Xing Tie: After the simulation, they all wanted to lock me up in a dark room.

Upon arriving at Jinren Alley, Aunt Gao and Aunt Ai booked a private room for Jing Liu and Chen Yue, and both families provided them with meals.

Seeing the two people in the private room, Aunt Gao gave them a knowing look: "You two kids chat, let me see how the kitchen is preparing?"

"If Bai Heng were here, he'd definitely be excitedly looking for drinks," Chen Yue remarked, looking out at the bustling market.

Upon hearing Chen Yue's words, Jing Liu's face stiffened, and he lowered his head to sulk.

Why is Junior Brother bringing up that guy Bai Heng again?

Chen Yue turned around and saw Jing Liu looking sullen. "Junior sister, what's wrong? Who made you angry?"

Hearing Chen Yue's words, Jing Liu glanced at him. The person who made her angry was right in front of her, but she couldn't get angry at all and could only continue to sulk.

It's decided, I'll beat her up again after Bai Heng recovers.

Bai Heng, lying on the hospital bed, suddenly sneezed and felt his whole body tremble, as if he had been entangled by something terrible and dirty.

Seeing that Jing Liu was still angry, Chen Yue tried to make him laugh, even though he didn't know why. Jing Liu was so annoyed by Chen Yue's behavior that he lost his temper.

After finishing their meal, Jingliu took out the red rope again and tied it around her and Chen Yue's hands.

"Didn't Junior Brother say he was going to make me happy? Tonight, I'm going to tie this red rope around my hands all night." Jing Liu held up the red rope wrapped around their hands.

The two intertwined their fingers, their hands tightly bound by a red rope. Jing Liu's cool, small hand held Chen Yue's, as if afraid he would leave.

"Okay, I'll listen to you, Junior Sister." Chen Yue nodded and smiled at Jing Liu.

Even after all these years together, seeing Chen Yue's smile, or whatever he was doing, would still leave a ripple in Jing Liu's heart.

Even though she was long past the age where she would blush at physical contact with Chen Yue, her heart would still pound with excitement at his every move.

She really liked this feeling.

Before today, Jingliu felt that there was a thin veil separating her from Chen Yue.

She didn't understand before; she was confused, bewildered, and couldn't even be sure what kind of emotion it was.

When Chen Yue taught her swordplay for the first time, she was still dependent on Chen Yue.

Now, she was finally certain that it was a beautiful emotion called "liking".

Because I like him, seeing him fills me with a sense of fulfillment.

Because I love him, I feel the same pain, like being pricked by needles, when he gets hurt.

Because I like him, I feel a pang of sadness when I see him laughing and talking with Bai Heng.

Because I like it, therefore...

Her thoughts seemed to drift back to the day they first met in the cold refugee house, and a smile unconsciously crept onto her lips.

That's how the story goes: your kind act changed a girl's life.

It was in a cold refuge, filled with fear, that she met you holding a sword. You held the still-warm sword tightly in your hand, letting her grasp it and shatter the fear in her heart. And at that moment, this girl received the redemption of her life.

"Junior Brother, do you still wear the love lock I gave you?" Jing Liu recalled that it seemed to be right here that she gave Chen Yue a love lock.

"Of course I'll always carry the things my junior sister gave me with me." Chen Yue took out a love lock wrapped in cloth from her bosom.

"Junior Brother, why are you wrapping this lock in cloth?" Jingliu asked in confusion.

"This is a gift from my junior sister, so of course I'll keep it safe. I heard that locks can rust after a few decades," Chen Yue said.

"If it's rusted, just replace it," Jingliu said dismissively. "We've been together for so long, decades from now, I'll get my junior brother a new one."

"But this is different! This is the first gift my junior sister gave me." Chen Yue carefully wrapped the love lock, unaware of what Jing Liu was implying.

At twenty years old, after recovering from his injuries, Bai Heng rode his Star Chariot openly to the Sword Chief's Mansion and said to Jing Liu, "Jing Liu, is it safe to park my Star Chariot at the gate?"

Mirror Flow:?

As Bai Heng uttered those words, she suddenly felt a chill as she stepped into the courtyard. In the blink of an eye, a sword radiating coldness was pressed against her neck.

Upon seeing this, Chen Yue hurriedly stopped Jing Liu: "Junior sister, you don't understand Bai Heng at all. She meant no harm."

Jingliu: "Alright, I'll finish her off in a bit!"

Chen Yue: "Is the understanding you're referring to the same understanding I have?"

That very day, the Bureau of Works moved a decommissioned starship and the equally decommissioned white jade pendant from the Sword Capital.

At twenty-one, after years of culinary adventures, Bai Heng believes he has conquered your stomach and plans to confess his feelings. If he succeeds, Jing Liu will pinch his nose and call him "sister-in-law." If he fails, he will be released on a starship next year.

Knowing that fighting was pointless, Jingliu, in order to stop Baiheng, proposed a cooking competition, asking him to taste his cooking and make him back down.

That very night, Bai Heng was rushed to the Pill Refining Department for emergency treatment. Your master, having joined in the fun and eaten the pastries made by Jing Liu, was also sent to the Pill Refining Department for emergency care.