After going downstairs, Zeng Mu sat on a bench in the garden. Rather than heading out onto the streets where lingering warmth remained, he stayed within the palace grounds, where cold light flickered around him. He wanted to quiet his mind and think things through.
To think about what lay between him and Ma Linya.
Honestly, the first time he had opened his eyes in the tent and seen her face, Zeng Mu had been utterly captivated by her enchanting eyes, like a sardine plunging into the azure sea, tumbling amid the waves.
What had happened that day was unforgettable. Precisely because it was so unforgettable, it stirred the restlessness that had long accumulated in his heart, finally throwing up a question that kept repeating in his mind:
Should I confess to Ma Linya?
He truly had feelings for her, just as he had first fallen for his elementary school classmate, his first love.
Back then, he had been only eight, an age of utter innocence, untouched by material concerns or reality. His first love had been so beautiful that even years later, remembering it still sent his heart fluttering, as though he had returned to those warm, happy days.
They had shared a desk. Back then, she had worn her hair short, its strands like a black waterfall, slightly curled and carrying an intoxicating fragrance. Every time she stood up, he could smell that scent that set his heart racing.
A year later, she had left the school. Two years seemed to pass in an instant, and when she miraculously returned, her hair reached her waist. The black waterfall had become black waves, their undulating curves more captivating than the tides washing over a beach.
Six months later, graduation was upon them, and he could no longer hide his