When Hu Ke’er and Ning Sui returned to their inn suite, Xu Zhou was standing in the small courtyard waiting for them. His complexion looked somewhat better than it had a few hours earlier, though he still seemed a little strained.
Hu Ke’er quickened her pace and went to meet him, asking, “How are you feeling? Are you okay?”
“I’m fine.” Xu Zhou took her hand and looked her up and down. “How was your outing with Ning Sui?”
The experience of wandering the streets earlier had been rather eventful, difficult to sum up in a single sentence. Hu Ke’er’s gaze flickered slightly, and under Ning Sui’s watchful eyes, she dodged the question and said vaguely, “There was a lot to see on the streets.”
Ning Sui’s lips tugged upward at the corners, and before she could say anything, Hu Ke’er shot her a subtle glare. Then, seizing the opportunity, she slipped her arm through Xu Zhou’s and said in a coquettish tone, “But you weren’t there, so nothing felt as fun.”
“……” Ning Sui’s gaze became studiously blank.
Boys not yet twenty years old do tend to enjoy hearing things like that. Xu Zhou’s expression visibly brightened, and he affectionately draped his arm around her shoulders and steered her inside.
The inn suite was a two-story building, with a double bedroom on each floor. Since Ning Sui could only share a room with Hu Ke’er, the girls claimed the first floor, and the two boys took the second.
It was getting late, so after the four of them discussed the next day’s plans, they each went to their respective rooms.
The moment the door closed, Hu Ke’er grabbed Ning Sui, asking with a guilty air, “What were you smiling at?”
Clearly acting with a bad conscience, yet turning around and accusing others—quite a talent.
Ning Sui put on an expression of perfect innocence. “I wasn’t smiling.”
Hu Ke’er stared at her, seemingly wanting to say something but holding back, and for some inexplicable reason she flushed with embarrassed indignation. “I’m done talking to you!”
The two of them took turns bathing, then each applied a sheet mask and lay on the bed scrolling through their phones. Hu Ke’er was in an odd position, fidgeting every now and then, and after staring at her screen for a while she couldn’t sit still and came over to chat. “That thing, um…”
Ning Sui: “What?”
“Do you think… Shen Qing would tell Xu Zhou about us running into Xie Yichen and coming back together?”
She’d been scrolling through social media with such an air of grave importance, and yet here she was, still fretting over this. Ning Sui gave a half-smile and said lightly, “Anything is possible. You’d be better off coming clean yourself—that’s always better than having him hear it from someone else.”
Hu Ke’er felt she’d made a misstep by letting Shen Qing see them. “That can’t be. Shen Qing isn’t like that. He doesn’t like to meddle in other people’s business.”
Shen Qing had a gentle and courteous personality, but it was plain for everyone to see that Xu Zhou was petty and prone to jealousy. If he found out that while he was away, his girlfriend had actually gone and met a handsome stranger at a bar, he would probably throw a fit. Saying this out loud was purely a matter of self-reassurance.
After thinking it over for a long time, Hu Ke’er felt uneasy. “No, I still have to tell him about it.”
Bringing it up now would seem too deliberate. It needed to come up naturally.
Ning Sui said, “Why not find a casual moment tomorrow and slip it into conversation?”
Hu Ke’er sighed. “…You make a good point.”
The two sat face-to-face in their white sheet masks for a moment, then Hu Ke’er lowered her voice and leaned closer, her expression uneasy as she admitted, “Actually, I really do feel a little guilty. And it’s not just because I shared an umbrella with Zhang Yuge.”
Ning Sui gave her a sideways look. “Then why?”
“Because,” Hu Ke’er suddenly became bashful, twisting a strand of her hair with an exaggerated, affected air, “I’ve told you before, right? Back in middle school, I invented this imaginary crush for myself—a dashing, wealthy, cultured, and charming senior.”
“A total heartthrob. By high school he already had big ambitions, dropped out to open a bar, and within three years had built a chain bar empire that no one could rival. He was very generous with me and doted on me, so I had endless money to spend—I was a willing caged bird for love.”
Ning Sui: “?”
“Back then I even gave him a name: Zhang Lengye Han·Shangguan Yunjue. Because I loved him so much, I’ve always had a soft spot for people with the surname Zhang—to the extent that if I pass one on the street, I’d look twice.”
Ning Sui: “……”
It’s fair to say that before Xu Zhou entered into a relationship, he probably never anticipated that the girl he was pursuing was anything other than ordinary.
“So it’s just a rose-tinted lens.” Hu Ke’er murmured to herself, looking thoroughly convinced and now at ease.
She found the distance between the two beds too far, so she simply threw back the covers and squeezed into Ning Sui’s bed. “And by the time we got back to the inn, those rose-tinted lenses had pretty much worn off anyway. Honestly, Zhang Yuge—the guy just seems like he’d be a bosom buddy of SpongeBob and Patrick Star.”
It was hard to say whether it was his natural gift for comedy, or just the image of a 1.8-meter man walking with all four limbs completely out of sync, but from every angle he radiated an almost aesthetically beautiful air of missing brain cells.
