Chapter 175: Sunset

The two continued walking on Old Street, but what had changed was that Guanghui was looking at the dough figurine from all sides, while what remained unchanged was that the two of them were still exactly as they had been from beginning to end.

"You made it really well, Commander." Guanghui said to Qin Ge while looking at the dough figurine.

"Hehe, this is after all a skill passed down from our ancestors; every inheritor strives to absorb and carry it forward, so don't underestimate this dough figurine—it represents the transmission of history." Qin Ge said with a smile.

"I know, just like the sculptures back where we're from, they're all a transmission of art." Guanghui said with a smile, then she put the dough figurine into her own ship-equipment space, "Now I'm not looking at the dough figurine anymore; the Commander is right by my side."

"They're all the same." Qin Ge couldn't help but laugh.

"By the way, Commander, what else is there here?" Guanghui asked.

"I don't know either; why don't we take a good look around Old Street? Maybe we'll make some new discoveries." Qin Ge said to Guanghui.

"Okay." Guanghui immediately agreed.

Thus the two began paying attention to the small stalls by the street, wanting to find something more fun.

Sugar figurines, windmills—whenever they encountered something interesting, Guanghui would pull Qin Ge to the stall and linger there. After confirming it was indeed interesting, she would urge Qin Ge to buy it.

When the two unknowingly reached the end of the street, they realized the sky had gradually entered dusk.

Guanghui looked at the things in her hands and couldn't help smiling at Qin Ge: "Without realizing it, I bought so much; it looks like we can share them with everyone when we get back."

Qin Ge smiled: "Sure, when we get back we can see which one everyone likes and then share it, so everyone can be happy together."

"Actually there's an even better way: the Commander can bring others here to take a turn, after all happiness can be shared, but the feelings contained within are not so easy to share." Guanghui said with a smile.

"That's true; if time permits later we can talk about it then." Qin Ge nodded.

Guanghui chuckled; in fact, since Qin Ge joined the fleet, his progress has been considerable—after all, the centaur had previously told her that Qin Ge had even dared to ask her some private questions to her face.

And now being able to go out on a date with her shows just how great this progress is.

Thinking of this, Guanghui looked toward the end of Old Street and saw not far away a small hill; beyond the hill, the sound resembled that of a river.

"There's a hill over there, Commander; otherwise we could go over and see what the sunset is like." Guanghui said to Qin Ge.

"All right, today I'm accompanying you out; you can go wherever you want." Qin Ge said to Guanghui.

Guanghui smiled; she was very satisfied with Qin Ge's performance today. Because Qin Ge not only took great care of her, but also behaved very gentlemanly—or rather, not overly forward—but for Guanghui herself it was already enough.

Thus the two slowly walked up to the hilltop; upon reaching the summit was a platform, beside which stood a pavilion. The pavilion had an antiquated charm and was full of flavor.

At that moment, the afterglow of the setting sun bathed the hillside, gilding the pavilion with a layer of golden hue; accompanied by the chirping of birds around, it carried a poetic flavor.

"How beautiful." Seeing this, Guanghui couldn't help stopping her steps to exclaim, "I always thought the sunlight at birth was the most beautiful, but I never expected that the feeling of the sunset's afterglow shining on things could be just as lovely."

Qin Ge smiled: "In our place, we often compare a person's life to a day's sun; in the morning, when the bright sun rises, it's like children constantly growing, constantly shining."

"And at noon, when one reaches middle age, they become very steady, like the sun fixed at a certain temperature, shining on those they wish to shine upon, bringing warmth and hope to others."

"And at dusk, it is like a person about to enter old age: having experienced and perceived too much, they scatter their afterglow across the earth, contributing their last bit of light and heat to their juniors."

"Perhaps every stage of the sun is beautiful, because they each bring hope and radiance to different people, and this is just like your name."

"I never thought the usually stern Commander could say something so philosophical; it seems my usual understanding of you isn't thorough enough." Guanghui said with a smile.

"This is just some of the predecessors' experience; I merely took it and used it directly, so it doesn't count as my own words." Qin Ge said, laughing and shaking his head.

"Even if it's the predecessors' experience, being able to use it myself makes it mine, after all the predecessors looked at the sun every day, and the sun shone on the predecessors."

"So we can't say the sun belongs only to the predecessors; we also enjoy this warmth and radiance, so what we master and enjoy is our own." Guanghui laughed.

"All right, I've gone a bit off track." Seeing the topic drift further, Qin Ge hurriedly said, "But getting back to the point, viewing the sunset in different scenery with different people always brings a different feeling."

"Hehe, Commander, what do you feel watching the sunset with me right now?" Guanghui asked curiously.

"Warm, making one reluctant to leave." Qin Ge said truthfully.

"I'm very happy." Guanghui smiled, "So at this moment, Commander, could you please close your eyes first?"

"Close my eyes?" Qin Ge wondered.

"Just close your eyes when I tell you to; you'll find out later." Guanghui said with a smile, though her tone carried a hint of coquettishness.

"All right." Seeing Guanghui say that, Qin Ge quickly nodded and promptly closed his eyes.

Just as Qin Ge closed his eyes, Guanghui's mouth corners twitched slightly, then she rose onto her tiptoes, tilted her head back, and kissed his lips.

Feeling the touch on his lips, Qin Ge quickly opened his eyes and saw Guanghui with closed eyes, a deep expression before him. This scene made Qin Ge, who had originally wanted to retreat, freeze in place; he then immediately embraced Guanghui before him and closed his eyes again.

Feeling the hand on his waist, Guanghui felt a surge of sweetness and unconsciously leaned a little closer to Qin Ge.

At this moment, the afterglow of the setting sun shone upon the two, adding another layer of poetic color to their warmth and romance.

After a long while, their lips parted; the two exchanged a smile, saying no more. Guanghui then retook Qin Ge's arm, and together they descended the hill; the warmth and romance were felt only by the two of them.

Re-entering the somewhat bustling Old Street, the two headed toward its entrance. After all, the sky had gradually darkened, and they still needed to return to school before night fell.

However, as Guanghui walked, she felt Qin Ge pause slightly; she looked up and saw Qin Ge staring in a direction. Guanghui then looked that way as well, seeing only the flow of people going back and forth, and nothing else…