Her and Him

Hangcheng's streets bustled with people.

Mu Ningwei and Ash Riya walked side by side down the street. The light shining upon them dimmed on its own, reducing the presence of this famous handsome man and beautiful woman.

Especially Mu Ningwei—believers could be found everywhere in Hangcheng now.

Though most of those believers would lose their faith with time, their faith in Mu Ningwei was still at its height.

If Mu Ningwei were to show himself openly, the uproar it caused could easily be imagined.

Mu Ningwei glanced at the beautiful and dignified Ash Riya beside him.

She was still that pure and noble saintess. Her graceful figure and exquisite face, from her skin to her bearing, were utterly beyond the mortal world.

Half a year had passed, and they had met again.

Mu Ningwei did not feel much emotion. He felt that simply walking quietly like this brought peace to his heart.

Ash Riya did not think so.

She had sensed a threat from Mu Nujiao and desperately needed to mend her relationship with Mu Ningwei.

She only had this one chance. How could she merely stroll around in silence?

"Ningwei, there's an ice cream shop over there."

With a dazzling smile, Ash Riya led Mu Ningwei into the ice cream shop.

Standing before the freezer, Ash Riya stroked her chin with her fingertips and made an adorably thoughtful sound as she searched for her target.

Soon, her eyes suddenly lit up. She picked up two Little Puddings in blue-and-white wrappers, pulled Mu Ningwei to the counter to pay, then turned back with a radiant smile.

"I remember that when you were in Athens, you really wanted to eat this kind of 'Little Pudding' as a child. You took me through several streets, but we still couldn't find any."

"I guessed that you missed home, so I asked Mother Ye Chang for advice. The two of us learned online and made a full three pounds of 'Little Pudding.'"

"You, me, little sister, big brother, and Father and Mother all ate them together and had so much fun."

"'Little Pudding' is really common in your hometown, huh? At the time, I wondered whether the 'Little Pudding' from your hometown tasted better, or whether the 'Little Pudding' we made tasted better."

Holding the Little Pudding in her delicate hand, Ash Riya waved it before Mu Ningwei's eyes and smiled sweetly.

"Here, have a taste and give me your opinion."

The clerk was stunned by Ash Riya's beauty, which blended the finest traits of East and West. He looked at Mu Ningwei with intense envy and jealousy.

Damn it!

Why did this guy get such a beautiful, gentle, mischievous girlfriend?

Meanwhile, he had to work miserably here every day and buy gifts for that girlfriend at home who only knew how to hold out her hand and ask for things!

Fuck, what was the point of living like this?

Break up! Break up!

I'm done with her!

Mu Ningwei glanced at the gritting clerk. When he reached out to take the Little Pudding, however, he grabbed empty air.

Ash Riya withdrew her hand, winked playfully, helped him tear open the wrapper, then held the wooden stick with her fair, delicate fingers and brought the white ice cream to Mu Ningwei's lips, her beautiful eyes full of anticipation.

Behind her back, her other hand clenched tightly.

Don't refuse!

Please, don't refuse me!

Mu Ningwei froze slightly, then opened his mouth and took the ice cream between his lips before accepting the wooden stick from Ash Riya.

Ash Riya immediately broke into a brilliant smile. The pure saintess's eyes reflected only him, a man of the mortal world.

The two left the ice cream shop.

Mu Ningwei watched Ash Riya brush aside her long hair with one finger, revealing her snowy neck and dainty ear as she took small bites of the ice cream.

Sensing his gaze, Ash Riya smiled and asked, "How is it?"

Mu Ningwei's voice was gentle. "Ice cream from the Divine Land better matches the taste I remember. The ice cream you made was a little too sweet."

Ash Riya looked somewhat disappointed. "Is that so?"

"However, the Divine Land's ice cream is an industrial product, while yours was filled with feeling. That was the most delicious Little Pudding I have ever eaten."

"After fermenting and settling in my memories, I'm afraid that even food delicious enough to make immortals linger would not compare to the memory you gave me."

