Early morning the second day, the two left the hotel and headed towards the nearest mountain during sunrise.

Since Xie Shuo’s eyes limited his movements, Ye An slowed down to guide him step by step. Xiao Yu followed behind them carrying a bag and occasionally supported him as well to be careful.

As the morning sun rose, illuminating the vast forest. A thin layer of mist permeated throughout the mountain paths and moistened their temples. The light flickered through the branches, creating fluttering shadows on the ground. 

The mountain wasn’t tall, and the paths were fairly easy to walk, but since Ye An hadn’t exercised for a long time and couldn’t keep walking after an hour. She leaned against a boulder on the side of the path to catch her breath. On the other hand, Xie Shuo, the sick patient, looked all right except for a thin sheen of sweat on his forehead.

Ye An looked at him and regretted her choices. Why didn’t she choose a relaxing place for their honeymoon and instead picked a mountain to hike?

The only redeeming factor was that the views of the scenery were beautiful. The sunlight shone on the leaves and branches, and few people were passing by. The sounds of birds chirping could be faintly heard.

Ye An looked around before looking back towards Xie Shuo. Whether it be climbing a mountain or entering a lively crowd, this Eldest Young Master would probably refuse to come outside again.

After resting for a while, the two resumed their hike.

The sun’s position in the sky rose higher and higher, and the mist gradually dissipated. When they reached the pavilion halfway up the mountain, it was almost ten o’clock.

In consideration of Xie Shuo’s circumstances, Ye An didn’t continue hiking up the mountain. Instead, she helped him sit down at a table on the pavilion before sitting down on the other side.

Xiao Yu handed them some water. Ye An was refreshed after taking a few sips, and she turned to ask Xie Shuo, “Do you want some water?”

Before he could answer, she picked up another water bottle and stuffed it into his hands.

Although Xie Shuo wasn’t in as bad of a condition as Ye An was, he was still sweating. Ye An wiped the sweat off herself before turning to do the same for him. She asked softly, “Are your eyes okay?”

Xie Shuo shook his head.

Looking at the scene in front of him, Xiao Yu felt as if his face was being stuffed with dog food. He quietly left to wait outside of the pavilion.

Ye An was too busy worrying to notice his expense. Xie Shuo had barely spoken two phrases the entire way here, and his face remained cold as if he were only here out of duty. 

After wiping his sweat, Ye An leaned against the handrails to look over the pavilion and suddenly noticed Zhuang Yinian and Yan Fei again.

They seemed to have reached the top of the mountain and returned. Zhuang Yinian was holding a camera in her hands and was focusing on a shot. Because she was too focused to notice the people walking by, Yan Fei reached out and took her into his arms.

Ye An: “…”

How bittersweet.

There was no misery without comparison. Other couples’ honeymoons were sweet as honey, and they would stick to each other like glue. However, there was no sweetness in Ye An’s relationship no matter how hard she tried.

Ye An turned to look like the statue-like man without saying a word, her gaze slightly resentful.

Can’t you be a little more aware during our honeymoon!

As if feeling the strong resentment emanating from her, Xie Shuo finally looked at her, but he still looked cold.

Ye An’s heart stiffened, but she didn’t bother to talk to him.

She leaned over the handrail to look at Zhuang Yinian, who was taking another picture.

She hugged Xie Shuo’s arm. “Can we go take a picture?”

Before Xie Shuo could respond, he was dragged up and out of the pavilion.

Ye An dragged him to Zhuang Yinian, smiled, and greeted them, “Hey, stranger! Can you take a picture of me and my husband?”

Zhuang Yinian smiled and said, “Of course, I can.”

Yan Fei, who stood on the side, glanced at Xie Shuo with a complicated gaze and an indescribable expression.

Ye An guided Xie Shuo to a spot not too far away, and they stood side-by-side under a tree.

The sunlight poured through the tree tops and fell on their bodies, giving them a faint glow.

