(Y/n) tapped her heel on the ground as the students entered the class and passed by her. Eventually, Cheng Liu walked in, bandages covering his nose.
"That's a nasty injury you got there." she leaned back. "What happened, buddy?"
Though she had a neutral expression, her stare was daring him to tell the truth. He glared at her but then became flustered when he noticed everyone was staring at him.

"I..." his mind seemed to race for a moment before finding a proper excuse. "I saved a girl from a group of thugs. I fought them off, and now, I got a date tonight."
"Oh dude no way!" the other students cheered on him.
"That's right! They weren't even that tough."
"You got your nose broken though." (Y/n) rested her head on the palm of her hand.
"Y-Yeah! Because they were like, fi- ten of them!"
"Ten?" she blinked twice, smiling.
'You think I have the strength of ten people?! You must not fight very often.'
Hating the look on her face, Cheng Liu rushed passed her and addressed his classmates.
"Right. If I wasn't outnumbered, like I dunno, if there were *seven* of them instead. Then I would've gotten out of there without a single scratch!"

She rolled her eyes as the other students praised him. Hopefully, she got her point across and he'll leave her alone now. Just then, the teacher came in and she tried to clear her mind in order to focus. When class ended, she waited for all the students to leave before walking up to the teacher.
"Excuse me sir?"
"Yes?" he said as he gathered his papers, not looking at her.
"I..."
At first she wanted to say 'I hope you found your book', but she figured it'd be best to avoid the subject entirely.
"Yesterday, I was in the library, and I saw Manshu go into the forbidden section."
He paused in what he was doing and looked up at her.
"That is a serious accusation. Are you absolutely certain it was him?"
She blinked twice. He...actually believed her? Not really, but he was at least hearing her out. She was taken aback for a short moment before nodding.

"He said a teacher told him to bring him a book, but I'm certain it was a lie."
"Did you see which book he took?"
"N-No..."
"And why are you telling me this now?" he raised an eyebrow.
"I-I wanted to tell someone right away but then... " she glanced to the side. "I got in a pretty sticky situation. He got away and I had to go home."
His eyes narrowed. She sighed.
"The person, who I thought was the one friend I had in this school, wasn't as nice as I thought he was... I was too angry and heartbroken to do anything else. I went home after we had an...argument."
"Your friend..." his gaze wandered to Cheng Liu's seat. "I see." he looked back at his papers. "I will get to the bottom of this. Dismissed."
"...Thank you for your time."

She slightly bowed before walking away, a small frown on her face. Because of her lack of evidence, she had a feeling he still didn't believe her and probably won't do anything about it.
'Whatever,' she thought, shaking her head. 'it's his problem now.'
"I found my book."
"Excuse me?" she stopped at the doorway and turned around.
"I found it this morning. It would seem we have a rat problem in the school, I found it under the bookshelf, one of the corner munched off."
She pursued her lips, waiting for an apology, even though she would never expect one from him. She nodded.
"I'm glad you found your book sir."
"As I am."

She went back to her apartment complex, saying hello to the cow demon as she took the elevator (which became a habit). Once on her floor, she approached her apartment, but before she could even reach for the door, the one from the apartment next door burst open. A thick cloud of grey smoke came out, along with Monkey and Wenling, they both stepped out in a panic, coughing loudly and waving the smoke away.
"What in the world...? Monkey?" she frowned in confusion.
"Ah! (Y/n)! Uh~!" him and their neighbor sent each-other a quick glance. "Wait right here! Be right back!"
With a huff, he ran back inside. She looked at the door, then at Wenling, who just politely smiled.
"What is going on here? Can I help with anything?"
"N-no no, it's fine!" she said, stopping her from going in as well. "Um...Here's the thing-"
"I got 'em!"

Just then, Monkey rushed out and went up to (Y/n). She was startled at first, but then relaxed when she saw what he was holding. A trail of perfect looking turnip cakes.
"Oh..." she looked at them, slowly nodding, then at them both. "I'm still confused."
"They're for you."
"...Huh?" she let out in a little voice.
"You keep skipping meals, so I figured I might as well feed you."
"You..." her eyebrow furrowed. "You made these?"
"Uh... Sure did." he glanced back at Wenling. "Right?"
The old lady's smile tightened.
"Right." she nodded.
Truth was, those were the cakes she made alongside him, so he could watch what she was doing. And despite doing the exact same thing she did, he somehow almost set her kitchen on fire. She at first wanted to tell the truth, but decided not to when she saw the look on his fiancée's face.
'You damn demon. You're lucky I love love.'

Monkey looked back at (Y/n) with a big smile.
"You can eat these while you study, cool right?"
She pursued her lips, her face twisted. She was so touched, she looked like she was about to cry.
"Woah! Hey! Don't be sad!"
'Despite not liking human food, he learned how to cook... for me.'
"Do you not like these? I'll throw them in the trash right away!"
"Don't you dare!" Wenling exclaimed.
(Y/n) chuckled, rubbing her eyes, and took one cake to taste it.
"...It's really good."
She finished it, and kissed him on the cheek. He was caught off guard and he almost dropped the trail.
"Thank you so much Monkey."
'I really needed that.'
'You missed!!!' he gulped.

"Great! Happy you like 'em!" he exclaimed, with a boost of energy. "Then I'll make you a thousand more just like these!"
"She can't eat the same thing everyday," Wenling shook her head as (Y/n) chuckled again. "that's not healthy for a human. Come on Wukong, let's put these in a box for you to take home."
Monkey followed her inside.
"You won't get a pass next time." she whispered harshly to him. "You better step up your game if you want to support her."
He gulped.
"Y-yes ma'am!"
"Now clean up your mess!"

Our two protagonists thanked their neighbor and went back home.
"So~" Monkey looked at (Y/n) from the corner of his eyes. "about that kiss."
She tensed at his words, she didn't even realize she did it in the moment, his smile grew larger.
"That was to keep up the act right?" he asked, knowing the answer.
"R-Right!" she blushed. "Because y'know, Wenling was right there and *if* I was you- *a* fiancée, that's what I would do! That's it!"
"Mh-hmm." he handed her the box of turnip cakes. "Oh is that it? 'Cause you know, if you want to be *really* convincing, you should've-"
"Yep! That is it nothing more nothing less I'm gonna go now! Bye!" she took it and walked to her room with stiff movement.
"Good luck studying, I love you."
"Haha! Cool!" she exclaimed before closing the door.
Monkey cackled. Meanwhile, she pressed her back on the door, covering her face in embarrassment.
'Cool?!' she shook her head. 'Come on (Y/n)!'

