Su Rou, Will You Be with Me?

In the back mountain of Emperor Pavilion, within that courtyard.

That day, Luo Heng did not go out either. He sat beside the stone table in the courtyard, watching Luo Xuan play.

The little girl was chasing a butterfly that had come from who knew where, running back and forth among the flowers. Her laughter was as clear as wind chimes.

Su Rou sat nearby with an ancient book in her hands, quietly reading. Every so often, she looked up at the little girl, a gentle smile on her lips.

Luo Heng's gaze fell on her, lingering there for quite some time.

Su Rou seemed to sense his gaze. She raised her head and met his eyes, her cheeks flushing slightly before she lowered her head again and pretended to continue reading. Yet her faintly reddened ears gave her away.

Luo Heng smiled, rose to his feet, and walked over to sit beside her.

"Su Rou," he said.

"Hmm?" Su Rou looked up, a trace of confusion in her large dark eyes.

"Would you... be willing to be with me?" Luo Heng asked, his tone calm and earnest.

Su Rou froze. The ancient book slipped from her fingers and landed with a soft smack, but she did not notice at all. She simply stared blankly at Luo Heng, her large dark eyes filled with disbelief.

"Brother Luo Heng... what... what did you say?"

"I said, would you be willing to be with me?" Luo Heng repeated gently. "Not as a little sister, but as my lover."

Su Rou's cheeks instantly turned crimson, the flush spreading from her ears all the way down her neck. She lowered her head and tightly clutched the hem of her clothes, momentarily unable to say anything. Her fingertips turned faintly white from the force of