Her soft cheek rubbed against his rough palm, stirring a delicate tickle that traveled along the lines of his hand and straight into his heart.
Yuan Su's breathing instantly faltered.
He went rigid, his Adam's apple bobbing as the darkness in his eyes deepened.
"Yuan Su."
Pu Yu tilted her face up to look at him. His strained restraint was reflected in her clear eyes, and each word tapped against his heart. "You're worried about me. You're afraid something will happen to me, aren't you?"
He could faintly feel her warm breath against the back of his hand.
For a moment, Yuan Su felt all his reason crumbling.
He lowered his eyes to her, unconsciously softening even his breathing, afraid of disturbing this fragile, intimate moment.
The dim streetlight flickered in her eyes.
They held an obvious wish to please him, along with an open, tender reliance.
Several seconds passed.
Only then did he force a brief sound from his throat, exercising immense restraint.
"...Yeah."
Pu Yu's eyes curved, her smile reaching all the way into them.
"I won't do this again," she promised, obediently rubbing her cheek against his palm once more, with an affectionate clinginess she wasn't even aware of. "Really."
That small movement was like a faint spark suddenly rising from a barren plain, setting the longing Yuan Su had suppressed for so long fully ablaze.
His fingertips stroked her lightly. Then he abruptly took the initiative, bending down a little and closing the distance between them.
Pu Yu's body instantly stiffened, her heart pounding.
They were close enough for their breaths to mingle, close enough that the slightest movement forward would bring them into contact.
But in the next second...
Yuan Su applied a little more pressure, deliberately pinching her cheek.
The skin there was very