[DD2]: 358

With light, graceful steps, Wang Dong'er slowly walked to stand before Su Yu. Seeing the undisguised joy on his face, her beautiful eyes flickered slightly, though her heart relaxed a little.

Su Yu's gaze remained as gentle and doting as ever.

Looking at Wang Dong'er in front of him, Su Yu, always sensitive, instinctively felt something was off. A sharp glint flashed through his eyes, but his expression remained calm. He stepped forward with a light smile and said, "Dong'er, we finally meet again."

Seeing that familiar smile, Wang Dong'er could no longer suppress the emotions in her heart. With a soft thud, she rushed forward and threw herself into Su Yu's arms.

Su Yu embraced her in return, holding her close. He gently rested his chin on her shoulder and buried his face in her hair, inhaling the captivating fragrance.

Wang Dong'er remained motionless, her hands tightly wrapped around Su Yu's waist, her small face nestled into his chest.

Su Yu could feel the strength in her delicate arms and the slight trembling of her petite figure as if silently expressing her unsettled feelings.

Narrowing his eyes slightly, Su Yu did not disturb her and simply held her quietly.

About ten minutes later, Wang Dong'er released Su Yu and gently pushed him away.

Su Yu was a bit surprised. "Dong'er, what happened?"

Wang Dong'er's emotions seemed unusual. Normally, when she met with Su Yu dressed as a girl, she would at least show some happiness, but Su Yu didn't sense that from her now.

If he couldn't tell that Wang Dong'er had something on her mind, all his years of experience would have been wasted.

Biting her lip slightly, Wang Dong'er gazed quietly at Su Yu, her expression somewhat downcast. "Su Yu, do you… not like me?"

Su Yu froze completely. He stepped forward, raised his hand, and placed it on Wang Dong'er's forehead, looking puzzled. "You don't have a fever, do you?"

Wang Dong'er pushed his hand away, puffing her cheeks. "Su Yu!"

Su Yu pinched her adorably puffy cheeks like a little pufferfish and said helplessly, "Dong'er, what's wrong with you? How could you even ask something like that?"

"'Do I not like you?' Haven't you felt how I feel about you?"

"If I didn't like you, why would I have come all this way to see you?"

"Are you silly, girl?" Su Yu lightly tugged her cheeks outward with both hands, speaking in mock annoyance.

"But you… didn't come see me for two whole years…" Wang Dong'er mumbled, her words slurred as Su Yu pinched her cheeks.

There were certain things that Wang Dong, in her male identity, found hard to say. But as Wang Dong'er, she had no such reservations.

Directly and unabashedly, Wang Dong'er began to voice her grievances against Su Yu.

Su Yu fell silent. She wasn't wrong.

Still, he had an explanation ready.

"It's just that I was too busy," Su Yu said casually. "The moment I had time, didn't I come to see you?"

"Hmph, I don't believe you. My brother had to go fetch you. Otherwise, who knows where you'd still be enjoying yourself," Wang Dong'er retorted indignantly.

She grew angrier the more she thought about it. Did it take someone fetching him? Couldn't he think of visiting her on his own?

The Ice God Palace wasn't even that far from the Clear Sky Sect. What was one trip? She thought about him every day, her longing for him etched deeply into her heart. Yet this person hadn't come to see her in two whole years.

If she didn't know him better, she'd have believed that Su Yu was heartless and had completely forgotten about her.

"Dong'er, even if your brother hadn't come for me, I would have come to see you eventually. Sure, I was a little slow, and I lingered a bit, but that was only because I wanted to show Lanlan around."

"Think about it, I was already in Heaven Dou City. With just a short distance left, how could I not come to see you?"

"I was planning to visit you in a few days, but I didn't expect Wang Dong to come ahead of schedule," Su Yu explained with a bitter smile.

He wasn't lying. Since he was already there, visiting Wang Dong'er was an easy decision.

He had even planned to bring Wang Dong'er back to the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineering Academy with him.

That had been his plan all along, so Su Yu spoke with confidence.

"Really? I don't believe you," Wang Dong'er said, puffing her cheeks in mock defiance.

Raising an eyebrow, Su Yu swiftly scooped Wang Dong'er into his arms as she cried out in surprise. He carried her to the ice-crystal bed and sat down with her on his lap.

Placing Wang Dong'er on his leg, Su Yu pinched her cheeks and pretended to scold her. "Little beauty, how dare you not believe what I say?"

Seeing Su Yu deliberately put on a fierce expression, Wang Dong'er couldn't help but burst into laughter, her mood lightening once again.

Her lips curved into a sly smile. "I just don't believe you. What can you do about it?"

A mischievous glint flashed in Su Yu's eyes. "What can I do?"

"I can do this…" he said, as his hands darted to Wang Dong'er's waist, tickling her mercilessly.

Wang Dong'er immediately burst into giggles, laughing uncontrollably as she tried to fight back.

The two of them played around for a while, completely dispelling the earlier tension.

Su Yu held Wang Dong'er close, pressing a gentle kiss to her forehead as he explained, "Dong'er, it's not that I don't care about you. The reason I haven't seen you in two years is that I've been unable to leave."

