Chapter 32

Before coming to Jianjia, Yun Huizhi had sent her the address of the Brook Inn.

Along with guides and photos for food, drink, and entertainment, plus all kinds of notes—what clothes to bring, what shoes to wear.

Meticulous to the smallest detail.

She even feared she might be nervous or regret it, so she suggested not meeting directly in the room. She would go pick her up; they’d meet first at the station.

If she regretted it, they’d just share a meal and go their separate ways.

If she felt like hanging out together, they’d proceed as planned.

So, even before arriving in town, Yun Huizhi had already made her feel grounded, made her feel she could be trusted.

Even though this whole thing between them was absurd.

From its name, the “Brook Inn” strived for an antique style, so the entire design was steeped in classical charm.

It wasn’t necessarily old or worn. Modernity was well integrated, yet it hadn’t been so eroded by technology, plastic, and cement as to lose all sense of leisure and charm.

Time here seemed like the vines twining around the grape trellis.

The withered vines from previous seasons lay stretched across it, meaninglessly clinging to the other plants in the courtyard.

In this season, the vines were adorned with green leaves. Sunlight and rain also favored them, so they bore fruit and became one of the courtyard’s protagonists.

The grapes were sweet, but not the kind of cloying sweetness as dull as pure sugar. They carried a faint, tart astringency, like a prelude to the sweetness, dissipating in just a few strokes.

Thus, the sweetness became even sweeter.

Chu Ruoyou ate the grapes Yun Huizhi had washed, standing at a high vantage point, looking down at the two people circling the various plants in the courtyard below.

Shen Jiajia was curious about everything. She casually tossed her drink bottle towards the trash can, naturally missing. It clattered against the can and fell to the ground.

Seeing she didn’t plan to pick it up, Yun Huizhi said nothing. She simply walked over good-naturedly, picked it up, and put it in the recycling bin.

Chu Ruoyou stole cold glances while also on a phone call.

She had stayed in Jianjia so long that if she didn’t mention returning soon, her mom was going to rally all the relatives in the family to come rescue her.

“In the mountains, no less. What kind of great place is it, some resort village, and you just stay there without coming back? The locals haven’t roped you into an investment scheme or recruited you into an MLM, have they?”

Chu Ruoyou: “…”

Well, she had charitably supported a bright but underprivileged young tour guide in the mountainous area.

Her mom continued nagging. “Your aunt says you’ve probably fallen for some local young man. Oh, let me tell you, we won’t consider it if we don’t know his background. And besides, what kind of good prospects could there be in a place like that?”

Mm, fell for someone, but it’s a young woman.

Her prospects are a bit lacking, but she’s adorable.

The truth, Chu Ruoyou could only keep to herself. She placated her mother verbally. “Don’t worry about me. I’m fine. Just found it comfortable here and stayed a couple extra days. I’ve been looking at tickets these last few days.”

After hanging up, a shameless thought immediately surfaced.

I still don’t want to leave.

I want to stay in Jianjia, want to bicker with Yun Huizhi, eat the breakfast she buys, the grapes she washes.

This morning, Yun Huizhi had even brought back breakfast for Shen Jiajia.

Chu Ruoyou hadn’t said anything about it, but her appetite wasn’t as good as usual.

Even without Shen Jiajia saying it, Chu Ruoyou knew. What other purpose could she have for seeking out Yun Huizhi? Romance, of course.

Sitting together this morning, she had glanced at Yun Huizhi’s WeChat chat. Sure enough, Shen Jiajia’s WeChat name was in English.

It was exactly the one who had messaged Yun Huizhi before.

Sometimes her intuition was so accurate it scared even her.

Chu Ruoyou really wanted to know what Yun Huizhi had replied that time.

But she couldn’t ask.

The reassuring part was that Yun Huizhi seemed to treat Shen Jiajia as just an ordinary friend, showing no particular interest.

But what annoyed her was that once she herself was gone, those two would have their own little world together. Who knew what would happen then?

Hmph.

Chu Ruoyou made a silent decision. Even after returning to Xiacheng, she wouldn’t cut off contact with Yun Huizhi.

She wanted Yun Huizhi to not be alone anymore, to remember her kindness.

In the future, she could cover Yun Huizhi’s tuition. And if living expenses were truly tight, Yun Huizhi could even ask her for living costs.

