All the tangled, heavy sorrow and grief vanished in an instant.
Her mood suddenly brightened, and Chu Lingzhi couldn't help but laugh out loud.
Seeing her burst into a sudden smile, Nangong Yehen's eyes flickered slightly.
What was he doing? Making a fool of himself to cheer her up?
"Master Nangong, is this how you looked at me back then?" Chu Lingzhi would rather die than admit she'd been staring at Nangong Yehen like that.
Nangong Yehen lifted his chin, his face full of arrogance. "Hmph! How could I have looked at you like that? Back then, you were ugly and dark."
Hearing this, Chu Lingzhi was displeased. "And you were tall and skinny back then, with dull eyes, like a monkey."
"Do monkeys have dull eyes? Monkeys have very clever eyes."
"Real monkeys are clever; you just looked like one." Chu Lingzhi talked back to him without backing down.
"Also, that night you bathed in the courtyard." Nangong Yehen smiled slyly. "Back then, I saw your whole body."
Even though it was when they were kids, and she was only eight at the time.
Hearing him say it now, Chu Lingzhi still felt incredibly embarrassed.
Her cheeks flushed red, and she stomped her foot in anger. "Nangong Yehen!"
Seeing her flustered state, Nangong Yehen's laughter echoed through the mountains.
His pleasant laugh was like a heavenly sound, magnetic and refreshing.
"Don't be shy. I've seen your body both as a child and as an adult—what's there to be embarrassed about?"
The man's voice was melodious, intoxicating and soul-stirring, making Chu Lingzhi's heart skip a beat, her face as rosy as the morning glow.
To avoid losing face in front of him, Chu Lingzhi brazenly snorted, "Yours has been seen by me too!"
"Was it good-looking?" Nangong Yehen suddenly asked.
"..." Chu Lingzhi was speechless. What a shameless man. "Not good-looking!"
"You must not have looked carefully. Actually, my body is quite nice. I'll show you now if you don't believe me." With that, Nangong Yehen started to take off his shirt.
Seeing this, Chu Lingzhi quickly said, "Nangong Yehen, go ahead and take it off. Strip naked and catch a cold in this wind—I'm not taking care of you."
Nangong Yehen wasn't actually going to undress; he was just teasing her to cheer her up.
He walked over, stood in front of her, and looked at her with a smile.
"What are you doing?" Chu Lingzhi looked up at him warily.
Was he planning to act like a pervert here?
"I want to hold you," Nangong Yehen said.
He really did reach out and pull her into his arms.
"..."
"Lingzhi." The man's deep voice was full of emotion.
"Hmm?" Chu Lingzhi responded dazedly.
Hearing him call her name so seriously, her heart nearly melted.
"I don't like seeing you cry." He breathed in the scent of her hair—it smelled wonderful.
Chu Lingzhi pursed her lips. Who doesn't cry when they're sad? Especially women.
"When you cry, you look ugly. I don't want my woman to be that ugly." The truth was, seeing her cry made him feel terrible.
Chu Lingzhi rolled her eyes. Do you look handsome when you cry?
Chu Lingzhi missed everything about this place. She sat on this patch of grass for hours on end.
It wasn't until she got hungry that she caught two fat rabbits, cleaned them, and started roasting them.
Nangong Yehen sat with her by the fire, each holding a wooden stick with a nearly cooked wild rabbit at the end.
"I didn't know you were so capable at surviving in the wild," Nangong Yehen said with a smile, a glint of admiration in his deep eyes.
"There are plenty of things I can do," Chu Lingzhi said with a hint of pride.
"Lingzhi, Lingzhi—did Grandpa Chu name you?" Nangong Yehen asked, looking at her.