“……”
The atmosphere inside was so still you could have heard a pin drop.
Ning Sui’s heart was beating rather faster than usual at that moment — like a rubber ball bouncing against the floor — but she kept her face carefully composed. Given that she’d genuinely never found herself in this kind of situation before, she felt her reaction was fairly reasonable.
Xie Yichen clearly hadn’t expected to open the door and find her there. His throat moved visibly — a slow, deliberate swallow — and he quickly pulled a long, wide bathrobe from the nearby wardrobe and held it in front of himself.
Those sharp eyes looked down at her with quiet, unreadable depth.
“……”
The height difference was precisely awkward enough that Ning Sui’s natural line of sight landed directly at his neck — at the cold, distinct angle of his throat.
In an instant she understood exactly why people said the Adam’s apple was the most compelling part of a man. She found her gaze fixed on it, swallowed unconsciously, and found she couldn’t quite form words: “I……”
Bang. The bedroom door shut cleanly in her face.
Ning Sui: “……”
The sound of shuffling slippers came down from the stairs at that moment, followed by Zhang Yuge’s easy, swinging voice: “Yichen, are you done? I’m telling you the view up there is incredible — and they’ve got an on-demand TV with everything on it——”
He spotted someone in the common room — what appeared to be a girl — and his voice cut off like a switch had been flipped. One foot hovered mid-step, stuck between raising and lowering, and for a moment he wondered if he’d walked into the wrong place.
He’d just finished watching an episode of a spy drama and was still a little dazed. It took him a few seconds: “No wait, I came down from upstairs.”
“……”
The world in front of him was a soft blur. He fished the glasses that had been hanging off his collar and pushed them onto his nose — and recognized a familiar face. Visibly surprised: “Ning Sui? What are you doing here? Did you all come to Panxi Village too?”
Ning Sui collected herself: “I took a wrong turn. The door wasn’t locked.”
She gestured vaguely: “Our guesthouse should be…… one of the buildings nearby.”
“Oh.” Zhang Yuge acknowledged, but still couldn’t help looking her up and down. He thought this was just about the most extraordinary coincidence he’d ever encountered — their itinerary overlapping this completely.
She was wearing a pale pink floral silk dress — a design with an exposed collarbone, hemline falling just past the knee, a slender waist and long straight legs.
A delicate face, almond-shaped eyes with a beautiful curve, fair smooth skin that practically glowed under the lights.
This was, after all, a private space — not that he meant anything specific by it, but it was still a girl’s comfort to consider. Zhang Yuge found himself oddly self-conscious.
There were clothes draped in a heap on the sofa — jacket, athletic wear, the works. He swept them hastily to the side and gestured at the crumpled cushions: “Sit.”
Ning Sui sat down at a polite middle-ground distance: “Thank you.”
Zhang Yuge asked: “How did you end up here?”
“Heading north from the old town leads you to most of the sights anyway. Shen Qing said the guesthouses around here have good views, with shops along the shore and you can rent bikes.”
“And Shen Qing just happened to pick this one?”
“Not exactly. We got here late — there were no vacancies anywhere else. This was the only one left.”
It really was the kind of coincidence that strained belief. Zhang Yuge kept marveling internally.
Ning Sui noticed the thick lenses on his nose and couldn’t help asking: “Your prescription must be very strong?”
“Around eight-fifty.” How serious was it? Zhang Yuge considered his words. “Past three meters it’s all color blobs. Past ten, I can’t tell human from dog.”
“……”
Ning Sui couldn’t stop herself: “Were you born with it?”
He crossed his legs and settled back against the sofa: “Partly. Not entirely.”
Zhang Yuge’s grades were average, but he’d always been passionate about chemistry. His mother’s company was in new energy — adjacent territory. Back in middle school, he’d been ordering chemical compounds online and mixing them to observe the reactions; he had two full rows of test tubes and complete equipment sets at home, all for experiments. Some reactions were very faint, which meant he had to get up close and observe them through the glass, and over time this had resulted in severe myopia.
