Tang Shuqing smiled. “It’s Xu Yuan. She asked me to go rafting tomorrow.”
Hearing this, Yan Ting’s fingers tightened slightly around the beer can, though his expression didn’t change.
He looked at the window still lit in the building across the way and asked casually, “Rafting?”
“Yeah.” Tang Shuqing leaned against the railing and glanced up at the sky. “I remember that girl being pretty timid. I don’t know where she got the courage today to want to go rafting.”
“She’s timid?” Yan Ting let out a light laugh.
The beer can spun once in his hand, flicking a few drops of condensation onto his fingers.
“Yeah, that girl always speaks so softly and gently. She’s so delicate she’s even afraid of bugs.”
Afraid of bugs?
Her?
Yan Ting thought of certain chat records. This was the first time he’d understood the word “timid” in quite this way.
After a moment of silence, he suddenly spoke. “Let’s go together.”
Tang Shuqing turned his head to look at him, a little surprised. “You want to go? I thought you weren’t interested in this kind of thing?”
Yan Ting looked into the distance, his expression unreadable.
Dim light and shadow fell across his face—half bright, half dark—revealing nothing of his mood.
He took another sip of beer before saying slowly, “Don’t let her kindness go to waste.”
Tang Shuqing was momentarily taken aback, not quite understanding what he meant, but he didn’t dwell on it.
Yan Ting always talked like that—hiding half of what he said. He was used to it.
“Alright, let’s go together then.” Tang Shuqing pulled out his phone. “I’ll call Xu Shen too. The more the merrier.”
Yan Ting said nothing, leaning against the railing, his beer can already empty.
He squeezed it, the aluminum letting out a crackle as it crumpled inward.
The next morning, Xu Yuan got up bright and early.
She stood in front of the mirror for nearly twenty minutes, changing through three outfits before finally settling on a cream-colored square-neck short-sleeve paired with a light blue denim skirt. Her hair was down, the ends curled in a natural arc.
She rarely wore skirts. Today was an exception.
She checked herself in the mirror again and again, feeling something was still missing, so she picked up a lip gloss and applied a thin layer, pressing her lips together. Satisfied.
Though a skirt wasn’t ideal for rafting, it wasn’t like she’d get wet right away—there was still the drive there.
Still, for convenience, she packed an extra set of clothes.
She smiled at herself in the mirror, pleased with her look.
Then she slung on a backpack, stuffing in sunscreen, tissues, and her phone, and finally headed downstairs in her white sneakers.
At the mouth of the alley, she stood on her tiptoes, peering down the street.
Tang Shuqing had said last night he’d pick her up at nine. It was 8:50 now—he should be here soon.
Just then, a black SUV turned into the alley.
Xu Yuan stepped aside, thinking to herself that the car was pretty cool—matte black body, a Mercedes emblem—completely out of place in their old neighborhood.
As she was looking, the SUV suddenly pulled up right in front of her. The window rolled down, revealing a handsome face.
Yan Ting sat in the driver’s seat, one hand on the steering wheel, the other removing his sunglasses as he looked at her. “Get in.”
Xu Yuan froze.
Why him?
The back door pushed open from inside, and Tang Shuqing poked his head out, smiling and waving at her. “Xu Yuan.”
Before Xu Yuan could react, Xu Shen strolled up from behind her. “What are you standing there for? Get in.”
Xu Yuan: …
What was going on?
Was she sleepwalking?
Wait—hadn’t she only invited Tang Shuqing?
What the hell?
She stood there, mouth slightly open, her gaze shifting from Tang Shuqing to Xu Shen, then to Yan Ting’s profile.
“Come on, come on, get in. It’s hot as hell.” Xu Shen urged her.
Xu Yuan clutched her backpack straps and reluctantly climbed into the back seat.
Tang Shuqing shifted over to make room for her.
She sat down, placing her bag on her lap, back ramrod straight, both hands neatly folded on top of it.
The car’s AC was blasting, cold air blowing against her calves, raising goosebumps.
She glanced at her carefully chosen denim skirt, then at the back of Yan Ting’s head in the driver’s seat—so annoying!
She’d thought it would be just her and Tang Shuqing today.
