Luo Qingchuan stared at Chen Yanyu expressionlessly for a while, then slowly stood up, as if finally realizing something.

“Sit down first.”

“What about you?”

“I’ll figure something out for you.”

Chen Yanyu nervously shuffled to the edge of the sofa, her small pale hands pressing down on the hem of the shirt against her waist, her legs pressed tightly together. She shrank into the corner of the couch like a pitiful little pet.

“Luo Qingchuan…” Chen Yanyu looked up with a mix of playful innocence and subtle reproach in her eyes. “Did you do it on purpose again?”

“This time, absolutely not.”

Still expressionless, Luo Qingchuan brought over a light blue blanket and gently draped it over her legs.

He sat back down—right next to her—but left a bit of space in between.

“Let’s watch TV.” His voice was as calm as still water, like a worldly sage untouched by mortal desires.

His heart, however, was pounding.

White-haired beautiful girl, boyfriend shirt, bare legs... So good!

Chen Yanyu finally relaxed, smiling sweetly, with adorable dimples peeking out. “Thank you.”

A light, elegant fragrance lingered beside him. With the beauty by his side, Luo Qingchuan subconsciously exhaled and silently handed her the remote.

Don’t get tempted. Don’t get tempted.

If he let Chen Yanyu catch on and she turned dark, started wrecking the house with lightning spells, all the effort he put into keeping a low profile tonight would go up in smoke.

“Pick whatever you want to watch, I’m fine with anything. But just one episode. After that, it’s bedtime. I’ve got things to do tomorrow.”

“Okay, okay!”

Chen Yanyu immediately grabbed the remote and started clicking through channels, totally unlike her usual clumsy self with a phone.

She clicked fast, but took forever to decide. Worried the boy beside her might get impatient, her eyes started to redden again.

“I don’t know what to watch…”

She finally had this one chance. Chen Yanyu wanted this first time watching TV with a friend to be perfect—something that would stay in her heart as a beautiful memory forever.

Her indecisiveness kicked in again.

“Take your time.” Luo Qingchuan wasn’t in a rush. He scrolled through posts on his phone, learning more about the mysterious “Inner World” that had emerged with the resurgence of spiritual energy.

Among young cultivators, a shared understanding had gradually formed.

They called the ordinary world the “Outer World,” where people sang, played games, went out for BBQ, took the subway to work…

But among cultivators, their encounters belonged to the “Inner World.”

There, they shared cultivation insights, dueled for practice, traded extraordinary items, teamed up to explore hidden lands, or delivered letters of introduction to reclusive masters.

Then, Luo Qingchuan discovered something called the “Seeking Dao Ranking.”

Apparently, once you completed your profile, you could qualify to appear on the leaderboard.

Those who ranked in the top ten would receive support from the Dragonxia Nation’s Righteous Dao Alliance—and even more importantly, might catch the eye of hidden experts. Even if they didn’t take you in as a disciple, forming a good connection could bring you all kinds of benefits.

The top ten names on the “Seeking Dao Ranking” were all unfamiliar to Luo Qingchuan—though a few felt vaguely familiar. They’d probably go on to do something big in the future.

But now wasn’t the time to dwell on it.

Because Chen Yanyu had finally chosen something to watch and was tugging on his sleeve.

“All set!” she said, full of anticipation.

Seeing this, Luo Qingchuan, to Chen Yanyu’s surprise, stood up and quickly brought over two bottles of chilled soda water.

“Here.”

“Wuwu, thank you!”

As the 15-second ad was skipped, the boy and girl sat side by side on the sofa, twisted open their drinks, and tilted their heads back for a synchronized sip.

Then…

“Ahhh—”

Cold.

Luo Qingchuan glanced sideways at Chen Yanyu.

Her cheeks were no longer blushing like earlier—now they were pale and soft, like freshly fallen snow, making him want to cup her face in his hands.

Chen Yanyu hugged a small pillow, her golden eyes glowing as they reflected the TV screen. Her delicate face was focused and immersed.

Seeing her so happy made Luo Qingchuan feel warm and content, too.

He hadn’t paid attention to the name of the show—it was something like Zhang Family’s Tongxue.

“Have you seen this one?” Chen Yanyu pointed with the remote.

Luo Qingchuan shook his head, pausing for a moment. “You?”

“My first time too!”