Ning Sui had previously pegged Zhang Yuge as all physicality and no depth — the loud sports type. She hadn’t known his university major of choice was chemistry, or that the reason for his eyesight was so unexpectedly distinct.
Just picturing him in a white lab coat, seriously and meticulously conducting experiments — his whole image instantly became three-dimensional.
When it came to chemistry, Zhang Yuge had plenty to say.
He told her about their school’s Garden Festival — essentially a student flea market. What he’d sold were the crystals he’d grown inside little glass bottles: colors like something out of a dream, absolutely gorgeous, with some in fine precipitated granules too.
“At the Year Two Garden Festival, I single-handedly carried our entire class’s sales revenue. Even the head teacher ended up being a big fan of my products — bought several kinds.” Zhang Yuge spoke with great pride. “When I get back I’ll send you and Hu Ke’er a few bottles. I guarantee you’ll love them.”
Ning Sui genuinely hadn’t expected him to be this skilled in that area. She looked through the photos he showed her — they were legitimately beautiful, though the colors were so vivid and saturated they gave off a faintly toxic impression.
She asked curiously: “Why are the earlier bottles so large, but the later ones are barely thumb-sized?”
She’d assumed it had something to do with the difficulty of crystal formation varying by container size — but to her surprise, Zhang Yuge fell into an uncharacteristic silence for a moment: “Because the head teacher’s first-grade son thought the big bottles were shower gel.”
A brief, wordless silence settled over the room.
Ning Sui said: “Lucky he didn’t think it was mango sago dessert.”
“……”
They chatted for a while longer, both still sitting on the sofa, and at that moment the door of Xie Yichen’s bedroom finally produced some movement. Ning Sui turned instinctively — and met his cool, muted gaze head-on.
Xie Yichen’s hair fell lazily across his forehead, still carrying a trace of fresh dampness.
Ning Sui noticed he was in a sleep top, but had on regular outdoor trousers below, and over everything had pulled on a casual jacket with the zipper done all the way up to the very top of his collar — as thoroughly and meticulously fastened as it was possible to be.
“……”
Something about this dressing choice struck her as inexplicably meaningful. Ning Sui quietly averted her eyes and remained where she was without moving.
Xie Yichen seemed to fix her with a brief, indecipherable look, and then crossed the room in long, unhurried strides, rounded the back of the sofa in a loose, easy arc, and settled at the other end — knees slightly apart.
He was on one side, Zhang Yuge on the other, with Ning Sui in between — though somewhat closer to Xie Yichen.
She caught the faint, deep scent from him — something pleasant and grounding, very like the smell of sunlight after rain: warm, settled, and clear.
Ning Sui got ahead of it: “What are you doing here?”
“……”
Xie Yichen paused, and then the corner of his mouth curved — not quite a smile: “Shouldn’t that be my question?”
His face may as well have had it written plainly: this would, in fact, appear to be the guesthouse where we are staying.
He pressed his dark gaze down onto her. Ning Sui’s lashes stirred, and she murmured an acknowledgment.
“Our guesthouse is nearby. I took a wrong turn.” She said this with a perfectly reasonable air of innocence. “And really, you can’t fully blame me — your door was unlocked.”
“……”
Zhang Yuge had been listening with great interest and was poised to keep the conversation going, when he happened to catch the clock on the wall — exactly ten o’clock — and clapped a hand to his head: “Oh no! I forgot to grab my limited-edition sneakers!”
He scrambled up the stairs at speed, then turned back: “I’ll get my phone — A’Chen, entertain our guest.”
That impetuous energy was very similar to Hu Ke’er’s. Ning Sui watched his figure disappear around the corner of the landing.
There was the soft sound of shifting fabric beside her. She turned her head — Xie Yichen was still lounging against the sofa with complete ease, watching her with a relaxed, unhurried expression.
He watched her for a moment; Ning Sui didn’t know what he was about to do, so she temporarily cooperated by staying quiet.
