Chapter 91
Although Wen Yan’s hand injury wasn’t serious, the department still wouldn’t let her operate.
Until her hand healed, Wen Yan could forget about picking up a hammer again.
Since things were already like this, she simply took a long leave and went along with Jin Zijin to have some fun.
Their first stop was the temple recommended by her grandmother.
March had already brought the warmth of spring; it was the season of misty, lingering rain.
By the time the plane landed, a light drizzle was falling.
On the drive from the airport to the foot of the mountain where the temple stood, the rain never let up.
Mountain rain carried the scent of pine needles and wet blue stone. It pattered softly against the car window, blurring into a hazy veil of water streaks, as if someone had gently washed the glass with a brush.
Wen Yan lowered the window a little. Thin threads of rain drifted in through the crack, cool and refreshing against her skin.
She couldn’t help taking a deep breath.
Jin Zijin was still handling work on the road. When she caught sight of Wen Yan’s movement from the corner of her eye, she asked with a smile, “Do you like it that much?”
Wen Yan nodded, brightening a little. “I like it a lot.”
It had been many years since she’d last been in the spring mountains.
Now that she was back after so long, and sharing spring with the one she loved, she was especially excited.
The closer they got to the mountains, the more vivid spring seemed to become, and Wen Yan’s mood grew lighter and lighter.
The temple was at the summit of a national scenic area. By the time the car reached the mountain foot, Jin Zijin had almost finished dealing with her work.
Her assistant, Xu Ming, had already arranged everything.
Their large luggage and change of clothes had been sent ahead long before, directly to the temple guest rooms at the top of the mountain.
Even the supplies for the hike and the places to rest along the way had all been arranged in advance.
After the car stopped, Xu Ming got out first. From the trunk, she took out two tiny, palm-sized mini backpacks.
Holding one bag in one hand and a black umbrella in the other, she opened the door and handed them over. “Miss Wen, President Jin... these are your hiking bags.”
“Inside are tissues, hand warmers, a small bottle of iodine, and the basic things you’ll need.”
“You only need to carry these up the mountain. I’ve already prepared the hiking supplies and trekking poles. I’ll be following along with the bodyguards the whole way, so if you need anything, just call us.”
Wen Yan took the backpack and thanked her.
Xu Ming said, “You’re welcome.”
Then she stepped back in perfect decorum, holding the umbrella at the door like a loyal knight so the two of them wouldn’t get wet.
Wen Yan got out first, slinging the two small packs over her shoulders. Standing beside Jin Zijin, she held out her hand. “Give me the umbrella.”
Xu Ming handed it over without a moment’s hesitation.
Wen Yan took it in her left hand, then turned and shielded Jin Zijin under it as Jin Zijin got out while adjusting her jacket.
Her steps were steady on the slick blue-stone stairs; without a word, she tilted the umbrella well toward Jin Zijin, sheltering her completely under the dry canopy and leaving only Wen Yan’s own shoulder exposed to the rain.
The very first thing Jin Zijin did after getting out of the car was reach out and grab Wen Yan’s right wrist, holding it firmly, afraid that stray raindrops would get on the bandage.
“I told you not to force it. I can hold the umbrella.” Jin Zijin frowned as she looked up, brushing raindrops off Wen Yan’s shoulder.
There was a hint of complaint in her tone, but concern filled her eyes. “Your hand isn’t healed yet. What if it gets inflamed again after getting wet?”
Wen Yan curved her lips and let her fuss.
With her left hand, she tightened her grip on the umbrella handle and drew Jin Zijin a little closer, her voice slightly hoarse from the rain. “I’m not that delicate. It’s already scabbed over; it’s fine.”
“I say it’s a problem, so it’s a problem.” Jin Zijin was completely unreasonable as she reached for the small backpack on Wen Yan’s shoulder. “Give me the bag too. You just hold my left hand.”
“No need. It just has some odds and ends; it’s not heavy.” Wen Yan smiled and dodged away. “The assistant already sent the big luggage up. We can’t let you carry even a small bag.”
