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8:00 PM (2)
Interrupted by Deng Yun like this, Xu Muzi froze for a few seconds with the chocolate candy in her mouth.
Once she came to her senses, she glared at him.
Deng Yun laughed and withdrew his hand, fiddling with the candy wrapper. “Did you wake up from your dream?”
“… I was just making a metaphor.”
It was like when she casually glanced at the time and happened to see 08:08 or 18:18; she would look at it a little longer.
Coincidences always attract attention and provoke thought.
The appearance of the music festival ticket stub made Xu Muzi curious about the inn’s owner. Since Deng Yun had been at the inn longer than she had, she asked him if he had heard anything about the owner.
Deng Yun smoothed the wrapper in his hand and asked, “About what aspect?”
“All kinds of aspects.”
He replied lazily, “Oh, I haven’t heard anything.”
“Then why did you even ask?”
Xu Muzi felt a bit disappointed, resting her chin in her hands. “You really don’t know as much as I do…”
The conspirator across from her smiled lightly and asked, “You’ve only been here for a little over ten hours. What could you possibly know?”
“I know a lot!”
Deng Yun gave her a look that seemed to say, “How do you know that?”
Xu Muzi, with the chocolate candy still in her mouth, began counting on her fingers the information she had.
She recalled hearing from Xia Xia that the inn’s owner was only in his twenties, around their age.
All the old items in the public area, which had a “maximalism” style, including all the books and decorations on the shelves, were said to have been moved from the owner’s home.
“Xia Xia also mentioned that the London Eye—the beautiful rose you gave me—was also grown by the owner.”
Deng Yun continued to fiddle with the glass wrapper, which was printed with delicate lace patterns.
The shadows cast by the candlelight danced on his hands, resembling a delicate dark gray lace ribbon wrapped around his fingertips.
His fingers were long and graceful, quite attractive. The thin wrapper crinkled softly in his hands.
Even Xu Muzi, who was curious about the inn’s owner, momentarily lost her train of thought, pondering:
Perhaps Deng Yun’s mother was right to buy him a piano back in the day.
His fingers were so long; if he really learned to play, he might be able to run ten octaves effortlessly like Liszt…
In the past, while in piano class, she had heard classmates discuss a rather absurd rumor.
The girls said that the length of a boy’s fingers was related to certain other lengths; the longer the fingers…
She snapped back to reality.
Xu Muzi felt her cheeks warm and lightly tapped the table with her fingers, avoiding mentioning her earlier distraction, only calling out to Deng Yun, who was folding the candy wrapper.
“Deng Yun, were you even listening?”
“Yes, you go on.”
To keep both of them focused, Xu Muzi shared the “little gossip” she had read in the inn’s booking app comments with Deng Yun.
She said it seemed the inn was originally prepared as a gift for someone.
Pretty romantic, right?
Pretty intriguing, right?
Deng Yun didn’t seem as interested in the topic as he was in the chocolate-scented wrapper in his hand.
He folded it and pressed along the creases, casually saying, “Oh, so that’s how it is.”
“Is that all you have to say?”
He laughed and asked, “What else should I say?”
Xu Muzi thought for a moment and replied, “From this, we could guess a few things. For example, the inn’s owner has a lot of books… maybe, just maybe…”
The types of books the inn’s owner had were incredibly diverse, everything imaginable.
Previously, other guests had borrowed “The Soul of the Nation,” and the book she had brought back was a natural encyclopedia titled “Illustrated Guide to Fruits and Seeds.”
This was… too difficult to analyze.
Xu Muzi internally complained; she wasn’t a detective, but she had made a rather significant deduction earlier, and now it seemed somewhat “uncertain,” so she concluded hastily, “Maybe the owner is someone who enjoys reading.”
Deng Yun started laughing.
He said if the inn’s owner had just happened to win a large bookstore gift card in a contest that couldn’t be redeemed, and simply used it to buy books, it wouldn’t necessarily mean they loved reading that much.
Xu Muzi disagreed: “What contest gives out bookstore gift cards?”
“I don’t know.”
Since Deng Yun thought that way, it indicated he had experience with it; he had often heard elders talk about him participating in contests in the past.
“Have you ever won such a prize?”
Deng Yun replied, “Something like that.”
“What kind of contest was it?”
“Molcahros, the strongest marksman at the shooting range.”