Now, Wen Tai and Ye Chang had gone their separate ways.

Ye Xin Xia was trapped in darkness.

The taciturn Norman had closed off his heart.

Even Ash Riya and he could no longer return to what they once were.

That delicious taste from his memories, surrounded by all those irretrievable beautiful moments, could not be matched by anything else.

A trace of melancholy appeared in Mu Ningwei's smile.

Having received his affirmation, Ash Riya joyfully took Mu Ningwei's hand. Secretly delighted that he did not resist, she tried her best to find things on the streets of the Divine Land that could connect to the beautiful things in their memories.

They saw a mother pull back a child who had carelessly stepped onto a crosswalk, then quietly lecture the child.

Ash Riya spoke of the past—when Mu Ningwei had first arrived in Athens and she had taken him out to have fun, only for them to encounter an assassination attempt.

She had held him tightly to protect him, directing the guards to eliminate the assassins while softly soothing his emotions.

Mu Ningwei spoke of what came later. Wen Tai had willingly died, and the forces of Pamirs and Yi Zhi Sha had launched a purge against them.

He borrowed a blessing from Athena, summoned a holy light unicorn, then lifted Ash Riya like a prince on a white horse and escaped the encirclement.

They saw a white-collar worker in a suit at a bus stop, nodding and bowing into his phone with a humble, ingratiating smile.

Ash Riya spoke of how Mu Ningwei's goal of joining the Knight Hall and becoming the Blue Star Knight had once been obstructed, and how Yi Zhi Sha's subordinates had relentlessly targeted him.

She gave up her chance to advance to Wise Woman in the Goddess Palace and made an extremely disadvantageous deal with Pamirs just so he could take part in the assessment.

Although the assessment was deeply unfair, he still passed it flawlessly, shocking everyone who had been waiting to laugh at them.

Mu Ningwei spoke of how Ash Riya had once been constrained by Pamirs.

He found Hailong and used every possible means to persuade him, making the master of the Knight Hall pledge loyalty to Ash Riya at a time when she could barely protect herself.

From then on, they had truly gained a firm foothold in Parthenon.

The more Ash Riya spoke, the happier she became, and the tenderness in her gaze deepened.

Those beautiful memories of sharing hardships together were her unrivaled advantage.

What right did Mu Nujiao have to compete with her?

Mu Ningwei's gaze turned nostalgic.

Why had they been able to trust and support each other when they were weak?

Yet after growing strong enough to stand against Pamirs as equals, why had she become so unfamiliar?

The more he recalled the past, the more he thought of what Ash Riya had done half a year ago.

The more complicated Mu Ningwei's feelings became.

"Ningwei."

Ash Riya suddenly embraced Mu Ningwei, feeling as though she had embraced her entire world.

The sunlight was so bright, the air so fresh, and life so beautiful.

Ash Riya smiled with tender affection and confidence as she said:

"Become my man. I love you."

Mu Ningwei felt Ash Riya's embrace.

At last, he heard her say those words. She was willing to enter into a covenant of love and responsibility with him.

If this had been half a year ago, he would surely have believed himself to be the happiest man in the world.

Before Ash Riya's stunned eyes, Mu Ningwei pushed her away. His smile carried a hint of warning.

"Ash Riya, please have some self-respect. I already have a girlfriend."

Crack, crack.

The bright, beautiful world before Ash Riya shattered beneath the heavy blow dealt by the man she loved. Cracks spread across it, and it exploded into fragments.

Rumble!

It felt as though an explosion had gone off inside her mind, and the colorless gray-white world became cold to the bone.

Space twisted, her vision blurred, and a piercing ringing erupted in her ears.

Ash Riya desperately tilted her head up and blinked her stinging eyes. Tears blurred the world before her, and her body swayed as though she might collapse at any moment.

"Ningwei?"

A familiar voice came from nearby.

Leng Qing looked curiously between Ash Riya and Mu Ningwei, then supported Ash Riya, whose condition was clearly not right.

"What happened?"

"She... is she your friend?"

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