Ark Simulator: Didn't I Not Have a Physical Body? Chapter 385

"Too slow," he said, but there was no hint of dissatisfaction in his tone.

Bai Xue suddenly felt a tightness in her throat. She carefully placed the tray on the low table, but her trembling hands caused her to knock over the teacup.

"Clumsy," Su Rui said, walking over and naturally taking the teapot from her hands.

His fingertips touched the back of her hand, warm and real.

Bai Xue suddenly burst into tears.

Tears rolled down unexpectedly, landing on their clasped hands. Su Rui froze, her tail wagging uneasily.

"What's wrong?"

"It's..." she sniffed, "... great..."

Su Rui's ears twitched under her scarf. He hesitated for a moment, then reached out and gently wiped away the tears on her face.

"Yes," he said softly, "I'm back."

Outside the window, cherry blossoms quietly bloomed. Moonlight filtered through the branches, casting dappled shadows in the room. Two shadows gradually drew closer, eventually merging into one.

The candlelight flickered gently inside the paper lantern, casting the shadows of the two figures onto the wall, sometimes overlapping, sometimes separating. The low table was laden with sweets, the aroma of taiyaki mingling with the sweetness of wasanbon candy in the air. Bai Xue knelt opposite Su Rui, her eyes fixed on the pair of slightly trembling weasel ears on his head.

"May I... touch it?"

Her voice was very soft, and her fingers had unconsciously curled and then relaxed on her knees. Su Rui was holding a taiyaki when she heard this, and her ears perked up sensitively, while her tail wagged uneasily behind her.

"... what ever."

He turned his face away, took a bite of the taiyaki, and the sweet aroma of the red bean paste spread in his mouth. Bai Xue immediately knelt down and moved forward two steps, her knees almost touching his.

The moment their fingertips touched the tips of their ears, they both trembled slightly.

"So soft..."

Bai Xue's fingertips carefully traced the outline of the ear, from the tip to the soft down on the inside. Su Rui's ears were slightly larger than hers, and the fur was more silvery-white, gleaming like pearls in the candlelight. As her thumb brushed against the base of the ear, Su Rui suddenly hissed and gasped, her tail slapping against the tatami mat.

"Don't touch there..."

His voice was lower and hoarser than usual, and the tips of his ears were already bright red. Bai Xue, however, seemed to have discovered a new continent, her eyes shining with an astonishing light.

"Is this a sensitive spot?" she asked with a mischievous grin, touching her earlobe again.

Su Rui grabbed her wrist abruptly, her eyes beneath her silver hair flashing dangerously in the candlelight. "You did this on purpose?"

Bai Xue then noticed that the two were so close that they could count each other's eyelashes. Su Rui's breath brushed against her lips, carrying the sweet scent of red bean paste. Her gaze unconsciously fell on the sugar residue on his lips, and her throat suddenly tightened.

"I..."

Guh--

Her stomach suddenly let out a loud protest.

Su Rui paused for a moment, then released her hand, a playful smile curving her lips, "Hungry?"

"It's all your fault for stopping me from eating my snacks!" Bai Xue blushed, grabbed a piece of pastry from the three bowls of sweet cakes, and took a big bite in revenge. The fine powdery sugar stuck to the corner of her lips, and she subconsciously stuck out the tip of her tongue and licked it.

Su Rui's ears suddenly stood straight up, and her tail froze in mid-air.

"What's wrong?" Bai Xue tilted her head and took another bite of the pastry. "You want some too?"

She casually handed him the half-eaten pastry, but stopped halfway—the gesture was too intimate, like a lover sharing. Her fingers hovered in the air, and powdered sugar fell like tiny stars in the candlelight.

Su Rui glanced at her, then suddenly leaned forward and bit her hand. His lips brushed against her fingertips, warm and soft.

"It's too sweet," he commented, his tongue brushing against the powdered sugar on his lips.

Bai Xue's heart pounded as if it had been brushed by a malicious tail. She hurriedly withdrew her hand, lowered her head, and gulped down a mouthful of tea, but choked because she drank it too quickly.

"Cough cough..."

Su Rui sighed and gently patted her back. His hand was warm and strong, and a reassuring warmth emanated from it through the thin fabric of her kimono.

"Clumsy."

"It's all because of you..." Bai Xue muttered softly, but couldn't help snuggling closer to him.

The candlelight cast their shadows on the paper door, creating an intimate silhouette. Su Rui's tail had somehow already wrapped around her waist, like a soft, silvery-white scarf.

"This is for you."

Suddenly, Bai Xue pulled a small cloth bag from her sleeve and poured out a thin silver chain. A small Bell hung on the chain, matching the silver butterfly in her hair.

"I've been preparing for this for a long time..." Her voice trailed off, "... thinking I'd give it to you when you materialized."