She let out a heavy sigh and went to sit on her desk. In the middle of studying, she ate another cake and looked over at the box. Thinking back to what he said in the hallway, she was taken aback when she felt tears growing in her eyes.
"Oh come on now." she whispered to herself as she rubbed her eyes. "I'm not even sad right now."
On the contrary, she felt a warmth in her chest. It was comforting and soft. She hasn't felt loved in a while, that's why she cried. Feeling a boost of energy, she huffed a smile and went back to work.

.
.
From then on, things went on pretty smoothly. Monkey would sometimes work in the elevator to earn some quick money to buy whatever he needed for cooking, or Wenling would be nice enough to let him borrow the ingredients or tools he needed. Learning how to cook (and cooking in and of itself) could be quite the hassle, but the smile it'd give (Y/n) made it all worth it for him, and it'd encourage him to get better at it. She did notice that (despite those turnip cakes being amazing) it wasn't the best meals she's ever had at first. Monkey would stare at her as she took her first bite, waiting for a reaction. She slowly munched, her face twisting.
"...Do you accept constructive criticism?" she asked with her mouth full.
He sighed, getting the message, and handed her the trashcan, in which she spat out the food with a 'bah~'. She would give him some feedback though, and he'd take notes and re-tell them to Wenling the next day. All so the food he cooked would be right up to (Y/n)'s preferences. Surprisingly enough, he was quite the model student once his mind was into it.
"This reminds me of my first master and his training." he sighed, smiling. "Such nostalgia."
"Stop smiling! This is serious business!" she smacked him in the back of the head with a wooden spoon.
"Oh yeah, just like the good ol' days." he kept smiling, unfazed as she kept scolding him.

Soon enough, he made some great progress and went from giving (Y/n) a breakfast-apple to an actual breakfast! Meanwhile, because she now had better eating habits, (Y/n) was less tired everyday. And because the exams were drawing near, everyone was very focused on studying and she was left alone now. She also made a lot of progress regarding school. Her teacher graded her assignment and gave it back to her with the most unthinkable feedback she could ever imagine coming from him.
"You did good."
She gasped and stared at him with stars in her eyes.
"...Don't look at me like that." he said. "Don't settle for good."
"I won't sir!" she exclaimed, sounding as if she was trying not to cry.

As the days passed, a routine kind of settled in. She'd get up, go to class, study in the library for a bit (at some point she'd have lunch there, since Monkey progressed this much) before going back home and studying some more. All while enjoying some good meals prepared by her 'fiancé'. Speaking of which, there were some time where they had to 'keep up the act', like when they'd day goodbye to each-other and their neighbor was there. She'd struggle to say a quick little embarrassed 'bye, love you' before running away to school. Monkey didn't mind of course, her face whenever she'd do that was hilariously adorable. And it's not like they had to 'keep up the act', because they were naturally pretty convincing.

"(Y/n)! Your lunch!" Monkey one day stepped out into the hallway, wearing an apron (Wenling's old one she gave him as a gift). "Also I forgot to tell you something important!"
"What is it Monkey?"
He tossed the little lunch bag to her, she caught it.
"I love you, bye!" he smiled widely. "Now go academically kick some ass!"
She blushed and nodded before the two of them left the hallway, going their separate ways. None of them even noticed their two neighbors who were just gossiping about them, Wenling and a very pretty middle-aged woman. The latter of which seemed at a loss for words.
"Wow."
"Right?"
"Say..." the woman leaned closer. "His name can't be 'monkey', right?"
"Oh of course not, that's just how she calls him. His name is Sun Wukong."
"Sun Wukong... Like *the* Sun Wukong?"
Wenling nodded. The woman's smile grew larger.
"I'll have to introduce myself as soon as I get the chance."

.
.
Ever since this routine started, our two protagonists have gotten quite a reputation throughout their whole apartment complex. They became known by everyone when, one morning, (Y/n) was more late than usual.
"Monkey!!!" she shouted from outside the building in great panic.
"What is it?!?!?!" Monkey shouted back, looking out the window.
Neither of them realized they got the attention of every other tenants in the building, who peeked out their window to see what the fuss was about.
"I missed the carriage! I'm gonna miss class!"
"What?!?!?!"
"Yes! So could you fly there real quick and tell my teacher-Woah!" she exclaimed when she watched Monkey jump out the window and land in front of her, transformed into a tiger.
"Hop on, you are not gonna be late!"
"Okay!"

She was still taken aback, but she knew there was no time to waste. She hoped on his back, holding on tight and he dashed away in a flash. At this point, the tenants opened their window wide and leaned over, speaking to each-other as they watched.
"Isn't he gonna turn back because of the crystals?!"
"Only if he lasts more than half-an-hour or so!"
"That girl's from Guangfu Xue! I recognize that uniform!"
"Since when do they accept girls?!"
"It's way too far! He's never gonna make it!"
"He will make it!" Wenling shouted from her own window. "...He could! ...He might!"
"Old man! Where is he at?!"
"Hold on!" an old man on the top floor said as he looked through his telescope. "...He jumping from roof to roof, he's doing parkour!"
"As a tiger?! And with a girl on his back?!"
"He really is a monkey!"
"If he turns back mid-jump, they're both dead!"
"Hold on!"
"Just tell us already!"
"And...And... They made it!"
"Yeah!!!" they all cheered.
"Who were these two anyway?!" one asked as most of the others went back inside.
"A young couple," Wenling said. "they moved here two weeks ago!"

"Thank you so much Monkey." (Y/n) said as she hopped down.
"And all in under ten minutes!" he turned back into his original form and puffed his chest with a proud smile. "You're welcome! Now go and be great!"
Her face lit up, but then, her smile faded when she noticed a group of students staring at them, with Cheng Liu in the middle, staring at her specifically. Monkey noticed her change of behavior but she spoke before he could ask.
"Thanks!" she kissed him on the cheek before rushing inside the school.
He felt his heart skip a beat.
"(Y/n) wait! You missed!"
But she has already left. He let out a long sigh before turned over to where she was looking at, and noticed one guy in the middle of a group glaring at him. A few seconds later, he recognized him.
'Oh yeah~, that guy! Almost couldn't tell with those bandages.'

