During the May Day holiday, Chen Qingwu, Meng Fuyuan, Zhao Yingfei, and Pei Shao—the four of them went to the southwest together.

The initial proposal came from Zhao Yingfei, which greatly surprised Chen Qingwu.

That day at noon, Zhao Yingfei came to Chen Qingwu’s studio to mooch a meal. She asked about holiday plans, and hearing that Chen Qingwu had no definite arrangements, asked if she wanted to travel together.

Zhao Yingfei’s idea of travel was basically equivalent to playing on her phone in a different location. This time she was willing to go out on her own initiative actually made Chen Qingwu feel flattered.

“Just the two of us?”

Zhao Yingfei looked at the lunch on the table that Meng Fuyuan had sent over—three dishes and a soup with both meat and vegetables, infinitely more delicious than the cafeteria. Ever since Chen Qingwu had meals delivered, she would occasionally come mooch a bite.

“You can bring your family member.” No wonder they say accepting favors makes you soft.

Chen Qingwu quickly laughed. “That’s not what I meant! I just simply wanted to ask if it would be the two of us.”

“You should still bring your family member. Otherwise, when I get lazy and sleep in the hotel all day, you’ll be bored alone.”

The plan was preliminarily confirmed. After Pei Shao heard about it, he also wanted to join.

Who knows what he promised, but Zhao Yingfei actually agreed.

Chen Qingwu suspected it was very likely a donation of materials or equipment to their laboratory or something similar—otherwise it would be difficult to move Zhao Yingfei, who was singularly devoted to research.

On the first day of the holiday, the four gathered and flew together to a southwestern city, then rented an SUV and continued driving west.

After about four hours, they arrived at the pre-booked guesthouse.

The guesthouse was located at the foot of a mountain, designed as an independent courtyard with floor-to-ceiling glass on all four sides. Nearby mountains were verdant and green, while distant mist swirled, faintly revealing a corner of snow-capped peaks.

Zhao Yingfei was very satisfied with the accommodation environment. Her sharp assessment: a good place to lie down and play on her phone.

The four stayed in the same building. Chen Qingwu and Meng Fuyuan occupied the second-floor suite, while Zhao Yingfei and Pei Shao each had separate rooms on the first floor.

After setting down their luggage, it was approaching dinner time.

Chen Qingwu stayed in the room to shower and change clothes before going downstairs to the restaurant.

The restaurant connected to the courtyard, where lanterns burned with warm, glowing light.

The other three were already sitting around a wooden table chatting. When Chen Qingwu walked over, their conversation abruptly stopped.

Chen Qingwu sat down beside Meng Fuyuan and smiled. “What are you all talking about?”

Meng Fuyuan smiled. “Discussing composite materials.”

Chen Qingwu nodded without suspicion.

On the table before them sat a small bamboo basket containing coarse grain cakes that the inn owner had made—about half a palm-sized each, very convenient to eat.

Chen Qingwu picked up a small cake and asked Meng Fuyuan, “Are there any nuts in this?”

“I already asked. Only wild vegetables. Eat without worry.”

Chen Qingwu caught the crumbs falling from the coarse grain cake in her palm. “Have you all ordered food?”

“We have.” Meng Fuyuan pulled out a napkin and handed it to Chen Qingwu. “The altitude here is over 2,800 meters. Are you experiencing any headaches or shortness of breath?”

“I’m fine. 2,800 meters isn’t really high, is it?”

Zhao Yingfei said, “I have a slight headache.”

“I brought medicine. Let me go get it for you…”

“Let’s wait until after dinner.”

Before long, dishes began arriving.

A pot of mushroom and yak meat, some wild mountain vegetables. The dessert ice cream had a special design—shaped like a snow mountain, supposedly modeled after the sacred mountain of this area.

During the meal, everyone discussed tomorrow’s plans.

Chen Qingwu said, “I saw we can take a cable car up the mountain here. Should we go try it?”

Zhao Yingfei said, “Don’t want to. Want to lie down.”

