Jiang Heng didn't stop, walking straight toward the canopy.
Jiang Ningchu and Pei Yi both looked at him and instinctively stood up.
"Whoa~ Xiao Shengsheng, look!"
Pei Yi had caught a fluttering little insect from who knows where and grinned as he held it out toward Jiang Ningchu, deliberately lowering his voice to create a scary atmosphere. "I caught a little cutie!"
"Ah—"
Jiang Ningchu shrank back in fright, tripped over a folding chair, and lost her balance entirely.
A strong arm swept across, firmly catching her waist and pulling her back.
She fell into Jiang Heng's solid embrace.
The back of her head was cradled by a warm palm, her cheek pressed against the slightly cool fabric of his outdoor jacket, and the familiar cold cedar fragrance filled her nose.
All the emotions that had been on pause came flooding up at once.
Pei Yi's words echoed in her ears: "Your brother has been a sister complex since childhood," "Your brother protected you so much when you were little—now you don't have to worry at all, right?"
So this was…
The big brother who had "hated" her—the one she'd been desperately avoiding all these years?
Tears fell without warning, like a snapped thread.
She buried her face in his chest, her shoulders trembling slightly.
"Hey—I was joking!"
Pei Yi flicked his hand, tossing the insect far away, and hurriedly pulled out a few tissues, rushing to Jiang Ningchu's side. "No no no, oh no, why are you crying? It already flew away—it doesn't bite!"
Jiang Heng stared coldly at Pei Yi, his icy gaze full of daggers.
"Boss!"
Pei Yi held up his hands in surrender, tissues pinched between his fingers. "I really didn't know Xiao Shengsheng was afraid of bugs. Didn't you say she was in the entomology club? A member of the entomology club afraid of bugs—does that even make sense?!"
Seeing Jiang Ningchu cry even harder, Pei Yi wailed, "Heavens above, I've been wronged!"
Jiang Heng said nothing. He simply reached out, took the tissues from Pei Yi, and gave him a cold glance.
Pei Yi immediately made a zipping gesture over his mouth, wisely backed away a few steps, and turned to slip off.
The night wind rose again, rustling the edges of the canopy.
Jiang Heng stood there just like that, one hand cradling the back of her head, the other holding the tissues, hovering by her face, completely still.
He didn't ask why she was crying, nor did he rush her.
He simply waited in silence for her to finish crying.
Jiang Ningchu's sobs gradually quieted, turning into intermittent sniffles.
Jiang Heng's hand cradling the back of her head tightened slightly, while the hand holding the tissues, which had been hovering in midair, gently landed on her tear-dampened eye corner.
"Cried enough?"
Jiang Ningchu pulled back a little from his embrace, her eyes rimmed red, the tip of her nose flushed too.
She nodded, then shook her head, taking the tissues herself and wiping her face haphazardly.
Her brain barely back in working order, she blurted out whatever came to mind, clumsily making excuses, "I was most scared of bugs when I was little… My older cousin caught bugs and stuffed them in my pocket—it terrified me back then…"
"Mm."
Jiang Heng just assumed she was having an emotional breakdown from being abandoned by the roadside by her boyfriend, and for once, he didn't call her out on it.
Rarely playing along, he followed her lead. "With that kind of courage, you joined the entomology club?"
"Uh… I joined because I was scared."
Jiang Ningchu's attention was indeed diverted, and that stubborn streak of hers resurfaced. "I wanted to overcome it, so I signed up. The still photos they take… are actually pretty cute."
"Hm?"
Halfway through speaking, she suddenly stopped, turning her face toward him with reddened eyes. "How did you know I joined the entomology club?"
Only after asking did she remember that she occasionally posted scattered field notes on her Moments.
She shut her mouth again and went quiet.
Her head slowly lowered.
Right.
Habitual thinking was terrifying.
She had instinctively assumed he never paid attention to her, trapped in that fixed perception, never once thinking to look back.
At the thought, her eyes grew hot again.
Jiang Heng assumed she was remembering something else and didn't press further, turning to walk a few steps toward the edge of the campsite.
There were no tents blocking the open ground, and the view was expansive—the entire starry sky spread out unreservedly before them.
"Come here." He picked up two folding chairs, unfolded them, and patted the empty spot beside him.
Jiang Ningchu followed and sat down next to him.
She sniffled and tilted her head back.
The galaxy hung low, the sky studded with tiny diamond-like stars, some so close it seemed she could reach out and pluck one down.
In the distance, the city lights had shrunk to a small blurred patch, warm and hazy, like another world.
Jiang Ningchu blinked.
The stars overhead began to double—a each brilliant diamond drawing near, then drifting away again.
What was Jiang Heng like at seven or eight?
She honestly couldn't remember much.
In her memory, he'd always been cocky back then, with an insufferably proud air.
"Big brother…" Jiang Ningchu called out in a small voice.
I'm sorry…
Jiang Heng's Adam's apple bobbed, and he casually pinched his knuckles. "Hm?"
Jiang Ningchu bit her lower lip.
A tear rolled down from the corner of her eye, silently disappearing into the loose strands of hair by her temple.
