplets from her face, and sat down. Qi Buyan gently wiped the droplets from her chin, and they began to eat.
After the meal, they took turns bathing.
He Sui’an went first.
Qi Buyan went after.
After he finished bathing, He Sui’an lay in bed reading a storybook. The little butterfly on her cheek had disappeared, and her long hair was all swept over her right shoulder, exposing her slender neck and the waist and back covered by her clothing.
As Qi Buyan sat down on the bed, the curtains on either side swayed slightly. He leaned down to kiss He Sui’an, as if confirming her presence. She felt a bit ticklish from his kiss and shrank her neck.
He Sui’an tossed aside the storybook and pulled the quilt over her head, and he joined her under the covers.
Moments later, Qi Buyan emerged from under her skirt, holding her slim, pale calf. He Sui’an remained hidden under the quilt, and he embraced her through the covers, his mouth still carrying a faint, sweet taste.
He Sui’an didn’t move.
Qi Buyan lifted the quilt, revealing He Sui’an’s slightly flushed face, and kissed her earlobe. “He Sui’an, I still want to see your butterfly.”