IMMFBCG Chapter 57

Chapter 57: Connection

Occasionally, a few snowflakes would drift down, cool to the touch, accompanied by a warm sensation as they landed on her eyelids, creating a subtle burning feeling.

Yue Xue felt his breath draw closer. When Yu Qi leaned in, she instinctively closed her eyes but did not attempt to pull away.

She didn’t dislike this feeling, when kissed, her heart seemed to beat even faster than before.

Yu Qi’s lips pressed gently against Yue Xue’s eyes. Seeing she didn’t pull away, he felt his heart soften, as though touched by a feather. His emotions became tenderer. He then lightly kissed her cheek, his voice tender as he repeated, “… I like you.”

At that moment, Yu Qi’s arm had wrapped around Yue Xue’s waist, the distance between them so close they could almost be one.

He lowered his gaze to look at her, his nose brushing lightly against her cheek. His hold on her was gentle, but his fingers, though slightly white from the pressure, betrayed the unrest inside his heart.

Yu Qi’s heartbeat quickened, as if waiting for judgment, anxious for Yue Xue’s response.

He wasn’t as composed as he seemed; in reality, he was quite nervous.

The snow fell silently, and the only sound around them was their breathing.

It was then that Yue Xue suddenly reached up, gently pulling at Yu Qi’s sleeve, and raised her head to kiss his lips.

She smiled, responding earnestly, “I feel the same way.”

Yu Qi’s breath caught. He gazed at her, and when he saw the pure black of her eyes, he couldn’t resist kissing her back.

Their heated breaths mingled, their closeness making the world around them feel distant.

Yue Xue’s ear muffs had fallen to the ground, and though the cold wind brought a slight chill, she didn’t feel cold. The warmth from Yu Qi’s lips and breath was so intense that it seemed to ignite her entire being.

Unconsciously, the hand that had been gripping Yu Qi’s shirt loosened, and instead, she wrapped her arms around his waist, seeking the warmth he offered.

The snow continued to fall heavily, covering the ground with a blanket of white.

Despite the surrounding snowstorm, the figures of the two embracing remained clear in the whiteout.

…

The sound of firecrackers could be heard as neighbors came to visit for the New Year.

Yue Xue returned to the living room, and Yu Qi still held the ear muffs that had fallen earlier. Having been out in the snow for a while, they were a little damp from the melted snow.

He went to the heater to dry them, then walked over to Yue Xue, gently placing them on her ears.

Yu Qi’s gaze slowly fell on Yue Xue’s lips, still red from their kiss. His fingertip lightly brushed the corner of her mouth, and he asked softly, “Does it hurt?”

Yue Xue looked up in surprise, not expecting to hear such a question from him. But his expression was sincere, with a hint of concern in his eyes.

He gently pressed his lips together, then stood up.

Yue Xue grabbed his hand, pulling him back down to sit, unable to stop herself from asking, “Where are you going?”

Yu Qi replied, “… To buy medicine.”

Yue Xue couldn’t help but smile helplessly. It was the first time she had encountered someone rushing off to buy medicine after a kiss. If anyone else knew, it would be an embarrassing moment.

She quickly reassured him, “I’m fine!”

Then, she stepped forward to kiss Yu Qi again, grinning as she added, “A few more kisses, and I’ll get used to it.”

Yu Qi just looked at her silently. Then, he leaned in slowly, giving her a soft kiss, tenderly pecking her lips.

Their noses brushed together. Yue Xue saw the faint smile on his lips and couldn’t help but smile as well.

Yu Qi seemed to enjoy seeing her smile, and he kissed her eyelid once more.

On the fifth day of the New Year, Ye Yangyun took them back to Haicheng.

He drove them to the station, and as Yu Qi placed their suitcase in the baggage area, he quietly said to Yue Xue, “Mr. Yu brought a lot of things, some of which are too valuable for me to accept. I’ll send them back to him later, and you can return them to him.”

Yue Xue was surprised. “What things?”

They had traveled together, and she hadn’t seen Yu Qi carry anything extra, aside from his suitcase.

Ye Yangyun replied, “Tea, wine, a watch, skincare products, and some other items that look very expensive.”

Yue Xue finally understood why Yu Qi’s suitcase had seemed so heavy when they arrived.

She smiled helplessly, “You can keep the tea and wine, but I’ll return the rest to him.”

Just as she was about to ask more, Yu Qi had already walked over. The bus was ready to depart.

Seeing this, Ye Yangyun stopped talking and sent them onto the bus. As it was about to leave, he said to Yue Xue by the window, “Xue, focus on your training in Haicheng, okay?”

Yue Xue felt that his words might have a deeper meaning. “Master…”

But Ye Yangyun just smiled and waved, watching the car slowly drive off.

Yue Xue turned to watch his figure in the snow until it was almost out of sight, then reluctantly closed the window.

Yu Qi skillfully pulled out a blanket, covering both of them.

Yue Xue felt warm all over, except for her nose, which had reddened from the cold wind. Her face was nestled in her cashmere scarf as she looked at Yu Qi with clear, beautiful eyes.

Yu Qi couldn’t help but touch the corner of her eye, and then gently stroked her red nose.

His gaze lingered on her lips for a moment, as if thinking about something. He glanced around at the other passengers before reluctantly pulling his eyes away.

