Yan Muyu sketched quickly, so the live stream viewers mostly just listened to her chatter while watching her finish the work.
She had always loved chatting, with a natural knack for pulling people into the conversation—even those who usually hated small talk found themselves enjoying it.
At least compared to yesterday, the atmosphere in the embroidery workshop felt much livelier.
Around noon, Yan Muyu and Qiu Chao headed out.
Yan Muyu had originally planned to leave Qiu Chao waiting there for her, but Qiu Chao—who also embroidered with impressive speed—wanted to check out the other village too.
“Riding with someone is exhausting,” Yan Muyu said.
“I can walk with you,” Qiu Chao replied.
Fortunately, they were up in the high mountains. Even at the peak of the heat, it never got as sweltering as in the city.
In shady spots or by the mountain springs, it even felt a little chilly.
“I’m not walking,” Yan Muyu declared.
“I don’t care. I’m coming anyway,” Qiu Chao insisted. “Who knows if you’ll actually come back for me?”
Her words carried a hint of self-deprecation that made the little girl nearby look surprised.
The girl turned to Yan Muyu. “Are you bullying Sister Qiu?”
Yan Muyu shrugged helplessly. “Who’s bullying whom, exactly?”
She had a real way with kids, always managing to make them burst into laughter.
By then, Yan Muyu had hopped on her bike and was urging Qiu Chao to hurry up.
“You check the map, then. What year is it? Still hand-drawing them?”
She sighed. “How do you even handle intel gathering? Yesterday you had my navigation sending me straight toward that waterfall—like it was some water curtain cave or something.”
Her words carried their own brand of humor, delivered in a playful tone. Though she’d turned down Qiu Chao’s company earlier, there wasn’t a trace of annoyance in her voice now.
“See you this afternoon!”
Yan Muyu waved to the kids as her bike tires crunched onto the gravel road and bumped away.
【Yan Muyu’s got a killer smile, doesn’t she?】
【Everyone’s always said she’s got a great personality. I remember an interview with one of the celebs she worked with mentioning it.】
【She never picked shots based on star power when she was a photographer either. Feels like Hree lost its whole vibe the second she left.】
【Wahhh, my fave idol from back then was the same. Watching the behind-the-scenes footage, Yan Muyu was so gentle with her. Not even in words—just the way she moved. Made my blockhead bias finally wake up.】
【Hahaha, wasn’t there a post suspecting she ignored star status just to practice? If she can bring soul to the stiffest poses, does that make her a medium?】
Yan Muyu felt like her daily treks over mountains and ridges rivaled boot camp, but now with her camera slung over her shoulder, she wasn’t in such a rush.
The area was vast, the layered mountain winds evoking an ink-wash painting.
Summer skies were clear and crisp, and whether passing bamboo groves, crystalline springs, or tea farmers heading off into the distance with their dogs, everything conspired to ease the heart.
She rode along until something caught her eye, then pulled over to snap photos.
Qiu Chao found it all fascinating. It had been years since she’d last seen Yan Muyu wielding a camera.
The previous time had been when she’d shot Qiu Chao for a magazine spread.
Before that, it had been frequent—at least back when their sister-in-law bond still held. Yan Muyu’s first pick for photo shoots was always Qiu Chao.
The Yan Family had a darkroom dedicated to her. The photos she developed of Qiu Chao were stunning enough to wow fans whenever they hit the internet.
Some of them Qiu Chao had never even seen.
Even Yan Muyu’s discarded shots brimmed with her distinctive style.
During those four years, Qiu Chao had often visited the darkroom to watch her develop prints.
There was something captivating about a person deep in focus—especially when that person already occupied a corner of your heart.
It made you admire her from every angle, left and right, up and down, filled with nothing but adoration.
If only Yan Muyu had turned around back then, she would have walked right into a gaze brimming with unspoken affection.
But she never did. Lost in her work, Yan Muyu was oblivious to the world, and Qiu Chao never crossed her mind.
The more she ignored everyone around her, the more it itched at Qiu Chao’s heart.
Just like now, as her gaze settled once more on Yan Muyu.
Yan Muyu photographed moss, then sparkling spring water. As she pivoted her lens, it caught Qiu Chao’s expression dead-on.
The emotions she’d missed out on during those four years hadn’t faded after a decade. If anything, they’d crystallized into a unique melancholy etched into Qiu Chao’s features.
Yet with her striking, icy beauty, that sorrow took on an air of refined elegance—something priceless, too exquisite for any ordinary display case.
【Here we go again.】
【Qiu Chao, why do you stare at Yan Muyu like that?】
【Yan Muyu’s gorgeous, right?】
【She’s the type that grows on you.】
Yan Muyu said nothing. She led Qiu Chao onward until they reached the village.
The meat the production team wanted was already prepared. Yan Muyu grabbed two extra pieces of chicken breast that Xi Xi had tagged her about earlier.
The market was nothing like the morning vegetable bazaar.
The ground was streaked with oily, rainbow-hued wastewater, and a white cat lounged atop the orange vendor’s stall.
Qiu Chao couldn’t help stealing an extra glance.
Even though it was a market, there were only a handful of meat shops and not much else worth buying.
This shop’s meat had a local reputation—the pigs were free-range, resulting in exceptionally tender, flavorful cuts. Folks from the next village over even rode their motorcycles here to stock up.
Yan Muyu parked her bike under an old tree at the village entrance. That’s when Qiu Chao spotted another cat by the roadside.
When Yan Muyu reached the tree, she realized Qiu Chao hadn’t caught up.
“Qiu Chao!”
No sooner had the words left her mouth than she felt movement in the bag at her side. She looked down to find the plastic bag holding the chicken breast torn open.
