Chapter 6: In the Alley at Midnight

Lin Ye looked at Shen Qingyue standing outside his door but didn’t answer immediately.

The corridor light was dim, making the flush on her cheeks and the lingering effects of the alcohol all the more apparent.

Her head was lowered, her hands folded in front of her, though her fingers kept nervously picking at her skirt.

“A walk this late?” Leaning against the doorframe, Lin Ye glanced over her slightly disordered hair, then down at her visibly unsteady legs. “Are you sure you can still walk?”

She heard the teasing in his voice, and her cheeks reddened further.

She lifted her head to prove she wasn’t drunk, but the moment their eyes met, she seemed to forget what she’d prepared to say. “I didn’t drink much,” she protested quietly. “My room was just stuffy. I lay there for ages and couldn’t sleep, so I wanted some fresh air.”

For someone who claimed not to have drunk much, she swayed a little as soon as she’d finished speaking.

She hurriedly braced herself against the wall, trying to maintain her composed appearance.

Lin Ye was amused but didn’t expose her. He turned back for his jacket and closed the door behind him. “Let’s go. But just so we’re clear, if you can’t walk later, I’m not carrying you back.”

Her eyes brightened, and much of the tension she’d been hiding disappeared.

She hurried after him, then worried she’d seem too eager. Just before drawing level with him, she slowed and said with studied casualness, “I only had a little wine. Of course I can walk. If anyone needs looking after, it might be you, Young Master Lin.”

Most of the inn’s guests had already gone to bed, leaving only a dim wall lamp in the lobby. When the two left through the back door, the charcoal from the barbecue had gone completely cold; only a faint smoky smell lingered in the air.

The Middle City at night was entirely different from the city by day.

The transport vehicles that constantly passed through during daylight had vanished, and most of the shops had pulled down their shutters.

Aging streetlamps stood far apart. Their light fell on the damp pavement, breaking into scattered reflections in puddles stirred by the wind.

At first, Shen Qingyue made an effort to stay half a step away from Lin Ye.

As they walked, she told him about the night market near the academy and a few of the livelier streets in the Middle City, trying to make the late-night walk seem like an ordinary chat between classmates.

But she really had drunk quite a bit. It was her first time drinking, after all.

They hadn’t gone far before her steps grew unsteady.

The hem of her black dress swayed as she walked, and several times she nearly tripped over it. Though she caught herself each time, her formerly composed tone gradually betrayed a touch of uncertainty.

When she veered sideways again, Lin Ye finally reached out to steady her arm. “Is this how you usually prove you’re sober?”

She went still at his touch.

Looking down at his hand, she secretly smiled, but remained stubborn. “The road’s uneven. I’m not familiar with the area, so I didn’t watch where I was stepping.”

“This road’s flat enough to use as a mirror.” Rather than let go, he drew her a little closer. “Keep walking like that and you’ll be checking into the Bureau’s infirmary before we even reach White Stone Town tomorrow.”

She didn’t argue further.

Emboldened by the alcohol, she edged closer. First she brushed his sleeve with her fingers; once she’d confirmed he wasn’t pulling away, she slowly looped her hand around his arm.

Her soft body pressed against him, bringing with it the faint scent of wine and the sweet fragrance of her hair.

“This way I won’t fall.” She sounded as if she’d found a perfectly legitimate reason for the gesture, though her voice was much softer. “You don’t mind, do you, Young Master Lin?”

He turned toward her. “You’ve already got hold of me. Isn’t it a little late to ask?”

Embarrassment and irritation touched her face, but she didn’t let go. Instead, she quietly tightened her grip.

She turned toward the other side of the street, trying to sound unconcerned. “I’m only afraid of falling. Besides, we’re classmates. There’s nothing wrong with you helping me.”

The relationship she called being classmates was clearly a little different from what it had been when they’d met on the street that day.

They continued walking.

Shen Qingyue seemed to grow accustomed to being so close, her body no longer as tense as it had been at first.

Holding his arm, she walked more and more slowly. At the occasional step along the roadside, she deliberately leaned most of her weight against him, then acted as though nothing had happened once he’d steadied her.

Lin Ye was enjoying himself too.

Shen Qingyue was young and beautiful, with an air entirely different from Su Jin’s.

Su Jin might appear accommodating with him, but she knew exactly where to draw the line, and sometimes a few words from her could leave him without an answer.

Shen Qingyue was more inexperienced.

Every time she drew closer, she did so tentatively, clearly hoping he’d respond while fearing she might be too obvious.

