"Would you like to come over to my place?"
Yu Wenli reached out to gently rub the corners of the little girl's slightly reddened eyes, asking with a faint smile.
It was getting late. Wen Tingxue simply dabbed at the water stains on his clothes with a cloth and shook her head.
"No need..."
Before the second syllable was fully uttered, she quickly nodded.
"I think we need to talk."
Yu Wenli raised an eyebrow, offering no commitment.
He wasn't surprised in the slightest.
Wen Tingxue: "..."
She had reason to suspect that his offer to "come over to my place" was deliberate.
A deliberate reminder that she had something left unsaid.
After all, mentioning the Yu family easily brought to mind that ruler.
Hmph!
What a scheming man!
Facing the little girl's accusatory gaze, Yu Wenli accepted it with equanimity.
Then, he extended his hand, gesturing for her to 'proceed'.
Gentlemanly and elegant.
Wen Tingxue, lacking backbone, followed him towards the Yu residence.
After all, he was so handsome.
Let him be scheming.
In the study on the third floor.
Yu Wenli went to change.
Wen Tingxue picked up the unfinished short story collection and sat by the bay window to continue reading.
After only a few pages, her mind began to wander.
She had absorbed too much information tonight, and her head was still muddled.
The band.
The lead singer.
The songwriter.
The mysterious figure behind King Jiang.
Yu Wenli now had several new labels attached to him.
And his past grievances with Shang Ziqian.
He was only seventeen, how could he have experienced so much?
Wen Tingxue suddenly recalled the first time she entered this study.
She had felt that his transitions between identities were too practiced.
So practiced that a single glance could shift his persona.
Without any apparent effort.
At the time, she attributed it to natural talent.
Now, she realized, there was no such thing as so much talent; it was simply the result of being honed by experience.
According to Que You, Yu Wenli was doing quite well before the age of nine.
Excellent grades, numerous awards.
He would occasionally share his insights or tutor Chi Zerui and the others.
His life was relatively comfortable.
At most, he spent some effort dealing with Shang Ziqian.
It wasn't until his maternal grandparents passed away that he truly plunged into darkness.
He sealed himself away, along with that ruler.
Wen Tingxue could hardly imagine how much energy a twelve-year-old child possessed.
To be a lead singer, find venues, write songs, deal with Shang Ziqian's provocations, and bail people out of the police station, all at the same time.
All while maintaining the identity of a good student and son.
Her thoughts paused.
Wen Tingxue suddenly remembered the image of him standing in the light where shadow and light met, quietly watching Chi Zerui leave.
Perhaps, he had more identities than these.
One of them was—brother.
Stripping away the title of band lead singer, he was still the brother of Chi Zerui and the other two.
No wonder she had felt a sense of distance at that moment.
Because that him, she was not familiar with.
Just like his identity as a lead singer, she needed time to get used to it.
Wen Tingxue curled up her legs, resting her chin on her knees, gazing thoughtfully out the window.
He had filled his life so completely, which was essentially no different from sealing himself off in the past.
One was active, the other was passive.
But... was he hiding from something?
Or was it that he couldn't accept the sudden deaths of his grandparents and needed eight long years to slowly process it?
Wen Tingxue couldn't understand, only feeling that her grandparents were very important to him.
So important that he didn't even want to touch upon them.
When Yu Wenli pushed open the door, Wen Tingxue was staring blankly out the window.
Hearing the sound, she turned back a beat late, noticing he was wearing a bathrobe.
Deep blue, it made his aura even more abstinent.
It gave a strange illusion of being unapproachable.
Wen Tingxue stared at him for a moment, then, barefoot, she ran into his arms.
Hugging him tightly.
Yu Wenli froze for a moment, then raised his hand to cover her head.
"What's wrong? Were you waiting impatiently?"
"No."
A muffled voice came from his embrace, "I just really wanted to hug you."
To hug the you who was once lonely and withdrawn.
To hug the you who forced yourself to work ceaselessly.
To hug the you who weathered the darkness alone.
To hug... the you I wasn't there to accompany.
Wen Tingxue had never had such an urgent desire for her parents to bring her to Jiangcheng earlier.
That way, she could have met him sooner and been with him.
But then again, if she had come at that time.
She suspected their relationship wouldn't be any better than it was now.
After all, at that time, he barely had time to lick his own wounds, how could he possibly have the leisure to care about her?
Perhaps it was truly the best arrangement.
She appeared as he was beginning to accept his past, and he appeared when she was at her most lost and helpless.
Yu Wenli gently stroked her slightly bony back.
He probably understood the deeper meaning behind her actions.
With a silent sigh, he cupped her waist and lifted her.
Wen Tingxue was startled, instinctively wrapping her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist.
The distance between them was frighteningly close.
Their breaths, their heartbeats, all intertwined.
As if there were no secrets between them.
Wen Tingxue rested her head on his shoulder, feeling that the distance from the door to the bay window was exceptionally long.
But when she was finally set down, she began to feel reluctant.
He smelled nice, felt warm, and was very comfortable to hug.
He would surely be a good bed warmer in winter.
The little girl stared blankly at the rumpled neckline of his robe, revealing a large expanse of fair skin, where the contours of his muscles could be faintly seen.
Yu Wenli propped himself up with one hand on the couch, his dark eyes narrowing in restraint.
Then, he tugged at his neckline and, from a distance, pulled over a chair, sitting down directly opposite her.
His voice was a little husky, but carried a powerful deterrence.
"Speak. What do you want to talk about?"
His serious demeanor instantly dispelled the simmering intimacy in the room.
Wen Tingxue: "..."
It was quite sudden.
"Um... that..."
After a few seconds of blankness, the little girl shyly raised her head.
Yu Wenli's gaze involuntarily drifted back to her tantalizing red lips.
The heat within him intensified.
He felt like pulling off his clothes to cool down, only to find there was nothing left to pull.
Wen Tingxue noticed his movement and forgot what she was going to say.
Because she was wearing pants, the young man sat casually and freely, with a hint of martial world chivalry.
But his upper body... the neckline was almost open to his waist.
A expanse of white, particularly dazzling, and particularly... decadent.
Yes... how to put it, he looked... very expensive.
"Cough."
Realizing it was inappropriate, Yu Wenli quickly pulled his collar together.
A rare flicker of embarrassment crossed his usually calm face.
"Continue."
He raised his hand slightly.
Wen Tingxue suppressed a smile, the corners of her lips curving upwards.
Then, she recounted the events at the art center to him, word for word.
"Wait!"
Before he could speak, the little girl asked rapidly, "I'm confessing preemptively, you know. 'Clemeny will be shown to those who confess.' Brother Yu won't be unreasonable, will he?"
She didn't want to be punished.
Especially since this wasn't her first offense.
He surely wouldn't let her off easily.
Yu Wenli raised his eyebrows amiably.
"Of course. Therefore, the ruler can be waived."
Wen Tingxue instantly breathed a sigh of relief. The next second, he changed his tone.
"But, a lesson must still be taught."