Seeing the hint of regret on Yu Qi’s face, Yue Xue felt a strange urge to laugh.

When Yu Qi heard her laugh, he looked up at her, curious.

Yue Xue grinned, then playfully gestured for him to come closer.

Yu Qi obediently leaned closer, and Yue Xue lifted the blanket slightly to cover both of their figures underneath.

Warm lips pressed against hers, and in the dim light, Yue Xue’s smiling eyes and brows sparkled.

A few seconds later, Yu Qi casually covered them both with the blanket again, hiding their intertwined fingers underneath.

Yue Xue rested her head on Yu Qi’s shoulder, inhaling the familiar scent of cedar, and softly said, “I took some motion sickness medicine earlier, so I’m a bit sleepy. I’ll sleep first, wake me when we arrive.”

Yu Qi gently brushed through her slightly messy hair, lowering his gaze with a smile. “Go ahead and sleep.”

By the time they returned to the temple, it was almost evening.

The temple was even busier than expected. With the Lantern Festival approaching, many visitors had come to sign up for the prayer lantern event. Even Bai Liu was busy at a table with sign-up forms.

From a distance, he spotted Yue Xue and hurried over like he had seen a savior. “Master, come save me!”

Yue Xue couldn’t help but laugh, exchanging a glance with Yu Qi. She asked him to help put their suitcase away first, then walked over to Bai Liu and took the sign-up form.

Bai Liu sighed in relief. “My God, my hand was almost going to fall off from writing.”

Yue Xue glanced at the densely packed page, smiling as she shook her head. She followed the usual procedure, asking for names and recording phone numbers. By then, Yu Qi had come over and sat beside her, taking the paper and pen. After confirming the necessary details, he helped with the registration.

Not far away, Xu Zhou and others were busy with their tasks and didn’t notice this scene.

However, Bai Liu saw it.

He scratched his head, feeling puzzled. When did Master Yue Xue and Yu Qi become so familiar? Even asking him to help seemed so natural now.

Around 7 or 8 p.m., the temple began to quiet down.

Bai Zi’ang handed Yue Xue the prepared red envelope, smiling, “Thank you for your hard work.” Then, glancing at Bai Liu, he added, “Writing a few words has almost killed you. You’re always bothering your Master.”

“It’s fine, Bai Liu was already almost done by the time he gave it to me,” Yue Xue smiled and accepted the red envelope. “Thank you, Senior Brother.”

Bai Zi’ang turned to the others and said, “Thanks, everyone. We won’t eat here tonight. Let’s all go out for a reunion dinner.”

Although they had already had their New Year’s Eve dinner at the temple, the real gathering of everyone didn’t happen until Yue Xue returned.

Bai Liu called out, “Long life!” but was quickly knocked on the head by the temple master.

Bai Zi’ang told them to change clothes and went back to the side hall.

Bai Liu and Xu Zhou were about to return to their rooms when Yu Qi handed them two red envelopes.

Bai Liu took them in confusion. “Huh, we’re getting red envelopes too?”

Aren’t red envelopes usually given by elders?

Xu Zhou looked at Yue Xue, seeking clarification.

Yue Xue smiled, “Just accept them.”

Bai Liu asked, “Master, do you also have one?”

Yue Xue nodded, “Mm, yes, I got it on the first day of the New Year.”

Although her red envelope wasn’t quite the same as theirs in meaning.

Xu Zhou hesitated for a moment before accepting the envelope and saying, “Thank you.”

Xu Zhou and Bai Liu returned to their rooms to change out of their robes into everyday clothes.

Yue Xue, in her casual home clothes, didn’t need to change. She went to spend some time with the cotton doll and then put it in her small bag to take outside.

As she came out, she ran into Su Xinghe.

Su Xinghe was dressed in black, almost blending into the night. Yue Xue hadn’t noticed him at first, but when he walked over, she saw his figure.

“Happy New Year,” Yue Xue said.

Su Xinghe nodded slightly, “Happy New Year.”

Then, he took a beautiful red maple envelope out of his pocket and handed it to Yue Xue.

Yue Xue was a bit surprised. “For me?”

Su Xinghe nodded again. “Yes, for you.”

Yue Xue didn’t take it right away and jokingly said, “Daoist Xinghe, this isn’t right. You’re taking advantage of me.”

Su Xinghe smiled, also teasing her. “I’ve been observing the celestial phenomena lately and realized that we have a master-disciple connection. What’s wrong with a master giving a red envelope to their disciple?”

Yue Xue laughed, “What nonsense! Do you want to be my senior brother now?”

Su Xinghe smiled but said nothing.

Seeing that Su Xinghe was still insisting, Yue Xue finally accepted the envelope.

Just then, Yu Qi came out, and Su Xinghe nodded to both of them before heading to find Qin Haoran.

When everyone from the temple had gathered, Bai Zi’ang waved his hand and led everyone out for a grand feast.

Yu Qi and Yue Xue lagged a few steps behind, walking at their own pace.

Yu Qi reached out and gently took Yue Xue’s hand.

Bai Liu noticed that Yue Xue was no longer around and turned to look for her. When he saw the two familiar figures behind, he couldn’t help but feel puzzled.

Were they getting a little too close?