After walking a few streets, Wang Xiaole noticed a common trait among the pedestrians along the way. They were all converging in one direction, as if heading to a grand summer festival. Although the season was no longer sweltering, he could still feel the temperatures radiating from his surroundings. The number of people walking on the streets now was much higher than when he first went on the date, so the warmth he felt was incomparable to before. Yet, a part of his body still felt cold. Why was that? Where did this chill come from? In an attempt to find the source of this icy sensation, he diverted his gaze from his steps but only saw buildings on either side.
What was that feeling? As he entered a contemplative state and subconsciously lowered his head, he made a new discovery, a truth that had escaped his attention earlier. The source of the chill was Ye Chuxue! At first glance, the girl's behavior seemed no different from before, but after Wang Xiaole conducted a little experiment, this conclusion was quickly overturned. Pretending to be casual, he closed the distance with Ye Chuxue from the side; however, before he could get close, she instinctively "sidestepped."
(Under his breath) "I get it, she's keeping her distance, unconsciously creating a neither too close nor too distant space between us!" Pessimistically speaking, could this be the epitome of being disliked? Even the girl herself wasn't aware of that seemingly instinctual reaction. Similar to a walking ice sculpture, while walking side by side with others, Ye Chuxue seemed disconnected from the surroundings, emanating a cold air that seemed to drive people away.
(Under his breath) "I feel cold probably because of this reason." Sensing the change in the girl, Wang Xiaole's level of attention towards her immediately escalated. At the moment this change was confirmed, they both arrived at the entrance to the square; relative to the city's size, the square's scale was substantial. After asking nearby locals, Wang Xiaole understood the purpose of the square tonight. It was the "Masquerade Ball," a traditional entertainment event in the Kingdom of Archima.
In a year, every region of the kingdom would host three such entertainment events, each happening at the end of the month. The pair was fortunate to be here on the last day of the month; for the two who wouldn't stay here for long, tonight was their only chance to experience the local fun. Participants in this event could only come as pairs, and they must be in a relationship. From this rule, it was easy to infer that the one who decided this rule wasn't particularly kindhearted.
Luckily, rules are rules, and as long as one had the heart, finding loopholes wouldn't be difficult. Many took advantage of this, and Wang Xiaole and Ye Chuxue were no exception, a typical fraudulent duo. However, even as they teamed up for the event, their moods were different. One simply wanted to join the fun, while the other saw this event as the last memory of a date. Unaware of each other's thoughts, the staff maintaining order at the venue handed them two masks.
As the event's name implied, participants couldn't reveal their faces; otherwise, the activities that followed wouldn't take place. Locals who grew up here would already be wearing masks they brought from home before entering the square. The locals were quite cooperative, and the organizers focused on those outsiders who were unaware of the customs. To ensure outsiders had fun, the organizers distributed masks similar to those worn by locals in the days leading up to the festival.
For the games to run smoothly, males would wear uniform white fox masks while females typically wore pink fox masks. Everyone knew that wearing fox masks was common for the event; no one from the locals intentionally wore masks of other animals at this time. Clever as she was, Ye Chuxue almost imagined what would happen next.
If an hour before, she would have thought this was a boring game; now, due to her changed mood, she had a different perspective. She felt a chill inside from her altered thoughts; despite it not being winter, she could see the white breath escaping her mouth. Her gaze followed the white mist upward, drifting towards the sky.
In the background, there seemed to be some static noises, but Ye Chuxue paid no attention, completely lost in her thoughts. Wang Xiaole didn't mind paying attention because of the noise; once heard, whether he decided to retain the information depended on the situation. The organizers began explaining a famous local legend: In this place, foxes once lived and integrated into human society, pulling pranks on couples at the end of each month.
Once the legend spread in the community, it evolved into an entertainment event, preserved to this day. After hearing this, Wang Xiaole initially questioned in his mind: "Is the interest of ancient people excessive? Are they always looking for trouble?" The voice inside him remained, and his eyes remained fixed on the girl.
What was Xiaole thinking? Was it related to me? If possible, he really wanted to hear the answer from her... In reality, all he heard were the voices of others. The organizers revealed the essence of the event: "The purpose of this event is to test couples; according to legend, a fox will assume the identity of one member of the couple and through these pranks, enjoy the interesting reactions during the process of discerning the truth..."
The person in charge explained it delicately. Some foxes simply wanted mischief, but there were malicious ones who would create misunderstandings, causing the deceived party to believe otherwise and leading to unpleasant consequences. When lies were taken as truth, those less discerning might be fine; however, if the misunderstood person took it seriously, it could lead to negative outcomes.
Accusing the deceived could signal the end of the relationship. After the detailed explanation by the organizers, Ye Chuxue realized the specifics of the event were just as she suspected. She couldn't help but wonder: If she couldn't hear voices or see faces, would she still be able to find Xiao Jun among a group of tall men? Her doubt wasn't baseless. Perhaps finding a male in the game was indeed more challenging than locating a female.
While a woman could judge based on body type, distinguishing features like a scar, even a birthmark could make a recognition challenging. However, for men, lacking the ability to showcase inner qualities and with no external appearance visible, all men seemed the same from Ye Chuxue's perspective, a realization she only had today. Consequently, she began to question her thoughts before. Why did she think differently about Xiao Jun?
With a unique status, Ye Chuxue hadn't had much interaction with many men. Due to this lack of understanding of the opposite sex, she initially found Xiao Jun intriguing because of his curious behavior as a potential adversary and partner. With further interactions, she discovered contradictions in Xiao Jun's character, oscillating between frivolity and moments of depth, appearing rough yet surprisingly sensitive under the surface.
Just like reading a book with frequent plot twists, Ye Chuxue found herself more interested in Xiao Jun due to these contradictions. This interest wasn't equivalent to love; people could find interest in reading books without harboring romantic intentions towards them. While she felt nervous and joyful during the confession moment, upon reflection, Ye Chuxue would logically question herself: Was it Xiao Jun's confession that stirred her emotions, or was it merely being confessed to by the opposite sex?
The latter emotion was entirely distinct. If she could prove the latter, it would indicate that Xiao Jun was just another guy in her heart, with no special significance. In that case, she could conclude that she hadn't developed romantic feelings towards anyone.
