Got up early, had breakfast, and headed to the scenic area.
Although it was the same entrance as last time, the bus took them in a different direction.
Dense forests, clear springs, birdsong, plank paths.
The mountain scenery was still composed of these elements, but there were differences within the similarities, so wandering through it didn’t feel boring; the feelings were all unique.
Besides her hat, Chu Ruoyou also wore a sun-protective mask and sunglasses. Yun Huizhi hardly saw her full face the entire day.
On the bus ride back, Yun Huizhi grew irritable.
She coaxed her, “Take off your sunglasses. I’ve closed the curtains, it’s not glaring.”
“Not taking them off.”
Chu Ruoyou didn’t ask for a reason and simply ignored her.
Many tourists fell asleep as soon as they got on the bus. Yun Huizhi wasn’t tired and insisted on chatting with her: “I remember the first time I saw you, you were wearing these exact sunglasses. So stylish, like a movie star. Love at first sight, you know?”
“You remember wrong. I was wearing a different pair then.”
Chu Ruoyou interrupted coolly.
Yun Huizhi’s face fell. “…Why did you buy two pairs of sunglasses that look almost the same?”
“The difference is huge. Can’t you see it?”
“I can’t see it.”
“Then don’t look.”
“…”
Yun Huizhi was practically choked to death by her. She’d never met someone so incapable of holding a conversation!
But a little cold shoulder from Chu Ruoyou wasn’t enough to stop her glib tongue. She kept chattering away: “Let me test you. Do you remember the first thing I ever said to you?”
“I remember.”
“Tell me then.”
Chu Ruoyou gave a soft “hmph.” “Don’t want to.”
“You were really embarrassed back then, weren’t you?”
Yun Huizhi asked with a hint of mischief.
“A bit.”
Having her online username read aloud was truly awkward.
“So, was your name really taken from that ancient text?”
While waiting for the bus earlier at the small square at the mountain’s base, there happened to be a pond there with a few koi fish raised beautifully.
Yun Huizhi couldn’t help but recite the line “As if swimming in the void, nothing to rely on.” Chu Ruoyou had turned her head then and teased her: “Hm, you do have a bit of culture after all.”
Now Yun Huizhi brought it up again to ask her.
“No.”
Chu Ruoyou said, “There’s no particularly good meaning behind it.”
Yun Huizhi thought about it, and it made sense. The words “swimming in the void” and “nothing to rely on” were indeed not good when applied to a person. Unless her dad was completely clueless, he wouldn’t have used that line to name his daughter.
“Then how was it chosen?” She liked to get to the bottom of things.
“Flipped through a dictionary and picked randomly.”
“That casually?”
Chu Ruoyou said coolly, “No literary scholars in the family. We don’t have the refined taste for something like your ‘Going against the current to reach her.'”
Yun Huizhi rattled on, “That’s not true at all. No literary scholars in my family either. That name was supposedly something my grandpa got from a fortune teller for me, said it would ensure safety. It was only later, in middle school, when I learned that line from the Book of Songs, that I knew how to introduce myself to people.”
On the return trip, everyone was very tired. People like Yun Huizhi, whose mouths never rested, were few.
So after she finished this long spiel, before Chu Ruoyou could even reply, an uncle in the back row leaned over his seat and asked her, “Which line from the Book of Songs?”
He had only heard Yun Huizhi’s last words; Chu Ruoyou had spoken softly before.
Yun Huizhi turned sideways and saw the curiosity in the nosy uncle’s eyes. She blurted out, “That very famous line, ‘White dew turns to frost,’ of course.”
The uncle, with an air of understanding, asked confidently, “So, is your name Bai Lu(White Dew) or Bai Shuang(White Frost)?”
“Bai Wei.”(White Fern)
“Oh, good name.” The uncle sat back down.
Chu Ruoyou burst out laughing. She rarely laughed so openly, and even took off her sunglasses, her bright beauty surpassing the scenery.
“Bai Wei, what do you want to eat when we get back tonight?”
“What do you want to eat?”
Yun Huizhi finally got her wish and saw her eyes, filled with contented laughter. So, knowing full well she was being teased by Chu Ruoyou for fooling the man, she answered happily anyway.
