Zhāo Yàn let out a long, ragged sigh. He ran a hand through his damp hair, his usually perfect posture slumping just a fraction.
"I know what you are thinking, Han Shān," Zhāo Yàn murmured, his voice dropping to a serious register. "I didn't believe it myself at first. I was convinced it was just another one of her manipulative tricks."
Han Shān's jaw clenched tight enough to crack a bone. "She is the cursed female. She does nothing without a vicious reason."
"I thought so too," Zhāo Yàn admitted, leaning against a dark stone. He looked away, his gaze drifting up, and then, to Han Shān's absolute horror, a faint, rosy blush spread across the Fox Lord's sharp cheekbones.
"But she really has changed," Zhāo Yàn whispered, almost to himself. He reached up, his thumb lightly brushing his own lower lip where Bai Yue had just kissed him. "She gets so flustered now. Her face turns bright red over the smallest things. She's.….soft. I like this new her."
