“Xianning, Xianning, Xia Xianning—”
Xia Xianning, exasperated: “What are you doing!”
Luo Yingbai looked up from below: “I’m so bored. Sing a song, tell a joke!”
Xia Xianning: “Can’t.”
Luo Yingbai had expected this answer and sighed.
Xia Xianning waited for his retort, but when the other didn’t speak, he felt uneasy and asked, “Are you still there?”
Luo Yingbai said glumly, “Of course, where else would I go?”
Xia Xianning, thinking of his dejected little appearance, suddenly felt inexplicably better and softened his tone: “Save your energy. The teacher won’t be back too late.”
Luo Yingbai said pitifully, “But it’s so cold in here. What should I do? I’m already half-frozen. I’ll keep calling out to let you know I’m still alive.”
“Besides, if you won’t talk and I can’t talk, what’s the point of just sitting here?”
The moment the words fell, a light sound came from beside Luo Yingbai, and suddenly another person appeared. He was somewhat startled and turned his head, barely able to make out Xia Xianning’s outline in the darkness.
Luo Yingbai then reacted: “Oh, you actually jumped down?”
A soft, loose cotton blanket was wrapped around him.
Luo Yingbai’s previous comment about being “cold” was no exaggeration. Near the Yellow Springs, the chilling air penetrated to the bone.
Before jumping down, Xia Xianning had brought up Luo Yingbai’s blanket and taken a few fire talismans. The talismans didn’t need fuel; once opened, flickering flames hung around the cave bottom, and the temperature finally rose a bit.
Luo Yingbai tightly wrapped the blanket around himself, rubbing his face contentedly.
He said, “Xianning, but now you can’t go back up.”
Xia Xianning replied, “Anyway, even if I hadn’t come down, you wouldn’t have let me go.”
Luo Yingbai said triumphantly, “Your legs are on your own body. You can walk even if I don’t let you, but basically, you just want to keep me company!”
Xia Xianning: “…”
Luo Yingbai continued, “Didn’t expect you to be so considerate. It’s not in vain that my senior brother has taken care of you these two years… Uh, I’ll never steal your cake again.”
Xia Xianning said with a half-smile, “Explain clearly.”
