"Then we'll climb together. I don't mind waiting."
Those six words had burrowed into Lin Fan's chest like a parasitic vine. He had dreamed of them, rehearsed what to say when he finally confessed. And now...
Now he watched her smile.
But it wasn't for him.
Down below, in a clearing ringed with floating lanterns, Yue Ling was laughing at something Hei Long had whispered.
Her face glowed, eyes narrowed in delight.
She swatted Hei Long playfully on the arm. The young cultivator grinned, leaning just close enough to make her cheeks pink, then stepped away like a perfect gentleman.
Lin Fan's hands clenched.
He had arrived at the matchmaking gathering an hour early. He'd rehearsed his confession under his breath until his tongue twisted. He had even worn the lavender-scented robe Yue Ling once said she liked.
But Hei Long had appeared as if the world had summoned him.
As always.
As if the laws of fate themselves were determined to cuck Lin Fan in every possible universe.
