Nervously, she took another small step closer. He was sitting, she was standing. His head was lowered; hers tilted upward. One tall, one small—their faces were only inches apart.
“Is your illness serious?” she asked earnestly.
“It’s not,” he said with a gentle smile, his eyes curving slightly. “You don’t need to worry, Fengguang.”
“You’re not lying to me?”
“I’m not lying.” Just… choosing what to tell you, he thought silently.
Still, the worry in her chest didn’t go away. She sat down beside him, thinking for a moment before untying the small pouch she always carried. Opening it, she poured out a handful of brightly wrapped candies—her most precious treats—and pushed them toward him.
“If the medicine’s too bitter, you can eat some candy,” she said.
“The medicine is very bitter… but these—are you sure you can part with them?” he asked softly, amusement glimmering in his eyes. Those eyes seemed to hold the whole galaxy; once you looked into them, it was impossible to look away.
Fengguang was dazed for a moment before answering boldly, “I still have plenty at home. If you finish these, I’ll bring you more next time.”
“Then I’ll gladly accept.” He picked up a piece of sugar. His slender, long fingers—pale and elegant—moved with a quiet grace that made her want to reach out and hold them.
She quickly shook her head, chasing away the flurry of pink bubbles forming in her mind. So I have a thing for hands… who knew?
He finally took a small bite of the white cube. The sweetness spread quickly, and a faint smile touched his lips.
“It’s sweet,” he murmured.
“Of course it is!” she said proudly. “My father bought those candies—they’re the best!”
“I haven’t tasted something this sweet in a very long time.” He set the rest of the sugar back on the table, his smile softening into something distant. “It’s a flavor one could easily get addicted to.”
“You don’t like it?” she asked.
“I do,” he said quietly. “That’s exactly why I must keep my distance. But… that’s difficult. Get too close, and you may never find your way out of the sweetness.”
Fengguang popped a candy into her own mouth and spoke through the sugar, “Then don’t leave it! Sweet things are the best in the world. If you can’t even enjoy that, life’s just too boring. You should live freely—if you worry about everything, you’ll just make yourself miserable.”
“So Fengguang also believes that toothaches are nothing to worry about?” he teased.
She froze, then, seeing his teasing smile, lifted her chin defiantly. “I’m still losing my baby teeth! I’m not scared of cavities.”
Of course, she knew the medical care of this era wasn’t like the modern world’s—if she ever did get a bad tooth, there’d be no easy cure. But for now, she was still young, so she could afford to indulge.
“As expected, still a child,” he murmured. His lips curved faintly—gentle as water. Even the blazing sunlight seemed dim beside that soft warmth, and for a moment, the air itself felt cooler.
Only then did she realize that a man could truly be gentle as flowing water—elegant, refined, and utterly disarming.
“People say you’re a white-haired ghost who steals lives,” she said suddenly. “They say the woman Liu Shi died because she was obsessed with you.”
His smile didn’t falter. “And what does Fengguang think?”
“I think you’re not a white-haired ghost, and Liu Shi’s death wasn’t your doing. But… I do think you’re dangerously easy to fall for.”
“So Fengguang’s fallen for me, then?”
“Mm.” She nodded, perfectly honest.
Shufeng smiled faintly. “Then Fengguang should be careful. Maybe I really am the kind of white-haired ghost who takes lives…”
“It doesn’t matter,” she interrupted lightly, popping another candy into her mouth. She looked away and said offhandedly, “If I have to die, dying beneath the peony is still a beautiful death.”
A gentle breeze passed by, brushing his white robe and her red dress closer together.
Watching her eat candy, satisfaction glowing on her face, Shufeng thought that perhaps her love for sweets wasn’t so strange after all.
After all, that sweetness—
…it made his heart tremble.
Lucien On ABRWF Chapter 43.2