Chapter 82

In the car, Yu Nianyi took the initiative to tell Sun Mengyao what she was thinking. She was still captivated by the scenery of Songshan; deep down, she still hoped to capture it herself with her own brush.

Sun Mengyao seemed to have expected as much. She said bluntly that Songshan was indeed a very good place for reference; if Yu Nianyi felt inspired by it, then she should just start painting.

At last, the matter was more or less settled for the time being, and the fog in Yu Nianyi’s heart cleared a little.

By the time they finished talking, they had already reached the entrance.

Chenxiao Bay.

Outside vehicles weren’t allowed inside, so Sun Mengyao had no choice but to park at the gate. But when she saw the car parked ahead that looked vaguely familiar, she let out a soft “Huh.” “I know this car. Isn’t that Chen Shuo’s?”

An Ning looked up at the sound as well.

Yu Nianyi froze for a second. Her hand instinctively rested on the edge of the window as she turned her head to look out.

It was a rather conspicuous dark green car, with no one in either the driver’s seat or the passenger seat. Beyond the hood, a man and a woman were clearly standing there, seemingly in the middle of a conversation.

Yu Nianyi’s gaze locked onto the woman. She was wearing the same clothes she’d worn out that morning; her coat was open, and the scarf wasn’t around her neck, but was being held in another man’s hand.

Yu Nianyi straightened slightly, a faint bitterness rising for no reason at all in her chest. She pressed her lips together and, almost unconsciously, tightened her grip on the car door handle.

The car came to a stop. Yu Nianyi pushed open the door at once and got out, striding quickly toward the two of them.

Xi Yu seemed to notice her. She glanced in Yu Nianyi’s direction, then stepped forward to take the gray scarf from Chen Shuo’s hand. Before Chen Shuo could react, she had already retreated several steps, keeping a normal social distance.

“...Careful. I remember you drank a lot just now; don’t bump into anything.”

As Yu Nianyi drew closer, Chen Shuo’s voice became clearer and clearer. Yu Nianyi kept her lips tightly pressed, shot a glance at Chen Shuo, whose face was full of concern, then looked at Xi Yu.

Xi Yu’s expression was still calm; a faint flush had crept onto the side of her face. She slowly lifted her eyes and looked straight at Yu Nianyi. “You’re back.”

As if she weren’t surprised at all that Yu Nianyi had come out.

Yu Nianyi answered with a soft “Mm” and moved closer to Xi Yu. The strong, pungent smell of alcohol rushed into her nose at once; she frowned slightly and reached out to steady Xi Yu’s arm.

“You drank a lot again tonight.” Yu Nianyi said almost reflexively. “Are you okay? Do you feel unwell?”

Xi Yu stood perfectly still. She slightly averted her gaze from Yu Nianyi and said quietly, “Mm. I’m fine.”

“Just now we were still talking about how busy you were with work, and then we happened to run into you after sending Nianyi back. What a coincidence.” Sun Mengyao walked over, first looking at Xi Yu and then at Chen Shuo. “...You two... came together?”

Chen Shuo smiled. “No, we just happened to meet too.”

“I was having dinner with some friends at a restaurant, and I happened to run into Xi Yu while she was discussing business. She’d had a bit too much to drink, so I gave her a ride back on the way.”

Sun Mengyao gave an “oh,” then glanced at An Ning beside her. The two exchanged a look and said nothing.

“No matter what, she did drink quite a lot. If no one’s with her, it would be very inconvenient.” Chen Shuo’s gaze rested on Xi Yu’s face. “Uncle and Aunt have always reminded us to stay in touch more. After all, our two families have always been as one, so we should help each other.”

“If there’s another time when you need to socialize, I’d be very happy to be the one drinking on your behalf.”

Yu Nianyi’s face turned cold. She instinctively glared at Chen Shuo across from her, then deliberately took Xi Yu’s hand and interlaced their fingers.

Xi Yu turned her head slightly to look at Yu Nianyi, then lowered her eyes to their joined hands.

Chen Shuo smiled and said nothing; his gaze slowly drifted to the two of them, their hands clasped so tightly.

