The Ming Deng Mountain Manor where they were staying was the main building of that massive health resort complex atop Gu Yang Mountain. During check-in, Xun Xun was unsurprisingly informed by a not-so-sincere apologetic Chi Cheng that only one guest room remained available. Upon inquiring with the staff, she learned that while the room shortage was real, it wasn’t due to the flourishing tourism that Zhou Rui Sheng had mentioned earlier. Rather, because of the bitterly cold climate at the peak during this season, it was unmistakably the off-season for tourism. The manor had only opened one cliff-side villa for guests and was hosting a small tour group mainly consisting of photography enthusiasts. That’s why rooms were scarce, though the one reserved for them had the most expansive view and best scenery in the entire building.
“If you’re uncomfortable with the arrangement, you could consider the nearby vacation cabins. Though they lack hot water, heating, and security guarantees, I can promise there will be vacancies…” Chi Cheng suggested thoughtfully.
Xun Xun asked, “Can you also guarantee that if I move to a cabin, I won’t see your face in the middle of the night?”
He just laughed without answering.
The manor’s heating system provided some relief. Xun Xun set down her luggage and surveyed the double-standard room. She somewhat understood why Zhou Rui Sheng had managed to book them a room at the last minute yet still earned a harsh rebuke from Chi Cheng. If it were up to Chi Cheng’s wishes, he probably would have preferred a single small bed that barely fit two people squeezed together.
Chi Cheng reclined on one of the beds, watching with great interest as Xun Xun walked around examining the room’s security features.
“Zhao Xun Xun, is that door lock sturdy enough? Can it defend against alien invasions?”
“…Are you sure there aren’t any hidden cameras?”
“Is there an electric current in the bathtub?”
“You only brought one clean bed sheet – if I get infected with a mysterious virus, won’t you get infected too?”
Xun Xun ignored his nonsense and went about her business. Finding no entertainment in this, Chi Cheng kindly reminded her, “Don’t forget the balcony – it would be terrible if thieves climbed in at night…”
The balcony was Xun Xun’s next destination. She walked out to examine this balcony that the staff had described as having “breathtaking views,” and immediately felt her hair stand on end. Now she was certain no intruder would climb through the window because this cliff-side villa was truly built into the mountainside – anyone who didn’t want to live anymore could simply jump from the balcony into the bottomless abyss below. Despite the glass safety railings, she couldn’t help but retreat, sitting anxiously on the bed far from the danger, worried that the building’s foundation might not be secure and that the slightest carelessness could send the whole structure crumbling down.
After having his fill of laughter, Chi Cheng pulled her up and said, “It’s still early for dinner, come take a walk with me.” Seeing Xun Xun’s lack of interest, he teased, “If you stay here alone, be careful not to fall – there won’t be anyone to break your fall.”
Xun Xun changed clothes resentfully and followed him out. Though the rain had temporarily stopped that afternoon, the sky remained overcast, with gray clouds pressing down on the verdant scenery below. The air was bitter cold, yet people still felt short of breath.
“Let’s go this way,” Chi Cheng pointed to a gravel path leading behind Ming Deng Mountain Manor. “I’ve been here several times; the scenery along this path is quite nice.”
Xun Xun tightened her collar and followed behind him. Chi Cheng walked while examining her outdoor attire, clicking his tongue in amazement: “Zhao Xun Xun, I can’t believe you have an Arc’teryx jacket. I want to know what other unexpected things you have in your bag.”
His surprise was understandable – Xun Xun didn’t look like someone who enjoyed outdoor activities, yet her expensive outfit would be considered professional even for climbing Mount Everest. Given her careful financial planning style, she would never invest in anything unnecessary.
However, Chi Cheng quickly understood her intention.
“Is this part of your survival gear for when the Earth is destroyed and the Ice Age arrives?”
Her silence meant he had guessed correctly. Chi Cheng couldn’t help but grin, “I’m honored that you’ve put it to use.”
