That night, Shen Mo and Bai Youwei went on a journey.

There was no itinerary planned in advance, no research done on destinations. It was purely spontaneous — they simply felt the night called for an outing, and so off they went.

Travel is a joyful thing, and for both of them it was their first time, so every sensation felt like something that quickened the heartbeat.

The mountains before their eyes seemed to be more than mountains; the water before their eyes seemed to be more than water…… They held each other close, and in high spirits sought out one beautiful vista after another, heedless of how deep into the night it had grown.

Moonlight spilled down without a sound, casting a soft, luminous haze over everything. Fragrant grasses swayed, dew glistened, and the rolling hills and valleys gleamed as white as fresh snow.

But traversing mountains and crossing streams is taxing on the body, and before long Bai Youwei was damp all over with perspiration. Her face had gone pink, her eyes were bright, her legs trembled faintly, and she told Shen Mo firmly that she couldn’t go any further.

“What’s wrong?” Shen Mo coaxed her patiently, the bridge of his nose brushing lightly against the hollow of her shoulder. He smiled. “We’ve only just set out……”

If you turn back home in the middle of a journey together, doesn’t that rather ruin the fun?

Bai Youwei understood this as well as anyone — but she felt it was profoundly unfair. Men seemed to have an innate physical advantage when it came to this sort of travel.

He had led her through mountains and streams as though tiredness was a foreign concept to him, revisiting one beautiful peak after another, lingering long in every tranquil valley.

Bai Youwei was struggling. She gripped his solid arm, half-coaxing, half-grumbling. “I… feel a little… rough……”

Shen Mo looked at her pitiful, delicate state — faintly amused, faintly tender. He asked patiently, “Truly rough?”

“Mm……”

“Then let’s pick up the pace. There are still sights we haven’t seen yet.”

“……” She couldn’t form words, just shut her eyes and caught her breath.

They continued their journey. Bai Youwei had poor stamina and was delicate by nature, so for most of it Shen Mo was the one supporting her as they pressed forward.

They came to a place where two mountains stood face to face, a narrow pass between them. Looking out, peak after peak receded into the distance, and a quiet stream wound through the valley below. Mist drifted along the banks; the grass and trees were lush with moisture; a fresh and green fragrance hung in the air, haunting the senses long after.

Shen Mo had never been somewhere like this before. He took it in for a moment, and his heart stirred. The scenery was magnificent — but to venture deeper into the gorge, they would need a boat.

Bai Youwei was already on the verge of tears. “I can’t do this anymore. I want to go back……”

Shen Mo steadied her, looked around — and spotted a small boat not far away.

“Be good, just a little longer.” He kissed the woman in his arms and lifted her onto the small boat, apparently firmly resolved to see every sight before he would consent to stop.

There were oars on board.

It was Shen Mo’s first time rowing, and he had no experience to speak of — yet the moment he picked up the oar, he somehow knew instinctively how to use it.

He gripped the oar, pushed it into the water, and tested it with a cautious pull——

The little boat immediately rocked and drifted away from the bank.

Ripples spread outward, glinting in the light — soft, and lovely.

He needed no teacher to guide him. He gradually found the rhythm, working the oar across the water’s surface, sending up little waves as he pushed further and further into the gorge!

“…… You — stop that!” Bai Youwei could not take the rocking, and she leveled her grievances from the bottom of the boat, eyes brimming with tears.

But Shen Mo could not stop — even when he slowed the pace, the waves still rolled, the little boat still swayed. Bai Youwei began with aggrieved muttering, but as the rocking wore on she seemed to grow too drained even for complaints, and what remained were only small, pitiful whimpers.

The temperature climbed steadily higher. The gorge was close and humid; without quite realizing it, both of them had worked up a sweat.

Bai Youwei leaned against the man in a dizzy haze, feeling as though her voice was about to give out. Why wouldn’t the boat stop? Why wasn’t the destination in sight yet……

The more she thought, the more aggrieved she felt. She asked him in misery, “Are… are we there yet?”

Shen Mo bent his head and kissed her softly, and replied with warmth, “Almost.”

He began to accelerate then. The solid oar drove deep into the water; the small boat leapt against the swell. Bai Youwei’s tears slid down, and she sobbed in a small, broken voice, “You horrible man……”

After that, she couldn’t quite piece together what happened. She only remembered, vaguely, Shen Mo lifting her off the boat, helping her wash up, saying “I love you” again and again and again……

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