"Oh, alright."
An Yao opened the map on her phone and glanced at it. Based on the direction the car was heading, she could roughly tell where he was going.
About a dozen kilometers from the Yan family's old estate, Yan Muzhou had a resort he'd invested in. The environment was quite nice—nestled between mountains and water. Besides the usual dining and leisure services, it also offered extreme sports like skydiving and bungee jumping.
An Yao had come here once with him during her sophomore year of high school. The resort had just opened that year, and a few of his friends were there too.
Yan Muzhou and the others had gone skydiving back then. She hadn't dared to try it, and besides, she hadn't met the age requirement for the activity at the time, so she'd just had a meal.
A moment later, she heard Yan Muzhou call the resort manager, saying he'd be coming over shortly.
Manager Zhao asked over the phone, "Is Mr. Yan coming today? I'm afraid we won't have time to arrange things properly for you. But it's the off-season now—not many people even on New Year's Day. Should I clear the place out for you in advance?"
Yan Muzhou hummed in acknowledgment.
Manager Zhao said he'd get everything ready immediately.
When they arrived at the resort entrance, Manager Zhao and several staff members came out in person to receive them.
As they walked in, Manager Zhao took the opportunity to report on the resort's recent operations to Yan Muzhou: "The scenery isn't much to speak of in winter, and with the cold weather, we get relatively few guests every year."
"But we've been discussing a partnership with a nearby hot spring hotel recently—putting together some customized hot spring resort packages for the winter season. That might help pick up the foot traffic."
Since investing in this resort project, Yan Muzhou hadn't really gotten involved in the day-to-day operations. The manager he'd hired had come from the same line of work and was very experienced.
"You handle it as you see fit. Just send me a copy of the proposal once it's ready—no work talk this time."
Manager Zhao led them into the indoor VIP reception area and added, "I've just instructed the chef to prepare lunch according to your usual tastes. It may take a little while. Would Mr. Yan like to step out and take a look around? The bungee jumping and skydiving facilities are inspected and maintained daily, and the instructors and staff are all on site."
Yan Muzhou glanced sideways at An Yao. "This time… want to give it a try?"
An Yao knew he was definitely going to play—otherwise, if it were just a meal, he wouldn't have had the place cleared out in advance.
She'd never quite understood why Yan Muzhou liked these extreme sports. They didn't really match his habits or temperament.
During the National Day holiday one year in high school, when he wasn't so busy, he'd taken An Yao to another province to try surfing. He'd taught her the techniques and safety precautions very professionally.
In her imagination, Yan Muzhou's hobbies should have been more suited to an old man—things like playing chess, drinking tea, practicing calligraphy, cricket fighting, or keeping birds.
But that wasn't the case at all. Take chess, for example—he knew how to play, but he wasn't particularly passionate about it. In any case, it wasn't like bungee jumping or skydiving, where he'd come on his own initiative even without an invitation.
"Since we're here anyway."
An Yao decided: "I'll give it a try."
So, accompanied by Manager Zhao, their group headed to the bungee jumping site first.
The resort was built halfway up the mountain, giving it a geographical advantage. A short cable car ride up brought them right to the cliff at the summit.
The two of them each had their blood pressure checked. As a first-time bungee jumper, An Yao had the instructor repeatedly walk her through the proper posture and what to expect during the experience.
Once she was on the diving platform, fully geared up, she still took half a step back before jumping and looked at Yan Muzhou. "…How about you go first? I need a bit more mental preparation."
Yan Muzhou raised an eyebrow slightly.
They swapped positions, and soon, with his safety gear on and after the instructor's cue, he leaped off with barely any visible sign of nervousness.
An Yao watched his figure grow smaller beneath the cliff, then arc back up into the sky.
Just watching made her heart race, and she couldn't help but take a deep breath.
The instructor chuckled beside her. "Really, there's no need to be too scared. Once you get past the fear before the jump, you'll find it's not a big deal—you might even want to jump again."
"…"
An Yao sounded skeptical. "It can become addictive?"
The instructor said, "Of course it can. That's how I became a bungee jumping instructor. Mr. Yan also comes at least three or four times a year, though sometimes he goes skydiving instead."
An Yao pressed her temple. "It's all the same."
On the other side, staff were ready to receive him. After Yan Muzhou finished his jump and was pulled back up, it was her turn again.
An Yao re-equipped herself, assumed the beginner's backward-lean position the instructor had suggested, stared at the sky, and took countless deep breaths before she finally dared to lean back.
She kept her eyes shut. In the first few seconds, she felt an extreme sense of weightlessness, the wind rushing past her ears, her mind going blank, as if her soul had drifted away with the breeze.
