Hearing Xu Jiujiu's request, Huo Yuhao gazed earnestly into her star-bright eyes and fell silent.
For Xu Jiujiu, Her Royal Highness the Princess, to make such a request to his face and be the first to bare her heart had already taken tremendous courage.
Under these circumstances, he could no longer keep ignoring or rejecting her. Whether or not he acknowledged these feelings as love, he had to answer Xu Jiujiu now.
Huo Yuhao said nothing. Sitting beside her sickbed, he simply opened his arms gently.
Xu Jiujiu sat up in bed, leaned forward, and slowly nestled into his embrace.
After years of growing up, Huo Yuhao no longer resembled the child he had once been. Though he lacked bulky, developed muscles, his body held a powerful, solid strength. For Xu Jiujiu, his embrace was already more than spacious enough.
Xu Jiujiu said nothing either, quietly feeling the temperature of Huo Yuhao's embrace. It was not warm, but carried a distinctive, refreshing chill.
Nestled in his arms, she felt an inexplicable sense of peace and comfort.
Huo Yuhao slowly closed his arms around her, his left hand gently resting on her back as he, too, gradually savored the sensation.
Only recently recovered from a serious illness, Xu Jiujiu was very thin. Unlike before, however, her body now brimmed with vitality poised to burst forth.
Today was the first time he had ever embraced Xu Jiujiu.
Watching from the side, Electrolux smiled amiably and returned to the Sea of Consciousness.
Inside the Sea of Consciousness, Tian Meng lay flat on the ground with his face buried in the snow, his muffled voice filtering through it. "Yuhao has never held me like that..."
"Shut up."
Beside him, the Ice Empress impatiently gave him a kick.
Tian Meng wriggled in the snow and