Chapter 7

5:00 AM (2)

As Xu Muzi lazily replied “just woke up,” Deng Yun took a couple of sips from the can of cold tea that was covered in frost.

His Adam’s apple moved as droplets of condensed frost water slid down his chin and fell to the floor.

Hearing Xu Muzi’s voice, Deng Yun shifted his attention to her while still drinking the tea.

He lowered his gaze and made eye contact with her.

Xu Muzi had been accustomed for years to using a certain brand of sweet almond shower products, which had a special, subtle fragrance.

What she didn’t know was that this faint scent, mixed with the smell of medicinal oil, had once clung to Deng Yun’s clothes when she was afraid, lingering for a long time.

In the dim light of the projection, Xu Muzi hugged a mushroom-shaped pillow and nodded off after bobbing her head a few times like a chick pecking at rice.

What she didn’t realize was that when Deng Yun had covered her with a blanket in the past, she had unconsciously grabbed his hand tightly.

Of course, she also didn’t know that when she found warmth and naturally curled up under that thin blanket, only her ankles were left exposed.

During the mountain trek, her ankle had been scraped by the wheel of her suitcase, and it had turned red from the irritation of the bathwater.

This made him frown and glance at her a couple more times.

Xu Muzi was completely unaware of this and only felt that Deng Yun’s gaze was calm, and the words following it suddenly got stuck.

An indescribable atmosphere flowed in the air, reminiscent of the dream where she stood at the entrance of Deng Yun’s house, facing the person in loose home clothes, filled with ambiguous tension.

But when that incident occurred in reality, there hadn’t been any romantic undertones between them.

There should… be none, right?

Xu Muzi averted her gaze.

Raindrops washed the glass windows, and a snail slowly crawled up the damp wall with its shell, only to retract its eyes and antennae when splashed by the dripping water.

Then, a door opened in the corridor—

A girl walked out, pouting and muttering, “In this weather, we definitely won’t see the sunrise.”

The girl looked at the pale crimson sky buried in gray clouds and sighed in disappointment.

A boy also emerged from the same door and paused by the window to check the weather.

He comforted the girl, saying, “If the rain stops tonight, I’ll accompany you to watch the sunset.”

The appearance of others interrupted the strange atmosphere between them.

Xu Muzi finally had the chance to finish her sentence: “I plan to go back to my room to rest. How about you?”

Deng Yun shook the nearly empty can of cold tea in his hand and nodded, “Same.”

It had been her idea to watch a movie; she was the one who needed company when she was scared, and now she was ready to head back to her room. She wondered if Deng Yun would be unhappy about it.

Xu Muzi still asked, “Are you tired too?”

“Not tired. I’m going back to take a shower.”

“… Oh.”

They didn’t say anything more and walked down the stairs side by side.

The inn had many guests, and even though it was just a little past five, it was already losing its quiet atmosphere.

From the milky white doors, sounds could be faintly heard:

The rushing sound of water from washing up, the sound of the television, and the voices of guests talking…

Someone dressed in a raincoat was pushing two large suitcases out, apparently planning to check out.

The person had too much luggage, so Xu Muzi and Deng Yun had no intention of squeezing into the elevator and silently headed for the stairs instead.

Each floor had directional signs next to the elevator and stairwell. She caught sight of a game room sign and casually asked, “What games are played in the game room?”

Deng Yun replied, “The ones you’re good at.”

“I’m good at…”

Xu Muzi repeated this, tilting her head in confusion to look at Deng Yun’s profile. Seeing a faint smile on his lips made her realize what he was referring to.

One of the benefits of playing the piano from a young age was that she had developed exceptional hand-eye coordination. Most games relied on quick reflexes and speed, which were her strengths.

As a girl who could skillfully play “Flight of the Bumblebee,” even without practical experience, winning at arcade games like soccer machines, tabletop air hockey, or whack-a-mole would be easy for her.

She had even beaten Deng Yun before.

Having had a rare victory in front of him, Xu Muzi felt in a good mood, and her eyes curved with a smile.

There was a steady sound of footsteps downstairs; it was Xia Xia, who was giving a tour to new arrivals, and they met her on the staircase between the second and third floors.

The stairway corridor was narrow, and Xu Muzi and Deng Yun were originally leaning against opposite sides, leaving a small gap between them.

When they encountered Xia Xia and the others, they both had to move closer to the right side.

Their shadows, elongated by the light streaming in from the corner’s floor-to-ceiling window, overlapped as they turned sideways to let Xia Xia pass.

Xu Muzi had practiced piano for years, and her shoulders and neck had developed some occupational ailments from prolonged sitting and overwork. On rainy days, the cold air made her feel even worse, so her habitual action when resting was to reach her hand back into her hair to massage her neck.

After they passed each other and went down a few steps, Xia Xia called out to her, “Oh, Xu Muzi.”

Xu Muzi turned around, “Hmm?”

Deng Yun was right behind her, and with the limited space, when she suddenly stopped and turned, her elbow bumped into him.

“The mountains have a lot of mosquitoes. The mosquito repellent liquid left at the front desk is for you. I noticed you didn’t take it when you went upstairs; you should really use it, the mosquitoes here are quite vicious.”

Xu Muzi glanced at Deng Yun, knowing he wouldn’t take such a light bump to heart, so she lowered her arms and said, “Okay, thank you. I’ll go get it now.”

Behind Xia Xia was a boy with tanned skin; it was unclear which hot region he came from. He was dressed very refreshingly in shorts and a tank top, with a bath towel draped over him, probably given by Xia Xia.

