After the ocean class ended, Gu Liang lay sprawled across a coral reef, her dragon tail listlessly slapping the water.
"What's wrong?" Cangming surfaced, placing a shimmering pearl before her. "Was today's lesson difficult?"
Gu Liang glanced at the pearl, sighed: "It's not about the coursework."
She propped her chin on her hand, staring at Fox Lian and Emma not far away—Fox Lian's tail was practically braided around her, while Emma indulgently let him fuss.
"I just don't get it," Gu Liang grumbled. "What's so good about that fox? Other than being handsome, having a soft tail, and acting spoiled all day…"
Cangming followed her gaze, his voice steady: "Beauty lies in the eye of the beholder."
"But Emma used to be terrified of fluff!" Gu Liang flicked her tail indignantly. "Now she clings to that tail like it's treasure. Don't you think Fox Lian cast some kind of spell on her?"
A faint smile flickered in Cangming's eyes: "Maybe it's simply because… that's the form of the one she loves."
Gu Liang froze, turning to look at him. Sunlight filtered through the water, casting dappled shadows across his strong profile. His deep blue eyes were fixed on her, unwavering.
Her cheeks suddenly felt warm.
"…Then what about you?" she asked softly. "What do you like about me?"
Cangming hadn't expected such directness. His ear fins flushed faintly red. After a moment's thought, he answered seriously: "I like your valor in battle. I like your straightforward nature. And…" He paused, voice dropping lower, "the way your dragon tail unconsciously slaps the ground when you're angry."
Gu Liang: "…"
What kind of reason was that!
She huffed, tail whipping the water and splashing him head to toe. "You really don't know how to talk!"
Cangming wiped the droplets from his face, watching the dragon girl swim away. His eyes, however, brimmed with gentle amusement.
It seemed that pursuing a fiery little dragon would be a long, arduous journey.