After just a few steps up the mountain path, the icy rain lashed against the surrounding withered branches and fallen leaves, rustling loudly.
Song Ruannin had no time to be afraid; she simply kept her head forward, not turning around, as she held the powerful flashlight.
In her mind, she silently repeated over and over: Amitabha, demons and ghosts, leave quickly, demons and ghosts, leave quickly.
She was actually terrified, but she steeled herself and continued upward.
After covering one-third of the five-kilometer mountain trail, Ruan Ning was utterly exhausted.
She hadn’t eaten much in the afternoon, and now she was starving.
At this hour, halfway up the mountain, there was nowhere to find a place to rest.
Swinging the flashlight around, Ruan Ning finally spotted a small viewing pavilion in the distance and slowly made her way toward it.
As she drew closer, she noticed a tall, slender dark figure ahead.
Song Ruannin’s heart immediately leaped into her throat.
Her mind flooded with headlines like “Encountering a Murderer on a Rainy Night” and “Woman Mysteriously Dies After Heavy Rain.”
She stopped halfway, trembling as she asked, “Are you human or a ghost?”
The dark figure remained silent.
Song Ruannin mustered her courage and took another step closer.
Seeing the familiar face and the glowing red tip of the cigarette between the man’s fingers, her heart, which had been hanging high, instantly settled back into her chest.
She walked over, briskly closed her umbrella, and set it aside.
Looking up at Zhai Yu, she asked, “What are you doing here? Do you know everyone is looking for you?”
Zhai Yu’s expression was indifferent, his tone equally calm. “My phone ran out of battery. I’m enjoying the rain.”
Song Ruannin: “…”
She walked over and sat down beside him.
From the bag she had brought, she pulled out another military coat, shook it twice, and handed it to Zhai Yu.
“Put this on, and then we’ll head down the mountain.”
A bitingly cold wind swept through, blowing the umbrella left at the pavilion entrance out of sight.
Song Ruannin hurriedly grabbed the flashlight and rushed out to search for it.
A pair of strong, powerful hands wrapped around her waist, pulling her back.
“I’m enjoying the rain. Are you trying to run out and get soaked?”
Song Ruannin’s voice was anxious. “But the umbrella is lost. We can’t get back now.”
Zhai Yu chuckled lightly. “Yeah, what should we do? We can’t go back now.”
In such a situation, he could still laugh and joke with her.
Song Ruannin frantically searched for her phone, only to realize that in her haste to leave, she had left it charging in her room.
Now there was truly no way out. They were both trapped here.
She shouldn’t have come up the mountain to look for him in the first place.
If it were with anyone else, even a stranger or an employee, she wouldn’t have felt awkward. But it had to be with Zhai Yu.
Standing at the pavilion entrance for a while, Song Ruannin reached out to feel the rain. It was still pouring heavily, unlikely to stop anytime soon.
Turning her head, she saw Zhai Yu had already sat down, wearing the military coat she had brought, crossing his legs and holding a cigarette between his fingers.
He seemed perfectly at ease.
Song Ruannin walked over and plopped down opposite him.
“Song Ruannin.” Zhai Yu stubbed out his cigarette and called her name.
Song Ruannin flinched. “What is it?”
“I’m cold,” he said.
Song Ruannin replied flatly, “Aren’t you already wearing the coat? It’s only December. It’s not that cold yet.”
“But I’m still cold,” Zhai Yu insisted, disregarding her logic.
Song Ruannin said, “Then I’ll take off my coat and give it to you.”
Zhai Yu frowned. “That’s not what I meant.”
“Then what do you mean?” Song Ruannin retorted, annoyed. In such a situation, why did he have to make things so complicated?
Zhai Yu: “Come here.”
Song Ruannin: “You’re cold, what good would it do if I came over?”
Zhai Yu chuckled softly: “If we hug, we won’t be cold anymore.”
Song Ruannin’s eyes widened in surprise.