"Do you see the mark on my forehead?"

Wang Dong'er was stunned. Her slender fingers gently traced the icy blue and golden spear-shaped mark on Su Yu's brow. A look of surprise flickered in her eyes.

"Su Yu, your mark… it's changed?"

She remembered that Su Yu's mark had once been an icy blue snowflake. Now, it had transformed into a spear shape, exuding an even more sacred and majestic aura.

Looking at the mark, Wang Dong'er couldn't help but feel awe-stricken, as if Su Yu had suddenly become incomparably grand.

"That's because I've started the Ice God's Nine Trials. Once I complete them, I can become the next Ice God," Su Yu said with a smile. "This secret is something I wouldn't tell anyone else, but since you're my precious Dong'er…"

Wang Dong'er's eyes widened in shock. "The Ice God's Nine Trials?"

She stared at Su Yu in disbelief. Had he already embarked on the path to godhood?

He… he had grown so much, so quickly.

Thinking about it, how could anyone else even compare? While other geniuses were busy with trivial competitions, Su Yu was already on the road to becoming a god. The gap was simply too vast.

"So… the reason you've been so quiet is because you've been undergoing the Ice God's trials?" Wang Dong'er asked.

Su Yu nodded firmly. "Exactly. How could I not come to see my beloved Dong'er otherwise? I know you've been thinking about me."

"Just as I've always been thinking about you."

"Hmph!" Wang Dong'er rolled her eyes. "If your thoughts of me were even a tenth of how much I think of you, I'd be satisfied."

"My heart can only hold you, but yours seems to hold so many others."

Su Yu spread his hands helplessly. "What can I do? I'm naturally broad-hearted. Is it a crime to love all beings?"

"I just want to give every girl in the world a home. Is that so wrong?"

"Shameless!" Wang Dong'er retorted, raising her hand to grab his face. Su Yu caught her hand, and they started playfully wrestling again.

Suddenly, Su Yu leaned in and kissed Wang Dong'er on the lips. She froze instantly.

After a long moment, their lips parted, and Wang Dong'er finally reacted. Her cheeks flushed bright red as she stammered, "You… you… you attacked me again!"

Su Yu grinned cheekily. "What can I say? My Dong'er is just too adorable."

"Come on, after two years apart, let me kiss you a few more times."

"Absolutely not," Wang Dong'er said, trying to sound reserved. But her body betrayed her words.

Half-resisting yet yielding, she let Su Yu continue his teasing.

By the time he finally stopped, Wang Dong'er's face was as red as a ripe apple, though the joy in her eyes was unmistakable.

This girl, sometimes, could be quite the closet romantic.

After their intimate moment, Wang Dong'er lay in Su Yu's arms. All her previous worries had completely vanished.

The playful closeness they had shared earlier made Wang Dong'er certain of Su Yu's feelings—he absolutely, sincerely loved her.

Though she wasn't particularly clever, she could sense people's emotions. The tenderness in Su Yu's eyes couldn't be faked; it came from the heart.

When Su Yu looked at her, wasn't it as though he were gazing at a precious treasure?

Wang Dong'er's gaze toward Su Yu grew increasingly fervent. As long as Su Yu truly loved her, she was willing to give him everything.

For him, even her life could be discarded without hesitation.

In this vast world, in her eyes, there was only this one person.

As she looked at him, Wang Dong'er felt a rush of emotion. She took the initiative to plant a kiss on the corner of Su Yu's lips.

Wrapping her arms around Su Yu's neck, her pink-and-blue eyes stared unblinkingly at him, full of heat. The affection in her gaze seemed as though it could ignite everything.

"You're so good-looking."

Wang Dong'er murmured, growing happier the more she looked at him.

Su Yu pinched her soft cheeks and chuckled, saying, "Dong'er, now can you tell me what's been on your mind?"

"Go ahead, what exactly were you worried about earlier?"

Wang Dong'er froze for a moment before pouting and whining, "Su Yu, do you not like my second uncle?"

"I heard from my little brother and second uncle that you're unwilling to call my second uncle 'Uncle.'"

"Second Uncle seems a bit upset. Even my first uncle said that in your heart, you look down on them."

"Second uncle also said that if you truly liked me, you wouldn't treat him like this and would at least call him 'Uncle.'"

"So…"

"So, they've managed to make you lose all confidence in me, huh?" Su Yu pinched Wang Dong'er's cheeks again, chuckling.

"No, I… I'm just scared. I'm scared that you'll stop wanting me."

"Su Yu, I can't live without you."

Wang Dong'er clung tightly to Su Yu's arm, her beautiful eyes filled with panic, like a frightened little animal afraid of being abandoned by its master.

Su Yu froze. He had thought Wang Dong'er had been brainwashed by Niu Tian and the others and had started doubting his sincerity.

But as it turned out, this wasn't doubt—it was fear. Fear that Su Yu wouldn't want her anymore.

And what did that mean?

It meant that even if Su Yu didn't truly love her, she still wanted to stay by his side.

Her focus wasn't on questioning whether Su Yu's love was real. She was simply afraid that Su Yu might abandon her.