“If I’m not mistaken, you’re Xi Yao’s friend?” Chen Shuo asked.

Yu Nianyi wore a fake smile. “Your memory is really good.”

Chen Shuo glanced around casually. “It’s so late; does that mean you live here too?”

The area where Xi Yu lived was considered exceptionally luxurious; whether it was the landscaping, transportation, or overall quality, it was among the very best in the industry.

Logically speaking, a normal student like Yu Nianyi simply couldn’t possibly live here.

Yu Nianyi angled her body slightly and subconsciously shielded Xi Yu behind her without saying anything.

“We really are fated, to be able to meet again.” Chen Shuo swept a glance at Xi Yu, who was standing quietly to the side, then said to Yu Nianyi, “If there’s another chance, we can have a meal together. I really appreciate students with talent like yours.”

Yu Nianyi said, “Thanks, but I’m very busy.”

Chen Shuo smiled and turned away on his own, asking An Ning about the pieces from the last exhibition; Sun Mengyao stood nearby and chimed in occasionally.

Xi Yu beside her was very quiet, and the hand held in Yu Nianyi’s was only faintly warm.

Both of them were quiet; neither spoke first.

Yu Nianyi could clearly feel the warm breath brushing lightly against the nape of her neck, the scent coming and going, carrying a faint chill. A soft jasmine fragrance wrapped around her; strands of black hair were occasionally lifted by the breeze and fell against Yu Nianyi’s shoulder and neck.

“I was having dinner with other managers tonight,” Xi Yu’s voice came from behind her. “It got too late, so I let them get off work first. In the gap while we were waiting for a taxi, we happened to run into each other.”

Yu Nianyi turned around with the motion. Xi Yu’s face was right in front of her; her eyes were lowered, not as clear as they were in the daytime. There was a trace of exhaustion between her brows, as if she were rather tired. Her hair was still neatly tied back, and she was still gripping the scarf tightly in her hand.

Yu Nianyi curved her eyes in a smile and pulled Xi Yu’s hand along with hers into the neighborhood. “I know. Sister Xi Yu works very hard.”

“It’s just that it would be better if you didn’t drink so much next time.”

Xi Yu gave a soft “Mm,” closed her eyes briefly, then slowly opened them again.

Sun Mengyao’s voice came from behind them. “Are you two heading back?”

When Yu Nianyi looked back again, Chen Shuo was already gone. Sun Mengyao and An Ning stood some distance away, watching them.

“Yes,” Yu Nianyi said, nodding in thanks. “Thank you, Sister Mengyao and Sister An Ning, for bringing me back.”

An Ning waved her hand. “Don’t mention it. President Xi seems like she drank a little too much; go back and rest quickly.”

Xi Yu really had drunk quite a bit tonight. The two were standing very close, and Yu Nianyi could clearly smell the pungent alcohol on her, stronger than last night.

Xi Yu also spoke very little, even less than usual.

For a moment, Yu Nianyi didn’t know what to say. Scenes of Xi Yu and Chen Shuo in the car kept surfacing in her mind, even the image of Chen Shuo supporting the drunk Xi Yu.

Maybe their relationship had never been as distant as Yu Nianyi had thought.

The two of them went upstairs in silence. Yu Nianyi scanned her face, unlocked the door, and pushed it open.

Xi Yu let go of their joined hands, set her coat down at the entryway, and headed straight for the bathroom. “You rest first. I’m going to shower; the smell is too strong.”

Yu Nianyi stood where she was. Before long, the faint sound of water came from the bathroom. Yu Nianyi looked toward the dark living room, turned on the light herself, and sat back down on the sofa.

Her gaze unconsciously drifted to the cage in the corner by the floor-to-ceiling window. A small lamp inside the cage was lit; Baby was curled up in the corner, completely still and especially quiet.

Yu Nianyi stared for a while, then looked toward the lit bathroom.

She stood up and went to the bar counter, making a cup of honey water and setting it on the table.

Then she walked to the door and knocked on the bathroom door.

