"Little Puddle... water..."
Xie Wangchen froze.
Time seemed to slow down. The forest, the fog, and the simmering congee all faded into the background. All he could see was Lin Ji'an.
He should have been repulsed. The Young Master was drooling slightly. He looked unkempt. He was demanding service the moment he woke up.
But instead of annoyance, a strange, violent sensation slammed into Wangchen's chest. It felt like a physical blow, a sharp, piercing heat that started in his heart and radiated out to his fingertips.
'Cute.'
The word echoed in his mind like a curse.
'Why is he so cute?'
It was the vulnerability. It was the absolute trust.
Ji'an woke up defenseless, messy, and demanding, without a shred of pretense, because she knew Wangchen was there. She felt safe enough to be ugly in front of him.
Wangchen felt his throat go dry. His heart hammered a frantic rhythm against his ribs.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