The two of them were being all sweet and clingy, and the assistants and bodyguards behind them looked at one another, all of them getting a little toothache from it.
In the end, Wen Yan won out. She carried the two hiking bags and, with her left hand holding the umbrella, began to escort Jin Zijin up the mountain.
Xu Ming and the others followed behind them, watching Wen Yan in her sky-blue jacket leave with easy composure. Silently, they gave a thumbs-up.
As expected of the top side.
Even with one injured hand, she was still the top!
————————
The two of them climbed the thousand-year-old blue-stone steps up the mountain.
The rain continued to fall in a fine, drifting veil, as if a thin gauze were wrapped around the whole mountain.
Towering ancient pines stood on both sides of the path, their sturdy branches reaching into the rain and mist. Crystal raindrops hung on the needles; when the wind blew, they trembled loose in a rustling shower and struck the umbrella with a soft, staccato sound.
The distant peaks were hidden in clouds, revealing only faint blue-gray outlines, like an ink-wash painting slowly bleeding out.
All those irritating little troubles seemed to dissolve the moment they met this vast, mist-shrouded mountain rain. Even Wen Yan’s head, stuffed full of worries, seemed to empty out.
Considering Jin Zijin’s stamina, Wen Yan walked much more slowly than usual.
She held Jin Zijin’s left hand, placing each step steadily along the outer edge of the stairs and leaving the easier, drier path by the mountainside to the person beside her.
Right then, surrounded by rain and mist in the mountain forest, even her breathing seemed to slow to the rhythm of the wind.
Jin Zijin stayed tucked firmly inside, her gaze falling every so often to Wen Yan’s right hand hanging at her side.
She was afraid Wen Yan might accidentally bump or scrape it, so her own steps slowed even more.
After walking for more than an hour, Xu Ming, who trailed behind them, guessed Jin Zijin must be thirsty and quietly handed over two bottles of warmed honey water before tactfully retreating again.
Wen Yan took the water, opened the bottle cap, and held it to Jin Zijin’s lips, her voice gentle. “Drink some water and soothe your throat. Tired? There’s a tea pavilion up ahead where we can rest for a while before continuing.”
“I’m not tired.” Jin Zijin drank two mouthfuls from her hand and shook her head, leaning a little closer.
The two of them were squeezed beneath the same umbrella. Wen Yan could smell the familiar loquat fragrance on her, mixed with the crisp scent of grass and wood; it was especially reassuring.
“It’s been a long time since I’ve walked with you like this and really settled down. It’s nice.” Jin Zijin looked up toward the mountaintop hidden in the clouds and said softly, “Before, I always thought that talking contracts, fighting for projects, and making plans were the most fulfilling things in the world.”
“Now, when I meet a day like this, being able to just slow down and walk together feels pretty interesting too.”
She liked the time she spent with Wen Yan. Rainy days, snowy days—no matter what the weather was like, as long as they were together, even doing nothing felt impossible to tire of.
Wen Yan sensed the shift in her mood with exquisite clarity, and her heart itched a little.
She reached out and pulled Jin Zijin into her arms, resting her chin on the top of her head.
With her palm gently patting Jin Zijin’s back through the light jacket, she asked softly, “What about now? Is it even better?”
Jin Zijin muffled a laugh in her arms. “Now is good for taking pictures.”
Saying that, she reached into the pocket of her jacket and pulled out Hengxing’s latest portrait-style handheld camera. She turned it on, aimed it at their faces, and said, “Smile. Cheese!”
Wen Yan instinctively smiled, and the moment froze, capturing the two of them inside the camera.
————————
The two of them kept taking pictures as they walked, and after another hour or so, the rain gradually eased.
At a fork in the road halfway up the mountain stood a small porridge shop beside a mountain stream.
Its signboard was made of raw wood, with two warm-yellow lanterns hanging from it. In the misty rain, they looked like two little suns.
