Chu Ruoyou tied the small gift Yun Huizhi had given her onto the bag she used every day. Yun Huizhi said the little dog was embroidered to look very mighty and could scare off bad people.
That lucky bead, the most pleasing-looking one among its friends, seemed to be diligently and obediently shielding her.
They woke early, applied thorough sun protection, and after eating, Yun Huizhi drove Chu Ruoyou to the main entrance of the scenic area.
“Is the electric cart yours?”
“Nope, stole this one too.”
“Are you a master thief?”
“Scared? Heh, if I get caught, you’re my accomplice. Can’t run away.”
Two days of being together had made Yun Huizhi much more open. Her mouth didn’t rest the entire way; she chatted with Chu Ruoyou about whatever she saw.
From Little Zhang at the front desk, whose face looked even more worrisome today because a blister had popped up by his mouth, to how the red date porridge at the breakfast stall this morning was sickeningly sweet, to the two gay men she’d spotted on the road earlier…
“How could you tell?”
Chu Ruoyou wasn’t very interested in others, but still responded.
“Intuition. Knew it at a single glance.”
“Then your eyes are truly impressive.”
“Of course, I’m not nearsighted at all. My vision’s good enough to fly a plane!”
As she spoke, Yun Huizhi mimicked the sound of a plane taking off.
Chu Ruoyou thought coldly that she’d be suited to be a preschool teacher; kids would love playing with her.
They arrived at their destination mid-conversation. After parking, the two began to queue.
Summer was peak season. Though the town was small, tourists were plentiful. The end of the line was out of sight.
Though it was still early, the summer sun was unforgiving. It emerged brightly from the clouds, intensely scorching.
“Are you hot?” Yun Huizhi handed her water.
Before being passed over, the cap was already twisted open, so Chu Ruoyou didn’t have to struggle to open and drink it.
“I’m okay. I’m not afraid of heat, just afraid of getting tanned.”
“What are you afraid of? You’re already very, very fair. Even if you got a little darker, you’d still be paler than most.”
They were both wearing bucket hats. When they talked close together, the brims met, creating a small patch of shade.
Chu Ruoyou’s skin was so fair and thin that every time, with the slightest lack of control, Yun Huizhi would leave evidence of her crime on her body.
This was quite troublesome, but Chu Ruoyou didn’t hold it against her. Whether the pressure hurt, or the marks left were unsightly, she never mentioned it.
She gave whatever was asked, met every demand.
She quite liked it.
After scanning their ID cards to enter the scenic area, they boarded a shuttle bus in order. The air conditioning was on inside. Yun Huizhi and Chu Ruoyou sat near the front.
The bus drove into the deep mountains along a winding mountain road. The tourists couldn’t help but feel apprehensive, but the driver was completely at ease, navigating the familiar route.
At every bend, the tourists couldn’t help but exclaim in wonder: dense forests, vines, waterfalls, plunging torrents, deep abysses.
True scenery was always found in sparsely populated places.
“When I came over on the high-speed rail before, I saw so many mountains along the way. I felt they weren’t tall or majestic, just quite ordinary. It was only after entering the town that I realized mountains need to be seen up close to appreciate their beauty.”
Looking at mountains from afar, you only see their general shape and color. How could you know how much they hide inside?
Chu Ruoyou said, “The opposite of people.”
“How so?”
“People only look good from a distance.” As Chu Ruoyou spoke, her upper body leaned back slightly.
Yun Huizhi smiled and pressed closer. “You mean people become annoying when they get too close?”
“Isn’t that so? Most people can’t withstand close scrutiny. They’re outwardly splendid but worthless inside.”
“Makes sense. But why did we suddenly start talking about such pessimistic things?”
Yun Huizhi rested her chin on her hand, pondering. “Is it that I’ve made you find me annoying up close?”
“No. At our current distance, everything about you seems just right.”
Chu Ruoyou said seriously, “You’re not annoying.”
A little cute, even. Very good at making people like her.
Having gotten a satisfying answer, Yun Huizhi happily raised her brow. “No wonder I see you as perfect. Turns out distance creates beauty.”
