Chapter 36

7:00 PM (1)

When the topic of blind dates came up, Xu Muzi felt a bit frustrated, poking at a piece of mushroom on her plate with her chopsticks, listening to another girl beside her vent about similar troubles.

The girl said her family elders were even more exaggerated, claiming they had insomnia because she wasn’t dating. They constantly complained about not sleeping well and would mention that some neighbor’s daughter was already pregnant with her second child, while she didn’t even have a boyfriend.

The girl grumbled, “Not having a boyfriend is obviously because I haven’t met the right person. Do they want me to just settle, argue every day, and cause chaos, so they can finally sleep well? I really don’t understand what the elders are thinking.”

Xu Muzi raised her hand like a good student. “Agreed.”

Xing Pengjie shared his view on relationships, “I think you should never settle in a relationship. If you’re going to date, it should be with someone you truly like, and the feelings should be mutual.”

Xu Muzi raised her hand again. “Agreed.”

Dinner was simple home-style dishes and didn’t take long; they were almost finished within ten minutes.

Still enjoying the atmosphere, a few people suggested that since the power was still out, they shouldn’t go back to their rooms just yet. They might as well play some games together to pass the time.

Xu Muzi was still nibbling on the mushroom she’d picked up earlier.

She hadn’t planned on joining them, and kept reminding herself not to look over at Deng Yun and the woman in the suit.

But as she thought about it, she realized her image in Deng Yun’s mind might not be great:

If it wasn’t being hit by a gun and ending up with a swollen face, it was swelling from wisdom tooth surgery.

Vomiting, getting drunk, suffering from respiratory alkalosis, losing in a stone-skipping contest with a kid and having to buy ice cream…

She really wasn’t coming across as particularly charming.

The only highlights she could think of were related to playing the piano—things that didn’t fit with the current situation at all.

And even if there was a piano, bringing it up out of nowhere might seem a bit forced, wouldn’t it?

But how could she bring these things up naturally? At the very least, she wanted Deng Yun to know that the job she had found was actually quite good…

A lot of people were interested in joining the post-dinner activities, so they couldn’t play cards anymore. Xing Pengjie suggested some simple interactive games to get to know each other better.

Maybe she should get Deng Yun to play something with them too?

At seven o’clock sharp, the music clock chimed.

The conversations in the dining room were briefly interrupted by the music. Xu Muzi, still plotting her little plan, turned her head unconsciously along with the music—

Deng Yun was already back, sitting leisurely in his chair, sipping cold tea.

She was so startled she nearly dropped her chopsticks. “When did you come back?”

Deng Yun held up three fingers.

Xu Muzi looked puzzled. “What do you mean, are you swearing?”

“When you said that your family introduced you to three blind dates this year and that there might even be a fourth one.”

“…Then why didn’t you say anything when you came back and just sat here silently?”

Deng Yun chuckled with his cup in hand. “You looked really into the conversation, so I didn’t interrupt.”

“Oh, by the way, Deng Yun…”

“Yes?”

Xu Muzi hesitated, but eventually scooted her chair closer, covering her mouth with her hand as she leaned in to whisper to Deng Yun.

“The others suggested playing games on the first floor. Would you be interested in joining?”

She hadn’t expected him to agree.

After all, with the earlier wine, mushroom picking, and card games, he hadn’t shown any interest in participating.

Deng Yun set his cup down on the table, and the flame of the nearest candle flickered for a moment.

To her surprise, he casually replied, “Sure.”

Just then, Xing Pengjie called over, “Xu Muzi, are you two joining?”

Xu Muzi glanced at Deng Yun, who looked back with a smile. She turned and told Xing Pengjie they’d join, but couldn’t resist looking back at Deng Yun. He was still looking down with a smile.

“You seem to be in a pretty good mood?”

“Indeed, I am.”

Xu Muzi felt a small pang of jealousy.

She thought, “He’s never been this happy after hugging or kissing me… I wonder what magic that lady in the suit has that put him in such a good mood?”

The guesthouse had staff specifically for the dining area, and when Summer saw they’d finished eating, she called her colleagues over to clean up.

