The Flash of Blades and Shadows

As the sun set, the last rays of the evening light slipped through the gap in the curtains, casting a long, narrow band of light across the room.

Jiang Yunlu's eyelashes fluttered slightly as she slowly opened her eyes.

Her sleepiness hadn't completely dissipated. She stretched comfortably and habitually reached out beside her, only to grab empty air.

Empty?

She blinked in confusion, her soft, sweet voice carrying the hoarseness of someone who had just woken up.

"Hmm?! Where's the kitty? Where's my kitty?"

Her voice was charming and soft. If anyone else had seen her, they would have realized that the usually elegant and radiant Jiang Yunlu actually had such an adorable side.

She casually groped around the nightstand, but instead of the familiar cold metal of her lamp base, her fingertips touched smooth wood.

Hmm?

Jiang Yunlu's thoughts, like a lake disturbed by a tossed pebble, rippled and gradually began to clear.

This wasn't her room.

This was... Lin Mo's room.

This realization shot through her entire body like an electric current.

Jiang Yunlu's cheeks instantly flushed red. She abruptly shrank back into the quilt, covering even her head.

The quilt was filled with a clean and refreshing scent, like sun-dried cotton, mixed with a faint fragrance that uniquely belonged to Lin Mo.

She couldn't help but take a deep breath, and then another.

This scent... smelled better than any of the expensive aromatherapy in her room.

"I'm doomed, I don't want to get out of bed."

She buried her face in the pillow, muttering softly, feeling as if her whole being was going to melt into this scent.

She really wanted to just stay here and sleep for another day and night.

But the sky outside the window was gradually darkening, and she knew she couldn't sleep any longer.

Jiang Yunlu dawdled as she climbed out of bed, tiptoed to the door, and pressed her ear against the door panel like a little cat, listening carefully for any sounds outside.

Dead silence.

The living room was so quiet that you could hear a pin drop.

An absurd thought popped up: Could they... have left her here all alone and gone out to have fun?

The more she thought about it, the more likely it seemed. Feeling anxious, Jiang Yunlu didn't even bother to tidy up her sleep-mussed clothes and hair, and abruptly pulled the door open.

As a result, she immediately saw the young man sitting quietly on the sofa, reading a book by the light of the setting sun outside the window.

Hearing the door open, Lin Mo looked up, his gaze calm as he looked over.

"You're awake?"

His voice wasn't loud, but it acted like a reassuring pill, instantly smoothing away the anxiety in Jiang Yunlu's heart.

Her posture of preparing to rush out froze in place. Jiang Yunlu was stunned for half a second before her brain started spinning rapidly.

She subconsciously reached up and hastily smoothed her hair a couple of times, then tugged at the slightly wrinkled hem of her clothes, terrified that he would remember her in this messy state.

"Mhm, where are the others?" she asked, feigning composure, though her voice still sounded a bit weak.

Jiang Yunlu immediately tidied her clothes and hair again, worried that her messy appearance would be etched into his memory.

"Fang Jun and An Yuexin had something to do and went back. Yuling and Miaomiao are resting upstairs."

Lin Mo closed the book in his hands and casually set it aside. "Seeing how deeply you were sleeping, I was afraid you wouldn't find anyone when you woke up, so I waited for you here."

So... he was waiting for her.

The tip of Jiang Yunlu's heart felt as if it had been gently poked by something, feeling sweet and soft.

"It must be so boring sitting alone."

She said softly, walking step by step to the sofa and sitting down right next to Lin Mo.

As the distance closed, that scent—countless times richer than what was in the quilt—swept over her overwhelmingly, enveloping her entirely.

"It's alright. I just finished taking care of some things and read a book in passing."

Lin Mo said this and, seemingly feeling the atmosphere becoming a bit delicate, prepared to stand up. "Are you thirsty? I'll go pour you a glass of water."

In truth, Lin Mo hadn't been reading for long; he had only picked it up when Jiang Yunlu woke up.

Just as he moved, his wrist was grabbed by a warm, soft little hand.

Lin Mo's movements paused. He looked down, only to see that the young girl had leaned in much closer at some point. Her bright, sparkling eyes seemed to be filled with starlight as she gazed at him without blinking.

The young girl's heartbeat seemed to be magnified countless times in the silent living room, clear enough for even herself to hear.

Her cheeks were as red as a ripe apple, yet she mustered all her courage and said softly, her voice carrying a slight tremble:

"Sit with me for a while."

Lin Mo sat back down, but the young girl never let go of his hand.

At this moment, a cell phone suddenly rang.

Startled, the young girl immediately released his hand.

Lin Mo took out his phone and answered the call.

"I made some sweet green bean soup. Is Jiang Yunlu awake yet? Or should I bring some down for you guys?"

Xie Yuling's voice came from the receiver.

Jiang Yunlu felt a little unhappy hearing this. If she had known, she would have woken up earlier; maybe then she could have spent a bit more time alone with Lin Mo.

Thinking of this, she couldn't help but grab Lin Mo's hand again, tracing little circles on it.

Lin Mo looked down at it.

"No need, she just woke up. We can just come up."

"Mm, alright then."

Xie Yuling hung up the phone. Sitting opposite her, Chu Miaomiao said somewhat bashfully:

"So, cooking the sweet soup was just an excuse to get them to come up?"

Xie Yuling put her phone down and said with a serious expression, "Of course not. I was just kindly inviting them up, plus it's already quite late."

Chu Miaomiao nodded, a bit confused.

Back downstairs, after hanging up the phone, Lin Mo looked down at Jiang Yunlu, who was drawing circles on his hand.

"Let's go, time to head up and drink some sweet soup."

"Mhm!"

Just drawing circles on his hand had already improved Jiang Yunlu's mood significantly.

She also wanted to go up and see what Xie Yuling's home looked like.

Jiang Yunlu adjusted her clothes and followed Lin Mo upstairs.

Upon reaching the top floor, she realized that Xie Yuling's home was much larger than Lin Mo's apartment.

The decor also looked very cozy and warm.

"How was it? Did you sleep well?" Xie Yuling asked casually.

Jiang Yunlu paused. This felt exactly like a hostess checking in on a guest.

So Jiang Yunlu merely smiled and replied, "I got used to it very well. Lin Mo's bed is very comfortable."

Xie Yuling raised an eyebrow, then walked into the kitchen. As she ladled the soup, she replied, "It is indeed very comfortable, which is why I really like sleeping in his bed."

Amidst this invisible clash of swords, Lin Mo looked at Chu Miaomiao. "Do you understand what they're saying?"

Chu Miaomiao nodded with a bewildered expression, and then shook her head.

"It's better if you don't. When did you make the sweet soup?"

Lin Mo changed the subject.

"I started prepping it as soon as we came up. To save time, I used a pressure cooker."

A moment later, Xie Yuling walked over carrying two bowls of sweet green bean soup with kelp.

Adding kelp to sweet green bean soup is a culinary tradition from the southern coastal regions.

After all, both green beans and kelp are ingredients known for clearing heat and dispelling dampness, so they simply combined the two.

Lin Mo reached out and took them.

"Thank you!"

"You never used to be this polite," Xie Yuling said, rolling her eyes at Lin Mo.