Ding Yumian buried her face in Jiang Che's shoulder, her shoulders trembling softly.
There was no sound of crying, but warm dampness seeped through the fabric of his dark gray stand-collar shirt, gradually reaching the skin beneath his collarbone.
Jiang Che lowered his head and looked at the crown of her jet-black hair.
That little blue sparrow hairpin was still in its usual place. A few loose strands had been scattered by the lake breeze and clung to the corners of her slightly reddened eyes.
He raised a hand and gently patted the back of her head twice.
"It's all right now."
Ding Yumian's shoulders trembled even harder.
She clutched the fabric at his back, her knuckles white. Her voice came in broken fragments, as though she were forcing it out from deep in her throat with great difficulty.
"I didn't dare get too close to anyone."
"I was afraid that one day, if I fell asleep and my spiritual power went out of control, it would shatter the consciousness of everyone around me."
"But now..."
She raised her head, and something in those clear eyes had changed.
When she looked up again, she took a deep breath and said to Jiang Che, "I want to go to Flying Bird City with you..."
She looked at Jiang Che. The gentle light in her eyes remained the same as before, but it now carried a certainty she had never possessed in the past.
Jiang Che raised an eyebrow but did not answer immediately.
Ding Yumian looked at him without the slightest hint of hesitation in her gaze.
At dusk, the setting sun dyed the gingko leaves around Sun Moon Lake into a flowing molten gold.
Ding Yumian and Jiang Che walked side by side along the familiar gravel path toward Dean