Facing his teasing, Xun Xun responded coolly with a blushing face: “Don’t mention it.”
He couldn’t stop smiling as they walked quite far. The gravel path appeared extremely long, like a white snake weaving through green barriers. Initially, they encountered a few tourists returning from their walks, but as they went deeper, human presence grew scarce, and the sound of wind rustling through pine branches became the dominant theme.
“Hurry up, or you might lose track and get kidnapped by mountain wildmen,” Chi Cheng called from a few steps ahead, seeing Xun Xun growing increasingly hesitant.
They had reached a jade-green pond with the character “Medicinal Pool” carved into the nearby rock face. A narrow double wooden bridge spanned the pond, covered in green moss. This seemed to be a boundary between two scenic spots, with the gravel path on the other side of the bridge leading into denser forest.
After his teasing, Xun Xun simply stopped and wanted to head back.
“I don’t understand why you brought me here,” she mumbled.
Chi Cheng laughed, “Obviously to lure you into the deep mountains to rob and ravish you.”
Xun Xun didn’t find it funny. She stared at him for a moment, then turned to leave.
Chi Cheng finally grabbed her wrist.
“Are you taking me seriously?”
“Are you still not going to tell me why you brought me up the mountain? Keep making nonsensical jokes, and I’m going down right now.”
Chi Cheng looked down at her as if judging how serious she was.
“If you’re scared, why did you agree to come with me?”
This was also a question Xun Xun had been asking herself repeatedly. She knew that although Chi Cheng appeared frivolous, he always had clear purposes for his actions. After much hesitation, she still chose to follow him up the mountain, not only seeking answers to puzzles that had confused her for so long but also because she realized she had unknowingly wagered too much in this gamble. Complete withdrawal was now a luxury, and she had no choice but to bet all her remaining chips on one big win.
Chi Cheng touched her cheek with his ice-cold hand, and although Xun Xun’s face was already numb from the cold, she couldn’t help but flinch.
“Look at you, your face has changed color,” he smiled, continuing to lead her forward. “Alright, I’ll tell you. I brought you up the mountain because my mother’s ashes are kept in a Taoist temple up here.”
“Xuan Zhen Pavilion?”
“Didn’t you say you’d never been here?”
Xun Xun hadn’t been there, but when her father was alive, he spent his days playing at mysticism, claiming to be a disciple of the Great Pure Immortal, and although he wasn’t a genuine Taoist practitioner, he had once set up a fortune-telling stall at Xuan Zhen Pavilion on Gu Yang Mountain.
“I read about it in travel guides online,” Xun Xun walked a few slow steps before hesitantly asking, “Chi Cheng, how did your mother pass away?”
“She died from illness, liver cancer. It took less than six months from diagnosis to passing.” Chi Cheng said, “Why are you stunned? For some people, living is suffering, and death is release. Xun Xun, you don’t need to think too much about it. I just want her to know what kind of person her son loves.”
Without realizing it, Xun Xun had been led onto the wooden bridge. The jade-like deep pond water made her nervous.
“Don’t look down,” Chi Cheng felt her tight grip and comforted her.
Xun Xun nodded and walked more carefully. The moss on the wooden bridge was slippery, and the heavier her steps, the more likely she was to slip. Her foot became unsteady, and she swayed, but Chi Cheng quickly steadied her.
“You’re making me nervous too.”
Xun Xun smiled sheepishly. In her frightened state, she looked down to see their reflections in the rippling water below, pressed extremely close together yet both with blurred faces. One of them was herself, taking careful steps while swaying with the waves.
Only after reaching solid ground did Xun Xun think to ask, “Are we heading to Xuan Zhen Pavilion now?”
Chi Cheng said, “No rush, Xuan Zhen Pavilion is on another peak. We’ll go tomorrow. Today we’re just out for a walk. I remember there’s a nice waterfall ahead.”
