After that single "I understand," the two of them fell into a long silence.
Even Chu Yu, dense as she was, could sense that something was different. Without a word, she took the roasted rabbit off the fire and handed it to Wei Yun. "Eat," she said.
Wei Yun murmured a quiet "Thank you," accepting the rabbit and holding it up to let it cool.
Seeing him holding the rabbit like that, Chu Yu couldn't help but burst into laughter.
Wei Yun looked up at her, slightly furrowing his brows in confusion.
Chu Yu leaned closer, tearing off a rabbit leg as she asked curiously, "Xiao Qi, tell me how you managed to conquer the Northern Di Royal Court. Looking at you now, I really can't imagine how you pulled it off."
Hearing this, Wei Yun inexplicably felt a surge of irritation.
Calmly and matter-of-factly, he recounted how he crossed the snowy mountains, how he took the royal court, and how he incited Su Can and Sucha to flee. As he spoke, Chu Yu exaggeratedly praised him: "Amazing."
"You're so clever."
"You're truly brilliant."
Wei Yun knew Chu Yu was just trying to cheer him up, but for some reason, hearing her words made the bitterness and sorrow in his heart dissipate without him realizing it. He took a calm bite of the rabbit meat, and Chu Yu nudged his arm, grinning. "What were you angry about earlier? Tell me."
Wei Yun stiffened slightly, lifting his gaze to meet hers. His cat-like eyes studied her quietly before he finally turned away, staring at the flickering flames. "I wasn't angry."
"I'm not stupid," Chu Yu bluntly called him out. "You were definitely angry earlier. Was it because you thought I was reckless to hand things over to Gu Chusheng?"
"I—"
"If you're going to lie, don't say anything."
Chu Yu cut him off before he could fabricate an excuse. Wei Yun pressed his lips together, looking into her smiling eyes before suddenly deflating. He lowered his head, staring at the ground as he muttered with resignation, "Am I more important, or is Gu Chusheng?"
"Huh?"
Chu Yu was stunned. She had braced herself for many possible reasons, but she never expected Wei Yun to ask this.
The question reminded her of childhood, when her close friends would argue and tug at her, demanding, "Who's more important, me or her?"
She stared blankly at Wei Yun. His head was bowed, lips tightly pressed together, his grip on the skewer so tight his knuckles turned white.
The teasing words she had been about to say died in her throat. She suddenly realized that what she dismissed as childish or playful might hold real weight in the heart of fifteen-year-old Wei Yun.
This realization flustered her. She began to wonder—why was he asking this?
Her words came out haltingly: "Why... why are you asking that?"
Wei Yun didn’t answer, silently taking another bite of rabbit before mumbling, "Never mind. Forget I asked."
"Xiao Qi," Chu Yu’s heart inexplicably raced as she looked at him, a hint of anticipation in her voice. "Do you... think I'm important to you?"
Wei Yun paused mid-motion. He didn’t want to answer, but her expectant gaze held him. He looked at the fire before them, at the bright moon overhead, at the unfamiliar roads and hills so different from Great Chu. In this utterly foreign place, he allowed himself a rare moment of vulnerability.
As if no one could see them. As if the world held only him and Chu Yu.Here, they had no past and asked not of the future.
Just this once...
He pondered, just this once, he wanted to have a good, private conversation with Chu Yu.
Even if he was aware of his own unspeakable thoughts, even if he knew it was wrong, could he not have this moment? So that in the future, when he looked back, there would at least be something to cherish?
So he neither denied nor admitted anything. Instead, under her expectant gaze, he softly responded, "Mm."
"I said I'd risk my life for you—not for my brother, not out of duty. I wasn't lying to you."
Wei Yun spoke calmly and steadily, though after saying it, he felt it might have been a bit presumptuous. He grew nervous, afraid Chu Yu might detect something in his words.
Yet when Chu Yu heard this and saw the faint shyness on the young man's face, she couldn't help but ask somewhat bashfully, "Xiao Qi, tell me, where do I rank in your heart?"
Wei Yun hadn't expected this question. He thought seriously before answering, "My father and brothers are gone. Now, you and my mother are the most important to me."
