Chapter 222: Chapter 222: Is Love as Delicious as Cotton Candy?

"Y-y-you..."

An intimate atmosphere flowed between the two little figures as they gazed at each other.

In those eyes, Xiao Hong caught a glimpse of deep affection, but when she looked closer, all she saw was his teasing smile. Xiao Hong was about to start stuttering.

The heat on her face shot up instantly, and her entire stone body became scorching hot. Luckily, she was red to begin with, so no one could tell she was blushing. Otherwise, Xiao Hong wouldn’t know how to face the Xiao Zi in front of her.

"What are you doing?"

Xiao Hong pushed Xiao Zi away, scolding him, but her movements were limp and weak.

Wringing her small hands together, Xiao Hong turned her head away, refusing to look at him again.

"You’re teasing me again."

’I’m so mad.’

’This stone is clearly younger than me. It’s bad enough he doesn’t call me "Big Sis," but he’s always teasing me, too.’

Of the seven stones, Xiao Zi had the worst personality.

She had asked. The other five had never been bullied by Xiao Zi. He only ever messed with her.

’Xiao Zi doesn’t like me.’

Xiao Hong had known this for a long time. She hung her head, her gaze dimming.

But she didn’t want to be on bad terms with Xiao Zi, either.

The more she thought about it, the sadder Xiao Hong became. She turned her back to Xiao Zi and viciously chewed on her cotton candy.

It was very sweet, but her heart was full of bitterness.

’I want to cry.’

Xiao Zi noticed Xiao Hong’s strange behavior immediately. The corner of his mouth twitched, and he finally let out a long sigh.

"You’re a spirit born from a stone. Are you really as dense as a rock when it comes to love?"

Ever since he’d had his romantic awakening, he had treated her differently from everyone else.

Although his many words of love were veiled, he had never hidden his feelings. The other five stones could all see it. Only Xiao Hong, who was completely oblivious to romance, even thought he disliked her.

Sensing Xiao Hong’s resistance, he had never been forceful.

He only hoped that, day by day, she would eventually realize his true feelings.

But the longer it went on, the rockier his path to love became. No wonder the other five stones often laughed at him.

"Forget it."

Seeing Xiao Hong’s aggrieved look, Xiao Zi ultimately couldn’t bear to see her sad.

"Have you really not noticed my feelings? Have I ever been this good to any of the other stones, or even to humans, besides you?"

"You always say I bully you, but whenever I get something good, haven’t I always given it to you?"

"Even this time, I was supposed to oversee the assessment, but because you wanted to go out and play, I let you go instead."

"You silly stone, what more do I have to do or say for you to understand?"

Xiao Zi walked over to face Xiao Hong and moved the cotton candy aside. He looked at the colorful sugar strands on her cheeks and her posture—she was clearly pricking up her ears to listen, yet her mouth refused to stop eating. It was both infuriating and funny.

"Still eating, are we?"

He reached out and carefully wiped the sugar strands from Xiao Hong’s cheeks.

"I’m hungry, so why can’t I eat?"

Xiao Hong awkwardly turned her head away, her voice much quieter. "Besides, how am I supposed to know if you don’t tell me?"

Perhaps she had sensed something, but while that hazy affection made Xiao Hong’s heart yearn, it also felt too ethereal and elusive to grasp.

The matter of love was something that even stones both revered and feared.

"You’re still muttering. Just think about it, have I ever been so intimate with anyone else but you?"

With the sugar strands in his palm, Xiao Zi tasted them.

The sweetness spread through his mouth, giving Xiao Zi a surge of courage.

’He was also at fault,’ he thought.

He knew perfectly well that Xiao Hong was timid, yet instead of speaking directly, he made her guess his feelings. In the end, it was his mistake.

"If you still don’t understand after all this, then I’ll just say it plainly."

"From the very first moment I gained sentience and saw you, I’ve wanted to be with you."

"We stones are born as Spiritual Objects, blessed with long lives."

