Lu Jun was clearly startled by the sudden hug, his body stiffening slightly before he could fully react.
The next second, Snow Empress raised her head.
The instant Lu Jun turned to look at her, her beautiful eyes shimmered with a dewy glow amid the lingering light of the fireworks.
She rose slightly onto her toes and, with astonishing speed, pressed her soft, cool red lips to Lu Jun's cheek. It was as fleeting as a dragonfly touching water, as gentle as a falling snowflake, carrying a faint, almost imperceptible tremor.
They parted at once.
It happened so quickly that it seemed like nothing more than an illusion born from interweaving light and shadow.
After doing so, Snow Empress quickly retreated to her original position like a startled rabbit, sitting upright again with both hands properly placed on her knees. Her gaze remained fixed on the fireworks' reflection in the lake and the scattered embers that had yet to fade, as though her bold action moments ago had nothing to do with her and everything had merely been an illusion brought by the night wind.
Everything happened in the blink of an eye.
Lu Jun could still feel that fleeting touch lingering on his cheek—cool and soft, carrying the crisp scent unique to ice and snow.
He blinked, then turned in mild confusion to look at Snow Empress beside him, who had launched a surprise attack on him and was now pretending nothing had happened.
"Snow Empress, you..."
He spoke with obvious confusion and inquiry in his voice.
What was that just now...?
Snow Empress did not look at him and continued staring intently at the lake. Yet the faint redness at the tips of her ears and the slightly tense lines of her profile betrayed the unrest in her