Su Rui took the Bell and gently stroked the delicate patterns on it with her fingertips—it was a butterfly with outstretched wings, which matched the one on her hairpin perfectly.

"Help me put it on?"

He turned around, his silver hair cascading down like a waterfall, revealing his long, slender neck. Bai Xue knelt upright, her fingers trembling slightly as she fastened the silver chain around his neck. Bell dangled below his collarbone, swaying gently with his breath, yet making no sound—it was a dumbbell.

"Like this..." Her fingertips accidentally brushed against his skin, and she immediately pulled back as if burned, "This way, others will know you're mine."

She regretted it as soon as she said it. What a terrible line!

Su Rui chuckled softly, her tail tip curling up happily. "Quite possessive, Bai Xue ~."

"No, no!" Bai Xue frantically reached for Tuanzi, but accidentally knocked over the plum wine. The deep red liquid spread across the low table, like a small pool of blood.

"Ah!"

She frantically tried to steady the wine pot, but Su Rui grabbed her wrist.

"Don't move."

His voice carried an undeniable air of authority. Bai Xue froze, watching as Su Rui slowly dipped his fingertip in the wine and then drew a line on the side of his neck.

The slightly cool liquor slid down her collarbone, shimmering eerily in the moonlight.

"Now," he smirked, his ears twitching mischievously, "I'm your trophy too."

Bai Xue's mind went blank. She stared at the wine stain that slid down Su Rui's collar, her throat dry and sore.

"This isn't fair..." she protested softly, "I didn't get any..."

Before she could finish speaking, Su Rui had already dipped her finger in the wine and gently touched the tip of her nose.

"Now we have it."

Bai Xue opened her eyes wide. The world she saw through the wine droplets was slightly distorted, yet exceptionally clear— Su Rui's smiling eyes and twitching ears, and the tail that had somehow wrapped around her wrist.

She suddenly reached out and grabbed the fluffy tail, pulling hard—

"!"

Su Rui was caught off guard and leaned forward, and the two of them fell into the pile of bedding together. Bai Xue took the opportunity to roll over and pin him down, poking his earlobe with her finger.

"Got you?"

She announced triumphantly, but froze the moment she saw Su Rui's eyes—the surging emotions within them made her heart skip a beat.

"Yes," Su Rui's voice was hoarse, her tail slowly wrapping around her waist, "You've caught me."

The moonlight shifted silently, illuminating the pair of matching silver ornaments on the low table—a butterfly and a Bell —their shadows overlapping in the wine.

Volume 15, Chapter 827: Having Breakfast Together

Morning light filtered through the bamboo blind on the paper door, casting dappled patterns of light on the bedding. Bai Xue stirred groggily, her cheek brushing against something soft—it was Su Rui's tail, loosely wrapped around her waist.

She opened her eyes slightly and found that Su Rui was still asleep. The morning light gilded his silvery eyelashes, and his usually alert ears were now lying obediently, rising and falling gently with his breathing. The silver bell around his neck glittered in the sunlight, reflecting the red string she had tied with her own hands the night before.

Bai Xue carefully reached out a finger and gently touched the tip of his ear. The downy hair was softer than she had imagined, carrying the warmth of sleep.

"Hmm..."

Su Rui's ears twitched sensitively, and his tail instinctively tightened, pulling her closer to his chest. Bai Xue held her breath, watching him slowly open his eyes—his amber eyes looked like melting honey in the morning light, still carrying a hazy sleepiness.

"Morning..."

Her greeting was interrupted by a sudden ear pressed against hers. Half-asleep, Su Rui rested her forehead on her shoulder, the furry ear tip brushing against her chin like a large, affectionate dog.

"Just five more minutes of sleep..."

His voice, muffled within her clothes, carried an unusual softness. Bai Xue's heart suddenly melted like spring water, and her fingers unconsciously ran through his silver hair, gently combing it.

"Madam will be looking for us soon," she whispered, but let him stay nestled in her arms.

Su Rui patted the blankets with the tip of his tail in dissatisfaction, but his ears stood up honestly—a sign that he was gradually waking up. Bai Xue took the opportunity to rub her ears, watching him jump back as if he had been electrocuted.

"You--"

In the morning light, the tips of Su Rui's ears were almost translucent red. Bai Xue couldn't help but laugh out loud, but he rolled over and pinned her down. Her silver hair fell down, forming a small curtain on the side of her face, and the silver bell around her neck swayed gently but made no sound.

"Got bad?"

His voice was still hoarse from the morning, and his breath carried a faint scent of plum wine. Bai Xue suddenly remembered the sweet kiss from last night, and her cheeks instantly burned.

"We... we should go--"

Knock knock.

