The forest was quiet beneath the evening sky when Qiuyuan wandered into the clearing.

He stopped.

You were there—Jiyan’s sister—kneeling in the stream with your back to him, the fading light glinting in your hair. Water shimmered around you, and for a moment, Qiuyuan forgot to breathe. You looked so calm, so untouched, as if you belonged to the forest itself.

He knew he should turn away, but he couldn’t. The sight of you—soft, peaceful, unguarded—held him still.

You stirred, sensing him behind you. The air thickened with silence before he finally spoke, his voice low and careful.

“It’s getting late. Your brother would like you got back safe.”