Xu Muzi shot him a reproachful glance. “You’re not serious!”
Deng Yun asked her how he wasn’t serious.
Xu Muzi pouted and said she had seen it; the staff had thrown out ten frisbees, and he only hit eight. How could the strongest marksman ever miss?
Deng Yun’s laugh was genuinely handsome and a bit mischievous, exuding an alluring vibe. “Were you peeking at me?”
“I only glanced!”
“One glance is enough to see me hit all ten shots? Fine.”
The glass wrapper in Deng Yun’s hands had turned into a hexagon. He pointed out her analytical mistake.
He said just because the inn’s owner had many books didn’t mean they had read every single one.
Interrupted by Deng Yun, Xu Muzi froze for a few seconds, still holding the chocolate candy in her mouth.
Once she snapped back to reality, she glared at him.
Deng Yun chuckled and withdrew his hand, fiddling with the candy wrapper: “Did you wake up from your dream?”
“…I was just making a metaphor.”
It’s like when you glance at the time and coincidentally see numbers like 08:08 or 18:18, you tend to take a second look.
Coincidences always catch people’s attention and provoke thought.
The appearance of the music festival ticket stub piqued Xu Muzi’s curiosity about the innkeeper, and since Deng Yun had been at the inn longer, she asked him if he had heard anything about the owner.
Deng Yun smoothed out the glass paper in his hand and asked, “About what aspect?”
“Various aspects.”
He responded lazily, “Oh, I haven’t heard anything.”
“Then why did you even ask?”
Xu Muzi felt a bit disappointed, propping her chin on her hands: “You don’t know as much as I do…”
The schemer across from her smiled faintly and asked, “You’ve only been here for a dozen hours, what could you possibly know?”
“I know a lot!”
Deng Yun gave her a “how do you know that” look.
Xu Muzi held the chocolate candy in her mouth and started listing the information she had gathered on her fingers.
She had heard from Xia Xia that the innkeeper was only in his twenties, about the same age as them.
The public area’s “maximalism” style antiques, including all the books and decorations on the shelves, were said to be moved from the owner’s home.
“Xia Xia also said that the London Eye, that beautiful rose you gave me, was also grown by the innkeeper.”
Deng Yun was still fiddling with the glass paper, which had a lace pattern printed on it.
The shadow was cast on his hand by the candlelight, resembling fine dark gray lace wrapped around his fingertips.
His fingers were long and elegantly shaped, very attractive. The glass paper had a crisp texture, making sounds as he handled it.
Even Xu Muzi, who was curious about the innkeeper, momentarily lost her train of thought and wondered:
Maybe it was right when Deng Yun’s mom bought him a piano back then.
His fingers were so long; if he really learned to play, he might easily run ten octaves like Liszt…
She remembered a rather absurd rumor discussed by her classmates in piano class.
The girls said that the length of a boy’s fingers was related to… something else; the longer the fingers…
She snapped back to reality.
Xu Muzi’s cheeks secretly flushed as she tapped the table with her finger massager but completely avoided mentioning her earlier distraction. Instead, she called out to Deng Yun, who was folding the glass paper.
“Deng Yun, were you even listening?”
“Yeah, go on.”
To keep both of them engaged, Xu Muzi shared a “little gossip” she had seen in the inn’s ordering software’s review section with Deng Yun.
She said that it seemed the inn was initially prepared as a gift for someone.
Pretty romantic, right?
Quite intriguing too, isn’t it?
Deng Yun seemed less interested in this topic than in the chocolate-scented glass paper in his hand.
He continued folding it, his fingertips pressing along the creases, casually saying, “Oh, is that so?”
“That’s your reaction?”
He asked, amused, “What else should it be?”
Xu Muzi thought for a moment and said, “Based on this, we can guess some things. For example, the innkeeper has a lot of books… perhaps, perhaps…”
The types of books owned by the innkeeper were far too varied; there was everything.
Other guests had borrowed “Soul Stealing” before, and the one she took back to her room was a nature encyclopedia titled “Illustrated Guide to Fruits and Seeds.”
This was… too hard to analyze.
Xu Muzi thought to herself, she wasn’t a detective, but she had started quite a grand inference, and now she couldn’t come up with anything “possible,” so she hastily concluded her deduction: “Maybe the innkeeper is someone who likes to read.”