It wasn’t a big deal. Though saying it out loud made her sound like she was being scammed, she was willing to do things for Yun Huizhi.

Before, she had feared that if this relationship ended, Yun Huizhi would cling to her, because this person wasn’t in her life plan, and she didn’t like Yun Huizhi that much.

But similarly, she hadn’t planned on marriage and children. Ren Yuhan’s choices had made her deeply resent the traditional path.

Running away during this period wasn’t just because Ren Yuhan upset her. It was also because her parents had decided to use the summer break to arrange blind dates for her.

So she came out here to find some peace.

But Yun Huizhi was too good at being likable, and also good at evoking sympathy. She truly seemed harmless and made it hard for anyone to just abandon her.

Her parents weren’t by her side, her grandmother had passed away, and some aunt that was supposedly here hadn’t even shown her face yet. She was alone in this little town. How could that be allowed?

If Yun Huizhi had clung to her and refused to let go, Chu Ruoyou might not have been able to commit. After all, that would be trouble, not something she could easily drop later.

But as it happened, Yun Huizhi’s words, both spoken and unspoken, showed no intention of clinging. That conversation last night had especially reassured Chu Ruoyou. If she herself didn’t want it, Yun Huizhi wouldn’t bother her.

Yun Huizhi seemed easygoing on the surface, but in matters of emotion, she was actually a proud person. That was clear enough from the disdain in her voice when she spoke of Shen Jiajia last night.

This made Chu Ruoyou believe the situation was controllable. If later the feelings faded, or if they fell out unpleasantly, they could still break things off cleanly.

And so, many notions started to sprout.

She saw Yun Huizhi crouch down.

She saw Yun Huizhi pick up a leaf, examine it, then place it on the ground and take out her phone to photograph it.

A few seconds later, Chu Ruoyou’s WeChat received a picture: a leaf, half scorched brown, half green.

“Like my state of mind when I think of you.”

What does the scorched half represent?

Chu Ruoyou didn’t need to ask.

Her time here had exceeded expectations, so her period had inconveniently arrived right on schedule.

It was even two days earlier than last month.

Chu Ruoyou felt a wave of irritability, her mood gloomy. She messaged Yun Huizhi, asking her to buy sanitary pads.

She glanced at the time. It was almost noon. Yun Huizhi had said she was going downstairs to chat with Shen Jiajia for a bit, and it had been over an hour.

And it still isn’t over!

Yun Huizhi told her the pads were in the bathroom cabinet and told her to rest well.

When Yun Huizhi returned, she was carrying groceries. She said, “I’ll cook lunch. You’re not feeling well, so I’ll make some things you like.”

Before Chu Ruoyou could feel pleased, she thought to ask, “What about Shen Jiajia? Is she eating too?”

Yun Huizhi nodded. “She said she’ll join.”

“You went grocery shopping with her.”

Seeing Yun Huizhi admit it, Chu Ruoyou’s mood instantly soured. She endured it and said, “You just wanted to cook a meal for her, didn’t you?”

“A colossal injustice, okay? You’re on your period, I wanted to cook something for you. Just because she’s here doesn’t mean I stop being good to you. But I can’t just not feed her.”

Yun Huizhi said this with a deeply aggrieved look.

Chu Ruoyou rubbed her face, then gave her a kiss to placate her, though her words still carried a sour note. “You’ve been hanging out with her all morning. Did she happen to mention why she came all this way?”

After a slight hesitation, Yun Huizhi smiled again. “Just said she wanted to come see me. Did you finish the grapes? If you like them, we can buy more this afternoon.”

Chu Ruoyou’s intuition told her Yun Huizhi was lying, but she didn’t press further.

Yun Huizhi had many reservations towards her as well.

Her period made her legs and waist ache and feel weak, and Chu Ruoyou’s complexion wasn’t very good. Yun Huizhi told her to rest in the room, saying she’d call her when the food was ready.

After lying down for half an hour, Chu Ruoyou suddenly thought, Shen Jiajia must be in the kitchen right now.

The image she imagined made her uncomfortable. So she stopped lying down and went downstairs to inspect.

Not many people at the inn cooked for themselves. It wasn’t mealtime yet, and no one had come to eat, so the dining area was empty.

She passed through the dining area and had just reached the kitchen doorway when she heard Shen Jiajia’s voice. “Have you thought it over?”

