The bathing area at the inn was nothing more than an open space in the corner of the courtyard. It was right beside the courtyard wall and the neighboring building, with only a tattered cloth curtain hanging across the front for privacy.
Xie Yucheng went in first to take a quick shower, then returned to the room and called Wen Shiqing out to wash.
Night had fallen, and the moon was the brightest light in the sky.
Wen Shiqing carried her clothes into the bathing area. Behind the curtain, the sound of splashing water could be heard from time to time.
Xie Yucheng didn’t go inside. Instead, he leaned against the courtyard wall a short distance away. The curtain didn’t reach all the way to the ground, revealing a small section of slender, fair ankle moving about inside.
His teeth suddenly felt itchy with irritation. He lowered his gaze, reached into his pocket, and pulled out a cigarette.
The glowing red tip of the cigarette rested between his fingers. He tipped his head back and slowly exhaled a pale cloud of smoke from deep within his lungs, his thoughts drifting away with it.
After her shower, Wen Shiqing felt clean and refreshed. Wearing a light, cool outfit, she hurried back into the room in small steps, shutting the night outside.
The breeze stirred the girl’s soft fragrance, faintly reminiscent of gardenias. The delicate scent quickly filled the entire room.
“Finished showering?”
Xie Yucheng was sitting at the table.
“Mm.”
Wen Shiqing lowered her eyes and rubbed her hair with a towel. When her gaze happened to fall on the bed inside the room, a blush inexplicably spread across her face.
“Dry your hair and go to bed early.”
Xie Yucheng stood and walked toward the door.
“Where are you going?”
“To sleep in the truck.”
He looked at her in confusion, apparently thinking she had something she wanted to say.
Wen Shiqing’s face grew even redder.
So he was going to sleep in the truck.
When she remained silent, Xie Yucheng reminded her, “Lock the door. Make sure you bolt it from the inside before you go to sleep.”
“I know.”
The man opened the door and strode away.
Not long afterward, he returned, pushed against the door, and only after confirming that it wouldn’t open did he feel reassured enough to go back to the truck.
The mountain air wasn’t particularly hot at night. A gentle breeze drifted through the darkness, cool and pleasant.
Several large trucks were parked outside the courtyard. A few men were sleeping in their respective vehicles. Every truck window was left open. It kept the air circulating and made the interior cooler, while also allowing the drivers to hear any noises outside and guard against thieves who might come to steal their fuel.
If government-owned truck fuel was stolen, it wasn’t necessarily a driver’s personal loss. But with their own trucks, every drop of fuel came out of their own pockets. That was why most truck drivers slept in their vehicles.
Xie Yucheng lay down in the sleeper berth at the back of the truck, using his arm as a pillow.
After loading cargo in the morning and driving all afternoon, exhaustion quickly overtook him, and he fell asleep before long.
He didn’t know what time it was during the night. The sky was still dark when the truck door was quietly pulled open.
Xie Yucheng had always been highly alert. At the slightest sound, he immediately opened his eyes warily.
A familiar, faint floral fragrance drifted toward him.
Wen Shiqing had taken off her shoes and climbed into the narrow sleeper berth, curling up against his chest.
“I was scared sleeping alone.”
Her voice was soft and airy, the last syllable trembling slightly.
Inside the cramped cab, her soft body pressed close against him. She shifted from time to time in her sleep, unconsciously snuggling closer.
Xie Yucheng’s face went pale, and he remained completely rigid.
“Xie Yucheng.”
She called his name softly.
“Your heart is beating so fast.”
The sweetness of her breath brushed against his jaw as she spoke, sending a shiver through him.
Xie Yucheng gripped her waist and scolded her in a low voice.
“Get down.”
She only wriggled closer.
“No. I want to sleep here.”
Moonlight streamed through the windows.
The girl lifted her head and looked straight into his eyes.
“Xie Yucheng, what are you afraid of?”
“I’m not.”
“Then why won’t you look at me?”
“Go back to your room and sleep.”
He tried to push her away, but she wouldn’t move.
Wen Shiqing leaned down and kissed him.
Their lips briefly met, and the closeness left him visibly shaken.
Xie Yucheng swallowed hard, his breathing tightening as he struggled to maintain control.
“Do you know what you’re doing?” he asked through clenched teeth.
The girl gave a soft laugh.
“You like me. Why don’t you dare admit it?”
Her fingertips brushed his lips as she whispered beside his ear,
“Xie Yucheng, you’re a coward.”
Her delicate, beautiful eyes seemed to hold an irresistible pull.
Xie Yucheng closed his eyes and refused to look at her.
Coldly, he said, “I don’t like you.”
“You’re lying! If you don’t like me, then why are you always so good to me? Why do you buy me little cakes? Why do you give me presents? Why do you only order the food I like? Why do you stay outside while I take a shower?”
She relentlessly exposed every one of his excuses, refusing to let him hide behind his words.
Xie Yucheng suddenly opened his dark eyes and stared straight at her.
The girl smiled slyly.
“Xie Yucheng, your actions are much more honest than your words.”
She kissed him again.
“Wen Shiqing…”
His voice was hoarse, his eyes reddened as he fought desperately to keep himself under control.
“Xie Yucheng, what are you afraid of? My mother never registered a marriage with Uncle Xie. You know that, don’t you?”
“I know.”
“And there isn’t any blood relation between you and me.”
“I know.”
His Adam’s apple bobbed.
“Kiss me,” she whispered.
The restraint he had maintained for so long finally broke. What followed was a moment neither of them could take back, as the feelings he had desperately suppressed overwhelmed his reason.
Dawn broke.
Outside, the courtyard had already become noisy. Before six in the morning, many truck drivers had finished breakfast and started their engines, preparing to leave.
The rumbling of trucks and the chirping of birds in the woods abruptly pulled Xie Yucheng awake.
He opened his eyes and suddenly sat upright.
It took him a moment to realize that the events of the night had only been a reckless dream.
A thin layer of sweat covered his forehead.
He rubbed his face in frustration and slammed his fist against the seat beside him. A powerful wave of shame and self-loathing surged through him.
At breakfast, Wen Shiqing held a bowl of rice porridge and asked,
“Ge, did you not sleep well last night?”
She could see the exhaustion written all over his face.
“Mm. A little.”
Xie Yucheng rubbed his temples.
“Next time, you should sleep in the inn too.”
He was distracted and didn’t respond.
He wolfed down breakfast without really tasting any of it, unable to tell whether the food was salty or sweet.
When the two had packed their things and were preparing to leave, a familiar person suddenly got out of a vehicle that had just pulled into the courtyard.
It was a driver from Xie Yucheng’s former workplace, someone who had also been on good terms with his father.
After learning that the man was heading back into the city, Xie Yucheng handed him a cigarette and asked,
“Uncle Zhang, since you’re going back to the city, could you take my sister with you?”
The other man readily agreed.
“Sure. Give me a moment. I’ll go have something to eat first.”
Uncle Zhang walked into the courtyard.
Wen Shiqing couldn’t believe her ears. She stared at Xie Yucheng in shock.
He had clearly agreed to let her travel with him.
Why was he suddenly going back on his word?
“Ge, I’m not going back. I want to go with you to deliver the cargo.”