Chapter 22

A wondrous, romantic journey had smeared over the original style of her photo album, changing it beyond recognition, like a brand new starting point.

Before, the photos were either routine documentation or casual shares from leisure time, their colors always pale and cold.

But now, the album was filled with vibrant colors and rich content, like a travel brochure.

Chu Ruoyou picked out a few pictures of trees, ones she had taken herself, and posted them on her own account.

The caption was just one word—”Green.”

Trees are always vibrant under the sun. Solid wood, light, graceful leaves. Looking at them brings joy.

Like Yun Huizhi.

This thought had been circling in her mind for a long time.

Thinking this, she subconsciously clicked into her previous private messages with Yun Huizhi.

Their conversation had stopped the day they met. After adding each other on WeChat, they hadn’t chatted via private messages again.

She scrolled up to the very beginning. That photo of hers wasn’t good at all. She had been too tired to think or adjust anything then, yet wanted to seize the opportunity to be willful, so she had boldly sent it.

A cold, tired face, messy lighting, faint, delicate freckles on her face. Just a plain, bare face.

It seemed Yun Huizhi had taken a liking to it at first sight.

Post, reminisce, zone out. After completing this cycle, Chu Ruoyou finally returned to the WeChat interface and opened that chat window.

[Ren Yuhan: I like the scenery there too. Too bad I don’t have vacation time. Ruoyou, if it’s convenient, send me a few more photos.]

—

They had started talking again because of the Moments post Chu Ruoyou made yesterday. Ren Yuhan was the first to like it and then commented that the scenery was beautiful, and Ruoyou even more so.

Then Ren Yuhan messaged her, asking about everything from the scenery to whether she was adjusting to the food, from whether there were local specialties to how her mood had been lately.

Finally, she asked Chu Ruoyou: [The photos are really well taken. Who took them for you?]

When she saw this line, Chu Ruoyou had already finished eating and returned to the inn with Yun Huizhi.

She had just come out from freshening up, picked up her charging phone, and felt her heart tighten at the question. She pursed her lips.

She couldn’t help but glance at Yun Huizhi. Yun Huizhi was also looking at her, her expression dim, a surge of obscure emotion swirling in her eyes.

Before their eyes could meet, Yun Huizhi grabbed her clothes and went to take a shower.

Chu Ruoyou kept not replying, taking out a book to flip through.

When Yun Huizhi finished her shower and came out, she sat silently at the computer desk and started gaming. Only then did Chu Ruoyou realize she was truly in a bad mood.

She was very used to Yun Huizhi constantly surrounding her, chattering away. She needed that noisy presence.

It pulled her out of pointless internal friction, throwing her into a boundless, clear blue sky, allowing her to easily possess the capacity for laughter and running.

Chu Ruoyou looked at the two candies on the nightstand, unwrapped one, and put it in her mouth.

Sweet but not cloying, it was delicious.

Only then did she reply to Ren Yuhan: [A new friend I met at the homestay inn.]

[Ren Yuhan: Boy or girl? Making friends is good, but remember to protect yourself.]

[Thanks for your concern, I will.]

Chu Ruoyou completely ignored the first half of her question. She wasn’t in the mood to report to Ren Yuhan, nor did she have the obligation.

In the past, Ren Yuhan’s meticulous, all-encompassing care had caused her to misunderstand too much. Even after discovering it was a misunderstanding, she still stubbornly invested her feelings.

She didn’t regret it, but now she wanted to move forward, to leave behind the mirage that gave people hope only to trap them and let them die of thirst.

People grow. She was no longer the confused, lovesick teenager in her teens, nor the fool in her early twenties who secretly burned with passion and took pride in it.

These past two years, she had become increasingly calm, increasingly numb, gradually awakening.

She didn’t want to completely lose Ren Yuhan as a friend, nor did she have a reason to tear off all pretense and cut ties. But it was even more impossible to interact as before. So she just left it cold, letting things take their natural course.

Ren Yuhan had noticed her low mood earlier and asked about it. She explained that the last semester’s work had been long, from early February to early July, and the pressure was high.

So she said she needed a vacation. So she said she didn’t want to be contacted, wanted to completely relax.

She just didn’t want to deal with Ren Yuhan. How could someone so smart not sense it? But playing dumb was Ren Yuhan’s specialty.

