At this moment, Chen Ling genuinely felt sorry for her. He underestimated just how important he was in the heart of this nonexistent girl.

“Don’t cry, I haven’t left.” With that, Chen Ling leaned forward and gently kissed her teary eyes.

“Wuwu–” Sui Li’er’s crying instantly stopped, and she slowly lifted her head. Her eyes were filled with disbelief. He… kissed me?

What does it mean… he’s not leaving?

Or… does he want to be with me!?

Chen Ling instinctively licked his lips, feeling a bit salty.

〚 Ding~ Target feels happiness, +1 million points! 〛

〚 +1 million points! 〛

…

The system’s voice sounded untimely. It instantly snapped Chen Ling back from his trance. What… What am I doing? Did I just kiss her?

He also looked at Sui Li’er in his arms, unable to believe it.

What’s going on? Is it a charm skill?

Chen Ling really felt like he was charmed by her! It felt like he was under a spell.

Although Sui Li’er had stopped crying, her body was still trembling slightly. She raised her head, her face slightly flushed, and locked eyes with Chen Ling.

The heartbeats of both of them seemed to have an unspoken agreement and accelerated simultaneously. “Thump, thump, thump”

Chen Ling felt hesitant again and really didn’t dare to look into her eyes. He quickly looked away and said, “Um… I’m sorry.”

He was apologizing to himself for suddenly kissing her. Wasn’t this taking advantage of her…

Sui Li’er sniffed and said with a hint of grievance, “It’s okay… It’s all my fault for getting angry.”

Chen Ling shook his head, without explaining or saying anything.

“Hehe~” Sui Li’er’s laughter suddenly sounded, “Is it true? You’re not leaving?”

Chen Ling had already gotten used to her rollercoaster emotions. He nodded, “Mm.”

“Never leave…?” Sui Li’er eagerly awaited Chen Ling’s answer.

Chen Ling glanced at her and couldn’t bear to refuse, “Mm, I’ll always be with you.”

“Hehe… Sniff… ( T﹏T )…” Just when Sui Li’er was laughing, she suddenly burst into tears.

Chen Ling: ( =.= )

Alright, he still wasn’t used to it! Her emotions were like playing a game.

“I’m sorry… Sniff… It’s not… crying, I’m… happy… Sniff…” She buried her head in Chen Ling’s embrace, biting her lip. Her small hand tightly grasped Chen Ling’s clothes, creasing them.

“It’s good… It’s good that I waited for you… Sniff…” She truly felt grateful that she had managed to stay strong. And she genuinely felt lucky to have met Chen Ling.

The dark and lonely world was illuminated by him who descended from the heavens. Sunlight and warmth spread, filling every corner of her heart.

Chen Ling stood in place, holding her, feeling somewhat unsure of what to do. To others, Chen Ling appeared like a mannequin, standing there motionless. Passersby couldn’t help but glance at him. Once again, he was being regarded as a fool by others.

After a while, Sui Li’er’s crying gradually subsided, and Chen Ling felt her body slowly sinking.

He gently lifted her, holding her in a princess carry.

“Um… I almost fell asleep!” Sui Li’er suddenly woke up in his embrace, wiping away the tears that hadn’t dried yet.

She smiled at Chen Ling. “Hehe~ Lord God, Chen Ling!”

“You really won’t leave, right?”

Chen Ling nodded, “No, I won’t leave.” Since he had already promised her, he would fulfill that commitment no matter what.

“Um…” Sui Li’er blushed in Chen Ling’s embrace and didn’t say anything further. She was both happy and shy.

In her heart: Are we together now? Does this count? Maybe… he sort of kissed me just now… even though it was on the eyes. But he didn’t confess either… If he kisses me one more time… then it would really count, right?

With a hint of shyness, she looked at Chen Ling, her face expressing: Will he… kiss me again?

Chen Ling couldn’t understand her thoughts and simply put her back down, letting her stand on her own.

“No more?” Sui Li’er instantly felt a bit disappointed.

“Huh? What’s ‘no more’?”

“It’s nothing, it’s nothing…” Sui Li’er quickly replied.

