Though she'd sensed something during their time together, she hesitated to act on it. Since childhood, she'd always treated him like an older brother, but now that she vaguely understood his feelings, she didn't know how to handle it.
"Little Qi, what kind of lantern do you like?" Xiao Junyan asked. Seeing she hadn't pulled away, he silently breathed a sigh of relief.
"Hmm..." She glanced at the lanterns lining the street, spotting a fox-shaped one. With a smile, she pointed to it: "That little fox one."
Following her gesture, Xiao Junyan's gaze settled on the fox-shaped lantern. "Wait here," he said, releasing her hand and walking toward it.
Tonight's lanterns couldn't be bought with money—only by solving riddles. Xiao Junyan glanced at the clue, then told the lantern vendor the answer. He took the lantern from the vendor's hands.
Meanwhile, Yue'er bought a fox mask from a street vendor at the lantern festival. After paying and putting it on, she saw Xiao Junyan returning.
