At dawn, clouds and mist swirled around Cloud Mountain, the forest deep and secluded. Faint morning light filtered through the thin clouds at the mountainside, revealing glimpses of Mist City’s blue-brick and tiled rooftops.
Meng Qitang had left the campsite early to venture deep into the jungle, collecting various bird calls while treating wild rabbits trapped in the undergrowth along the way.
On her way back, she ran into He Muchen, who had come looking for her.
The man was panting heavily, as if he had been searching for her for a long time.
Only upon seeing Meng Qitang did he let out a sigh of relief. “Tangtang, the signal is bad in the mountains. Don’t wander too far on your own.”
Meng Qitang buried her chin into her windbreaker and gave a muffled response. “Mm.”
The stray hairs by her ears were dampened by the mountain mist, and even the ends of her hair had picked up dead leaves.
He Muchen raised his hand, about to touch her head.
But Meng Qitang instinctively stepped back to avoid him.
“Tangtang, do you really hate me that much?” His gaze was plaintive, fixed intently on the person before him.
Meng Qitang didn’t like the way he looked at her with those eyes, and she spoke bluntly. “He Muchen, stop wasting your efforts on me. It really won’t make any difference.”
He Muchen’s lowered hand clenched tightly into a fist at his side. His lips pressed into a thin line, and then he let out a laugh.
The laugh carried a hint of gloom. “Tangtang, from high school to university, I’ve only ever loved you. You’ve never—”
“I have never liked you.” Meng Qitang cut him off, her words distant yet resolute.
His various behaviors had already made her feel uncomfortable.
Suddenly, a sound came from behind a nearby tree—it was Ruan Yi.
They both looked over, and Ruan Yi took a few steps back before turning and running away without looking back.
Meng Qitang picked the dead leaf off the end of her hair herself, sidestepped him, and walked away alone.
…
She returned to the campsite, where some colleagues greeted her.
They also mentioned how Ruan Yi had run back to her tent crying and refused to come out.
“I see.” Meng Qitang gave a slight nod.
Just then, Lin Linlin emerged from her tent. “Tangtang! I’m here!”
Meng Qitang hadn’t expected Lin Linlin to truly be willing to travel over mountains and rivers to come to Mist City. Moved as she was, there was still something else weighing on her mind. “Linlin, there’s something I need to ask you.”
Seeing the grave look on her face, Lin Linlin turned serious as well, and the two of them returned to the tent.
“Linlin, do you remember that period when He Muchen kept a snake in his office?”
“Of course I remember—a cobra,” Lin Linlin said, looking at her. “Why are you suddenly asking about that?”
Meng Qitang remembered that Lin Linlin had taken photos back then, saying she wanted to ask He Muchen how he managed to raise such a fine venomous snake.
It could understand human speech, as if it had gained spiritual intelligence.
It wasn’t until Lin Linlin showed her the photos on her phone that she became even more certain that the snake He Muchen had kept was the same one from the night before last.
“Linlin, I have a theory. Let me tell you…”
“…”
Lin Linlin was greatly shocked and said outright, “He Muchen staged a whole hero-saves-the-damsel act by himself—for what? To make you fall in love with him?”
She let out a sigh. “Tang, the only person at the research institute who doesn’t believe He Muchen likes you is Ruan Yi. He’s young and accomplished, and by all accounts quite handsome. There’s no shortage of girls who like him.”
“All these years, he’s only had his mind set on you. The things you can never get are always the ones worth fighting harder for.”
Meng Qitang furrowed her brows, confusion written all over her face.
In matters of love and affection, Meng Qitang was truly as pure and desireless as plain water.
Lin Linlin: “Good thing we’re not lovesick fools.”
Lin Linlin had been following the research team around all day and only got a moment to rest as night fell. She sat casually on a wooden stump. “Oh my god, we’re finally back. Are my legs not legs anymore?”
Meng Qitang wiped the sweat from her brow and casually tied her long hair into a bun. “We must have walked at least fifty thousand steps today.”
“He Muchen has truly lost his mind, dead set on finding some White Peacock,” Lin Linlin said, scooting closer to Meng Qitang. “Did what you said this morning provoke him?”
Just as she asked, Ruan Yi stormed back to the camp, the dead leaves crunching loudly beneath her feet.
Meng Qitang glanced at her but said nothing.
“Seems like… more than just He Muchen got provoked.” Lin Linlin crossed her arms over her chest with a look of someone ready to watch the drama unfold.
The night wind was chilly, mixed with the earthy smell of mud.
Meng Qitang rose from the ground and pulled Lin Linlin up along with her. “It’s going to rain. Better stay in the tent tonight…”
He Muchen was the last to return. When he reached the camp, he glanced toward Meng Qitang’s tent.
Under the lamplight, the silhouettes of two women appeared, happily chatting about something.
The man averted his gaze, picked up a bottle of water nearby, and drank it dry. Then he squeezed the empty bottle tightly until it crumpled and twisted out of shape.
He returned to his own tent and found Ruan Yi waiting for him at the entrance.
“What are you doing here?”
He Muchen’s voice was flat, betraying no emotion whatsoever.
Ruan Yi bit her lip, her eyes glistening with tears as she looked at him. “If it were Meng Qitang standing here, would you still have this attitude?”
“Of course not. How dare you compare yourself to Tangtang?”
“Ruan Yi, in my eyes, how important do you think you are?”
The man spoke without the slightest courtesy, completely shedding his usual grace.
This left Ruan Yi dumbfounded, her whole body frozen in shock.
From the very first day she entered KM Biological Research Center and met He Muchen, the man had taken root in her heart.
In Ruan Yi’s eyes, He Muchen had always been a courteous, gentle, and refined presence.
He was a gentleman who never lost his composure in speech.
But now, He Muchen had actually said such things to her, humiliating her.
Ruan Yi couldn’t accept it all at once and ran off crying.
…
The rain came down with ferocity, and the mountain wind howled through the air, sounding rather frightening.
He Muchen sketched the appearance of the White Peacock on paper, drawing it over and over without satisfaction. The drafts were torn to shreds and scattered across the floor.
His mind was filled with the words Meng Qitang had spoken when she rejected him, and the look in Ruan Yi’s eyes as she gazed at him.
He was born proud, and he couldn’t bear the thought of his failed confession being witnessed by others. He couldn’t accept it.
Especially since Ruan Yi was one of his admirers.
He Muchen’s pride was wounded, and he refused to admit defeat so easily.
A phone call came in. He answered, his tone dripping with impatience. “What is it?”
The person on the other end was flustered—it was Ruan Yi’s team member, Xiao Xie.
“Team leader, Team Leader Ruan ran out a while ago and still hasn’t come back!”
He Muchen: “Ruan Yi is an adult. She should take responsibility for her own actions.”
Xiao Xie stammered on the other end of the line, unable to get a word out for a long while.
He Muchen was clearly losing patience. “Say what you need to say. Don’t waste each other’s time.”
A sudden clap of thunder rang out, startling Xiao Xie.
She no longer cared about anything else, clutching the phone as she spoke. “Team Leader He, Ruan Yi is the daughter of the Research Institute’s deputy director. Before we came, the deputy director specifically instructed us to ensure Team Leader Ruan’s safety!”
He Muchen’s brows furrowed instantly. He hadn’t expected Ruan Yi to have such a background.