Chapter 2

3:00 AM (2)

Encountering Deng Yun in a place like this is indeed too unexpected.

Xu Muzi stood in the dimly lit public area, her expression complicated. At the moment when all emotions hit her at once, even her arms broke out in goosebumps.

But Deng Yun, he remained calmly seated there, showing a noticeable lack of dazed surprise at seeing an old acquaintance.

Upon closer inspection, he seemed a bit distracted, as if lost in thought.

After a moment of silence, Deng Yun spoke first, casually tossing out, “Xu Muzi, long time no see,” to Xu Muzi, who was wrapped in a bath towel.

It really had been a long time.

They had known each other for many years and had gone through a period of close contact by a series of strange turns.

During that time, Deng Yun knew too many of her secrets, enough that it could have led to her being silenced.

So, while Xu Muzi said, “Long time no see” as a greeting, what she thought was:

This picturesque paradise not only suits relaxation but could also be suitable for covering up a crime, right?

Xu Muzi was like a paper tiger, with an appearance that could easily portray a cold and ruthless character.

To outsiders, this type of girl seemed distant, scheming, and hard to approach with her perpetual frown.

In reality, her aloof exterior was a façade; she was filled with inner turmoil and belonged to the type of coward who easily fell into self-doubt. Even if she had thousands of complaints in her heart, when it came time to speak, she would falter.

The second round of dialogue was still initiated by Deng Yun.

He asked her, “You came alone this late?”

The faux villainess maintained her stern expression: “Hmm.”

Deng Yun picked up the kettle from the low tea table beside him and poured water into the glass in front of him. “White chrysanthemum, would you like some?”

Xu Muzi declined his tea and planned to return to her room to rest.

After walking a few steps away, she glanced up at the double-sided clock on the corner of the wall.

The second hand moved slowly in a clockwise direction, and the clock face displayed that it was now three thirty-six in the morning.

She turned her head: “Aren’t you sleeping?”

Deng Yun blew away the layer of mist on his glass and leisurely replied, “Not sleeping.”

“Waiting for someone?”

When he spoke again, there seemed to be hesitation: “Three in the morning is when the snake flower blooms.”

His answer was poetic, as if he were telling her that he wasn’t waiting for anyone; he was waiting to see the flowers bloom.

Most of the lights had been turned off by Xu Muzi, and the remaining sources illuminated only around Deng Yun.

She didn’t know what he meant by snake flower, but instinctively followed his words to look out the window. In the pouring darkness, she could vaguely make out some kind of creeping plant covering the fence, but didn’t see any particularly beautiful flowers.

Alright then, you can continue to wait for the flowers to bloom.

I won’t accompany you.

Xu Muzi’s room was on the second floor, accessible by elevator. Upon exiting the elevator, her room was on the right, a pastoral-style suite with a terrace garden.

Upon opening the door, she found a thick envelope on the table.

This was probably a unique business model of this inn, thoughtfully using comic illustrations to mark maps of the surrounding area, places to eat, and things to do for the guests.

It was too comprehensive, printed on over ten pages.

Unable to finish reading in one go, Xu Muzi simply took a shower first, dried her hair, changed into a loose white linen dress, and sat on the bed to continue browsing.

The room was sealed tight, and the warm humidity from her recent shower filled the enclosed space.

The paper had a faint smell of ink as Xu Muzi flipped through the guest guide, her eyes skimming over the exaggerated comic figures, struggling to concentrate.

On the terrace, some white chrysanthemums swayed in the wind and rain, their swaying shadows falling in her peripheral vision, reminding her of Deng Yun’s hesitation about waiting for the flowers to bloom.

She was sure that what Deng Yun initially wanted to say was definitely not that.

She just didn’t know why he changed his words at the last moment.

Who knows what scheme he was brewing in his heart?

When she first met Deng Yun, he had this inscrutable demeanor, particularly good at acting obedient in front of elders and outsiders.

That must have been in the third year of middle school when Xu Muzi moved in with her parents.

