Falling Together!

"..."

"..."

The air between was almost choking, and Su Xiaobai could feel his idiocy sinking in, fast.

He froze, mentally cursing himself. 'Why can't I keep my hands to myself? What is it with me and grabbing strange women's bodies?!' He inwardly groaned, his own awkwardness almost unbearable.

"Ahem," he coughed, trying to smooth over the situation like it was nothing. "Let's pretend I didn't just do that."

Ling Er's face stayed frozen for a second longer, then, slowly, it twisted into something else entirely—a grin, mischievous and dangerous.

Her eyes sparkled with a familiar glint of trouble.

In a heartbeat, she sprung to her feet and grabbed his face, squeezing it hard—squish, squish—mocking him as her delicate fingers dug into his cheeks.

Su Xiaobai's eyes widened in surprise. She pressed her forehead close to his, her lips forming that smug, knowing smile.

"Sure~" she chimed, her voice a mix of sweet innocence and thinly veiled satisfaction.

"..."

Su Xiaobai clenched his jaw, his teeth grinding behind puffed cheeks as he tried to suppress a growl.

His hands twitched, itching to retaliate, but before he could, Ling Er released him and stepped back, her red silk ribbon snapping to life with a soft whip.

In a fluid motion, the ribbon wrapped around her, lifting her off the ground like a dancer twirling in midair.

Her face was flushed with the thrill of teasing him, but there was something in the way she avoided eye contact, like a deeper emotion was hiding behind the playful exterior.

Su Xiaobai felt the blood rushing to his head—not entirely out of frustration. "Wait for me, princess! Today, I'll make sure you learn a lesson you won't forget!" His voice rumbled as he kicked off the ground, his Qi igniting in a flash of light, propelling him into the sky.

Ling Er giggled—a light, lilting sound that carried amusement.

Her silk ribbon flowed behind her, shimmering in the moonlight like a crimson serpent, coiling around her figure.

Whisssh, whisssh

The ribbon flicked through the air, weaving gracefully, faster than Su Xiaobai's eyes could follow.

"Hehe~" she giggled again, her voice echoing through the sky like the chime of bells. "You'll have to do better than that, Big Brother Su~!" Her words were coated with honey, with a bite hidden in her innocent tone.

His face darkened as he pushed himself harder, his muscles straining against the pull of gravity.

He was fast—boom, his body sliced through the air—but Ling Er was faster.

Her silk ribbon wasn't just for show. It moved with her like an extension of her will, weaving in and out of the stars, twirling around her like a barrier that Su Xiaobai couldn't break.

"Damn that ribbon," Su Xiaobai growled under his breath, watching the way it danced with her, how her figure stayed just out of reach, teasing him like a forbidden fruit.

The more he chased, the more her laughter seemed to pierce him, and the more frustrated he became.

Whoosh, whoosh

The ribbon snapped in front of him again, just a hair's breadth away, but it might as well have been a mile.

Ling Er threw him a glance over her shoulder, her cheeks flushed with exhilaration, her lips curled into a grin that sent shivers down his spine. "Catch me if you can!~~" she called, her voice breath.

Su Xiaobai gritted his teeth, pushing his body harder, but Ling Er only flew higher, her silk ribbon lifting her effortlessly into the starry sky, her laughter like the final taunt.

He couldn't help but feel something tighten in his chest. It wasn't just her he was chasing—no, it was a shadow.

A shadow of people he could never reach.

A shadow of frustration, dark and suffocating, that followed him. A shadow of anger at things he couldn't change.

A shadow of disappointments, both self-inflicted and unfairly given.

As he pushed himself further into the chase, it wasn't just about catching her anymore.

It was about outrunning those shadows.

The sky above them sparkled with falling meteors, but Su Xiaobai's focus had narrowed to a single point—the intense emotion surging through his veins.

Without thinking, without restraint, he let loose his power.

Whoosh!

The air around him hissed as flames ignited, a violent burst of infernal energy flaring to life.

Splat!

The sudden heat roared around him, an inferno that reflected the turmoil raging inside.

"Eh?"

Ling Er, still twirling effortlessly in the air, suddenly froze. Her flushed cheeks paled as the edge of her silk ribbon grazed the flames, instantly singed.

"!"

Her eyes widened in horror, and without hesitation, she retracted the ribbon, but the damage was already done.

Her body, once graceful and free, faltered. Gravity pulled her downward, the silk no longer guiding her, her limbs flailing as she tumbled from the sky.

"Wh—" She gasped, the panic rising in her throat.

"..."

Su Xiaobai's brows furrowed in confusion, his heart lurching as he saw her falling. 'Did she lose her mind?'

Whoosh!

His body reacted before his mind could process, instincts taking over as he shot forward, going through the air with a speed that blurred the world around him.

The shadows chasing him melted away in that instant.

All that mattered was reaching her in time.

His arms wrapped around her soft, trembling body just as the ground rushed up beneath them.

For a moment, they were weightless, suspended in the air.

But the momentum was too great, and instead of a clean landing, they began tumbling downhill.

Thud! Thud!

Their bodies rolled together, Su Xiaobai holding her tightly as they bounced and spun down the slope, the world spinning around them.

His grip tightened instinctively, trying to shield her from the jagged rocks and uneven terrain.

"Ugh—" Su Xiaobai grunted as his shoulder struck a sharp rock, but he refused to loosen his hold.

The sensation of her body pressed against his was warm, soft—a contrast to the sharpness of their descent.

Ling Er's face, pale and shaken, remained pressed against his chest. Her breath came in quick, shallow gasps, the earlier teasing and mischief gone, replaced by a mix of shock and disbelief.

The ground finally slowed beneath them, the wild spinning coming to a stop as they landed in a heap at the bottom of the slope.

For a long moment, neither of them moved.

Their bodies lay tangled together, the night still around them, the meteors streaking silently overhead.

Su Xiaobai's heart pounded against his ribs, but he couldn't tell if it was from the fall or from something else, something completely different.