While Zhuang Yinian adjusted the focus on the camera, Ye An reached over to grasp Xie Shuo’s arm and lean into him as she smiled.

Unlike her, Xie Shuo maintained his cool appearance and remained expressionless.

After the picture was taken, Zhuang Yinian told her that the picture would be sent to her by that evening. She and Yan Fei continued to head down the mountain, but before walking far, Yan Fei kneeled down to carry her on his back.

Ye An took another critical hit and looked at Xie Shuo, who stood there quietly. His posture was tall and straight, his features were indifferent. The sunlight fell on his shoulders and softened his appearance.

When the wind gently blew, Ye An was entranced by him, and ripples spread in her heart.

She took out her phone and secretly opened the camera. She looked up, leaned towards his cheek, and posed as if she was about to kiss him.

Xie Shuo was originally waiting for her to guide him to some other place, but after waiting for a while and feeling no movement, he couldn’t help but feel a little strange.

He frowned and was about to ask her why they still hadn’t left when an image suddenly flashed before his eyes.

He was stunned and thought that it was his own hallucination.

A few seconds later, light flashed through his sight again.

His usually cold face wavered with emotion, and his fingers curled. He looked around and tried to detect Ye An’s location.

However, just as his head turned, his cheeks brushed against her lips. 

Ye An: “…”

Ye An originally wanted to secretly take a picture for the memory, but she didn’t expect that he would suddenly turn around and for the pose in the picture to suddenly become a reality.

The scene suddenly became ambiguous.

Xie Shuo looked at her with his expression clearly saying: What are you trying to do?

Ye An felt somewhat guilty. Since the day that they discussed things through and agreed to an eventual divorce, she had not deliberately teased him. This was completely accidental.

“Why did you suddenly just turn your head?” Ye An preemptively questioned him and moved a strand of hair. “You have a leaf on your forehead; I’ll help you get it.”

Xie Shuo’s focus wasn’t on her this time, and he didn’t consider whether there was any truth in her words. His eyes widened as he tried to take a look, but… he wasn’t able to see anything, as if the flashes of light from before were just figments of his imagination.

Noticing that he hadn’t replied and that his brows were knitted, Ye An couldn’t help but think: It was just a kiss on the cheek; was he really going to be angry?

She took his arm and guided him back towards the path. “Let’s rest for a bit more before going back down.”

Xie Shuo tried to look at his surroundings, but there was still endless darkness. He loosened his hold on her and lowered his gaze. A tree’s shadow blocked the light from shining on his face.

The two went back and sat at the pavilion. After eating something to replenish their strength, they began their trek back down the mountain. 

On their way down the mountain, Ye An muttered to herself, “Can’t we just be able to talk and laugh? We’re here for our honeymoon, and there’s no romance at all.”

Xie Shuo didn’t respond and continued to stroll unhurriedly, as if he was thinking about something.

Ye An glanced at his cold face and said deliberately in an envious tone, “I just saw that when Zhuang Yinian didn’t want to walk anymore, her husband carried her down the mountain without saying a word. He treats her so well…”

Xie Shuo finally had some sort of reaction. He turned to face her with an indifferent expression. “Do you want me to carry you?”

Ye An: “…”

Now that’s not very realistic.

Ye An swallowed her words and focused on walking. When she looked back up at his gloomy eyes, her heart softened. She smiled and changed the topic. “When we get back, let’s eat and then go to the hot springs. I planned our schedule for tomorrow too…”

Her voice was cheerful and filled with anticipation. As Xie Shuo listened, the coldness on his face gradually faded. 

The mottled sunlight flickered on the mountain paths.

    —–

After reaching the base of the mountain, the two of them found a place to eat. Ye An then impatiently took Xie Shuo to the nearby hot spring villa.

She had once thought to fool him into going to the hot springs with her but never successfully did so. Now, today would finally count as her achieving this goal.

The hot spring was outside, and there were several laurel trees planted by the pool. The seasonal flowers were blooming, releasing a fragrance that could be smelled from far away.

