She dreamed of shooting stars, moon bunnies and softly falling snowflakes. It was a strange and pleasant dream. The blurry image of a man turned away from her—she reached out to him but he dispersed into stardust.

Chan Lee bolted up from her bed.

"Yo! Good morning." A voice greeted.

Her room was dark, except for the eerie glow of blue light shining on a man's face.

"...it wasn't a dream?"

"Shh, I'm doing a boss fight." Han Jing hushed her, his attention solely on the smartphone in his hands.

She tried not to sigh aloud.

Chan Lee moved her attention away from the man to the person at the foot of her bed. Silver gleamed despite the darkness, the glow of Xue's hair.

If that didn't solidify the man's claim as the Moon Bunny, it solidified that he was out of this world.

Chan Lee sighed and reached for her own phone on the drawer beside her bed. A quick swipe revealed the time was 7:15am. It was earlier than she had expected for a weekend, she yawned. Still, she got up from her bed, passing by the sleeping figure and drawing back her curtains.

The sun peeked behind tall towers and clouds, dispersing golden rays of light. Her lips quirked up, this is why she liked mornings better. Turning around, she gazed back at Han Jing. "So would you like coffee or tea?"

"Hmm?" The man continued on his tap, tapping away.

Chan Lee narrowed her eyes at him. "Geez, why don't you go home already."

"Oh, I was planning on doing that, I don't expect a junior like you to have breakfast plans."

"Touche."

"You should eat breakfast, or else you'll stay thin as a stick. Anyway, mission complete—I'm going off now." Han Jing pulled himself up, pocketing his phone into his shorts. He grabbed for the pillow she lent him along with a folded blanket. "I'll put it on your bed?"

"Put the fabrics in the laundry hamper."

Han Jing rolled his eyes at her, "Afraid you'll catch germs?"

"Yeah, I wouldn't want to pick up on what you're having." She smirked.

"Brat." Han Jing tsked, tossing them into the basket, then he made his way to the door.

Chan Lee bit back an amused smile, even if she didn't say it to him properly. She had appreciated him staying here last night, he was worried. But he really didn't need to be, there was a conviction in her heart that said the Moon Bunny wouldn't do anything.

Han Jing opened the door and met face to face with the landlady.

"I have some steamed buns for you, Chan-"

"U-uh good morning, madam Dongxia!" He stumbled over a greeting, stepping out of her unit.

Chan Lee's smile froze at the sight.

"Han Jing?!" The woman turned incredulously at the young man. "I'm not on the wrong floor am I?" She paused, before frowning. "A word, boy?"

Chan Lee walked over towards them, eyes on the steamed bun in madam Dongxia's basket. "U-uh…"

"I'll talk with you after I speak with Jing over here." Madam Dongxia pursed her lips and handed the whole basket of steamed buns to Chan Lee. "Give us some privacy."

If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

Chan Lee was more than happy to close the door, although the look on Jing's face made her decide to at least save a couple of steamed buns for him. She immediately bit into one, relishing the spongy exterior and the warm savoury filling.

"...hmm, good morning? Han Jing has already left us?" A bleary eyed man rubbed his eyes, rising up from his beddings.

Chan Lee wished she could etch the sight into her memory. Soft rays of the sun shone through the windows, enveloping him in the golden splendor. A complementary to his silver hair.

She involuntarily swallowed her steamed bun. "Y-yeah." How could she describe him with a touch of a poet in her thoughts but be tongue-tied when speaking?

"I hope he gets some proper rest then," A small frown was evident on Xue's face.

"He'll be fine." She wouldn't mention the incident with madam Dongxia. "So, uh… steamed buns? Unless you don't want them?" She didn't really think this through last night, did she?

He was another mouth to feed.

A smile graced his features, "Please don't fuss over me, I'll eat anything you'd prepare for me."

Chan Lee tilted her head, "Even rabbit meat?"

