As soon as Xiaojiu and Qingti stepped onto the street, they were greeted by the lively scene of the festival. Happy conversations could be heard from the surrounding people, and the streets were crowded. Xiaojiu's mood couldn't help but be lifted by the cheerful atmosphere. Seeing Xiaojiu beam genuinely made Qingti naturally smile too, affectionately looking at her. Here he was, at the Girl's Day Festival with the girl he loved. Even if she didn't love him the way he loved her, what could possibly be better? The fact that they were here together on such a happy occasion was enough to satisfy Qingti for now.

Qingti gazed fondly at Xiaojiu as she scanned her surroundings. She eventually turned around to look at him with an eager look in her bright, sparkling eyes.

"Qingti, look!" Xiaojiu pointed at the streamed banners overhead, and the bustling and colourful street ahead. "It's so beautiful."

"Not as beautiful as you when you smile," Qingti wanted to say to her. He stopped short of spilling these words out and cleared his throat. "Well, it's Girl's Day, you know. Everyone has some special girl they want to spoil in their lives."

Xiaojiu nodded slowly in agreement. Subconsciously, she was aware that the girl in Qingti's life was her, but the thought didn't make it far enough to her conscious mind for it to bother her.

"But should we really be here?" she asked skeptically. "For the last few days I've felt really comfortable, but that doesn't change the fact we're running away." Xiaojiu's big, round eyes that looked up at Qingti contained a hint of worry, strengthening his urge to hold and protect her.

"Don't worry about it, Xiaojiu. Don't think about time or money right now. We can go anywhere you'd like today, and stay as long as you'd like. This kind of event doesn't happen every day, and we can enjoy this town before we leave it. I'll be here to protect you, should anything happen."

The worry in Xiaojiu's eyes seemed to disperse a bit, and she nodded at him again. "Well.. if you say so then," she said. In this moment, her worried look changed into a joyful one, and she pranced forward through the crowd towards the stalls with the brightest smile on her face. Qingti chuckled softly to himself at Xiaojiu's adorable gait and followed behind her.

Since they got to the festival, the beaming smile on Qingti's face hardly left. Being able to see Xiaojiu return to her original carefree and enthusiastic state made Qingti so overwhelmingly happy nothing else mattered than this moment with her. Now that Qingti had her, in a sense, he wanted to take the best care of her possible. Perhaps once they got out of Chengyu... They could spend the rest of their lives together. If everyday could be like this, what more could Qingti ask for?

As Qingti's fantasies faded out, he looked out at the wide, lively street in front of him once again. There were so many people all smiling, but wait... Where was Xiaojiu, with her bright and unique smile? The smile faded from Qingti's face, and was replaced by a look of panic as he rushed through the crowd in search of Xiaojiu. He couldn't lose her and leave her alone here, in this unfamiliar place where nobody knew them. With hasty footsteps, Qingti carefully scanned the crowd of countless people, a few of which met his frantic eyes as he passed by. Thankfully, even in the bustling crowd, Xiaojiu was easily spotted in her uniquely turquoise robes. She had a sweet and innocent smile on her face as she checked out some sugar figurines. The stall owner's mood seemed to be lifted by Xiaojiu's bright presence, too. Qingti sighed in relief and rushed over to her side, and as she turned to face him, he put both his hands on her shoulders.

"A'Jiu, why did you prance away so quickly? I thought I lost you."

His eyes were filled with worry and relief, and his expression was so deep it made Xiaojiu unconsciously stop smiling. She was rendered speechless. Qingti cared about her so much, but just now it was like she took his care for granted.

The stall owner smiled as he watched the scene between Xiaojiu and Qingti, who looked like two young people in love.

"Young lady, is he your boyfriend?" The stall owner chuckled. "It is quite easy to get separated in this crowd. It's probably best if you stay right by his side so as to not worry him."

Xiaojiu, whose attention had been directed towards the shop owner as he talked, turned back to look at the still concerned Qingti who was holding her.

"Sorry, A'Qing... I should have waited for you instead of running off like that." Xiaojiu lowered her head as she apologized to Qingti, and he could tell she was sincerely sorry about it. A soft smile returned to his face, and he wrapped his hand around her wrist, tightening his grip as he spoke.

"It's ok, I've got you now, so I won't let you go. I don't want to lose you again." Xiaojiu wasn't expecting Qingti's gesture, but unlike before, she didn't try to shake out of his grip. Even if she didn't love him, he loved her, and the least she could do was let him protect and care for her, even if she couldn't do it back in quite the same way.

Author's note: Thank you again to everyone who patiently waited for my updates. Now that I'm less busy I'll try to update frequently :3