We're Only Eight! We Can't Do This!

"Go ahead, but don't wander around inside Skywater Academy. After all, all the students here are girls, and there are plenty of places where it wouldn't be convenient for you to go."

Lan Ruyue still wore her gentle smile.

"Th-then I'm off?"

Shui Bing'er tentatively edged toward Yu Tianchen.

Seeing that Lan Ruyue really had no intention of lecturing her,

Shui Bing'er didn't hesitate for a second.

She immediately grabbed Yu Tianchen's hand and hurried away.

"That girl sure knows how to make a quick getaway."

Watching Shui Bing'er flee without even looking back, Lan Ruyue could only smile helplessly.

But a moment later, her smile vanished.

Her gaze fixed on Shui Yue'er, who was trying to inch toward the door.

"Yue'er."

Her voice turned stern.

"M-Mother..."

Shui Yue'er managed a smile more painful than crying.

Meanwhile, she was already imagining sticking needles into Yu Tianchen and Shui Bing'er.

You two have no sense of loyalty!

You sure made a quick getaway!

Did you even think about what would happen to me??

At that moment, Shui Bing'er had really forgotten all about Shui Yue'er.

She took Yu Tianchen by the hand and ran through the academy as fast as she could.

"Slow down. You'll fall."

Yu Tianchen spoke helplessly.

Hadn't the original story said that Shui Bing'er was steady and clever?

He couldn't see any sign of that at all.

They didn't stop until they reached the gates of Skywater Academy.

Only then did Shui Bing'er pause, panting heavily.

"Phew! We made it out alive!"

She looked up at the sun in the sky. Although she was out of breath, she didn't seem tired at all.

More than anything, she looked relieved to have escaped disaster.

"You don't have to be that afraid of your mother, do you?"

Looking at Shui Bing'er's relieved expression, Yu Tianchen couldn't help laughing.

"Oh, you wouldn't understand."

Shui Bing'er looked at Yu Tianchen.

She was just about to complain to him about Lan Ruyue when she realized she was still holding his hand.

Her pretty face suddenly turned red, and she hurriedly let go.

"Th-that is..."

Shui Bing'er didn't look at Yu Tianchen. Instead, she pointed at the street and changed the subject.

"I'll show you around the city."

"Sure, let's go."

As she spoke, she took the lead.

Yu Tianchen stared blankly at Shui Bing'er, whose words were all over the place, completely at a loss.

Why had she suddenly blushed?

Could it be that she was embarrassed because she'd been holding his hand?

At the thought, Yu Tianchen felt like teasing Shui Bing'er a little.

He stepped up beside her and asked,

"Where are you planning to take me?"

As he spoke, he reached out with his wicked hand once more.

He tentatively tried to take Shui Bing'er's soft, fair hand.

Shui Bing'er had just been about to say something when her delicate body suddenly trembled.

She looked down and saw that Yu Tianchen had somehow taken her hand again.

At once, her already rosy cheeks grew even redder.

"Th-the plaza."

She didn't resist, letting Yu Tianchen hold her hand. Her voice was simply tinged with embarrassment.

Yu Tianchen saw that Shui Bing'er was only blushing and showed no sign of resisting.

The smile on his face froze.

What the heck!

Why was this completely different from what he'd imagined?

Wasn't she supposed to shyly pull her hand away and then walk faster?!

What did it mean to be embarrassed but not resist??

We're only eight! We can't do this!!

Yu Tianchen now wanted to let go of Shui Bing'er's hand.

But he'd been the one to reach out in the first place because he'd wanted to tease her.

If he let go now, not only would Shui Bing'er feel awkward, but he'd be putting himself in an awkward position too.

Helpless, Yu Tianchen could only pretend to be shameless and walk down the street hand in hand with Shui Bing'er.

What he didn't know was that,

in a tree not far away,

Yu Yuanzhen was reclining on a branch, watching the scene with a grin.

"Ah, youth... Tsk, tsk."

"Wonderful."

Yu Tianchen and Shui Bing'er spent the whole day having fun in the city.

As the daughter of Skywater City's lord, Shui Bing'er knew all the best places in the city like the back of her hand.

They didn't finish exploring until the sun was about to set.

"Tianchen, you and your grandfather should stay at my house tonight!"

As they walked down the street, Shui Bing'er said to Yu Tianchen.

"No."

Yu Tianchen shook his head and smiled.

"Grandpa and I are planning to leave soon."

He'd only come this time to visit Shui Bing'er, nothing more.

Neither Yu Tianchen nor Yu Yuanzhen had planned to spend the night in Skywater City.

"Huh? But it's almost night already. Won't it be dangerous to travel at night?"

Hearing that Yu Tianchen didn't plan to stay, Shui Bing'er's face fell with unmistakable disappointment.

"Dangerous? Don't forget, my grandpa is a Titled Douluo."

Yu Tianchen smiled and pinched Shui Bing'er's cheek.

After a whole day together,

their feelings for each other had grown by leaps and bounds.

Yu Tianchen had become bolder with his gestures, and Shui Bing'er no longer resisted these clearly affectionate touches.

"That's true..."

A note of sadness was clear in Shui Bing'er's voice.

"All right, Bing'er, don't be so disappointed."

Yu Tianchen said with a smile,

"Grandpa and I came here on important business. We can't stay."

"We're still young. We've got plenty of time ahead of us."

"What matters most right now is that you focus on your cultivation."

"Do you understand what I mean?"

Shui Bing'er nodded gently.

But the disappointment on her face hardly faded at all.

They walked on together until they reached the city gate.

Yu Yuanzhen had already been waiting by the carriage for quite some time.

"All right, this is where we part."

Yu Tianchen stopped and smiled at Shui Bing'er.

"Maybe I'll have a surprise for you the next time I visit."

They'd walked together for a while, and Shui Bing'er had clearly started to feel better.

She looked at Yu Tianchen and said earnestly,

"Next time you come, I'll have caught up to your level."

"Then I'll look forward to it."

"I'm off."

Yu Tianchen waved to Shui Bing'er, then headed toward Yu Yuanzhen.

"Yu Tianchen!"

He'd only taken a couple of steps when Shui Bing'er suddenly called out.

Yu Tianchen was just about to turn around,

when he felt a weight against him, followed by something soft and warm touching his cheek.

"Be careful on the way. I'll be waiting for you."

Shui Bing'er's voice rang in his ear. By the time Yu Tianchen reacted, she had already run off.

He stared, stunned, at her retreating figure, then gently touched his cheek and smiled.

Had he just been ambushed?

"Xiao Chen, are you really not staying the night?"

Yu Yuanzhen's amused voice came from beside him.

Clearly, he'd witnessed the whole scene.

"No."

A flicker of hesitation crossed Yu Tianchen's face, but in the end, he shook his head and looked at Yu Yuanzhen.

"Let's go, Grandpa."