Only when the rope rebounded in the air did An Yao open her eyes. She saw the blurred scenery around her and felt a liberating sense of freedom. As she bounced up and down many times, the weightlessness grew stronger than during the initial fall—like dying, yet also like being reborn.
When she reached the bottom, she clipped on the lock, waved upward to signal, and was slowly pulled back up by the rope.
Several staff members came to receive her and help her out of the gear.
When An Yao returned to the ground, Yan Muzhou was waiting for her not far away.
Her legs were weak, and her emotions hadn't yet pulled away from the tension. Seeing him again, her nose even stung a little.
Yan Muzhou paused. "Scared to tears?"
"You didn't have to try it."
He walked over slowly, looked at her, raised a hand, then shook his head.
An Yao was naturally sensitive emotionally. She adjusted herself on the spot for a while, and once her legs weren't so weak, she managed to blurt out, "…This is way too much like jumping off a building! It's terrifying the whole way through—not at all like you all said, that only the initial jump is scary."
Yan Muzhou suddenly smiled. "The experience probably varies from person to person."
An Yao rubbed her face, then whispered, "But now, I really do feel reborn. Especially right now, it feels like… it's good to be alive."
Yan Muzhou curled his lips.
Manager Zhao answered a phone call nearby, then walked over politely. "Mr. Yan, the restaurant is ready."
"Mm."
Yan Muzhou looked at An Yao. "Can you still walk?"
An Yao glanced at him. "Of course I can."
She walked slowly toward the cable car.
On the way, she looked down at the mountain and still felt lingering fear.
An Yao said, "Do you like bungee jumping because it gives you a similar feeling of rebirth?"
"Not entirely."
Yan Muzhou paused, his low voice seeming to dissolve into the wind before being carried to her ears.
"Maybe more because it lets me clearly feel my heart beating—that I'm truly alive."
An Yao could roughly understand what he meant. After a moment's thought, she said, "Actually, from my perspective, you've always been truly alive."
Yan Muzhou tilted his head, silently watching her for a moment, then gave a faint smile and said, "Let's hope so."
After the venue was cleared, the entire restaurant served only the two of them.
As soon as An Yao entered the private dining room and saw the table fully laden with various dishes, she felt it was somewhat extravagant.
She had been a bit hungry initially, but having just experienced her first bungee jump, the blood in her body hadn't yet returned to her stomach, and she barely had any appetite.
Yan Muzhou picked up his chopsticks and ate at a leisurely pace, his mood seemingly much better than when he had first left the old residence.
When An Yao had no appetite, she only wanted something sweet or light. Right in front of her was a bowl of fermented rice soup with osmanthus and ice glutinous rice balls, so she scooped at it listlessly, spoonful by spoonful.
Just as she was nearing the bottom of the bowl, she suddenly felt a sharp pain in her lower abdomen.
An Yao furrowed her brows slightly, got up, and went to the restroom.
When she returned, she sat down in her seat and took small sips of hot water.
Yan Muzhou looked up and saw that her lips had turned pale, with fine beads of sweat on her forehead.
"What's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"
Thinking that some people do experience adverse reactions after bungee jumping, he picked up his phone, intending to have Manager Zhao bring the on-duty doctor from the resort over.
"Let's check your blood pressure again and see if there's any problem. If there is, we'll go to the hospital now."
Before he could even dial the number, An Yao spoke up to interrupt: "Hey… no need."
Her brows were slightly furrowed, and her voice sounded weak. "It's just… my period."
Her period had never been particularly regular—coming a few days early or late was common—so she wasn't in the habit of keeping track of it.
Yan Muzhou paused mid-motion, fell silent for a moment, then frowned at her. "Why didn't you say so earlier?"
He lowered his head and glanced again at the nearly empty bowl of iced glutinous rice balls in front of her.
"And you ate so much cold food, and just now you were bungee jumping in the cold wind."
An Yao's tone was pitiful. "…I didn't know either."
Otherwise, she definitely wouldn't have put herself through such suffering.
Usually, she had some pain each month, but at most it lasted a day, and one ibuprofen would take care of it.
Now, not only did she not have any medication on her, but she had also been so "reckless" just now.
Yan Muzhou seemed to have no intention of continuing to eat either. He set down his chopsticks and said in a somewhat deep voice, "Let's go home and rest."
He stepped out and called a waiter over, asking for the untouched dishes on the table to be packed up.
An Yao had no appetite to begin with, and now with the pain in her lower abdomen surging fiercely, she couldn't eat anything at all.
She had originally planned to tough it out and wait for Yan Muzhou to finish eating, but hearing him say that, she stopped forcing herself. She rose slowly and followed him to the resort entrance without a word.
