Chirp~ Chirp~
The constant chirping of the crickets was like music to one's ears and made the current silence between Yi Chen and Feng Yu all the more comfortable.
Sitting next to each other, they were currently looking up at the star-filled sky.
This was Yi Chen's first time doing this in this world. The stars here looked much brighter and clearer than they did on Earth.
'If not for all that pollution, the view from earth would have been the same…' he momentarily thought with a snort before immersing himself in admiring the nature.
'Now that I think of it…there's so much more to this world than just cultivation. It would be too narrow-minded of me not to indulge in these little treats of life from time to time,'
A sense of calmness entered his being as he softly exhaled.
"Which one do you like the most? The moon or the stars?" Yi Chen randomly asked after a while.
"Stars," an immediate answer came from Feng Yu.
Seeing this, Yi Chen couldn't help but grow curious and asked her, "And why is that?"
"Well…I don't really know…the moon, although it's pretty big, I always felt that the stars had more substance to them.
Unlike the moon, they keep on twinkling as if to announce to the world that, though they are far, they can and are witnessing everything around them…it also makes them feel more alive and present.
Don't you think so?" she asked with a smile at the end of her words.
Impressed by the depth her answer carried, Yi Chen thought to himself, 'She really gave it a thought, didn't she?'
Turning back to gaze at the stars, he answered, "Now that I think about it, you're righ-"
Just at the moment, a sudden gust of wind came out of nowhere and wafted nearby leaves and fallen petals with it.
Yi Chen's eyes involuntarily followed after them before resting on Feng Yu, who was trying her best to hold on to her veil.
'It finally stopped…' A sigh of relief escaped Feng Yu's lips, seeing the wind dying down as she let go of her hand.
The next moment, her eyes fell upon Yi Chen, who was staring deeply at her without pause.
"Hm? Is there something on your mind?" she couldn't help but ask, seeing him like this.
"Yes…yes, there is," Yi Chen muttered while still in thought.
"Wha-"
However, before Feng Yu inquired as to what he was thinking about, she noticed his hand reaching for her ear.
At first, her mind blanked out, but the moment she felt his hand attempting to lift the loop that was holding her veil in place, she reacted instantly.
"DON'T!" she bellowed in a mix of anger, frustration and vulnerability before tightly grabbing onto Yi Chen's arm.
Her strength was obviously more than Yi Chen's, so a subtle grimace formed on Yi Chen's face when she did so, but he still didn't let go of his grip over her veil.
Feng Yu hesitated, seeing that pained look on his face, but still repeated herself, "I said to let go of yo-"
Yi Chen's next words cut her off, and he continued, "Yu'er…I know you're insecure about your appearance...and I'm also aware that our little interactions in these few days won't be enough to remove this feeling from your heart.
However, I still wish that starting today… at least when we are all alone, you can take this veil off and just be yourself, free from all worries of being judged.
That's the kind of partner I want to be for you. The one who allows you to fully accept who you are as a person…so Yu'er…will you accept this selfish request of mine just this once?"
Yi Chen asked with a pleading look apparent on her face as he patiently waited for her response.
"A-Alright," a delicate voice escaped her lips as she let go of her hand.
Getting the green signal, Yi Chen gently removed the veil off her face and uncovered her face. A beautiful face that was severely burnt on one side slowly revealed itself.
At the same time, her golden status panel also made itself visible to Yi Chen, but he didn't pay any heed to it. His attention was solely on the burnt marks on her face.
Seeing those red patches from this close distance, Yi Chen couldn't help but feel pained.
'It must have been so painful…' he thought to himself, but the next moment a bright smile formed on his face, and he said, "See? It wasn't so difficult, was it?"
Feng Yu nodded hesitantly, but her pearl-like eyes were completely focused on Yi Chen's expression to understand his reaction.
Seeing this, Yi Chen's smile widened as he reached for Feng Yu's hand that was resting beside her.
Feng Yu allowed him to hold her hand with no resistance apparent on her face. However, her heart was in a state of utter turmoil at this sudden action.
"Do you want to hear my interpretation of stars?" He asked, and not waiting for Feng Yu to reply, he continued, "Stars, from afar we only seem them to twinkle dimly at night, and they couldn't be compared to the bright moon that is visible to us.
However, when one observes these stars from a closer distance, one realises that they are as bright and as big, if not more than the sun.
A star that, when looked upon from close, completely engulfs you in its warmth and brightness. That's who you are for me, Yu'er, my star."
The next moment, he crossed his fingers with hers and asked, "Feels warm and comfortable, right?"
"It does…" Feng Yu answered bashfully. Tears were brimming in her eyes, but she was doing well to keep them from falling.
"I feel the same," Yi Chen added and tilting his head towards the night sky, he asked, "Shall we go back to our sky gazing then?"
Feng Yu answered with a nod, and the two of them continued to stare at the night sky while sharing the warmth of their hands.
It was only after more than an hour had passed did they returned to their quarters.
By then, all of Feng Yu's worries were dismantled, and in that spot, Yi Chen's words had made their residence.