After crossing the bridge, the tree-lined path bent ahead, and they soon reached a fork with an old wooden signpost. The writing was faded, but they could barely make out “X Cloud Waterfall” pointing to the left, while the right direction was completely illegible.
“Let’s go,” Chi Cheng showed no intention of letting go of her hand as he led her toward the waterfall on the left.
But Xun Xun didn’t move. After hesitating for a moment, she pointed in the other direction and said to Chi Cheng, “What’s there to see at a waterfall in winter? Why don’t we go right?”
Chi Cheng was quite surprised, “I’m telling you, I’ve never been down that way. Who knows if it’s a proper path or a dead end at a cliff?”
“That’s why we should go see.”
“Since when did you become so adventurous?”
“Just now,” Xun Xun smiled.
His strides were long, habitually walking several steps ahead, seemingly wanting to stretch their joined hands into a straight line, yet worried she couldn’t keep up, occasionally slowing down to wait. Xun Xun allowed herself to follow Chi Cheng in an unknown direction, her gaze following his silhouette as if re-examining her memories.
Who was he?
Was he leading her step by step into a real-life fairy tale, or a web of lies?
Trust him. Don’t trust him. With each step, Xun Xun chanted in her heart, like a young girl plucking flower petals asking “Love me, loves me not.”
If when the next signpost appeared, there was still a path at the end of this road, she would believe everything he had said.
She was desperately eager to know what awaited her ahead, like yearning for the divine revelation of fate.
This small path reached its end much sooner than she had imagined, and suddenly their view opened up.
At the end of the path was a massive hedge maze.
Everyone has walked through a maze as a child – you know there must be a path leading to the other side, but standing at the entrance, you never know where it is.
Neither Chi Cheng nor Xun Xun had expected such a place hidden in this seemingly remote corner. From the outside, the maze was a square formation over a hundred meters wide, with hedges as barriers and a bamboo pavilion built in the center for viewing the maze from above. Several early-arriving tourists had already set up photography tripods in the pavilion, and there were scattered groups of people exploring the maze.
Chi Cheng led Xun Xun inside, where identical-looking passages extended left and right.
“Why don’t we each take a side and see who reaches the center first?” Chi Cheng suggested playfully. Seeing no objection from Xun Xun, he released her hand, and they headed in opposite directions.
Xun Xun followed her intuition along the passage. Looking back after a while, she could only see half of Chi Cheng’s body peeking through the hedges about a dozen meters away. She wound left and right, accidentally entering a dead end and wasting quite a bit of time before dejectedly turning back.
Chi Cheng seemed to be having much better luck, occasionally calling out to her with a laugh and waving. When she hit her second dead end, Xun Xun was considering whether to mark the paths she’d taken when she heard someone calling her name. Looking up, she discovered her opponent had already leisurely made his way to the central pavilion, flashing her a victor’s smile. The outcome largely depended on choosing the correct initial path – she had only gotten further from her original destination by continuously backtracking.
“Zhao Xun Xun, you have no sense of direction!” Chi Cheng called out teasingly as he watched her wandering around. Xun Xun was at a loss, while he stood above the maze like a spectator watching a fire from across the shore, with all the twists and turns below clearly visible.
Xun Xun grew frustrated under his mockery. The maze wasn’t particularly difficult, but once trapped inside, finding the exit wasn’t so simple. She seemed to have chosen the worst possible route – every path she took was wrong, and trying to backtrack proved no clearer than moving forward.
The other tourists who had entered the maze before them gradually made their way up to the pavilion. Some kind-hearted souls tried shouting directions to Xun Xun, but their methods weren’t effective, and she continued wandering around like a headless fly.
The weather showed no signs of improvement – the clouds appeared even darker, and the temperature seemed to keep dropping. After repeatedly hitting dead ends, Xun Xun helplessly made a surrender gesture to Chi Cheng, admitting defeat. Having had his fill of laughter and unable to watch any longer, Chi Cheng returned to the maze to guide her out.