Xu Ming had already reserved a window seat in advance and even told the owner ahead of time what flavors the two of them liked.
When they pushed the door open, a wave of warm air mixed with the fragrance of rice porridge rushed out to meet them.
The owner came up smiling and led the whole bustling group inside. “Dr. Wen, President Jin, I’ve kept your seats for you. The mushroom porridge will be ready soon. Please have a cup of hot tea first and warm yourselves up.”
Jin Zijin nodded, pulled out a chair for Wen Yan, and only took her own seat across from her after Wen Yan sat down.
Wen Yan glanced around. There weren’t many customers; only their group was here.
Curious, she asked, “Did you book out the whole place again?”
Jin Zijin picked up the teapot with her left hand and poured Wen Yan a cup of warm black tea. Hearing this, she laughed helplessly. “What do you mean, book out the whole place?”
She handed the teacup over and said, “The weather’s bad, and we’re walking slowly. Of course there aren’t many people at this hour.”
As if.
She was clearly the one who had booked it out.
Wen Yan didn’t expose her. She took the tea Jin Zijin handed over and sipped it in small mouthfuls.
Not long after, a pot of thick mushroom-and-shredded-chicken porridge was brought out.
It came with two plates of crisp pickled radish, a dish of cold mixed Tai Mountain bamboo shoots, and a basket of soft steamed vegetable buns; everything was light and exactly to their taste.
The clay pot gurgled away, and the fresh fragrance spread instantly.
Jin Zijin served her a bowl first, then blew on a spoonful until it cooled before holding it to Wen Yan’s lips. “Eat slowly. It’s hot right out of the pot.”
Wen Yan instinctively glanced at the people around them, her face hot. “I can do it myself. You don’t need to feed me.”
“Less nonsense. Eat it quickly.”
Wen Yan’s ears turned red, and she obediently opened her mouth.
The warm porridge slid into her stomach, driving away the chill from the journey and slowly melting even the unease buried deep inside her heart.
Outside, the fine rain was still falling. Inside, it was warm and cozy, with only the two of them speaking softly and the faint sound of water flowing in the stream.
All the troubles seemed to have gone far away, leaving only the person before her, like a little hidden paradise.
“This is really nice.” Wen Yan finished half a bowl of porridge and looked at the rain and mist outside the window, speaking softly. “It’s so quiet. It feels like even the messy things outside can’t get in.”
“If you like it, we can come often in the future.” Jin Zijin reached out and wiped the porridge from the corner of her mouth with her fingertip, smiling gently. “Come for a spring outing in spring, escape the heat in summer, see the red leaves in autumn, and come watch the snow in winter.”
“We’ll come in every season.”
Wen Yan looked at the light in her eyes, curved her lips, and nodded hard. “Okay.”
————————
After finishing the porridge and resting for a while, the two of them shouldered their small bags and continued upward.
Xu Ming and the bodyguards still followed from a distance, not disturbing them at all, giving them plenty of private space while still ensuring their safety.
The rain had completely stopped.
Wen Yan put away the umbrella, and everything before her seemed even more expansive.
The clouds and mist gradually parted, revealing the dark blue-green mountain peaks.
By the time the sky began to dim, stars had already appeared across the heavens. One by one, they shone with startling brightness, scattered across the deep blue sky so low it felt as if you could reach out and touch them.
The lamps along the stone steps had come on, their warm yellow light linked into a chain, winding upward along the mountain like a river of stars spilled across the slopes.
Hand in hand, the two of them climbed beneath that starlight, the evening wind carrying the scent of pinewood as it brushed through their hair.
They walked and played and talked along the way, palms pressed together, heartbeats in sync; even the night wind seemed gentle.
By the time they reached the temple at the mountaintop, it was already past nine in the evening.
It was a thousand-year-old temple hidden among the pines at the summit.
Blue tiles and red walls, steeped in the incense of centuries, were so quiet that only the wind through the pines could be heard.
