Elysia noticed that Chang Yuan was staring at someone else.
She followed his gaze.
"Huh? Chang Yuan, why are you staring at that girl? Did you fall for her at first sight?"
Seeing this, Elysia nudged Chang Yuan's side with her elbow, teasing him.
Being teased like this, Chang Yuan quickly looked away.
"No, I just noticed she's reading a book that's way beyond her age. I think she must be a genius."
Jokes aside, he was a pure-hearted warrior. How could he be fickle? Being friends was fine, but he would never cross that line.
Before transmigrating, he was a devoted Elysia fan. No one could make him waver.
"Oh, I thought you fell for her at first sight. But it's not impossible. After all, you're quite good-looking, Chang Yuan."
"Go away, what does a little girl like you know about love? Go read your book."
Chang Yuan waved his hand, shooing Elysia away.
"Fine, I'll go. Hmph~."
Sticking out her tongue, Elysia picked up the book she had found, sat down, and started reading.
Chang Yuan also found a quiet spot to sit and wait for Elysia to finish her book.
After reading for a while, Elysia felt thirsty.
Just as she was about to get some water, a hand handed her a bottle.
Looking up, she saw it was Chang Yuan.
"Here, you've been reading for so long without drinking anything. You must be thirsty."
"Hehe, Chang Yuan, you're so thoughtful. I won't hold back, then."
Taking the bottle, Elysia opened it and started gulping down the water, completely disregarding any ladylike manners.
If only he had a phone and could record this moment, it would make for perfect blackmail material in the future.
In the future, Elysia would always talk about being a lady. Capturing this moment would be priceless.
"Alright, it's about time we leave."
Finally closing her book, Elysia said reluctantly.
"Yeah, if we don't hurry, we might not find a place to stay tonight."
Since neither of them had identification, they could only stay in shady places and had to be constantly cautious.
If they didn't find a place early, they might end up sleeping under a bridge or in the wilderness again.
After putting the books back, Elysia and Chang Yuan left together.
One year later...
"Brr~, it's so cold."
In the snowy plains, Elysia, wearing gloves, rubbed her cheeks and blew warm air into her hands.
"It's not too bad. At least there's no blizzard, or it would be even colder. And..."
Glancing at Elysia, Chang Yuan continued, "And I really don't understand why you dared to come here. If I weren't here, you might've frozen to death."
Of course, Chang Yuan was just saying that.
He clearly remembered from the original story that Elysia had traveled the world alone.
She had even crossed these snowy plains and would meet a certain cheerful boy here.
"Hehe, isn't that why you're here? You know so much; you'd definitely find a way."
Even though she was being lectured, Elysia just smiled without feeling embarrassed.
"You... I thought I was just traveling with you, but now it feels like I'm a parent taking care of a child."
"Hehe~? Aren't you happy traveling with a beautiful girl like me?"
"Yes, yes, I'm happy. Truly happy from the bottom of my heart."
Of course, he'd be even happier if their relationship could progress further.
He felt like he was drifting further away from being Elysia's romantic interest.
Now, it felt like he was turning into a father figure. He didn't want that kind of relationship!
"Hmm~, it feels like you're not being honest. Take this snowball!"
In an instant, Elysia grabbed two handfuls of snow, formed a snowball, and hurled it at Chang Yuan.
Caught off guard, Chang Yuan got hit right in the face.
"...Alright, you want to play like that? Don't blame me, Elysia."
Dropping to the ground, Chang Yuan used his hands to gather a half-meter-wide circle of snow.
He frantically piled up snow, ignoring Elysia's snowballs hitting him.
Finally, he formed a snowball 20 centimeters in diameter.
"Hey hey hey! That's cheating! I didn't use one that big."
Elysia stopped throwing snowballs and started running away.
Chang Yuan immediately picked up the snowball and chased after her.
"Don't run! You hit me so many times. It's my turn now."
"No no no, that thing's huge. It'll hurt if it hits me. I don't want that."
As she ran, Elysia even had the time to stick out her tongue at him.
Eventually, they reached a small village.
Gradually, they slowed down because something felt off about the village.
Finally, they reached what seemed like the center of the village. There was a frame, and tied to it was a person.
The person wore a mask, so his face was hidden. His body was pierced with wooden sticks, and blood dripped from them into bowls placed below.
"This... Chang Yuan, doesn't that hurt him?"
Elysia's first reaction wasn't fear but concern for the person's pain.
"...Probably."
"Who are you? Stop right there!"
Just as Elysia and Chang Yuan were talking, a stern voice shouted.
They quickly turned around and saw a dozen burly men surrounding them, armed with hoes and sickles.
"Who are you, and why are you in our village?"
"We... we're just passing through. We'll leave now."
Sensing the danger, Elysia decided to leave with Chang Yuan.
They could call for help later. This wasn't something two kids could handle.
But clearly, the villagers weren't going to let them go.
"You came here, discovered our secret, and now you want to leave? Dream on."
With that, one of the villagers, likely the village chief, swung a sickle at Elysia.
Seeing this, Chang Yuan panicked and rushed forward, trying to grab the sickle with both hands.
Unsurprisingly, he caught the sickle, but bright red blood dripped from his hands onto the snow, staining it.