Xu Yi walked up to Ning Wuyou without the slightest hesitation. Before she could say a word, he reached out and took her hand.
Ning Wuyou trembled but did not pull away.
Xu Yi held her hand tightly, gazing into her eyes, vast as a sea of stars. He raised his other hand to remove her veil, but Ning Wuyou stopped him. Xu Yi winked at her.
"Your sleeves danced as you graciously raised the jade cup, and you drank until your cheeks glowed with wine.
You danced beneath the willows as the moon hung over the tower, and when the song ended, a breeze stirred beneath the peach-blossom fan.
Since we parted, I have longed for our reunion.
How many times have we met in dreams, our souls together? Tonight, let the bright moon shine upon us—yet I still fear this reunion is only a dream."
Ning Wuyou stared at him, stunned. The strength left her hand as it blocked his, and she let Xu Yi remove her veil.
Xu Yi gazed at her hungrily. Embarrassed beneath his stare, Ning Wuyou turned away. "I wonder who else's poem you'll use to coax me."
"Only yours," Xu Yi said.
"Wuyou, can you tell me why you've always treated me differently?"
Ning Wuyou was stunned. She had been about to deny it, but on second thought, that would only make it more obvious.
For one thing, when Xu Yi had fought Wu Xiuxian to the death, hadn't she risked her life to save him at that critical moment? But she couldn't bring herself to tell him what was in her heart.
Why should she? Xu Yi led her over to sit beneath a pine. Ning Wuyou felt not the slightest urge to resist and simply sat down beside him.
Xu Yi