Chapter 14 – Want to Get Off? Don’t Even Think About It…

Que Wanshu sat on the backseat of Wei Xun’s motorcycle, nervously gripping him, too anxious to check the message Xu Zhiyan had just sent her.

The off-road motorcycle glided steadily along the mountain road. The mountain wind howled, but Que Wanshu’s head, enclosed in a full-face helmet, was insulated from the blast. What she did feel—heightened to an almost unbearable level—was the physical contact between her and the man in front of her.

Her upper body was nearly pressed entirely against Wei Xun’s back. Her arms tightly wrapped around his waist, ten fingers gripping the hem of his jacket. Her helmet rested against his shoulder.

Although this was a proper riding posture for motorcycle passengers, the closeness still made Que Wanshu uncomfortable.

With their bodies pressed together, it felt like all her blood was rushing to those contact points. Even through layers of clothing, their body heat seemed to permeate through, steadily increasing in intensity, until she felt her whole body go rigid. Her breathing slowed, but her heart rate did the opposite—speeding up with each second, the pulse echoing deafeningly in her ears. It was as if Wei Xun could feel every beat against his back.

Que Wanshu was overwhelmed.

She wanted to loosen her grip and grab the back handlebar instead, but each time she tried, the motorcycle would accelerate slightly—forcing her to tighten her hold again, too afraid to let go.

Though the ride was smooth, every curve required the bike and its riders to lean with the turn. Some turns were so sharp that she nearly screamed aloud.

After five minutes on the motorcycle, she was sure now—Wei Xun was taking revenge on her.

Except… Wei Xun wasn’t.

At that moment, his speed was only 50 km/h—much slower than his usual pace.

So slow, in fact, that Fu Yuanxi and Hou Ximing, who had left later, easily caught up with them.

They were surprised to see Wei Xun riding at such a leisurely pace. The two of them flanked him from either side.

“Xun-ge, out for a stroll?” Fu Yuanxi grinned, one hand on the throttle, the other letting go of the handlebar as he twisted his torso to face Wei Xun and Que Wanshu. “Even the stray dogs are outrunning you.”

“Scram,” Wei Xun scolded with a smile. “Ever heard of safe driving?”

“Now you care about safe driving?” Fu Yuanxi looked like he’d just heard the joke of the century. But seeing that Wei Xun truly had no intention of speeding up, he turned his attention to the girl sitting behind him.

She was fully geared up in a helmet and protective clothing. The tinted visor hid her face, and he hadn’t gotten a good look at her at the hotel entrance either. Still, some people didn’t need a visible face to leave an impression—their silhouette and aura alone were enough.

Fu Yuanxi had known Wei Xun since college. During their years studying in the U.S., they’d been nearly inseparable. Yet not once had he ever seen a girl by Wei Xun’s side.

Wei Xun was a remarkable guy. Even in a place like Wharton, full of elites, he stood out as fiercely competitive and brilliant. With looks, brains, background, and drive, he had it all. But he wasn’t the typical uptight overachiever—he drank, smoked, partied, and lived for extreme sports and speed.

There were plenty like him in their circles, but what made him different was that despite being rich, handsome, talented, and wild, his romantic life was practically nonexistent. Actually, not just clean—nonexistent.

Fu Yuanxi, who never cared much for dating, had still had a girlfriend or two. But Wei Xun? He was like a monk—emotionally detached, walled off from everyone, heart locked and key thrown away.

At one point, Fu Yuanxi even wondered if Wei Xun might not be into women—but after years of observation, he concluded: Wei Xun just doesn’t like humans.

So imagine his surprise when a “white moonlight” (a term for someone’s irreplaceable first love) suddenly appeared.

He had once heard the rumor that Wei Xun refused to date because he was still hung up on his ex. Allegedly, she was the one who dumped him and vanished. At the time, Fu Yuanxi had scoffed.

People always idealize what they can’t have.

So-called deep feelings and unforgettable love were just fixations disguised as romance.

Even now, Fu Yuanxi held the same belief.

It had been eight years since they broke up. Not one or two—eight. Even three or five years could completely change a person. Eight? You might not even recognize each other anymore.

Memories are often trimmed and beautified. As time passes, the bad fades, leaving only curated, glowing fragments, polished further by nostalgia until the person in them becomes a myth.

But when you reunite with that “myth” and realize they’re no longer who you remembered—would the lingering emotions survive?

Without the memory’s rose-tinted filter, standing before someone changed by eight years and shaped by abandonment—would you still love them?

If you could still choose each other despite all that, it would be remarkable.

But were Wei Xun and his ex really those people?

Fu Yuanxi didn’t know.

That not knowing—and the desire to find out—made it all the more fascinating. He was, after all, a man who lived for a good story.