"Over these thousands of years, I’ve seen all sorts of people and events in the mortal world. So much joy has passed before my eyes, but Xiao Hong, the only joy I truly seek is the one I feel when I’m with you."

"I like you."

"The purple stone likes the red stone."

"Do you understand now?"

Xiao Zi moved closer to Xiao Hong, pressing his forehead against hers. The sweet scent on his breath made Xiao Hong’s head spin.

The seven of them, when combined, formed the Rainbow Stone, the heirloom of the Rainbow Gate.

They were one entity and usually referred to each other as brothers and sisters. In reality, however, they had no blood relations; they were simply born in the same place.

Having lived for so long, the seven stones were long familiar with one another.

But that familiarity was different from love.

’So what about her feelings for Xiao Zi?’

Whenever she thought of Xiao Zi, she would feel happy. Whenever he bullied her, she would get very sad. And when he turned around and tried to please her, all the dark clouds would scatter.

Most of her emotions were tied to Xiao Zi.

When he was happy, she was happy.

’This,’ she thought, ’is what it means to like someone.’

The strands of sugar were melting, but the sweetness felt ever new.

Memories of her past with Xiao Zi flashed through her mind, and Xiao Hong’s thoughts grew clearer and clearer.

"Did you understand?"

Not knowing what Xiao Hong was thinking, Xiao Zi saw that she wasn’t reacting and grew anxious.

He tugged at his sleeves and asked worriedly.

’As I thought, I shouldn’t have laid everything bare when I wasn’t sure.’

He had originally been waiting here for Xiao Hong to return, and he had found it amusing when he saw her carrying two balls of cotton candy.

But for some reason, after smelling the sweet fragrance of the cotton candy, an impulse surged within him.

’Just say it.’

’Lay it all out. He didn’t want to overthink things anymore, and he shouldn’t make Xiao Hong worry and fret over him.’

Only after actually saying it did Xiao Zi realize that he wasn’t completely confident she would say yes.

At that thought, Xiao Zi’s forehead began to break out in a cold sweat.

"If you just agree, I-I’ll agree to anything you want."

"You like eating this cotton candy, right? I’ll buy it for you. I can even learn to make it for you! And also..."

"Okay, I’ll agree."

Just as he was about to offer more bargaining chips, Xiao Zi heard Xiao Hong’s reply.

"Huh?"

His heartfelt confession nearly choked him. Xiao Zi focused his gaze and realized that Xiao Hong wasn’t sad at all. Instead, her eyes were sparkling, as if she had just thought of something brilliant.

"You..."

Xiao Zi began to speak hesitantly, only to hear her exclaim something loudly.

"As long as you can let me eat this cotton candy every day, I’ll be with you."

Xiao Hong was very happy.

She had been worried about where she would get cotton candy after Lu Wu left. She couldn’t just follow her, after all.

Now that a "tool person" had delivered himself to her doorstep, of course she would agree.

"..."

Xiao Zi opened his mouth but found himself speechless.

He wanted to ask if, in Xiao Hong’s eyes, his status was lower than that of cotton candy.

Thousands of years of affection couldn’t compare to a single bite of food.

The mere thought was enough to give him a heart attack.

"Fine."

But Xiao Zi would never go back on his word. Besides, she had agreed to be with him. Thinking of this, a smile appeared on Xiao Zi’s face.

He reached out, wanting to take Xiao Hong’s hand, but—WHAP!—his hand was slapped away.

"Hey, wait a minute! I haven’t finished my cotton candy yet."

’All that lovey-dovey stuff can wait until I’m full.’

It was a hard slap.

Xiao Zi looked at the back of his hand and inexplicably envisioned a future where he would have to compete with cotton candy for her affection.

’A stone is no match for cotton candy.’

’His brand-new wife already has a new love.’

I, Xiao Zi, one of the avatars of the Divine Seven-Colored Stone, am shattered.

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