The evening breeze passed through the space between them, carrying the rustle of grass blades.
After a long while, she choked out a few words, very softly, "…Thank you."
Jiang Heng was silent for a moment.
He assumed this thanks was for bringing her back tonight, for the cup of instant noodles, for the starry sky before them.
When it was actually for someone else.
"No need."
His voice returned to its usual coldness, even laced with his habitual mockery. "Just have some backbone next time."
Jiang Ningchu's lips moved.
She wanted to explain something, but in the end swallowed it back.
She suddenly remembered the birthday present she'd received at twenty: a limited-edition global Hasselblad.
Over the years, she'd received many gifts "from Jiang Heng."
She'd always assumed it was Su Wanqing who picked them out on his behalf, to maintain the appearance of family harmony, and then delivered them to her.
"That Hasselblad…" She turned her head to look at him. "Did you give it to me because of the entomology club?"
Jiang Heng didn't answer right away.
He fished a silver lighter out of his pocket and spun it around his fingertip.
After a pause, he put it back.
"Mm." He tipped his chin toward somewhere not far away. "Had Pei Yi find someone to order it. Waited half a year."
So Pei Yi knew.
So that line—"your brother has always had a sister complex"—really wasn't a joke.
Time slowed down.
The two of them just sat there side by side, neither speaking, quietly gazing up at the starry sky flowing overhead.
Who knows how long passed before Pei Yi, Linda, and the others came bustling over, chattering loudly.
Linda had a down jacket draped over her arm and was carrying two drinks, walking up to them with a beaming smile.
Her gaze darted between Jiang Heng and Jiang Ningchu, her tone warm and friendly. "Mango pomelo sago or red bean rice wine—little sister Chuchu, which one do you want?"
"I don't drink—"
"She doesn't drink."
Jiang Ningchu and Jiang Heng rose at the same time and spoke at the same moment.
The instant the words left their mouths, the air went still.
The smile on Linda's face froze, and she blinked. Behind her, Pei Yi also froze for a beat.
Mango in mango pomelo sago was a high-risk item, and fermented rice wine with red beans contained alcohol—Su Wanqing was strict about it and basically never let Jiang Ningchu touch either.
"……" Jiang Ningchu opened her mouth.
"……" Jiang Heng had already returned to his usual expressionless look.
Watching this brother and sister whose chemistry was absurdly in sync, Pei Yi and Linda exchanged glances.
"Um……"
Jiang Ningchu came back to her senses first and explained, a little embarrassed, "Thanks, but I'm allergic to mango, so……"
Linda let out an "ah" as it finally clicked. She shoved the two drinks into Pei Yi's hands. "Since Young Master Pei recommended them so enthusiastically, Young Master Pei can take care of them then~"
She turned to Jiang Ningchu, her tone growing even friendlier. "There's also strawberry cheese tea and fresh-brewed jasmine. How about it? Interested? They brought up a whole bunch—want to come pick one out together?"
Jiang Ningchu had just been worrying about how to defuse the awkward atmosphere, and nodded quickly. "Sure!"
Linda naturally looped her arm through hers, and the two of them walked off toward the insulated cooler with the drinks, chatting and laughing.
Pei Yi, holding two drinks, glanced at Jiang Heng and tactfully set the cups down on a small side table.
He fished a pack of cigarettes out of his pocket, shook one loose, and held it out. "Want one?"
Jiang Heng said nothing but reached out and took it.
The two walked off toward the smoking area a bit farther away.
Pei Yi turned sideways to block the wind, lit his own cigarette, then cupped the flame and held it out for Jiang Heng.
Jiang Heng lowered his head and leaned in. The warm glow lit up his lowered lashes for an instant, and then a puff of white smoke drifted away into the wind.
"What was that just now?"
Pei Yi took a drag, his gaze drifting toward where Jiang Ningchu was. "I don't buy that little Ning got scared like that by a bug."
Jiang Heng didn't answer.
The smoke blurred the expression on his face. Silently, he raised a hand and flicked off the ash.
"It wasn't about a bug." Only after a few seconds did he speak, his voice a little heavy.
Pei Yi was taken aback, then it dawned on him. "I knew it! So that was……"
He frowned, wearing the look of someone who had thought about it—but not completely. "The kid's grown up? Got her own troubles now? Which bastard upset her? Tell me, and I'll deal with him!"
"……"
Jiang Heng didn't respond.
He stubbed out his cigarette in a portable ashtray nearby, then turned and headed toward the tents.
"Hey, wait up!"
Pei Yi panicked, took two hasty drags, fumbled to put out his cigarette, and jogged after him. "At least explain properly—what exactly happened?"
By the time Jiang Heng reached Jiang Ningchu's side, Linda was smiling and saying something to her.
Seeing them return, Linda naturally turned to Jiang Heng. "Captain, what's the plan for tonight? There are enough tents."
Pei Yi caught up from behind, jumping in first. "The biggest one goes to little Ning—you can squeeze in with me!"
As he spoke, he reached out to clasp Jiang Heng's shoulder.
"No need." Jiang Heng tilted his shoulder slightly, dodging his hand.
Pei Yi was stunned. "Then where are you sleeping?"
