Chapter 14

Shang Mingbao recovered from the dizziness in her head and tried to get up, but felt the arm around her tighten.

“Don’t move…” Xiang Feiran, rarely without his usual crisp tone, took a breath before speaking in a low, restrained voice, “Take it slow.”

Shang Mingbao, small and delicate, carried a fragrance in her hair, like a bouquet of flowers.

Like bellflower.

You’re like a bouquet of bellflower.

Xiang Feiran buried this thought deep inside, and coldly said, “Alright, get up.”

Shang Mingbao’s eyelashes were wet with tears, making her uncomfortable. Before getting up, she grabbed the collar of his T-shirt and wiped her eyes with it.

Xiang Feiran: “…”

She certainly felt at ease using him like that.

He loosened his hold slightly, his large palm resting against her shoulder blade. “Are you okay? Check if you’re hurt anywhere.”

The coolness of the midsummer night contrasted sharply with the heat of his breath. The warmth of his body seeped through the thin fabric of his T-shirt, spreading across every inch of Shang Mingbao’s skin. Suddenly blushing, she hurriedly got up, fumbling with her hands and feet, “I-I’m fine.”

Xiang Feiran, having recovered, stood up as well.

“Your clothes are dirty,” Shang Mingbao said, picking up the flashlight from the ground and shining it on him.

Xiang Feiran leaned against a tree trunk, taking deep breaths, “It’s fine.”

But Shang Mingbao still walked over and lightly patted his back. Xiang Feiran’s deep breath caught midway, and he turned around, coldly gripping her wrist, his thumb pressing against her palm.

“Hasn’t anyone ever taught you that men and women should keep a proper distance?” Xiang Feiran’s rare irritation was evident in his furrowed brows and deep, stormy eyes under the warm glow of the flashlight.

Shang Mingbao was taken aback by his question, but her feelings of grievance and anger surged stronger. “Don’t push your luck.”

“What?”

“I don’t even have to brush the dirt off myself, and I do it for you, and yet… you scold me!” Shang Mingbao huffed, pulling her hand back forcefully. “Fine, I won’t do it. You think I wanted to…”

Her action was akin to flinging Xiang Feiran’s hand away. He felt the emptiness in his palm, and it was as if the force with which she had pulled away struck his heart, leaving a heavy, sinking sensation.

He didn’t speak for a moment. After a couple of seconds, he calmly said, “Thank you for your kindness, but I’ll pass.”

Seeing that Shang Mingbao remained silent, Xiang Feiran curled his lips slightly. “You’re quite different from when we first met.”

Back then, she spoke softly, with a bit of a princess-like temper.

Shang Mingbao quickly raised her face and stared at him. “Do you prefer the way I was?”

“No.”

“Do you dislike how I am now?”

“Also no.”

“So you liked me better when we first met.” Shang Mingbao lowered her head.

But was there really such a big difference? She had just gotten a little carried away when she noticed that he cared about her.

“The way I was when we first met wasn’t fake either,” she finally said softly.

Xiang Feiran responded indifferently, “There’s no need to worry about whether a stranger likes you or not. It’s not important.”

The rest of the walk back was spent in silence.

When people are unhappy, fear seems to take a back seat. No wonder the cannon fodder in horror movies always dies after storming off alone after an argument. Shang Mingbao walked ahead, her head down, no longer afraid of anything. Her heart was heavy as if a pile of stones had been stacked inside, blocking all her breath.

When they returned to the courtyard, Aunt Lan, who had been waiting, was shocked. “What happened?”

The streetlamp illuminated their disheveled figures. Both of their clothes were black, so the mud and dirt were very noticeable, and neither of them looked too happy.

Fang Suining, with a toothbrush in his mouth, came to watch the commotion. He was just about to make a snide remark when Xiang Feiran instructed, “Take Shang Mingbao upstairs and check for any injuries, internal or external.”

Fang Suining followed the order and then heard Xiang Feiran add, “Also, check for any suspicious wounds, bite marks, or punctures.”

“What’s that about?” Fang Suining asked.

“There are snakes in the mountains. If you fall hard enough, the pain from the fall might overshadow the snake bite. Some snake venom doesn’t cause immediate pain, and by the time you realize it, it might be too late.”

