Lu Xue originally wanted to take a few more strolls outside. But then she thought that Old Mr. Chen had already gone back to his room to rest early, starting his elderly's health - preserving routine.
It wasn't appropriate for Lu Xue to wander around outside, fearing that she might wake Old Mr. Chen up.
Bored, she lay in the pitch - black room with her eyes wide open, staring at the ceiling one moment and out of the window the next.
She wanted to chat with Mu Yuze, about anything really, just to kill the long and boring time.
However, Mu Yuze was extremely taciturn. For every three sentences Lu Xue said, he would only reply with one.
Most of the time, he just lay quietly on the floor, with his hands behind his head, seemingly lost in thought as he stared at the moonlight on the floor.
Seeing that Mu Yuze wasn't very interested in chatting, Lu Xue also fell silent.
After a while, Mu Ziyue's call came in.
Finally finding someone to talk to, Lu Xue was a bit excited. She immediately sat up straight from the bed and answered the call.
"Mu Ziyue, aren't you asleep yet?"
On the other end of the line, Mu Ziyue rolled her eyes mentally. It was still early! Usually, she wouldn't go to bed until midnight. At this time, she might still be at a party somewhere!
"Let me ask you, did my brother catch up with you today?"
Lu Xue glanced at Mu Yuze on the floor. Afraid that Mu Yuze would find out they were talking about him, she replied nervously with a soft "um".
On the other end, Mu Ziyue finally heaved a sigh of relief. "I knew it... When you were about to leave today, I kept persuading my brother to chase after you. I thought it would be good to escort you for a while anyway. But my brother was so awkward and refused to go. He was probably afraid of being too proactive. In the end, I pushed him out of the door. You two should have met up long ago, right?"
Lu Xue glanced at Mu Yuze on the floor again and replied nervously with another "um".
No wonder Mu Yuze had suddenly appeared when she was in trouble. It turned out that he had been following her all the way.
She chatted with Mu Ziyue for a while longer and then hung up the phone. But for some reason, the room seemed even quieter, and the atmosphere was even more awkward than before.
After a while, Lu Xue said, "Thank you for what happened during the day."
Mu Yuze turned his head. He knew Lu Xue was referring to the time when he had grabbed her during the heavy rain in the daytime.
His tone was flat as he said, "It's nothing. Just a small thing."
"Why did you show up at that moment?"
Although Lu Xue already knew the reason from Mu Ziyue, she still wanted to hear Mu Yuze say it himself. But after waiting for a few seconds, she only heard Mu Yuze say in a flat tone.
"Just passing by."
Just passing by? Lu Xue felt like laughing and crying at the same time, but she didn't expose him.
She just said "um" and climbed back into her bed, lying down obediently.
The next morning when they got up, Old Mr. Chen was especially enthusiastic. He prepared breakfast for the two of them and casually asked about their backgrounds at the dining table.
When he learned that Mu Yuze was currently planning a large - scale art exhibition, Old Mr. Chen slapped his thigh and said with a laugh.
"Yes, yes! I said your name sounded so familiar. Now I finally remember. Didn't you invite me to an art exhibition once?"
Mu Yuze nodded and said with a smile, "Yes, Mr. Chen. We even had a cooperation a few years ago. But over the years, you've retired from the circle and rarely show up in public. We've also heard that you've been keeping a low profile, so we didn't want to bother you anymore."
Old Mr. Chen burst into laughter and suddenly found Mu Yuze more likable.
He patted Mu Yuze on the shoulder and said, "I just don't want too many nosy media to disrupt my life. But if you need my help there, I can come at any time."
Mu Yuze nodded with a smile. "Thank you, Mr. Chen."
After breakfast, Old Mr. Chen specifically invited Lu Xue to go up the mountain with him.
"Life in the mountains is a bit tough. There's no signal and not many smart home appliances here, so we have to rely on ourselves for everything. I've built a small cottage halfway up the mountain. When I'm free, I'll invite friends up there to drink tea and chat."
Lu Xue was of course happy to go. Before setting off, she even helped Mu Yuze organize his luggage.
"Are you going back to the company today? I saw that many of your things got wet in the rain yesterday, so I moved them to the yard to dry. I've packed the rest into this suitcase. If you're leaving, just put this small suitcase in the trunk."
Mu Yuze fell silent for a moment. He didn't want to leave, but Lu Xue had already so eagerly organized his luggage for his departure. How much did she wish for him to disappear in her heart...
...
Lu Xue went up the mountain and drank tea and chatted with Old Mr. Chen in the small cottage halfway up. They came down the mountain in the evening, walking on the small path with their hiking sticks under the colorful evening glow.
On the way, Lu Xue stopped at a nice scenic spot and took a few pictures of the sunset with her phone.
She couldn't help but sigh that she couldn't remember how long it had been since she'd seen such a beautiful sight.
The colors of red, orange, yellow, and blue intertwined, covering half of the sky.
Walking under such a sunset, she felt that all her previous petty troubles had faded away.
She walked downhill all the way, humming a song. Halfway down, she saw a familiar figure standing at the foot of the mountain.