Chapter 203: The First Day of the New Year
Logically, Jiang Chen knew he should not have refused. Senior Sister Yu was beautiful, captivating, and had offered herself to him without reservation. But the weight of his secrets settled over him like a shroud, cooling the heat in his blood. He suppressed the primal urge and spoke, his voice a low rumble. “Senior Sister Yu, I’m not ready to find a Dao Companion.”
Yu Caiqing’s lips curved into a soft chuckle, revealing a flash of pearly teeth. “Neither am I.”
“Ah?” Jiang Chen blinked, caught off guard.
“Since neither of us has decided,” she continued, her voice as gentle as flowing water, “let’s not treat each other as Dao Companions. We can simply be friends—closer friends. We won’t need to build a life together or disturb each other’s routines. But when we need something, we can trust one another completely.”
Understanding dawned on him. “Something like a hired Dao Companion, then.”
Yu Caiqing’s eyes twinkled, a playful smile dancing on her lips. “Are you… still planning to refuse?”
She had laid all her cards on the table, defining the boundaries of their future relationship with perfect clarity. Jiang Chen could find no reason to decline. He drew a deep breath, the cold air steadying him. “Alright. I will do everything in my power to help you, Senior Sister. We’ll see that your Spirit Root mutates as soon as possible.”
Their eyes met, and in that shared gaze, an entire conversation passed without a single word.
Jiang Chen wrapped an arm around her slender waist, and together, they ascended to the second floor.