“Want to eat your cooking.”
This request was a bit too much. Who has energy left after climbing a mountain? As soon as she said it, she waited for Yun Huizhi to bargain and push it to tomorrow.
Yun Huizhi readily agreed, “Alright, I’ll make a couple of refreshing side dishes to go with rice. You eat more.”
Chu Ruoyou paused, only then remembering that Yun Huizhi rarely refused her requests.
She changed the subject: “Let me post something on Moments, so my mom doesn’t suspect I’ve been tricked into a pyramid scheme.”
She picked out a few decent photos from the past few days from her album. Most were sent by Yun Huizhi; she rarely used her own phone to take pictures.
Beautiful mountain and water scenery, ancient town architecture, delicious cuisine, and herself through Yun Huizhi’s lens.
Yun Huizhi was very good at photographing people. Chu Ruoyou had a slight phobia of being photographed, always looking serious in pictures, but Yun Huizhi could capture her relaxed, smiling moments.
She didn’t choose any photos of them together. Yun Huizhi wasn’t surprised by this and didn’t have any particular feeling about it.
It was just to report back to family, no need to include irrelevant people.
Because of the poor network in the mountains, the nine photos took forever to upload. Yun Huizhi waited, wanting to be the first to like it.
But her own network was also slow. After Chu Ruoyou successfully posted, it took her half a minute to refresh and see it.
“Was I the first to like it?”
Chu Ruoyou was quiet for a long time, then said, “No.”
“Who was it? So fast.”
Yun Huizhi said it casually, but then she saw Chu Ruoyou’s dazed expression.
An expression like that—the last time she’d seen it was at the coffee house, after she took her ex-husband’s call.
So, it was him again!
Yun Huizhi suddenly felt it was pointless and didn’t feel like chatting anymore.
After getting off the bus, Chu Ruoyou changed her mind and said, “Let’s just find a restaurant to eat at.”
Yun Huizhi agreed directly, “Fine by me. I’m hungry too, eating at a restaurant is much faster.”
During the meal, Chu Ruoyou was absent-minded, glancing at her phone from time to time, then replying with a serious, tense expression, even pursing her lips.
Lady, don’t be too in love.
Yun Huizhi grumbled internally, no longer in the mood to care about her, and quietly focused on her own meal.
Whatever.
Whatever!
Could she really expect someone to walk away from a past relationship in just a few days? Impossible!
Fortunately, Chu Ruoyou didn’t seem like someone ruled by love, and probably wouldn’t go back to a dead end.
But… Yun Huizhi suddenly remembered something. Since Chu Ruoyou could accept sleeping with a woman, did it even matter if the man couldn’t perform?
Too much pride, unwilling?
Maybe.
Yun Huizhi’s thoughts were a jumbled mess.
She herself felt disgusted. Who wanted to care about their crappy drama anyway?
Back at the inn, Yun Huizhi put on her headphones, sat at her desk, and started gaming, not wanting to say another word to Chu Ruoyou. Let her reminisce about the past as she pleased.
That was until Chu Ruoyou placed a water glass in front of her, looking down and saying, “You haven’t had water in two hours.”
And had been gaming for two hours too.
“I don’t want any.”
“Drink.” She became stern.
Yun Huizhi’s rebellious streak crumbled at this, and she obediently drank the water.
Only then did Chu Ruoyou smile. “Will there be massage services tonight?”
“No.” Who loved serving people anyway!
Chu Ruoyou: “What if I strongly request it?”
“Still no.”
Chu Ruoyou pondered for a moment, then slowly leaned down. Under Yun Huizhi’s bewildered and obedient gaze, she kissed her on the lips.
After the kiss, “What about now? See, I didn’t even bump your nose.”
“Alright.”
“That’s enough to convince you?”
Chu Ruoyou chuckled lightly, her steps leisurely, turning towards the bed. “Come on then, Miss Bai Wei.”
Being called by her alias instantly made Yun Huizhi feel like a genuine massage girl.
Who do you think you’re humiliating? Hmph. She rolled up her sleeves, planning to add some extra services and give Chu Ruoyou a taste of something else.
