"Qing'er, I'll get you a bowl and divide some out for you. Open the door and I'll hand it to you. You can change your clothes later."

Ertai was very perceptive; as soon as Shen Nian started to cause trouble, he quickly went to the kitchen and asked for a bowl.

Fortunately, he cooked a lot of noodles, which should be enough for the two of them. If it wasn't enough, he could feed Chen Nian something else later, or cook her another bowl. In any case, he wouldn't let her go hungry.

"Qing'er, open the door quickly."

Chen Nian divided the noodles into two equal portions and the fried egg in half, placing them in the bowl Ertai had brought, and then knocked on the door.

Chen Nian had already divided everything up, and Qing'er was really tempted by Chen Nian's bowl. She opened the door a crack, took the bowl from Chen Nian, and quickly closed the door again.

Contemplation: ...

Fine, she'll just have to eat out.

Chen Nian followed Ertai to the stone table and placed the bowl on it.

They ate slowly.

Ertai didn't say anything, just watched her eat, and the atmosphere between the two was peaceful and tranquil.

"When did you arrive? I want to hear the truth."

Perhaps feeling it was too quiet, the contemplation broke the tranquil atmosphere.

Eating in silence is too boring; it's better to talk to each other.

"When you start to cry."

Ertai obeyed Chen Nian's words without question; whatever Chen Nian said, that was the truth.

"So, you heard everything I said?"

Those who practice martial arts should be able to hear, and Chen Nian slowed down his slurping of noodles.

"Um."

Am I selfish?

Chen Nian spoke in a very calm tone, slowly slurping her noodles. The steam blurred her features, making Ertai feel as if the person in front of him was about to leave him at any moment, even though she was right in front of him.

It's far away from me.

“Chen Nian, you are very good. Don’t use negative words to describe yourself.”

Ertai's clear and melodious voice, like pearls falling onto a plate, rang in my ears crisply and pleasantly.

Piercing through layers of mist, it struck her filthy and corrupt heart, as if something had been stirred, easily arousing her emotions.

A person trapped in darkness, wandering alone in the shadows, sees light at that moment and is irresistibly drawn to it. She is willing to succumb, to fall into the eternal abyss, even if it means eternal damnation...

The tears that I had finally managed to stop started to fall again.

Her long eyelashes fluttered gently, and a single, glistening tear slid down her cheek.

“Chen Nian, don’t think so badly of yourself. You are very good, extremely good.”

Seeing the person's eyes filled with tears, Ertai panicked. Why was she crying again? He should have known better than to tell the truth.

"Ertai, I'm a bad person, don't be so nice to me." Otherwise, she was afraid she wouldn't be able to bear him leaving her in the future.

She will do things that make him hate himself.

"You're not bad, you're not bad at all, you're very good, Contemplation."

Hearing Shen Nian deny his own words, Ertai felt a pang of pain in his heart. He took out a handkerchief and carefully wiped away Shen Nian's tears, one by one. Even though the tears fell again and again, Ertai showed no impatience.

He was too busy feeling sorry for her to even think about it.

In the end, Ertai's handkerchief was so wet it could be wrung out.

...

"She really is a girl made of water."

Seeing that she had finally stopped crying, Ertai smiled and teased her, his own heartache slowly fading away. He had felt the same pain as she had cried for so long.

Aren't girls all made of water?

Shen Nian didn't refute Ertai's teasing. Instead, she went along with it, saying that she also felt like she was made of water today, otherwise why would she cry so much?

"Ertai—"

...