Night deepened, and the candle flames inside the Sea God Pavilion swayed gently in the breeze, making the three figures' shadows stretch and shrink.
An indescribable stillness filled the room. Tang Wutong had wanted to tease her little brother a little more, but when she saw Tang Wulin's scarlet ears and flustered expression, she swallowed the words on the tip of her tongue, leaving only a helpless, doting smile.
Just as Tang Wulin steeled himself to agree to his sister's suggestion that he make do here for the night, an extremely faint sound came from outside the window, like night dew dripping onto a leaf.
Then a cool voice, tinged with hesitation, drifted softly inside.
"Um... if you don't mind, could I... come in too?"
The voice was quiet, yet it was like a pebble dropped into a tranquil lake, instantly stirring a thousand waves in Tang Wulin's heart.
"Huh?"
Tang Wulin whipped his head around, his pink-blue eyes filled with panic and surprise.
They both looked toward the voice and saw Gu Yue standing quietly beneath the tree shadows outside the window. Her long silver hair lifted slightly in the night breeze, and the moonlight spilling over her seemed to drape her in a hazy veil. Rather than hovering in midair as she usually did, she stood with her feet on the ground, her hands folded somewhat awkwardly in front of her. Her purple eyes peered through the window lattice into the room, their gaze wavering with apparent hesitation.
"Gu... Gu Yue?"
Tang Wulin stammered her name, the blush on his face instantly spreading all the way down his neck. He hurried over in a fluster and pushed open the window. The night breeze rushed in, dispersing some of the room's stifling warmth.
"What brings you here? It's so