Her steps halted. Instinctively, Chu Ruoyou chose not to show herself. She wanted to hear what they were discussing.

Even if the behavior wasn’t particularly proper.

Yun Huizhi’s voice was much lower. “It hasn’t even been two hours since you told me. You expect me to have thought it over already?”

She needs time to think it over.

Chu Ruoyou’s expression cooled slightly.

Shen Jiajia said, “This money is for an emergency, it’s not like I’m blowing it recklessly. To you, this is just pocket change. Don’t worry, I’ll definitely pay you back before New Year’s.”

“Three hundred thousand is pocket change? Jiajia, I can’t get that much.” Yun Huizhi’s voice was faint.

It was only then that Chu Ruoyou realized she wasn’t full of energy towards everyone. But she was always very polite.

Three hundred thousand…

Chu Ruoyou frowned.

“Then how much can you get? Don’t think a few tens of thousands will be enough to get rid of me.”

Yun Huizhi didn’t speak for a moment. Only the sound of chopping vegetables could be heard. “So, this whole time you’ve been contacting me, saying those things, including coming all the way here… it was just to borrow money from me?”

“I do like you. It’s just that with the amount of debt I’m in, you were the first person I thought of.”

Shen Jiajia added a coquettish tone. “Huizhi, help me out this once, okay? You know I’ve helped you plenty in the past.”

“Those are separate matters.”

Yun Huizhi’s voice was cold. “Let’s cook first. Ruoyou will come down soon to eat with us. Don’t say anything you shouldn’t.”

“What counts as something I shouldn’t say?”

“Don’t even mention you’re borrowing money from me. There’s no need to talk to her about anything concerning me. Just eat your meal.”

“You’re that guarded against her?”

“It’s not being guarded. It’s being afraid you’ll say the wrong thing. Plus, she doesn’t need to know that much. She came here to travel. Once she leaves, we might not even be in contact anymore.”

…

Vegetables were tossed into the wok, producing a sizzling racket.

Physical discomfort, combined with the ringing in her ears, made Chu Ruoyou irritable.

She left the dining area and happened to run into Little Zhang, who had just come downstairs after fixing something.

She stopped him and asked, “How long has Huizhi been staying at the inn?”

Little Zhang said, “For a while now.”

Chu Ruoyou considered for a moment, then suddenly spoke. “Who’s her aunt?”

Little Zhang’s expression flickered. He shook his head and said, “You’d better ask her yourself. I’ve got things to do.”

“It’s the owner of this inn, right?”

Not wanting to put him in a difficult spot, Chu Ruoyou finished speaking and walked away, leaving behind a line. “Pretend I never asked.”

Before, Yun Huizhi had mentioned her aunt was away during this time. Coincidentally, when some regular guests had checked in earlier and asked if the boss was around, Little Zhang said the boss was out and wouldn’t be back for a while.

Little Zhang had neither denied nor confirmed. Chu Ruoyou then understood: Yun Huizhi had also briefed him.

Oh. I see.

So it was a setup from the very beginning.

What was the purpose?

It couldn’t just be a lack of pocket money. For Shen Jiajia to dare ask for a loan, she had to know Yun Huizhi wasn’t short on cash.

Maybe it was unintentional. Maybe she just wanted someone to toy with for fun, and I happened to stumble right into it.

The family bankruptcy, wanting to study but having no money, earning a bit for living expenses through odd jobs… it was all fake.

In the first couple of days after arriving, Chu Ruoyou had observed that Yun Huizhi never seemed fazed whenever money was brought up.

Generally, someone in that situation would feel at least some shame.

But after spending more time together, she had assumed it was just Yun Huizhi’s personality—bold and taking responsibility—and that she didn’t see it as a blow to her pride.

She had overlooked all the suspicious signs. Or rather, she had deliberately ignored them.

Because she wanted to believe everything Yun Huizhi said was true. She wanted them to continue getting along this way. She hoped Yun Huizhi would need her in the future.

But as it turned out, she wasn’t needed at all. She was just a second-generation rich kid passing summer break at a relative’s inn.

Killing time by fooling someone as foolish as her for fun.

Maybe her entire background, her smiles, her tears—all of it was an act.

How much of it was real? How much was fake?

Chu Ruoyou opened her ticket booking app to check if there were still tickets for today’s bus or high-speed train.