The bath area at this place was just a small open space tucked into the corner of the courtyard, right next to the wall and the adjacent building, with a tattered cloth hanging as a makeshift screen.
Xie Yucheng went in first to take a shower, then called Wen Shiqing to come wash afterward.
Night had fallen, and the moon shone like the brightest incandescent lamp.
Wen Shiqing carried her clothes into the bath area. Behind the cloth screen, the occasional splashing of water could be heard.
Xie Yucheng didn’t go inside; he leaned against the wall a short distance away. The cloth didn’t reach the ground, and a small glimpse of her pale ankle swayed inside.
A sudden itch ran through his teeth—he averted his gaze, fished a cigarette from his pocket, and lit it.
The crimson tip glowed between his fingers as he inhaled, exhaling a plume of white smoke from deep in his lungs. His thoughts drifted along with the mist, hazy and unanchored.
After finishing her shower, Wen Shiqing felt clean and refreshed. She slipped into a light robe and hurried into the room, shutting out the night.
A gentle breeze carried the soft fragrance of the young girl, like gardenias, filling the room with a faint, lingering scent.
“Finished?” Xie Yucheng asked, sitting at the table.
“Mm.” Wen Shiqing lowered her eyes, drying her hair with a towel, but her gaze flicked toward the bed. For some reason, her face flushed a deep red.
“Dry your hair and go to bed early.” Xie Yucheng got up and headed for the door.
“Brother, where are you going?”
“To the car to sleep.” He looked at her curiously, thinking she might have something to say.
Wen Shiqing’s face grew even redder—so that was why he was going to sleep in the car.
Seeing she didn’t speak, Xie Yucheng reminded her, “Lock the door and make sure the bolt is fastened from the inside before sleeping.”
“I know.”
The man opened the door and strode out. After a while, he returned, pushed the door, found it locked, and finally went to sleep in the car.
The mountain night wasn’t very hot; a gentle breeze blew, comfortable and pleasant.
Several trucks were parked outside the yard. A few men were sleeping in their vehicles. All the truck windows were open—not only for air circulation, but also to hear any outside movement and prevent fuel theft.
It didn’t matter if government trucks were siphoned, but their own trucks? They had paid for the fuel themselves. So most truck drivers slept in their vehicles.
Xie Yucheng lay on the back seat, head on his arm. Morning’s heavy lifting and afternoon driving had drained him, and soon he fell asleep.
At some point in the night—he didn’t know what time exactly—the car door quietly opened.
Xie Yucheng, always alert, immediately opened his eyes at the slightest sound. A faint, familiar floral scent floated in. The girl had taken off her shoes and climbed onto the narrow back seat, resting on his chest.
“Ge… I’m scared sleeping alone.” Her voice was soft, trembling at the end.
In the cramped car cabin, her soft body pressed against his. She adjusted her sleeping position unconsciously, brushing against him from time to time. Xie Yucheng’s face turned ashen, frozen and still.
“Xie Yucheng,” she whispered, “your heartbeat is so fast.”
Her sweet breath brushed against his jaw, sending a shiver through him.
Xie Yucheng grabbed her waist, his voice low and commanding: “Get down!”
She wriggled harder. “No! I want to sleep here.”
Moonlight streamed through the glass. The girl lifted her head, her clear eyes staring straight at him.
“Xie Yucheng, what are you afraid of?”
“I’m not.”
“Then why don’t you dare look at me?”
“Go back to your room and sleep!” he pushed her—but she didn’t move.
Wen Shiqing lowered her head and pressed a soft kiss to his thin lips.
The sweet fragrance and her soft strands brushing his cheek made him shiver.
Xie Yucheng’s Adam’s apple bobbed, his breathing tense. His grip on her waist tightened.
“Do you know what you’re doing?” he asked, teeth clenched.
The girl chuckled lightly. “You like me. Why don’t you dare say it?”
Her cool fingertips traced his lips, and she whispered in his ear: “Xie Yucheng, you’re a coward.”
Her tender, enchanting eyes seemed to hold a tempting hook. Xie Yucheng closed his eyes, refusing to look.
Coldly, he said, “I don’t like you.”
“You’re lying! If you don’t like me, why are you so nice to me? Why buy me little breads? Why give me gifts? Why only order the dishes I love? Why stand guard while I’m bathing?”
As she mercilessly exposed him, she tugged his large hand and lifted her skirt.
Xie Yucheng’s dark eyes snapped open, his shadowed gaze fixed on her.
The girl smirked slyly. “Xie Yucheng, your body is more honest than your words.”
She kissed him again, taking the initiative.
“Wen Shiqing…” His voice was hoarse, eyes reddening, chest heaving, struggling to restrain himself.
“Kiss me,” she said.
Like a sudden blaze, unstoppable even by the Yangtze River.
Xie Yucheng seized control, his hand on the back of her neck, pressing hard on her lips. Just like countless dreams, he pinned her beneath him, claiming every breath, aggressively and without mercy.
He was like an addict, the temptation in front of him pulling him deeper and deeper.
The string restraining his mind had long since snapped.
The air grew tense, heat rising, their breathing becoming rapid…