Chapter 205: Shuraba: Why Push Me Away Just Because He’s Here?

Chapter 205: Chapter 205: Shuraba: Why Push Me Away Just Because He’s Here?

The image of Xing Che’s perpetually unreadable half-smile flashed through Yun Sheng’s mind, along with what his expression might have been when he carried her back from the clearing.

She pressed her lips together, threw back the covers, and got out of bed.

"I’m going out to see him."

Cheng Nian looked at her worriedly. "Yun Sheng, are you sure you’re up for it? You just woke up. Maybe you should have him wait a little longer..."

"I’m fine."

Yun Sheng put on her shoes and stood up. Her legs were still a bit weak, but she managed to stay steady.

Li Wen handed her a jacket. She took it, draped it over her shoulders, and followed Zhou Ying out of the tent.

It was already dark outside.

A few lamps were lit around the camp. Their dim yellow halos swayed in the night breeze, stretching people’s shadows long.

The command tent in the distance was still lit, and she could vaguely see people going in and out. Qi Yao probably hadn’t recovered yet.

’I wonder who the S-class Guide they ordered to come is,’ she thought.

Zhou Ying led Yun Sheng to a tree at the edge of the camp, jutted her chin toward it, then turned and left.

Xing Che was standing under the tree, his hands in his pockets, his head lowered as if lost in thought.

Hearing footsteps, he looked up. His amber-gold eyes seemed exceptionally bright in the darkness.

"You’re awake?"

His voice was lazy, but his gaze swept quickly over Yun Sheng.

Suddenly, his brow furrowed. He strode forward, and his spiritual power extended from his palm, circling around Yun Sheng’s body.

"You entered a dream again?" Xing Che’s voice was no longer lazy; it held a new seriousness. "Who did you meet this time? That Dark Sentinel?"

He hesitated for a moment, then his brows furrowed even tighter.

"No, that’s not his spiritual power I sense on you!"

Yun Sheng’s heart skipped a beat.

’I did enter a dream and saw Bai Ye, and I also...’

Normally, no trace of his aura should have remained on her. It seemed she had absorbed too much of Bai Ye’s power this time.

The spiritual power was so dense that others couldn’t sense it, but as an SSS-level, Xing Che had keenly detected the trace of fluctuations that weren’t her own.

Perhaps because she remained silent, Xing Che took another step forward and stared down at her, complex emotions swirling in his amber-gold eyes.

His voice dropped, tinged with a hint of jealousy. "Why didn’t you look for me when you entered the dream?"

Yun Sheng’s mouth twitched. "I can’t control who appears in my dreams."

Xing Che stared at her for a few seconds, his gaze heavy, as if trying to judge whether she was telling the truth.

After a moment, he retracted his spiritual power. His jaw was tight, and his profile looked especially hard and cold under the dim yellow light.

"Then next time," his voice was muffled and held a hint of unwillingness, "try a little harder to dream of me."

Yun Sheng was taken aback for a second, then couldn’t help but laugh.

"That’s really not something I can control."

Xing Che said nothing more, just stood there, his jaw tightening further.

Looking at his profile, Yun Sheng suddenly thought he looked like a big cat that didn’t get its treat—clearly unhappy, yet pretending not to care.

"Did you call me out here just to say this?" she asked.

Xing Che was silent for a few seconds before finally looking at her again.

The jealous glint in his amber-gold eyes had subsided, replaced by a seriousness she couldn’t quite decipher.

"What you said before... that still counts, right?"

Yun Sheng’s heart skipped a beat.

She knew what Xing Che was asking about—her promise to let him be her Sentinel.

Even though he had taken advantage of the situation at the time, she had indeed agreed.

She was silent for a moment before letting out a soft "Mm."

Xing Che’s features instantly relaxed, as if lit up from within.

He leaned down slightly, one hand quickly wrapping around Yun Sheng’s waist, and moved as if to kiss her lips.

Yun Sheng reacted in a flash, immediately reaching up and clamping a hand over his mouth.

His mouth covered, Xing Che let out a muffled "MMPH MMPH." His brow furrowed, his amber-gold eyes filled with dissatisfaction, as if in protest.

Yun Sheng didn’t let go, afraid he would try to kiss her again.

She took a deep breath and looked at him solemnly, enunciating every word. "Xing Che, even though I agreed, we’ve only met a few times. We don’t really know each other.

If you’re really going to be my Sentinel, I need you to promise me that you won’t do... things like this, until I genuinely start to like you."

Only after finishing did she release her hand.

Xing Che looked at her, aggrieved. "I’m your Sentinel now. I can’t even get a kiss?"

Yun Sheng nodded, exceptionally resolute.

Xing Che fell silent for a few seconds, then suddenly asked, "The person you saw in your dream... it was that guy with the last name Bai, wasn’t it? You have his spiritual power on you, so you must have done something intimate. Is he your Sentinel too?"

If she and Bai Ye had only mingled their spiritual power in the dream, she wouldn’t have such a distinct trace of his power on her.

Yun Sheng didn’t want to answer that question.

She lowered her gaze, avoiding Xing Che’s eyes.

’Back in the dream, I couldn’t bear to see Bai Ye like that, especially after seeing what had become of his spiritual landscape.’

’I admit it, I softened toward Bai Ye!’

’My heart ached for him, which made me realize my own feelings. Then, under the stimulation of our intertwined spiritual power, I just...’

But now that she was awake, she didn’t actually know how to handle her relationship with Bai Ye.

’At least, I don’t want to think about it right now.’

’If I have to face it, it’ll have to wait until I’m back on Capital Star.’

Seeing her like this, Xing Che’s hand on her waist suddenly tightened, and he forcefully pulled her into his arms.

Caught off guard, Yun Sheng stumbled into his embrace. Her cheek was pressed against his chest, and just as she was about to push him away, she heard his muffled voice from above her head.

"If I can’t kiss you, can’t I at least hold you?"

Yun Sheng opened her mouth but, for a moment, didn’t know how to respond.

His chest was warm, and his heart was beating fast. The heavy thuds echoed against her eardrum, carrying a weight she couldn’t quite name.

Her hands hovered in mid-air, uncertain whether to push him away or let them fall.

Xing Che spoke again, his voice softer than before, as if he were coaxing her, or perhaps talking to himself.

"Shengsheng, I can give you time," he said, resting his chin on the top of her head and rubbing it gently. "I can afford to wait. But you have to promise me you won’t push me away, won’t hide from me. Just really give me a chance."

Yun Sheng instinctively looked up and met his amber-gold eyes.

There was no laughter in those eyes, no teasing—only a heavy seriousness and a hint of nervousness, carefully hidden, born from the fear of rejection.

Her heart suddenly softened, as if something had gently touched it. It didn’t hurt, but it made her want to sigh.

"Okay."

A tremor ran through Xing Che’s gaze.

His arms tightened, pulling her a little closer. He rested his chin on her head again and said no more.

"Yun Sheng."

A familiar voice suddenly called out from not far behind them.

It was Si Jin!

Yun Sheng’s heart leaped into her throat, and she immediately pushed against Xing Che’s chest.

"Xing Che, let go of me."

Xing Che didn’t even turn his head. Instead, he tightened his grip.

"No. You just promised me. Is it that now that he’s here, you’re going to push me away, Shengsheng? Are you going to go back on your word?"