The afternoon sun filtered through the lush plane-tree leaves lining Heaven Dou City's streets, scattering patches of light and shadow.
Gu Yue quietly followed half a step behind Tang Wulin, the boy's back reflected in her violet eyes.
She had to admit that Tang Wulin, as he was now, really did make it easy to feel the urge to "bully" him.
He was almost two heads shorter than Gu Yue. Though years of forging had given him a lean, muscular physique, his frame still retained a boy's slenderness. At the moment, he was standing on tiptoe, trying hard to reach a trinket on the highest shelf. With his neck stretched out and that soft black hair, he somehow looked...
A little like a little girl.
The thought suddenly popped into Gu Yue's head, and she found herself amused by it.
Especially when he turned around, his clear black eyes brimming with pure delight, Gu Yue felt as though something had gently scratched at her heart.
If I spirited Wulin away and hid him in my room...
Once that bold thought took root, it grew wildly through Gu Yue's heart like a vine.
She imagined the scene: a spacious room with only the two of them. No bustle from Shrek Academy, no clanging from the forge. Tang Wulin would wear the soft pajamas she had prepared, sitting obediently beside her, or... nestled in her arms.
Mmm... he would feel wonderful to hold.
Gu Yue's fingertips curled slightly as she recalled Tang Wulin's scent: warm, full of vitality, and carrying a faint metallic note.
I really want to... breathe him in.
The thought warmed Gu Yue's cheeks, but she did not look away. Instead, she studied the utterly unsuspecting boy before her even more shamelessly.
Just then, Tang Wulin's eyes suddenly lit