Chapter 3

3:00 AM

Deng Yun had broad shoulders but a slim waist. The evening breeze puffed out his black t-shirt and swept aside the tidy fringe of his hair, the glowing tip of his cigarette flickering in and out.

This was a side of Deng Yun that few people knew.

There was an inexplicable sense of taboo.

Xu Muzi paused in her hand-washing motion, and at the same time, Deng Yun noticed someone was there.

He lazily raised the hand holding the cigarette to his chin, turning slowly to see her, even managing a slight smile.

The coward immediately tightened her grip on the damp tissue in her hand and decisively turned away as he lifted the cigarette to his lips, running down the stairs and out.

Now Xu Muzi knew that Deng Yun was far from the innocent image he projected; he was at least not the traditional top student her parents described, nor was he just a bookworm who buried himself in studies.

But she didn’t tell anyone about Deng Yun smoking, nor did she involve herself in the competitive activities between their families.

After this brief meeting meant to satisfy their parents’ vanity, Xu Muzi and Deng Yun had little interaction, still only hearing each other’s names through their parents.

After Xu Muzi showcased her piano skills at Deng Yun’s house, Xu Muzi’s mother was overjoyed for several days, constantly sharing her daughter’s trophies, certificates, and piano videos in the family chat group to show off her child’s achievements.

For Xu Muzi, life hadn’t changed at all; she was still practicing the piano diligently.

Only during her IELTS class would she occasionally turn around and deliberately rummage through her backpack for unnecessary items, just to steal a glance at the boy who always sat in the last row.

Half a year later, during the New Year, Xu Muzi’s family added several pieces of antique Western furniture to their home.

When it was Deng Yun’s family’s turn to host a gathering, Xu Muzi’s mother invited several neighboring families over for dinner with some kind of vanity motive.

They were all seasoned businesspeople and naturally understood the principles of reciprocity. The gathering coincided with the end of the year; who would show up empty-handed?

Guests arrived with gifts of all sizes, joyfully wishing everyone “Happy New Year” upon entering.

The elders gathered together, drinking a lot, and the conversations grew louder.

The housekeeper responsible for chores had gone back to her hometown for the Spring Festival and hadn’t returned yet.

Before long, the only two people in the entire house who were still sober were Xu Muzi, who was upstairs practicing piano, and Deng Yun, who for some reason decided not to go out to enjoy the holiday but to participate in this boring parents’ gathering.

Xu Muzi’s piano room had excellent soundproofing, so when she practiced late into the night, she was startled by the loud noise from downstairs.

Anyone who had just played beautiful classical piano pieces would be bewildered by the off-key singing of the middle-aged elders belting out classic old songs that sounded like they were echoing across the Pacific.

Fortunately, it was just a brief moment of confusion.

She was really hungry, so despite the cacophony of off-key singing and distorted notes, she rushed downstairs to find something to eat.

When she got downstairs, she saw Deng Yun still sitting on her family’s sofa, surprisingly still there.

His white down jacket was draped beside him, and he wore a clean beige turtleneck sweater, giving off the impression of a thoughtful younger relative.

Despite the noisy chaos caused by the elders’ drunkenness, he was completely unfazed, quietly reading a book.

What a weirdo.

Pretending to be studious all the way to her house?

They weren’t familiar with each other, so Xu Muzi didn’t greet Deng Yun and walked straight to the dining room.

She didn’t know who brought the fried meatballs, which she had never tried before.

The meatballs were coated in red crispy crumbs, and when fried, they looked like lychees, garnished with green leaves on the serving platter, making them quite appetizing.

Xu Muzi was extremely hungry, and since she was at home, she initially ate without paying attention, devouring them rather greedily, and even drank some juice.

It wasn’t until the fourth meatball that she realized something was off; oh no, the filling had shrimp in it.

She was quite allergic and had many food allergies since childhood, and shrimp was one of them.

The reaction wasn’t particularly severe; it would just cause her stomach pain all night, and small itchy rashes would appear on her body.

It would be better to throw it up.

Xu Muzi hurriedly rushed from the dining room to the bathroom. She had practiced piano on an empty stomach for too long, and after finally eating, her stomach wouldn’t let her keep that food down. She had tried to induce vomiting several times without success.

Just as she was at a loss, someone knocked on the bathroom door.

Xu Muzi crouched on the floor and tried to speak loudly with a strained voice: “Someone’s in here; please go upstairs.”