Pei Shao said, “We just arrived—shouldn’t we rest for a day first?”

Meng Fuyuan said, “The guesthouse has hot springs.”

Chen Qingwu laughed. “So none of you want to go out tomorrow?”

Everyone subtly, in unison, hummed “Mm.”

“Alright then, I’ll defer to the majority.” Chen Qingwu laughed.

Eating and chatting, the topic shifted several times.

Pei Shao asked, “How’s your house-hunting going?”

Meng Fuyuan: “What, still want to be my neighbor?”

Pei Shao chuckled. “If you two move away, I’ll have no late-night snacks.”

Meng Fuyuan: “Don’t you have food delivery apps downloaded?”

Pei Shao: “How could delivery compare to your cooking skills, President Meng?”

Chen Qingwu sometimes quite enjoyed hearing Meng Fuyuan bicker with people, whether with Pei Shao or Meng Qiran.

He always seemed to have a big-brother quality—taking care of others while not forgetting to throw in a jab or two, no matter where he was.

After a few jokes, returning to serious matters, Chen Qingwu said, “We’ve looked at several places recently. The ones I like are all too far from my studio; the ones close to my studio aren’t convenient for daily life.”

Zhao Yingfei: “Why don’t you just move your studio?”

Chen Qingwu: “But then it would be quite far from the wood-fired kiln.”

“Don’t they only fire the kiln three times a year? Can’t you just have things shipped over when the time comes?”

“Then what about you? You won’t be able to visit me often anymore.”

“I’m not going to stay at school forever—wait, Chen Qingwu, I suspect you’re cursing me to delay my graduation.”

Chen Qingwu laughed heartily.

The topic shifted again. Zhao Yingfei asked Pei Shao when their medical robotic arm was expected to officially launch.

“Expected early next year. Last time’s test was just the first step—we still need to continue adjusting and optimizing. Oh right, aren’t you graduating next year? Want to come work at our company?”

“No thanks. If you were my boss, I’d be annoyed to death.”

Pei Shao wasn’t bothered at all, grinning as he said, “So I’m that annoying, huh?”

Just then, Chen Qingwu suddenly felt a water droplet fall on her forehead. She wiped it with her hand and looked up. Under the lights, she could faintly see luminous transparent threads. “Is it raining?”

Meng Fuyuan immediately called a server over, and everyone worked together to move the soup pot back inside.

The server told them to continue enjoying their meal and to call if they needed anything.

Originally, everyone had planned to take a walk after dinner, but seeing the rain’s intensity, it wouldn’t stop anytime soon, so they gave up on that idea.

Returning to the independent building’s rooms, everyone gathered in the living room to play cards—a four-person variation.

Tonight was Chen Qingwu’s worst card-playing experience ever, bar none—all three top students could remember and calculate cards. After several rounds, she hadn’t won once.

During the game, the three of them repeatedly glanced toward the window with expressions that said, “Why hasn’t this rain stopped yet? How worrying.”

Chen Qingwu laughed. “You’re not going out tomorrow anyway. If it doesn’t stop, it doesn’t stop.”

Around 10 PM, the guesthouse owner came by.

The owner cautioned, “In these mountains, the transition between spring and summer brings frequent night rain—usually once it starts, it lasts all night. The surrounding road conditions aren’t good, so everyone should try not to go out at night. Remember to close your windows, and if it feels damp, you can turn on the dehumidifier. The front desk is staffed all night—if you need anything, just dial from your room phone. Wishing everyone a pleasant rest.”

The four dispersed, each returning to their rooms to rest.

After going upstairs, Chen Qingwu turned on the lights and walked to the window.

Outside was pitch black, like a prison of rain—airtight and impenetrable. Only the courtyard ground lights burned with faint illumination.

The mountain rain was so silent, yet magnificent in its momentum.

After Chen Qingwu showered and came out, Meng Fuyuan seemed to be just ending a phone call.

“Work call?”

“Front desk. Asking about breakfast time.” Meng Fuyuan’s voice was particularly calm.