She blushed when their arms happened to brush and deliberately looked away when he glanced at her, only to steal another look at his reaction moments later.

“Why were you looking at me all evening?” Lin Ye suddenly asked.

Her steps faltered. “I wasn’t looking at you all evening,” she denied instinctively.

“More than twenty times during dinner, and quite a few since we came out.” He let her hold his arm, laughter in his voice. “Didn’t they teach you at the academy not to be so obvious when you’re sneaking looks at someone?”

She hadn’t expected him to notice. Even her ears went red.

After a moment’s silence, she borrowed courage from the wine and asked, “Then why do you remember so clearly? If you weren’t looking at me, how would you know how many times I looked at you?”

The question made him take another look at her.

She’d only meant to regain a little ground, but once she’d spoken, she realized how suggestive it sounded.

Her gaze immediately wandered away, and her grip on his arm loosened slightly, as though she were ready to pretend she’d been joking if he didn’t respond.

But Lin Ye didn’t let her retreat. He gently covered her hand with his. “Good point. Looks like you’re not that drunk after all. You can still turn the tables on me.”

The warmth against the back of her hand sent her heart racing. She didn’t pull away. “I wasn’t drunk to begin with,” she murmured. “I only had a few extra drinks because everyone was happy tonight.”

“Everyone was happy, or you were?”

“Both.” She looked up at him and didn’t immediately look away this time. “But I really was happy to see you here. After registration day, I thought you’d never come back.”

Lin Ye remembered the note that had gone unanswered and had some idea what she was hoping for. “So you came to see me tonight to ask when I’d return to class?”

She pressed her lips together, clearly hearing his deliberate pretense of ignorance.

Still holding his arm, she walked a few more steps before answering softly. “If that were all I wanted to ask, I’d have asked during the day. Besides, our classes are important to us, but they don’t mean much to you.”

“Then what do you want to ask?”

“I haven’t decided.” She couldn’t help laughing at herself. “In my room, I had so much I wanted to say. But once I actually saw you, none of it seemed quite right.”

Lin Ye didn’t press her.

Some things, stated too plainly at a moment like this, would only spoil the mood.

Without quite noticing, they left the main street by the inn and turned into a quieter alley.

Closed shops lined both sides, tangled wires hung overhead, and the only lit streetlamp was far away, barely illuminating their silhouettes.

The night wind blew in from the other end, stirring a few scraps of paper and pressing Shen Qingyue’s dress against her legs.

She shivered lightly and moved closer to Lin Ye.

“Cold?” He looked down at her.

She didn’t answer immediately.

She was wearing enough, and the wind was hardly unbearable.

But they were alone in the quiet, with only their footsteps to be heard. After walking with Lin Ye for so long, surely she couldn’t simply circle back and go to bed as if nothing had happened.

She stopped and slowly released his arm.

Lin Ye stopped too.

Standing less than half a step away, she tilted her face up toward him.

The dim light softened her flushed cheeks. Her black dress traced the slender line of her waist, and windblown strands of hair rested against her lips. She seemed less reserved than usual, a little bolder in a way she only showed after drinking.

“A little,” she said softly.

She didn’t adjust her collar or suggest returning to the inn. She simply watched him, expectation in her clear eyes.

Lin Ye understood, of course.

He gave a quiet laugh, stepped half a pace forward, and slipped an arm around her waist, drawing her into his embrace. “How about now?” he asked with a mischievous smile.

She trembled slightly.

Even though she’d been prepared, actually being held by him made her breath catch with nerves. Her hands hovered uncertainly between them before coming to rest on his chest, her fingers lightly clutching his jacket.

“Maybe still a little.” Her voice was almost a whisper.

Looking down at her face so close to his, he smiled more broadly. “Then I guess we’re not close enough.”

She didn’t answer.

She closed her eyes, lashes trembling with nerves, but leaned into his arms of her own accord. Then she lifted her chin slightly, her soft lips distinct in the darkness.

The invitation couldn’t have been clearer.

Lin Ye’s arm tightened slightly around her waist as he slowly lowered his head.

Their breaths drew closer.

Just before he reached her lips, something at the far end of the alley caught the corner of his eye.

He stopped abruptly.

Looking over her shoulder, he stared fixedly into the depths of the alley. The smile quickly vanished from his face, replaced by astonishment.

His eyes widened, and for the first time his expression showed genuine shock.

“Wait, wait…”

“No way. It can’t be that much of a coincidence…”