She pursed her lips and sneakily glanced at Chen Ling’s lips. Why did I let my inner thoughts slip out…

But… is that all? Alright then… Was he just trying to comfort me by kissing me? Probably…

How could the Lord God fall in love with me? I’m just a mortal…

But it’s okay! The Lord God is surely busy, yet willing to accompany me. That’s enough to make me content!

“Lord… no, Chen Ling~”

“Hmm?”

“We’re friends, right!” The gloom on Sui Li’er’s face vanished completely, and her hair returned to its beautiful aquamarine color.

“Yeah, I guess so.” Chen Ling replied absentmindedly.

Inner thoughts: Why did she say something that only kids would say? It’s awkward. Does this person’s social skills still remain in childhood?

Chen Ling suddenly realized that it might be true…

Her social skills might not have improved at all over the years. She doesn’t even have a single friend. That’s why she’s accustomed to speaking as if she’s talking to herself. With this in mind, Chen Ling found her usual awkward remarks a bit less awkward.

“Hehe…” After receiving Chen Ling’s affirmation, Sui Li’er giggled foolishly.

“What are you laughing at again?” Chen Ling couldn’t understand her and couldn’t be bothered to read her mind. It was just a casual question.

With a smile in her eyes, Sui Li’er inadvertently squeezed out two teardrops that hadn’t dried from earlier: “I can’t believe I can be friends with a god. I’m so happy.”

Chen Ling smiled back and said, “Yeah, I’m also happy to be friends with you.”

Upon hearing this, Sui Li’er burst into laughter again, gleefully and foolishly.

Seeing that, Chen Ling chuckled inwardly and didn’t pursue it further. Instead, he said: “Where do you want to go? I can take you to any place in this world.”

“Um… I… I’m happy as long as I’m with you. Wherever you go, I’ll go too!”

“Oh… I won’t go to the bathroom with you… Ahem…” Before Chen Ling could even speak, she quickly said it.

Chen Ling laughed heartily and started walking ahead. Sui Li’er quickly caught up with him.

“So where are we going?”

“Let’s find a place with good Feng Shui.”

“Are we going treasure hunting?!”

“No, just find a nice place to lie down for five years.”

Sui Li’er didn’t quite understand. “Oh… Is this some kind of challenge?”

Chen Ling nodded. “You could say that.”

Sui Li’er nodded, thinking it was something impressive. “That sounds really cool. So where should we lie down?”

Chen Ling looked at her. “Wherever you want to lie down, we’ll go there.”

“Really? Okay… I know a good place! Hehe…” Saying that, Sui Li’er led Chen Ling to the bridge underpass by the river.

Excitedly running to a worn-out sofa nearby, she happily introduced it: “Ding ding ding~ Look! There’s actually a sofa here!”

Chen Ling looked at the sofa, feeling somewhat speechless. He felt a bit sorry for Sui Li’er, but didn’t know what to say.

The sofa was worn-out and old, seemingly abandoned by someone. Being close to the river, it had become a bit moldy. But indeed, this was the place where Sui Li’er often lay down.

However, Chen Ling had no intention of lying down here…

“How about this? Hehe…” Sui Li’er seemed quite proud.

Chen Ling shook his head.

“Never mind, I don’t rely on you… Come with me.” Saying that, he gently held Sui Li’er’s hand.

Sui Li’er nodded lightly, wanting to say something but hesitated. She glanced at Chen Ling’s hand and couldn’t help but feel: It’s so warm… Can we keep holding hands?

In the next moment, they appeared in the clouds.

“What do you think of this place?”

After realizing what had happened, Sui Li’er looked down in astonishment, her eyes filled with surprise. What kind of fairyland was this?

A massive temple built on the clouds!

A sacred and solemn temple, surrounded by mist and resembling a heavenly realm.

The colors of aquamarine and moon white intermingled, symmetrically balanced, flawless in every way. Underfoot, the clouds carried this majestic temple, seemingly stretching to no end.

It felt as if this place was not the Rune Continent, but another world altogether.

It was a magnificent architectural marvel that one could only see on the internet, and here it was right before her eyes. “Where is this place?”

“It seems to be called the Pisces Constellation Palace.”

“The Pisces Constellation Palace?!”

---