It was the second day of the mini holiday, and it was midday, so surprisingly, there was no traffic congestion even when they entered the city.
An Yao leaned weakly against the back seat.
Yan Muzhou drove quickly the whole way. When they reached the economic development zone, he stopped by the roadside once, seemingly going into a convenience store to buy something.
An Yao didn't pay much attention. She closed her eyes and dozed off, using sleep to ease some of the pain.
Feeling the car come to a stop, she opened her eyes and found herself in a very unfamiliar underground parking garage.
Glancing toward the wall, An Yao saw the words "Yujiang Residence."
She was silent for a moment, then asked, "Why did you bring me to your place?"
Yan Muzhou: "Can you really go home alone like this?"
An Yao sat up, and her gaze met his in the rearview mirror.
She could see how pale her own face had become.
Similar situations had occurred before, of course. For instance, when her period happened to coincide with eating something cold, the intensity wasn't as extreme as bungee jumping in the freezing wind this time, but the symptoms were more or less the same.
Yan Muzhou had already gotten out of the car. An Yao hesitated for a moment, but she truly didn't have the energy to argue. All she wanted right now was to take some medicine, lie down, and wait for it to kick in.
The high-speed elevator went straight up to the top floor. She hung her head and asked, "Do you have any painkillers at your place?"
"No."
Yan Muzhou glanced sideways at her. "I just went and bought a few different kinds. You can see which one you're able to take in a bit."
Only then did An Yao notice the two paper bags in his hand—one from the pharmacy, the other from a convenience store, which appeared to contain sanitary pads.
She was momentarily stunned, pressing her lips together.
Given their relationship, wasn't it a bit too much for Yan Muzhou to buy these things for her?
But on second thought, An Yao figured she might just be the one with outdated thinking.
Actually, sanitary pads were just like toilet paper—ordinary daily necessities that shouldn't carry any particular sense of shame.
An Yao convinced herself of this just as the elevator reached the top floor. Yan Muzhou unlocked the door with his fingerprint.
The entire top floor was his. As Yan Xuexin had mentioned last time, his place was very spacious.
Yan Muzhou took a pair of new men's slippers from the shoe cabinet. "Wear these. There aren't any women's sizes in the house."
An Yao thanked him and crouched down to change her shoes.
Passing through the entryway, she saw the inside of the apartment.
It was decorated in a gray, minimalist Italian style, with finely crafted, exquisite furniture that was clearly expensive.
But because the place was so immaculately tidy, with no extra decorations or ornaments, the sheer size made it feel especially empty.
An Yao carried the pharmacy paper bag to the living room herself, pulled out a sachet of ibuprofen arginine granules, and turned to ask, "Do you have any hot water?"
A moment later, Yan Muzhou came from the kitchen carrying a cup of steaming white water.
"Fifty-five degrees. Should be just right to drink."
An Yao poured the granules in, downed it in a few gulps, then collapsed onto the sofa. After a moment's hesitation, she said, "I want to lie down for a bit."
Yan Muzhou paused for a second. "The other bedrooms only have mattresses."
An Yao shifted over to the chaise lounge section of the sofa, her voice barely a whisper. "No need for a bedroom. I'll just lie on the sofa. The medicine should take effect in a little while."
Yan Muzhou went into a room and, shortly after, brought her a fleece blanket.
An Yao took it, covered herself, and lay on the sofa with her eyes closed.
"Go ahead and do what you need to do."
Yan Muzhou hummed in acknowledgment. "Call me if you need anything."
He turned and went out again, taking the elevator down to retrieve his laptop from the car, which he'd forgotten to bring up earlier.
When he returned, Yan Muzhou closed the door very quietly and glanced toward the sofa.
His sofa cover was gray, and so was the fleece blanket. The girl lay quietly on top of it, eyes closed, as if she'd already fallen asleep—her entire body wrapped in the blanket, with only her fair, delicate face peeking out.
Yan Muzhou walked over slowly, intending to clear away the glass and the granule packet from the coffee table.
When he reached the chaise lounge, he paused. He noticed a strand of hair falling across An Yao's cheek, looking like it would be bothersome.
For a moment, Yan Muzhou was distracted. He reached out and gently brushed the strand of hair back from her face.
As if suddenly realizing something, his fingertips froze mid-motion, and he quickly withdrew his hand.
In his heart, ripples stirred—ones he couldn't quite name, and ones that shouldn't exist at all.
He lingered in place for a moment, pressing his brow bone, and without sparing another thought for the glass on the table, turned and went back to the study, closing the door behind him.
In the living room outside, An Yao slowly opened her eyes, craning her neck to look in the direction he had just walked away.
Then, she heard a crisp sound from the room not far away—it should be the click of a lighter igniting a cigarette.