Then, slowly, he leaned forward, his voice softer, rougher around the edges. "Lianyin." He spoke it carefully, like it was something fragile, a word he wasn't supposed to hold.
My chest tightened. The sound of it from his lips sent a strange shiver through me, one I couldn't blame on the wine.
"Better?" he teased gently, though his grin was weaker now, tinged with something else.
I turned away, flustered. "Much."
But I couldn't stop hearing it, couldn't stop feeling the way it had curled through me...my name, carried by someone who suddenly seemed far too close.
The room tilted slightly, or maybe it was just the wine. My laughter faded into breathless silence as I leaned back against the cushions. Dòu Dòu slumped beside me, his cup dangling loosely from his fingers, eyes half-lidded but still sharp in their mischief.
"See?" he murmured, his voice lower than before. "Not so heavy anymore. You almost look like you belong here."
The words brushed too close, landing somewhere in the fragile space I'd tried to guard. I turned away, but he leaned in, closer still, until his shoulder pressed against mine. His warmth was startling, too real in this world that often felt like a dream I would wake from.
"You're impossible," I muttered, my pulse betraying me.
"Impossible," he echoed with a crooked grin, "but unforgettable." His fingers lifted, brushing a strand of hair that had fallen loose against my cheek. The touch was clumsy, softened by wine, yet it sent a current racing through me stronger than the river outside.
I froze, caught between pulling away and leaning in. My thoughts blurred, tangled, scattering like petals in a storm.
For once, Dòu Dòu didn't laugh. His gaze held mine, steady, uncharacteristically serious. The air between us tightened, charged with something neither of us named.
Then, just as suddenly, he flopped back onto the cushions with a dramatic sigh. "Ah, the world spins too fast when you're mortal," he drawled, throwing an arm over his eyes.
The spell broke. I exhaled shakily, clutching the cup in my hands as if it could anchor me. My heart still raced, though he had already let the moment slip away in his usual theatrics.
But the echo of his touch lingered, stubborn and unyielding, long after his laughter returned.
Morning crept in with the hush of silver light seeping through the crystal walls. My head throbbed faintly, not from the wine itself but from the fragments of memory it left behind.
"Lianyin."
The sound of my own name echoed in my mind, stubborn and unshakable. I pressed a hand to my temples, trying to will it away. It was just Dòu Dòu...loud, foolish, always grinning. It shouldn't mean anything. And yet the way he had said it...careful, almost reverent...wouldn't let me go.
I busied myself with the herbs, grinding leaves into a bowl though I had no idea what mixture I was making. Anything to keep my hands moving, to stop the restless storm in my chest.
A knock startled me. Before I could answer, Dòu Dòu pushed the door open with his usual swagger, balancing a tray stacked with fruit. He looked annoyingly fresh for someone who had emptied half a flask the night before.
"Good morning, mortal..." he stopped, smirk tugging at his lips. "Ah. Lianyin."
Heat rushed to my face. "Don't..."
The rest of my protest died as another voice cut through the chamber, colder, deeper.
"You two are noisy enough to wake the river itself."
Mingzhu stood in the doorway, tall and shadowed, his eyes unreadable as they flicked from me to Dòu Dòu. The air shifted instantly, heavier, sharper.
Dòu Dòu only grinned wider, as if oblivious to the tension. "Just bringing breakfast. Someone has to take care of her, since our fearless guardian seems too busy brooding."
Mingzhu's gaze lingered on me, long enough to make my pulse stumble. Then, with a faint curl of disdain, he turned toward his companion.
"Careful, Dòu Dòu. Mortals break easily."
The words stung more than I wanted to admit. I clenched the pestle in my hand, swallowing hard against the ache in my throat.
Dòu Dòu laughed, but the sound carried an edge. "This one doesn't break. You'd know that if you looked closer."
The silence that followed was colder than the river's depths.
The silence stretched, taut as a bowstring. Mingzhu's presence filled the chamber like a shadow that refused to move, cold and unyielding.
I set the pestle down with more force than I intended. "Stop talking about me as if I'm not standing right here."
His gaze shifted lazily toward me, as if it cost him nothing to acknowledge my words. "If you can't endure a few comments, you won't survive long here."
Anger burned hot in my chest. "I've endured worse than your disdain."
For the briefest flicker, something stirred in his expression...surprise, maybe, or curiosity but it vanished before I could catch it.
Dòu Dòu leaned back against the doorframe, clearly enjoying the sparks. "Careful, Mingzhu. She bites."
I shot him a glare, though it did little to dim his grin.
Mingzhu's eyes returned to me, sharper now, pinning me in place. "You think your stubbornness will shield you? This world doesn't care about courage. It devours it."
I stood, refusing to let his height or his voice press me down. "Then let it try."
The words left my mouth before I could stop them, reckless and shaking with the remnants of last night's fire. My heart thundered, but I didn't look away.
For a moment the air between us seemed to shift, heavier, brighter like the current of the river itself holding its breath.
Then Mingzhu turned, dismissing me with a wave of his hand as if the moment had never happened. "Foolish," he muttered, his back already to me.
Something inside me twisted at the single word. Not because it hurt, but because a part of me wanted him to say anything else.