He curiously studied Que Wanshu, who was also peering at him through her visor, tilting her head in confusion.

Fu Yuanxi chuckled and waved. “Hi~ White moonlight.”

Que Wanshu: “?”

Wei Xun’s face darkened. “Scram.”

“What, I can’t even say hi? Stingy.” Fu Yuanxi still grinned playfully as he revved his engine. With a rumble, his bike surged forward like an arrow loosed from a bow. Hou Ximing followed with a casual “See you next time, Que classmate.”

He and Cao Ying had always called her “Que classmate.” According to Cao Ying, using her full name was impolite. Calling her “Wanshu” would get them punched by Wei Xun, and calling her “Yaoyao” would get them beaten half to death. “Sister-in-law” felt too disrespectful, so “Que classmate” was the compromise.

Even after so many years, they still called her that. It warmed Que Wanshu a little.

But her smile faded fast.

Up ahead was the infamous “Thirty-Six Bends of Yunshan.” The first bend alone was nearly a 180-degree curve. She watched in horror as Fu Yuanxi leaned sharply into it, his right knee scraping the ground and throwing sparks. Hou Ximing followed, pulling off an even more dramatic move, his body nearly brushing the road.

Que Wanshu: “…”

Was it too late to ask to get off?

She sensed Wei Xun was preparing to speed up—eager to follow. Terrified, she clung to him like a lifeline.

Peeking out from behind his shoulder, she flipped up her visor and warned softly, “…Don’t even think about it.”

Wei Xun, surprised that she finally spoke after being so silent, raised an eyebrow. “Think about what? I am thinking about it.”

“I want to get off,” she said.

Wei Xun snorted. “Don’t even think about it.”

Que Wanshu: “……”

The curve approached quickly, but the motorcycle never accelerated. Instead, Wei Xun braked and slowed down, taking the turn smoothly and gently. Only after exiting the bend did he accelerate again—and then repeated this pattern over and over through more than ten winding turns.

Feeling the bike’s lean wasn’t as dramatic as she had feared, Que Wanshu slowly opened her eyes.

They were now passing through a wide stretch of mountain road. A cliff wall rose on one side, and on the other—guardrails and a steep drop. Beyond that, rolling mountains stretched into the distance, gilded by sunlight and dotted with early autumn’s red maples. The scenery was breathtaking.

Que Wanshu stared at the view in awe until she heard Wei Xun’s voice: “Loosen up a little. You’re choking me.”

Startled, she let go of his waist in a panic—only for Wei Xun to grab her wrist and pull her arm back.

“I said loosen up, not let go completely,” he scolded. “Do you really want to fall off?”

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Que Wanshu murmured, “I thought…”

She didn’t finish her sentence. Instead, she wrapped her arms around Wei Xun’s waist again and said nothing more.

Wei Xun glanced down at her hands. Though her arms loosely circled his waist, her fingers clutched the hem of his jacket so tightly that her knuckles had turned slightly white. He couldn’t help but ask, “Is it really that scary? I thought my driving skills were pretty good.”

His riding skills were good—but that wasn’t the reason she was scared.

“It’s because I have psychological trauma,” Que Wanshu said in a muffled voice. Then she quickly remembered that the source of that trauma was none other than the guy in front of her. So she added, “…And whose fault do you think that is?”

Wei Xun paused, immediately realizing who the culprit was.

On his eighteenth birthday, his older sister gave him a Ducati racing-style motorcycle. He spent a month learning to ride and getting his license, and the first thing he did afterward was go to Que Wanshu’s house to take her on a joyride.

He’d forgotten which mountain they went to, but it was one with lots of curves though not very steep. Wei Xun picked up new skills quickly and was always confident in himself. Although he’d just gotten his heavy motorcycle license, things like cornering and maneuvering mountain roads were a breeze for him. He even thought that if he trained a little more, he could compete professionally.

But Que Wanshu had nearly been scared to death on that mountain.

Back then, he was riding a different bike—one that could reach over 100 km/h in first gear. It was a streamlined racing-style motorcycle designed to reduce wind resistance, with a raised tail that forced the passenger to lean forward for safety. Que Wanshu had no choice but to hunch down, hugging Wei Xun with one arm and bracing herself on the fuel tank with the other.

Eighteen-year-old Wei Xun didn’t have the restraint he had now. Que Wanshu couldn’t even describe how terrifying that experience was—she ended up crying from fright. And when it was time to head back down, she absolutely refused to get back on the bike.

“I’m calling a driver to pick me up.”

Her eyes were red and teary as she took out her phone to call the family driver. But before she could make the call, Wei Xun snatched the phone from her hand.

