Miao Zhu somewhat understood why Sheng Xingran was different with Li Li. Such vibrant energy was hard to dislike.
Miao Zhu said, “You’re not a third wheel.”
Li Li couldn’t help raising her voice. “I knew it!”
But her glee didn’t last long.
Miao Zhu stated flatly, “Xingran and I met at eight years old. We studied abroad together for seven years, sharing countless hobbies, habits, and pivotal life moments. We’re intimately familiar with each other—we could say we’re the people who understand one another best in the world. You can like her, pursue her. It’s certainly possible you might win her over. But be prepared mentally: I’m ingrained in every aspect of her life. Can you truly not mind my existence at all?”
“…Damn it!” Li Li gritted her teeth and stomped off.
Miao Zhu felt a daze at her own words. From eight to twenty-four years old—two-thirds of her life—Sheng Xingran had permeated every facet of her existence too, hadn’t she?
Miao Zhu closed the door, opened her luggage, and pulled a cigarette and lighter from the hidden compartment.
There was an ashtray in the room. She grabbed it and pushed open the glass door, heading once more to that mountainside balcony.
Night had fallen. Miao Zhu held the cigarette in her mouth and, amid the sound of wind rustling through the forest sea, lit it deftly.
She had gone through a heavy smoking phase for a time, but now she only indulged occasionally. Her family didn’t know, and neither did Sheng Xingran.
Miao Zhu blew in the mountain breeze. She smoked only two or three puffs before the cigarette burned to the end.
The homestay had no other guests that night. Looking down from the balcony, starting from Sheng Xingran’s room, the row to the left was all dark.
Dark?
Miao Zhu paused as she stubbed out the cigarette butt. Her left view was dark, but from earlier, the right side…
The room to the right had its lights on. The glow filtered through the floor-to-ceiling windows, illuminating the balcony—and the graceful figure standing there.
“Done smoking?” Mu Shanyi leaned against the railing, watching her leisurely.
“…” It wasn’t the first time Mu Shanyi had caught her, so Miao Zhu nodded calmly. “Yeah.”
Mu Shanyi: “Come over.”
Mu Shanyi’s courtyard adjoined Miao Zhu’s, similar in style but vastly different in layout. Mu Shanyi’s room was much larger—a suite.
The doors stood open. Miao Zhu entered on her own. To the right was the dining area, where Mu Shanyi was already seated at the table.
Miao Zhu approached. It was mushroom season, and the table held a feast of wild mushrooms, untouched by chopsticks, still steaming hot.
There were two place settings: one beside Mu Shanyi, and another opposite her.
“Fight with Xingran?” Mu Shanyi asked casually.
Miao Zhu neither confirmed nor denied it.
When they had parted from Mu Shanyi, she and Sheng Xingran had been holding hands and heading to dinner—yet now she was alone in her room. It was reasonable for Mu Shanyi to guess as much.
“Sit? Eat with me.” Mu Shanyi said again.
Had Mu Shanyi called her over to share dinner?
“Is that okay?” There were only two place settings, so this had presumably been meant for Mu Shanyi and Tang Yuwen.
Mu Shanyi’s gaze traveled upward. The flush on Miao Zhu’s face had mostly faded. She countered, “What’s not okay about it?”
Miao Zhu stopped refusing.
Just then, a server brought the final soup course, with Tang Yuwen close behind. Seeing an extra person in the room, she asked curiously, “Who’s the friend?”
Then she recognized the face. “Miao Zhu?”
Miao Zhu greeted her with a smile. “Wen Jie.”
Tang Yuwen had encountered Miao Zhu at various social occasions multiple times. She and Sheng Xingran were inseparable, so she assumed Miao Zhu had come with Sheng Xingran today. Tang Yuwen just didn’t understand why she wasn’t at the observation deck with Sheng Xingran but here in Mu Shanyi’s room instead. It didn’t matter, though—if Mu Shanyi didn’t mind, she could just go with the flow. “Sit, eat with us. A-Heng and I were just about to start.”
She fetched another place setting from the sideboard.
Neither Mu Shanyi nor Tang Yuwen were ones for chatting over meals. Miao Zhu ate quietly along with them, occasionally glancing up at Mu Shanyi across the table.
Mu Shanyi’s eyelids were half-lowered, her expression neutral. Separated by the table, the closeness at the washbasin felt like Miao Zhu’s imagination alone.
After this simple meal, Tang Yuwen had business to discuss with Mu Shanyi. Miao Zhu tactfully took her leave.
“Since you’ll be staying in the country more from now on, come play anytime. I’ll keep this room for you.”
“No need. I won’t come.”
Miao Zhu hadn’t gone far when she overheard Tang Yuwen and Mu Shanyi’s back-and-forth.
“What, is my homestay too rustic for the likes of Miss Mu?”
Mu Shanyi’s reply sent a jolt through Miao Zhu’s thoughts.
Mu Shanyi chuckled lightly and said, “Not fun.”
Miao Zhu quickened her steps, jogging back to her room.
She couldn’t tell if Mu Shanyi’s “not fun” was deliberate or offhand, but she felt pierced by her own boomerang, utterly embarrassed.
Sheng Xingran and her friends partied at the observation deck until late before retiring. The next morning, they rose early as previously arranged with Miao Zhu, who needed to return to orchestra work.
No one else was up yet. Tang Yuwen hosted Sheng Xingran and Miao Zhu for breakfast.
A server brought coffee. With the weather hot, mint leaves garnished the rim, but Sheng Xingran blocked it with her hand.
“What?” Tang Yuwen asked, puzzled.
Sheng Xingran’s expression was still a bit sour as she said reluctantly, “She’s allergic to mint.”
Tang Yuwen looked at Miao Zhu and nodded in understanding.
Miao Zhu’s eyes curved in a smile, but Sheng Xingran ignored her and asked Tang Yuwen, “Is my sis still sleeping?”
“She graced us with a quick meal and left overnight.” Tang Yuwen sipped her coffee. “Your sis only came for your sake. I invited her twice before, and she said she was busy both times.”
“Really?” Sheng Xingran responded indifferently.
It was just Tang Yuwen’s high emotional intelligence at play—no one took it at face value.
Author’s Note:
Wen Jie: Heaven and earth bear witness to my innocence.
