Chapter 38

8:00 PM (1)

Back in college, Xu Muzi had a few close friends, including a male student majoring in violin performance.

They both took a duet course, so they often collaborated.

Just now, when Deng Yun mentioned the famous local music festival she had performed in, this male friend was the violinist she had partnered with.

The guy had also faced some family difficulties, though not as severe as Xu Muzi’s. However, he was financially strained, too.

Once, when a snide classmate exaggerated that she smelled like potatoes, he jumped in, saying, “Wow, I didn’t know Shirley could make potato dishes—I’ll have to ask her for some tips!”

Xu Muzi had heard about that incident, too.

After their joint performance at the music festival, she asked him why he had spoken up for her.

He shrugged, “I didn’t specifically mean to defend anyone. I just don’t like that attitude. So what if they have money? Why gossip about what others eat?”

Usually, they only talked about music—class, rehearsals, and performances, with nothing personal shared.

That day, the festival went well; Xu Muzi met many familiar faces and took photos with them. She was in a good mood.

The two of them, usually frugal, decided to splurge a little on some pizza from a well-known, old place, walking through campus, sharing slices straight from the box.

Their conversation turned to their tough times.

Xu Muzi said, “Right now is probably the bare minimum for me financially, but it doesn’t feel like my lowest point.”

The mood was light as she told him about Deng Yun, the friend who had been by her side through that genuinely difficult time, cheering her up with his antics.

The guy held the pizza box thoughtfully, “So, you had someone who was there for you through all that?”

Xu Muzi reached for a corner of a pizza slice, nodded, and took a bite.

“That’s really lucky.”

“Yeah, it was.”

“Shirley?”

“Hmm? What is it?”

“He must be handsome because—your face is turning red!” he laughed.

As he adjusted the strap of his violin case, he finished his sentence, holding the pizza box and taking off in a run.

Xu Muzi, with her neat ponytail, had just bitten into the pointed tip of her pizza slice, her mouth full of tomato sauce and cheese. She nearly choked, quickly chewed, and sprinted after him.

At the time, life had been challenging for her. That pizza and brief chat were probably the only respite she had in those exhausting days.

Back then, Xu Muzi hadn’t dared hope she would meet another ally, another kindred spirit like Deng Yun.

She knew she would have to face her battles alone, for a very long time.

And she knew that one day, even if she shared those struggles, no one would truly understand how it felt.

On this rainy night, as Xu Muzi sat in the small space of the guesthouse, listening to Deng Yun list out her little accomplishments so clearly, she felt another kind of rain in her heart—a warm rain, with a soft, gentle sound.

It was like she’d been journeying alone under the blazing sun for too long, finally finding shelter in the rain, giving her a chance to let go of her burdens and rest.

Xu Muzi swallowed her tears and asked Deng Yun, “But these things—how did you know about them?”

“I paid attention. I asked around.”

Deng Yun said that he knew much more about her than just these things.

And, in fact, he was more concerned about two other events.

Could one of them be the “potato smell” incident?

Or perhaps some embarrassing story of hers?

Xu Muzi suddenly felt nervous. “What else?”

One of them happened shortly after her family crisis.

An uncle, a family friend they both knew, couldn’t accept his failed investment and reported Xu Muzi’s parents to the police, accusing them of fraud.

The day the police came to investigate, Xu Muzi was the only one home.

Later, her parents went to the station to assist with the investigation. Before they left, they assured her they hadn’t broken any laws.

She stayed home, waiting for a potential buyer to come look at some furniture they were selling.

She negotiated with the buyer and eventually sold the furniture for the expected price.

That night, she bought a simple meal and went to the police station to wait for her parents.

During that time, Deng Yun had just helped his parents settle in the south and was back in his hometown, handling his grandmother’s old house.

By the time he heard about it, several days had passed.

Deng Yun said, “What I care about is, when the police came, and when you were waiting outside the station late at night—were you afraid?”

The tears she had held back started to rise again, but she blinked them away and held back her sobs.

She must have been afraid.

She wasn’t particularly brave. The most daring things she’d done were skipping a competition to visit a shooting range and secretly kissing Deng Yun behind her parents’ backs.

When she opened the door and saw the officers, even though she had done nothing wrong, her legs started to shake.

