"ah?"
Zhang Shaozhong was taken aback, completely unexpected that she would ask this. "How could that be! Fairy, you...you're so kind!"
"Compared to her?"
Ling Qingxue's gaze seemed to pierce through people's hearts. "She is lively and cheerful, knows how to make you happy, and will even... call you that so intimately. As for me, I seem to only offer cold advice and urge you to cultivate."
Zhang Shaozhong was completely stunned.
He looked at Ling Qingxue, whose fair face seemed to have a faint blush, but her eyes carried a serious confusion and... a hint of barely perceptible tension.
She really cares about this!
Zhang Shaozhong's heart skipped a beat.
He took a deep breath, forced himself to calm down, and organized his thoughts.
“Fairy, you and her... are completely different.”
He looked intently into Ling Qingxue's eyes. "Mei'er is very good. She is... enthusiastic and direct. Sometimes she can make people... well, their hearts race."
He scratched his head a little embarrassedly, "But fairy, in my heart, you are one of a kind."
Ling Qingxue looked at him quietly, waiting for him to continue.
"You gave me direction and strength when I was most confused. You patiently guided me and helped me solidify my foundation when I made mistakes in my cultivation. It was also you who reminded me with the calmest voice when I might have lost my way with a little power."
Zhang Shaozhong's tone grew increasingly firm, "You are like...like the moon in the night, cold and quiet, but always there, illuminating my path. Without you, I might have gone astray a long time ago."
He paused, his face flushing slightly, but he still mustered his courage and said, "I like the excitement and thrill that Night Enchantress brings, but I cherish even more the tranquility and guidance that you, Fairy, give me. You are both very important to me, but in completely different ways. So, there is no need to compare them at all."
As Ling Qingxue listened to his words, the icy coldness and disappointment in her eyes gradually melted away like spring snow, replaced by a faint yet genuine smile, like moonlight piercing through the clouds and scattering its gentle glow.
She lowered her eyes slightly, picked up her teacup, took a small sip, and her voice returned to its usual cool tone, but with a hint of barely perceptible gentleness: "Glib tongue."
Despite saying that, Zhang Shaozhong clearly felt that the oppressive atmosphere around him dissipated instantly.
"I'm telling the truth!" Zhang Shaozhong quickly assured him.
"Um."
Ling Qingxue responded softly, put down her teacup, and stood up. "You must not slack off in your cultivation today. I observe that although you can devour chaotic energy, your refining method is still rather crude. Later, I will work with you to deduce and find a more efficient method."
"Okay! Thank you, fairy!" Zhang Shaozhong nodded immediately, a huge weight lifted from his heart.
Watching Ling Qingxue turn and walk towards the courtyard with her aloof and cold figure, Zhang Shaozhong touched his still slightly flushed face, feeling a mix of emotions.
The fairy's jealousy... is this what it means?
It's aloof and awkward, yet it carries a kind of innocent charm that makes people feel sorry for it.
Just then, Ye Meier quietly opened her door a crack, peeking out half her head to see the scene in the living room. A sly smile of triumph spread across her face, and she muttered in a voice only she could hear:
"Hmph, you hypocrite, are you satisfied now? If I hadn't provoked you, who knows how long you would have kept this bottled up! Looks like I'll have to help you guys out more in the future... Hehe, this 'three' is getting more and more interesting!"
Watching Ling Qingxue's aloof figure walk towards the courtyard, Zhang Shaozhong touched his still slightly flushed face, feeling a mix of emotions, when he heard a soft chuckle from the side.
Turning her head, she saw that Ye Meier had already slipped out of the room at some point and was leaning against the door frame, arms crossed, looking at her with a mischievous "I know what I mean" smile.
"Yo yo yo~"
Ye Meier swayed over, deliberately using an exaggerated tone, and said, "'Like the moon in the dark night, cold and quiet, but always there, illuminating my path'~~~ Oh my, Lord Head of Household, I didn't realize you were such a smooth talker! It gave me goosebumps!"
Zhang Shaozhong's face, which had just calmed down, flushed red again in an instant. He glared at her angrily and embarrassedly: "You...you were eavesdropping!"
"Tch, who was eavesdropping? You were the ones talking so loudly, as if you were afraid no one could hear you."
Ye Meier rolled her eyes, leaned closer to him, nudged him with her shoulder, and winked, "How about it? My 'reverse psychology' worked, right? If I hadn't provoked you like that this morning, would you have heard our aloof and proud Fairy Ling say something like 'Am I boring?' Would you have had the chance to utter such a long string of heartfelt... uh, 'moon declaration'?"
Zhang Shaozhong was stunned for a moment before he realized what was happening: "You...you did this on purpose?"
"Of course!"
Ye Meier proudly raised her chin, like a little fox who had stolen a chicken, "Otherwise, do you think I'm really that free to argue with her so early in the morning? I'm just seeing how you two are both so good at holding back, one of you is too proud to express yourself, and the other is too cowardly to speak up. At this rate, when will we ever make any real progress? I'm getting anxious just watching you two!"
"I...I'm not a coward!"
Zhang Shaozhong weakly retorted.
"Still not scared?" Ye Meier stretched out her slender finger and poked his chest. "Who was it that blushed so much last night and could only stammer 'I'm driving'? Who was it that almost crawled under the table when I asked them a question just now? If I hadn't pushed you, would you have been able to make our fairy smile so much... oh no, I mean 'the first thaw of the ice and snow'?"
Zhang Shaozhong was forced to retreat step by step by her probing, but he had to admit in his heart that... it seemed to make sense.
If it weren't for Ye Meier's unreasonable demands this morning, who knows how long the thin veil between him and Ling Qingxue would have remained untied.
"Alright, alright, stop standing there like an idiot!"
Ye Meier patted him on the back, "Hurry up, your 'Moon Fairy' is still waiting in the courtyard to guide your cultivation! Practice hard! Try to straighten out your rough chaotic energy as soon as possible, don't let her 'careful teaching' go to waste!"
Zhang Shaozhong was both amused and exasperated by her words, but he was indeed preoccupied with important matters.
He composed himself, took a deep breath, and walked towards the courtyard.
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