Then, after a long moment, he spoke again, his voice quieter now, almost hesitant.
"How about you look at my fate?" The words came out carefully, as if he'd been holding them back and finally decided to release them. "I want to know... you know..."
He trailed off, unable or unwilling to finish the sentence.
The request hung in the air between them, heavy with implication. After everything they'd just discussed about sparing Chen Xiao from the burden of knowledge, here he was asking for exactly that burden for himself.
Shuyin went very still in his arms.
The silence stretched long, heavy with unspoken tension. Lu Yuze could feel her body stiffen slightly, could sense the sudden wariness radiating from her.
"No," she said finally, the word flat and absolute.
"Shuyin..."
"No," she repeated, more firmly this time. She pulled back slightly so she could look at him, her jade eyes serious, guarded. "I haven't looked at your fate, and I won't. That won't happen in any way."