Ye An changed into a swimsuit and put on a bathrobe. Xie Shuo also came out of the changing room at the same time.

Ye An guided him to the hot spring pool and didn’t find anything strange, but when Xie Shuo pulled on the waistband of the bathrobe and took it off, she stood there in a daze.

There was only a pair of swimming trunks left on the man’s body, with nothing obstructing the rest of the view. He had wide shoulders paired with a narrow waist, long legs, and ideal body proportions.

Ye An’s face was red, and her ears were hot. After coming out of her daze, she took off her own robe and helped him enter the water.

Without cloth separating their contact, her fair fingers climbed up his arm and could clearly feel his lean muscles. Her fingers seemed to have been burned by fire, and the heat spread to her cheeks.

The water in the pool rippled as she guided him to sit along the edge. She couldn’t resist sneaking another peek at him.

He seemed to be a lot thinner than before.

After hiking all morning, Ye An was exhausted and soaked quietly in the water. She had no energy to swim, so she just leaned against the pool edge like a weed.

She raised her head to display a delicate and slender chin and an elegant neck. Her slender legs were so fair that they glowed in the water.

The water rippled steadily across her chest.

She didn’t speak, so the whole hot spring pool remained quiet. Xie Shuo, who leaned on the side, couldn’t hear her voice and felt somewhat strange. 

The sweet scent of the osmanthus flowers wafted over, and Ye An became a bit drowsy while soaking in the warm water. Her eyelashes drooped for a while before she got up to change her position.

She laid down on her stomach at the edge of the pool, which showed off her fair and delicate shoulder blades. 

When Xie Shuo heard her movement, he turned to face that direction.

“If you want a drink, just let me know.” Ye An rested her head on her arms, and her fingers pinched and spun a fallen flower.

As Xie Shuo faced her, a vague image suddenly appeared in front of him. He was unable to see a specific outline as if the scene was painted by a random inkblot on paper.

He paused to be sure that it wasn’t a hallucination before reaching out to touch it.

Ye An, who was drowsily laying down at the edge of the pool, felt a hand suddenly touching her back. She subconsciously shrank back, and goosebumps appeared on her skin.

She turned her head and stared blankly at the man who put his hand on her back. She asked, dazed, “What… are you doing?”

His hands were warm and soft. Xie Shuo froze for a few moments before withdrawing his hand without any expression on his face.

Ye An: ???

This was the third time, right? Are you addicted to the touch?

Xie Shuo stared at her as the image in front of him slowly disappeared and faded back into the boundless darkness.

After experiencing this situation twice now, Xie Shuo had already begun to get used to it. He turned back around without any fluctuations in his emotions.

Ye An was bored at first, but after seeing him like this, she couldn’t help but want to tease him. Leaning against the pool wall, she pointed her foot, kicked his calf, and then softly rubbed the area after doing so.

Xie Shuo turned back to face her.

Ye An smiled triumphantly and openly since he wasn’t able to see it. However, before she could relish in her small victory, her legs suddenly softened, and she fell forwards.

Her legs kneeled. She instinctively reached her arms out to hug him, but her face planted into his waist and made intimate contact.

Ye An: “…”

It was an embarrassing and shameful position.

Ye An froze on the spot. Her face flushed, and her earlobes burned.

The steam in the pool felt suffocating.

She forgot to react and stayed in that rigid posture for a while until the man’s deep voice sounded, “Are you not getting up?”

Ye An’s heart trembled, and she quickly recovered. Since she had been in the water for too long and she had accidentally hit her knees just now, her legs went soft again as she hastily grabbed his arm to get up.

As a result, she once again threw herself into his arms and fell into his embrace.

Ye An: “…”

There wasn’t something in the pool water, right?

~

Author’s note: Xiao Xie: Woman, you’re deliberately provoking me~

Xiao Ye: …

Thanks for everyone’s support; I’ll continue to work hard!

Previous|Index|Next