The tangled emotions that had long been pressed between Jiang Baiyan’s brows were suddenly pierced like bubbles by just a few of Shi Dai’s words.

Jiang Baiyan stood there, mostly dazed.

Shi Dai had always been straightforward in speech and action. The look in her eyes carried both expectation and a trace of bashfulness; her pupils caught the rays of the setting sun, glowing with a soft, shimmering light, pure and free of any distracting thoughts.

The desire that had clung to him quietly faded away. Jiang Baiyan blinked, and calm gradually returned to his eyes.