Fine, then they’d both play dumb.

Last night’s indulgence lasted until the early hours. In the morning, after she and Yun Huizhi washed up and went downstairs for a simple bite, they went back to bed.

Yun Huizhi lay there in a peaceful pose, tearfully complaining she was exhausted, hadn’t slept well, was dizzy, couldn’t lift her arms, and her legs still ached from mountain climbing.

Chu Ruoyou assessed: “You deserve it.”

“Such a venomous tongue.”

Yun Huizhi leaned in towards her. “Open your mouth, let me inspect it. Let me see why something so beautiful can speak so fiercely.”

Chu Ruoyou’s chin was pinched by her. She opened her mouth and bit her hand. People born in the Year of the Dog were never sparing with their teeth.

Yun Huizhi wailed and howled, feigning grievance, demanding kisses as compensation.

She thought, last night’s Yun Huizhi wasn’t like this. Where was this sweet, cute docility? Back then, she had bared her fangs, practically wanting to finish her off in bed.

Yun Huizhi laughed playfully and came to kiss her. She didn’t close her eyes as usual. She realized Yun Huizhi was even more beautiful than when they first met.

No matter what weird faces Yun Huizhi made or what strange things she said, she was never annoying.

When she laughed, she was like a summer night’s breeze, making people feel refreshed and joyful. When quiet, like a small flower under a tree shade, washed by rain—pure and clean.

Chu Ruoyou’s mind-wandering was caught. Yun Huizhi raised one corner of her lip, asking with full confidence: “Dazzled by my beauty, aren’t you?”

The filter shattered. The little white flower was kicked into the dirt.

Chu Ruoyou frowned painfully.

“No need to be shy, it’s perfectly normal. No one will mock you for being a fan of the School Belle’s looks.”

Chu Ruoyou bit her again. Only then did her nauseated ear feel a bit better.

During the moment Yun Huizhi went to the bathroom, Chu Ruoyou saw the message Ren Yuhan had sent.

She scrolled through her album. So many photos, yet somehow, she just didn’t feel like sending any.

Why should she just because she asked?

—

She deliberately put her phone far away to charge, moved closer to Yun Huizhi, and smelled the quiet, contained scent of milk on her. “Guide Yun, what’s the plan for today?”

Yun Huizhi glanced at her. “Can you even walk?”

“I can’t walk. You can carry me downstairs, then take me out to play on the bike.”

“Heavens, lady, even landlords in the old society didn’t enjoy life as much as you plan to.”

Chu Ruoyou sneered.

Yun Huizhi quickly submitted. “I’ll cook lunch, then we’ll go out in the evening. Where do you want to go?”

“The bar. The one you mentioned before.”

“You want to drink?” Yun Huizhi frowned.

“Might as well drink until we’re thoroughly drunk.”

She thought Yun Huizhi would applaud and welcome the idea, take her out to let loose. Instead, Yun Huizhi’s frown deepened, clearly displeased.

“For him?”

Chu Ruoyou remained composed. “And if it is?”

“How spineless. Fine, you have a bunch of mental drama over replying to a single message, and now you’re still chatting even when it makes you unhappy. And now you want to drown your sorrows for him? If drinking isn’t for fun, there’s no need to do it. It’s a waste of a venue and hurts your body.”

She couldn’t stand watching it anymore and pointed it out directly.

This blunt, scathing assessment came too abruptly. Both the speaker and the listener were caught off guard.

Chu Ruoyou was displeased by the lecture, yet felt this overstepping concern was a hot potato.

She suddenly understood. Yun Huizhi’s unhappiness yesterday was for her, because she was fretting over someone else.

An unprovoked panic prompted her to bluff, her face turning cold as she said:

“What’s wrong with you? Who I chat with is none of your business. You think you know everything? It’s not your place to lecture me.”

Her words were heavy, like scalding boulders rolling down a mountain peak, abruptly jolting Yun Huizhi awake and snatching back all the sweetness of that candy.

Yun Huizhi quieted down, meeting her eyes, and nodded politely.

“None of my business. I don’t understand. I was meddling in things that weren’t my concern.”

“I’m sorry. Don’t worry, you are my client. If you want to go anywhere, of course I’ll accompany you.”