Into The Sea

Yu Shanye had never felt so out of place.

Her gaze flicked between the two of them for a few moments before she awkwardly asked, “Should I… maybe give you two some space?”

Lan Wu glared at her. It wasn’t exactly menacing, more like a mixture of annoyance and frustration. Yu Shanye instantly understood, clapping a hand over her mouth and nodding before quickly turning to leave.

With one less person around, the atmosphere grew even tenser. Lan Wu stayed silent for a moment, then gently took Ji Lingyue’s hand in hers. “I understand,” she said softly.

At her words, Ji Lingyue lifted her tear-filled eyes, pressing her lips together as she stared unblinkingly at Lan Wu.

Lan Wu felt her heart race under Ji Lingyue’s gaze and reached out to gently cover her eyes. “I’m sorry,” she whispered. “I shouldn’t have taken my anger out on you.”

It hadn’t even been that long ago that she had apologized for the same thing. Yet, within a few short days, she had repeated the same mistake.

Whenever she lost her temper, she unfairly took it out on Ji Lingyue, making her feel like the heartless demon humans often feared.

Yet, she had always resented humans for their prejudice.

Lan Wu closed her eyes, guilt and regret consuming her, dragging her into the depths of self-loathing. “Ah Yue, could you… stop liking me?”

Ji Lingyue froze, her face turning pale. It felt like an invisible hand had wrapped itself around her heart, squeezing tightly. “Why?” she whispered, “Do you hate me?”

“No! Of course not! How could I ever hate you? You’re so wonderful. Being around you makes me happy, but…” Lan Wu bit her lip, struggling to voice the words. “I’m not who you think I am, Ah Yue. I’m a bad person. You shouldn’t like me. You…”

Ji Lingyue interrupted, “You’re not bad at all!”

Her chest rose and fell rapidly, as if she wanted to refute every word Lan Wu said. Yet, despite her struggle, she didn’t resist, standing perfectly still as Lan Wu’s hand covered her eyes. “If you can’t accept my feelings, it’s okay to reject me,” she pleaded, “But don’t say such awful things about yourself. Lan Wu, if… if my feelings cause you this much pain, I’ll keep them to myself. We can just stay friends, okay?”

Lan Wu was speechless, lowering her gaze with a complicated expression.

Ji Lingyue’s hands hung stiffly by her sides, her body tense like a string pulled to its limit, as if it might snap with just a bit more pressure.

She was asking if it was okay, but her voice was so pitiful it was more like she was begging.

Ah Yue shouldn’t have to show such vulnerability.

Lan Wu felt a pang of bitterness in her heart as she slowly let her hand drop from her eyes. Ji Lingyue’s eyes were red with tears, her usually sharp gaze blurred by tears. But instead of looking at Lan Wu like she normally would, she quickly looked away.

She let out a sigh. After a moment of hesitation, she stepped forward and cautiously pulled Ji Lingyue into a hug. “Do you… do you still want to go to the lantern festival with me?”

Ji Lingyue tensed up, motionless in her embrace. After a while, she seemed to realize what Lan Wu had said and looked up at her with wide eyes.

“The lantern festival?”

“Yes.” Lan Wu smoothed her slightly messy hair, asking softly. “Didn’t you say it would be over if we were too late?”

Ji Lingyue stared at her for a long moment, her heart gradually warming up after being frozen with fear and uncertainty. She blinked, lowered her head, and hesitantly tugged at Lan Wu’s sleeve.

After a moment, Lan Wu reached down and intertwined her fingers with Ji Lingyue’s.

Ji Lingyue’s long lashes fluttered as she stared at their intertwined hands. She stood motionless, almost like a statue. The sudden confirmation of something she had once feared as impossible now left her, not with joy, but with a flood of doubt and confusion.

“Lan Wu,” she said stubbornly, “if you’re just trying to comfort me, then you… you don’t have to do this.”

“Why?” Lan Wu asked softly. “Don’t you like me?”

“Because I like you, I don’t want you to sacrifice your happiness for my sake. Besides, this isn’t what I want.” Ji Lingyue’s voice grew softer, her resolve waning. “I want you to like me, not pity me.”

Lan Wu sighed. “Do you really think I’m the kind of person who would give up my own happiness out of pity for someone else?”

Ji Lingyue hesitated. “I don’t know.”

Lan Wu: … So, in Ji Lingyue’s mind, she was some kind of self-sacrificing saint all these years?

But then, Ji Lingyue quickly added, “Because I like you, I’m selfish. I’m afraid I’m just deluding myself, so I… I can’t trust my own judgment.” She looked up at Lan Wu, her gaze hesitant. “I’m not very smart and I’m afraid to guess your feelings. Lan Wu, please don’t tease me or pity me. Just tell me if you like me or not.”

Lan Wu stared at her for a moment, then hesitantly asked. “You… you’re saying that if we were together, you’d always be this straightforward?”

Ji Lingyue blinked. “I… I don’t know.”

“Ha…” Lan Wu couldn’t help but smile, her eyes curving. “You’re so cute.”

Ji Lingyue pursed her lips stubbornly. “Cute is subjective,” she insisted. “So, do you like me or not?”

Lan Wu choked, involuntarily averting her gaze. “I… I like you,” she stammered.

Ji Lingyue’s expression remained unconvinced. “I don’t believe you.”

Lan Wu was speechless.

“Then what counts as liking?” she asked, genuinely confused. “I like being with you. Seeing you makes me happy. If you get too close, my heart starts to race. If you keep looking at me, I can’t focus and can’t think straight. Aren’t these… signs of liking someone?”

Ji Lingyue stared at her, her eyes gradually brightening. When Lan Wu looked at her in confusion, Ji Lingyue suddenly said, “Kiss me.”

Lan Wu’s: “Huh? What? Kiss? Why?”

“Then I’ll kiss you.”

Without waiting for Lan Wu to respond, she stepped forward and quickly pressed her soft lips against Lan Wu’s cheek.

Lan Wu froze, unable to move.

Ji Lingyue didn’t pull away, her warm breath close enough to feel. She gazed intently at Lan Wu’s face, her hands resting on her shoulders. When Lan Wu didn’t respond, Ji Lingyue lowered her eyes to Lan Wu’s lips. After a moment of hesitation, she leaned in again.

This time, it was a delicate kiss, as light as a butterfly’s touch, landing on the corner of her lips.

Lan Wu instinctively closed her eyes. Soon after, the faint fragrance approached again, and she reached out to embrace Ji Lingyue’s slender waist.

“Lan Wu,” Ji Lingyue whispered, her arms slowly wrapping around Lan Wu’s neck. “Are you going to kiss me?”