"Hey man, what happened to you?" he walked up to him.
"You know him?" Cheng Liu's friend asked him.
"Kinda, not really." he walked away and whispered when he walked passed Monkey. "You should really control your girl."
Monkey grabbed him by the shoulder, preventing him from getting away.
"What do you mean by that?" he asked, an eyebrow raised.
And although he didn't mean it as a threat (though he wasn't a fan of his tone), Cheng Liu sure felt threatened. He began to stutter out incoherent words. Just then, the bell rang.
"Ah! We're late!" his group exclaimed.
Monkey let him go and they all ran inside.
"J-just make sure she stays in line!" Cheng Liu quickly exclaimed before running.
Now alone, he tilted his head, then shrugged and began to walk home.
'I'll take the opportunity to go buy ingredients for lunch.' he thought as he took out from his pocket the latest recipe Wenling taught him.

Monkey bought everything he needed from the usual shops and providers. He used the apron he was wearing as a bag to put the food in. On his way back home, he wondered what (Y/n)'s and Cheng Liu's deal was. He recalled the look on her face when she saw him.
"Did she do that to him?" he asked himself. "Breaking noses does seem to be her signature move." he giggled at what he just said. "...Wasn't he like the one person who wasn't an asshole to her in this school?"
He looked down.
'It sucks to have a big argument with your only friend.' he pursued his lips. '...Why didn't she tell me about it?'
He shook his head.
"Come on Wukong, you don't even know what happened! You'll just ask her later! Right now she's busy! Too busy!"
'*Too* busy?'
He looked down at his bag.
'I've been busy too.'

"It's...It's beautiful!" someone sobbed.
Monkey looked over to see a tiny stand owned by a young woman. There was a line of about five people, all of them were middle-aged men for some reason, and her latest customer was crying over a small piece of paper.
"Thank you so much young lady! You've literally changed my life!"
"Cool, that'll be fifteen."
"Of course, of course!"
The man dropped a small bag of coins before skipping away with his paper. Curious, Monkey walked over to the little stand. There was a sign on it that said 'Da-Xia's Poem Parlor; give a prompt, get a poem!'.
"Poems?" he raised an eyebrow then looked at her. "Really?"
"Don't judge me, the poem business pays."
"Aren't you a little young for having a business in the first place?"
"Sir. I am a grown woman, I'm just short." she seemed to get irritated. "You want a poem or not?"

Monkey thought for a moment.
"...Are you good at it?"
"Not to toot my own horn or anything, but I don't see any other poem parlors with a line like this one. I don't see any poem parlors at all actually. It's never been done here in public like this before."
"So you're the only one around..." his gaze wandered a bit before he pointed at her with a smile. "By that logic, you are the best! Great!" he slammed a hand on the counter. "Make me a poem! Multiple in fact!"
"Sure. Get in li-"
"It's for my future wife." he began explaining. "She's busy going to school, and although I do my best to support her, that means *I'm* busy too, and so we don't spent a lot of time together and that just sucks. Also my cooking teacher once told me that cooking wasn't enough, and that feeding her was actually 'the bare minimum'. Which in my opinion is stupid, I stepped out of my comfort zone to learn a skill that would never serve me personally! How's that for effort? But I'll be dammed if I still don't show my support to her with every chance I get, to make sure that she knows she's doing great and that I'm there for her all the way through, no matter what! So yeah, make poems about that." he tapped on the counter before folding his arms.

Da-Xia's eyes were wide open at this point, her eyebrows furrowed and she joined her hands together.
"Oh my lord. That is so~ sweet!" she smiled before looking at her other clients in line. "Everybody get the hell out of here!"
"What the freak Da-Xia?" one of them said. "I'm your most frequent customer, your poem literally changed my life!"
"That is the third time I've 'changed your life' sir, maybe you should settle down at some point! I'll be busy writing about some real stuff, now scram!"
They all rushed away. She leaned over to Monkey.
"If I have to write one more poem about enlightenment, I'm gonna punch somebody."
He chuckled.
"So," she leaned back, taking a small piece of paper and a brush, rotating it between her fingers. "tell me more about this wife-to-be."

.
Da-Xia was so excited to write about love that she indeed made multiple, and she only charged him for the price of one. He was very excited about his gifts, and about the plan he came up with. When (Y/n) came home after class, he acted as usual. The next morning, she went to class and found a little paper that has been slipped in her notebook. She read it and covered her mouth, her heart squeezing.

'I wish that you could see
Through my eyes of gold
How much you mean to me
And all the strength you hold'

She flinched when her teacher lightly hit her desk with his book as he passed by.
"Passing notes?" he asked with that same cold voice.
"N-no! It's my partner, he..." she looked down at the paper, trying not to smile too much, not realizing how naturally the words 'my partner' came out of her mouth. "He wrote me a poem."
"A poem?"
She nodded. He extended a hand. Nervous, she gave it to him. He read it and the most unexpected thing happened: he smiled with a little 'heh'.
"He's a keeper." he said as he handed it back to her.
She blushed.
"...I know." she quietly said as she took the poem back.
"Now, let's focus."

On her way back home, she re-read it multiple times. And although doing so filled her with so much happiness, at some point, she began to feel bad.
'He's doing so much for me, and I barely have the time to say thank you.' she thought. 'When was the last time we properly hung out together...?'

She sighed. Meanwhile, Monkey was going back home from his cooking lesson, and just then, he came face to face with another neighbor, a middle-aged man from the apartment opposite of theirs. They introduced themselves to each-other and the man started talking some more.
"So I heard *you* stay at home and do the chores?"
"Yeah."
"Ohoho my poor guy!" he tapped his arm with the back of his hand. "Must be tough to not have the woman staying at home. She should calm down once you guys are married, so don't worry."
Monkey frowned. He already didn't like this guy.
"I got a lil tip for you." he continued, quickly looking around before leaning closer. "When I don't wanna do something, I ask my wife to show me how to do it and later say 'I just know that if I do it, Imma mess it up'." he winked. "Works everytime."
"So, to justify your laziness, you fake incompetence." Monkey raised an eyebrow.
"Hey man," he frowned. "if I don't wanna do something I simply don't do it."
"Then why don't you just say you don't wanna do it, instead of acting like an idiot?"
There was a moment of silence.

"Oh so you're lazy *and* a coward." he rolled his eyes. "Congratulations, you're a bad husband. And an idiot, if you think escaping doing little chores is an achievement."
"Hey listen here-!"
"*Finally* someone said it!"
They both looked over to see a woman walk up to them.
"Honey, you should go before you embarrass yourself further."
Her husband groaned, glaring at them both before leaving in a hurry.
"Are we sure the crystals around the city are working properly? Because I seem to have married a demon for thirty years." she laughed.
'Geez, imagine marrying someone you don't even like.' he thought, pitying both her and her husband.

