As Yi Chen enthusiastically introduced Ningguang and Shenhe to each other, Shenhe's gaze quietly lowered, falling onto the wrist that Yi Chen had just released.
It seemed as if the warmth of his palm still lingered there—dry, steady—along with the unquestionable force with which he had guided her through the crowd.
And yet, that warmth and strength had vanished the instant he saw Ningguang.
Let go without hesitation.
As though she were something insignificant—something that might even get in the way of him rushing toward someone else.
A sharp yet subtle sting spread from her wrist, accompanied by an empty chill, seeping quietly into her chest.
The unfamiliar emotion left Shenhe at a loss.
Why did she care about something like this?
Her junior brother meeting an acquaintance and enthusiastically stepping forward—letting go of her hand in the process—wasn't that perfectly natural?
And yet… the faint sadness in her heart was undeniably real.
Heavy. Present.
It made her body, already tense from being in an unfamiliar place, feel even stiffer.
Unconsciously, Shenhe curled her fingers, lightly rubbing her wrist where the residual warmth seemed to remain, as if trying to chase away that misplaced chill and sense of loss.
When Yi Chen introduced her to Ningguang—with obvious familiarity and pride in his voice—she merely stated her name in accordance with etiquette and said nothing more.
Her gaze passed calmly over Ningguang's dazzling, elegant figure without lingering.
Compared to the Tianquan, her attention—against her will—kept drifting back to the carefree, smiling young man beside her…
…and to the bond that had suddenly disappeared.
Ningguang and Yi Chen exchanged a few more pleasantries, their words carrying familiarity and an invisible connection.
Shenhe stood quietly to the side, like a silent backdrop, the cool aura around her seeming to deepen slightly.
Only when Yi Chen turned back, still smiling brightly and completely unaware, did he ask:
"Senior Sister, why aren't you saying anything? Is it too crowded here—does it make you uncomfortable? Want to go somewhere else?"
Shenhe lifted her eyes to meet his clear, cloudless gaze and silently shook her head.
"…It's fine."
Her voice was calm, betraying nothing.
She quietly tucked the hand he had let go of back into her wide sleeve and clenched it tightly—
As though doing so might let her hold onto that fleeting warmth.
Moments later, after a bit more casual conversation, Ningguang glanced at Yi Chen's beaming expression. A trace of indulgence flickered in her eyes as she naturally raised her hand and gently ruffled his soft black hair.
The gesture was effortless—like that of an elder to a junior, or a superior rewarding a valued subordinate.
Ningguang withdrew her hand.
"I have an engagement I must attend shortly, so I'll take my leave. Since you're back, do show your senior sister around Liyue Harbor properly."
"If you find yourself short on Mora, just put it on the Jade Chamber's account. Someone will take care of it."
With that, she gave Shenhe another polite nod and turned away, her skirts swaying as she departed amid a discreet entourage of secretaries and attendants—leaving behind a graceful, commanding silhouette impossible to ignore.
Shenhe remained where she was, watching Ningguang leave.
Her gaze slowly, involuntarily, drifted to Yi Chen's hair—the very spot Ningguang had touched.
A small lock of black hair still stuck up slightly from that gentle ruffle.
A powerful, unfamiliar emotion seized her heart.
It was no longer the faint sadness from before.
It was sharper.
Clearer.
Unmistakable.
Unhappiness.
Very, very unhappy.
Unhappy enough that the fingers of her hands—hands long accustomed to gripping a spear and cleaving through monsters—began to itch.
Unhappy enough that as she looked at Yi Chen's oblivious head, still foolishly watching Ningguang's retreating figure, a thought surfaced uncontrollably:
She wanted…
to press someone's head…
into the ground…
and knock it…
three times.
The thought was so sudden—and so intense—that even she froze.
Shenhe instinctively clenched her fingers, knuckles whitening as she suppressed something.
Yi Chen turned back, ready to continue their fun, but sensed something was off.
Though Shenhe's expression remained as calm as ever, Yi Chen could feel it—
The pressure around her seemed lower.
She felt… unhappy?
He scratched the hair Ningguang had messed up and leaned closer, examining Shenhe's face.
"Senior Sister? What's wrong? Are you not feeling well? Or is it too noisy here?"
Shenhe pressed her lips together and didn't answer, her eyes flicking once more toward his hair.
Yi Chen followed her gaze and touched his head, blinking as he thought hard.
Suddenly—
"Ohhh!"
"Senior Sister! Do you want to touch my head too?"
He leaned closer, practically offering it to her, his tone utterly generous.
"Hey, no need to be shy! If you want to, just say so! When we get back to our room tonight, you can touch it as much as you want! Go wild!"
"It's just a bit embarrassing out here with so many people!"
He had completely misunderstood why she was unhappy, thinking she was merely jealous of Ningguang's gesture.
"As for now—"
Yi Chen grabbed Shenhe's wrist from inside her sleeve, as naturally as if he'd never let go at all.
"—Let's keep playing! Looks like there's a street performance ahead—let's go see it!"
The moment her wrist was wrapped again in that warm, firm grip, the chill and irritation sparked by Ningguang miraculously faded away—mostly washed away by that familiar warmth.
Shenhe looked down at her wrist, then up at Yi Chen's smug "I figured it out" expression.
The violent urge to smash stone tiles quietly dissipated.
As he pulled her forward, her gaze once again settled on his messy black hair.
Then… she would touch it later.
For now—
She would go play with him.
"If you like the chapter please vote using power stones and
For Early Access of Advanced chapters please visit Patreon.com/UchihaAce"