Rong Ye woke up suddenly.
At first, he didn't know what had disturbed his sleep... maybe a sound, or maybe the strange emptiness beside him. The stone bed felt too cold.
He blinked groggily, his ears twitching as he lifted his head. The fire had gone out, leaving only faint embers glowing near the wall. The cave was dim and still.
Then his eyes widened.
The spot beside him, where Su Qinglan had been sleeping earlier, was empty.
"Eh?" he muttered, blinking again as if his vision was playing tricks. He rubbed his eyes and looked around. There was no movement around him. No scent of her nearby. Just the faint smell of dying fire.
His heart dropped straight to his tail.
"W–wait… Where is she?" He whispered, sitting up in a rush. His ears suddenly strained with alertness.
Panic struck him in full force.
"Ahhh! No, no, no! I actually fell asleep?!"
