The moment Lin Mo stepped inside, she froze.
The room was enormous, more than twice the size of the one she had rented at the inn before.
Elegant furnishings filled the space. Sunlight streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows, bathing everything in a warm golden glow. Beyond the glass doors stretched a spacious balcony, and from the bed, she could see distant snow-capped mountains standing proudly against the endless blue sky.
Every amenity she could possibly need had already been prepared.
This wasn’t employee housing.
It looked more like a luxury suite.
No matter how slow she was when it came to understanding people’s intentions, even Lin Mo could tell that Danzeng had gone out of his way for her.
She immediately waved her hands.
“No, no. This room is way too big.”
She shook her head firmly.
“It’s not suitable for me. Just give me a smaller one.”
“What a coincidence.”
Danzeng smiled as though he had anticipated her reaction.
“This is the only room available.”
He looked completely sincere.
“The others are already occupied.”
After a brief pause, he added casually,
“Unless you’d prefer staying in one of the guest rooms?”
Before Lin Mo could even respond, he had already disappeared downstairs.
A few minutes later, he returned carrying her luggage from the lobby.
“The room would be empty anyway.”
He set her suitcase down beside the bed.
“Besides, volunteers aren’t paid.”
His lips curved slightly.
“If anything, I’m the one taking advantage of you.”
His tone left no room for refusal.
“Take today to rest properly.”
“You can start tomorrow.”
Lin Mo opened her mouth to protest.
Then closed it again.
What she didn’t know was that this wasn’t an unused spare room at all.
It was Danzeng’s private bedroom.
He simply wanted her to have the best room in the entire guesthouse.
As for himself…
A rough-and-ready man like him could sleep anywhere.
Any guest room would do.
For the rest of the afternoon, Lin Mo barely left the balcony.
The weather was perfect.
Every time she lifted her eyes, she was greeted by a breathtaking view of cattle and sheep scattered across the grasslands below, grazing peacefully beneath towering snow-covered peaks.
The sight was so beautiful that it hardly seemed real.
Now that she finally had a place to stay, the anxiety that had followed her for days gradually faded away.
Even the lingering discomfort from altitude sickness seemed to dissolve beneath the clear plateau sunshine.
She dragged a wicker chair onto the balcony.
Then she took out her sketchbook and pencils.
Before long, she was completely absorbed in drawing.
The distant mountains.
The endless grasslands.
The rolling clouds drifting across the sky.
Line after line appeared beneath her pencil.
Time slipped away unnoticed.
The sun slowly crossed the heavens.
The shadows lengthened.
Only when a dull ache crept into her fingers did she finally stop.
Stretching slightly, she lowered her pencil and looked at her finished sketch.
A smile unconsciously appeared on her lips.
The landscape captured on paper was pure and tranquil.
Beautiful beyond words.
More importantly, it brought her a sense of fulfillment she hadn’t felt in a very long time.
A rare feeling of peace.
Picking up her phone, she took a photo of the distant snow mountains.
After hesitating briefly, she opened her Moments feed.
She hadn’t posted anything there in years.
After staring at the screen for a few seconds, she typed two simple words.
Frozen Time.
Then she tapped Post.
Almost immediately, a message notification popped up.
You went to Zeba Village?
The sender was Cizhen.
Yeah.
Lin Mo replied.
The response came instantly.
I was just about to check on you! You left so suddenly that day, I never even got the chance to properly play host!
Just reading the message, Lin Mo could imagine Cizhen pouting dramatically on the other side of the screen.
A smile tugged at her lips.
There’ll be plenty of chances later.
Sigh. My mom drafted me into helping at the shop. I’ve been working every day lately. Once this busy period is over, I’ll come visit you. It’s been ages since I’ve gone there anyway.
Sounds good. Focus on work first.
Lin Mo had only just set her phone down when it rang again.
The caller ID displayed a familiar name.
Wang Pei.
A genuine smile instantly spread across her face.
Wang Pei had been her university classmate.
The two had met during a design competition and quickly bonded through their shared interests.
One was outgoing and lively.
The other was quiet and reserved.
Their personalities complemented each other perfectly.
To make things even better, they came from the same hometown.
Over the years, their friendship deepened until they became inseparable.
Lin Mo had never been someone with many friends.
She was slow to warm up to people.
Which made the friendships she did have all the more precious.
Back when she was dating Qin Fengzhou, she often dragged Wang Pei along whenever they went out.
With the three of them together, everything felt livelier.
The moment the call connected, Wang Pei’s energetic voice exploded from the speaker.
“My princess! You finally remembered that your Moments account exists!”
There was obvious mock resentment in her tone.
“Where is that scenery?”
“It’s gorgeous!”
Lin Mo laughed.
“Genie.”
“I’m in Zeba Village.”
“Genie?”
Wang Pei sounded surprised.
“That’s western Sichuan, right?”
“Why did you run all the way out there?”
“You’ve disappeared for so long I was starting to think aliens abducted you!”
Lin Mo couldn’t help laughing.
“I just wanted to get away for a while.”
“Clear my head.”
“Who clears their head by running halfway across the country?”
Wang Pei snorted.
“Although when it comes to western Sichuan, the only thing I know is Ding Zhen.”
“You know, that ridiculously handsome guy who went viral.”
Her voice immediately turned suspicious.
“Tell me honestly.”
“Are there lots of rugged handsome men over there?”