Perhaps influenced by the solemn, ancient air of the temple, Wen Yan noticed that the moment they stepped through the gate, Jin Zijin suddenly wiped every trace of expression from her face.
The woman’s demeanor grew serious, and even her steps softened. When her gaze fell on the flying eaves of the halls and the green smoke curling up from the incense burner, it took on a respectful solemnity, as if she were looking at something truly sacred.
Wen Yan watched her and thought it over.
Jin Zijin... really believed in this?
But there was no Buddhist hall at home, no Taoist priests being kept around, and no Bodhisattvas either.
So what exactly did she believe in?
Cyber Bodhisattvas?
Wen Yan suddenly felt a little strange.
The Taoist priest came up with a smile and bowed, then led them into the main hall while gently explaining the rules for entering.
Jin Zijin listened with unusual seriousness.
When the priest said, “Do not step on the threshold when entering the hall; men on the left, women on the right,” she memorized it immediately. When she lifted her foot, she carefully avoided the threshold, her movements properly formal, without the slightest trace of her usual laziness.
The priest led them to the washing basin and handed over clean towels.
Jin Zijin first wrung Wen Yan’s towel dry and helped her wipe her hands; only then did she herself wash her hands seriously, cleaning even her fingertips thoroughly.
“Blessed one, would you like to burn incense?” The priest handed over three sticks of clear incense, already lit from the candle flame.
Jin Zijin took them with both hands.
Her movements were clumsy, but especially earnest. Following the hand gesture the priest had taught her, she held the incense level with her eyebrows and bowed deeply three times toward the deity statues in the hall.
Wen Yan stood to the side, watching her quietly.
They had only been married for four months, but Wen Yan thought she knew Jin Zijin well enough by now.
In her mind, this woman was a complete and total materialist.
She looked at data when doing business, at reports when making decisions; she believed in capital, in probability, in the power in her own hands.
As for ghosts and gods...
Sorry, even if such things really existed, Jin Zijin would only think they lived on a different plane of existence, or that they were phenomena caused by some kind of alien technology.
In short, she was a scientific supremacist.
Until now...
Watching the other woman bowing with her back bent, her expression devout and serious, Wen Yan suddenly realized that Jin Zijin truly did believe in this.
Believe in what?
Believe that there were higher-dimensional beings in the world who could control their lives?
Or believe that they were just accidental little game characters inside a life simulation, hoping their operator would top up a little money so they could live better?
Wen Yan’s mind couldn’t help drifting to the sci-fi novels she had read before.
But whichever it was, it made her realize one thing: Jin Zijin was imploring someone else.
Why was she pleading?
For... me?
Praying for my safety, praying for my smooth path, praying that I would have no more storms or wounds in the days ahead...
Thinking of it that way, Jin Zijin, you really are such a foolish girl.
At that moment, looking at Jin Zijin’s profile, Wen Yan only felt her heart turn sour and aching.
The three incense sticks were inserted into the burner; wisps of smoke rose and merged into the hall’s incense haze.
Jin Zijin turned around and ran into Wen Yan’s tear-bright eyes. At that moment, the tips of the woman’s ears turned slightly red with embarrassment.
She cleared her throat, just about to explain something, when the priest smiled and handed over a red-cloth-wrapped safety charm, saying to Jin Zijin, “Your sincerity is deep. This is a safety talisman blessed today; keep it on your person and it will protect you and bring you peace.”
Jin Zijin accepted it with both hands, thanked the priest seriously, then bowed again toward the deity statues in the hall, looking extraordinarily devout.
After they left the main hall, the evening wind came rolling in with the sound of the pines.
Jin Zijin held Wen Yan’s hand and walked toward the guest quarters.
Her cheeks were red, and she didn’t know how to explain her behavior.
No matter how she put it, it sounded silly.
Wen Yan looked at her like that and found her absolutely adorable. She lightly rubbed the back of her hand with her fingertips and asked tentatively, “You weren’t the kind to believe in this before, were you?”
Jin Zijin turned slightly and looked at Wen Yan.
