Fireworks burst over Lucheng, painting the cold northern night with vibrant colors and warmth. Countless people lined the streets, gazing upward with joy and excitement. Yet in the middle of the road stood two figures, facing each other in silence.
Their masked faces were indistinguishable from the many others wearing black masks for the festival, making them unremarkable in the crowd.
As Li Shuang pondered how to respond to the man before her, several children came running wildly from behind. Normally, she would have easily avoided them, but her attention was fixed on the masked man. Suddenly, she felt herself pulled into an embrace as the children nearly collided with her.
This wasn’t the first time she’d been unexpectedly held by him, yet Li Shuang found herself not resisting. She remained in his arms for a moment until he suddenly released her. Her first thought was, oddly enough, wondering why he had let go.
Looking at Jin’an, she saw his other hand had caught one of the children who had almost crashed into her.
“Watch where you’re going,” he said coldly, his voice sharp. The child, stunned, stared at the man’s red eyes through the mask, on the verge of tears.
Feeling uncomfortable with his intense protectiveness over such a minor incident, Li Shuang cleared her throat. “It’s fine. Let him go.”
He complied, and the moment he released the child, the little one burst into loud sobs, drawing attention from everyone around.
Li Shuang, not adept at handling children, felt awkward. As a general, making a child cry in public wasn’t exactly becoming. Before she could think of how to console the child, the masked man grabbed her wrist and led her away from the noisy street.
“Wait…” Li Shuang called from behind. “The child is crying… we should comfort him…”
Jin’an paused. “If he cries, you comfort him? If I cry, will you comfort me too?”
Though it should have been sarcastic, his serious tone left Li Shuang speechless. It was as if saying she would comfort him might make him cry.
“Alright…” Li Shuang rubbed her forehead, realizing she wasn’t equipped to deal with this man. She tried to free her wrist from his grasp but to no avail. Resigned, she asked, “Why are you here this time?”
“To let you understand me.”
Of course… Jin’an had gone to inform her again. Li Shuang sighed. “Understanding takes time.”
“Why?”
“Why what?”
“Why does it take time?”
“Because…” Li Shuang looked up, realizing they had entered a quiet, secluded alley away from the bustling main street.
Fireworks continued to explode outside, their colors reflecting in his crimson eyes.
His eyes are truly beautiful, Li Shuang thought inappropriately, quickly suppressing the notion. She took a deep breath. “Time reveals a person’s true nature. Understanding someone requires patience.”
“It doesn’t have to.” Jin’an turned, pressing close to Li Shuang in the narrow alley, backing her against the wall. He placed her hand on his chest. “You can know right now.” He leaned in, and the atmosphere charged. “My heart is full of you.”
Li Shuang found herself… blushing.
Amidst the falling snow and the distant noise of the festival, the warmth from his chest made her cheeks burn.
While she was stunned, Jin’an guided her hand to his mask. “If you want, you can understand me now.”
He released her hand, and as if possessed, Li Shuang untied the mask’s strings behind his ear.
The mask fell with the snowflakes, sinking into the snow-covered ground with a soft sound that echoed in Li Shuang’s heart.
The man before her, with flame-like markings reaching his eyes, wasn’t as frightening as she had imagined. Instead, it added an exotic allure to his features. His appearance was close to what she had envisioned, yet different in many ways.
His nose bridge was higher, his eye corners sharper. But together, these features created a mesmerizing beauty.
Li Shuang found herself captivated by his face.
His eyes reflected only her image.
“What else do you want to know about me?” he asked. Without the mask, his expressions were clearer, his bright eyes unwavering.
He guided her hand from his face down to his collar.
Li Shuang’s fingers tensed. Surely he wasn’t expecting her to undress him here! Absurd! But then again, what absurdity was beyond him?
Panicking, she quickly withdrew her hand. “No, no… that’s enough.”
Jin’an seemed a bit disappointed. “You don’t want to know me anymore? Have you lost interest?”
This question… how could she answer without offending?
Just then, a rapid burst of fireworks outside signaled the end of the display. Li Shuang cleared her throat, seeking an excuse to leave. “The fireworks are over. I should return to camp.”
Jin’an’s eyes dimmed slightly like a puppy watching its owner leave. Li Shuang felt a twinge in her heart. She told him, and herself, “I have to go.”
“…Alright,” Jin’an replied reluctantly.
As Li Shuang was about to turn away, a lone firework streaked skyward with a whistle. The crowd gasped in awe, and in that instant, Jin’an grabbed Li Shuang’s wrist again.
“There’s one last burst.”
He pulled her into his arms, and Li Shuang barely registered his whispered words before his lips met hers.
A massive firework exploded overhead, illuminating the northern night. Its thunderous boom was disorienting, and in this dizzying moment, Li Shuang received his passionate kiss.
As the firework’s glow faded and darkness returned, the man vanished, just as Li Shuang had said he would when the display ended.
Li Shuang stood alone in the alley, touching her slightly swollen lips, stunned and lost in thought.
He was a rogue, an emotional bandit, somewhat frightening, yet strangely, Li Shuang found herself not as angry as she had been after their first kiss.
She even…
“Huff…” Li Shuang exhaled deeply, considering writing a letter home to tell her father not to arrange a marriage for her. Perhaps she’d have her wedding here in the frontier.
Her body was betraying her, beginning to stir with unfamiliar sensations.
Finally calming herself, Li Shuang turned to leave the alley. As she looked up, she spotted a disheveled man across the street, eating a candy haw and staring at her.
But when a cart passed by, the man had vanished.
Li Shuang frowned. That man… looked similar to the strange “spy” they had caught near the city walls. Could it have been him?
But that was impossible. Wasn’t he locked up in Lucheng’s prison?
Suspicious, Li Shuang hurried back to Changfeng Camp. Before she could inquire about the prisoner, Qin Lan rushed to report, “General, the Crown Prince has set out for Lucheng.”
Li Shuang was momentarily confused. “Who did you say?”
Qin Lan looked at her, his expression somber. “The Crown Prince is coming to Lucheng to oversee the border.”
Li Shuang’s thoughts whirled, but she quickly regained composure. “Oh.” She nodded. “Why would His Majesty send the Crown Prince? His precious son shouldn’t endure the harsh conditions here.”
Qin Lan paused before explaining, “When news of the Western Rong army’s advance reached the capital, the Crown Prince volunteered to defend the border. His Majesty, seeing his determination, granted his request.”
“I see.” Li Shuang understood. The Emperor likely wanted the Crown Prince to gain experience at the frontier. If he could achieve military merit, it would benefit his future reign. However…
“We didn’t expect the Western Rong to retreat so quickly. The Crown Prince has already reached Liangzhou and will arrive in Lucheng in two days.”
“Make proper arrangements,” Li Shuang instructed. “We must not slight the Crown Prince.”
Qin Lan accepted the order and was about to leave when he hesitated. Finally, he looked up at Li Shuang. “General, you’ve been at the frontier for years. Now that the Western Rong has retreated, perhaps you should return to the capital this winter…”
Li Shuang smiled and waved dismissively. “Don’t worry about me, Qin Lan. Once the Crown Prince arrives, you can focus on him.”
Watching Li Shuang turn away, Qin Lan’s unspoken words caught in his throat.
Li Shuang returned to her quarters, lit a candle, and sat in contemplation.
The Crown Prince…
Li Shuang sighed.
How many years had it been since she’d last seen him?