The cups and plates clinked as Xu Muzi and the others moved to the sofas in the common area, gathering more chairs to sit around together.

Xing Pengjie, being considerate, remembered Xu Muzi’s earlier worried expression and felt a bit like playing matchmaker.

Seeing Xu Muzi sitting next to Deng Yun, he had an idea. “Let’s start with spin the bottle to warm up, and then we can play Werewolf.”

Hearing this, Xu Muzi noticed Xing Pengjie giving her a sly wink.

She immediately straightened up, feeling a bit guilty about going along with the plan.

The spin-the-bottle questions were mostly questions other guests had looked up online. Initially, everyone was polite, asking questions about education, skills, and most embarrassing moments—questions that were harmless.

When the bottle pointed at Xu Muzi, she got the question, “What are you good at?” Her eyes sparkled instantly.

Xing Pengjie, sitting across from her like a strategist, gave her a look, encouraging her to brag a bit.

“I’m good at playing the piano.”

The guy with messy hair, who had slept all afternoon during the storm, chimed in with puffy eyes, “Xu Muzi studied music and has perfect pitch. She’s amazing! This morning, she even played ‘The Sun Shines Bright’ by pressing random buttons on the washing machine or dryer.”

One of the girls from dinner asked, “Xu Muzi, did you study piano specifically?”

Caught off guard, Xu Muzi nodded. “Yes.”

“Are you still studying now?”

“No, I graduated this year.”

Someone asked if it was hard to find a job with a piano major, but was promptly nudged by the person next to them for bringing up a touchy subject.

Xu Muzi answered calmly, “It can be a bit challenging, but I was fairly lucky.”

She wasn’t the type to talk about things openly, whether good or bad, unlike her mother.

But… since the topic had come this far…

She took a breath and, without looking around, added, “One of the professors at my school recommended me, and I got into a national symphony orchestra.”

Fortunately, everyone was supportive, and the compliments made Xu Muzi’s ears burn. Someone even asked if they could get tickets to a concert.

Seeing his plan succeed, Xing Pengjie raised the empty bottle, saying, “Hold up, we’ve asked Muzi way too many questions! You’re making her blush—let’s start over!”

For the next few rounds, the bottle didn’t land on Xu Muzi or Deng Yun.

With his height, Deng Yun stood out even while sitting, blocking a bit of the candlelight from the cabinet and casting half his figure in flickering shadows.

He was turning his phone in his hands, then gently tapped Xu Muzi’s arm with it, saying softly, “Congratulations.”

“Congratulations for what?”

“Congratulations on finding a job you love.”

Xu Muzi turned her head, meeting Deng Yun’s gaze.

She wanted to ask if he was satisfied with his own job.

But then someone called out, “Hey! No chatting! It’s your turn, bro!”

Deng Yun smoothly looked away from her and asked naturally, “What’s the question?”

The questions had gotten more mischievous by now.

A guy said, “The question is, do you have someone you like?”

Deng Yun glanced back at Xu Muzi, looked at her intently, and said, “Yes.”

Xu Muzi’s ears burned even hotter, her heart racing.

She picked up her water glass, trying to hide behind a sip.

Perhaps her downcast look made Xing Pengjie misunderstand. He cheekily complained that Deng Yun’s answer was too simple and took it upon himself to push the question further.

Xing Pengjie asked, “Is the girl who came by with the blueprints the one you like?”

Someone nearby laughed, “Oh, come on, Xing Pengjie, you sound like a love-struck girl, asking so many details.”

Others joined in, egging them on, “That’s a juicy question!”

Deng Yun wasn’t fazed and answered clearly, “No, not even close.”

Xing Pengjie immediately winked at Xu Muzi—

First, he raised his brows, as if to say, “See? He doesn’t like her.”

Then he motioned toward Deng Yun, as if to say, “Go for it, don’t hesitate.”

Finally, he nodded confidently with closed eyes, as if to assure her, “Relax, I’ll uncover everything for you.”

The issue was, Xing Pengjie was so exaggerated with his movements, it seemed like he was afraid no one would notice.