Li Meng had given her the idea: invite Tang Shuqing rafting, a little one-on-one time. She could play the damsel, and he could play the hero.
She’d stayed up until almost one last night thinking about it, then spent all that time this morning getting ready, just to show up looking pretty in front of Tang Shuqing.
And now this.
Two extra third wheels.
The kind that burned at several hundred watts.
So much for “alone time.”
She came to go rafting, not to a team-building event.
Xu Yuan pressed her lips together and stole a glance at Yan Ting in the driver’s seat.
He was focused on driving, one hand on the wheel, the other resting on the gear shift, posture lazy.
His sunglasses were back on at some point, the lenses hiding his eyes, his expression unreadable.
With him around, she’d have to be on guard the whole time. How was she supposed to have fun?
Tang Shuqing turned his head beside her, his voice gentle. “Did you eat breakfast?”
Xu Yuan turned to meet his warm eyes, her heart skipping a beat. “Yeah, I did.”
Just as the words left her mouth, a snicker came from the front.
Xu Shen turned around from the passenger seat. “She’s not going to let herself go hungry. Do you know how much she ate this morning? A bowl of millet porridge, two steamed buns, a fried egg, and a glass of soy milk. When I passed by the kitchen on my way to the bathroom, she still had half a bun stuffed in her mouth.”
Xu Yuan’s face flushed bright red. “Shut up!”
“Did I say something wrong?”
Tang Shuqing laughed and tried to smooth things over. “Alright, alright, Xu Shen, that’s enough.”
Xu Shen raised his hands in surrender, a smile still on his lips. “Fine, fine, I’ll stop, I’ll stop.”
Xu Yuan huffed and turned to look out the window.
Sunlight streamed through the window onto her face, but the tips of her ears were still red.
It was then that Yan Ting suddenly spoke up. “She’s still growing. Eating more is perfectly normal.”
His voice was soft, his tone flat.
But Xu Yuan felt the words sounded oddly familiar.
Where had she said that before?
Oh, right. She’d told him that when they were chatting on her burner account.
She glanced at Yan Ting. He was wearing sunglasses, so she couldn’t see the expression in his eyes.
What did he mean by saying that?
Was it just a casual remark?
Xu Shen chimed in from the side. “Still growing? She’s twenty already. More like growing sideways.”
Xu Yuan didn’t want Tang Shuqing to see her crude side. Besides… a gentleman’s revenge is never too late.
She’d deal with him when they got home.
She averted her gaze and didn’t respond.
She just wanted to push the whole thing out of her mind.
Tang Shuqing laughed and added, “Twenty is still a young girl.”
His voice was gentle, coming to her rescue.
Xu Yuan smiled at Tang Shuqing.
See, she’d always said her judgment of people was spot on.
There was no better man in this world than Tang Shuqing.
The car continued on. Xu Shen adjusted his seat back, settled in comfortably, and closed his eyes. “It’s over an hour’s drive. I’m going to take a nap. Wake me when we get there.”
No one responded.
The car fell quiet.
Yan Ting focused on driving, while Tang Shuqing gazed at the scenery passing by outside the window.
Xu Yuan, meanwhile, looked down at her phone. A message from Li Meng popped up just then: [So? So? Have you left yet? Going on a date with your crush—are you super excited?]
Xu Yuan replied with a sticker that said “miserable beyond words.”
Li Meng responded instantly: [?? What’s wrong?]
Xu Yuan: [My brother came, and Yan Ting came too. No idea how they found out.]
Li Meng: [It must have been your crush who told them.]
Xu Yuan thought so too.
That was exactly what was bothering her.
Did he not like her, so he brought friends along?
Li Meng: [No worries. There are four of you, and when you split into boats, it’s two per boat. When the time comes, you just get in a boat with Tang Shuqing. The plan can still work, right? You got this!]
Xu Yuan thought about it and figured she was right. Encouraged by her best friend, she was fired up again.
Yan Ting glanced at the rearview mirror. His sunglasses hid his eyes, and in just a split second, he looked away and continued watching the road ahead.
The thumb of the hand on the steering wheel tapped against the leather once more.