Lin Mo could practically hear her drooling through the phone.
“I guess there are a few.”
As soon as the words left her mouth, a pair of deep, intense eyes surfaced in her mind.
Danzeng’s eyes.
Dark as midnight.
Steady and powerful.
Without warning, her cheeks warmed slightly.
“I knew it!”
Wang Pei practically screamed.
“With your face, you should kidnap a few Khampa heartthrobs and bring them back for me!”
Lin Mo laughed helplessly.
Then Wang Pei suddenly remembered something.
“Oh, right.”
Her tone shifted.
“After you left, Qin Fengzhou contacted me several times.”
“He kept asking where you went after graduation.”
“I ignored him.”
Lin Mo’s fingers tightened around the phone.
For a moment, she was silent.
The name Qin Fengzhou felt strangely distant now.
As though it belonged to another chapter of her life.
Back then, they had been classmates.
He had pursued her for a long time.
Between his persistence and the constant encouragement from their friends, she eventually agreed to give the relationship a chance.
Besides, she had never dated before.
As an art student who spent most of her time buried in books and projects, she often felt disconnected from everyone else’s experiences.
But even after they got together…
Nothing ever truly changed.
No spark.
No heartbeat.
No overwhelming happiness.
In the end, they broke up peacefully.
“We broke up ages ago.”
Lin Mo lowered her gaze.
“Why is he looking for me now?”
“What else could it be?”
Wang Pei sighed.
“He can’t let you go.”
Her voice softened slightly.
“You sound calm now, but he was miserable after the breakup.”
“One night he got drunk and called me.”
“He kept crying.”
Lin Mo was stunned.
“He said he couldn’t reach you.”
“No matter how hard he tried.”
“No matter what he did.”
“He could never warm your heart.”
Wang Pei paused.
“He said he gave everything he had.”
“But he still couldn’t find a place inside it.”
The balcony fell silent.
A complicated emotion stirred within Lin Mo.
Qin Fengzhou had always been sincere.
He saved seats for her in the library.
Remembered that she hated cilantro.
Whenever she stayed up late working on design projects, he would appear with hot milk tea.
He was kind.
Thoughtful.
Patient.
Yet after more than half a year together…
The only thing she ever felt was gratitude.
Never love.
His affection felt heavy.
Like a weight pressing against her chest.
Even simple acts such as holding hands or hugging felt unnatural to her.
“You really are unbelievable.”
Wang Pei sounded both amused and helpless.
“Everyone thinks you’re cold and aloof.”
“Only I know the truth.”
“You’re just ridiculously slow when it comes to emotions.”
She laughed.
“Do you know how many people liked you back in university?”
“The senior from the neighboring department.”
“The junior who kept bringing you art supplies.”
“There were so many.”
“You just never noticed.”
“You spent every day either hiding in the library or running around galleries and exhibitions.”
“And whenever you weren’t doing that, you were taking freelance illustration jobs.”
Her tone grew increasingly dramatic.
“Qin Fengzhou practically fought his way through an army of rivals to get to you.”
“Everyone saw it.”
“Everyone except you.”
Lin Mo couldn’t help laughing.
A trace of self-mockery lingered in her smile.
“Really?”
“That many people liked me?”
“How come I never knew?”
Then she sighed dramatically.
“If I’d known I was so popular, I should’ve dated a few more times.”
“What a waste of my glorious youth.”
“You’re hopeless!”
Wang Pei burst into laughter.
“Only when you’re talking to me do you dare say things like that.”
After laughing for a while, she suddenly became serious.
“But honestly…”
“Qin Fengzhou was a great catch.”
“Good family.”
“Good looks.”
“Absolutely devoted to you.”
“You just never took him seriously.”
Her voice softened.
“Men have pride too.”
“No matter how passionate someone is, if they never receive a response, eventually their heart gets tired.”
She paused briefly.
“Still…”
“Judging from how he is now, he’s obviously not over you.”
A teasing note entered her voice once more.
“So?”
“Want to give him another chance?”
“Maybe rekindle the romance?”
Lin Mo lifted her eyes toward the distant mountains.
The sunlight had grown brighter.
The dazzling white peaks almost forced her to squint.
In her memories, Qin Fengzhou possessed a heart that burned fiercely.
His smile was warm.
His eyes always carried unmistakable affection whenever he looked at her.
But those memories were becoming increasingly blurry.
Like footprints slowly disappearing beneath drifting snow.
Sooner or later, they would vanish completely.
“No.”
Her answer was soft.
Yet unwavering.
“What’s over is over.”
She smiled faintly.
“My future is uncertain enough already.”
“Right now, I can barely take care of myself.”
A hint of self-deprecation crept into her voice.
“I shouldn’t drag a perfectly good young man down with me.”
“Drag him down?”
Wang Pei immediately exploded.
“Stop talking nonsense!”
“You’re not allowed to think so little of yourself!”
“If you nodded your head right now, the line of men chasing after you would stretch all the way to France!”
“Anyone lucky enough to win your favor should be thanking their ancestors!”
Her voice was filled with absolute conviction.
“In my eyes…”
“You’re a perfect girl.”
The words were exaggerated.
Ridiculously exaggerated.
Just like Wang Pei always was.
Yet beneath the humor was unmistakable sincerity.
And for the first time in a long while, Lin Mo found herself smiling from the bottom of her heart.