As the students walked, they could see that the city was beginning to prepare for the night, with many shops closing and the streets becoming empty. The sounds of people talking and laughing and the clattering of carts faded away as they neared the edge of the city.

"Wow, it's already dark," Chen commented, gazing up at the sky. The crimson clouds had dissipated, revealing a black tapestry of stars.

"Yeah," Gao replied, smiling. "The view is really something else."

Lingqi stared up at the stars, awestruck. The night sky was clear and the air was cool. A faint breeze rustled the leaves, and the boy could smell the fresh scent of soil and grass. The stars were magnificent, and the constellations seemed to sparkle.

"Yeah, it's really nice," Yuyan chimed in, her eyes filled with wonder. "I wish we could see this every night."

"Yeah," Chen nodded, a serene smile etched on his face.

"You know, I really had fun today," Li Bie commented, leading the pack of students along the trail back to the academy. "We should sneak out again sometime."

The other students shot him an incredulous look, nearly stopping in their tracks.

"Just kidding," Li Bie added, but he didn't sound convincing. In fact, it made them believe even more that the senior student meant what he had said, which in turn caused them to chuckle.

The rest of the journey passed in relative silence, the students admiring the view of the sky as they walked. They eventually arrived at the Academy, and they all exhaled a collective sigh of relief. They half expected to see their master waiting for them at the cobblestone steps. It seemed that Yi Ming pulled through with diverting his attention.

"Well, I'm beat," Gao said, yawning.

"Same here," Chen added.

"Yep. I'm going to turn in for the night," Li Bie said as well.

"Good night everyone," Lingqi said graciously.

They each waved at one another as they went their separate ways. Yuyan did the same as she went to the girl's dormitory, and closed the door behind herself.

Lingqi went to his room and walked inside, the faint light of his fire lamp partially illuminated his room. He stared at the red ribbons that he had won and was overcome with nerves. Tomorrow morning he would leave for the Opal Palace, now would be the best time to give them to her, he thought.

The teen inhaled deeply and summoned all of the courage that he could muster. He stepped out of his room and gingerly made his way down the hallway with light steps. He reached Yuyan's room, the journey longer than ever before. He knocked on the door and heard her shift in her cot.

"Who is it?" Yuyan's voice sounded from behind the door.

"It's me," Lingqi replied, his voice quiet and soft. "Can we talk?"

There was a pause, and the boy heard some movement, before the door swung open. Yuyan was clad in her night robes, and her hair was free of ribbons and the pins, flowing freely down her shoulders.

"Lingqi," she began, a puzzled expression on her face, shifting her robes to further cover herself. "What's the matter? Is something wrong?"

"Do you mind meeting me in the courtyard? It's...kind of important," the boy replied, his voice low.

"Of course, just let me change into something more suitable," she nodded, rubbing her eyes.

"Thank you," Lingqi smiled, grateful for her compliance. He made his way back to the courtyard and stood at the cobblestone steps, twiddling his thumbs as he looked up to the stars. Would this constitute a romantic setting? Perhaps so, as the time reminded him of the night the pair had spent looking up at the constellations above, attempting to identify their deceased loved ones in the heavens. He smiled at the thought, his nerves steeled by the fondness of the memory.

After a few minutes, Yuyan emerged from the female dormitory, her hair was still loose, but now it had been neatly combed to curtain to the small of her back. Her robe was her usual earthly green academic attire that clung loosely from her body whilst leaving her burgeoning womanly figure modest.

"What did you want to talk about, Lingqi?" she asked, approaching him.

Lingqi hesitated for a moment, his mouth slightly open, the words caught in his throat. He sat down on the steps and gestured for Yuyan to do the same.

She complied, and beneath the starry night, Yuyan could not have been more beautiful to him - majestic and ephemeral, her hazel eyes sparkled like precious gems. His breath was hitched in his throat, his gaze lingered on her until he found the strength to speak.

"Well, uh..." The teen didn't know how to begin, so he took a deep breath and tried his best.

"What's going on?" she asked, a single hand raised to her chest. Her eyes were full of concern, and she put a comforting hand on the boy's arm. Yuyan had never seen Lingqi so nervous before. She recognized his nervous habits - the twiddling of the thumbs, the lack of eye contact...it worried her.

Lingqi felt his heart pounding and his face flush red, and his stomach tied itself into a knot. Just her touch alone was enough to birth a hundred butterflies in the pit of his stomach. Even his feet felt as if he had slipped on ice and lost his balance.

"I, um, I wanted to give you this," he finally blurted out, taking the box with the red ribbons and holding it out to her.

