Chapter 55

At dawn the next day, Jiang Lai slipped out of her bedroom with a shoulder bag, only to run into Zhao Dan, who had come out to get some water.

The two of them froze when they saw each other.

“You—”

Zhao Dan looked at her daughter hesitantly. “It’s so early and you’re not sleeping. Where are you going?”

“I made plans with Zijin and the others to go hiking and watch the sunrise today.”

“At this hour? Isn’t that dangerous?”

“It’ll be fine. Don’t worry.”

As Jiang Lai bent down to tie her shoelaces, she reassured Zhao Dan. “We’re all experienced. It’s not even our first time going. Nothing will happen.”

“That’s good. Still, be careful.”

“I know. Go back and rest.”

After she went downstairs, she turned back and saw that the woman was still standing by the window, watching her.

Jiang Lai smiled knowingly and waved at her.

Yan Zijin’s car was already parked at the entrance to the neighborhood.

Without any politeness, Jiang Lai opened the passenger door and got in. “Let’s go. Do you want me to set the navigation?”

Hearing that, the girl curled her lip. “I say, Miss Jiang, you’re really planning to be a hands-off boss, huh?”

“Aw, I won’t. I’ll drive for you in a bit.”

“That’s more like it.”

There were barely any cars on the road in the early morning. Jiang Lai rolled the car window halfway down and let the night breeze pour in.

“How’s work lately?”

“Same as always. Annoying boss, annoying coworkers.”

Jiang Lai smiled and leaned back in her seat. “That mouth of yours is as sharp as ever.”

“Not as good as you, Designer Jiang.”

The car turned onto a side road and then pulled smoothly into the parking lot.

Maybe they had arrived a little early; there was hardly anyone at the foot of the mountain. After waiting about ten minutes, the others gradually arrived in twos and threes.

“I think everyone’s here now. Let’s head up—be careful on the way.”

The leader clapped his hands and laughed brightly. “Then I hope we all meet again at the summit.”

“Let’s go, Zijin.”

Jiang Lai tightened the backpack on her shoulders and climbed the steps one by one.

There were many hikers, and the climb wasn’t as tiring as she had expected.

During a rest break, she took out her phone to check it.

Xiaoman had sent her a message just a few minutes earlier.

Jiang Lai frowned, a little worried. It looked like the woman had pulled another night shoot today. Hadn’t they said it was only a quick guest appearance? Why did she have so many scenes? At this rate, could Aunt Cheng’s body even take it…

Her thoughts drifted away little by little.

“Alai, hurry up!”

Yan Zijin, who was ahead of her, waved.

“Coming.”

Jiang Lai put her phone back in her pocket, not noticing that her thumb had accidentally liked Xiaoman’s Moments post.

On the way, they passed a temple. Jiang Lai thought about it, then still stepped inside.

The room was thick with the scent of incense, and the restlessness in her heart gradually settled.

Jiang Lai asked for a stick of incense and knelt respectfully on a prayer cushion. She gazed devoutly at the Buddha statue before her and silently made her wish.

“I, your humble believer, ask for nothing else. I only hope You will bless Aunt Cheng with a smooth, peaceful life, free of disaster and hardship.”

With her hands clasped and her forehead touching the cushion, she heard the faintest footsteps behind her.

“What did you pray for?”

Yan Zijin looked at her, speaking very softly, as if afraid of disturbing the deity.

Jiang Lai placed the incense into the burner. Wisps of blue smoke drifted upward with the wind. “Nothing much.”

The two stood side by side, looking at the Buddha statue ahead of them.

“The master said that sincerity brings results; you’ll definitely get your wish.”

She turned her head to look at the girl and nodded slightly.

“Mm.”

Yan Zijin reached out and brushed the dust off her shoulder. “Come on. If we don’t keep going, we’ll miss the sunrise.”

They had fallen far behind the others, so the two of them pushed on with everything they had and finally reached the mountaintop before sunrise. There were many people, so they found a quieter spot.

“Alai, look!”

Yan Zijin’s delighted voice came from beside her.

Jiang Lai followed her gaze and, sure enough, saw the red sun slowly break free of the horizon and rise higher and higher.

For some reason, she suddenly found the courage to speak.

“Zijin, I have someone I like.”

“Huh?!”

Yan Zijin, still waiting for the next words, looked completely baffled. “Why did you stop? I’m still waiting. Who do you like?”

Jiang Lai looked into her eyes. “Cheng Shuyang.”

“Jiang Lai, are you crazy? Or are you joking with me?”

Jiang Lai shook her head, her voice calm. “I’m not crazy.”

“Alai!”

Seeing that Jiang Lai didn’t look like she was joking, Yan Zijin finally realized she was serious.

“Do you even know what you’re saying? You actually like Aunt Cheng? She’s so much older than you. The gap between you two is too big!”

“I can ignore all that.”

“Jiang Lai!”

The girl shook her shoulders. “Have you thought about Wanwan? What happens if she finds out?”

“Wanwan knows. She’s known for a long time.”

——

Cheng Shuyang had filmed a night scene all night; it wasn’t until the next morning that she finally got a little time to rest.

When Xiaoman pushed open the door, the woman was already leaning back in her chair, seeming to be asleep. She quietly closed the door and thoughtfully hung up a “Do Not Disturb” sign.