The warm glow of the streetlamp fell across her face, and her eyes held the stars of the whole sky, yet only Wen Yan alone.
She coughed once and said solemnly, “Haven’t you heard that the end of science is theology?”
Saying that, Jin Zijin took the safety charm from her pocket, carefully unzipped the left chest pocket of Wen Yan’s jacket, and tucked it inside.
After putting it away, she gave it a gentle pat and sighed. “I believe that man can conquer nature, and I also believe that everything can be fought for by our own hands.”
“But life itself is the one thing I can’t control.”
“Like your accident this time...”
Here, Jin Zijin paused, her voice falling low. “I was really afraid.”
“I even thought about having you quit your job and stay home forever, never going out again.”
“As long as you stayed home, kept by my side, and did nothing at all, then you’d be fine.”
Wen Yan lowered her gaze and looked at her, her eyes soft.
She had no idea Jin Zijin had ever thought that way.
After a moment, she asked, “And then? Why didn’t you do it in the end?”
Jin Zijin grabbed the front of Wen Yan’s clothes with both hands and looked up at her, helplessness filling her eyes. “Of course I couldn’t do that. You’re a person, not my pet.”
“I can’t deprive you of the right to enjoy this world just because the outside world is dangerous.”
“So I can only try to make myself more careful; even more careful...”
As she said this, tears glimmered in Jin Zijin’s eyes, and her expression even carried a kind of powerlessness. “But even after I did so much, I found that you still got hurt.”
Some of those injuries had even been caused by her.
That made Jin Zijin feel especially frustrated.
So this was what helplessness felt like.
No matter what she did, she still couldn’t prevent Wen Yan from being hurt.
So she could only make a brief plea to the gods.
It didn’t matter which dimension they came from; as long as they could take care of Wen Yan and treat her better, she was willing to believe, willing to offer devotion.
Her implication was so obvious that Wen Yan’s heart softened at once.
Wen Yan reached out and pulled her into her arms, murmuring, “That’s enough...”
“This is actually already enough.”
Because we’re sharing it together.
————————
After Wen Yan comforted her for a while, Jin Zijin’s emotions finally settled.
Wen Yan took her hand and said, “Come on. It’s already very late. Let’s go check in and rest.”
Jin Zijin nodded and followed her to the guest quarters.
The room had been specially tidied by the temple, elegant and clean.
The bedding was plain in color, and on the cliff-facing side there was a full wall of floor-to-ceiling windows. Open the door, and you could see the stars strewn across the sky.
After entering the room, the first thing Jin Zijin did was pull Wen Yan over to sit on the cushioned couch by the window, then carefully take up her right hand.
“It’s time to change the dressing.” She looked up at Wen Yan, keeping her voice very light. “I’ll be gentle. If it hurts, tell me.”
Wen Yan curved her eyes and obediently nodded. “Okay.”
Warm yellow lamplight fell over the two of them.
Jin Zijin knelt on one knee on the carpet and slowly peeled away the bandage wrapped around Wen Yan’s hand.
One layer, then another; once the gauze was removed, the wound in her palm was revealed.
The torn flesh had already begun to heal, covered with a light pink scab that stretched from the web of her thumb into the depths of her palm lines, its edges already slightly lifting.
There wasn’t even the slightest sign of redness or inflammation; it was healing exceptionally well.
Jin Zijin let out a long breath.
The worry she had carried for days finally settled completely.
She picked up a cotton swab dipped in iodine and disinfected around the wound with extreme lightness, so nervous that her hand trembled.
“It doesn’t hurt; don’t be nervous.” Seeing the tension in her profile, Wen Yan couldn’t help laughing.
With her left hand, she touched Jin Zijin’s hair. “I’m a doctor myself. I know whether I’m healing well or not.”
“Look, it’s already scabbed over. In a few days it’ll fall off.”
“That still doesn’t mean we can be careless.” Jin Zijin looked up and glared at her, though with no real force behind it; it only looked like she was acting spoiled. “What if it leaves a scar? Your hands need to hold a scalpel; they’re precious.”