Just then, a lightning bolt suddenly split the gloom over the mountain, startling a timid girl in the pavilion into a scream. A heavy rain was approaching.
The people who had been leisurely enjoying the view from the pavilion scattered like birds and beasts, with photographers hurriedly dismantling their tripods. Mountain rain comes suddenly – the wind alone was enough to make people stagger, and getting soaked through would be unpleasant.
The maze suddenly became busy again, but while Xun Xun still faced the center, everyone else was rushing toward the exit. With more people in the square formation, all in a state of panic, they were like many headless flies bumping around, exiting seem even more unreachable.
Lightning flashed repeatedly on the horizon as Chi Cheng struggled to reach Xun Xun.
“Don’t move – the more you walk, the harder it is for me to find you.” The anxious voices around made him agitated too. The sky grew darker, the endless green merging with the gray sky into a primitive and severe tone. The sound of anxious people brushing against the dense hedge branches created a rustling noise.
Xun Xun had intended to stay put, but as Chi Cheng tried various ways to reach her location, she couldn’t help but try to return to his side. Somehow, while everyone else was trying to escape the maze quickly, their goal had become finding each other, with the exit suddenly seeming less important.
When only a hedge barrier separated them, close enough to reach each other’s hands, Chi Cheng was near the exit, but Xun Xun still needed to make several large turns to return to his side.
“What are you doing?” Chi Cheng asked in exasperated helplessness.
The hedge was about one and a half meters tall with a blue brick base. Xun Xun worriedly held onto the branches while standing on the base, peering over, and said confusedly: “I don’t know how to…”
Before she could finish speaking, the rest of her words became muffled sounds as Chi Cheng pulled her toward him across the hedge, causing countless chaotic water droplets to fall from the disturbed branches.
After a moment of brief confusion, Xun Xun quickly stood on tiptoe and wrapped her arms around his neck, her mind blank. Neither had experienced such urgency before, not knowing why they had wasted so much time before as if all their previous hesitation and searching had been for this moment’s arrival. His words might have been partly true and partly false, but she was willing to trade all her rationality for this tangible warmth beside her.
The journey back became a blur in Xun Xun’s memory – the white stone path, the swaying bridge, the tree-lined trail, and the hotel corridor with its dark red carpet all passed like fast-forwarded scenes in a movie. She only remembered them running, reaching their room just before the downpour, remembered her attempting to close the curtains only to have Chi Cheng pull them open with one hand… She fell backward across the white bed near the balcony, seeing the entire sky, covered by not only his body but also the rolling clouds gathering above the cliff.
Those dense black clouds looked fierce and menacing, at times like an unbridled horse, like a descending tiger, and at times she felt they were nothing at all, just like her unfamiliar self.
Perhaps having waited too long for this union, Chi Cheng’s movements were not gentle. When she was completely bare, he was only half-undressed, the stark contrast leaving Xun Xun nowhere to hide in her confusion. Chi Cheng enjoyed seeing Xun Xun unable to maintain her protective shell, and whispered in her ear, “Am I better than Xie Ping Ning?”
At first, Xun Xun just kept quiet with closed eyes, but when pressed at a crucial moment, she forgot to think and mumbled, “Is he the only one you compare yourself to?”
“Oh, I didn’t know there were others?” He showed intense curiosity and continued asking, “Then am I better than ‘him’?”
“His” body had once been connected with hers in this same way, “he” had the same young body, sweat-dampened hair, and powerful legs, “he” had given her the most unfamiliar surge of emotions, the most direct taste of desire. But “he” was just a dream of Xun Xun’s. The lightning at the horizon stung her eyes and tore at the dream’s outer wall, memories spilling out like broken mercury. For a moment, even the orange lamplight and the terrifying clouds seemed so familiar.
She didn’t know if she had awakened or fallen into an even deeper dream.