There was silence outside for a few seconds, then Deng Yun’s calm voice came through: “Xu Muzi, are you okay?”

“I… I’m trying to throw up.”

“Open the door.”

At that time, Xu Muzi was still a high school student, feeling flustered, so she just followed his words and opened the door.

She was in tears from the effort of trying to vomit, her vision blurred, and she couldn’t see Deng Yun clearly. She only sensed that the figure by the door was quite tall; she had gone in and out of this bathroom many times but never needed to reach up to push aside the tassels of the New Year’s decorations.

Deng Yun asked what was wrong, and she explained what had happened with the shrimp.

After saying it, she realized that this straw wouldn’t save her; he was an inscrutable weirdo, probably unreliable. It was completely pointless to tell him this; she might as well hurry up and try to throw up.

It really was useless.

After Deng Yun listened, he didn’t even react and just turned around and left.

Xu Muzi thought: Then why did you even ask?!

He returned when Xu Muzi was once again unsuccessful in inducing vomiting. He washed his hands in front of her and carefully wiped them with disinfecting wipes.

Inducing vomiting was hardly a graceful act, and with someone else present, it was hard for Xu Muzi to continue; she had no choice but to stop.

She didn’t say anything out loud, but her internal complaints didn’t cease, secretly blaming him for being so oblivious.

She was in such a state, and he was just washing his hands—why couldn’t he use another bathroom?

Xu Muzi wore her feelings on her face. Just as she was getting more frustrated, she saw Deng Yun tearing open a package and putting on a pair of disposable gloves he’d somehow found.

Huh? What is he doing?

While she was filled with doubt, Deng Yun walked over, calmly lifted her chin, and inserted his gloved finger into her mouth.

It was his index finger, cool to the touch.

His fingertip brushed along the side of her tongue, pushing all the way to the root and stimulating her throat, finally inducing her to throw up successfully.

In that moment of retching, the tears that had pooled in Xu Muzi’s eyes finally fell.

Her vision suddenly cleared, colliding with Deng Yun’s eyes, which were overly calm.

Deng Yun might have helped her get warm water before, or maybe she remembered it wrong.

Later, Xu Muzi took allergy medication, and the shrimp hidden in the filling didn’t cause her any issues.

Instead, it was the elders who drank too much and suffered from hangovers the next day, either complaining of headaches or feeling weak all over. Finally, on the fifth day of the New Year, they changed their lavish dining style to a table full of light soups and small dishes.

Xu Muzi didn’t thank Deng Yun.

Just like the day she caught him smoking, she had kept her secret, and he had unceremoniously accepted it all.

After that, Xu Muzi and Deng Yun still had little interaction.

However, in Xu Muzi’s mostly mundane life, where she spent most of her time practicing piano, there was one additional element: when she heard Deng Yun’s name at the dinner table, she paid a bit more attention than before.

At that time, Deng Yun was already in college and rarely returned home. The frequency of hearing his name was not as high as when he had just finished his college entrance exams.

There was also a pattern; whenever he was mentioned, it was inevitably about some award he had received or something remarkable that others couldn’t compare to.

After discussing these things, Xu Muzi’s parents would always add a few encouraging words for her.

They would say:

“Muzi, you have to work hard; you need to bring glory to the Xu family!”

“Of course! Our Muzi has always been amazing; she’s a little talent, a child prodigy! How could she lose to anyone?”

Of course, she could lose.

In fact, during that period, Xu Muzi had just lost a piano competition. Her mindset was difficult to adjust, and facing such encouragement made even her forced smiles feel extremely hard; she only felt increased pressure.

The name “Deng Yun” always appeared alongside the pressure exerted on her by her elders.

So after listening to it for a while, she became quite annoyed.

The boy from her IELTS class was much better.

As for the secret rendezvous where they would kiss on the terrace away from the elders, that was another story that came later…

This recollection of the past was interrupted by a message from Xia Xia.

The inn was booked online, and before heading there, a staff member had called her and added Xu Muzi’s contact information, sending her the check-in instructions through the app.

At that time, she had been focused on escaping her family’s inquisitive questions and hadn’t looked closely.

Now that she looked, it was quite comprehensive.

There were tips for arriving by various transportation methods and a note that guests could call ahead to arrange a time for the staff to help carry their luggage down.

The latest message she received was two minutes ago, and it read:

“Hello, due to recent rainfall in the mountainous area and low temperatures, we are providing boiled sweet water hot drinks 24/7 to help ward off the cold.