As she spoke, she lowered her head and gently blew on the scabbed area.
The warm breath swept across Wen Yan’s palm, making her fingertips twitch slightly.
After blowing on it, Jin Zijin even murmured a few words toward the safety charm resting against Wen Yan’s chest.
“Bless Wen Yan’s wound to heal quickly, and let her be safe and sound, free from disaster and harm.”
Her solemn expression made Wen Yan’s heart both warm and sore.
“It itches a little.” Wen Yan laughed helplessly, trying to pull her hand back, but Jin Zijin pressed it down gently.
“No scratching.” Jin Zijin said sternly, very serious. “If it itches, it means new flesh is growing. If you dare scratch it, I’ll tie your hand up.”
Wen Yan was amused by her.
She turned her hand over to clasp Jin Zijin’s, then gave a light tug and pulled her into her arms.
Jin Zijin gasped, falling onto Wen Yan’s lap and instinctively wrapping her arms around her neck.
Afraid of touching Wen Yan’s right hand, she only dared circle her loosely.
“Wen Yan!” She glared at her in feigned irritation, though her ears had turned red. “Stop messing around. Your hand isn’t healed yet.”
“I’m not messing around.” Wen Yan lowered her head and pressed a light kiss to her lips, her voice softly hoarse. “I just want to kiss you.”
“It’s been a whole day and I still haven’t gotten one. I miss you badly.”
Jin Zijin’s heart went soft instantly.
She looped her arms around Wen Yan’s neck and lowered her head to kiss her back.
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At four in the morning the next day, Wen Yan was woken by her alarm.
When she opened her eyes, Jin Zijin was clinging to her like an octopus, her face buried in Wen Yan’s neck, breathing light and even, still sound asleep.
Wen Yan lay there quietly, using her uninjured left hand to gently smooth Jin Zijin’s long hair, again and again, her movements tender.
After lying still for more than ten minutes and estimating that the time was about right, Wen Yan carefully shifted the leg draped around her waist and got out of bed as quietly as possible.
First she turned the air conditioning up by two degrees, then took out the thick down jacket and hand warmers she had prepared in advance.
She peeled the hand warmers open one by one, first tucking them against her own chest to warm them up before placing them inside the jacket lining.
Only after everything was ready did she sit back down by the bed and lean close to Jin Zijin’s ear.
Her voice was feather-soft, brushing over her ear like a feather. “Wake up, little one. It’s time to get up and watch the sunrise.”
Jin Zijin made a sleepy sound and shrank deeper under the covers.
She didn’t even open her eyes, just muttered, “Five more minutes... the safety charm will bless us into seeing the sunrise...”
“If you keep sleeping, we’ll miss it.” Wen Yan couldn’t help laughing. She lowered her head and kissed her forehead again and again.
From her forehead to her eyelashes, then to the tip of her nose, she coaxed her gently. “The assistant has already gone to the sunrise viewing platform to save us a spot, and hot ginger tea is ready too. If you don’t get up now, the best spot will be taken by someone else.”
“Didn’t you say you wanted to make a wish for me again when the sun rises?”
Jin Zijin’s long lashes trembled, and she finally opened her eyes slowly.
Still foggy with sleep, her eyes were misted over as she looked at Wen Yan in front of her.
After a few dazed seconds, she reached out and wrapped her arms around Wen Yan’s neck, burying her face in her embrace and murmuring, “Ah... then carry me up.”
“Okay.”
Wen Yan said that and was about to scoop her up in her arms.
The moment her hand touched her, Jin Zijin woke up at once and hurriedly said, “No, no, I’m awake now.”
“I’m getting up right away!”
The woman said this and was just about to throw back the covers when Wen Yan quickly wrapped her in them and coaxed, “Don’t rush, don’t rush. I’ll help you get dressed.”
