The sea was very blue, and the waves were a bit big. Shi Jinzhe only rowed two or three hundred meters from the shore before stopping, and he and Shehe leaned against the bow of the boat.

The wooden boat wasn't big; two adults could sit side by side, their outer arms resting on the edge of the boat, and their fingers could touch the seawater.

Floating on the sea, the boat rocked a bit. Shekh, feeling the planks were rubbing against his back, leaned back and hunched over, looking out at the coast and his own grand castle.

The sky over the sea was a hazy blue, and as the rain clouds drifted by, the seawater turned gray.

Shi Jinzhe looked up; the rain wasn't light, and it quickly soaked his face.

"Let's go back, it's raining."

"We'll get soaked if we go back now, so we might as well stay here."

"You don't want to row with me, do you?"

“Your clothes are wet.” Shekh put his hand on them. “It’ll be late getting back.”

The tone conveyed the message that things had come to this point, and one should simply accept their fate.

The dampness caused her clothes to cling to her body, rubbing against her skin as she moved.

It's a bit of a shame that Sheikh was dressed in black today; when it got wet, you could only see his outline, not the color.

The more Shekh looked at the black shirt, the more she felt it was lacking; she still longed to get rained on in the mud-free sea.

The inescapable rain continued relentlessly, and a gust of wind swept across the sea, soaking Shekh's clothes like a sponge filled with water.

Shi Jinzhe recalled the marble sculpture called Undine Rising from the Water; the subtle undulations of the folded gauze and the damp fabric on her body were a kind of hidden attraction to the eye.

Having been away for so long, Sheh hadn't soaked in a large pool in ages, no wonder she didn't want to go back.

Time was running out and there was no going back. He crossed his legs on the wooden plank under his feet and let the boat drift aimlessly. "If I get sick, you have to take care of me."

Shekh saw right through him. "You get sick so easily? Aren't you too weak?"

"Compared to you, I am very weak; the ferry crossing exudes an ethereal aura."

"No, it will only drain your vital energy."

"That's fine too." Shi Jinzhe brushed aside the damp strands of hair wrapped around her neck, ran his fingers through the hair at the back of her head, and kissed her in the cold, drizzling rain.

When people have everything, they feel that everything is fine. Once they relax, this little wooden boat, which seems to be adrift at sea, becomes its own world, and the rain hitting them is no longer bad weather.

The kiss on his lips, moistened by the water, was soaked with broken raindrops. Shekh turned his head away, but was pulled back.

"Give it a try."

The faint sounds blended into the chaotic rain, the sound of breathing was just inches away. Shi Jinzhe wanted to persuade him, so he wiped the water off Shehe's face.

She still refused, pursing her lips and shaking her head, then leaning her cheek closer as before.

"If you don't believe me, you should believe in yourself."

He kissed the corner of her eye, then looked down. He could kiss her just a step closer.

Sher saw everything clearly; she even knew which direction the raindrop on his eyelash, which was about to fall, was blown away by the wind.

"Give yourself a chance, don't you want to?"

"…think."

"Then don't reject me..."

Shekh met his gaze, and Shi Jinzhe fell not into the river of love, but into the River Styx.

Not only that, but he also pulls her down with him, seeking joy amidst unknown dangers.

In the sea breeze, the subtle probing proceeded silently.

Shekh's attention was entirely focused on the fangs; this kind of lukewarm maneuvering was not suitable for her at all.

She seemed to have just woken up from hibernation, stiffly trying to familiarize herself with the unfamiliar parts, and then the fangs protested, and she realized that it wasn't hers.

His taut nerves snapped, and Shekh tasted bitterness in his mouth.

However, Shi Jinzhe may have already been poisoned, his mind was clouded, and he began to explore the edge of his soul being destroyed by a curse.

The kiss was deeper than before; he was letting his guard down.

There was no secret. The thin membrane encasing the fangs was sensitive and fragile. It was Shekh's most precious weapon, but now, under repeated touch, it was like a piece of clam meat that had lost its shell, convulsing from being exposed to the scorching sun.

Her uncontrollable craving for the waves grew stronger and stronger; she was on the verge of collapse if they didn't come soon.

Enveloped in a rich aroma, a powerful and fleeting primal reflection, accompanied by a near-death dizziness, is so intoxicating that it makes one lose control of their mind.

She only came back to life when the steam washed over her face again.

Clutching Shi Jinzhe's folded clothes in his hand, Sheh breathed a sigh of relief. "...You're still alive, that's really beyond my expectations."

Shi Jinzhe: "...It's because you controlled it well."

Except for the last time when he sprayed some venom, which tormented him greatly by the curse.

If you don't die, you're immune. Shi Jinzhe leaned back, face up, and patted Shekh's shoulder irregularly with one hand.

Getting caught in the rain will make him feel better; it's a psychological way to cool him down physically.

Once the burning sensation subsided a bit, he asked, "Is that layer on the outside of your fangs some kind of allergen...?"

"Don't say it."

Shekh wouldn't listen.

She refused to acknowledge that something that trembled at the slightest touch possessed such potential, having lost all dignity as a weapon.

"I think you should face reality." Shi Jinzhe regretted not bringing a mirror with her, otherwise she would have shown Shehe her current face properly.

"What's wrong with me?" Shekh sensed a hidden meaning in his words.

Shi Jinzhe held her hand and placed it at the corner of her eye. Shehe felt a faint outline of snake scales, very faint and covering only a small area. If she touched it from a different position, she wouldn't be able to find it.

"You got excited, that's why."

"Can't you be a little more subtle?"

"Me, reserved?" Shi Jinzhe asked with a smile in his voice, "Who turned me into this?"

"We're outside."

"You keep using my words against me. There's only rain and fish in this world, not a single person who's whole. Wake up."

"No." Sheh climbed onto him; the bottom of the boat was full of water, and she wanted to get ashore.

"Can we still kiss?"

“That didn’t work,” Shi Jinzhe said honestly. “I haven’t finished clearing the curse.”

"Oh, the ship is sinking, let's go back."

"Your tone of extreme disappointment hurt me."

What hurts a man's pride the most is opening a new door for the one he loves, but not being able to satisfy her.

"Wow, the ship is sinking, let's go back."

It's a terrible read-aloud, and even more perfunctory.

Shekh stretched out his arms and splashed water twice: "Go back and do something else."

“That works, but there’s a problem.” Shi Jinzhe gazed at the almost invisible shoreline. “It seems like we might have a hard time getting back.”