"You must be Sun Wukong." she offered her hand for him to kiss the back of. "I'm Lan Ying."
He shook it, she looked shocked but chuckled.
"I've heard so much about you, I'm a *big* fan."
"Understandable." he nodded, smiling.
"Right, and I became even more of a fan yesterday morning, when you jumped out the window and did parkour as a tiger. All so your friend wouldn't be late to school, such dedication."
"She's not just a friend, she's the woman I love. But yeah, anything for her."
"My lord," she slowly took a step closer. "you are just the sweetest-"
"Ah, (Y/n)!" he was pretty unfazed by her behavior, but when he noticed (Y/n) getting off the elevator, his face lit up and he rushed towards her. "Welcome back!"
Lan Ying let out a quiet scoff as he did.

"Monkey." she suddenly became nervous, her face a shade redder. "The...the poem... It's beautiful. Thank you so much."
"Great!" he beamed. "Cause I have more of 'em! I'll slip them in your books when you least expect it." he smirked and giggled, ecstatic at the prospect of wholesome mischief.
She giggled, her heart fluttering.
"I'll expect it all the time then!"
"Nah, don't worry. I'll know when, I know you." he tapped his temple then pointed at her.

"Oh," she looked at Lan Ying. "I'm so sorry for interrupting you in the middle of your conversation."
"It's alright." she waved a hand. "I was just about to ask if you wanted to join a little neighbor gathering we're having throughout the whole floor. It's a thing we do once a year, everyone comes together and brings their own dish. This year, it all happens at our apartment. We would *love* to have you two join us." she smiled.
Monkey glanced at (Y/n), secretly hoping she would say no. She hesitated for a moment.
'I did finish chapter seven earlier than expected. Plus...' she quickly glanced at Monkey. 'I suppose I can pause it for *one* evening.'
"We would love to come!" she smiled and looked at him. "What do you think Monkey?"
He inhaled.
"Sure." he exhaled, smiling. "I'll take this opportunity to show that old bag Wenling how much I've improved!"
He did expect her to say she was too busy to come, so it's not like he could complain. Though he would much rather she spent the little free time she had alone with him.
'But whatever,' he shrugged internally. 'could be fun.'

After getting the date and time, they said goodbye and our two protagonists went back home. Monkey said he'll prepare dinner and went to the kitchen. (Y/n) stood there for a moment, she looked at the door to her bedroom, then at the poem in her hand. Then she followed him to the kitchen with hesitant steps, thinking of something to keep the conversation going.
"So..." she leaned over the counter as he prepared the ingredients he needed. "The poem, you really wrote it? You've never expressed a liking to this kind of thing before."
He thought for a moment, tempted to say yes, but then he sighed.
"Nah, I didn't. There's this girl who owns a poem parlor."
In the apartment next door, Wenling suddenly felt very pissed off for no apparent reason.
"I asked her to write me poems for you, 'cause I know you like to read. And yeah, it's all her. I could take you to her before we leave the city if you want."
"That's..." (Y/n) smiled. "That's so nice Monkey."
"Hey, anything for you." he smiled back.
She blushed.

"And you seemed like you really needed it, after what happened with Cheng Liu."
Her heart dropped, her expression fell and she became more tense. Monkey noticed all of that, confirming that his hunch was correct.
"H-how... You know?"
"I don't, I was hoping you could tell me actually." he faced her. "What happened exactly that got him to be so pissed at you?"
She hesitated, looking down and playing with her fingers. Then she took a deep breath, figuring that talking about it to someone she trusts would make her feel better. She explained everything. Next thing she knew: Monkey, staff in hand and the urge to kill in his head, was in the middle of climbing out the window. And he would've been gone in a flash if it wasn't for (Y/n) grabbing his waist, preventing him from leaving without making her fall off the building.

"Nonononono! Monkey please!" she looked up at him. "Don't!"
"He deserves it." he said, his voice so full of venom it sent a chill down her spine.
At this moment, he looked similar to his 20 year old self.
'Of course it's when he wants to kill.' she thought, frowning slightly.
"Even if he does, it's still murder! Plus I already taught him a lesson, you don't have to intervene, I took care of it!"
"You didn't hear the way he spoke about you."
"So what?! I don't care as long as he leaves me alone, and I made sure of that! So please..."

They both look at each-other for a moment. Eventually, Monkey sighed and stepped back inside, putting his staff aside before embracing her tightly.
"I'm sorry you had to go through this..." he said softly. "I'm sorry you *have* to go through this."
She felt a small twist in her heart, and hugged him back.
"I got used to it."
"That's not a good thing."
"Don't worry~," she leaned back to look at him. "If someone punches, I punch back, remember?" she smiled.
He in fact, did not remember. But he smiled before brushing her hair away from her forehead in order to kiss it.
"I believe you."
She felt her heart jump and she took a step back, her face red.
"G-good! Uh, I-I'll go study now." she stuttered as she walked to her room with stiff movements.
He chuckled, and went back to the kitchen.

'Hard work and determination
Give you your inner fire
It's this winning combination
In you that I admire'

A couple of days later, our two protagonists went to the neighbor gathering. There are four apartments on each floor, so it was them, Lan Ying and her husband, Wenling, and a man who was a blacksmith. They were all very nice and welcoming, although Lan Ying's husband could be a bit too... talkative. Monkey made sure he never speaks to (Y/n) though. Besides, she was busy talking to Wenling, they got along well.
"Thank you so much for teaching Monkey how to cook. I hope he's not too much trouble."
"He can be, but I know how to get him in line." she proudly huffed. "And I have to say," she looked at him. "the dish you brought tonight is very good."
"Haha!" he puffed his chest. "The student has become the master at last!"
She smacked him with a wooden spoon, and although it didn't hurt in the least, it shut him up. The whole table laughed, and the chatting between neighbors continued. At some point Lan Ying brought desert.

"Thank you." (Y/n) nodded as she took her share.
"You're very welcome. Sun Wukong," she leaned closer to him. "you're strong, could you help me with something really quick?"
"With what?" he leaned back.
"Oh nothing much really, I would just like to push a piece of furniture, to kind of rearrange the room and make more space."
"I can do that later, before we leave-"
"The think is, my husband would throw another tantrum if someone else's does it. And right now he's busy drinking." she fluttered her eyelashes. "Pretty please?"
He sighed.
"Fine." he stood up. "Lead the way."
"Where're you guys going?" the blacksmith asked.
"Oh don't wait for us, go ahead and eat." she waved a hand.
"It'll be quick." Monkey said before the two them left.
Wenling had a feeling something was off, (Y/n) was oblivious however, she was just happy to be here and not at her desk for once.

