For a long while, neither of them spoke.
The evening breeze blew softly.
As the surroundings quieted, the faint crackling of the nearby candle and the rhythmic thumping of their heartbeats became unmistakably clear.
After Xie Ziyin finished speaking, he kept his gaze fixed on her—intense, unguarded, carrying a heat that made Wen Shuangbai’s cheeks flush.
She instinctively averted her eyes, lowering her head to watch the flickering candlelight before stealing a quick glance at him.
Despite the chill in the night air, her face burned inexplicably.
Xie Ziyin studied her for a moment before looking away. "Make a wish first," he said.
"Okay."
Once she blew out the candle, Xie Ziyin gestured casually toward the plum blossom tree. "Your birthday gift. Want to open it?" After a brief pause, he added, "Though… it might sting a little."
Sting? What kind of gift could possibly hurt?
Puzzled but curious, Wen Shuangbai picked up the sandalwood box tied with an elegant ribbon.
As a craftsman of magical artifacts, she recognized its value immediately—the weight of the material, the intricate locking mechanism embedded with a spell formation.
The spiritual energy around the lock pulsed like firefly light. When she pressed her thumb against it, a sharp prick drew a drop of blood, which the formation absorbed and channeled into the box.
In that instant, Wen Shuangbai felt it—an unspoken contract, a bond forming between master and servant.
So, the box contained some kind of enchanted artifact?
Just as she was speculating, a soft click sounded. The box opened from within, and a large flower pushed its way out, its head swaying eagerly.
It grew rapidly under the moonlight, stretching taller and taller with almost arrogant speed.
After being cramped inside the box for so long, the flower shook its petals vigorously. Its crimson blooms were deeper than any rose Wen Shuangbai had ever seen.
This was no ordinary flower.
It was a man-eating blossom.
Once it finished stretching, its slender green stem twisted playfully before bending down to nuzzle its new master’s cheek with velvety petals. Then, shrinking gradually, it coiled lazily around Wen Shuangbai’s wrist like an exquisite bracelet.
She stared at the delicate floral band in astonishment before turning to Xie Ziyin, who was now calmly slicing the cake. "You’re giving this… to me?"
He nodded.
"But," she stammered, "it’s… incredibly valuable."
"I know." Precisely because the man-eating flower was rare—the only one left on the Xuantian Continent—he thought it suited her.
Wen Shuangbai lowered her lashes, biting her lip softly. "Why?"
Xie Ziyin reached across the table, sliding a neatly cut slice of cake toward her. "I think the reason is obvious."
"Obvious?" she muttered skeptically. To her, he had always been subtle—dropping hints, testing the waters, leaving her wondering what exactly he was thinking.
"Not really." She reached for the cake, shaking her head decisively. "Honestly, I have no idea what you mean."
Just as her fingers brushed the plate, Xie Ziyin’s grip tightened. His brows arched slightly as he held it firmly midair, unmoved despite her tugging.
"Fine," he said, his voice steady but his ears tinged pink. "Wen Shuangbai."
Her heart skipped. "Hmm?"
"I… like you." His tone was measured, though it softened toward the end, the faintest tremor betraying his usual composure. "Would you… consider dating me?"
The words sent a shiver through her fingertips.
For a moment, she froze. Then, as if snapping out of a dream, she withdrew her hand abruptly, leaving the cake untouched. Her demeanor shifted, suddenly uneasy.
Xie Ziyin’s stomach sank.
The flush in his ears faded as quickly as it had come. Silently, he placed the cake in front of her and waited, offering no further explanation or pressure.
Originally, he hadn’t planned to confess tonight.
He just wanted to celebrate her birthday. But since she asked, he saw no point in hiding it.
And judging by her earlier reactions, he’d thought she felt the same.
Now, he wasn’t so sure.
Xie Ziyin took a sip of wine, mentally scrambling for damage control.
Amid the heavy silence, Wen Shuangbai finally spoke, her voice small. "Xie Ziyin."
"Yes?"
"I think… we’re good as friends." She fiddled with the man-eating flower’s vines around her wrist, choosing her words carefully. "I really value what we have now—you, and the other four in our team. I don’t want to risk changing that. Friendship lasts longer than most relationships, doesn’t it?"
Xie Ziyin said nothing, his face half-shadowed, unreadable.
She peeked at him before continuing, tracing idle patterns on the table’s edge. "So, Xie Ziyin, what I mean is… maybe… we could… try?"
"………………??"
After that winding preamble that seemed headed toward rejection, Xie Ziyin blinked in confusion. "What?"
Delighted by his bewildered expression, Wen Shuangbai suppressed a grin and picked up her fork. "Never mind if you don’t get it," she mumbled through a mouthful of cake.
Realization dawned. Xie Ziyin pinched the bridge of his nose, exhaling in amused exasperation. "You were messing with me just now?"
"Was not!" she protested—though, admittedly, she had been.
Still, her earlier hesitation wasn’t entirely feigned.
That night she’d gone to bed early, she’d wrestled with the same thoughts.
Part of her was content with things as they were. Had he never spoken up, she would’ve happily pretended ignorance.
But since he did… well, she couldn’t deny the flutter in her chest whenever he was near—something she never felt with Shen Hefeng, Lu Jiayao, or the others.
The storm in Xie Ziyin’s eyes cleared. Leaning on one hand, he watched her eat, his lips quirking. "You’re downright wicked."
"Hey! Watch your tone." She kicked him under the table, but he didn’t even flinch, his smile indulgent.
The night deepened, the wind grew stronger, yet neither noticed the cold. They lingered, talking about nothing and everything—conversations so trivial they’d struggle to recall them later.
There was no physical contact, and everything seemed no different from before, yet something had subtly changed.
This was the first day Wen Shuangbai and Xie Ziyin spent together.
However, after over two hours of lingering together, Lu Jiayao summoned them away, saying that the young jade from the Purple Flame Realm had indeed come to seek divination from Shen Hefeng—urging them to hurry over.