Her family belonged to the nouveau riche type. Her parents had a series of successful businesses for several years, finally making enough money to move into a newly developed villa area.

They say business people pay attention to feng shui; whether they were misled by the same feng shui master or not, many of the neighbors moving into the newly developed villa area were similar nouveau riche families.

It was said that this villa area was bought up excessively by them, and the already wealthy residents were too disdainful to move in, unwilling to associate with the nouveau riche out of concern for their taste.

As for these nouveau riche families, they certainly didn’t think so; they lived happily and contentedly.

Most of these neighbors were in physical business, living nearby, and gradually became familiar with each other through frequent gatherings.

They even formed a business alliance to offer customers a value-added VIP card for discounts.

The coupons were applicable in all the industries they operated, such as car washes, cake shops, restaurants, beauty salons, and KTVs, essentially a win-win collaboration.

However, once business dealings began, it became easier to breed conflicts.

The main conflict for Xu Muzi’s family was with Deng Yun’s family.

Both families had done quite well in business; it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say they were rolling in wealth, being the two leading figures in the alliance.

But how could two tigers coexist in the same mountain?

Gradually, private complaints and comparisons began to increase between them. It started with small quarrels, comparing jewelry and cars, and who paid the bills more often…

For example, Xu Muzi’s mother would come back from gatherings and say, “Deng Yun’s mother recently bought jewelry from a certain international brand, and it looks really luxurious; she really stood out at the gathering.”

She would also say that before the next gathering the following weekend, she needed to shop at the mall to add a few more outfits to outshine others.

Similarly, Xu Muzi’s father would complain, saying that during the last gathering, he couldn’t outdo Deng Yun’s father when it came to picking up the bill, which was incredibly frustrating.

Over time, the comparisons between the two families expanded into all aspects, and even Xu Muzi and Deng Yun, the younger generation, were inevitably put side by side for comparison.

Xu Muzi was an art student who had been learning piano since she was four and had won many awards.

When Xu Muzi was in elementary school, the largest extracurricular piano training school in the city occupied five floors, with a huge promotional poster featuring her photo hanging on the building.

The photo was well-taken, and since the piano training school was located at the intersection of the downtown commercial district, anyone passing by would take a glance; Xu Muzi was quite the star back then.

Deng Yun, on the other hand, was known among parents as a top student.

Unlike the children from other families, Deng Yun never needed his parents to push him to do his homework or force him to attend tutoring classes.

Deng Yun’s parents didn’t have to worry about nearly suffering a brain hemorrhage from looking at his report cards, let alone be terrified of receiving phone calls from the homeroom teacher about him.

As Deng Yun’s mother said, “Deng Yun has never given us any trouble regarding his studies. Originally, his father and I were laid-back parents, thinking as long as he didn’t cause trouble at school, it didn’t matter how his grades were. We didn’t expect him to come in first every time.”

Xu Muzi’s family and Deng Yun’s family were nearly the same in every respect, and after comparing endlessly, there was still no clear winner.

Thus, the two different children became the biggest variables in their parents’ comparisons.

These comparisons about the two of them only occurred in the intentional or unintentional conversations of the parents; the two parties were busy with their own lives and hardly ever saw each other.

Xu Muzi had a fixed piano practice schedule every day, and her awards and trophies were earned through hard work; she completely avoided these gatherings organized by the parents.

The competition reached its peak in her first year of high school.

That year, Xu Muzi often heard things about Deng Yun at the dinner table. “Deng Yun had nearly self-studied all the high school math, physics, and chemistry by the time he was a first-year student.” “He did well in this college entrance exam and scored 700 points…”

Deng Yun was two years older than Xu Muzi. When the college entrance exam results came out, he was the most celebrated among the parents.

It was said that he missed the top spot by just one point, which made Xu Muzi’s parents very envious. Xu Muzi’s mother felt inferior and stayed down for several days, claiming illness to avoid attending gatherings.

Things took a turn during Deng Yun’s summer vacation after the college entrance exam.

Deng Yun’s mother bought a piano, hoping Deng Yun would learn an instrument to relax during the long vacation.