This distance referred to the unspoken, infinite physical closeness they shared, and the mutual indifference toward each other’s spirit and soul.
Chu Ruoyou didn’t buy it. Forcefully, she said, “No one is perfect. Tell me two of my flaws.”
“Is that okay to say?” Innocent face.
“Say it. I won’t get angry.”
The air conditioning made Yun Huizhi feel comfortable all over. She wanted to speak, but didn’t quite dare. Trusting a woman’s “I won’t get angry” was equivalent to having a negative IQ.
“You first.”
Chu Ruoyou didn’t hold back and directly said, “Chatterbox. Doesn’t like drinking water.”
Yun Huizhi quickly twisted open her bottle cap and took a sip. “Not drinking water counts as a flaw?”
“Then change it: likes disturbing people’s peaceful sleep in the middle of the night.”
Yun Huizhi couldn’t refute that. They’d slept together for three nights, and two of them had involved some… indescribable activities.
“My turn.”
Yun Huizhi also complained, “Your stamina is poor, and you like to bite.”
Chu Ruoyou shot her a glare, seemingly disdainful of her vulgarity. Lowering her voice, she provocatively whispered in her ear, “No flaws to talk about outside of bed, then?”
“Sometimes you feel very stern, and sometimes you bully people.”
Yun Huizhi was a deep victim of this. Like right now, she was even nitpicking about what flaws to list!
Chu Ruoyou chuckled softly and turned her gaze to the window.
The sunlight was dazzling. They should have pulled the shade curtain, but most tourists were first-timers, finding everything novel, so they were all pressed against the windows looking out.
They turned another corner. Yun Huizhi gasped along with the others, patting Chu Ruoyou’s leg to make her look out the window. “See that? There’s a waterfall!”
Chu Ruoyou, poked and prodded by her, lost all her temper. She just said, “Mhm,” and added, “Very magnificent.”
She thought to herself, how many times has Yun Huizhi seen this? Does she get this excited every time?
Later on, feeling a bit carsick, she closed her eyes to rest. Yun Huizhi quietly let her gaze fall upon her face.
Below the outer corner of her eye, about three or four finger-widths down.
This was the spot she had kissed on her own face yesterday.
Yun Huizhi had been caught off guard then. When she presented the gift, seeing Chu Ruoyou not looking particularly surprised, she knew in her heart that such a cheap little trinket couldn’t possibly catch Chu Ruoyou’s eye.
Her “thank you” was just out of politeness.
But who knew that following the “thank you” was a gentle kiss, devoid of desire.
Her face flushed instantly. She didn’t know what to do, just said woodenly, “You’re welcome…”
“You also treated me to dinner and coffee.”
What happened after that? Chu Ruoyou suddenly remembered she hadn’t transferred the money yet.
Then they returned to their roles as client and contractor.
Now, on this bus traversing the mountains, Yun Huizhi really wanted to return the kiss on the very same spot.
This morning they’d been in a rush, so there was no kissing.
But Yun Huizhi was too shy to disturb her rest, and even more embarrassed to be all lovey-dovey in public, so she abandoned the thought of kissing her.
Carefully, she took out her phone, opened the camera, aimed it at Chu Ruoyou’s sleeping face, found a good angle, focused, and pressed the shutter.
Click.
“…”
Yun Huizhi frantically covered her phone, meeting Chu Ruoyou’s coldly opened eyes. So embarrassed she wanted to jump out of the bus.
Amazingly, she could still confidently explain, “Sorry, I forgot to put it on silent.”
“So besides stealing cars, you also take secret photos.”
After her criticism, Chu Ruoyou asked her seriously, “Am I more photogenic with my eyes closed?”
“Actually, they’re prettier open.”
“Then why didn’t you invite me for a selfie?”
Yun Huizhi was secretly delighted but feigned demureness. “Is that allowed?”
“Why wouldn’t it be?”
Chu Ruoyou glanced at her phone and said softly, “But no more secret photos. Now I suspect… do you have bed photos of me in your album?”
Yun Huizhi’s eyes instantly widened. Wronged and shocked, she opened her album for inspection. “What kind of person do you take me for?!”