If you need anything, please feel free to help yourself to the public dining area on the first floor. Good night.”

Following this message was a picture that clearly listed the ingredients for the warm drinks, which was very friendly for someone like Xu Muzi, who was cautious about eating due to allergies.

So this is how fierce the competition is in the domestic hotel industry? This inn’s service is truly thoughtful and considerate.

The top of her phone screen clearly indicated that it was nearly four o’clock, and was it Xia Xia preparing the red date sweet water?

At this hour, Xia Xia hadn’t gone to rest? If she kept this up, it would almost be dawn!

Though she thought this, Xu Muzi herself felt completely awake, especially after applying the medicinal oil; the refreshing scent enveloped her, making her even more alert.

Unable to sleep and with her mind muddled, she lay on her bed flipping through a comic version of the guide but didn’t really remember anything. Instead, she began to think about the warm drinks.

Since she had been caught in the rain while coming up the mountain, she did feel a bit cold, and just a moment ago, while sitting on the bed recalling past events, she had sneezed twice.

In that case…

Going for a cup of warm sweet water to fend off the chill seemed like a good choice.

The corridor outside her room was very quiet. Xu Muzi didn’t take the elevator; she walked down the stairs.

The first floor looked just as it had before she went upstairs, with light rain pattering and a few remaining lights still on.

Using the not-so-bright light, she found the dining area, where among the neatly arranged coffee and tea drinks, she spotted a thermos labeled “Warm Drink to Ward Off Cold” and poured herself a cup.

The windows that had been open were now closed, blocking the cold wind mixed with dampness from coming through. After drinking some warm liquid, the chill didn’t feel as bad as before downstairs.

She hadn’t seen any other staff since checking in, and Xu Muzi always felt that these considerate details were all arranged by Xia Xia.

Holding the warm cup, she quietly stepped around the dimly lit space, wanting to see if Xia Xia was still around.

After circling around, she didn’t find her.

Walking backward, she intended to return to the dining area for more hot drinks but bumped into Deng Yun, who still hadn’t gone to sleep.

“Not feeling well?”

To Xu Muzi, Deng Yun seemed to think her cup of brown warm drink was some kind of cold remedy. She explained, “I’m not unwell. This is the sweet drink Xia Xia prepared to ward off the cold.”

After saying that, she noticed Deng Yun was still looking at her and hadn’t responded, so she continued, “It’s over there in the dining area; you can help yourself. Didn’t you see the message?”

Deng Yun’s gaze fell on the metal ring on her finger. “Hmm, I didn’t pay attention.”

It would have been better if he hadn’t noticed!

This person was simply insatiable; he actually took the entire pot of hot drink and carried it over to the table where he had previously been waiting to see some kind of snake flower.

Xu Muzi still wanted to drink more, so she had no choice but to follow him and took the opportunity to glance out the window.

Deng Yun seemed to know what she was doing. He unlocked his phone and turned on the flashlight, directing the beam into the lush greenery. “The green one, that’s the snake flower.”

Well… it didn’t look that great to her; Xu Muzi couldn’t see why anyone would stay up all night waiting for these flowers.

Having seen the flowers and refilled her drink, she decided to sit down.

While browsing online, Xu Muzi had thought the style of this inn looked nice, but with so much information online, it was hard to tell what was true and what wasn’t. There were certainly honest businesses, but there were also those who would do anything to make a profit.

Pictures and reviews could easily be fake. After looking at this place, other options just seemed less appealing.

She had prepared herself to be deceived, but unexpectedly, she realized how comfortable it was once she actually checked in.

The innkeeper must be a gentle and meticulous person, given how beautifully everything was decorated.

Even the small dining table tucked away in a corner had a floral tablecloth. A small potted plant held down one corner of the embroidered cloth, and a large glass jar shaped like a pumpkin filled with chocolate candies was placed on the inside of the table by the window.

It didn’t feel like she was spending money to stay somewhere; it felt more like visiting a friend or family member.

The only downside was that the table was a bit narrow.

The two sleepless adults faced each other in their chairs, both tall, making the space under the table feel even more cramped.

The rain outside showed no signs of letting up, and the warmth from her cup slowly spread into the air.

A strange atmosphere was also growing, silent to the point of awkwardness. Deng Yun timely brought up a topic: “Did you come here to get some fresh air?”

Thinking of her nosy relatives back home, Xu Muzi mumbled, “Yeah.”

As they exchanged questions and answers, their sitting positions subtly shifted, resulting in unintentional physical contact under the table.