Chapter 14: Maple Forest Dusk Guesthouse

The two of them held hands the whole way, supporting each other as they stumbled their way to the top of the mountain.

Looking out, the hills were blanketed in brilliant red.

The sun was setting in the west, and the river below glowed like molten gold.

“Ah—!” Lin Ximeng shouted at the top of her lungs.

Her voice echoed through the forest, startling a flock of birds returning to their nests.

She gazed into the distance and exclaimed, “The world is so beautiful!”

The mountaintop breeze ruffled Li Huangxuan’s clothes.

He stood still, quietly staring at the girl beside him.

You’re beautiful too.

How he wished time could freeze in that moment.

Lin Ximeng captured the scenery with her phone, then took a few selfies with Li Huangxuan before turning toward the setting sun and beginning the descent on the other side of the mountain.

Going down was faster than climbing up. They should be able to reach the small town nestled between the front and back sides of the mountain just as night fell.

The closer it got to evening, the more nervous Li Huangxuan became.

His “confession letter” was still in Lin Ximeng’s backpack, waiting to be discovered.

By the time they arrived in town, it was already dark, and red lanterns lit up the streets.

After a full day of hiking, Li Huangxuan was exhausted. He pointed wearily to the first guesthouse near the town entrance.

“Ximeng, how about this place? I don’t want to walk anymore.”

But Lin Ximeng insisted on going further, claiming she wanted to compare options.

Oddly enough, she didn’t go inside a single guesthouse to check prices.

To Li Huangxuan, it seemed like she already had a destination in mind.

“What do you think about this one?” she asked, standing at an intersection and pointing to a retro-styled guesthouse.

The neon sign was bright and eye-catching against the night sky:

Maple Forest Dusk.

Even though it made sense for a guesthouse near Mount Lüweng, famous for its maple trees, the name still felt… suggestive.

Anyone who saw it might get the wrong idea.

“Ximeng, are you sure about this place?”

“Yeah, I think the name is poetic.”

Li Huangxuan’s heart began to race, blood surging.

Could it be? Was his 24-year streak of being single about to end tonight?

Red lanterns hung outside Maple Forest Dusk. Behind the front desk sat a man in his thirties—probably the owner.

As they walked in, Lin Ximeng remarked, “Boss, your phoenix trees are beautiful!”

Li Huangxuan whispered behind her, “Ximeng, those are maples.”

“Oh, slip of the tongue,” she giggled, turning around.

“Looking for a room?” the boss asked with a smile, standing up to greet them.

Li Huangxuan felt like his heart might leap out of his chest.

If he could stay in the same room as Ximeng, tonight might just be perfect.

The boss tapped the keyboard, checked the bookings, and then said, “We only have one standard twin room left. Since you’re a couple, that shouldn’t be a problem, right?”

Li Huangxuan almost jumped with excitement.

Boss, you’re a real bro.

He glanced at Lin Ximeng to gauge her reaction. If she decided to go somewhere else, he wouldn’t be able to object.

“Alright then, we’ll take it,” Lin Ximeng said, extending a hand. “Give me your ID.”

The boss quickly processed their check-in and handed them a keycard.

Upstairs, the room was a basic twin: two single beds side-by-side, with all the usual amenities.

Li Huangxuan flopped onto one of the beds, trying to suppress his excitement. He casually asked, “Ximeng, how come you’re okay with us staying in the same room?”

Lin Ximeng replied calmly, “Well, we’re housemates, aren’t we?”

Li Huangxuan had to admit she had a point. After all, at home, their bedroom doors couldn’t even be locked.

If he’d ever tried to cross the line, he might be serving a three-year sentence by now.

This twin room was just another version of co-living—only this time, there was no wall between the beds.

After resting for a bit, they headed to a local restaurant for dinner—and got ripped off again.

Li Huangxuan sighed inwardly. Chasing girls was proving to be almost as expensive as being a hardcore fan.

Back at Maple Forest Dusk, Li Huangxuan, though drained, forced himself to take out his laptop.

He still dreamed of his web novel going viral and funding his romance.

“You’re writing tonight?” Lin Ximeng looked surprised by his discipline.

“The most important thing in web writing is consistency. If you skip a day, it’s easy to slack off,” Li Huangxuan replied with forced seriousness.

“Okay then! I’m going to shower,” she said and headed to the bathroom.

Soon, the sound of running water echoed from within.

A slender silhouette appeared on the frosted glass of the bathroom door.

Li Huangxuan’s mind went blank with distraction.

If he could still focus on writing right now, he figured there had to be something wrong with him.

He grabbed his backpack and eagerly pulled out the maple leaf Lin Ximeng had given him. He couldn’t wait to read what she had written.

Just six simple characters. He recognized every one—and the meaning was painfully clear:

“Forget about me in the future.”

Li Huangxuan felt like he’d been thrown into an ice bath.

All the fantasies from earlier now seemed like a cruel joke.

She still couldn’t accept him.

Even after twenty-something days together, she was still set on leaving.

Suddenly, he remembered the maple leaf he’d placed in her backpack.

If this was her attitude, then confessing now was definitely a bad idea.

He had to get it back—maybe smudge the ink and change it to something like “Wishing you happiness.”

He glanced at the bathroom and tiptoed over to her bag, gently unzipping it.

He reached into the inner pocket where he had placed the leaf earlier that day—but it was gone.

There was only one explanation: Ximeng had peeked early.

And now he was fully, irreversibly embarrassed.

A while later, Lin Ximeng emerged from the bathroom in a bathrobe, her damp hair draped over her fragrant shoulders, the scent of body wash and shampoo trailing behind her.

Her long legs peeked out from under the robe, alluring yet understated.

Li Huangxuan pretended to be engrossed in typing, though his document only had two sentences.

“All done. Go take a hot shower—it’ll help you feel less tired,” she said with a smile.

Li Huangxuan muttered an “okay” and headed into the bathroom.

Warm water flowed from the showerhead.

But his heart was still cold as ice.

Why was she always hot and cold, close and distant?

She wouldn’t accept his feelings, yet she kept holding his hand, hugging him, acting so affectionate.

She brought them to a suggestively named guesthouse, booked a single room…

If he’d misunderstood and tried something reckless, wouldn’t he have ended up with a pair of silver handcuffs?

As he rinsed off the soap, Li Huangxuan’s mind spiraled through hundreds of thoughts.

At one point, he even considered giving up on Lin Ximeng and chasing after Xu Wanqing instead.

After all, Ximeng was only staying in Jiangcheng for a month—just a passerby in his life.

But he could clearly sense that something was weighing heavily on her.

Maybe she simply hadn’t gotten over a past heartbreak.

Finishing his shower, Li Huangxuan made a decision:

He would give it until the day Lin Ximeng left Jiangcheng.

If, by then, she was still determined to go—then they would part ways.

But until then, he still had a chance to win her heart.

That night, the faint fragrance from the next bed and the soft curves barely visible through her robe…

made it nearly impossible to sleep.