Chen Qingwu nodded and walked over to turn on the dehumidifier. After simple skincare, she went to lie down on the bed.

After Meng Fuyuan finished washing up and walked to the bedside, he saw Chen Qingwu curled up slightly and quickly asked, “What’s wrong?”

“My stomach feels a bit uncomfortable…”

“Does it hurt?”

“…Not exactly. Just uncomfortable. Hard to describe.”

Meng Fuyuan got up to boil water, then mixed bottled water with warm water and handed it to her.

After drinking, she locked her phone and said she was ready to sleep—perhaps it would get better once she fell asleep.

The overhead light was turned off, leaving only the small lamp on Meng Fuyuan’s side lit.

Chen Qingwu never fell asleep, but because she felt uncomfortable, she was also too lazy to move.

After who knows how long, she suddenly felt her stomach churn. She immediately sat up, hurriedly slipped on her slippers, and rushed to the bathroom.

Meng Fuyuan was startled and immediately turned on the light to follow.

Chen Qingwu crouched on the floor, leaning over the toilet. “Don’t come over…”

Before she finished speaking, she vomited.

Meng Fuyuan immediately walked over and smoothed her fallen hair back behind her shoulders.

Chen Qingwu raised her arm, signaling him to remove the hair tie from her wrist and help her tie up her hair.

After vomiting, Chen Qingwu reached out her arm. Meng Fuyuan was one step ahead, pressing the flush button.

“How are you now? Does your stomach hurt?” His expression was concerned and tense.

“It doesn’t hurt… I just felt nauseous…”

Meng Fuyuan helped her to the sink to rinse her mouth.

Probably because her stomach was somewhat emptied, Chen Qingwu felt much better. “It’s fine. Probably just ate something bad.”

Back in bed, however, barely half an hour later, Chen Qingwu vomited a second time.

Meng Fuyuan could no longer stand by and observe. After helping Chen Qingwu lie down, he sent a message in the group of four, asking Zhao Yingfei and Pei Shao if they had any vomiting symptoms.

Both were still awake and replied that they didn’t.

Zhao Yingfei: Who threw up? Qingwu?

Meng Fuyuan didn’t reply for now and called the front desk.

Moments later, the staff member on duty rushed over immediately.

Meng Fuyuan first suspected there was a problem with the mushroom soup.

The staff member hurriedly explained that the guesthouse only used the most common types of mushrooms, and two other tables of guests tonight had also ordered the same soup base with no gastrointestinal discomfort.

Since everyone else was fine, it probably wasn’t a problem with the ingredients.

The staff member said, “We have stomach medicine here. Do you need…”

Not knowing the exact condition, Meng Fuyuan didn’t dare rashly give her medicine. “Is there a hospital nearby?”

“There’s a clinic three kilometers away.”

Meng Fuyuan made a decisive decision. “Please have someone help guide the way. I’ll take her to the clinic.”

At this moment, Pei Shao and Zhao Yingfei emerged from their rooms.

Zhao Yingfei: “What’s wrong? Is Qingwu feeling unwell somewhere?”

“She’s vomited twice.”

“Diarrhea?”

Meng Fuyuan shook his head.

“Then it’s probably not gastroenteritis. Could it be simple indigestion?”

The staff member also said, “Yak meat muscle fibers are quite tough. For people with weaker stomachs, it’s indeed more difficult to digest.”

Meng Fuyuan only said, “I’m still taking her to get checked.”

Going upstairs, Meng Fuyuan heard vomiting sounds from the bathroom again and hurried over.

Chen Qingwu glanced at herself in the mirror. Meng Fuyuan’s expression was very grave. She smiled. “It’s fine. I feel like once I’ve emptied everything, it’ll be better. It’s probably just eating beef and ice cream together—they didn’t digest well mixed together.”

“I’m taking you to the clinic.”

“It’s not necessary…”

“Let’s still go check it out. Otherwise I won’t feel at ease. It’s just three kilometers—we’ll be there in a moment by car.”

Chen Qingwu stopped insisting, changed clothes, and followed Meng Fuyuan downstairs.