She lead him into the bedroom and invited him to come in before her. He stepped to the middle of the room and looked around, not finding anything wrong with it.
"So which one do you want me to-" click.
He turned around.
"Oh no~" Lan Ying said, a hand to her forehead as she slowly walked to the bed. "the door's locked. I guess we'll have to find... something to do before the others finish desert." she sat on the bed and let her dress slip a little bit, revealing her shoulders, a sly grin on her face.

Monkey was now as pale as a sheet, he was motionless, his mind broken. For a moment he just stared at her with wide eyes. Then, he walked up to the door and ripped it off the wall, ignoring her cry of shock. With a blank mind, he went back to (Y/n), grabbed her by the hand and dragged her out.
"Wha-Monkey?! What's wrong?!"
"We're leaving. Bad, bad, it's bad in here. Very bad. Mh-hmm." he kept shaking his head.
'What did he see in there?' she thought. 'I've never seen him like this.'
Wenling watched them leave, and then noticed Lan Ying coming back, readjusting her collar. When asked what happened, she just shrugs it off, seemingly pissed. Wenling narrowed her eyes.
"You did it again didn't you?" she quietly asked her.
"Well it's not like I expected him to be such a wuss." she whispered between her teeth before faking a smile and resuming dinner.
Wenling shook her head, praying for the young couple to be okay.

Meanwhile, Monkey was still stunned about what he experienced, still shaking his head and walking in circle. (Y/n) was getting worried.
"Monkey? Monkey!"
She stood in front of him and cupped his face in her hands. He flinched at her touch, only now noticing her.
"I don't know what happened back there, but calm down! Please, tell me what's wrong!"
Her look of concern calmed him down, he smiled softly before placing his hands on top of hers, snuggling in her palm.
"I just saw something... very tasteless."
She frowned and leaned back, removing her hands.
"What, did you not like the feng shui of the room or something?"
He burst out laughing.
"Sure yeah!" he said, wiping a tear away.
(Y/n) was still confused, but figured Monkey didn't want to talk about it, so she didn't push it.

.
.
'My own thoughts feel too loud
Whenever you are gone
But know that I am proud
And I'm cheering you on'

(Y/n) covered her face and let out a little squeal when she read this one.
"Another poem?"
"Ah! I'm sorry sir!" she quickly sat straight. "Yes... They're very sweet."
"...You do understand that the midterms are only a week away. You must focus."
"I-I am, I assure you."
"I will be the judge of that."
She gulped. Despite their interactions being as tension-heavy as ever, (Y/n) had to say: she's begun to get used to her teacher. And to his credit, he wasn't insulting her anymore.
'Maybe he finally noticed my efforts...' she hoped. 'Either way, now he treats me like any other students, so I'm glad.'

As established before, things weren't as bad as the beginning, but that's only because now everyone was preparing for their exams. Not even Manshu was giving her sharp remarks as they passed by each-other anymore. As a matter of fact, Manshu has been skipping the chi blocking class for a while now. According to his friends, he was still attending some of his classes, mainly the ones focusing more on medical science. She figured that chi blocking wasn't his main goal here at this school, so she thought it was understandable, but she couldn't help but think...
'What if he skipped class to avoid the teacher, after what happened at his office and the library?'
She lightly shook her head, not wanting to get involved in whatever his deal was.

(Y/n) came back home and studied the hours away. Then, in the middle of the afternoon, she leaned back, dumbfounded.
"I... I'm done." she said under her breath. "I'm all caught up!"
She laughed in disbelief, running a hand through her hair. Almost a month of non-stop work, and now she actually, truly could allow herself a break.
"Monkey?" she stood up and exited the room. "Monkey!"
She looked around the apartment, but couldn't find him.
'Maybe he's with Wenling.'
Just as she was on her way to the door, someone knocked. She opened it.

"Listen here-! Oh." Lan Ying began saying until she realized who she was talking to. "Hello (Y/n), is Sun Wukong here?"
"Hello Lan Ying, no he's not. I was thinking he was at Wenling's and was just about to go ask her."
"Great, let's go together." she smiled.
"What do you want to talk to him about?" she asked as they both walked to the next door.
"Um..." her gaze wandered a little bit. "I want to...ask him about the dish he brought yesterday. It was so delicious, I *must* know what his secret is."
"Oh! I'm glad." she smiled. "He's been working so hard, I'm happy others enjoy the fruits of his labor as much as I do."
"Sure sure." she knocked on the door.

A few seconds passed and Wenling opened the door.
"Hello Wenling." (Y/n) greeted.
"Hi...?" she smiled back at her but gave a weirded out glance to Lan Ying, who was leaned side to side to look inside.
"We were wondering where Monkey was, is he here by any chance?"
She clicked her tongue, then inhaled through her teeth, her eyebrows furrowed.
"No... We were done with his lesson so he left for the market down the street."
"Fantastic, thanks girl!" Lan Ying waved with a flick of the wrist before rushing to the elevator.
"Bye~." (Y/n) waved and nodded to Wenling. "Thank you."
"You...You're not going?"
"I'm not really feeling like going out, I'll just stay in and relax."
"Wha..." she frowned. "Do you not know?"
"Know what?" she tilted her head.
"Oh you sweet child." she looked around before gesturing her to follow her inside.
Confused, (Y/n) stepped in and Wenling closed the door behind them.

A short while later, the door burst open and (Y/n) ran out of the building. She ran to the market and began to frantically look around. Eventually, she saw in the distance Monkey and Lan Ying walking together. Although, if one would watch more closely, she was just following Monkey, trying to convince him of something, he was ignoring her, and she was pissed about it. Just like he was, since she prevented him from shopping in peace, from shopping at all actually (he was this close to yell at her). But (Y/n) ignored all these context clues and went straight for it as soon as she saw them.
"Monkey!"
"Huh?" he looked over.
Before he could say anything, she wrapped her arms around his. Her eyebrows furrowed but with an intense look in her eyes.
"Let's go on a date!" she exclaimed, louder than expected.
Both him and Lan Ying (along with the people around them) looked at her with big eyes. She glared at her neighbor.
"Either talk to your husband or leave him!" she pulled Monkey closer. "Do whatever you want with your relationship but leave my monkey man out of it!"