Deng Yun began to laugh.
He said if the innkeeper only happened to win a large bookstore gift card in a contest, which couldn’t be redeemed, he might as well buy books with it; that doesn’t necessarily mean he loves reading.
Xu Muzi disagreed: “What kind of contest gives out bookstore gift cards?”
“Who knows?”
Since Deng Yun had that kind of thought, it showed he had been exposed to it; he often heard his elders say he participated in contests.
“Have you ever won such a prize?”
Deng Yun said, “Something like that.”
“What kind of contest was it?”
“Mogalos, the strongest sharpshooter at the shooting range.”
Xu Muzi shot him an accusatory glance: “You’re being unserious!”
Deng Yun asked Xu Muzi how he was being unserious.
Xu Muzi pouted and said she had seen it that day; when the staff tossed out ten flying discs, he only hit eight. The strongest sharpshooter couldn’t possibly miss, right?
Deng Yun’s laugh was genuinely handsome, with a hint of mischief, exuding an irresistible charm: “Were you peeking at me?”
“I only glanced once!”
“Can you see me finish all ten shots with just one glance? Fine then.”
Deng Yun had turned the glass paper into a hexagon and pointed out her analytical error.
He said that even if the innkeeper had many books, it didn’t mean he had read every single one.
“Look at that book ‘Peony Pavilion’ in the corner; it looks quite new.”
Indeed, some people love to buy books but don’t necessarily love to read them.
Xu Muzi admitted her inference was somewhat forced, but…
“Planting roses by hand, keeping the inn so cozy, and wanting to give this place to someone else—these things must indicate something, right?”
“Like what?”
“For example, I think the innkeeper is a romantic, meticulous, stylish, and story-rich person.”
After thinking for a moment, Xu Muzi added, “And very mysterious.”
Deng Yun narrowed his eyes slightly: “That’s quite a high evaluation, huh? Tell me what kind of person I am?”
Secretly, she had her own judgments; if someone else had asked, she could have said a lot.
But with him asking directly…
Xu Muzi felt embarrassed and said, “No one does that; with you looking at me like this, I can’t say it at all…”
Deng Yun gave her a thumbs-up: “You can say good things about others.”
“I just thought of another one.”
“Are you evaluating me or the innkeeper?”
“…The innkeeper.”
Actually, Xu Muzi was a bit deliberate; she loved watching Deng Yun squint at her with a hint of jealousy.
She pretended to analyze further, “The innkeeper was able to attend the music festival I participated in, which shows he has good taste.”
As expected, Deng Yun hissed.
And thinking back, there had been similar situations in the past—
They had met a magician bartender at a bar, and while making a drink for Xu Muzi, the bartender snapped his fingers beside her ear.
She watched in awe as the bartender produced two rose petals out of thin air and added them to her cocktail.
Xu Muzi was, of course, excited, pulling on Deng Yun’s arm and jumping around: “Oh my god, Deng Yun, he’s amazing; he can do magic!”
The bar was crowded, and Deng Yun, caught off guard, stumbled a bit from Xu Muzi pulling him.
He hissed and said, “It’s simple; it’s beginner’s magic; it just tricks a naive girl like you.”
Xu Muzi had practiced piano for years; her cleverness was limited to this extent, merely teasing him a bit to stir some jealousy.
But she did have a lot of patience.
She even liked to suck on candy until the end, never biting into the candy midway.
However, she was too eager to speak, causing her teeth to touch the chocolate candy in her mouth.
The outer layer of sweet white chocolate had long melted, leaving only a hard candy shell.
When her teeth met, the hard shell cracked.
The pure dark chocolate liquid inside oozed out, bitter enough to make Xu Muzi frown.
She covered her mouth and let out a muffled sound.
Thinking to herself, it’s true that one shouldn’t be too pleased with oneself; after being smug for just a bit, she was bound to face disaster.
Deng Yun noticed something was off, frowned, and directly reached out his hand toward Xu Muzi: “Spit it out.”
Xu Muzi forced herself to swallow and raised her hand: “I take back my praise for the innkeeper’s taste; this chocolate candy is just too bitter!”
At that moment, Xia Xia rushed over, holding her work phone, peeking out from the dim light of the duck palm tree: “Sorry to interrupt, but ‘Lai Cai’ has news!”