The sound of water cut off at once; only the occasional drip could be heard.

“Sister Xi Yu, I made you some honey water.”

“Okay, I know.”

“Do you need me to come in and help you?”

“...No, you can rest. I’m going on a business trip out of town tomorrow morning; tonight I’ll sleep in the other room.”

Yu Nianyi froze. “It’s fine, I don’t mind...”

“Sun Mengyao said you’ve been preparing for the exhibition lately; you should have a better place to rest. My work schedule at the company has been unstable lately, so it’ll inevitably affect you.”

Yu Nianyi shook her head. “It won’t affect me...”

“Nian Nian.”

Yu Nianyi stiffened.

“I’m looking forward to seeing you create a work that satisfies you.”

-

Xi Yu seemed to have left very early. She was the only one left at home.

Yu Nianyi sat on the bed in a daze, staring at the painting on the wall that she had once given Xi Yu.

In the painting, Xi Yu was hidden in the dark, standing alone in the distance, looking at her from afar.

They were separated by a distance that seemed very close yet also very far. No matter how their bodies pressed together, some inexplicable emotion would still cling to them like a shadow.

Sometimes, if you weren’t paying attention, those baseless feelings could be ignored; but other times, once you noticed them, they could bring a deep sense of restlessness and irritation.

Yu Nianyi irritably gathered the hair at her cheek, tied it up at random, and swept it to the back of her head.

She glanced at the time. Six in the afternoon.

Yu Nianyi casually put on a coat and immediately took a taxi straight to Songshan Park.

At this hour, the sun hung slanting in the sky; the rosy-yellow light spread in soft layers, tinting even the clouds around it with color.

There weren’t many people in Songshan Park. Yu Nianyi still took the same path she had walked with Xi Yu before.

She slowly climbed a few steps, then looked around.

The sun was about to sink behind the mountain; the sky was full of dazzling crimson, and the surrounding world had fallen into a faint silence, as if even the wind had slowed.

Yu Nianyi took out her phone and turned on the recording function, found a few good angles, fixed her arm in place, and recorded for two minutes.

Then she found new angles and took some photos.

The scenery was completely different from the last time she had come, yet when she saw it on her phone screen, it still seemed inexplicably captivating.

Footsteps sounded not far away. Yu Nianyi reacted half a beat too slowly and looked over, just in time to meet the eyes of the aunt who was about to go down the steps.

“You again?” The aunt smiled. “It seems we’ve been especially fated lately.”

Yu Nianyi walked up a few steps and stopped in front of her. “Yes, it’s me again. Auntie, do you come here in the evenings too?”

“Not really. I had something to deal with this morning, so I only came over now. What about you? Why are you still alone? What are you here for?”

The aunt’s voice was very kind. Yu Nianyi smiled, and couldn’t help thinking of Xi Yu again.

“I’m preparing for a very important exhibition lately. What I plan to paint is the scenery around Songshan.”

The aunt exclaimed softly, looking pleasantly surprised. “That’s amazing.”

“So the last time we met, you were here for that too?”

“Yes. It’s very important to me.”

The aunt looked at Yu Nianyi, then reached out and patted her shoulder. “Even if it’s important, you can’t keep yourself too tense. Why not try relaxing a little? Maybe the result will turn out well too?”

Yu Nianyi smiled in thanks, lowered her head to look at the photos on her phone, and after a moment of silence suddenly said, “I know. It’s just that there’s someone I want to catch up to, so I hope I can become a little better.”

The aunt stood quietly to the side. This time, she didn’t speak, only reaching out to pat Yu Nianyi’s head. “Can you show me your photos?”

Yu Nianyi nodded and handed over her phone.

The aunt subconsciously took out the phone she carried with her, turned on the flashlight, then tilted it slightly to shine on the photos on the screen. After looking for a while, she said in surprise, “This is Songshan? You took it so well I almost didn’t recognize it... It’s really beautiful.”

Yu Nianyi smiled and asked instinctively, “Really?”

“Yes. I’ve been here for more than ten years, and this is the first time I’ve seen scenery like this. You took it very well...”