I leaned back slowly, one arm resting on the wooden armrest, the other relaxed against my lap, and I let my eyes settle on him properly as if I was finally giving myself permission to study the person who had been behaving like a problem I could not quite place since the moment we arrived in this village.
Yan Mo, on the other hand, stood exactly as he always did, calm, straight, and unreadable, with that same quiet expression that never seemed to rise or fall no matter what situation he was placed in, as if nothing in the world had enough weight to disturb his balance.
For a moment, neither of us spoke.
Then I let out a soft scoff, tilting my head slightly as I broke the silence first.
"You are very difficult to understand," I said bluntly, my tone carrying that familiar edge that usually made people either explain themselves quickly or step back entirely, but he did neither of those things.
Instead, he simply looked at me.