On the small side table near the armrest were two bottles of freshly squeezed sugarcane juice — bought earlier on the road. He finally moved, picking one up and setting it in front of her, lazily: “Open it yourself if you want it.”
“Oh.”
Ning Sui checked her phone. A WeChat message had just appeared — Hu Ke’er asking when she was coming back. Something settled in Ning Sui’s chest. She glanced over at Xie Yichen and ventured: “You two went out earlier?”
“Mm.”
“Is there anything good to do around here?”
Xie Yichen turned his cup idly in his hands: “Nice views. Drink stands along the road.”
“I heard from Zhang Yuge you only arrived this afternoon too.”
He raised his eyelids briefly: “Mm.”
Ning Sui asked: “Are you planning to stay here tomorrow as well?”
Xie Yichen stopped turning his cup and shot her a glance: “Why?”
“We’ve got a lot of luggage. Taxis are always a tight squeeze.” Ning Sui turned it over in her mind, then said it: “It’s just — your SUV is so large. Would it be possible to take two more passengers?”
“……”
Ah. That was the angle.
Bold.
Xie Yichen gave her a long, wordless look. Ning Sui thought it over and pulled out her phone to look at the map, trying to find some reasonable arguments to bring him around.
Heading north, then east — both groups were ultimately bound for the ancient town of Shuanglang. The only difference was how many days they planned to spend at the small scenic spots along the way.
“Shen Qing’s plan was to leave Panxi Village at midday tomorrow and go to Xizhou Ancient Town. We’re definitely heading in the same direction.”
Ning Sui’s clear eyes were steady on him, unhurried and thorough: “And with more people along, you and Zhang Yuge would have company on the road. What do you think?”
Xie Yichen’s brow rose slightly, the beginnings of a wry smile: “You’ve thought of everything, haven’t you.”
Ning Sui said earnestly, taking the opening: “Mm, I thought so too.”
“……”
Before he could say anything further, she touched the tip of her tongue to her lip and added, “If you’re planning to stay here tomorrow as well, we can adjust to your schedule. We’re happy to split the fuel and rental wash costs too.”
As for Xu Zhou’s group — they’d never object. Young Master Xu couldn’t tolerate four people crammed into a small taxi, and the luggage was a nightmare at every stop — but with only a small group, splitting into two separate taxis felt pointless. They’d been going back and forth on what to do about it.
Xie Yichen’s fingers moved against the outer surface of the porcelain cup. He was still watching her with an expression she couldn’t quite interpret.
Ning Sui felt a flicker of hope. Her eyes brightened and she leaned forward slightly: “Is that okay?”
She hadn’t noticed she’d leaned in a little too close. Xie Yichen took a sip of water and after a moment said slowly, “We’ll think about it.”
“Okay.”
Ning Sui barely had time to say anything more before he stood up, set his cup down on the tea table, and headed toward his room with his hands in his pockets: “I’ll give you an answer before noon tomorrow.”
“Mm.” Ning Sui blinked automatically. “Where are you going?”
“Too hot.” Xie Yichen said mildly. “Changing.”
He really was overdressed — long sleeves, long trousers, and a jacket on top, with all the windows shut and the air sitting heavy in the room. He’d probably worked up a sweat. By comparison, her light dress was perfectly comfortable.
After Xie Yichen went into his room, Ning Sui idly scrolled through her phone.
Hu Ke’er had sent several more messages — first asking where she was still wandering, then throwing in a photo with a gossipy tone:【Major news!】
Sui Sui Sui:【What?】
Paopao Ke:【Look at the picture! Wang Feifei got double eyelid surgery AND a nose job!】
A classmate of theirs — from a comfortable family, perpetually affecting a princess disposition: self-important, arrogant, loved showing off, universally difficult to like. Ning Sui didn’t know her well; what little she’d heard mostly involved the rumors that she’d gotten into a relationship with a boy from another school and been called to the teacher’s office multiple times because of it.
That boyfriend was a delinquent type — spent his days skipping school, no direction in life — but Wang Feifei was a textbook case of being blinded by romance. She’d grown up sheltered and cosseted, so a few sweet words from him and she was completely hooked, devoted beyond reason.
