"…So, you're not friends, but you're not enemies either?"
Billowing white steam from a large mug of hot tea blurred the face across from her, making his voice sound just as hot and ethereal. It was the first time Lin Sanjiu realized how much Hu Changzai loved tea. 'Did we have too few opportunities to get to know each other back then, or have I simply forgotten after all these years?'
"I don't know what you'd call our relationship," she said with a bitter smile. "In any case, he probably won't kill me."
Hu Changzai cradled his mug and nodded thoughtfully.
His appearance had changed again since their hasty parting in Salvation of God. The bit of extra flesh he'd gained while being raised as "livestock" had been worn away, his skin now etched with fine lines from the wind, sand, and sun. Though he was no longer nearsighted, he still habitually wore a pair of glasses despite a missing lens; only his eyes, sunken from gauntness, retained the same warm and slightly stubborn glint.
