"Alright! The cub has been fed and watered!" Ji'an had suddenly clapped her hands, oblivious to the sexual tension that was suffocating him. She hopped off the bed. "I gotta go before the patrol comes back. Eat the rest! Don't skip meals!"
She had climbed back out the window, leaving Wangchen sitting there with a racing heart, a full stomach, and a face that burned hotter than the sun.
Back in the present, under the Pine Spirit Tree, the corners of Xie Wangchen's lips curled up.
It was a small, almost imperceptible smile, but on his usually frozen face, it was like a flower blooming in a glacier. He touched the corner of his mouth, remembering the sensation of her thumb.
'He came for me,' Wangchen thought, the sweetness of the memory drowning out the noise of the arena. 'He risked punishment just to feed me. He called me handsome.'
He was lost in a haze of pink bubbles and spicy lamb.
"Brother Xie!"
The voice shattered the bubble like a sledgehammer hitting glass.
