Chapter 8

The campsite was over an hour’s drive from downtown North City. Rather than hoping to run into Yu Wan here, it was better to wish for finding some money on the road.

But the fact was, the coincidence really happened.

Too shocked, Fang Nianchen stood stunned for a full half minute.

“Where are you going?” Tao Zhixing saw Fang Nianchen hurrying forward and thought something had happened. “What’s wrong?”

Her arm was grabbed, and Fang Nianchen snapped back to her senses, her steps halting as well.

“Nothing…”

Because she was thinking about Yu Wan, her gaze didn’t linger on Tao Zhixing for long. She just glanced at her before looking toward where Yu Wan was.

Compared to her flustered state, Yu Wan was as calm as ever. She raised a hand to brush back her wind-tousled hair, then turned her gaze elsewhere, as if she hadn’t seen her at all.

The brief eye contact calmed Fang Nianchen down.

What was she… planning to do just now?

After seeing Yu Wan, her mind had gone completely blank. She hadn’t even thought about what to say when she got in front of her, but her body had moved on its own.

In the past, every time she saw Yu Wan, her heart would leap and urge her closer.

It was normal to react this way to someone you liked.

But now, she shouldn’t have this reaction anymore, because she no longer liked Yu Wan.

“Who are you looking at?” Fang Nianchen’s dazed look didn’t seem like nothing was wrong. Tao Zhixing followed her gaze, but there were too many people, and she couldn’t tell who she was looking at.

“My boss.” Fang Nianchen said generously. “She’s here too.”

With just that relationship, there was no need to hide it.

“The one who looks just like Quan Cige?” Tao Zhixing had a decent memory and matched the face right away. “Do you want to go say hi?”

“No need… She probably didn’t see me.”

While she was speaking, Yu Wan had already turned, lifted the tent flap, and ducked inside.

If Yu Wan hadn’t seen her, she had no intention of going up to chat. She had nothing to talk about with Yu Wan, and taking the initiative would only bring awkwardness.

“Alright then.” Tao Zhixing let go of her arm. “It’s still early before lunch. Want to wander around? Xiao Yan and I are planning to head to the Ferris wheel. What about you?”

Qiao Yan and Tao Zhixing both liked crowds. Though they usually clashed, they surprisingly got along on things like this.

The Ferris wheel she mentioned was right in the center of the campsite, which seemed to be a small entertainment area. There were all sorts of stalls at its base—food, games, everything.

But Fang Nianchen didn’t like crowded places. After thinking it over, she said, “I’ll go check out the river.”

Tao Zhixing had no objections and agreed to meet back at the tent entrance in half an hour.

The campsite was built on a mountain that had only been zoned for commercial use last year, so the natural landscape was relatively intact.

The whole mountain was split in two by a water source flowing from the peak, dividing the campsite into two parts separated by a small river.

When she reached the riverbank, she found almost no one around. Fang Nianchen let out a sigh of relief and squatted down.

The past week hadn’t been peaceful. Many things had happened suddenly, like reuniting with Yu Wan, which had caught her off guard. Before she could react, the cat at home had fallen ill.

She’d faced worse before, but never felt this restless.

Footsteps approached from beside her. Someone came over and stopped next to her, standing silently.

At first, Fang Nianchen didn’t pay it much mind, but the owner of those shoes lingered a bit too long, making her feel faintly uneasy.

She turned her head and her eyes trembled.

Even away from the company, Yu Wan was still dressed in black tones. It had always been that way—her outfits always cycled through monotonous black, white, and gray.

Fang Nianchen felt a bit at a loss. In terms of coincidence, the campsite was so big; there was a fifty percent chance she wouldn’t run into Yu Wan.

But she was unlucky and always hit that remaining fifty percent.

One squatting, one standing, Yu Wan looked down at her with the gaze one might use for a child, which made Fang Nianchen feel a little embarrassed.

She pushed against her knees to stand, but her legs were numb from squatting so long. Her right leg gave out, and she stumbled toward the water.

“Careful…” Yu Wan reached out to grab her.

Fang Nianchen didn’t realize a second could stretch so long.

When she saw Yu Wan’s hand extending, her first thought wasn’t to grab it to avoid falling.

On the contrary, as if afraid of being touched by her, Fang Nianchen twisted her body, dodging the hand about to touch her, and plunged straight into the water.

Water splashed up, and Yu Wan froze for a moment. After a long pause, the hand she’d extended dropped to her side, her lips pressing tight.

Fortunately, the water was shallow, only coming up to her waist, and the bottom was soft river sand. It didn’t hurt much.