Xu Muzi could even hear Deng Yun’s soft chuckle.

Xing Pengjie, still clueless, was immersed in his plan.

Xu Muzi began to suspect that Xing Pengjie had roped in the messy-haired guy too, as the next question was:

“How many characters are in the name of the person you like?”

She shook her head, then shook it again.

Finally, she said, “Uh, maybe I should stop playing…”

Xing Pengjie scolded her, “No way, why are you quitting? We’re still planning to play Werewolf after this—a real battle of wits. You’re not joining?”

Xu Muzi turned slightly away, waving her hands frantically in secret, signaling for him to stop. “I’m only good at the piano; I’m not exactly a strategist, so maybe I’ll sit this one out…”

As soon as Xu Muzi stood up, Deng Yun got up as well.

He said, “I’m not great at strategy either. You all go ahead and play.”

Luckily, Deng Yun didn’t seem too interested in these games, otherwise, even if Xu Muzi excused herself, she’d still feel on edge, not knowing what questions Xing Pengjie and the others might throw out.

Deng Yun asked, “Want to sit by the window?”

Xu Muzi nodded, “Sure.”

They brushed past the lush leaves of the schefflera plant and walked over to the table and chairs in the corner.

The spin-the-bottle game was getting more intense in the common area; they could even hear someone asking:

“When was your last kiss?”

Xu Muzi’s mind worked quickly. Just as she was about to think, “My last kiss was a little over an hour ago,” she realized that her kissing partner was sitting right across from her, and she immediately averted her gaze.

Her face was still flushed, and she wasn’t one to keep things bottled up. “Actually, I wanted to talk to you about my job, and also… ask you who that girl was…”

She trailed off, feeling defeated as she slumped over the table. “Do you think… do you think I’m being too calculating?”

Deng Yun looked at Xu Muzi for a few seconds, then turned his head away and started laughing.

“Deng Yun!”

“Ahem, okay, I’m done laughing.”

Though he still had a light smile on his face, his gaze was sincere. “That girl earlier, her name is Cheng Zhichun. She’s sort of a friend of mine. Didn’t you notice she always appears with something?”

Xu Muzi stayed slouched over the table, pouting. “Yes, I noticed—she’s always with you.”

Deng Yun laughed again.

It looked like he was amused to the point of exasperation.

“She showed up three times—for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.”

Deng Yun explained that Cheng Zhichun was actually his friend’s wife. She had recently bought a house for her elderly family members at the foot of the mountain, and was currently overseeing its renovation. She was just dropping by to grab meals.

Xu Muzi let out a quiet “oh.”

The rain had lessened, with tiny droplets hitting the glass window, and her heart felt damp, too.

She’d mentioned before that the small dining table in this space was quite narrow, with limited legroom beneath it.

Xu Muzi’s knee brushed against the inside of Deng Yun’s thigh. When she tried to move it away, she ended up touching his other leg.

She looked up at him, and he seemed to have been in an exceptionally good mood since dinner.

When Deng Yun’s eyes smiled, his gentle gaze was incredibly captivating.

As their eyes met, that tickling feeling in her heart surfaced again.

In the room about ten meters away, there was a lively commotion, but here, the quiet atmosphere was filled with an unspoken warmth.

A guy with a loud voice over there said, “The question this round is, what’s the most thrilling thing you’ve done?”

Someone answered, “I accidentally ate dog poop.”

A burst of laughter erupted over there, with everyone asking how the person had managed to eat dog poop.

Meanwhile, over here, they were unaffected by the laughter.

Deng Yun said, “That’s a question I could actually answer.”

Saying this, he opened his browser history, placed his phone on the table, and slid it gently toward Xu Muzi so she could see.

The browsing history contained just one entry:

“What to do if the person you like has a boyfriend?”

Looking at the search history, Xu Muzi recalled the drama Deng Yun had been watching earlier.

She hadn’t said anything yet when Deng Yun tapped the table with his knuckles, reminding her, “Don’t go thinking it’s about Cheng Zhichun.”