A gentle knock came at the paper door, and a maid's respectful voice said, "Lady Bai Xue, Madam invites you and Mr. Su to have breakfast together."

The two froze simultaneously. Bai Xue then realized that this was the first time someone had formally addressed him as "Mr. Su."

Su Rui reacted first, stood up briskly, and pulled her up with him. In the morning light, his silver hair was a little messy, and the red rope around his neck contrasted sharply with the silver bell, like some kind of silent declaration.

"Let's go," he said, extending his hand. "Don't keep the lady waiting."

Bai Xue grasped his hand, and the moment their fingertips touched, the memory of last night's wine-scented kiss resurfaced in her mind. She hurriedly lowered her head to straighten her clothes, but then heard Su Rui chuckle softly—he must have known what she was thinking through empathy again.

The morning dew on the corridor had not yet dried, and the wooden clogs made a soft sound as they stepped on it. Bai Xue followed closely behind Su Rui, her gaze unconsciously falling on his swaying tail—she had only noticed this morning that there was a small tuft of particularly long silver hair at the tip of his tail, like the tip of a calligraphy brush.

What are you looking at?

Su Rui suddenly turned around, his tail deftly wrapping around her wrist. Bai Xue was caught off guard and pulled in, her nose almost hitting his back.

"Your tail..." she whispered, blushing, "Is very pretty."

Su Rui's ears twitched, and she suddenly turned and leaned closer, the tip of her tail lightly brushing against her cheek. "You like it?"

The tuft of silver hair brushed against her skin like a feather, making Bai Xue shrink back in ticklishness. Just as she was about to protest, a "whoosh" sound of a folding fan opening suddenly came from around the corner.

Lady Wenyue stood under the maple tree in the center of the courtyard, dressed in a light purple kimono, her folding fan partially obscuring her lips. But what she couldn't hide was the smile in her eyes—a gaze that saw through everything yet was gentle and tolerant.

"Good morning." Her gaze lingered for a moment on their clasped hands. "Looks like you slept well last night?"

Bai Xue's ears instantly burned, and she subconsciously tried to pull her hand back, but Su Rui held it firmly. What's worse, his tail even defiantly wrapped around her waist.

"Thank you for your kindness." Su Rui nodded slightly, her tone respectful yet tinged with a hint of pride. "Last night was indeed... unforgettable."

Bai Xue almost bit her tongue and secretly pinched the base of his tail. Su Rui remained expressionless, but his ears suddenly perked up.

Lady Wenyue took it all in, her smile deepening behind her folding fan. She turned gracefully, gesturing for the two to follow. "Come and have breakfast. I've had salmon rice balls and tamagoyaki prepared."

In the tea room, morning light filtered through the bamboo blinds, casting stripes on the floor. The low table was laden with exquisite breakfast items: steaming miso soup, golden and crispy tempura, and Bai Xue's favorite honey pancakes.

"Sit here."

Su Rui naturally pulled her to sit on the same side, her tail curling into a small circle behind her, just enough for her to lean against. Lady Wenyue sat opposite them, personally pouring tea for the two of them.

"Mr. Su," she pushed the teacup towards him, "What are your plans for the future?"

Amidst the fragrant tea, the question was so direct that Bai Xue's heart tightened. She stole a glance at Su Rui's profile and noticed that his expression was unusually serious.

"First," Su Rui put down her teacup, the silver bells jingling around her neck, "I will continue to protect Bai Xue."

His tail quietly wrapped around her wrist, like a small vow.

"Secondly," he looked at Lady Wenyue, his eyes resolute, "My relationship with Bai Xue is now very clear, and I'm serious about it."

Bai Xue's breath hitched. The weight of those words was so heavy that it brought tears to her eyes.

Lady Wenyue slowly unfolded her folding fan, her gaze shifting between the two men. "Do you know what this means?"

"It means constraints, responsibility, and..." Su Rui's tail tightened, "... home."

The last word was as soft as a sigh, yet it made Bai Xue unable to hold back any longer. She suddenly grabbed Su Rui's hand, and the moment their fingers intertwined, a tear fell onto the back of their clasped hands.

"Oh dear," Lady Wenyue, covering the corners of her mouth with her folding fan, "It seems the miso soup is too salty today."

She rose gracefully, leaving them alone. Before leaving, she glanced back— Su Rui was gently wiping away Bai Xue's tears with her fingertips, her tail encircling her like a silver dragon guarding a precious treasure.

Morning light filtered through the bamboo blinds, casting long, thin shadows on the tea room floor. Bai Xue bit into a corner of a honey muffin, her eyes fixed intently on Su Rui's ears—those fluffy weasel ears twitched slightly with each chew, gleaming like pearls in the sunlight.

"Hey," she suddenly nudged Su Rui's thigh with her knee, "You've got miso in your ear."