Yuyan accepted the gift with her mouth agape, taking a gaspless breath. She opened it and her eyes sparkled at the sight of them.

"Oh my goodness, are these for me?" She asked, looking at the junior student in shock.

"Yes," Lingqi nodded, her elated reaction spurred his confidence. "I wanted to give them to you earlier, but...we weren't alone."

"Oh Lingqi, thank you so much!" she exclaimed, her face lighting up. She wrapped her arms around the boy and hugged him tightly, and Lingqi's cheeks burned even hotter. Even her scent was intoxicating, and her embrace comforted him more than a thousand of the finest silk sheets.

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When she broke the hug and stared down at the ribbons, she was suddenly struck with the realization that the gift was more than just a gesture of friendship. Lingqi had chosen the prize with her in mind.

"Wait..." Yuyan gasped, placing a hand over her mouth as she recalled the conversation at the capital. "Am I your crush?"

Lingqi gulped, his face as red as the ribbons themselves. "Um...y-yes. You are."

"I-I..." the girl began, looking down at the ribbons, then back up at the boy. "Lingqi...you're so sweet."

"You're really pretty, Yuyan," the boy blurted out, and instantly regretted it. His face was as red as a tomato, and he couldn't bear to meet her eyes.

"Lingqi, thank you," Yuyan smiled, she leaned in and placed her hand over his, wrapping his fingers around hers. "This means a lot to me."

"I, um, I really like you. I've liked you for a while," the teen confessed, looking down. "But, I didn't know how to tell you, and...I didn't want the others to tease me."

"Lingqi," Yuyan chuckled. She knew that the boys had a tendency to tease him, but perhaps she was no different in that regard. Lingqi's reactions were always so cute!

"It's okay. I understand."

She put her hand on his chin, lifting his face up to hers, and smiled.

"You're such a sweetheart," she murmured. "You know that, right?"

Lingqi blinked, his heart thumping in his chest. His eyes met her lips, and he studied them, as if he was seeing them for the first time - thoughts swirled in his mind like a maelstrom, yet purity and respect kept the storm at bay.

"Th-thank you, Yuyan," he managed to stammer, his voice barely above a whisper.

Lingqi was surprised when Yuyan closed the gap between them, her breath tickled his neck as she kissed him on the cheek sweetly, feeling a jolt throughout his body.

"I'm going to use these ribbons in my hair, I'm sure I can figure out a way to make it look really nice," she declared, holding up the box and smiling.

Lingqi twiddled his thumbs. He was afraid of what he wanted to ask next...he was afraid of the answer. This was all so sudden, he knew it was, but she was his favorite, and she said that he was his favorite too.

It wasn’t a tease nor a lie, that much he could tell. And she was always affectionate with him, touching him, hugging him, but the kisses…they meant everything to him. He no longer saw her as motherly. She meant more…he wanted her as a friend but as a very close one. As close as his mother was to his father.

"Um, I was wondering... do you happen to like me....in that way too?" he asked, his voice quiet and trembling.

Yuyan's eyes widened, her countenance shifted from airy and light to tentative and subdued, as if his words had taken the wind from her. She retracted her hand from his grasp and placed them atop of her lap as she shifted to face the boy directly. Her expression was serious now, her eyes stern and sharp and its sharpness made Lingqi want to retreat within himself.

"Oh Lingqi," Yuyan began, shaking her head. "I'm sorry. I really do like you, but I don't think it's in the way that you want me to."

Lingqi gulped, hearing the words that he had dreaded the most. He…bit back the storm that thundered in his chest, heat rose to his cheeks, and his vision had never been so fuzzy. It stung like a thousand bees, and tears welled in his eyes.

"I-I understand," Lingqi nodded, looking away. He felt ashamed, humiliated, even, as if he had regressed back to the boy that had arrived at the academy. He was aware that perhaps, that was what Yuyan saw when she looked at him - that same eleven year old boy. Yet he’d grown to see her differently, but she failed to give him the same courtesy.

"Please don't be upset, Lingqi," Yuyan implored, placing a hand on his shoulder. "You're an amazing person. Any girl would be lucky to have you." She meant every word that had been uttered from her lips, but the sweetness in her tongue turned sour in his ears. It didn’t make sense to him - how could it?

"Any girl except you," Lingqi said in a biting tone as he stood up, feeling tears well into his eyes. He didn't know why he said that - it wasn't her fault that he had a crush on her. It wasn't her fault that she didn't like him the same way. But the rejection hurt, and he needed to get away from her.