"Well, maybe not that…" Xue rubbed the back of his neck, turning slightly towards the window. "But things are quite different now?"

"Hmm?" She raised a brow at the shift of conversation.

He pulled himself up, stepping towards the closest window. "I wasn't so sure last night, but those structures are beyond the clouds. And their materials are quite different from what we used…" He touched the glass, glancing at her. "Which dynasty are we in now? Who's the Emperor?"

"I think we should discuss it over a nice meal..."

Chan Lee did her best to discuss it in summary and as briefly as possible, but Xue had a lot of questions and asked for her to repeat some things for him...

He was currently chewing the tangyuan, a thoughtful expression on his face. She had it heated up for him while she munched on steamed buns, and she also made tea again.

She estimated that it was actually a little past lunch—she hadn't checked her phone.

"I was a tad concerned that a Young Miss, like yourself, isn't in a marriage yet." He sheepishly admitted. "But it seems to be normal to wait now…"

Chan Lee tried not to spew out her tea.

"You're quite lovely, so I wondered if there were conditions you were facing." Xue coughed, he continued. "The Book of Rites, if I remember, said that twenty years of age was a good age to marry, or at most twenty-three if there are particular problems."

She looked away for a moment, "At this age, some people around my age happen to establish a precursor to marriage: dating." He had called her lovely, but it was probably because she bore similarities to Chang'e.

"Oh, are you partaking in this stage yet?"

"No."

"Oh. Well, if childbirth is optional and one seeks for love, I do agree that more contemplation is to be made." Xue mused, perhaps more to himself than to her.

Chan Lee tried not to sigh, she didn't even have many friends, so such thoughts about dating or marriage was a bucket of cold water to her. Eyeing the man however, it really was an innocent question. She didn't pick up any sign of him looking down on her, but just general concern as he had pointed out earlier.

"Is something bothering you?" He asked, concern laced in his tone. His voice pulled her away from her train of thoughts. "Did I ask too many silly questions?" He asked with a slight waver in his voice.

"Not really, you're not a bother." She smiled briefly. But he possibly could be one in the near future, though she didn't really feel that at the moment. If anything… she was enjoying his company.

"That's a relief." Xue let out a sigh of relief. "It's nice to be in good company."

"I guess, I'll have to say the same." She scratched her cheek.

Sharing a cup of tea with someone and having one on one conversations? It was a gift for someone like her. Even if it did involve explaining how Dynasties no longer existed and that the roles between male and female were more or less the same now.

Luckily, he absorbed it all in without much of a problem. It was probably because he had lived in his own little world, more or less on the moon. Chan Lee couldn't believe that she was even accepting it now.

Another thing, she wasn't sure on how the conversation had run with madam Dongxia and Jing, but the landlady hadn't returned yet. Now that she thought of it, she wasn't eager for that talk. "I might need to go out for a bit…"

"Do you need to be somewhere right now?"

"I was thinking of getting fresh produce at the market. Your diet is primarily vegetarian, right?" It made her inner-budget self raise an alarm, but she could also use eating more fruits and veggies—it was healthier.

"Well, yes." Xue pursed his lips. "But you really don't have to…"

"It's alright, it's a chance for me to be healthier." Chan Lee nodded with more conviction this time.

"Shall I accompany you?"

Thoughts of madam Dongxia finding her with him filled her mind. "I-I can handle it, you might be overwhelmed if we go out together."

"Oh, I see… you won't be gone for too long?" He asked, trepidation apparent on his face.

"A few hours at most, I'll try to get back as fast as I can." She looked around her room, there wasn't anything she could give him while he waited. Han Jing wasn't here either.

He nodded, "Okay, I'll stay here and wait for you." Xue mustered a smile.

Why did it feel like she was leaving a child?

Wait, she got her bag and pulled out a book, environmental science. "I think you can understand the text here… and there's also art on it." Pictures. Illustrations. He could stare at them right?