Ye Lingling watched his sleeping face, her heartbeat inexplicably quickening as a faint blush crept across her cheeks.
After a moment of hesitation, she couldn't resist reaching out carefully to gently poke his cheek with her finger.
The skin beneath her fingertip felt warm and smooth, with a slight elasticity.
Su Yu's eyelashes trembled almost imperceptibly, but he didn't open his eyes.
Ye Lingling quickly withdrew her hand like a child caught misbehaving, nervously pressing her lips together.
After quite some time, seeing that Su Yu still hadn't woken up, she mustered her courage again and reached out to poke him once more.
Feeling the light touch on his cheek, Su Yu's eyelashes fluttered. Without opening his eyes, he accurately caught Ye Lingling's wrist.
His palm was warm, the grip not too tight, but with a slight pull he made her stumble forward.
Ye Lingling let out a surprised gasp, and the next moment she fell into a firm embrace.
Her nose bumped against his collar, surrounded by the faint scent of grass and trees that made her momentarily forget to struggle. She only felt her cheeks burning intensely, her breathing becoming irregular.
"Alright, stop fooling around."
Su Yu's lazy voice sounded above her head, carrying a hint of barely noticeable indulgence.
"It's still early, let's sleep a little longer."
As he spoke, his arm tightened slightly, holding her more closely against him while his other hand pulled the blanket over both of them.
Ye Lingling stiffened in his embrace, clearly feeling the warmth of his chest and his steady heartbeat, each beat like a drum striking directly at her heart.
Leaning against his chest, Ye Lingling listened to his gradually steady breathing.
After who knows how long, Su Yu woke from his sleep. Sunlight fell on his face, making him raise a hand to shield himself.
Lifting the corner of the blanket, he found Ye Lingling's flushed little face peeking out from under the covers to look at him.
Seeing him awake, Ye Lingling's eyelashes fluttered abruptly as she hurriedly tried to lower her head.
But being curled up under the blanket made her movements appear somewhat clumsy, only making her cheeks turn even redder, like ripe apples.
"Awake?"
Su Yu's voice still carried traces of sleepiness as his gaze fell on her flushed face, the corner of his mouth curling almost imperceptibly.
Not daring to respond properly, Ye Lingling only let out a soft "Mm," her voice as faint as a mosquito's hum.
Her evasive eyes settled on the collar of his clothes, while her fingers secretly curled up beneath the blanket.
"Lingling, you look so adorable like this."
Su Yu watched her shy, evasive expression, his tone deliberately teasing as he gently brushed his fingertip against her flushed cheek.
Ye Lingling shrank back as if burned, looking up to glare at him reproachfully, though there was no real anger in her eyes - instead, they shimmered with moisture:
"Your Highness! Your Highness just likes to bully me!"
Her voice carried a soft, coquettish quality, the tail end trembling slightly like a feather gently tickling one's heart.
Su Yu chuckled softly, reaching out to brush the stray hairs from her forehead behind her ear. His fingertip accidentally touched her earlobe, making her tremble again:
"Oh? I wonder who it was that poked my face this morning and got caught, and now says I'm bullying her?"
"I... I was just..."
Having her little secret exposed made Ye Lingling's cheeks turn even redder. She stammered, unable to form a complete sentence.
She could only shrink further under the blanket, leaving only her glistening eyes to glare at him - the look less one of anger and more of coy reproach.
Su Yu watched her feigned indifference, the amusement in his eyes deepening.
He leaned down, drawing close to her ear, his voice lowered with a warm breath:
"Lingling, don't you like it when I tease you like this?"
The warm breath brushed past her ear, and Ye Lingling's ears instantly flushed crimson, the pink hue spreading down to her neck.
Unable to bear it any longer, she abruptly pulled the quilt Su Yu had opened over her head.
Only a soft, muffled whimper could be heard from beneath the covers, as if in protest or to conceal her flustered state.
Su Yu gazed at the clearly trembling lump under the quilt, his fingertips resting on the fabric before gently patting it twice, his tone softening further:
"Alright, I won't tease you anymore. Get up now. If you keep lazing around, the sun will be shining right on your backside."
A faint rustling sound came from under the quilt, as though someone was shifting quietly inside.
After a moment, the corner of the quilt was cautiously lifted, revealing Ye Lingling's eyes, still glistening with moisture.
She timidly glanced at Su Yu, then quickly lowered her gaze, her voice barely a whisper:
"Then... turn around."
Su Yu raised an eyebrow, the smile in his eyes growing brighter, but he complied and turned his back to the bed:
"Alright, I've turned around."
Immediately, the sound of rustling clothes and a few soft gasps came from behind him.
Perhaps she had stumbled over herself or messed up her hair in her haste to dress.
"O-okay," Ye Lingling's voice carried a hint of urgency and a barely noticeable shyness.
Only then did Su Yu turn around to see her fully dressed, though the strands of hair at her temples were slightly disheveled.
Her cheeks were still flushed, and she was fidgeting with her sleeves, head bowed, like a little bird that had just preened but hadn't quite tidied its feathers.
He stepped forward, naturally reaching out to tuck the stray hairs behind her ear. As his fingertips brushed against her earlobe, Ye Lingling trembled slightly.
"Let's go."
Ye Lingling nodded, following him step by step as they headed out. But as they reached the door, he reached out and took her wrist.
Su Yu acted as if nothing had happened, pulling her along as he walked, his tone casual:
"There are a lot of people downstairs. Let's not get separated."
"Mm!"
In the blink of an eye, three days had passed.
Ning Rongrong had also learned about the entanglement between Su Yu, Ye Lingling, and Zhu Zhuqing.
At first, the young girl had indeed pouted, sulking for most of the day, her gaze toward Su Yu tinged with a hint of grievance, like a child whose favorite candy had been snatched away.
But then it occurred to her: she was Brother Husband's fiancée, and in the future, she would be the one in charge. What did a little turbulence like this matter?
Once she had reasoned it through, she regained her usual liveliness, though she occasionally made a point of staying close to Su Yu.
She would lift her chin toward Ye Lingling and Zhu Zhuqing, her demeanor as if declaring her sovereignty, making Su Yu both amused and exasperated. Yet, he let her have her way.
The Royal Battle Team's training in Soto City was nearing its end, as Qin Ming had originally planned this as their final stop.
Now that everything was settled, he intended to lead the students back to Heaven Dou City.
At Shrek Academy, in Flender's office—
Qin Ming stood by the window, his gaze fixed on the figures training hard on the field.
His eyes held undisguised admiration, and his fingers unconsciously tapped lightly on the windowsill.
"What a pity."
Qin Ming turned to face Flender and the others in the office, his tone tinged with regret and reluctance.
"If these juniors weren't Shrek students, I would spare no effort to recruit them for the Heavenly Dou Royal Academy."
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