Christmas (3)

"Although this box is nothing special, everything inside is my heartfelt gift!" Lu Mingfei said as he opened the box.

Inside lay a silver necklace, from which hung a crescent moon pendant.

"Don't let its simple appearance fool you; I spent my entire allowance on this," Lu Mingfei said, his face twisted in a look of feigned agony.

Su Xiaoqiang snatched it up, examined it closely, and said happily, "It's fine! From now on, just spend my money instead, hee hee."

She held the necklace as if it were a treasure, looking at it over and over again.

"Besides, it's actually primarily a Reishi Positioning Device. I modified it yesterday. If you keep it with you, I can rush to your side if you're ever in danger."

When he got home yesterday, he had been thinking about what gift to get her. After some thought, he felt her luck had been quite poor lately, so he bought the necklace and modified it.

Fortunately, the modification was a success; his time spent studying the theory of Reishi utilization under Mayuri Kurotsuchi hadn't been in vain.

Now, Su Xiaoqiang's necklace was linked to his own Zanpakuto, ensuring he could arrive in time whenever she was in danger.

The Little Goddess's eyes sparkled. She remembered the necklace around Lu Mingfei's neck—didn't that make these couple necklaces?

"Help me put it on!" Su Xiaoqiang stood up.

Lu Mingfei stood up as well, carefully fastening the necklace around the Little Goddess's neck.

The sky had turned completely dark. Su Xiaoqiang stared into the distance, lost in thought.

"Can you take me to the top of Fuxin Tower?" Su Xiaoqiang pointed toward a tall tower in the distance. It was the tallest building in the province, standing over four hundred meters high.

"I mean, I can, but why would you think of that?" Lu Mingfei scratched his head, a bit confused.

She clasped her hands together and said softly, "I've always wanted to look at the city from up there. Can you grant this humble wish of mine?"

A finger poked her forehead. "I agree, but could you please speak like a normal person!"

"Hehe," Su Xiaoqiang giggled.

Lu Mingfei looked into the distance, pondered for a moment, and reached out to grab Su Xiaoqiang's legs.

"Stop that!" Su Xiaoqiang screamed in terror.

"What's wrong?" Lu Mingfei let go.

"You weren't planning on throwing me over your shoulder again, were you!" Su Xiaoqiang asked urgently.

"What else?"

Su Xiaoqiang's face darkened, and she threatened, "If you dare carry me over there like that, I'll strangle you!"

"Then you pick a pose," Lu Mingfei tested.

"Ugh, other ways are uncomfortable. How about a bridal carry? I wouldn't mind that!" Su Xiaoqiang said, her face slightly flushed.

"Alright, alright."

Amidst a sigh of resignation, Lu Mingfei stood beside the Little Goddess, let her hook her arms around his neck, then scooped her up with his left arm supporting her back and his right arm under her knees.

He chanted, "Way of Binding, Number 26: Curvature of Light."

Using the binding spell to conceal their figures, he activated Flash Step, teleporting continuously through the city.

Su Xiaoqiang pressed her face against Lu Mingfei's neck and sniffed gently, feeling very warm.

Before long, Lu Mingfei arrived in the vicinity of Fuxin Tower. He activated Flash Step once more, standing on the tip of the tower on one foot while holding Su Xiaoqiang in a bridal carry.

"We're here," he reminded the Little Goddess softly.

Su Xiaoqiang slowly opened her eyes to see the hazy night, the sky dotted with stars, and the buildings below shrunk to miniature size.

"Ugh, it's so high!" Su Xiaoqiang hugged Lu Mingfei tighter.

"If you hold me like that, how are you supposed to look?" Lu Mingfei teased.

"Then what do you suggest? There's not even a place to stand," Su Xiaoqiang whispered, her face pressed against Lu Mingfei's chest.

"That's easy, as long as you aren't afraid."

Lu Mingfei's feet left the spire, and he stood directly in mid-air.

"I'll leave the spire to you!" Lu Mingfei said with a grin, looking down at her.

Su Xiaoqiang looked at him in disbelief. "You can actually fly!"

"It's just using some special methods to stand in the air. Why are you so surprised that I can fly?" Lu Mingfei said casually.

As long as one attached Spiritual Pressure to the soles of their feet, they could stand in the air; he just rarely used it because it wasn't necessary in normal combat.

"Come, I'll support you. Just slowly stand on the top of the tower."

Listening to Lu Mingfei, Su Xiaoqiang gradually let go of her fear. Lu Mingfei slowly lowered her, letting her feet touch the top of the tower while he stood behind her, holding her shoulders.

Looking at the silver-clad city below, Su Xiaoqiang's eyes shone. She spread her arms, feeling the breeze brush past her.

"Ugh, it's so cold!" Su Xiaoqiang hugged herself again the moment she spread her arms.

So this is what they mean by "it's lonely at the top."

Lu Mingfei watched Su Xiaoqiang and smiled; she really was a silly girl.

He took off his own scarf and wrapped it around Su Xiaoqiang. "I'm not afraid of the cold. You wear it for now, and you can give it back to me when you get home."

Su Xiaoqiang touched the scarf she had knitted for him; it was warm, still holding his body heat.

After the two of them had watched for a while, Su Xiaoqiang requested to head down.

Lu Mingfei still carried her in a bridal style and then used Flash Step to depart; no one knew that anyone had ever stood atop this tower to overlook the city.

"Xiao Ming, lower your head." After dropping the Little Goddess off at the entrance of the villa district, she took off the scarf.

Lu Mingfei obediently lowered his head, letting the Little Goddess wrap the scarf around him. He could smell a faint scent of perfume, very light—it was the Little Goddess's own scent.

"I had a lot of fun today, and I really liked the gift you gave me. See you tomorrow!" Su Xiaoqiang said goodbye to Lu Mingfei.

"Me too," Lu Mingfei replied.

Watching the Little Goddess enter the residential area, Lu Mingfei left the scene.

When he returned home, the living room lights were still on.

Did I come back early today? Why are the lights still on? Lu Mingfei felt a bit puzzled.

Seeing Lu Mingfei return, his uncle told him to go into the room and call Lu Mingze out as well.

Then, his uncle addressed everyone: "Ahem, everyone, look at me! I have an announcement to make!"

"You old thing, keeping us up in the middle of the night just to wait for Mingfei to get back before announcing something—what on earth is it?" his aunt complained.

"Cough, cough, it's good news after all, so I had to wait for the whole family to be together!" his uncle chuckled.

Lu Mingze looked full of resentment; he had been dragged out right in the middle of a good game, and he was truly unhappy.

"Alright, alright, Uncle, just say it!" Lu Mingfei felt that if his uncle kept being so mysterious, his aunt would skin him alive.

"Since it's Christmas today, our company held a raffle. Guess what I won!"

His aunt pinched him directly: "Spit it out!"

His uncle didn't dare to play coy anymore: "Actually, I won a seven-day trip to Japan! The flights and hotels are all covered for four people. We can go to Japan for the New Year!"

"Really!" His aunt's eyes lit up. "I suppose you've done something right for once. I need to think carefully about what clothes I'm going to wear."

His aunt had always wanted to go on a trip, but she would always give up whenever she thought about the high costs. This travel voucher from his uncle's company hit the nail on the head, and now, no matter how she looked at him, she found her husband pleasing to the eye.

After hearing this, Lu Mingfei and Lu Mingze silently returned to their bedroom. For Lu Mingfei, it made no difference where they went, and for Lu Mingze, games were far more important.