The video on Xia Xia’s phone was from the pet doctor.
There was no power outage down the hill; the video was bright and clear, showing three stray cats wandering around Dr. Tang’s clinic, sniffing around and looking lively.
Dr. Tang said, “I checked them; don’t worry, there are no major health issues, no injuries or cat ringworm; they just lack nutrition.”
The doctor suggested observing them for a few days before administering vaccines.
The three stray cats hadn’t yet adapted to their new names. Xu Muzi futilely tried to coax them for a while, but none of the cats paid her any mind.
After hanging up the video call, Xia Xia asked regretfully, “Miss Xu, are you really not staying another night?”
“Yeah, I have to leave tomorrow morning.”
“They might be observed at Dr. Tang’s for a while; you won’t see them when they return.”
Xu Muzi thought for a moment: “I’ll come back when I have the chance.”
After Xia Xia left, Xu Muzi pondered about coming back to the inn in the future.
What she said to Xia Xia wasn’t just polite talk; she genuinely found this place comfortable and wanted to come back.
Xu Muzi hadn’t seen how it looked here on a sunny day; the night sky at the mountain top must be magnificent, wild animals must roam more frequently, and there were berries, dense vegetation…
Perhaps it was just impossible for life to be too smooth sailing.
She had already encountered too many delightful and unforgettable things at the inn; when she looked at her phone again, Xu Muzi discovered she had missed a message from a colleague in the band.
The colleague said that due to heavy rain in many areas, southern flights were delayed.
Other bands would arrive later, so the rehearsal time originally allocated for their local band needed to be freed up for the other bands.
Xu Muzi’s band’s rehearsal was moved to tomorrow afternoon; leaving tomorrow morning was no longer feasible.
She calculated the time silently, realizing she might have to leave the inn by five o’clock in the morning.
Less than ten hours were left.
Even with her usual patience, she felt time was tight.
Even if the innkeeper was mysterious, he was still a stranger; better to leave studying him for another time!
Xu Muzi put down her phone and immediately entered a tense mode, akin to the final few minutes before submitting an exam paper, thinking about how to squeeze in a few more notes: “Deng Yun, where are you living now?”
She was delighted to hear Deng Yun say that after graduating, he had stayed in the city where they once lived.
Not only that, but his parents had also returned from the south and were looking for reasonably priced houses, planning to settle down again.
Xu Muzi missed the time when their families lived next to each other; hesitating, she finally spoke up: “Actually, my parents are also looking for a house…”
Deng Yun understood: “I’ll promote it a bit and see if they’re willing to live closer.”
“Really? Is that possible?”
“I think it’s about time.”
Although the rain had advanced her return home, it seemed to nourish the budding and growth of many good things…
Xu Muzi initially wanted to ask Deng Yun when he would go home but suddenly thought of another question.
Given the similarities in personality between her parents and Deng Yun’s, once her family situation improved, her parents had been so eager to introduce her to potential partners…
Had Deng Yun’s parents never introduced anyone to him, even though he was two years older than her?
“Deng Yun, haven’t your parents ever introduced you to someone for a blind date?”
“There was an indication of that before, but I nipped it in the bud—”
The crispy glass candy wrapper that Deng Yun had been holding had disappeared at some point.
Xu Muzi hadn’t even seen what he had folded; now, he was using his thumb and index finger to hold her fingertips while he spoke, writing in her palm.
“—As for the reason.”
Deng Yun’s fingertips touched her sensitive palm slowly and deliberately.
With each stroke, he glided over the chaotic lines of her palm, writing the four characters “心有所属” (heart belongs to someone).
The character “属” had so many strokes that it tickled her heart.
But when the final stroke landed in her palm, it also left behind a butterfly made from candy paper, the same kind he had folded from discarded sheet music in the practice room back then.
The rain was abundant, and water was everywhere; outside the window, the night shimmered.
In the dim light, the small glass paper butterfly landed right in the center of Xu Muzi’s hand.
It felt as if the phrase “心有所属” (heart belongs to someone) had sprouted wings.
She knew exactly who he was referring to; her cheeks flushed as she lifted the butterfly to take a closer look in surprise.
“Have you learned that magic trick?”
Deng Yun smiled nonchalantly, saying, “It’s simple,” then added, “I learned it a long time ago but didn’t have the chance to show it.”