Ahead of her, a pot-bellied yellow dog was trotting away, chicken in its jaws. It even glanced back at Yan Muyu.
“Holy shit,” Yan Muyu muttered.
【???】
【Staged, right?!】
【That dog has such a human expression!】
【Never pegged Qiu Chao for such a cat lover.】
A group of kids nearby were playing hopscotch. Spotting the dog, they burst into laughter.
“Boss Wu’s dog stole someone’s food again!”
“Ahuang stole chicken!! Quick, tell Boss Wu!”
Yan Muyu stood there, dazed. As the kids dashed past, she grabbed one at random. “Whose dog is that?”
She was still clutching the mangled plastic bag. Qiu Chao hurried over at the commotion. “What happened?”
“Was calling for you,” Yan Muyu said. “And the meat got stolen by a dog.”
Qiu Chao’s eyes fell on the empty bag in Yan Muyu’s grip. Combined with her stunned expression, Qiu Chao couldn’t hold back—she burst out laughing.
“What’s so funny?” Yan Muyu grumbled. “We work hard for our money.”
She turned to the kid she’d nabbed. “Can you take us to that dog’s owner?”
Yan Muyu and Qiu Chao clearly weren’t locals—and with camera crews hovering nearby, it was obvious.
The kid perked up with a bright “Okay!” and bounced ahead, chattering away like old friends.
“That dog’s called Ahuang. It belongs to the lady who runs the cooperative store at the village entrance. It loves meat more than anything.”
“Boss Wu has three dogs! Ahuang’s the biggest!”
“Are you movie stars?”
“This sister’s so pretty.”
“How’d you get here?”
“Let me tell you, Boss Wu’s super nice. She’ll definitely pay you back. Her dogs always do this—she barely makes any money anyway.”
…
Yan Muyu realized the village kids were ridiculously outgoing, out-chatting even her.
She could barely get a word in.
Following the child around the village’s landmark tree, Yan Muyu nudged Qiu Chao. “Look down there.”
She pointed. “That’s our place.”
Noon was approaching, and the sun beat down harder. Qiu Chao popped open a parasol and held it over Yan Muyu.
But she had to stand on tiptoe, which looked awkward.
Yan Muyu took the umbrella. “Did you see it?”
She pointed again. “Right there—that pathetic little shack.”
The high altitude meant the breeze wasn’t scorching. Yan Muyu’s casual “our place” and the sudden umbrella handoff sent Qiu Chao’s heart racing.
Qiu Chao mumbled a vague “Mm,” but she hadn’t glanced at the house at all.
Her mind echoed with “our home,” overwhelmed by the faint mugwort scent clinging to Yan Muyu’s clothes—the stuff she’d burned with Liu Song the day before to fend off mosquitoes.
The kid ahead called back, “You coming or what?”
Yan Muyu tugged at Qiu Chao’s jacket hem—more of a light pinch, really. “Let’s go.”
The way she gripped the parasol handle made for a perfect close-up shot. The viewers flooded the chat lamenting that those hands belonged on a hand model.
Under the shade, Qiu Chao watched Yan Muyu.
She took in her ankles, the fringes on her jeans, the hand on the umbrella handle, the mildly annoyed glance as she lagged behind. What started as a shirt pinch evolved into an arm around the shoulders.
Qiu Chao’s lips curved in a smile.
Yan Muyu, you still can’t resist touching me, can you?
The cooperative store the kid mentioned sat nestled in a valley hollow—an old house converted into a single room shop.
Wooden window displaying drinks, snacks, scratch-off cards. A plastic basket overflowed with toys straight out of Qiu Chao’s childhood.
【Hits so nostalgic.】
【That golden magnet… World of Warcraft merch or what? Lmao】
【Feels ancient. Like the ’90s all over again.】
【Thought this bubble gum was discontinued! Still around, huh.】
【Loved this beef jerky as a kid. Knew it wasn’t real beef tho lol.】
Someone sat in front of the window, scribbling away. As the camera zoomed in, viewers saw she was practicing her strokes on a children’s copybook, her grip awkward and childish.
The kid called out, “Boss Wu!”
The woman jumped in fright and abruptly lifted her head.
【She looks… so cute.】
【Damn, her eyes are huge.】
【She seems pretty young… and her hair’s so black.】
【She even flinched, lol.】
The little kid nimbly stepped onto the stone in front of the window and said to the woman, “Your Ahuang stole someone else’s meat again! It was these two sisters’.”
Yan Muyu stepped forward. She glanced at the building—the window frames had a vintage feel, with a little awning extending outward. The snacks in the small basket were all sorts, none of which Yan Muyu recognized.
Qiu Chao, on the other hand, curiously picked up one package of candy and asked, “How much is this?”
The shopkeeper was quite delicate-looking, with a round face and an apparently young age.
But no matter how you looked at her, her gaze seemed vacant, wasting those beautiful, almond-shaped eyes.
Her reaction was a bit slow too. She let out an “Ah” before sluggishly turning to look at Yan Muyu.
The kid piped up again. “Boss Wu, you have to pay these sisters back. Oh, but isn’t Boss Hong out today?”
Yan Muyu and Qiu Chao exchanged a glance, both sensing that this shopkeeper wasn’t quite right.
【Is she… a bit slow?】
【I noticed it when she was writing earlier. She’s definitely an adult, but…】
Yan Muyu said, “No need to pay me back, I just…”
The next second, a woman’s voice cut in. “What’s going on?”
The village kid who’d been hopping around saw her and leaped down from the stone, shouting, “Boss Hong, you’re back?”
Yan Muyu didn’t quite get all the “boss” this and that. She muttered, “Is that just a regular way to address people around here?”
