The moment Mu Feng saw the figure clearly, he froze. He would rather believe she was an illusion than believe Di Qiuli was standing in the snowy wilderness of the Far North, right in front of him.
Mu Feng blinked in disbelief at Di Qiuli, her long golden hair whipping in the wind. He waved a hand in front of her face, but she slapped it away and demanded again, "Why didn't you take me with you?"
"You promised me."
Mu Feng was more concerned with how she had reached the Far North. "How did you get here?" he asked.
Di Qiuli bit her lip. Instead of answering, she repeated her question.
Mu Feng knew her stubborn streak had surfaced again. Seeing the tip of her nose red with cold, he draped his coat over her shoulders, then took her icy right hand. "You're safest at the academy."
Di Qiuli violently shook off his hand. "You always think I'm a burden! You always think I'll cause you trouble! You always think I can't do anything!"
As she spoke, tears filled her eyes. But each tear froze into a crystal before it could reach the ground. Standing upwind of Mu Feng, she sent those frozen tears striking against him.
"That's not true."
Di Qiuli stared at him, biting her lip as she fought to keep her voice from breaking. "Then tell me what you really think."
Mu Feng fell silent. The gale drove snow around them, sharp as blades.
"I'm sorry."
After that long silence, those three words were all Mu Feng managed. Di Qiuli's nose stung. She had traveled all this way, only to hear a simple apology from him.
The frigid wind snapped her cloak. Di Qiuli felt as though her heart had plunged into ice. But the next