Xiao Jin's gaze swept over his pale red fingertips and the sharp angles of his bones. His hands were large and strong, easily leaving marks when he gripped the sheets.

A smile flickered across Jian Yiqiu's eyes, as if he could feel Xiao Jin's burning gaze, and the hint of aggression and covetousness in that gaze.

"Then, please allow me to...begin."

Before he finished speaking, he didn't make any move with his hands!

A coin appeared out of nowhere between his index and middle fingers, which he had put together!

The coin was no ordinary item; it shimmered with a hazy, moonlit silver-white light, making it exceptionally conspicuous in the dim candlelight.

Jian Yiqiu flicked his wrist very slightly, the movement so fast that it only left a blur on his retina!

The next second!

Xiao Jin felt an extremely subtle, cool metallic sensation coming from the edge of her left ear!

Her eyes suddenly narrowed!

The coin, shimmering with the faint moonlight, had silently settled onto his earlobe!

The location was so precise that it was accurate to the millimeter, without any warning or spatial fluctuations, as if it was always meant to be there!

Xiao Jin raised her eyebrows slightly, but she didn't reach out to touch the coin. Instead, she used her cold eyes to look deeper into Jian Yiqiu's eyes.

The other person's aura remained gentle and harmless, like a true performer immersed in their own magical world.

"It seems my little trick has caused you some trouble?" Jian Yiqiu chuckled, breaking the brief silence.

The laughter was deep and melodious, like the sound of a cello string.

He gracefully extended his left hand, palm up, and gently beckoned to the coin near Xiao Jin's ear.

As if drawn by an invisible thread, the coin instantly detached from Xiao Jin's ear, traced a faint arc of light, and landed steadily back in Jian Yiqiu's palm.

With a deft flick of his fingers, the coin vanished again, as if it had never existed.

“A small gift to express my feelings. I hope you won’t mind my slight offense,” Jian Yiqiu said, gracefully waving his right hand in the air once again.

This time, a flower appeared out of thin air in his palm.

A rose formed from pure ice crystals!

The petals, as thin as cicada wings, are crystal clear and bloom in layers, refracting a dreamlike, rainbow-colored light under the candlelight.

At the flower's stamen, a faint, deep blue starlight shimmered, like a frozen star. The entire flower exuded wisps of pure, chilling cold, making the surrounding air temperature seem to drop several degrees.

What's wrong with that? Can't an NPC easily go out of character?

Xiao Jin watched with a smile in her eyes as Jian Yiqiu pretended to work hard and act as if he didn't know her.

Immediately afterwards, Jian Yiqiu gently placed the ice crystal rose on the table in front of Xiao Jin.

The cool base made a very slight "click" sound when it touched the wooden tabletop, and a thin layer of white frost instantly condensed on the surface, spreading outwards in fine ice crystal patterns.

"May this 'Starry Frost' dispel the dust of your journey and bring you a peaceful night's sleep." Jian Yiqiu's voice was even softer, carrying a strange tenderness that seemed to penetrate the soul.

"I also wish you a... truly wonderful night."

His gaze once again fell deeply upon Xiao Jin, filled with an indescribable complexity, as if piercing through her pretense and reaching something deeper.

Then, he bowed gracefully again, as if for a perfect curtain call, and then turned around.

The hem of his magnificent tuxedo traced an elegant arc, silently blending into the dim light and flowing blues of the bar, disappearing as mysteriously as he had arrived.

The soothing music in the bar continued, the bartender's movements as he wiped the glasses never stopped, and the couple in the corner continued to whisper.

It was as if that brief and strange interaction was just a dream amidst the interplay of light and shadow.

Only the ice crystal rose quietly blooming on the table, radiating an astonishing chill, can prove the magician's existence.

Xiao Jin's gaze slowly shifted from the direction where Jian Yiqiu had disappeared back to the roses on the table.

That pure, unadulterated, icy beauty seems to freeze one's soul.

She remained silent for a long while before extending her slender fingers, her fingertips tentatively touching the icy petals.

"hiss……"

A chilling coldness instantly spread up from Xiao Jin's fingertips, causing them to tremble slightly.

The chill was not merely a low temperature; it carried an indescribable, pure power that seemed capable of purifying the soul.

At the same time, a system notification sound rang out.

[Ding—Congratulations to the player for triggering the surprise easter egg "The Magician's Gift"]

Immediately afterwards, a line of small, shimmering, ice-blue text, visible only to Xiao Jin, quietly appeared above the rose:

【The Magician's Gift: Starry Frost】

Quality: ??? (Special Item)

Effect: This is a one-time use item that instantly removes all negative statuses (including but not limited to: curses, poisoning, mental pollution, weakness, bleeding, etc.) from the wearer/user and restores them to their optimal state.

Description: A treasure given by a magician to a loved one. Forged from star tears and eternally frozen frost crystals, it contains pure purifying and protective power. A sincere sentiment, both cold and passionate.

Xiao Jin's pupils contracted sharply the moment he saw the line of text!

Clear away all negative effects?! And restore to optimal condition?!

She intentionally or unintentionally ignored the final explanation.

This is not an item that can be found in ordinary dungeons; its value is enough to turn the tide in a life-or-death situation!

The icy touch from his fingertips felt like it carried a scorching heat, burning Xiao Jin's nerves.

She slowly withdrew her hand, the lingering chill on her fingertips and the shock brought by that line of small words intertwining and surging in her heart.

Immediately, Xiao Jin grabbed the "Deep Sea Kiss" on the table and gulped down more than half of it.

In the shadows at his feet, Amo seemed to sense the turbulent emotions churning within his master.

It cautiously poked out half of its head, its scarlet tongue flicking rapidly in and out towards the rose, its cold, vertical pupils filled with incomprehension.

But soon, Amo impatiently flicked its tail in the direction where Jian Yiqiu disappeared, making a loud cracking sound as it hit the ground.

It seemed to be very hostile towards the man who had provoked its master's emotions.

Jian Yiqiu had no idea that he had just casually flirted with his wife, but his allies had remembered it!

Xiao Jin sat in the booth, silently watching the ice crystal rose that shimmered with a dreamlike glow under the candlelight. Her cool and aloof face flickered in and out of focus in the light and shadow.

The night was deep, the blues still lingered, but that cold rose, like a pebble thrown into a cold pond, stirred up ripples that were difficult to quell in the depths of her tranquil heart...