The boy chimed in, “Did you prepare mosquito repellent for me too? I’m a mosquito magnet and really need it.”

Xia Xia continued to lead them upstairs, saying, “It’s prepared. I’ll give it to you along with your room key after checking in.”

They didn’t return to walking side by side but instead walked one behind the other to the corner on the second floor.

Deng Yun patted Xu Muzi on the shoulder from behind. When she turned, he tilted his head slightly, indicating that he had arrived.

Xu Muzi nodded, and Deng Yun turned to leave.

Does Deng Yun also stay on the second floor?

Xu Muzi went downstairs to get the mosquito repellent and threw herself onto her bed as soon as she returned to her room.

Previously, due to business or competition, the Xu and Deng families had maintained a close relationship.

At that time, there was no need for special attention, and she could always hear news about Deng Yun.

Or, occasionally, she would have some contact with him.

Just like that time she returned the ceramic dishes.

That year, Deng Yun’s mother brought homemade hometown dishes to her house, clearly stating that the dishes used to hold the food could be kept if Xu Muzi’s mother liked them.

All those dishes were custom-made by the Deng family through a pottery manufacturer, and the quality was quite good.

Xu Muzi’s mother probably thought that Deng Yun’s mother was showing off, so she certainly wouldn’t keep those ceramic dishes.

Not only did she refuse to keep them, but she also had a little trick up her sleeve: among the ceramics returned were some plates carefully chosen by Xu Muzi’s mother.

It was like a deliberate attempt to show: “Look, we also have fine pottery of excellent craftsmanship.”

When Deng Yun’s mother called Xu Muzi’s mother, she must have pretended to be nonchalant, saying something like, “I must have misplaced it by mistake,” or “If you like it, just keep it,” or “We have plenty at home,” something along those lines.

That’s how it came to be that one evening, before their elders returned, Deng Yun rang the doorbell of her house holding a plate.

However, ever since their family’s business encountered problems, Xu Muzi hadn’t heard her parents mention anything about the Deng family.

That year was unfortunate; their business faced significant setbacks.

Especially for her family, which had never taken many risk-avoidance measures, no one had ever considered that one day the building would come crashing down during their days of eating, drinking, and having fun.

Their alliance fell apart, and the once close neighbors had almost lost all contact due to bankruptcy and disputes.

The villa was sold, and her family had spent years living in hardship due to financial losses.

It wasn’t until this year that the Xu family’s business began to improve a bit. Xu Muzi heard her parents say it was thanks to a benefactor.

She didn’t know how Deng Yun’s family was doing now.

And she didn’t know whether Deng Yun had become the academic researcher his parents had hoped for.

But since Deng Yun had been staying at the inn for a week, he must also have some worries that were hard to resolve, right?

Running into Deng Yun was such an unexpected event, making Xu Muzi constantly think about these things related to him.

Once she realized this, she quickly slapped her forehead.

She thought to herself that it was ridiculous; how Deng Yun was doing had nothing to do with her.

Xu Muzi silently warned herself not to turn into the gossip-loving type like her elders.

As she contemplated this, she rolled over onto a stack of papers and picked up the comic guide to study. Finally, her attention was diverted, and she discovered that there were quite a few fun things nearby.

The entire valley was within the territory of their inn.

There was an area of bamboo forest where one could dig for bamboo shoots, and a pine forest area where one might spot squirrels.

In the pine forest, mushrooms could be picked this season. However, to eat them, one would have to bring them back for the staff to help identify whether they were poisonous.

Additionally, there was a berry garden between the bamboo and pine forests, where there were wild strawberries, raspberries, mulberries, and blackberries…

A cartoon character with big eyes specifically labeled a picture, saying:

“Caution, this is a snake berry. Eating it will cause diarrhea and stomach pain. Please do not eat it!”

Xu Muzi was very interested in these berries, but the rain outside showed no signs of stopping.

Looking at the suitcase spread open on the floor, she saw it was filled with thin summer clothes that wouldn’t keep her warm at all.

Perhaps she could ask Deng Yun for a small favor and see if he had a thick coat to lend her.

But she didn’t have his contact information.

Thinking about it more carefully, having his contact wouldn’t really help; it wasn’t as if she could actually call him.

Asking for clothes was far more intimate than watching a movie together in the public area of the inn.

Especially since the last time she wore his clothes, it was under such circumstances.

Maybe it would be better to wait for the rain to stop; perhaps the sunlight would warm things up a bit.

Xu Muzi checked the weather forecast.

Great, it said there would be rain for the next few days.

Today, there wouldn’t be a break in the rain; only between ten in the morning and noon would the rain ease up a bit.

When Deng Yun came downstairs, Xu Muzi was at the front desk, wearing a white dress with two short-sleeved tops over it. She looked bulky, but it wasn’t very useful.

Xia Xia was urging her to wear more clothes.

Xu Muzi was discussing with Xia Xia whether she could wear the bathrobe from her room as an outer layer if Xia Xia trusted her.

That was totally fine.

Xia Xia didn’t even need to hesitate about it; there was only their inn in the mountains, and Xu Muzi’s luggage was there. Did they really think she would covet a worthless bathrobe?

However, before Xia Xia could speak, she caught a glimpse of Deng Yun at the stairway.

The experienced staff member was quick-witted and smoothly changed the subject: “A bathrobe won’t keep you warm. Or, you could borrow some clothes from a friend?”

“Friend?”

“I see that you know Mr. Deng.”

Xu Muzi leaned over the front desk and decisively waved her hand: “I think I’ll just wear the bathrobe; I’m not friends with Deng Yun.”