She didn’t speak, and Zhai Yu stood up, walking toward her before plopping down right beside her.
Ruan Ning shifted slightly to the side, and the man followed suit.
Back and forth, she ended up pressed against the corner, with the man’s tall frame looming over her.
“Move over a bit,” she mumbled.
But Zhai Yu didn’t budge: “I told you I’m cold. Aren’t you cold?”
Song Ruannin shook her head.
Zhai Yu pinched her cheek, giving it a gentle squeeze: “But your face says it’s freezing.”
Song Ruannin pushed against his gradually approaching warm chest.
“Song Ruannin, if we don’t hug tonight, tomorrow they’ll find two corpses.” Zhai Yu’s words fell from above her head.
His tone was serious and straightforward, leaving Song Ruannin stunned.
With temperatures below freezing, if they really sat here and accidentally fell asleep, they’d at least end up seriously ill by morning.
“Then, then you…” she stammered.
Zhai Yu chuckled softly: “Afraid I’ll eat you up?”
“Don’t worry, I won’t do anything to you.”
“What’s the point of eating the same dish over and over again? Don’t you think?”
Song Ruannin: “…”
In the past, he had indeed “eaten” a lot, especially during the year they lived together. Every month, except for those few days of her period, he would drag her to bed at the slightest disagreement.
The air was icy, but Ruan Ning’s face flushed red.
Zhai Yu added: “If you’re shy, there’s no need. There’s not a single part of your body I haven’t seen. I’ve touched those moles on your lower abdomen countless times. It’s just a hug. Or do you want to turn into an icicle?”
Song Ruannin’s face grew even redder. Her thoughts raced back and forth, but in the end, she decided her own life was more important.
“Alright then.”
The pitch-black rainy night concealed many things, including the faint smile curling at the corner of the man’s lips.
The two remained stiff in their hugging position for a while longer. Eventually, Zhai Yu leaned against the pillar, while Song Ruannin was encircled in his arms.
Warm and familiar, the scent she had experienced countless times brushed past her earlobes and the nape of her neck.
With every breath the man took, Song Ruannin felt an unbearable itch. She wanted to pull her hand out to scratch it.
Zhai Yu said coldly: “Don’t move.”
Song Ruannin: “But I’m itchy.”
Zhai Yu: “Where?”
Song Ruannin: “My ears.”
Zhai Yu withdrew his hand and gently rubbed her ears: “Better now?”
“Yes.”
“Song Ruannin.”
Ruan Ning softly hummed in response.
Zhai Yu: “Nothing. Sleep.”
She didn’t know how long she waited, but Ruan Ning couldn’t fall asleep at all. She heard the sound of rain outside gradually fading.
“The rain seems to have stopped,” she whispered.
“No, you misheard,” Zhai Yu said.
“I didn’t mishear. It really stopped.”
With that, she squirmed like a restless kitten, wriggling in her owner’s embrace.
Breaking free from his hold, she immediately reached out to catch the rain.
Excitedly, she turned around, her face blooming like a flower: “Zhai Yu, the rain really stopped. We can leave now.”
The man’s expression remained indifferent: “Hmm.”
After a moment, she walked up to Zhai Yu, looking up into his dark eyes.
“Let’s pretend tonight never happened, and don’t tell that Miss Lin about it.”
Zhai Yu sneered, his tone no longer as gentle as before: “Then should I also say, don’t tell your husband about today?”
Song Ruannin fell silent, and Zhai Yu’s tone grew even colder. “Song Ruannin, you’re acting as if something just happened between us.”
But something did happen.
He had a fiancée, and she, in name, had a husband.
Just moments ago, the two of them had been intimately embracing.
She must have been overwhelmed by Zhai Yu’s earlier words—how could she have agreed to him?
Suddenly, a pair of large hands lifted and cupped her face, followed by an unexpected kiss.
Releasing her, Zhai Yu gasped for breath. “Since we’re keeping it a secret, at least something like this should happen to warrant secrecy.”