The Young Lady's Heartbeat, More Flustered Than a Fawn in the Woods

The Su Family Villa, living room.

Su Muwan curled up barefoot on the leather sofa, her snow-white toes hooking onto a fuzzy cushion as she swayed it back and forth.

She hugged a bag of lobster-flavored chips bigger than her face, while the TV played the melodramatic soap opera The Overbearing Dragon King Falls for Me.

[Waaah!! Dragon King, Dragon King, stay away from me!]

[Woman, running away like this... (suddenly closing in)—are you playing hard to get?]

As the female lead wept pitifully on screen,

Su Muwan suddenly burst into laughter: "Pfft—no way! She cries just like that damn green tea btch!"

While laughing,

Chip crumbs scattered onto the living room floor.

Still giggling, Su Muwan shook the empty chip bag—one second, two, three.

"Luo—Luo—"

She dragged out the syllables and kicked the coffee table, her shark-shaped slippers flapping their fins with a pat-pat.

"Snacks snacks snacks snacks—"

The next moment,

Shadows rippled through the air as Qin Luo emerged from the kitchen, holding a crystal fruit platter.

A pink shark-print apron hung around his neck, and his right hand effortlessly caught the empty chip bag she tossed at him.

With a resigned smile, he said, "Seventh bag today, young mistress."

"Hmph! What do you know!"

Su Muwan puffed her cheeks and snatched the fruit platter, biting off the cream-crowned tip of a strawberry in one go.

"Last night (munch munch), did you (munch munch) go out again?"

Between bites, she glared at Qin Luo and whined, "You didn’t even take me with you!"

Qin Luo chuckled softly before sitting beside her. Shadow threads coiled around a wet wipe, dabbing at her greasy lips.

"Last night’s affairs were too tedious. It would’ve taken all night, and I was worried about your beauty sleep."

"If you don’t rest properly, wrinkles might appear, you know."

Su Muwan’s face flushed. She let him clean her lips, mumbling, "Smooth talker."

Qin Luo smiled, then stood to tidy up.

But—

"Hah!! Shark Attack!"

The moment he rose, Su Muwan lunged onto his back.

Bare feet planted on his knees for leverage as she koala-hugged his shoulders.

The icy crystal hairpin in her hair grazed his ear, sending a chill down his spine. "Young mistress, the strawberry jam’s about to stain the sofa."

"Is the sofa more important than me?"

She deliberately smeared cream on his collar, her legs swinging so the shark fins on her slippers pat-pat slapped his waist.

"Too tedious my foot! Don’t treat me like an idiot!"

"You just think I’d get in the way, right?!"

"You think my terrible luck would ruin your plans!"

"Qin Luo, you measly servant! How dare you—"

"I’ll bite you to death!!"

With a growl, she bared her little fangs and chomped toward his shoulder.

"Ow—!"

Qin Luo’s pupils shrank. Seriously, young mistress, are you actually part shark?!

A second later,

He stifled a groan as sharp pain pricked his shoulder—

Only for Su Muwan’s teeth to stop just shy of breaking skin, her bite softening instantly.

Qin Luo paused, then sighed fondly.

She could never bring herself to truly hurt him.

Szz—

Shadow threads coiled around her waist, gently depositing her back onto the sofa.

When he turned, he met Su Muwan’s pouty yet worried expression.

Sitting beside her, he suddenly pressed her cold hand against his chest, his gaze solemn.

"Young mistress, forgive me."

"Everything I do... is for our future."

F-future?!

Su Muwan’s eyes widened.

Beneath her palm, his heartbeat was steady, his sincerity undeniable.

Her ears burned crimson, all snarky comebacks lodged in her throat.

On TV, the drama climaxed with the heroine shrieking: [You’ll never understand my fears!!]

Yet Su Muwan suddenly felt unbearably melodramatic.

B-but still!

"Qin Luo, you—!"

"You measly Qin Luo!"

"Why are you so full of yourself?!"

She yanked a pillow and smashed it into his face, voice trembling. "Fine! My luck’s cursed! Maybe I’d mess with fate!"

"But I’m the strongest! I can protect you!"

"Fighting all those Chosen Ones alone—even if you’re T0-tier, what if something happens...?"

"What would I... What would I do...?"

Her words dwindled to a whisper.

"So..."

She inhaled sharply, tossing the pillow aside, and glared into Qin Luo’s calm eyes.

"Next time you solo a dungeon..."

Hummm!

Frost erupted from her palm, icy tendrils crawling up Qin Luo’s shadow-wrapped wrist.

"I’ll turn you into an entryway ice sculpture!"

Qin Luo let the frost creep to his neck. Gently ruffling her hair, he smiled.

"As you wish, my young mistress."

Shadows wove into a star chart between them, projecting every detail of last night’s mission—

He’d specifically recorded each Chosen One’s final despair.

He remembered how much Su Muwan loved these cat-and-mouse games.

"In a month, the Ancient Azure Realm will need your presence."

His fingertip tapped the star chart, revealing roaring sea folk in the projection.

The Dragon King roared on screen, mirroring Su Muwan’s captivated stare.

Qin Luo leaned close, mimicking the drama’s male lead: "After all, without you, I’m truly lonely."

Su Muwan snorted, frost crystals glinting on her lashes as she punched his chest. "Who cares if you’re lonely?! And you’re already assigning me tasks?"

"Naturally. I’ve made my debut as [Weeping Ghost]. Now it’s your turn as [Laughing Ghost]."

"??? The hell—"

She blinked in confusion.

Qin Luo merely smirked and snapped his fingers. "Ah, young mistress, about that ice-crystal bracelet you gave me..."

"I’d like to mark you too."

Shadow threads coiled around her wrist, solidifying into an obsidian bracelet at her pulse—

A shadow pact’s brand, synchronizing her will with his from now on.

Su Muwan examined the black bracelet, its aura eerily paired with the ice-crystal one she’d gifted him.

An odd thrill shot through her.

Then—

Qin Luo’s fingers gleamed pearl-white under the light, the ice bracelet refracting rainbow glimmers.

Before she could react, he clasped her hovering wrist.

Heat seeped from his fingertips, sparking a shiver down her spine.

"You—" Su Muwan started, but Qin Luo cut her off.

When their palms pressed together, the shadowy threads suddenly became as gentle as silkworms spinning silk in spring.

"Don't move."

His breath brushed past the cool fragrance lingering in her hair. "Our contract requires synchronized heartbeats."

Thump!!

Su Muwan felt as if butterflies were fluttering between her ribs.

The obsidian against her pulse grew faintly warm, while the crystal bracelet around Qin Luo's wrist exuded a coolness. The two temperatures seeped into each other along the interlaced lines of their palms.

Only then did she realize how perfectly their hands fit together—like jade carvings shaped by both moonlight and night.

Through the gaps of sunlight, affection flowed like honey between their intertwined fingers.

Qin Luo’s thumb suddenly grazed the delicate blue vein on the inner side of her wrist, where it pulsed rapidly.

"The young miss's heartbeat..."

His low chuckle sent his Adam's apple gliding in the shadows.

"...is more frantic than a fawn in the woods."

Thump! Thump!

The tips of Su Muwan’s ears flushed like dawn-stained clouds.

A sudden breeze lifted the sheer curtains by the window, and only then did she notice their overlapping silhouettes reflected in the floor-length mirror.

Her lashes cast fine, barred shadows across her cheeks as she lowered her gaze, trapping the fluster in her eyes beneath the shade.

A trembling whisper, thick with shyness, escaped her lips.

"Hmph... None of your business..."