Chapter 13

The queue at the vendor was shorter now than in the morning. Yun Huizhi happily went over.

When she was almost at the front, she snapped a picture of the menu and sent it to Chu Ruoyou, asking which one she wanted.

Chu Ruoyou wasn’t in the mood for ice cream, but she was almost out of water, so she asked for an iced bottle.

A few minutes later, Yun Huizhi squeezed out from the crowd and ran back to Chu Ruoyou, who was resting under the pavilion.

Chu Ruoyou was chatting idly with a middle-aged auntie. She’d learned the other woman shared her profession—a retired teacher.

She was very envious. “Retirement is still better.”

The auntie comforted her, “Don’t worry, twenty-some years pass in the blink of an eye.”

Just how slow would that blink have to be to survive until getting a pension?

If she didn’t have to work, she’d want to live in this small town forever, look at the scenery every day, eat and drink.

And then…

Chu Ruoyou suddenly realized that in her daydream, the default person accompanying her was Yun Huizhi.

Forget it. Just a bit of fun.

A small town couldn’t compare to the city’s excitement after all. Once the novelty wore off, returning to her own social circle would be more comfortable.

Turning, she found Yun Huizhi standing before her, blocking the sunlight, smiling.

She unwrapped the ice cream and handed it to Chu Ruoyou. “Sorry for the wait. Here, you get the first bite.”

“I don’t want a bite.”

Chu Ruoyou didn’t want to share an ice cream with her, only taking the water from her hand.

“You’ll regret it for life if you don’t try it,” Yun Huizhi exaggerated alarmingly.

Chu Ruoyou looked at her speechlessly. Once the person sat down beside her and the ice cream was offered to her lips again, she reluctantly took a bite.

The taste was indeed good, but not worth the effort of queuing specifically in this place.

“Mhm, tasty. You finish it.”

Because she was talking, Yun Huizhi ate slowly. Add to that the harsh sunlight of a summer afternoon past four o’clock, and the ice cream melted quickly, inevitably getting on her hands.

Chu Ruoyou couldn’t stand watching any longer. She took out a wet wipe to clean her up. “Are you a little kid? Getting your hands all sticky eating ice cream.”

“Oh, right, you’re a student.”

Though her movements were quick, she wiped meticulously, holding Yun Huizhi’s wrist and cleaning each finger thoroughly.

Even though it was about the meme, Yun Huizhi hadn’t said a single word during this time.

Chu Ruoyou felt something was off. Looking up, she saw Yun Huizhi intently watching her hand, then holding her fingertips and gently stroking them.

Noticing Chu Ruoyou looking at her, she suddenly withdrew her hand and smiled shyly.

Chu Ruoyou saw the guilty conscience. Although she didn’t know exactly what was on her mind, it was bound to be along those lines.

“Don’t tell me you can get ideas in a place like this.”

“Just purely admiring. You have nice hands.”

Yun Huizhi complimented her.

When touching them, she could feel a few thin calluses on the knuckles and fingertips of Chu Ruoyou’s right hand.

They weren’t visible to the naked eye, not even noticeable when holding hands, but since Chu Ruoyou’s skin was so delicate everywhere else, a careful comparison made it apparent.

“So?”

“No ‘so.’ Just a compliment. Long and smooth, a lesbian’s delight upon seeing them.”

She smiled, winking playfully.

“It has nothing to do with you.”

Chu Ruoyou declined the topic, not prepared to discuss it further.

Yun Huizhi obediently made an “OK” gesture.

Leaving the mountains also involved the scenic area bus. This time, Chu Ruoyou was genuinely tired. She fell asleep as soon as she got on, and Yun Huizhi also closed her eyes.

Reaching the drop-off point, the two got off in a daze, retrieved Yun Huizhi’s car from the parking lot, and headed back to the inn.

The mountain wasn’t particularly high. A whole day of walking and resting, the pace not rushed, and they’d even taken the cable car down, so Chu Ruoyou didn’t feel very tired.

But after falling deeply asleep on the bus, all swaying and bumpy, upon getting up she felt completely drained, so weary she could barely lift her feet.

She rested her chin on Yun Huizhi’s shoulder, smelling the scent of laundry pods on Yun Huizhi’s clothes.

Of course, there was also the faint scent of sweat. A girl’s sweat was very light, so she didn’t move her face away even smelling it.