Those two casual sentences sent chills down everyone’s spine. Fang Suining quickly pulled Shang Mingbao aside, deciding not to go upstairs but somewhere closer—his eyes locked on the specimen room.

“What about Brother Feiran?” Shang Mingbao asked, glancing back uncertainly. Only Fang Suining heard her.

“He’s fine. He’s been going into the wilderness since he was eight; he knows how to take care of himself.” Fang Suining pushed her into the room and turned the lights up as bright as they would go.

The curtains let in light but not shadows, with their wavy folds casting blurred yet delicate silhouettes.

Xiang Feiran, naturally restrained, turned his back and sat down in the hallway. Since no one else was around, he pulled out a crushed pack of cigarettes and took one out.

Aunt Lan brought him a cup of warm water. She looked at his silent profile as he smoked, hesitated for a long time, and finally decided not to speak. She couldn’t tell him to smoke less because she could never forget how he used to sit by the specimen cabinet, smoking through the night.

Xiang Feiran exhaled a puff of smoke and took the cup from her. “Thank you.”

“Should I apply some medicine for you later?”

There weren’t many men at home; they had all gone to Beijing with Xiang Lianqiao. Aunt Lan, who was in charge of housekeeping and the oldest among them, was the closest thing to an elder, making her more convenient than the others.

Xiang Feiran smiled. “No need, I can handle it myself.”

Aunt Lan remembered something. “Miss Tan left some really good medicine before. I wonder if it’s expired…”

She muttered to herself as she turned away, suddenly realizing something and stopping mid-sentence.

Everyone fell into an unusual silence, including Fang Suining, who was examining Shang Mingbao for injuries.

After a few seconds, Xiang Feiran’s indifferent voice broke the silence. “No need, Yunnan Baiyao will do.”

Aunt Lan quickly agreed, “Yes, yes,” and let the matter drop.

Fang Suining finished his examination and gave his conclusion, “Fortunately, not even a bruise.”

“That’s because Brother Feiran shielded me.” Shang Mingbao put on her clothes, discarding the dirty jacket on the floor.

“That’s to be expected. You’re the little sister; it’s his duty.”

Shang Mingbao pressed her lips together. “Is he this good to you too? You’re always scolding him, so I thought he didn’t take care of you.”

She instinctively wanted to find something special about the word “sister” that set it apart.

“He doesn’t take care of me as well as he does you, but of course, it’s different with family and guests.” Fang Suining patted her, trying to ease her guilt. “Don’t feel bad. He hates being tied down by personal favors.”

Shang Mingbao was taken aback. So, in addition to being a sister, she was also a guest. She had forgotten about that. Her princess-like attitude on the way back now seemed out of place and inappropriate for their shallow relationship.

She nodded.

She wanted to ask who “Miss Tan” was, but it didn’t seem like the right time. Maybe… a former girlfriend, someone who was very important to him, someone he couldn’t forget, so much so that even the ointment she left behind couldn’t be mentioned.

Shang Mingbao took a deep breath and replaced her expression with a smile.

When she stepped out, the hallway was empty, and the light was on in a nearby bedroom.

Fang Suining sniffed the air and made a sound of surprise. “Does it smell like smoke?”

Shang Mingbao lowered her gaze and covered for him naturally, “No, I don’t smell anything.”

Fang Suining continued chatting with her, asking, “So, what did you guys go to see tonight?”

“Looking at the night behavior of plants—who knew that the sensitive plant sleeps at night? What’s it called…”

“Emotional night sex,” Fang Suining answered for her, “The movement cells in the leaf pads absorb water and swell up, causing the leaves to open. At night, after releasing the water, they contract, making the leaves look like they’re closing up for sleep.”

After saying this, she closed herself off slightly: “Damn, when I asked him before, he told me to look it up myself!”

Shang Mingbao pressed her lips together: “Well… he also showed me how plants look under ultraviolet light, which was also very beautiful and interesting.”

“What?” Fang Suining couldn’t hold back: “Why did he take you on a plant tour like a kindergarten kid, while all I got was a look at the moth pollination under the small fruit leaves?”

“What’s that?”

