With Tao Yu’s ‘encouragement’, Yue Linze was more motivated and called for craftsmen from the entire city to help. When the Wu Huan City residents heard it was for building a house for the lady, many able-bodied workers came. What should have taken six months was completed in just two months.
When Tao Yu moved her things into the new house, it was already late spring. The branches of the entire Wu Huan City were dotted with green leaves, and a faint floral fragrance could be smelled everywhere.
That night, after washing up and coming out from behind the screen, Tao Yu saw Yue Linze sitting awkwardly on the bed. When he saw her, his gaze wavered. She chuckled softly: “Go take a bath.”
“…Okay.” Yue Linze hurried towards the screen, and in his haste, he stumbled, almost falling flat on his face.
Tao Yu heard sounds like a battle and laughed, lying on the bed, her eyes scanning the room. The room was still new, using old wood for health, without paint, looking more refined than the previous simple room. But Tao Yu quite liked it.
Looking around, she began to feel sleepy, yawning and lying down, closing her eyes to rest. By the time Yue Linze came out, her consciousness was gradually blurring.
In her half-asleep state, she felt a warm, moist breath approaching the edge of the bed. She let out a muffled grunt and unconsciously moved further inside. When Yue Linze saw her move, his heart stopped for a moment. He froze in mid-air, waiting for her to settle before daring to lie down beside her.
The moment his body touched the bed, Yue Linze let out a sigh of relief, his eyes blankly staring at a point on the bed canopy, lying motionless. He wanted to hold Tao Yu’s hand, his fingers moving several times but never quite grasping her, finally resting just a finger’s width away.
Tao Yu had changed positions and was not sleeping soundly. Towards the latter half of the night, she vaguely awoke, opening her eyes to darkness. After a moment of silence, she tried to get up to pour some water but touched the person beside her, suddenly stunned.
“Awake?” Yue Linze asked softly, his voice devoid of any sleepiness.
