Shui Bing'er looked at him, ice melting in her icy-blue eyes.
She reached out and gently picked up the bracelet engraved with the character "Ice," slipping it onto her wrist. Then she took Ning Xiaochun's hand and slid the other bracelet onto his wrist.
"That's something I'd ask of someone I didn't like." Her voice was soft, yet carried an undeniable certainty. "With you... there's no need."
She lifted her head and met Ning Xiaochun's clear gaze, the corners of her mouth curving into a breathtaking smile. "I like you not because of who you are, but because of who I am when I'm with you."
Ning Xiaochun froze.
He looked into Shui Bing'er's tender eyes, warm enough to melt all things, and heard her simple confession, which was worth more than a thousand words.
It felt as though something had struck his heart hard. A sweet, tingling warmth spread through his chest, carrying a happiness and emotion he couldn't put into words.
"Bing'er..." His voice caught in his throat.
Shui Bing'er said nothing more. She simply rose onto her toes and gently pressed a kiss to his forehead.
At that moment, all the clamor and noise in the courtyard seemed to vanish. Only the two of them remained, along with the bracelets gleaming softly in the sunlight.
A few osmanthus blossoms drifted down in the breeze, landing on their clasped hands like blessings scattered by the heavens.
The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, a rear-mountain courtyard.
The fragrance of osmanthus still lingered in the air. Ning Xiaochun held Shui Bing'er's hand, feeling the warm, smooth touch of the Ice Marrow Bracelets around their wrists, his heart brimming with happiness.
But Shui Bing'er soon pulled herself away from that tender moment. She raised her head, a trace of gravity