Thinking of this, the contrast felt especially brutal.
“By the way, I honestly never thought we’d run into Xie Yichen here in Yunnan. He’s so ridiculously handsome—turns out those rumors were completely credible!”
Hu Ke’er excitedly dropped the previous topic. “And his personality is very… hmm, it’s hard to put into words. He’s a bit cool, effortlessly stylish, but also very considerate and attentive—the kind of person who makes you feel you can really rely on him.”
Xie Yichen was no ordinary person; at Gao Hua he was the kind of student who excelled academically, had great social connections, and commanded influence. He had a good personality and was loyal to his friends, and the rare thing was that people didn’t even feel jealous of him—they all just liked being around him.
Hu Ke’er said, “When Zhang Yuge got back earlier, he told me that all their itineraries were planned by Xie Yichen. He really knows how to travel—he always manages to find those scenic, off-the-beaten-path spots.”
She scrolled through Xie Yichen’s social media while sighing. “They also rented an SUV. So cool! That must feel amazing driving along the coastal road.”
Hu Ke’er told herself not to dwell on it too much, otherwise she’d start feeling like her boyfriend was completely useless. For the rare occasion that Young Master Xu ventured out, he didn’t like to plan anything—he expected to be waited on like a dignitary in a palanquin, put no thought into anything, and his only redeeming quality was that he wasn’t short of money and could say a couple of sweet things.
“Xie Yichen probably doesn’t have a girlfriend, right?” Just based on how he’d appeared last night, Hu Ke’er wasn’t entirely sure.
Ning Sui’s lashes drifted downward, and she casually took a sip of water. “I don’t know.”
Hu Ke’er scrolled through his social media like a detective, analyzing carefully. “I think he doesn’t. Look—his profile picture and bio aren’t suspicious, his moments are set to six months visible, and there are no photos of any girls…”
On Hu Ke’er’s phone, Ning Sui caught a glimpse of a video Xie Yichen had posted, taken from a car window looking outward—a panoramic view of Erhai Lake from Hongsheng Road, a vast, sweeping scene of clustered rooftops, lush forest, and a broad, splendid boulevard that was breathtakingly beautiful.
She hadn’t added him, so she couldn’t see any of it herself.
Ning Sui scrolled to the four-person group chat they’d just created, and while hesitating, accidentally tapped his profile picture and sent him a notification ping.
[“Suisuisui” has poked “Xie Yichen”]
An abrupt message appeared out of nowhere in the group. Ning Sui kept her expression perfectly neutral and immediately poked Zhang Yuge and Hu Ke’er as well.
[“Suisuisui” has poked “Jin Ge” on the back and says: Handsome, you’re all scrubbed, next in line]
[“Suisuisui” has poked “Paopao Ke” and takes a deep, affectionate sniff of her feet, saying “Papa, you smell so good”]
Ning Sui: “……”
The next morning, the two of them slept in until after nine o’clock. Since it was a self-guided trip with a relaxed schedule, the itinerary was flexible and improvised.
Hu Ke’er sat up with a disheveled nest of hair and stretched contentedly. “It’s been so long since I woke up naturally like this. Pure bliss!”
The inn’s courtyard environment was truly lovely—on a clear day the greenery was fresh and lush, the sunshine was bright without being scorching, and the hotel had also prepared a beautifully presented scallion soup rice-noodle dish and warm milk for each of them, delivered specially to their rooms.
The four of them ate breakfast in the inn’s small sitting room, all looking in good spirits.
Shen Qing sipped his milk and asked with a smile, “Did everyone sleep well last night?”
Since Xu Zhou and Hu Ke’er were sitting across from each other, he was looking at Ning Sui.
Ning Sui nodded and smiled back. “The conditions here are quite good.”
Shen Qing said, “Is there anywhere you’d like to go today?”
No one had researched routes in advance, so he suggested, “Actually, I had a look at some travel guides earlier. If we’re staying around the old town today, we could go along Hongsheng Road and explore Cangshan Mountain. There’s a cable car up the mountain—the elevation is a few thousand meters, and the views at the top are beautiful. In the evening, we could go eat near Longkan Pier and catch the sunset.”
Having such a companion was a tremendous relief. Hu Ke’er agreed enthusiastically, “Yes, yes! And after the sunset we can still wander around the old town. Oh right, I heard there’s a new movie out—if we have time, we could go see it.”
The group reached a consensus and soon began chatting about other things. Ning Sui listened to the conversation while checking her phone.
After exchanging good-nights last night, Ning Sui had done her usual rounds in the family group chat—wishing everyone a good morning and reporting her plans for the day—only to discover, unexpectedly, that her mother Fang Fang and Ning Deyan were arguing. About where Ning Yue, that little rascal, would spend his summer vacation. Each one claimed to be too busy with work to look after him.
In the past, this kind of mutual buck-passing wouldn’t have escalated so seriously. It took Ning Sui a while to piece together what had happened: the day before, Ning Deyan had given Ning Yue some money and sent him to the bookstore across from their community to buy books in preparation for his middle school entrance exams.
Thinking the store was close enough, he didn’t accompany him. When the books came back, Ning Deyan took one look and nearly keeled over.