Just as she was thinking about what breakfast to buy for the woman, Jiang Lai’s call came through the next second.

“Say, Sister Alai, you’ve been calling me a lot lately!”

“Seeing through it but not saying it makes us good friends, doesn’t it?”

“So, what do you want now?”

After getting the woman’s filming location from Xiaoman, Jiang Lai decided to give her a surprise.

“It’s not that, Zijin, are you still mad at me…”

She leaned forward ingratiatingly.

The other girl simply reclined her seat flat, put on her sunglasses, and made it clear she didn’t want to talk.

Jiang Lai withdrew her hand awkwardly. “Um… I’m going to visit Aunt Cheng later. Do you want to come with me?”

Yan Zijin snorted. “Go? Of course I’m going!”

“If you’re going, then go. Why are you so loud…”

Jiang Lai muttered under her breath.

When they arrived on set, Jiang Lai didn’t see Cheng Shuyang anywhere. She asked several people in a row, but they all said they hadn’t seen her.

Helpless, she had no choice but to take out her phone and call Xiaoman again. Not long after, Xiaoman came running out to greet them.

“Why don’t I see Aunt Cheng?”

As Xiaoman took the things from their hands, she carefully pushed the door open. “Aunt Cheng just fell asleep. Let’s be quiet and don’t wake her—”

Her words cut off abruptly. The woman inside had somehow already woken up.

Seeing the three of them come in, she was still a little slow to react.

“Good morning, Aunt Cheng!” Jiang Lai greeted her with a bright smile.

The woman smiled and nodded, then looked at the girl behind her. “Zijin? Long time no see. You came too?”

“Mm. Alai said she was coming to visit you, so I came along.”

“Well? Aunt Cheng, were you pleasantly surprised?”

“You, though!”

Cheng Shuyang rolled her eyes at her irritably. “More like a scare.”

Jiang Lai pouted, but obediently placed the breakfast she had bought in front of the woman. “I’m not going to argue with you. You can scold me if you want, and I’ll listen nicely. But you have to eat breakfast. I specifically lined up for this at a popular shop. Try it—does it taste okay?”

Xiaoman, extremely tactful, immediately pulled Yan Zijin away, who was still watching the show. “Aunt Cheng, we’re going to hand out the coffee to the rest of the crew. We’ll be back soon.”

Before closing the door, she even gave Jiang Lai a mischievous wink.

“You came to visit this early. You didn’t sleep well last night, did you?” The woman set down her chopsticks and looked at her with a faint smile.

“Of course I slept well. Didn’t you say it yourself? Early to bed, early to rise, good for your health…”

The more Jiang Lai spoke, the guiltier she sounded. In the end, she simply clamped her mouth shut.

“Still lying? I saw you like Xiaoman’s Moments post in the middle of the night. Be honest—what were you doing last night?”

“Huh! That just means you didn’t get enough rest last night either. We’re both as bad as each other, so don’t accuse me.”

“Alai, you’re changing the subject.”

Jiang Lai chuckled twice. “I knew I couldn’t hide it from you. I went hiking with Zijin last night to watch the sunrise.”

“Was the sunrise beautiful?”

“Super beautiful. I even specially asked for a safety charm for you!”

As she spoke, she took a pouch from her shoulder bag and handed it over as if presenting a treasure.

The woman reached out and took it, her fingertips brushing over the embroidered character for good fortune. The smile in her eyes nearly overflowed. “You asked for this specially for me?”

“Mm.”

Jiang Lai nodded hard, her tone earnest. “The masters at the temple all said it’s effective. It can keep a person safe and at peace.”

“Alai, thank you. After climbing all that way, you still remembered me.”

“Anything that concerns you is never a trouble to me.”

The nearly naked confession was understood by the woman.

It was as if something had struck her heart, leaving it soft and aching.

The bowl of porridge was still faintly steaming, and the woman pushed it back in front of her.

“Tea—”

“This is too much. I can’t finish it. Let’s share it.”

“I bought it for you. If you can’t finish it, just leave the rest.”

The woman said nothing more, only reached out to ruffle her hair. “Tired?”

Most of her excitement had already faded, and what came next was a wave of overwhelming sleepiness.

She yawned. “A little.”

“There’s a small bedroom inside. You can go rest for a bit.”

“Then remember to eat more breakfast.”

“Okay.”

The door closed, and the room returned to silence.

The sound of chopsticks against the bowl was especially crisp.

She ate a few bites, then found she couldn’t bring herself to continue. Without the girl beside her chattering away, even her appetite seemed to have disappeared.

Her temples suddenly began to throb; it was the aftereffect of staying up all night.

She quietly pushed the door open. Jiang Lai was already curled up in the corner, fast asleep. Cheng Shuyang smiled helplessly. “And you say you’re not sleepy…”

Still, she carefully tucked the blanket around her.

When she opened her hand, that safety charm lay quietly in her palm.

She looked down at it for a while, then at the sleeping person on the bed. Her left hand gently closed around the girl’s hand outside the blanket.

“Silly thing…”

The woman sighed, her gaze resting on the girl’s face. “If you could just be fine, why would I ever need this safety charm…”

Author’s note:

There are only a few chapters left before they get together. We’ll talk about the angst later—our little couple can be sweet first.