Before going to the station, her dad had said, “Muzi, it was foolish of me to fail in that investment, but I would never break the law. Don’t worry, alright?”

That stubborn resolve, so carefully held, was finally able to be released.

Xu Muzi spoke softly, “I was really scared. After selling the furniture, when I called the moving company, my fingers were shaking, and I kept pressing the wrong buttons. I was afraid Dad had lied to me, and I was terrified something bad had really happened…”

Deng Yun’s arm reached across the candlelight, his hand gently rubbing her hair.

The second incident was when Xu Muzi was studying abroad.

Deng Yun had heard about a shooting incident that took place on a street in her area.

Since he’d helped submit her resume for a hotel job, he knew her daily routine well.

So, he asked, “Did the shooting scare you?”

Xu Muzi shook her head.

Luckily, she had taken an earlier subway and reached the hotel ahead of time. She only found out about it afterward when her classmates were discussing it.

“Deng Yun, do you often check the news over there?”

After 1,075 days of worry and longing, he only replied with a simple sentence: “I check it every day.”

In the common area, voices could be heard clearly. The power company had sent workers, and Summer had led them to the circuit box.

Guests had finished their bottle-spinning game and were now discussing playing a game of Mafia.

It seemed they were short on players, and someone mentioned Xu Muzi and Deng Yun’s names.

Xing Pengjie immediately stopped them, “Let’s find someone else. They both said they’re not good at strategy games, let’s not force them.”

Earlier, during the bottle game, Xing Pengjie had given himself away.

Deng Yun knew Xing Pengjie was looking out for Xu Muzi, and he teased her, “Your friend talks in a way that sounds like he’s cursing.”

Xu Muzi, who was holding back tears, couldn’t help but laugh.

Then she understood.

No wonder Deng Yun was being so sarcastic with Xing Pengjie; he was asking, “Are you open to advances from the opposite sex now?”

And he’d asked her before, “Did it bother you?”

All those questions—was it because he thought she might have a boyfriend?

Xu Muzi held her face in her hands and laughed, “Deng Yun, so you’ve been jealous this whole time.”

“Oh, I’ve been jealous for hours. You only just realized?”

“Then, what does pineapple tart taste like?”

Deng Yun understood instantly, “Sour.”

Their connection was remarkable.

It felt as though it had always been this way, like they had never really been apart, even before they became partners in mischief.

That night he took her to a bar by climbing over a wall, and she didn’t feel the slightest discomfort.

When Xu Muzi hyperventilated and he carried her to the hospital, she clung to his back, sniffling, mumbling, giving him her last wishes.

“Deng Yun, if I die, remember to tell my parents there’s money left in my bank account.”

“And there’s a paid-for handbag charm I haven’t received from the store yet… it’s expensive…”

What had Deng Yun said back then?

Oh, that’s right. He walked steadily with her on his back, but his words were infuriating.

He said, “Stop rubbing your tears on my neck.”

Those memories were so vivid, and now they were so close.

It made her feel unwilling to leave.

Deng Yun, sensing the same thing, suddenly asked her, “When are you leaving tomorrow?”

“It should be in the morning.”

Originally, when she came to the inn, she’d thought she’d stay until after lunch tomorrow.

But it had taken her over four hours to arrive, with rain only in the last stretch. If it continued raining, the journey back would take even longer, so she’d have to leave a bit earlier.

There was so much she wanted to say.

Xu Muzi felt that, even if she stayed up all night talking until she left tomorrow, she wouldn’t be able to finish everything she wanted to share.

In the common area, people were looking for Xia Xia and gathering players for a game of Werewolf.

Two groups were mingling, their conversations not quite aligning.

“Hey, Xing, have you seen Xia Xia?”

“Great timing, want to play Werewolf?”

“No, no, I’m looking for Xia Xia.”

“She’s busy with the electricians right now. Why don’t you join us for a game?”

But the guest looking for Xia Xia seemed anxious and genuinely needed to find her.

Others noticed and asked what was going on.

The guest explained that he had previously borrowed a book from the bookshelf, and after returning it, he found a concert ticket in his room. He wasn’t sure if it belonged to another guest or had been left in the book.

“A concert ticket? Could it be Xu Muzi’s? She studies music.”