“Should I carry you on my back?” Meng Fuyuan walked beside her, arm raised, seemingly ready to support her at any moment.

“No need. Look, I’m practically flying along.”

Halfway down the stairs, Chen Qingwu suddenly stopped. “Meng Fuyuan.”

Meng Fuyuan quickly said, “What’s wrong?”

“I suddenly thought—could I be pregnant?” Chen Qingwu laughed.

“…” Meng Fuyuan kept a straight face. “You still have the energy to joke around. Looks like it’s really not serious.”

The staff member and Zhao Yingfei stood at the door.

Zhao Yingfei said she’d also go along, in case help was needed.

Meng Fuyuan took the umbrella the staff had prepared, opened it, and supporting Chen Qingwu’s arm, walked toward the parking lot ahead.

The entire umbrella tilted toward Chen Qingwu, covering her completely.

The staff member drove while Meng Fuyuan and Chen Qingwu sat in the back seat, with Zhao Yingfei in the passenger seat.

Zhao Yingfei looked back. “Qingwu, are you okay?”

“I’m fine. Just nauseous, no other symptoms.”

“Does your stomach hurt?”

“No.”

Here there was only a provincial road. Though it was a paved surface, the road was narrow. With the torrential rain and low visibility, the car could only move forward very slowly.

Reaching the village entrance ahead, they saw a fallen tree lying across the necessary path forward.

The car stopped. The staff member turned around and said, “We can’t get through.”

“Can we move it?”

“From what I can see, the two of us can’t move it.”

“How much farther?”

“About a kilometer.”

Meng Fuyuan pondered for a moment and immediately made a decision. “Then we’ll get out and walk.”

He remained extremely calm throughout, not at all thrown off by the unexpected situation.

The staff member quickly said, “Walking a kilometer is still quite far…”

Meng Fuyuan didn’t hesitate. He opened the car door and got out, then said to Zhao Yingfei in front, “Help hold the umbrella.”

Zhao Yingfei nodded and got out of the car.

Meng Fuyuan turned around, his back to Chen Qingwu, bending slightly.

Chen Qingwu paused. “It’s fine. I can walk myself…”

“Get on, Qingwu.”

Meng Fuyuan’s tone left no room for discussion.

Chen Qingwu had no choice but to move to the door’s edge, stretch out her arms, and clasp Meng Fuyuan’s shoulders.

Zhao Yingfei held the umbrella, blocking the rain falling from above.

Meng Fuyuan’s arms secured her legs, straightened up, and effortlessly hoisted her onto his back.

“Give me the umbrella. It’s not easy for you to hold it like that.” Chen Qingwu said to Zhao Yingfei.

Chen Qingwu freed one hand and took the umbrella from Zhao Yingfei.

Meng Fuyuan began walking with extremely steady steps. Chen Qingwu glanced at the ground and only then realized that mud and gravel from the roadside had all been washed down. A pitch-black stretch of road, illuminated only by the flashlight the staff member had retrieved from the trunk.

Rainwater pattered loudly against the umbrella surface. Chen Qingwu caught the scent of dampness from Meng Fuyuan’s shoulder, knowing it must have gotten wet when they first went out.

His every step was steady. She swayed gently on his back. The night was boundless, the path ahead invisible, yet she wasn’t worried in the slightest that she would fall.

Meng Fuyuan had carried her on his back before, when she was seven learning to ride a bicycle.

That day, trying for the first time to ride without anyone holding the bike, she hadn’t controlled it well on a turn and fell. Her knee was scraped, and walking tugged painfully at the wound.

On the way home, Meng Qiran rode the bike while she was carried on Meng Fuyuan’s back.

A thirteen-year-old boy already gave seven-year-old her a sense of unshakeable security—as if with him there, even if the sky fell, he would have a hundred solutions, each one protecting her completely.

“Meng Fuyuan.”

Meng Fuyuan’s steps didn’t stop. He only turned his head slightly, indicating he was listening.

Her breath was right by his ear as she said softly, “I love you so much.”