Fang Nianchen sat in the water, her pants and upper clothes soaked through. She sighed in frustration and struggled to climb out onto the bank.

Running into her and then this happening right away—she felt utterly wretched and wanted to crawl into a hole.

“Are you hurt?” Yu Wan asked with concern.

“I’m fine.” Water had splashed onto Fang Nianchen’s face, and she wiped it off with her hand.

“Sorry, I scared you.” In Yu Wan’s eyes, from the moment Fang Nianchen saw her to falling in, it had all happened in one fluid motion, like she’d been overly startled.

“No, no, my leg just went numb. It has nothing to do with you.” Fang Nianchen hurriedly explained.

Yu Wan’s appearance had surprised her a bit, but it was far from “scared.”

Strictly speaking, she and Yu Wan weren’t enemies. She didn’t want Yu Wan apologizing for something unfounded.

They fell silent for a moment, and Fang Nianchen began wringing out the water from her clothes.

Wet clothes were miserably uncomfortable against her skin. She was only camping for a day and hadn’t expected this, so she had no change of clothes.

She could only hope the summer heat was strong enough for her clothes to dry quickly.

Yu Wan watched her awkwardly wringing the hem of her short-sleeved shirt, tugging it long to avoid exposing her stomach.

After thinking it over, she spoke up. “I brought a clean set of clothes. Why don’t you change into them first?”

“No need.” Fang Nianchen refused quickly, as if she’d rehearsed it a hundred times in her head.

Then, feeling her refusal had been too abrupt, she explained, “It’s so hot; it’ll dry soon.”

“Okay.”

Yu Wan just watched Fang Nianchen wring out her clothes. It took a full minute, from her top to her pant legs. She really seemed to hate wet clothes, though who knew how long her “soon” would take.

“Really no need?”

“Hm?” Hearing the question, Fang Nianchen hummed from her nose.

“The temperature in the mountains isn’t that high, and it’s a bit humid too. Your clothes won’t dry anytime soon. The best option now is to wear mine… the clothes I brought.”

Yu Wan was earnestly suggesting, and Fang Nianchen sneaked a glance at her. Was she being a bit too nice to her?

But on second thought, if Yu Wan had fallen in today and she happened to have spare clothes, she’d do the same.

What was she even hoping for?

“Alright then, thanks.” Fang Nianchen smiled as she said it.

Yu Wan went to the tent to get the clothes. “These are all new. Go ahead and change. I’ll wait outside.”

“Oh, okay…” Fang Nianchen looked at the clothes in her hands, feeling like something was off.

Yu Wan’s clothes carried a faint daisy scent, she wasn’t sure if it was from perfume or something else.

A black short-sleeved shirt and dark gray shorts—Fang Nianchen didn’t usually wear such color combos; they felt drab. But given the situation, she had no room to be picky.

She shook out the clothes, and two black lumps of fabric fell onto the chair.

Fang Nianchen bent down to pick them up and froze.

Black underwear!?

No wonder Yu Wan had emphasized they were “new.” It wasn’t just clothes; she’d even prepared underwear.

Fang Nianchen dawdled inside for ages, so long it was like she was sewing the clothes. Yu Wan asked from outside, “All done?”

“Almost!” Probably feeling she’d taken too long, Fang Nianchen tied the drawstring on the shorts tight and bolted out.

Seeing her come out, Yu Wan asked, “All changed?”

“Mm…” Fang Nianchen mumbled in reply.

“You don’t have to worry. Because I travel a lot for work, I buy extra underwear and keep them as spares. They’re all new…”

“Senior!” Fang Nianchen clutched her wet changed clothes, burying her head lower. “Um… My friends are calling me back for lunch. I gotta go!”

“Okay.” Yu Wan paused, a smile floating onto her face. “Go on then.”

“Bye!” With Yu Wan’s nod, Fang Nianchen slipped away fast—practically sprinting.

Only when she felt Yu Wan couldn’t see her anymore did Fang Nianchen stop, panting heavily a couple times.

She touched her face, then her neck—both a bit hot.

“Huh? Why’d you change clothes?” Qiao Yan came back from wandering, brushing past Fang Nianchen, then doubled back, feeling it looked familiar. “Almost didn’t recognize you.”

“Lost my footing and fell in the river.”

“You’re not a kid anymore; how do you fall in the water? It’s not like you’re Tao Zhixing.” Qiao Yan could hardly believe it and scrutinized her face.

Suddenly, she asked with concern, “Why’s your face so red? Sunburn?”

Fang Nianchen didn’t dare look up at her and muttered, “Maybe…”