“What? Really? I found it in my room…”

“She had borrowed books here before and brought them back to her room. It might be hers, right?”

“True.”

“Well, since Xia Xia isn’t here, why don’t you ask Xu Muzi?”

They began calling Xu Muzi’s name, and she had to get up, despite not remembering ever bringing a ticket.

Xu Muzi knew it couldn’t be hers, but as she thought of Deng Yun waiting behind the umbrella tree, she answered quickly.

When they asked, “Is this your ticket?” she shook her head and denied it.

“Then it must’ve been left in the book.”

The guest looked dejected, explaining he had promised Xia Xia he’d take good care of the books.

“Xia Xia mentioned these books were old items from the owner’s collection. This ticket likely is too. It’s mostly my fault—I didn’t notice in the dark. I stepped out of the bathroom in slippers and accidentally stepped on it, getting it wet…”

The ticket was indeed wrinkled and damp.

The guest’s claim of “just one step” was probably understated—he seemed genuinely unaware of the ticket, likely having stepped on it multiple times.

Xu Muzi, compassionate despite her usual cool demeanor, hesitated for a moment and decided to let Deng Yun wait a little longer.

She wanted to help, so she took a candle and carefully examined the ticket the guest was holding.

The back was covered in dense English print, with a date from last year. It was clearly an old ticket, likely saved for sentimental reasons.

But when she flipped it over, the design on the front felt familiar.

Xu Muzi had attended the event as a performer and never needed a ticket herself, so seeing this stub unexpectedly left her stunned.

Could this really be a ticket to the music festival she’d performed at?

Wasn’t this an incredible coincidence?

It felt like some mystical force was at work, like a hidden gear of fate turning from the moment she entered the inn.

Meanwhile, the Werewolf game had kicked off, and the host was already calling, “Close your eyes as night falls.”

Outside the glass door, a new light appeared as Xia Xia returned with an emergency lamp, closing her umbrella and coming inside.

The guest, now feeling guilty, moved over to her, scratching his head and explaining the situation to her.

Xia Xia held the wrinkled ticket with a tissue and glanced over at the umbrella tree.

She said, “This was indeed tucked into one of our books by the owner, but don’t worry too much about it. I’ll keep it safe.”

Xu Muzi asked, “Has your boss ever lived abroad?”

Xia Xia shook her head. “Sorry, Miss Xu, I don’t know much about that. But there is good news—the repairman says the issue isn’t too serious, and power should be back in two or three hours.”

Xu Muzi returned to the space behind the umbrella tree and shared the good news with Deng Yun.

Deng Yun asked, “Good news?”

“Yes, the power is coming back. Isn’t that good news?”

As she moved past, the leaves of the umbrella tree swayed gently, casting dappled shadows.

He leaned back in his chair, fiddling with a glass pumpkin jar filled with chocolates, and asked why, if it was such good news, she looked so preoccupied.

“Do I?”

“It’s written all over your face.”

Xu Muzi knew she couldn’t hide anything from him. Sitting back down, she whispered, “The ticket that guy had—it’s not mine, but it’s deeply connected to me…”

Deng Yun took a piece of chocolate from the jar, unwrapping it slowly, the crinkling sound distracting her.

She pressed down on his hand to keep him still, then continued.

“Can you believe it? The stub that was tucked in the book belongs to a classical music festival.”

She added, in case he didn’t understand, “The one I performed in. You remember, right? The one where I performed with the violinist.”

Deng Yun looked down with a mischievous smile, almost conspiratorial.

“Is that so? What a coincidence.”

“Such an incredible coincidence—it feels like I’m in a dream, like I’m somehow tied to this inn.”

Especially in this setting…

With only a few furnishings bathed in soft candlelight, and most of the space in darkness, even the raindrops on the windows seemed to carry a sense of mystery.

Xu Muzi thought that maybe she had just gotten annoyed listening to her relatives gossip about her love life during dinner, so she went back to her room and fell asleep.

This was all just a dream.

But Deng Yun shattered her illusion.

He continued unwrapping the candy and placed the chocolate-coated oval candy into her mouth.

In dreams, there’s no taste or touch, yet the candy was sweet, and his thumb gently grazed her lower lip, sending a shiver through her.