Word of what she got up to filtered around occasionally. She’d told him she’d never look at anyone else. For him she’d gotten cartilage piercings and a tattoo, and had nearly fallen out completely with her family over it.
The boyfriend was notorious. A girl who got along somewhat with Wang Feifei had tried to warn her in good faith; Wang Feifei had turned on her and called her a meddlesome, malicious busybody. Kind intention treated as spite — after that, everyone stopped trying.
Paopao Ke:【[Put down the savior complex, spare yourself the grief.jpg]】
She zoomed in on the photo Wang Feifei had just posted to her social media feed and scrutinized it from every angle:【I desperately want to know which clinic did this because the results are this bad. 😢】
Ning Sui wanted to laugh, but thought she should temper it:【Maybe she’s still in the recovery stage?】
Paopao Ke:【Impossible — given her personality, would she post a recovery-stage photo for the world to see? 🐶】
To be fair, Wang Feifei wasn’t even bad-looking. Hard to understand why she’d gone under the knife. Hu Ke’er suspected the boyfriend had said something that destroyed her confidence in her appearance — it was exactly the kind of thing Wang Feifei would do for love.
Paopao Ke:【He’s just a terrible person, I could tell from one look at him outside the school gates ages ago. How has she been holding onto this for years? 🙄】
Paopao Ke:【Anyway, nothing would make me change myself based on what someone else says. If Xu Zhou ever said I wasn’t pretty, I’d beat him up on the spot!】
Ning Sui zeroed in on the interesting part:【You can actually detect terrible people by looking at them?】
Hu Ke’er’s tail went up instantly:【I might have a small gift for it. 😎】
Sui Sui Sui:【Tell me more.】
The other end went quiet for a few minutes before reappearing:【Remember Cui Xian? The one with the ex — I spotted it before it came out, and when she discovered he was cheating she came and thanked me specially for the heads-up.】
Paopao Ke:【No big secret really, just women’s intuition. And mostly I go by behavior as confirmation. Her boyfriend had a phase where he was suspiciously attentive — too nice, kept giving her gifts, even ran over to the building at midnight to hug her and say he loved her. I thought: he’s absolutely done something he feels guilty about. And sure enough — that night, he’d been to see his ex.】
Sui Sui Sui:【Your instincts really are sharp.】
Paopao Ke:【I know～】
Paopao Ke:【I’ve already pre-screened things for you — Shen-ge checks out. 🐶】
Paopao Ke:【Anyway, why aren’t you back yet, did you actually hit it off with him?😏】
Sui Sui Sui:【He’s by the shore photographing trees. We split up a while ago.】
The other end went quiet again. After a beat, she asked with genuine bewilderment:【Then what are you doing out there alone?】
Ning Sui was about to reply when movement from the inner room caught her attention — the sound of rummaging. A moment later, Xie Yichen came out in a fresh white T-shirt, looking noticeably cooler. He was on a phone call, phone balanced against his shoulder, his tone easy: “Got it. I’ll come see you when I’m back.”
As he said it, he glanced lightly in her direction, then walked over to the dining table to pour himself a glass of water, unhurried. Seen from behind — broad shoulders, narrow waist, a straight back, hair that was a pure, simple black, back muscles evenly defined and lean — the effortless ease of youth laid plainly visible.
Sui Sui Sui:【I’m looking at the view.】
Hu Ke’er was completely unimpressed:【You’re so boring.】
Paopao Ke:【Gossip is only fun in person, I’ve been waiting for you so long the flowers have wilted!】
Ning Sui, leisurely:【That’s the thing — I’m scared to come back.】
Paopao Ke:【?】
Sui Sui Sui:【What if I interrupt a romantic moment? You dragged me all this way on a trip and then abandoned me without a care. And I can tell you’re barely paying attention right now.】
Sui Sui Sui:【You think Shen Qing is really out there just photographing trees? What he’s capturing is the scattered loneliness on the ground.】
Paopao Ke:【……】