Monkey gasped, sparks in his eyes and his cheeks dusted with pink. Lan Ying scoffed in shock and (Y/n) left, dragging 'her man' with her, before she could say anything. Monkey began letting out a scream, which soon turned into joyful laughter.
"Don't laugh!" (Y/n) tugged on his arm as she kept walking. "How come you didn't tell me what she did?!"
"I," he wiped a tear away. "I was too shocked to even process what happened!"
She huffed. He laughed again.
"Oh my lord!" he pointed at her. "You're jealous!"
"No, I'm pissed off! What she did is just so, so... Rude! On so many levels! She had guests right next door!"
He snickered. It was then he noticed the way (Y/n) was looking around, sometimes stopping to figure out where to go in order for them to be alone. But there were just too many people everywhere.
'I only know the way to Guangfu Xue.' she furrowed her eyebrows, growing slightly panicked. 'I never got to go out outside of my street.'

"Are you lost?"
She didn't respond and avoided eye contact, embarrassed. Monkey's expression softened.
"I know my way around, I can find a spot."
She looked up and came up with an idea.
"No need." she let go of his arm. "Come on."
She walked up to a tall building and started to climb it. Monkey didn't expect that and burst out laughing. As she went higher and higher, a crowd gathered to look at her. Some were impressed, others were panicked.
"Miss!" a man called out.
"Yes?!" she stopped and looked down.
"You can't just climb buildings like that!"
"Why not?!"
"It's dangerous!"
"Don't worry! I'm a good climber!" she said before continuing on.
"Still, that's not-!"
"Well, if you don't like it, you can go pick her up right now." Monkey smirked with a raised eyebrow.
The man stuttered, his eyes darting around. Monkey let out 'heh' before turning into a bird and flying to the top of the building. Once on the roof, he turned back to normal and she soon joined him. He was smiling, but it faded when he saw the look on her face. She looked him in the eyes, and for a moment she hesitated to speak.

"I... Look, I know what I said." she clenched the edges of her tunic. "That I didn't want... a relationship. And I know I've been too busy for us to even hang out like we used to. And I know I'm not as pretty as her, and I'm not that strong either but... I'll get there! I'll get there someday. So..." she looked down, her lips pursued before looking back at him, her cheeks dusted with pink. "Please wait for me until then."
The wind gently blew. Monkey sighed, rubbing the back of his neck.
"I'm glad you're bringing this up actually." he said. "Because last time, I didn't get the chance to say it..."
(Y/n) felt nervous hearing this, she gulped as he walked up to her. He took her hands in his and looked her in the eyes.
"(Y/n), I've told you before, you are the strongest person I've ever met." he spoke sternly before leaning back. "And it's actually mind-boggling to me that you're not seeing that! You should really take a page out of my book."
'I read enough book as it is.' she couldn't help but joke in her head. 'So...what he said wasn't another hallucination after all.'

"Do you trust me?"
"Yes."
"Do you trust my judgement?"
"...If it's not clouded yes."
"Then listen to me right now: you kick ass, you melt hearts, and you are the best - Do you really think I would've fallen in love with you if you weren't the best?" he tugged on her hands.
Her blushing intensified, but she looked down.
"But...that doesn't count. Your judgement is clouded by your...love. It makes you see all these qualities in me, and it multiplies them."
He sighed. He gently lifted her chin to make her look at him.
"On the contrary. It's because I saw all these things that makes you you that I fell in love."

There was a pause, during which they maintained eye contact. (Y/n), although his words made her happy, didn't seem convinced yet.
"And I'll prove it to you right now." Monkey stepped back and pointed at her, a big smile forming on his face. "Because, as you said, we are going on a date!"
"Huh?! Wha-I-I just said it as an excuse to get away from Lan Ying!"
"You said it! No backsies!" he said as he walked to the edge of the roof and scanned the area, looking for a location. "Let's start with some food shall we? Can't go around the town with an empty stomach."
He went back to her and offered his hand. When he was searching, (Y/n) was panicking in her corner. Now, the bright smile on his face calmed her down. She smiled back and took his hand. He suddenly pulled her and put her on his back.
"Hold on tight!" he exclaimed before running and jumping from roof to roof.
"Why don't you turn into a tiger like last time?"
"I don't feel like it right now!"
She laughed.

.
They went to a restaurant, whose owner, a tall beefy horned demon, apparently knew Monkey. When he saw him, he rushed over and hugged him tightly, lifting him off the ground.
"Wukong! You beautiful bastard, you finally did it! You brought her!" he put him down and faced (Y/n). "It's very nice to meet you, Wukong speaks of you with nothing but praises." he shook her hands.
"O-oh, thank you." she blinked twice, flustered. "How do you know each-other?"
"He saved my restaurant! I was *this* close to going down under, so I lowered my prices."
"You didn't just lower them, it was little to nothing!" Monkey said, leaning towards her. "Ten coins for an all-you-can-eat dinner, can you believe it?"
"Oh that's not good." her eyebrows furrowed. "You should never underprice yourself like that."
"Not like I complained honestly, I went in there and dug in!"
"And people would stick around to see how much more he could take." the demon chef continued. "I told them 'if you're gonna stay, order somethin'', so they did, and they stayed for the food! Others were like 'well if he's eating so much, then it must be delicious'! And just like that, business was boomin'!"
"Yeah, you're welcome, could we get a table already?"
"Right! Right away, right this way!" he walked them to a table, with a sign that said 'date-table, for dates only' with a bunch of hearts. "Right here." he smiled at them, removing the sign.

"Thank you very much." (Y/n) said as her and Monkey sat down.
"So what will it be lovebirds?" because he was so tall, he crouched down to be at eye level as he took out a little notebook. "Free of charge."
She blushed.
"Get her some chow mein, make sure it has..." he then proceeded to list off the details in which she liked her chow mein that he picked up while cooking for her.
The horned demon wrote in all down with incredible speed, nodding along.
"As for me," Monkey leaned back. "give me the usual, except only a tenth of it. I don't want (Y/n) to wait for me to finish."
She smiled.
"Got'chu covered! Be right back!" the demon gave a thumb up before leaving them.
He came back ten seconds later with a candle and placed it on the table to enhance the mood. He gave them an okay sign but quickly leaving once again. (Y/n) nervously chuckled.

"This is very cozy." she looked around.
"You should've seen it when I first came here." Monkey rested his head in his palm. "Was about just as bad as that abandoned house we went to that one time."
They laughed. She was glad he was comfortable enough to joke about this night.
"Come on, it wasn't all ba- uh..." she scratched her cheek. "I mean, I've never partied and drank alcohol before."
He smiled.
"Well I'm glad I was your first."
She loudly gagged, her face red.
"What?" he blinked twice, tilting his head as she covered her face.
"S-seriously, do you think before you speak?!" she whispered harshly, hoping no one heard him.
"What do you mean? I thought that little ghost-hunting bit was very fun too, before it got serious of course. Learning you're afraid of ghosts, that was truly a gift you gave me."

