The massive body atop the platform quietly faded away, disappearing into threads where ghostly light drifted.
It was a qualified reader, and knew that at the most moving interlude of a story, the stage should be left to its true protagonists.
After all, it had already savored the gentlest ending of this chapter: all the words left unsaid and all the twists of anxious uncertainty settled within this embrace, woven into a soft knot in fate. The body in his arms trembled faintly.
He Xi did not know why Zoya was so overcome with emotion.
At this moment, the arms around him were clasped so tightly that he could barely breathe.
But thinking carefully, it seemed he had never truly taken the initiative to express his feelings to her.
He wrapped his arms around that slender waist and returned her embrace with this body of his.
Perhaps sensing his response, the force that had nearly seemed intent on kneading him into her body gradually loosened.
The violent trembling subsided into faint sobs. At last, even the sobbing faded, leaving only steady, warm breaths brushing lightly against his neck.
Zoya slowly let go and stepped half a pace back from his embrace.
She raised her head. Moisture still lingered in those reddened purple eyes. "What you said... was it true?"
Seeing how carefully she was treading, He Xi reached out and wiped the dampness from the corner of her eye. "Every word of it was true."
"Mm..." she answered, the blush on her cheeks deeper than the red around her eyes. "Um... the Spindle-Speaker said there were still red and blue threads in your story..."
He Xi's expression instantly froze.
"Ah, those..."
"Just... some important friends you'll always meet along life's journey."
"But..."
Just then, that absurd melody in his mind