"Lingqi..." Yuyan began, standing up just as he had done, her hands hovered over her beating heart.

"I…I just need some time alone," the boy mumbled. Yuyan reached a hand out to him, a gesture that she had always done, but Lingqi took a step back and she felt as if she had become vile to him. The thought alone made her heart sink into her gut, yet she remained steadfast, doing her best to mask the pain.

"I…understand…," she relented, her arms dropped to her side.

Lingqi wordlessly retreated to his dorm room, his shoulders slumped and his head hung low.

She wanted to go after him, to comfort him and tell him that everything was alright. But she knew that he needed his space, and so she made her way back to her own room with slow strides as she was overtaken by sadness.

As soon as Lingqi got into his dorm room, he flopped onto his bed and let out a loud, agonized sigh.

Why did he have to make a fool of himself like that? Why couldn't he just keep his stupid feelings a secret?

He buried his face in his pillow and sobbed, his tears dampening the fabric. He couldn't stop the tears no matter how hard he tried, and he continued to cry until exhaustion took over, and he fell asleep.

------

When Lingqi awoke the next morning, memories of the previous night’s rejection flooded back. Tears, shame, and humiliation weighed heavily on him. He sighed, glancing at his packed napsack. Today was the day that he would travel to the Opal Palace, yet he dreaded facing Yuyan again.

The teen walked out of his room, his feet sliding across the floor. His body felt heavy, and his eyes were bloodshot and swollen.

He had not slept much last night, the tears and the regret having kept him up most of the night. The only thing that he could do now was move forward and try not to make a big deal out of it.

Lingqi made his way down the hall and into the mess hall for breakfast. Yi Ming was in charge of preparing the meals behind the serving counter, and he caught the rest of the students standing in front of it, waiting for their turn.

Lingqi approached the group gingerly and attempted to put on his best face, but the bags underneath his eyes betrayed his front.

"Good morning, Lingqi," Gao greeted him.

"Morning," Lingqi replied with a forced smile.

"Are you okay?" Li Bie asked, taking notice of Lingqi’s rather rough visage, his eyes were red and half-lidded.

"Just tired," Lingqi lied, rubbing his eyes to beat back the exhaustion.

"Well, you'll have plenty of time to rest on the road at least," Gao remarked cheerfully. He recalled his trip to the Opal Palace, the long journey took a month, maybe more.

"Yeah, you're right," Lingqi nodded, trying his best to appear engaged rather than absent-minded.

Yi Ming prepared a bowl for Lingqi, placing it on the serving counter. It was eggs and fried rice with a mix of vegetables, but the junior student's portion was noticeably larger than the others.

"I whipped up a special bowl for you," Yi Ming said with a grin. "You're gonna need all the strength you can get."

"Thank you," Lingqi replied, his voice soft yet appreciative.

He took his bowl and sat at the table with the others. Yuyan took a seat beside him, occasionally stealing glances at him whilst they ate. Lingqi kept his head down, focusing on his food. He could tell that she was searching for something to say, anything, but he wanted nothing more than to be as far away from her as possible. If she was at a distance, then the painful memories would be too.

The rest of the group were immersed in their own conversation, reminiscing on their trip to the Opal Palace and the sights, sounds, and food that they had seen, heard, and tasted.

"....and Lingqi definitely has to try the pork buns!" Chen added, salivating at the thought.

"Those are good, aren't they?" Li Bie added. "I've had my fair share of them, that's for sure."

"Lingqi, aren't you excited to go there?" Gao asked, turning his attention to the junior student.

"Yeah, I am," Lingqi nodded, poking at his food with his chopsticks.

"You're gonna miss us that much, huh?" Gao teased, his lips curled into a smirk.

"Yeah, I will," Lingqi answered without looking up at him.

"Well, we're gonna miss you too," Li Bie replied, his tone light and cheerful.

"Yeah," Yuyan added, giving Lingqi a sweet smile. Normally her gesture would brighten his day, but now it made him feel worse. She must have thought that a simple smile would be enough to make him feel better, that she had him wrapped around her pretty finger…it was insulting, painful even. He was nothing more than a kid to her and even now she took pity on him - maybe their respect for one another had been one-sided after all.

Lingqi abruptly stood up and pushed his chair back, the noise drew the attention of the entire room.

"I'm finished," he mumbled, gathering his half eaten bowl of food. "I'll meet you guys by the entrance."

"You haven't finished eating," Gao frowned, his brow furrowing.

"I'm not hungry," Lingqi replied, taking the bowl over to the trash basin to dispose of the food.

The teen left the mess hall, his pace quick and heavy.