Jiang Heng had already walked up to the dark green tent. He bent down, gripped the zipper pull, and pulled it down, the tent flap swinging open.
He turned sideways, his gaze landing on Jiang Ningchu.
The smile on Linda's face faded a little. She handed the down jacket to Pei Yi. "Young Master Pei…… you should get some rest early too, then."
The crowd gradually dispersed, and the camp grew quiet again.
Jiang Ningchu carried her toiletries to the portable washroom at the edge of the camp.
The portable washroom was a lone white box, its back pressed against the pitch-black woods, with only a small window glowing faint yellow.
At first glance… it was a little creepy.
She stopped at the door, hesitated for two seconds, and instinctively looked around.
Jiang Heng was standing by a tent not far away, looking down at his phone.
Seeing her standing still, he looked up. "What is it?"
"…Nothing."
Knowing Jiang Heng was there somehow made her feel a lot more at ease.
Jiang Ningchu pulled open the door, stepped inside, and gently closed it behind her.
The sound of running water started.
She washed up with her head down, the rush of water in her ears, the howling wind outside the door, and somewhere deep in the grass, the faint rustle of some small creature darting past.
But strangely, she wasn't as scared anymore.
When she finished and pulled the door open, Jiang Heng was still standing in the same spot.
His phone was already put away, and he was quietly gazing at the distant ridgeline.
Hearing the movement, he turned his head.
"Done?"
"…Mm."
The two walked back to the tent, one after the other.
Jiang Ningchu crawled inside, laid out the moisture-proof mat, and unrolled the sleeping bag.
When she turned around, she found Jiang Heng still sitting on the folding chair at the tent entrance, his long legs stretched out, showing no intention of coming in.
“Brother," she asked softly, "aren't you going to sleep?"
"You sleep." His voice was low, muffled by the tent fabric. "I'm not tired."
Jiang Ningchu wrapped herself up in the sleeping bag and watched his blurry silhouette against the tent wall.
Last time, when she had a fever, he had kept watch all night.
It wouldn't happen again today, would it…
She always seemed to be causing him trouble.
“Brother…"
She buried her face a little deeper into the sleeping bag, and after a moment's hesitation, spoke softly, "It's cold out here, and the wind is strong. Why don't you come in and sleep too, okay?"
Outside the tent, there was a moment of silence.
The wind brushed against the tent wall, making a faint sound.
Just as Jiang Ningchu decided he wasn't going to respond and was about to give up, the zipper slowly opened.
Jiang Heng bent down and came in.
With another person in the tent, the space suddenly felt cramped.
The inflatable mattress was wide, and Jiang Ningchu immediately scooted to the edge, nearly pressed against the tent wall, leaving most of the space for him.
Jiang Heng didn't lie down. He simply leaned against the tent wall and sat on the side she'd vacated, his long legs bent, one arm resting casually on his knee.
"Sleep," he repeated.
Jiang Ningchu was silent for a while.
“Brother…" her voice even softer now, "are you going to… sit like this all night?"
Another moment of silence.
Then, she heard the faint rustle of his outdoor jacket.
Jiang Heng leaned back, his body settling onto the inflatable mattress, slowly reclining, half an arm's length away from her.
He lay on his back, arm pillowed behind his head, and closed his eyes.
"Sleep," he said finally.
Jiang Ningchu didn't say anything else.
She turned onto her side, her back to him, and gently pulled the edge of the sleeping bag up to her chin.
The tent was too quiet—so quiet she could hear her own breathing gradually evening out, and the slightly disordered pounding of her heart.
She didn't know how long passed before she drifted into a deep sleep, her head full of tangled thoughts.
At first light, low voices and the soft clatter of camp stoves drifted in from outside the tent.
Jiang Heng woke up.
The instant consciousness returned, he, uncharacteristically, froze for a few seconds.
The transparent skylight in the tent ceiling glowed with a hazy grayish white—the distinctive hue of pre-dawn.
He turned his head.
Jiang Ningchu was sleeping soundly.
The sleeping bag was wrapped snugly up to just below her nose, leaving only half her face exposed. Tangled strands of hair lay scattered across the inflatable pillow, and her lashes trembled gently with each breath.
The morning light was thin, casting a soft, fuzzy halo across her cheeks.
Jiang Heng watched quietly.
It suddenly occurred to him that this was the first time—since he'd stopped taking his medication—that he'd slept soundly through the entire night.
The last time he'd barely managed to sleep…
was the night Jiang Ningchu had a fever, on the chaise lounge in her room.
Jiang Heng pulled his thoughts back, his gaze settling once more on Jiang Ningchu's face.
Seemingly disturbed by the movement outside, she unconsciously furrowed her brow and burrowed deeper into the sleeping bag.
As if she'd caught a whiff of the cold air, she scrunched her nose and slowly opened her eyes.
Her gaze first rested blankly on the skylight of the tent, then slowly turned, meeting his eyes.
Their eyes locked.
In the morning light, Jiang Heng's eyes were dark and unfathomable.
Jiang Ningchu blinked, sleepiness not yet fully gone from her, her voice soft and sweet, "…Big brother?"