Only one book on middle school math olympiad had been purchased. The rest? A collection consisting of:
Harvard Research: Parents Yelling Lowers Children’s IQ
How to Be a Gentle Mother
Why Children Develop Low Self-Esteem
My Scolding Destroyed My Son’s Life
Ning Yue was perfectly unabashed: “My teacher said that even parents need to keep reading and studying—you’re never too old to learn.”
At eleven or twelve years old, not even a dog would want him around. Needless to say, he received a thorough thrashing.
Ning Yue privately messaged her, crying in great detail: [Sister, I am an unloved little cabbage, forsaken by both my father and mother——]
Ning Sui replied sweetly: [You absolutely deserve it.]
……
The standoff ultimately ended with the two of them negotiating a rotating schedule, and once Ning Sui returned home, she would also be joining the childcare rotation.
She exited the group chat and checked her other messages.
Ning Sui noticed that following last night’s notification-poke incident in the “0726” four-person group, Xie Yichen had replied at around six in the morning, and Zhang Yuge had responded with a teasing sticker.
Xie Yichen: [?]
Jin Ge: [[fat orange cat giving smoldering eyes.jpg]]
Ning Sui felt she couldn’t just let this go without some kind of explanation, so she thought for a moment, and actually came up with one: [Did anyone pay the bill at the bar last night?]
Hu Ke’er happened to also be on her phone and immediately popped up: [I don’t think so…]
Paopao Ke: [@Suisuisui, Papa assumed you paid [awkward but polite smile.jpg]]
Suisuisui: [I forgot…]
Zhang Yuge, who was apparently doing who knows what, also replied fast: [Holy crap, I forgot too!]
Xie Yichen hadn’t responded. Ning Sui sent another: [Does anyone remember the name of that bar?]
Paopao Ke: [Can’t remember…]
Jin Ge: [Who knows…]
Suisuisui: [.]
First night in Yunnan and they’d already landed themselves on the unreliable persons list. Wonderful.
Ning Sui recalled what Hu Ke’er had said last night about how her imaginary crush Zhang Lengye Han·Shangguan Yunjue ran a chain bar empire—she’d probably fantasized so much that she genuinely believed she didn’t need to pay at bars. Unable to hold it in, Ning Sui let out a small laugh.
At a table of four people, that one laugh was particularly conspicuous. Xu Zhou immediately noticed that both of them had their phones open to the same interface and promptly asked, “What are you looking at?”
His tone was casual, but he was actually very alert. Still, it seemed Shen Qing hadn’t told him anything.
Hu Ke’er panicked slightly. Coming clean now was absolutely not the right moment, so she glanced at Ning Sui and said, “Just a girls’ group chat from our high school dormitory.”
Xu Zhou made a sound of acknowledgment, but his gaze kept drifting sideways, trying to peer at her screen from a short distance. Hu Ke’er redirected the conversation. “So for climbing Cangshan, should we bring extra layers? The high altitude might be a bit cold.”
Shen Qing: “Yes, bring a thick outer jacket.”
The four of them went to the popular photo spot on Hongsheng Road and took pictures. Hu Ke’er dragged Ning Sui and the two of them jumped around there for a long time, with the entire Erhai Lake as their backdrop—blue sky, white clouds, and brilliant sunshine—all just to capture that mid-air leaping shot.
The Cangshan cable car to Xima Lake went up over 3,900 meters and could be hiked for an entire day, so they bought sandwiches for lunch. In the taxi heading toward the base of the mountain, Ning Sui finally saw Xie Yichen reply in the group chat.
Xie Yichen: [The bar is called Wan Qing.]
Xie Yichen: [[Image]]
He followed it with a screenshot of a WeChat payment, showing 167 yuan.
That guy’s terseness was so absolute it felt like it single-handedly annihilated the entire group. Even through the screen, you could picture his speechlessness. You hopeless lot.
Zhang Yuge, ever the perfect straight man, immediately erupted with delight: [Chen-boss you’re the absolute best! [screaming emoji] [screaming emoji] [screaming emoji]]
No one had even noticed him leave his seat the whole time—how had he paid without anyone catching on?
Ning Sui stared at his profile picture for a moment, then tapped “Add Friend” and sent the request.
After a few minutes, the request was accepted.
Suisuisui: [This is mine and Ke’er’s share. Thank you.]
Ning Sui transferred half the amount per the AA split: [[Transfer ¥84.00]]
She waited a while. Two words came back from his end, just as sparing as ever: [No need.]
At that moment, Xie Yichen was at the scenic area entrance buying cable car tickets. He was dressed simply in a white T-shirt with a black lapel athletic jacket draped over it, the whole look effortlessly casual, and just standing there, he was a sight for sore eyes. Zhang Yuge watched as two girls nearby worked up the nerve to approach and ask for his contact information.
He glanced up, the corner of his mouth curving slightly. “Sorry, my phone is broken.”
Both girls could see clearly—his phone was right there in his hand, screen lit up on the WeChat interface, with messages pinging in one after another.
The girls: “……”
Could he possibly be any more dismissive?