Not long later, the water was ready.
"You go ahead and take a bath first, Buer," Yu Xie said to her.
"No, you go first. Your clothes are wetter," Buer responded.
"You should go first. We can't neglect our Lord Rukkhadevata," Yu Xie said, half-joking.
"What if you catch a cold?" Buer hesitated for a moment and then, without thinking too much, blurted out, "How about we bathe together?"
The moment the words left her mouth, Buer realized how bold she had been.
Her face immediately turned red.
"I'm not so easy to catch a cold," Yu Xie hesitated for a moment, raised an eyebrow, and joked, "But... is it an honor for me to have such a privilege?"
"I... I'll go take a bath first!" Buer quickly turned and went into the inner room without replying.
Yu Xie silently smiled as he watched her retreating figure.
In the bathroom, Buer sat in the bathtub, the warm water covering her neck.
The comforting warmth of the water drove away the chill on her body. She shrank down slightly, keeping her mouth above the water and blowing bubbles like a fish.
Suddenly, she recalled the day she saw Yu Xie stand up from the bathtub.
Even though many days had passed, that memory was still vivid in her mind.
Every detail was so clear...
Her face unconsciously turned red again, perhaps because of the warm water.
Soon, the image of them both falling into the water outside earlier flashed in her mind.
At that moment, their faces had been very close.
In fact, during that moment when their gazes locked, so many thoughts rushed through Buer's mind.
Her heart raced, and in that atmosphere, she almost blurted out some things, but in the end, she lacked just a little bit of courage and didn't say them.
What would have happened if she had said those things back then?
She couldn't imagine, but the warmth on her face only increased, turning even redder.
She reached up and touched her face, thinking that it must be the heat from the water.
.....
Later that night
The night outside was deep, and only the scattered lights of the city remained lit.
Inside the room, Yu Xie lay in bed, unable to sleep.
He couldn't help but think about what would happen in the future.
What would happen from here on out? To be honest, he wasn't sure.
Would the outcomes for Nabu, Buer, and Al-Ahmar change? Would the ending of this story no longer be so heartbreaking?
Everything was still uncertain.
But one thing was clear: even if the sad ending changed, he would eventually leave this place and wouldn't be able to stay by Buer's side forever.
After all, he was just a mortal.
A human life only lasts about a hundred years. It may leave some traces in this world, but those traces would gradually fade away in the long river of time.
Even the memories of him in the minds of others might blur over time, gradually "losing their magnetic charge."
This was the natural constraint that came with being mortal.
....
The sun rose.
Yu Xie was still fast asleep, but Buer had already woken up early and prepared breakfast.
Myrna offered to help, but Buer declined.
After preparing the breakfast, Buer walked into the room and approached Yu Xie's bed. She quietly watched his sleeping face.
After a moment of hesitation, she crouched down and pinched his nose.
"Time to get up."
Yu Xie slowly opened his eyes, still half asleep, his brain not fully awake.
"I had a dream just now... something attacked my nose, I think... some kind of monster..."
"..." Hearing this, Buer wasn't sure whether to be happy or annoyed. "Breakfast is ready. Get up and eat."
The breakfast spread on the table was quite lavish.
Yu Xie was a bit surprised by how extravagant it was.
Afterward, under Buer's strict supervision, he finished the entire breakfast.
....
The day's regular tasks included a fair amount of errands, but today Buer stayed to help. With her assistance, by the time it was late afternoon and the sun was beginning to set, all the tasks were completed.
On a hill just outside the city, under the shade of a tree, Yu Xie and Buer sat side by side on the grass, resting and gazing at the distant scenery.
"Some of the tasks were actually quite interesting," Buer said. "If I have time in the future, I'll come help you work for free."
"If that happens, I'll feel like I'm taking advantage of you," Yu Xie replied.
"Taking advantage of what?" Buer asked, puzzled.
"Well, you're my landlord, and then you want to work for me for free—doesn't that mean I'm getting a great deal?"
"Then... how about you pay me a little salary, Boss Yu?" Buer teased.
"Of course!" Yu Xie smiled.
They continued chatting casually as time passed, and before they knew it, evening had arrived. The clouds on the horizon looked as though they were on fire, glowing a bright red.
As time went on, Yu Xie's words became fewer and fewer, and soon Buer was the only one talking.
Suddenly, Buer paused. She stopped talking, because Yu Xie's head had fallen onto her shoulder, and it seemed that he had fallen asleep.
Perhaps the day's tasks had been tiring, combined with the fact that he had stayed up late the night before—after all, Yu Xie was not a deity.
"Sleep well," Buer said softly, smiling gently.
She adjusted his head a little, trying to make him more comfortable as he rested on her shoulder.
But after a moment, she realized that it might not be as comfortable as it seemed, so she carefully shifted him, gently moving his head to rest on her lap.
She lowered her head, finding that she couldn't quite see his face, but she could feel that Yu Xie was sleeping deeply and soundly.
A light breeze brushed against her face, and Buer felt as though the wind carried the faint scent of candy.
She didn't know how much time passed. Eventually, the fiery red clouds in the sky faded, and the evening light began to darken.
Yu Xie, who had been resting with his head on Buer's lap, finally woke up.
He slowly opened his eyes and felt as though half the sky was blocked.
"Buer?"
"Ah... you're awake."
Yu Xie sat up from Buer's lap, still feeling the lingering sensation on the back of his head.
"Sorry, I must not have slept well last night. I must've relaxed too much and fell asleep without realizing it."
"It's fine. Did you sleep well?" Buer smiled as she looked at him.
"Why didn't you wake me up? Letting me sleep on your lap for so long..."
"You looked so peaceful while sleeping, I couldn't bring myself to wake you up. Besides, there weren't any pillows here, so I had no choice..."
"Thank you..."
"No need to thank me..." Buer turned her head away, her face slightly flushed.
If she could, she wished Yu Xie could have stayed asleep a bit longer.
Yu Xie smiled awkwardly and scratched his cheek.
He had just had a dream, one where he walked through a forest full of life, surrounded by a familiar, gentle warmth. Everywhere he went, he could smell a faint, pleasant fragrance.
Now that he thought about it, it was probably because Buer's lap had made such a gentle dream possible.
End of chapter
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