Driving, Yun Huizhi felt both unfamiliar and delighted by Chu Ruoyou’s sudden clinginess.

She didn’t dare move, letting Chu Ruoyou lean against her back freely.

“Tired? Are you hungry? My stomach’s growling. Let’s order dinner once we’re back.”

“Extremely hungry,” Chu Ruoyou had picked up her way of speaking.

Passing the bus station, Chu Ruoyou recalled that just a few days ago, she’d met Yun Huizhi right here.

Sitting in the back seat of Yun Huizhi’s car back then, in a strange place, with a stranger, her mood was better than she’d anticipated.

Yun Huizhi was cheerful and talkative, never showing any manner due to their relationship that Chu Ruoyou would dislike.

She could always handle things gracefully, catching the conversation and tossing it back high, making you respond to her rhythm.

Maybe because of this, after just three days, she was leaning against her back without a second thought.

It wasn’t that she was so keen on being close to her, just that today was very tiring.

Even though neither wanted to move much, they still showered immediately to wash away the fatigue.

Chu Ruoyou knew that choosing to procrastinate when tired led to a cascade of disorder later, resulting in more tiredness and more desire to procrastinate.

Showering was the most direct example. She used to be able to put it off until two or three in the morning; it was only after coming to the town that she normalized.

She placed an order on the mini-app for delivery from the neighboring restaurant.

All were dishes Chu Ruoyou was willing to eat: light, fresh, with a bit of broth.

After washing up, the two lay on the bed, feeling much better than when they’d just returned, their drowsiness gone.

Yun Huizhi listened to music for a while, then flipped over and said, “Lie on your stomach. I’ll massage your legs for you. When I hiked before, I didn’t feel tired at the time, but the next day, I was limping down the stairs in pain.”

She’d already said it was free; it would be foolish of Chu Ruoyou not to enjoy it.

The pressure Yun Huizhi applied during the leg massage wasn’t the soft force Chu Ruoyou had imagined. It had a strength that made you want to cry out in pain, but still bearable.

Seemed her hand techniques were all top-notch across the board—a bit of talent.

Chu Ruoyou’s toes tensed occasionally, which Yun Huizhi found very cute.

Knowing she was enduring, her thoughts strayed. She intentionally applied more force, trying to make her make a sound.

“Can’t you be a little gentler?”

Chu Ruoyou was dissatisfied with the masseuse and lightly kicked backward.

“Sorry, my bad.” Yun Huizhi was the picture of obedience.

After that sound, Chu Ruoyou’s state became much more relaxed, occasionally giving positive feedback.

Yun Huizhi was wholeheartedly focused on her at first, not thinking about anything else.

But Chu Ruoyou’s legs were truly beautiful, and her pleased expression was too captivating.

Her thoughts then became uncontrolled.

Even though Yun Huizhi was a little tired.

She wondered if Chu Ruoyou wanted to.

She felt that if she directly indicated it, Chu Ruoyou would mostly likely refuse her. Then how could she have the nerve to wheedle and pester?

So she continued massaging, not getting too reckless, just occasionally using her slightly warm palms to soothe her tired muscles.

Chu Ruoyou gradually quieted down, only the sound of her breathing remaining.

Yun Huizhi was extremely patient. She thought, if a person couldn’t be patient at a time like this, they’d be useless.

After massaging for a suitable duration, she leaned down and said near her ear, “Let me massage your shoulders too. Your neck is probably still sore from sleeping awkwardly on the bus today?”

Not giving Chu Ruoyou time to answer, she began kneading with practiced technique.

“Are we still going tomorrow?”

Chu Ruoyou said, “Can we rest for a day?”

“Of course! The ticket is valid for three days.”

“Then we rest.”

Having gotten this answer, Yun Huizhi felt relieved.

Lightly crooking her fingertips, she gently scratched down from Chu Ruoyou’s neck and shoulder. How could Chu Ruoyou bear this? Even kissing her back normally made her dodge.

So she hastily turned over.

Yun Huizhi seized the chance to hug her tightly, taking her earlobe into her mouth. “Want to kiss, want to hold Older Sister.”

She was acting cute, her tone gentle, her words innocent.

But her hand slipped under the nightgown, letting out a soft chuckle.

Then Chu Ruoyou heard her unambiguously lewd remarks.