She was furious, tried to get it back but couldn’t overpower him, and in her anger, turned and stormed off. She would rather walk down the mountain than ride with him again.

Que Wanshu stomped along the edge of the mountain trail, each step landing hard like she wanted to crush the road beneath her feet.

Meanwhile, Wei Xun straddled his motorcycle, feet on the ground, and scooted it forward with his long legs, carefully following beside her.

Seeing that she was truly angry, he didn’t dare act up anymore and pleaded gently, “Yaoyao, don’t be mad, okay?”

“…”

Que Wanshu turned her face away, cheeks puffed out like an angry little pufferfish. She didn’t even glance at him, ignoring his voice completely.

Wei Xun continued pestering her: “Yaoyao… talk to me. Yaoyao? My lady? Your Highness? Queen? Goddess? Little Fairy?”

“…”

His nicknames grew more and more ridiculous. Que Wanshu actually wanted to laugh but fought hard to hold it in.

Finally, she raised her hands to cover her ears, trying to block him out physically. She glared at him and said, “You’re not allowed to talk anymore. I’m temporarily cutting ties with you.”

Faced with her threat to break off relations, Wei Xun wasn’t the least bit scared. In fact, he thought it was kind of cute.

Obediently, he asked, “Oh? How long is this break supposed to last?”

Que Wanshu originally wanted to say “I’m not talking to you for the rest of today,” but she felt that would just provoke his protests, so she decided to go easy and said, “Ten minutes.”

No sooner had the words left her mouth than Wei Xun replied, “Nope, that’s too long.”

Que Wanshu: “……………”

“I can’t bear even one second of you ignoring me. So don’t punish me like that.”

His bright, youthful voice was carried into her ears by the gentle mountain breeze. Que Wanshu froze, a rush of heat suddenly flooding her ears and quickly spreading to her cheeks.

“You—what are you even saying?” she stammered.

She turned her head to look at him, just in time to meet his clear, bright eyes. The moment their eyes locked, her heart slammed hard against her chest, making her quickly look away and fix her gaze on the road ahead.

From Wei Xun’s point of view, he could clearly see the soft blush blooming on one side of her face.

A smile tugged at the corner of his lips. He turned the handlebars slightly to the right, steering the bike directly in front of her to block her path.

“My bad.”

Wei Xun apologized sincerely, pressing his palms together and bowing his head. “Sorry—I got carried away and scared you. I promise I won’t mess around on the way down the mountain. If you say go, I’ll go. If you say stop, I’ll stop. If you say slow down, I’ll go slower than the puppies on the side of the road.”

She managed to keep a straight face through most of his apology—until the last sentence. That one made her burst out laughing.

Though she quickly tried to suppress her smile, her reaction was enough for Wei Xun to seize the opportunity.

“I’ll help you with your helmet.” He picked up her helmet and grinned at the long strands of hair framing her face. “Tuck your hair back a bit.”

Faced with his playful yet apologetic expression, Que Wanshu felt like a balloon suddenly losing all its air. Her anger completely deflated. As she tucked her hair behind her ears, she thought helplessly, I’m way too easy to coax.

Wei Xun gently helped her put on the helmet, carefully fastened the buckle, then held out his hand. “Hop on. Be careful.”

Que Wanshu nodded, took his hand, and stepped onto the back seat of the motorcycle. She wrapped her arms tightly around his waist and rested her head on his shoulder.

This time, Wei Xun didn’t lean forward, allowing her to lean on him more comfortably. Then he revved the engine and began riding slowly, bathed in the soft afternoon sunlight and breeze.

It was late autumn. The leaves on the mountains were turning golden and red. The scenery was like a painting—golden and glowing all around. The weather was perfect, the sunlight bright, and the mountain wind gentle.

Wei Xun was a man of his word. When she said slow down, he really slowed down.

When two puppies playing by the roadside overtook them one after the other, Que Wanshu finally couldn’t hold back. She poked her head out from behind his shoulder, lifted the visor, and softly said, “…You can go a little faster.”

The helmet’s soundproofing was pretty good. Wei Xun heard her voice but couldn’t make out the words. “What?”

Que Wanshu raised her voice, “I said you can go a little faster.”

Still, he couldn’t hear clearly. “Huh? Say it again?”

“I SAID—” Que Wanshu shouted word by word, “YOU! CAN! GO! FAST! ER!”

This time Wei Xun finally heard her. His brows lifted, and the moment he heard the word “faster,” he twisted the throttle without hesitation. The motorcycle surged forward with a low roar from the engine.

And Que Wanshu’s shriek echoed through the quiet, picturesque autumn mountains:

“WEI XUN—SLOW DOWN, YOU JERK—AHHHHHHHH!”

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