Luo Qingchuan seemed to understand why she took so long picking.

She’d watched tons of shows already, and wanted her first TV-watching experience with him to be special—so she picked something new.

It had just started airing recently.

The show began. Luo Qingchuan didn’t mind watching dramas, though idol shows usually had predictable plots.

But…

To be fair, once you got into it, it wasn’t bad. And Chen Yanyu had picked well. The male and female leads weren’t amazing actors, but at least they weren’t awful. Their crying scenes didn’t make you cringe.

About halfway through, the episode suddenly cut to a forced commercial break—even a premium subscription didn’t skip it.

“Right,” Luo Qingchuan suddenly remembered, “I’m gonna check what new movies are coming out soon.”

Chen Yanyu’s eyes lit up. “Something anime!”

“Mm.”

Luo Qingchuan searched on his phone.

Chen Yanyu wanted to peek, but held herself back. She lifted her big eyes, trying to discreetly glimpse at his screen—so anxious it made you want to hug her.

“There’s one.”

Luo Qingchuan looked at the reviews and couldn’t help but smile. “Looks like we struck gold. Everyone’s praising it. Seems like a good one. Let’s find time to go watch it.”

“Okay, okay!” Chen Yanyu agreed without hesitation, nodding excitedly.

Curious, she couldn’t hold it in anymore. She pushed herself up with her hands and inched closer to Luo Qingchuan bit by bit on the sofa.

She leaned beside him—gently, carefully—like a frightened sparrow, and softly rested her head on his shoulder, just like in the bar.

In a tiny voice, Chen Yanyu asked, “What’s it about?”

Luo Qingchuan scrolled with his finger, glancing at the title and synopsis.

“Let me see…”

He smiled. “It’s about a shy girl and an introverted boy who fall in love over summer break. At a fireworks festival, they confess their feelings and overcome their insecurities together to bravely chase after happiness.”

Chen Yanyu’s eyelashes trembled. Her heart wandered somewhere unknown as she murmured, “That sounds so beautiful. What’s the title?”

Luo Qingchuan paused for a moment, then softly read out:

“Yan…”

“Yan?” she asked.

“Wait, it’s a bit of a tongue twister…”

He read slowly and gently, voice warm:

“Yan...yu...xu...xiang...zhi.” (Words Must Be Understood)

Silver strands of hair brushed past her cheek. Chen Yanyu’s eyes sparkled like moonlit water, crystal clear and pure as holy light. “Words Must Be Understood.”

She repeated the title, her heart tickled and fluttering, whispering like in a dream: “Words... Must Be Understood…”

“Yeah, that’s the one.”

“Luo, Luo Qingchuan…”

“Hm?”

Chen Yanyu glanced at him from the corner of her eye, then looked away shyly.

“I…”

“I like you.”

Luo Qingchuan froze.

So did Chen Yanyu.

Both turned to look at the TV screen.

The female lead was confessing under the radiant sunlight.

The show’s background music had faded. Only the steady hum of summer cicadas echoed in the silence.

The camera panned to the male lead’s face.

He opened his mouth coldly, about to respond.

A reply that would seemingly silence the world.

Luo Qingchuan stared at the screen, completely engrossed.

Then—

“Please stay tuned for the next episode.” a dramatic male voice announced.

Bang!

The remote slammed against the TV and bounced far across the clean floor.

Chen Yanyu’s silver hair frizzed with static, lips quivering. “I’m gonna smash it!”

Luo Qingchuan: “???”

Guniang, that TV is mine!

But Chen Yanyu was already stomping off the blanket in a rage, hopping onto the coffee table like a wild kitten. Her long bare legs were fully exposed, her tiny feet pink and soft.

Luo Qingchuan panicked and rushed over, wrapping his arms around her as she stood on the table.

“Calm down! That’s my TV!”

“Why’d they cut it there?! Let him say he loves her! Just say it already!!!”

“It’s not the TV’s fault! It’s the writers and directors—they want to drive you crazy so you’ll watch the next episode!”

In the struggle, Chen Yanyu’s anger quickly faded. The moment her strength gave out, she fell backward, dragging Luo Qingchuan—who was holding her—onto the sofa with her.

She landed in his arms, like a kitten flipped onto its back. Her snow-white hands, which had failed in their mission, splayed awkwardly on her chest.

They stared at each other in silence, both a little dazed.

…