Standing at the foot of the high wall, Shen Yangge wore Chu Xuanzhen's robe over his shoulders. It was a full size too large for him and looked out of place wrapped around his body.
Has he come back to his senses?
What's he standing so high up for? Isn't he afraid he'll fall...?
Just as Shen Yangge finished grumbling inwardly, Chu Xuanzhen suddenly stumbled atop the wall and fell. It happened so abruptly that Shen Yangge had no time to think or worry about the glow of the rising sun. He immediately held out both hands and stepped forward twice, his slender, clean hands ready to catch the man falling from the wall.
A flicker of emotion stirred in his red eyes, as though he feared he would be too slow to catch him. But just as he was about to touch Chu Xuanzhen-
Chu Xuanzhen landed steadily on his feet. As his wide sleeves fluttered, he caught Shen Yangge's wrists and tucked his sun-exposed hands into the darkness beneath them.
He held Shen Yangge in his arms and picked up the outer robe that had slipped from his head to his shoulders. With slow, unhurried movements, he draped it over his head again, wrapping him in shadow where the light could not reach him, keeping him from being burned.
Chu Xuanzhen's voice was soft. "Shen Zhuanxie, I would not fall."
"May I take what you just did as a sign that you were worried about me?"
His words were direct and utterly frank.
Wrapped entirely in the robe, Shen Yangge rested his head against Chu Xuanzhen's chest. Listening to that powerful heartbeat, he felt his own heart pounding fiercely too.
In the end, he could no longer tell whether his own heart was pounding harder or Chu Xuanzhen's