However, Deng Yun was ungrateful.

Instead of simply saying he didn’t want to play, he made up an excuse that he “couldn’t learn.”

These three words ignited Xu Muzi’s mother’s fighting spirit.

The next evening, at a gathering at Deng Yun’s house, Xu Muzi was brought along by her parents.

“There’s a piano at Uncle Deng’s house; practicing there is the same as practicing at home.”

While they said that, they actually just wanted to show off their daughter’s piano skills.

When Xu Muzi entered, she saw Deng Yun.

He didn’t come downstairs; he stood behind the polished wooden railing on the second floor, looking quite reserved. He greeted the elders in a subdued manner and finally directed his gaze toward her.

That was Xu Muzi’s first time seeing Deng Yun in person.

She had heard his name so many times that, influenced by her parents’ words, she had formed a stereotype and assumed he must be a taciturn bookworm.

At that time, Xu Muzi liked a boy from her IELTS class.

The boy was also preparing to apply to music schools abroad, a stylish and cheerful young man.

Now looking at Deng Yun, who had his checkered shirt buttoned up to the top, wore black-rimmed glasses, and was quiet, he seemed gloomy.

Xu Muzi thought to herself that he was indeed a dull-witted bookworm.

As her daughter finally made an appearance, Xu Muzi’s mother was eager for everyone to hear Xu Muzi play, and as soon as Deng Yun finished greeting the elders and disappeared upstairs, she immediately asked, “Isn’t the kid coming down to eat?”

Deng Yun’s mother shook her head with a smile: “He’s busy; he said he’s eating in his room.”

“What’s he busy with now that exams are over?”

“I don’t know; he seems to be looking at the algebra textbooks for university in advance. He usually enjoys pondering these things. Yesterday, his father even told me that if he could have someone in the family engage in academic research in the future, it would truly be a blessing from our ancestors.”

Deng Yun’s mother probably felt a bit shy about always praising her child, so she kept it brief and led everyone toward the living room, saying, “Don’t mind him; this child has a strange temperament and doesn’t like crowds.”

Some other aunts chimed in, “Oh, a top student, nearly the valedictorian; there will always be some differences from us ordinary folks.”

“We not only have top students but also talented girls. Let’s have Muzi play a few pieces later; we often hear your parents say you play the piano well…”

That day, Xu Muzi played quite a few pieces amid the praises of the elders, feeling a bit elated and greedily eating a few extra pieces of chilled watermelon.

Indeed, one shouldn’t let success get to their head.

As the gathering continued into the night, Xu Muzi had a stomach ache, and unfortunately, the downstairs restroom was occupied by a drunk elder who hadn’t come out for a long time.

The washrooms on the second floor were in the bedrooms, and Deng Yun’s mother, fearing Xu Muzi might feel embarrassed, directed her to the third floor.

The third floor was a guest room that was usually unoccupied and very quiet.

Xu Muzi had nearly forgotten about Deng Yun’s existence. After using the restroom, she tidied her hair in front of the mirror, took a tissue to wipe her hands, and walked toward the staircase.

In the same villa complex, Deng Yun’s house was almost identical to Xu Muzi’s; she knew which direction led to the bedroom and which led to the terrace.

In Xu Muzi’s house, the third floor was her piano room, and the terrace was filled with her belongings, including an old piano that she had outgrown as a child. Before going downstairs, she instinctively glanced toward the terrace, only to unexpectedly see Deng Yun.

Deng Yun was leaning against the terrace railing, looking relaxed.

If Xu Muzi didn’t already know that Deng Yun was an only child, she might have thought she was seeing his twin brother.

Deng Yun was completely different from how he had been earlier.

He no longer had that shy, socially anxious demeanor he showed when greeting the elders. His checkered shirt was gone; instead, he wore a loose-fitting black t-shirt, had taken off his glasses, and wasn’t busy studying some university algebra textbook in advance. He casually tilted his head back, blowing a puff of white smoke into the night sky.

Then Xu Muzi was surprised to discover that what Deng Yun was holding between his fingers was a cigarette.