She frowned, pouting. He snickered.
'Never letting that one go huh?'
"Next time, we'll find some *real* ghosts and we'll go on a real ghost adventure!"
"No! Nu-hu, never!" she intensely shook her head.
He snickered again.
"Say," he leaned a bit closer. "if you're scared of ghosts, what do you do every year on the Ghost Festival then?"
She glanced to the side.
"As soon as I offer my offerings and pay homage to my father, I run over to Bao's house, and then Shen and Wu-peng join us and we have a sleepover."
He burst out laughing, hitting the table a couple of times.
"Your dad must be so pissed, coming to his shrine and you're just not there!"
"No! He understands, he knows." she folded her arms. "He's my father after all."

Monkey thought for a moment.
"I still can't tell what's your deal with them? You do know ghosts can't harm humans right?"
"You don't know that. Have you seen one?"
"Have you?"
"...I've heard stories."
"We both know that doesn't mean anything." he smiled.
"I heard they harm you if you disrespect them."
"Nonsense. I've disrespected plenty of ghosts, and they've never came at me once."
"That's... probably because you're Sun Wukong, and no one dares to try and 'come at you'."
He puffed his chest with a content smile. His reaction made her chuckle. He then realized something, just then, their food arrived. One bowl for each, plus three plates for Monkey.

"Now wait a minute!" he waved a hand. "As much as I'm one of my favorite subjects of conversation, this date isn't about me. This is a date to make you see how awesome *you* are."
"I-Is this really a date? We're just having dinner."
"It is. This is a date (Y/n)." he tapped his finger on the table. "A romantic date, a rendez-vous, a meet cute, a appointment with love-"
"Okay okay I get it!" she waved her hands, blushing.
His thought as he took the first bite of his food. He didn't realized he was staring at her, but she sure noticed.
'Please stop! I can't eat like this!' she screamed in her head. 'The dinner, the candles, this whole date deal is too much for me to handle!'

"You ever been on a date before?" he finally asked.
"Huh? Uh... Once, but only as a man."
He just hummed.
"H-have you?"
"Plenty."
"Wait, really?" she blinked twice, not expecting that.
"Yeah, back on Flower Fruit Mountain, I was asked on dates all the time. No surprise there." he shrugged with a smug smile. "But I didn't even know the different between a platonic and a romantic date. Led to a lot of heartbreaks. Haha~!"
"So you've never...asked someone on a date before?"
He thought for a moment.
"I did once asked a turtle if she wanted to be my queen." he casually said.
(Y/n) choked on her drink, followed by a mix of coughing and laughing.

"What?!?!?!" she leaned closer. "A turtle?!"
"Yep, I was one, I just got crowned King." his gaze wandered with a nostalgic smile. "Then I found her and I thought 'this is the one, the perfect match'."
"I... Monkey, I *must* know. What did she say?"
"She never answered."
She burst out laughing. He chuckled at her reaction.
"But I get it, we both had a lot of responsibilities, she had a lot on her shoulders."
"Oh no~, your first heartbreak." she said with a little voice, trying not to laugh.
"I got over it," he shrugged. "we became good friends after that."
She kept laughing. Monkey was happy to see her more comfortable, that's when he understood something.
'If I want her to understand, it won't be through a big speech. But through actions and quality time. Those are two things I'm an expert at! Great!'

And so, our two protagonists continued their dinner, chatting, joking, bantering, all that jazz. They said goodbye to the owner, who told them to come back anytime, and they left the restaurant.
"This was fun." (Y/n) stretched and looked up at the dusk sky. "Alright, home we go."
"What are you saying?"
She looked at him.
"This is only the beginning." he held her hand, making her blush. "I will give you a tour of the whole city! Here we go!"
'Oh boy...' she smiled with furrowed eyebrows as he dragged her along with him.
Monkey's enthusiasm was contagious however, and the more new things he showed her, the more excited she became. They went to the night market and admired the variety of items and shops. They couldn't afford any, but they didn't hesitate to try the sample foods and the hats. By the end, (Y/n) was the one who dragged him along, very much in an explorer mood. He chuckled and then noticed something.

"Hey." he stopped.
Since she was holding his hand, (Y/n) stumbled a bit before looking back at him. He pointed at a sign someone was holding. It was an advertisement for a theater nearby.
"Wanna go there? I know the owner too."
"The theater? Didn't you say you hated plays since all the actions is either 'two people standing around monologuing', or done off set?"
"Yeah, but that doesn't matter." they started walking. "It's not about what you're doing, but who you're doing it with."
She gasped.
"Aww~!" she placed her available hand over her heart.
He huffed, proud of himself for coming up with that line up front.

Monkey told (Y/n) to stand at a certain distance while he talked to the theater's manager. She couldn't hear what they were saying, but from the look on the manager's face and from Monkey's frantic moves, this didn't look good. He would sometimes waved his hands or point at her but the manager kept shaking his head. Eventually, Monkey raised his hands which were shaking in frustration, clearly wanting to strangle the man, but he then exhaled loudly, dropping his arms and hunching over a bit. Then he turned around, his back straight, and walked back to (Y/n) as the manager walked inside the building.
"We're good to go!" he smiled.
"Are we?" she raised an eyebrow.
"Yeah~!" he turned into a butterfly and landed on her shoulder. "Come on, let's go!"
She blew air on him, making him fly away, he 'stood' in front of her face.

"Monkey. What did you do exactly?"
"Okay, remember when I said the action in plays suck?" she nodded. "Well, one time they made a play about me - because of course - and they saw me and asked for my expertise. Straight from the source y'know, I respect that. I took the opportunity to give them some pointers for the action, and they started yelling at me and kicked me out! Saying stupid stuff like it's not 'aytickle' or whatever!" he rolled his eyes.
"...I think they meant 'ethical'. And yeah that's not good." (Y/n) shook her head.
"Right?! Like, excuse me for helping your lousy plays and dumb directing choices."
'That's not what I meant! What did you say to the- actually, I don't think I wanna know.' she shook her head and sighed.
"I'm not sneaking you in Monkey, I'm sure we can find another theater you're not banned from."
"Good luck with that." a passerby said. "Almost every theater in the city is booked tonight."

