Ningning was momentarily stunned. His voice was too soft, like cotton on her eardrums, melting her heart. "Pei Ji, come here," she said as she accepted the little snowball and gestured to Pei Ji, then turned to the boy, saying, "This big brother is really good at building snowmen, he can teach you."
Thus, the seemingly cold and fierce older brother and the beautiful, gentle sister began building a snowman with him. Pei Ji, always cold in appearance, although not very talkative around children, couldn't help but soften his gaze when with them.
Zheng Weiqi had expected Gulu to be afraid of him, yet Pei Ji restrained his sword aura, squatted down gently, and when his clear youthful voice sounded, the child showed no resistance at all.
Oh, in Garaan, those children only loved him back then. He seemed to possess a magical charm that endeared him to children, despite his fierce appearance that kept many adults at bay.
As Zheng Weiqi and Ningning played in the snow, she heard Ningning ask softly in her contemplative thoughts, "Senior sister Zheng, what are you thinking about?" Caught off guard, she honestly replied, "Oh, I was thinking... If you two have children in the future, they should be like this."
Oh no. Zheng Weiqi finally realized what she had said and hurriedly looked up, seeing two suddenly reddened faces. Ningning recovered first, looked at Pei Ji for a moment, and smiled, "Probably."
Surprisingly, Pei Ji was still blushing. How could he be even shyer than Ningning right now? Pei Ji, that little rascal! Pei Ji hadn't held a child before, so he followed his memory, imitating He Zhizhou's posture.
His movements were clumsy, his palm landing on the boy like he was hugging a warm cloud. Ningning laughed while guiding him, "You should hug like this—hands here, okay, stand up." Pei Ji smelled of clean soap, neither rough nor greasy, particularly likable. The child buried his white, tender face in his neck, seeming to enjoy it, nuzzling contentedly.
"If you're bored, try telling him a story," Ningning suggested, noticing a slight blush on his earlobes, and teasingly said, "Aren't you good at storytelling?"
"Um." Pei Ji awkwardly adjusted his posture, his right hand moving up the child's back, stroking his soft black hair, and asked, "Shall we tell a story, would you like to hear one?"
Gulu obediently nodded. Zheng Weiqi thought of the poem He Zhizhou had recited.
Ningning and Pei Ji walked side by side, Pei Ji holding little Gulu close to his chest, with a dog following behind.
In the snow-covered surroundings, she couldn't help but feel out of place among these three.
*
He Zhizhou never expected to find someone in the Lin Xun room. Xiaobailong was introverted, seeming to have little interaction with anyone apart from Tian Xianzi's disciples. However, when he and Qiu Duo approached the door, they unexpectedly heard a soft female voice.
A woman! In Lin Xun! It's like a collision between Mars and Earth! Or Guan Gong battling aliens!
The scene was truly unbelievable. He Zhizhou knocked on the door, and the conversation inside the room abruptly stopped. Lin Xun's voice carried a hint of nervousness as he said, "Come in." As the two entered, He Zhizhou finally saw the scene in the room.
Lin Xun sat in front of the table, looking restrained and awkward. Sitting across from him was a girl who seemed familiar, appearing gentle and quiet. When their eyes met, she blushed and greeted him shyly.
With that shy demeanor, she resembled a female version of Lin Xun. He Zhizhou finally remembered her identity as Yun Duan Yue from the Yunming Mountain Cloud Moon Sect.
