2 As Our Gaze Met, Our Heart Melted

Xuanyuan Longzi, the eternal deity of Yong Sheng Empire. Now residing in the Royal Academy of Yong Sheng, he planned to live the rest of his life detached from the mundane world. Uncaring about human's matter. The Yong Sheng's previous previous previous previous Emperor's father pledge to him to ensured the tranquility inside the Yong Sheng Royal Academy. But now, the tenth millenia isn't even passed yet and he was woken up by a little girl's laughter. A human child's. So irritating!

Morphing his body into a human form, Xuanyuan Longzi strode toward the source of his annoyance. Not long after, he found a kneeling little girl, holding her stomach and laughing faintly. Xuanyuan Longzi realized that she isn't laughing at all. Just smiling and chuckling softly. This soft giggle shouldn't reach him even a little bit!

He stopped himself to approach her, and stood in the inner palace's shadow. With his confused mind, he continue to observe her. Surprising him once again, the little girl seems to notice him and look up, their gaze met eachother. Those pair of bright eyes, with little mischievousness, he can't forget at all.

-

Hua Chaotuo is always observing other, not the other way around. Never she became the observation object for other people. Her parents might be an exception. Maybe she was, but of course not so intense like this . She can feel it right away when someone observing her, and it stopped her laughter. Bewildered, she turned her body around.

There stood a person, face can't be seen because of the building's shadow. They stood there unmoving, with a loosely tied robe and long hair dangling to the floor. The little bit of light from the outside shone upon those scattered hair, giving it a sparkling vibes.

Perhaps Xuanyuan Longzi feel that it was necessary to reprimand her, because of the commotion she made.

"Your presence is not allowed here, girl. Better go now." He said plainly. This voice let Hua Chaotuo know that she's conversing with a man.

"Then why are you here? If I'm not allowed then you shouldn't be allowed here, too." She said, taking a step forward, wanting to see the person she's talking with.

"I am an exception."

"Then let me stay here for a moment, I wouldn't disturb you!" Hua Chaotuo said, her eyes showing determination.

"You couldn't." He said. His voice still as plain as ever, but his eyes gleaming with a hidden attraction. Doesn't she already disturbed him?

They continue to bicker, as if replacing the two young master from earlier. As their distance continue to decreasing, Hua Chaotuo couldn't help but snapping at him.

"Why are you so resolved to throw me out of here?!" She asked, annoyed by this man.

Xuanyuan Longzi is silent. He clearly amused by this little girl, the edge of his lip curved into a slight smile. He doesn't realized that he himself is inching closer to the little girl, and walked out of the shadow.

Eventually, Hua Chaotuo could see the appearance of this man. His fascinating looks surprised her, and she couldn't help but captivated by those pair of refined eyes. His eyebrows arching like a sword, and the slight smile on his lip stunned her. The word 'tranquility' plastered all over him. But the overall looks this man has, remind her of... Xuanzang, The Monk!!

She involuntary blurted:

"Are you a monk??" But quickly covered her little mouth, feeling guilty for asking such an impolite question.

"I'm not a monk." He said, looking more amused by her. Now that the distance of little girl and him are so close, he realized that the little girl are not so tall, her height isn't even close to his shoulder. At most just at the height of his chest. Noticing the inquiring eyes of the little girl, he said,

"My name is Longzi." Hearing his name, Hua Chaotuo couldn't help but laughing again. She laughed more unrestrained than before. Her crisp laughter filled Xuanyuan Longzi's ear, making him confused. He just intending to introduced himself, but why is the little girl laughing?

"Why are you laugh-" Before he could asking her, she stumbled forward. Her body unstable because she's laughing really hard this time. He swiftly catched her, but both of them collapse to the ground together. It's because he- accidentally stepped on his own hair...

"Ah!" She closed her eyes, expecting the pain to come by hitting the floor. But all that come is warmness that surround her body, not even the slightest bit of pain.

"You shouldn't laughing so hard. See, you fell." Xuanyuan Longzi said, his eyes rested on Chaotuo's petite head. Opening her eyes, Hua Chaotuo saw flesh in front of her. The warmness come all from his body.

"So sorry! Does it hurt somewhere?" She asked, worry that her naughtiness would bring harm to this stranger she had just met.

"It's okay. Why are you laughing, in the first place?" Hands on his back, and with Chaotuo on his lap, Longzi asked her. He really curious, why is this little girl laughing? My name shouldn't be that... funny, right?

"Hehe, Longzi, are you a deaf person?" Being remind of this thing, she continue to laugh. And this reason is enough to make Longzi perplexed. Little girl, it's not that funny, you know? Your sense of humor is really... low. Although he thought like that, his lip also curved into a smile. This reason to laugh, he found it really to his liking.

"My name, Longzi, is stand as 'dragon' and 'child' it is not 'deaf', you silly girl." He smiled, so gently it could take a girl's heart in no time.

But our Chaotuo is not your ordinary, usual girl. With toughness as hard as steel, she only melted a little and... Okay, she melted for this smile.

"You should tell your name to others, if they finished introducing themselves to you. It's called a good mannered." He said, seeing the little girl froze in place. He still doesn't realized the charms he could bring to other just by smiling.

"So you said I'm a bad mannered girl?" Chaotuo poutingly said so. Thinking back that he rescued her from falling to the floor and that gentle smile of him, she climbed up from his lap and bowing courteously. With a smile so sweet like a blooming flower, she said:

"My surname is Hua, given name Chaotuo. It's truly nice to meet you."

The sweet smile, warmer than the summer day, melted away the glacier in his heart.