“The small fruit leaves use nectar to attract tiny moths for pollination, but these moths aren’t innocent; they lay eggs in the flowers while feeding on nectar. When the larvae hatch, they eat the seeds of the small fruit leaves. But the small fruit leaves seem to know about this, so at that stage, they emit a scent to attract another type of insect to come and eat the moth larvae, preventing them from consuming all the seeds—this is a parasitic mutualistic pollination where everyone sacrifices a bit for the greater good. But that’s not important! What’s important is why he took you to see flowers and plants while all I saw were moths! Who wants to look at moths!”

Fang Suining’s mood broke down.

Although the moths’ egg-laying was invisible to the naked eye, she was still swarmed by them that night!

Shang Mingbao tried to flatten her lips, suppressing her rapidly beating heart, and comforted her: “It’s okay, these are just the cute secrets of plants.”

Fang Suining: “Then let’s switch next time.”

Shang Mingbao refused without blinking: “No.”

·

A hand wiped away the mist on the mirror, revealing a pair of thin, sharp eyes.

Xiang Feiran supported himself on the sink, took a deep breath, then poured the medicinal oil into his palm, rubbed it until it warmed up, and hastily applied it to his back wound.

The medicine was quite strong, and he frowned in pain. By the time he finished applying it, a thin layer of sweat covered his skin.

He still had to continue assembling the equipment he had started in the afternoon, and several sample data needed processing. Sleeping was out of the question; getting some rest before dawn would be good enough.

He opened the door, preparing to return to his study, when he unexpectedly saw Shang Mingbao waiting at the door.

Because of the strong smell of the medicinal oil, he intended to air it out, so he was topless.

At the sight, both of them froze.

The man before her had broad shoulders and a narrow waist, his muscles well-defined—not exaggerated, but clearly the result of years of self-discipline, with low body fat. He wore loose gray sports pants cinched at the waist, with the drawstring untied. Beyond that, Shang Mingbao couldn’t look.

Xiang Feiran cleared his throat and lowered his hand, which was wiping his hair with a towel: “Put on some clothes.”

The movement of turning away revealed a rare hint of fluster on him.

Shang Mingbao was taken aback and saw the varying bruises and scratches on his back.

Xiang Feiran casually put on a T-shirt, his black hair still damp but not dripping, falling messily over his forehead.

“What’s up?” he asked somewhat coldly.

“How’s your injury?”

“It’s nothing.”

Seeing that she didn’t leave, Xiang Feiran asked: “Is there something you need? Just say it.”

“I was going to ask if you really can’t take us up the mountain, but seeing your injury just now, I decided not to ask.”

Xiang Feiran chuckled slightly at her words: “Decided not to ask, but still asked?”

Shang Mingbao was flustered by his half-smile. As he looked down at her, her thoughts drifted back to the scene where he had held her and fallen in the forest.

He had protected her so thoroughly, ensuring her safety. Now she realized it was only because his body was capable of such protection.

Shang Mingbao was usually good at acting cute when she needed something, but this time, she neither acted cute nor whined. Instead, she lifted her face and looked into his eyes: “I can’t help it. The summer camp is ending.”

Yes, the summer camp was ending. There were only five days left before she returned to Hong Kong. Her tutors and clubs had arranged a tight schedule for her, her good friends had planned a grand welcome party to celebrate her escape from the hardships of the remote countryside, and her salespeople and client managers had arranged flowers and high-end goods for her, ready to clear the store for her at any moment.

Her brief summer was coming to an end.

For a girl, such a summer might seem insignificant, like a fallen leaf spinning gently on the river’s surface, only to be reflected upon in her thirties or forties.

In her thirties or forties, she would look back on him.

Xiang Feiran closed the bedroom door, his expression neutral: “How many days left?”

“Five days.”

He nodded: “Tomorrow we’ll buy a pair of hiking shoes, then check the tents and supplies. The day after tomorrow, we’ll head into the mountains.”

Shang Mingbao was surprised at how straightforward his response was: “You agreed? Didn’t you say you were very busy… or…”

She was having second thoughts.

“Shang Mingbao,” Xiang Feiran interrupted her.

Under the suspended light, the sound of moths fluttering their wings was audible.

He lowered his gaze, his deep eyes piercing straight through her: “Don’t withdraw your request after I’ve agreed to it.”