"Haha! Beiluo, long time no see!"
Jiang Yuan's eyes narrowed into slits as he held Beiluo Shimen in his arms, carefully examining him from head to toe. After a few days of rest, the terrifying wounds on Beiluo Shimen had vanished completely, his fur once again glossy and smooth, soft and silky to the touch.
"Master, master, I want some dried fish!"
Beiluo Shimen lay in Jiang Yuan's arms, his paws gently scratching at Jiang Yuan's face, while a coquettish voice echoed in Jiang Yuan's mind.
"Alright, alright, I'll buy you some later!"
Jiang Yuan patted Beiluo Shimen's little head, his face full of affection, and immediately agreed.
"Jiang Yuan, let me hold him!"
Seeing the soft, adorable Persian cat in Jiang Yuan's arms, Hamster Pudding reached out her arms toward Jiang Yuan, also speaking in a coaxing tone.
Faced with the beauty's pleading voice, Jiang Yuan couldn't resist and handed Beiluo Shimen over to Hamster Pudding.
"Meow meow, I heard you got lost a while ago—big sister was so worried! Mua!"
Hamster Pudding took Beiluo Shimen from Jiang Yuan, cradling him between her two full, rounded peaks, and bent down to kiss his little head, saying a few words.
"Meow!"
Beiluo Shimen seemed to like Hamster Pudding, lazily meowing as he lay on her ample chest, then, to Jiang Yuan's astonishment, stuck out his little pink tongue and licked her chest, making her giggle!
Not only that, but Beiluo Shimen even turned his head to look at Jiang Yuan, giving him a glance as if to hint: Do you dare?
Jiang Yuan rolled his eyes at him in exasperation.
"By the way, his name is Beiluo Shimen. He's a special spirit beast from the celestial realm, a Void Cloud Shadow Cat."
Jiang Yuan glanced at the Persian cat burying his head in Hamster Pudding's soft chest and introduced him to her.
"Beiluo Shimen? What a beautiful name! Meow meow, then big sister will call you Luo Luo from now on, okay?"
Hamster Pudding's eyes lit up at the name, and she bent down to pat Beiluo Shimen's little head, asking.
"Meow!"
Beiluo Shimen seemed to understand Hamster Pudding's words and obediently nodded.
Jiang Yuan led Hamster Pudding through the corridor into his two-story building, showing her around the interior of his luxurious home. When they reached the study and saw that Beiluo Shimen's food bowl was completely empty, Hamster Pudding immediately opened the shop interface and bought a full hundred bags of dried fish for him, costing a thousand Dragon Kingdom coins!
"Meow!"
Seeing the sudden pile of a hundred bags of dried fish next to the food bowl, Beiluo Shimen let out an excited meow, jumped down from Hamster Pudding's arms, sniffed them, and then circled around the packaging, looking utterly drooling.
"Eat up, Luo Luo, hehe!"
Hamster Pudding crouched down, poured two bags of dried fish into the bowl, patted Beiluo Shimen's little head, and said with a giggle.
"Come on, let's go out for a stroll!"
Watching Beiluo Shimen bury his head in the dried fish, Hamster Pudding stood up, glanced at Jiang Yuan, and said.
The two walked out of Jiang Yuan's house and followed a stone path toward West Lake. The game world was in the depths of winter; in the distance, the rime-covered trees stretched endlessly, the sky blending with the clouds, the mountains, and the water into a single expanse of white. On the lake, shadows were sparse—just a faint trace of the causeway, a dot of the pavilion at the center. The only thing Jiang Yuan regretted was that if they could row a small boat on the lake with his beloved, it would be even more fitting!
They walked side by side along the edge of West Lake, the snow-covered scenery making them look like a painting in ink and wash.
"Jiang Yuan."
Suddenly, Hamster Pudding spoke softly, breaking the silence.
"Hmm?"
Jiang Yuan stopped and turned to look at Hamster Pudding, asking.
"Can you sing? I want to hear a song."
Hamster Pudding's big, watery eyes gazed at Jiang Yuan, full of hope.
This wasn't a problem for Jiang Yuan. Back in his freshman year, he had won first place in a school singing competition, making a name for himself.
"Sure!"
Jiang Yuan's eyes met Hamster Pudding's, and he nodded with a slight smile, his melodious voice rising by the lakeside.
*The broken-winged butterfly searching for flowers that never fade,* *Can never see them wither,* *Under the small bridge eaves of Jiangnan's night,* *It cannot read the wilderness beyond the northern frontier.*
*Plum blossoms bloom, bound by loneliness in season,* *Then vanish quickly after spring returns;* *Leaving me alone to watch fireworks fill the sky,* *Drifting away with the wind after swaying.*
*Did snow fall on the Broken Bridge?* *I gaze at the lake's surface;* *The cold moon in the water is like snow,* *Melting at a fingertip's light touch.*
*Did snow fall on the Broken Bridge?* *I remember your face again;* *If fate keeps us apart,* *The willow curtains of White Embankment shed tears many times.*
As soon as Jiang Yuan began to sing, Hamster Pudding was momentarily stunned. She had never imagined he could sing so beautifully. She stopped in her tracks, closed her eyes, and listened intently, almost lost in the moment!
The familiar melody continued, and the young man and woman kept walking along the shores of West Lake under the warm winter sun, but their hands had unknowingly intertwined!
"Jiang Yuan, I can't see the moon here. I want you to come watch it with me."
Hamster Pudding tugged at Jiang Yuan's hand and suddenly made another request.
"Alright, I know a great spot—the perfect place to view the moon. Come on, I'll take you!"
Jiang Yuan naturally wanted to fulfill Hamster Pudding's request, so he reluctantly let go of her delicate hand and walked toward the teleport NPC on the realm map.
A few minutes later, Jiang Yuan appeared with Hamster Pudding on the Moon-Gazing Terrace sub-base map in the Hanjiang City Alliance area of the Great Chinese World.
It was called the Moon-Gazing Terrace sub-base because it featured a platform perched atop a high mountain, extending out from a sheer cliff. Below was a bottomless abyss, but looking up, the bright moon in the sky was clearly visible!
The howling mountain wind was chilly against their skin, and Hamster Pudding instinctively leaned closer to Jiang Yuan, gently wrapping her arms around his waist.
"People have sorrows and joys, partings and reunions; the moon waxes and wanes, now bright, now dim—nothing is ever perfect since ancient times. I only wish we could be together forever, sharing the moon's beauty across a thousand miles."
Hamster Pudding gazed at the bright, clear moon in the sky, feeling the warmth of Jiang Yuan's embrace, and recited a timeless verse.
Then, in a voice only Jiang Yuan could hear, she said, "Jiang Yuan, I'm so tired. Maybe only in the game can I find a moment of peace."
Jiang Yuan looked at Hamster Pudding nestled in his arms and suddenly realized that this heiress, so decisive and efficient in reality, also had a fragile side unknown to others.
"Since I was little, my parents sent me to the best schools in Dragon Kingdom, gave me the best education. They mapped out my life path—if I just followed their wishes step by step, I'd be the heiress everyone looks up to. But Jiang Yuan, why am I not happy at all?"
After speaking, Hamster Pudding looked up, staring at Jiang Yuan's face. He lowered his head, and the moment their eyes met, he saw tears brimming in her eyes.
"Pudding..."
Jiang Yuan wanted to say something to comfort her, but the next second, Hamster Pudding suddenly stood on tiptoe, silencing his next words.
On the Moon-Gazing Terrace, the young couple clung to each other, locked in a kiss.