Hearing this, Chu Yu couldn't help but laugh. She looked at him—his calm, resolute young face warmed by the firelight—and said slowly, "Xiao Qi, though one day you'll grow up and meet someone truly important to you, for now, I'm happy just knowing I have a place in your heart."
"To be cherished like this..." Chu Yu leaned against the hillside, resting her hands behind her head as she gazed at the stars with a smile. "It makes me very happy."
Wei Yun didn't speak. He simply turned to look at her, curious why she seemed so joyful. But Chu Yu kept her eyes closed, silent.
Only when her eyes were shut could he stare at her freely. As long as she didn't open them, he wouldn't look away.
The girl under the moonlight was truly beautiful.
She had grown much thinner, her facial features more defined, her brows and eyes more pronounced. Her eyebrows were the classic willow-leaf shape, her eyes slightly upturned as if always smiling. Her nose was straight, her lips thin and delicate. Though a girl, her carefree spirit lent her a certain heroic air.
He watched her quietly. Seeing her eyes remained closed, he cautiously shifted closer, then slowly lay down beside her.
Gazing at her profile, he heard her say with a laugh, "Xiao Qi, you asked who's more important—you or Gu Chusheng."
"Mm."
Wei Yun made a noncommittal sound, watching her.
Yet in this moment, he suddenly felt the answer didn't seem so important after all.
With her beside him, any answer would suffice.
He studied her silhouette as Chu Yu's voice, brimming with amusement, reached him.
"Him... he's a good official, a good ally, a good superior, a good subordinate. But if you ask who matters more to me—him or you, Xiao Qi..."
Chu Yu turned onto her side to face Wei Yun directly and sighed with a smile. "You really don't give yourself enough credit."
"In my heart, you're someone I'd risk my life to protect too."
As she spoke, Chu Yu opened her eyes with a smile—only to meet Wei Yun's gaze directly.
Wei Yun seemed startled, whether by her opening her eyes or by her words, and simply stared at her wide-eyed, frozen.
His eyes, clear as glass, were filled with starlight—and reflected only her.They were too close—so close that in that instant, Chu Yu could actually feel his breath mingling with hers, like two strands of silk entwining, tangling, and climbing upward together.
Chu Yu stared at Wei Yun across from her, completely stunned.
She could distinctly sense his warmth. The distance was so close that she could see every flaw on his face. It seemed that just a little closer, and she might brush against his soft lips.
The image of pulling him out of the water rushed into Chu Yu’s mind. As she stared at his lips, she inexplicably recalled that moment—the cool, soft sensation, tinged with a hint of sweetness, flooding her thoughts and shocking her into stillness.
The fire crackled beside them. Wei Yun’s throat moved slightly, and Chu Yu abruptly snapped back to reality.
Yet she didn’t dare move. She merely averted her gaze, suppressing those strange thoughts.
Damn it.
Chu Yu wished she could slap herself.
What the hell are you thinking, you idiot?
Wei Yun didn’t dare move either. In that instant, he had clearly sensed some peculiar change within himself. He couldn’t bring himself to look at Chu Yu’s lips—he could only fix his gaze on her eyes, forcing himself to sober up when he saw clarity return to her expression.
Every step was dictated by her. If she sank into indulgence, he sank with her. If she regained her senses, he followed suit.
He had no power to resist, only to surrender completely, collapsing like a defeated army.
Wei Yun closed his eyes and spoke hoarsely, “Sister-in-law, it’s late. I’ll rest for a while and take the watch in the second half of the night.”
“Mm.”
Chu Yu straightened up, shaking her head to dispel those inexplicable emotions before smiling and saying, “Alright, go ahead and sleep.”
Wei Yun acknowledged her, listening as she turned away to tend to the fire. Only then did he open his eyes.
He raised a hand, touching his lips, a trace of confusion flickering across his face. Moments later, he shut his eyes in anguish.
He felt as though he were sailing on a sea of bitterness—unable to move forward, yet unable to turn back.
He had no control over his course, only letting the waves crash over him, allowing them to do as they pleased.
He knew all too well what he wanted.
In that fleeting moment, when her gaze had tangled with his, for the first time in his life, a thought had surged within him—
He wanted to kiss her.
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