Mei wiped her tears and threw herself into Fu Lin's arms, choking up, "Fu Lin, it's me—Raiden Mei."
Fu Lin's mouth twitched. He hadn't expected the Herrscher of Thunder to back down so easily. But looking down at the Mei in his arms, he gently stroked her hair—his touch as soft as a breeze brushing past treetops, calming and comforting.
After a long while, Mei raised her hand and took off Fu Lin's sunglasses, meeting his sapphire-blue eyes. Gripping his jacket tightly, she said, "Fu Lin, over the past month, I've figured a lot of things out. I like you—I really like you. I'm scared you'll suddenly disappear from my world. I'm scared you'll leave me behind…"
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Fu Lin pursed his lips lightly, tugged at his chubby cheeks, and said with a helpless laugh, "Mei... you're joking, right? Don't make this kind of joke next time, okay?"
"I'm serious, Fu Lin." Mei looked at Fu Lin, who was grinning, stood on her tiptoes, and softly kissed one side of Fu Lin's cheek. Then, with a serious and solemn expression, she stared at Fu Lin.
"...Mei, you're still young. You might have misunderstood what it means to like someone. I'll pretend I didn't hear that this time. We're still good friends."
Fu Lin's smile froze, and his eyelids slowly lowered. Looking at the serious Mei, the smile at the corner of his mouth gradually faded. He squatted down, held Mei's shoulders, and looked unusually serious.
Mei bit her lip, unwilling to give up, but seeing Fu Lin's serious expression, she decided to retreat to advance. Holding Fu Lin's hand, she said, "Okay, so when I grow up, it'll be okay, right?"
Fu Lin didn't answer. He simply smiled at Mei, turned around, picked up the biscuit on the floor, and sat down on the sofa where the cat used to lounge. Then he hooked his finger at Mei, signaling her to come over.
"Mei, the cat's back. So... about that bounty..." Mei sat close to Fu Lin, hugged her arm, and said, "Sure, if you like money, I can have my dad include it with my dowry and give it to you."
(Raiden Ryoma sat silently on the floor, smoking a cigarette. He took a puff, and the wind took a puff...)
"No need. I'm not interested in money." Fu Lin's lips curled up, and he couldn't help but feel a brief moment of sympathy for that Old Ma—one second of sympathy, followed by 59 seconds of knocking on a wooden fish and laughing.
Mei felt a bit disappointed and abandoned the idea of using money to win over Fu Lin.
"Alright, let me finish. Call off the bounty; it's unnecessary now." Fu Lin looked at the misunderstanding in Mei's eyes and gently, indulgently rubbed her head.
Her gaze then fell on Mei's swollen red eyes. With a helpless sigh, Fu Lin gathered light in his palm and gently covered Mei's eyes. In no time, her eyes returned to normal.
"Better now?"
Mei shook her head, then nodded. "Mm, it doesn't hurt anymore." But the pain in her heart still lingered.
After chatting for a while, the tension Mei had felt from Fu Lin's departure gradually eased. Having not slept well for a month, Mei's eyelids began to feel heavy, and drowsiness swept over her like a tide.
But she didn't dare to close her eyes. She pinched her thigh to stay awake, afraid that if she closed her eyes, Fu Lin's figure would disappear from her sight again.
Fu Lin looked at the stubborn Mei and said softly, "If you're sleepy, rest for a bit."
"I'm not sleepy..." Mei leaned on Fu Lin's shoulder, her nose filled with a sweet yet not overwhelming scent. Her eyes grew heavier, and her consciousness gradually faded into emptiness.
Fu Lin picked Mei up and carried her to the room. After placing her on the bed and tucking her in, he turned to leave. But Mei, with her eyes tightly closed and her brows slightly furrowed, grabbed Fu Lin's hand, refusing to let go.
Fu Lin's gaze lingered on Mei's fair arm, where a scar—clearly from a cat scratch—had appeared at some unknown time.
Thinking of this, Fu Lin's brow furrowed.
Her mind flashed back to the time in Elysium. Mei's arm had been wrapped in a sleeve, which Fu Lin had found curious but never questioned. Now it seemed it was probably to hide this scar.
Fu Lin sighed softly, gently stroked the scar, and Mei seemed to sense it. In her sleep, she murmured, "Fu Lin..."
"Don't worry, I'm not going anywhere."
As the sun set and night gradually fell, Mei woke up from the bed. A trace of confusion flashed in her pupils. She sat up quietly and rubbed her faintly aching head.
"So... it was just a dream..." At that moment, Fu Lin pushed open the door and saw Mei, her head buried in the pillow, shoulders trembling as she silently cried. Fu Lin placed a steaming bowl of porridge on the table.
Fu Lin sat beside the bed, gently patted her shoulder, and handed her a tissue with a look full of care, teasing, "You're about to cry yourself into a little crying kitten."
Mei raised her head and looked into Fu Lin's soft gaze, which was as gentle as a spring breeze. The worry and unease in her heart gradually dissipated. She took the tissue from Fu Lin and wiped away the tears on her face.
"Well, I am your little kitten." Mei tossed the tissue aside, smiled, and shyly punched Fu Lin's chest with her little fists before happily hugging her.
Fu Lin took out a comb and began to brush Mei's messy hair, coaxing her like a child, "Yes, yes, my little kitten. You've gotten thinner after not seeing me for a month. Want some hot porridge?"