Holding the completed sugar painting, Feng Qingyi couldn't bear to let it go.
"It looks just like me. I love it!"
It was so beautiful that Feng Qingyi didn't even want to eat it, simply holding it in her hand brought her joy.
"Let me give you mine, and when yours is done, you can give it to me," she said.
Qin Yuchuan took the sugar painting and asked, "Does Qingyi mean she wants me to eat her up?"
Feng Qingyi blushed and replied, "Of course not. If you don't like it, just give it back to me."
"I like it very much," Qin Yuchuan said, deliberately taking a bite as if to prove his point.
Feng Qingyi turned her head away, not wanting to look at him as she waited for the remaining sugar painting.
The sugar painting master's seemingly casual strokes brought the figures to life.
After it was finished, Feng Qingyi took the wooden stick supporting the sugar painting and examined the pattern.
"This looks exactly like you. Take out your phone, let's take a picture!"
Taking Qin Yuchuan's phone, Feng Qingyi photographed the two sugar figures, then continued walking forward, content.
Perhaps due to the warming weather, the streets were crowded with pedestrians.
Mingling among the crowd, the couple's striking appearances drew some discreet glances.
However, they remained oblivious to this. Feng Qingyi occasionally took small bites of her sugar painting, while Qin Yuchuan quietly accompanied her.
Without much conversation, their most intimate gesture was holding hands, yet it was enough to create a warm atmosphere.
"Qingyi, it's getting late. We should head back to the mansion," Qin Yuchuan said.
She could only stay here for three hours at most. If she were to suddenly disappear on the street, it might cause trouble if noticed by the wrong people.
Feng Qingyi, aware of the time limit he had mentioned, replied, "Alright. The carriage seems far from here. Shall we walk back?"
"Yes, it's not far," he answered, wanting to spend more time with her.
Feng Qingyi had thought "not far" meant they'd arrive in a few minutes, but after half an hour of walking, she couldn't even see the shadow of the mansion.
"Qin Yuchuan, is this what you call 'not far'?"
Seeing her condition, Qin Yuchuan offered, "I'll carry you on my back."
"No need, I can walk on my own," she declined.
It wouldn't look right for such a grown person to be carried, she thought. Besides, after taking martial arts classes for so long, running for half an hour was nothing to her.
"I just feel there's a bit of a discrepancy between your perception of distance and mine. How much longer until we arrive?" she asked.
"About a quarter of an hour," he replied.
Feng Qingyi thought for a moment. A quarter of an hour was fifteen minutes – still not exactly close!
"Qingyi, when I said earlier that I'm not considering marriage at the moment, it's because I still have some unresolved matters," Qin Yuchuan explained.
"Tianqi and the Southern Frontier will go to war, at the latest by next autumn. I need to lead troops into battle. Once the situation stabilizes, I will certainly take you as my wife."
Feng Qingyi was taken aback. She had thought they were simply dating, and marriage was something far off in the future.
She hadn't expected him to have already planned and arranged for their future.
"You're going to war? That must be very dangerous!" she exclaimed.
Qin Yuchuan noticed she didn't directly respond to his mention of marriage, and understood her general thoughts.
There was still plenty of time ahead; they didn't need to rush things.
"Casualties are inevitable, but for your sake, I'll do my best not to get hurt," he assured her.
"Then you must take good care of yourself," she replied.
For someone living in peacetime, war was just images on TV or words in books.
She didn't know how to continue discussing this topic with him.
"You must promise me to take good care of yourself too," he said. "I can't always be by your side, and there are many things I can't help you with. I'm sorry for that."
Feng Qingyi didn't know how other couples interacted, but she found her relationship with Qin Yuchuan very comfortable.
"You don't need to apologize," she said. "I think things are already very good as they are. I'm happy being with you, and that's enough, isn't it?"
"Yes," Qin Yuchuan agreed, gently patting Feng Qingyi's head.
He truly wished he could hold her hand like this for the rest of their lives.
By the time they returned to the General's Mansion, there wasn't much time left.
"Qin Yuchuan, I need to focus on revising for a while. When I'm on winter break, will you take me out to play again?" Feng Qingyi asked.
"Of course," he replied without hesitation.
Feng Qingyi was very pleased with Qin Yuchuan's immediate agreement.
It seemed that as long as her requests weren't excessive, he would always agree.
Thinking about how she would soon have to leave this place, she felt an unexpected reluctance.
Feng Qingyi bounced over to Qin Yuchuan. "Can you lower your head?" she asked.
Qin Yuchuan obediently lowered his head, and Feng Qingyi stood on her tiptoes to give him a quick kiss on the cheek.
After the kiss, Feng Qingyi shyly lowered her head.
It shouldn't be too much to kiss her own boyfriend, right?
Qin Yuchuan's ears turned red at her action.
"Qingyi, a young lady should be more reserved," he admonished gently.
"But you're my boyfriend!" she protested.
"Mm," he hummed in response.
Feng Qingyi didn't bother trying to decipher Qin Yuchuan's occasional ambiguous responses. She preferred to ask directly.
"What does your 'mm' mean?"
"I like being called your boyfriend," he admitted.
What could she say to that? Just a moment ago, he was telling her to be more reserved, and now he was happy just because of a title.
Men's thoughts were indeed hard to fathom sometimes.
Before she could say anything more, she found herself back in the living room, still holding the unfinished sugar figurine.
This space-time transmission array was truly punctual, sending her back right on the dot.
[Yuchuan: Have you returned safely?]
Feng Qingyi heard her phone chime and replied to Qin Yuchuan's message.
After a day of fun, it was time to get back to business and focus on her studies.
After Feng Qingyi left the General's Mansion, several people arrived, seemingly eager to catch a glimpse of her.
The group was led by Na Muqi, with Chu Sixing and Xu Liyan following closely behind.
"General, I heard you took a young lady out for a stroll today. I've come specially to see her," Na Muqi said.
Na Muqi was also anxious about Qin Yuchuan's marriage prospects and was now eager to meet the young lady whom Shangguan Yi had described as lacking in proper etiquette.
He didn't put much stock in Shangguan Yi's assessment of her poor manners.
Shangguan Yi didn't have a good reputation in Shengjing, and most ladies from noble families looked down on him, except for those after his family's money.
Even his pre-arranged marriage had fallen through due to his frequent visits to brothels and taverns.
Na Muqi didn't believe a word Shangguan Yi said.
He had always disliked men who claimed to have been through a sea of women without getting attached to any.
However, due to the friendship between Qin Yuchuan and Na Muqi, he had to show some respect.
Chu Sixing's eyes immediately caught sight of the sugar painting in Qin Yuchuan's hand. "This sugar painting must be of the young lady you were with today, right?"
Qin Yuchuan: "Why are you all gathering here to make a fuss?"
Xu Liyan spoke up, "Shangguan said you've been bewitched by a woman. We were all quite surprised, so we came to pay you a visit."
"Is the lady he mentioned currently in your residence?"
Qin Yuchuan replied coldly, "No, she's not."
Whatever Shangguan Yi had said couldn't have been flattering. Even though she wasn't here, he didn't want anyone tarnishing her reputation.
In the future, she might visit this place frequently. He should arrange a suitable status for her to prevent those tactless individuals from disrespecting her.
