Free Web NovelChapter 177: Chapter 177: Where Day Meets Dusk
He reached for her hand almost unconsciously.
The moment his large palm wrapped around her soft fingers, he stilled.
Her skin looked impossibly pale against his darker one, like moonlight resting in the cradle of midnight. Their hands seemed to belong to two different worlds... and yet, somehow, they fit.
As though day and night had finally found where they were meant to meet.
If she was the dawn...bright, gentle, warm...then he was the dusk, deep and shadowed.
Opposite of each other and yet, perfectly matched.
Her small hand looked so tiny in his grasp. He swallowed, his chest tightening. He closed his eyes for a brief second, but that only made it worse. His heartbeat thundered wildly, too loud and fast, like it might burst free at any moment.
What was he hesitating for?
His brother’s words echoed faintly in his mind.
If you like her, then what are you waiting for...? Then why are you still acting like a coward?
His eyes snapped open.
And there she was, looking up at him with wide, shimmering eyes. Worried for him.
Something inside him shifted.
His hand, which had been holding her wrist, slowly slid down to her palm. Gently, deliberately, he pried her fingers open one by one before threading his own between them.
Their hands locked together.
"Yue Yue..." His voice came out husky, lower than usual. "Were you worried about me?"
He searched her face as if her answer mattered more than anything in the world.
"Would you... feel hurt if I got injured?" he asked quietly, his gaze never leaving hers.
It wasn’t just a question.
It was a confession.
Yue Yue felt as though she were under a spell. Her heart trembled inside her chest. She hadn’t even realized how restless she had been until now, how her thoughts had been consumed with whether he was safe, whether he was hurt, whether he would return.
If he had been injured...
Yes.
She would mind.
More than she wanted to admit.
Her lashes fluttered, and she nodded softly.
A slow smile curved on Xing Luoguang’s lips...soft, almost disbelieving, but filled with something fierce and certain.
He stepped closer.
His free hand rose, gently cupping her chin, lifting her face toward his. His other hand tightened slightly around hers, as if afraid she might disappear.
"Then..." he murmured, his breath warm as it brushed against her lips, intoxicating in its closeness. "May I?" fɾeewebnoveℓ.co๓
The question barely left his mouth before her heart answered.
Her breathing turned uneven. Her cheeks burned. Slowly...so very slowly, she nodded.
Her eyes slipped shut.
Xing Luoguang did not hesitate again.
He lowered his head, closing the final distance between them, and pressed his lips to hers.
The kiss was soft at first as though he feared breaking something precious. Warmth bloomed between them, spreading from that single touch until it felt like the entire world had faded away.
Her fingers tightened in his.
His thumb brushed gently against her knuckles.
Xing Luoguang froze the instant her lips met his.
For a heartbeat, he forgot how to breathe.
Something bloomed inside him...wild, brilliant, overwhelming. He had never felt anything like this before. Never such fierce emotion. Never such aching warmth that spread from his chest to the very tips of his fingers.
The simple brush of her lips against his felt like a spark falling into dry grass. And it set everything ablaze.
The attraction he had always felt toward her deepened in that single moment. It wasn’t just desire. It wasn’t just curiosity.
It felt inevitable.
As if he had been walking a long road without knowing where it led, only to realize he had always been walking toward her.
Destined.
He didn’t know how. He didn’t know why. But he knew.
And once he tasted that certainty, he couldn’t stop.
His other hand slid up, fingers tangling gently into the back of her hair. He tilted his head and deepened the kiss, nudging softly against her lips until they parted for him. The warmth of her breath mingled with his. The faint sweetness of her mouth made his thoughts blur.
His heart pounded violently.
When she didn’t resist when instead her fingers tightened on his body, clinging to him, something inside him snapped.
He wanted more of this feeling that made the world disappear.
Her hand clenched around his forearm for support as her body leaned fully into him.
"Luoguang..." she tried to say, her voice muffled between their lips.
But he didn’t want to stop.
It felt like he had finally found something he had been yearning for, for years without knowing it. And now that he had tasted it...how could he let go?
Only when she suddenly bit down did reality shatter.
A faint metallic sweetness spread across his tongue.
He pulled back slightly, stunned.
Had she bitten him that hard?
Yue Yue’s face flushed deeply. She hadn’t meant to hurt him; she had only panicked, feeling almost breathless under the intensity of his kiss. But the moment she tasted blood, guilt flooded her.
"Luoguang... I’m sorry... I just..." Her words died in her throat. Her eyes widened.
"Luoguang... your eyes... they’re... they’re turning golden."
"What?" He stiffened. For a fraction of a second, something dangerous flickered in his gaze.
Then he immediately lowered his head, one hand coming up to cover his eyes.
"It must be the light reflecting," he said calmly.
But beneath the steady tone was the faintest tremor. He didn’t dare look at her.
"Yue Yue... I’m sorry. I lost control."
His voice softened this time. Gently, he combed his fingers through her hair, as though trying to soothe both of them. He leaned forward and rested his forehead against hers, eyes closed.
Yue Yue’s heart tightened.
"I’m not angry," she whispered.
And before she could overthink it, she wrapped her arms around his waist and pressed her face against his bare chest.
His warmth surrounded her instantly.
She closed her eyes, listening to the steady rhythm of his heartbeat beneath her ear. It felt surreal and safe. As if the world had narrowed down to just this moment.
Xing Luoguang stood stunned for a second before instinctively wrapping his arms around her shoulders. He lowered his chin to rest atop her head.
They were suddenly this close.
Closer than he had ever imagined.
His heartbeat was still fast, but it was no longer wild. A small, almost disbelieving smile touched his lips as he closed his eyes.
For a moment, everything felt peaceful.
But beneath that calm... Both of them were unsettled. Both of them were thinking about the same thing.
Yue Yue’s brows knit faintly as she held onto him.
I really saw his eyes turning golden...
And Xing Luoguang’s arms tightened ever so slightly around her.
How could my eyes suddenly turn gold?