"Why?"
"Why?! The new play in The Gods and The Beasts saga came out! No way any true fan is gonna miss it!" he leaned closer and spoke more quietly. "There's a theory that the main leader of the Beasts is gonna die, but I call bull. He's been here since even *before* the theatrical universe became a thing, there's no way they'd get rid of him like that. Especially after he became a mentor to one of the Gods after he lost his place in the Heavenly realm by the second movie of the God's trilogy."
"...What?" (Yn) frowned.
"Oh, you clearly haven't watched the twenty-seven plays. I could give you a list if you want, so you can watch them in chronological order."
"Uh...no thank you."
"Yeah," Monkey turned back into his real form. "your theater universe thingy sounds confusing as hell. Therefore it's stupid. Come on (Y/n)." he took her hand.
"Yeah, there's got to be *one* theater available somewhere."
"Oh."

.
"(Y/n), I'll be honest." he said, his arms folded. "Despite what I said, I was kinda hoping we'd move on from plays-"
"Ssssh~!" her, along with the children, hushed.
He sighed. He wouldn't have expected her to be so into public puppet shows for kids, but at least she looked happy.
"I guess it's better than most plays," he mumbled to himself. "since you can actually *see* the fights. Still the story is way too simple it's almost stupi- Woah is that me?!?!?!" his face lit up as he pointed at his puppet which just entered the stage.
"It's you!" (Y/n) shouted as well, while the kids cheered. "You have a cameo!"
"Oh sick! Kick their butts, me!"
Indeed, the Monkey King made an appearance in the story, just when everything seemed lost for our heroes. He came in with an inspiring speech and helped the characters in their final battle against the dark forces. Turned out he was disguised as an old man since the beginning, the one who spoke very cryptic words and made bad puns.
"Who could've seen that coming?!?!?!" Monkey held his head in disbelief.
'Incredible how having him featured in the play in a very flattering role is all it takes to change his mind.' she thought, laughing. 'Actually, no surprise there.'

Our two protagonists joined the children in their reactions to the simple twists and turns in the play, ignoring the strange looks passerbies would give them. The parents were happy however. After the play, some of them encouraged their kids to ask Monkey for an autograph or a high-five, even asked him to do a trick. He did do some of those things. At some point he played a posing battle with his own puppet, which got a little crazy, but it was a lot of fun to watch. It ended in a tie.
"Sorry kids, but I have to leave now." he said at some point, crouched in front of the kids.
They let out a collective 'oww~'.
"I'm on a date right now, I have to go." he gestured towards (Y/n), then leaned a bit closer with a mischievous smirk. "Unless you want to watch us give each-other a bunch of kisses?!"
"Eww~!" their face twisted and they all ran back to their parents.
He waved goodbye with a smile before going back to (Y/n).
"What did you tell them?" she asked.
"Nothin'." his smile widen.

.
After that, they encountered a small band that was doing a public concert. Only a few people have stopped to listen so far, but when our two protagonists started dancing, it attracted more people and soon enough, a small crowd has joined. Which then escalated into a block party. Since they were dancing individually, our two protagonists at some point lost each-other. (Y/n) kept searching but couldn't find him, so she decided to step away from the crowd, which was difficult, but she eventually squeezed herself out of there. She stumbled but caught herself right on time. She huffed a sigh before noticing someone she wouldn't have expected to see here. Manshu. He was looking around, as if to make sure no one was watching. She turned around, hoping he didn't see her. When she glanced over her shoulder, she saw him entering an alleyway. And she noticed he was holding something...
"A shovel...?"
"Ah, (Y/n)! Here you are!"

She flinched in surprised and looked over to see Monkey walking up to her. Now that they took a step back, they realized how much their little dance party escalated and laughed. The band must be having the night of their life right now. They walked a bit farther away for (Y/n) to catch her breath.
"That was so much fun Monkey, thank you so much." she smiled.
Monkey's heart skipped a beat. By now, it was nighttime, and the street lanterns bathed them in a gentle orange glow. He smiled.
"It's still not over yet. I got something for you."
He took a hand and placed something inside. It was a piece of paper, (Y/n)'s heart beat faster as she began reading. And it exploded.

'Though darkness may abound
And I may lose my sight
I know I will be found
Because you are my light.'

She kept her head down, re-reading it a few times.
"That one's more personal. It reflects the feelings I have for you." Monkey said. "I wanted to keep it for a special occasion, figured now was a good ti-"
He let out a small 'oomph' when she suddenly embraced him tightly, her face buried in his shoulder. He chuckled and hugged her back, his mouth pressed on the side of her head. She leaned back at looked into his eyes with pursued lips and glassy eyes, trying not to cry. At this moment, there was so much she wanted to say to him, about the last month, their journey together, everything he did for her, her feelings for him. But it was too much, it was all stuck in her throat and chest.
'Still, I have to do *something*!'

She cupped his face with her hands. Monkey's eyes widen, seeing her shaking. They stayed like this for a moment that felt longer. Eventually, she closed her eyes and kissed him on the cheek.
"Eh?"
"I..." she said, her face red. "I accept your feelings! Once I'm ready, I-I'll come to you and return them properly!"
Monkey blinked twice, he didn't really pay attention to what she just said though. When she removed her hands, he cupped her face in his hands.
"You missed." he said with a stern voice and an intense look in his eyes.
"Huh?" she blinked twice.

Her eyes widen when he began to bring his face closer to hers. Panicking and not knowing what to do, she covered her mouth with the poem. But because Monkey has closed his eyes, he didn't notice. He reopened them when he felt the paper on his lips. Although the paper was preventing them from truly kissing, in that brief moment, they felt a gentle warmth being pressed on each-other's lips. Monkey leaned back, processing what just happened as (Y/n) face turned as red as a tomato. And yet her eyes were sparkling. She seemed at a complete loss for words. After a moment, he let out a heartfelt laughter.
"You know what," he said, letting go of her face. "I'll take it."
He started to walk away and she just watched him. She looked down at the poem, touching her lips with her other hand.
"(Y/n)?"
"Ah! Y-yes!" she rushed to join him.
The two of them will remember this night fondly, forever.

[3 parts??? Believe me, I didn't expect it either, but 30 pages is kind of my personal limit for a chapter, so yeah!
I'd like to thank ObviousNinja for all these wonderful poems, she did an incredible job 🥰 the character of Da-Xia also belongs to her. Think of it like a guest star!
And while we're at it, I wanna thank Coralia and her friend Coffee for coming up with Guangfu Xue's name 💖
Don't worry though, part three should be shorter than the other two, so it should be out sooner than expected! See ya~ love you guys~ 💖]