Saying that, Wen Yan brought over the warmed-down jacket. “Just put on the outer layer and another pair of pants. After we watch the sunrise, we’ll come back for breakfast.”
“Okay.”
Jin Zijin sat up obediently, letting Wen Yan help her into the thick down jacket and zip it up. Then Wen Yan wrapped a scarf around her neck in layer after layer, leaving only a pair of smiling eyes visible.
She looked like a round rice dumpling.
Wen Yan looked at her messy hair and couldn’t help bursting into laughter.
Jin Zijin was a little baffled. “What are you laughing at?”
Wen Yan reached out to smooth her tangled hair and leaned over to kiss her cheek. “I’m not laughing at you.”
“I just think...”
“Think what?”
“You’re really cute.”
Jin Zijin snorted, quite smug. “Of course. I’m naturally beautiful, so naturally I’m cute.”
So full of herself.
Wen Yan couldn’t help reaching out to pat her head a few more times.
————————
The two of them quickly got ready, stuffed hand warmers into their pockets, and walked toward the sunrise platform beside the temple.
The assistant had already been waiting by the road, leading them to the reserved spot.
The mountain summit at dawn was bone-chillingly cold; the wind cut across their faces like a knife.
But the sunrise platform was already packed with people, bustling and noisy, with voices and laughter mixing together.
The assistant’s reserved spot was at the very front of the platform.
A transparent windbreak enclosed a small separate space; it didn’t block the view, but it did keep out the howling mountain wind.
There were also hand warmers and a thermos inside, and the hot ginger tea was still steaming.
Unlike the last time, when six of them watched the sunrise together in lively company, this time even with the crowd all around, the two of them standing in this little space somehow created a private feeling, as if the whole world held only the two of them.
Wen Yan stayed on the windward side the entire time. With her uninjured left arm, she held Jin Zijin firmly around the waist, protecting her completely in her embrace and using her own body to block the cold air seeping through the gaps in the windscreen.
Jin Zijin was afraid of the cold and kept burrowing into her arms.
She wrapped her arms around Wen Yan’s waist, buried her face against her chest, and listened to her steady heartbeat. Even the wind seemed to become gentler.
“Cold?” Wen Yan lowered her head and asked softly by her ear.
Her breath brushed the shell of Jin Zijin’s ear, making her twitch slightly.
Wen Yan smiled and picked up the thermos, pouring her a cup of hot ginger tea. “Have some hot tea and warm up.”
“I’m not cold.” Jin Zijin took two sips from her hand and tucked herself even closer into Wen Yan’s embrace. “With you here, I’m not cold at all.”
The two of them were squeezed into the small windbreak.
All around them were people holding cameras and phones, with chatter and cheers rising and falling in waves.
But in their eyes, there was only each other.
The horizon gradually began to pale.
The dark-blue sky slowly lightened into a faint blue, then into a gentle peachy orange.
Below them, a sea of clouds rolled like endless silver waves.
Distant Dayuan Peak rose above the cloud sea like a lonely island.
The cloud sea was vast beyond measure, sweeping over the mountains in a flood and glinting with tiny silver sparks in the morning light.
The crowd gradually fell quiet. Everyone held their breath, waiting for the moment of sunrise.
Suddenly, a point of gold pierced the sea of clouds.
Then, a round red sun leapt up from the far edge of the cloud bank.
Golden light exploded across the heavens at once, dyeing the surging clouds a dazzling red-gold, like a great blaze of fire.
The crowd erupted into thunderous cheers, and the clicking of camera shutters rang out in a rush.
Wen Yan held Jin Zijin close and lifted her gaze, watching the sunrise together.
Nestled in Wen Yan’s arms, Jin Zijin exclaimed, “Wow, the sunrise, the sunrise!”
“Hurry, make a wish, make a wish!”
Saying that, she hurriedly joined her hands together and closed her eyes.
Wen Yan gazed at her face. When the golden light spread across heaven and earth, she suddenly used her left hand to pull open the zipper of her own down jacket.
She leaned down slightly and wrapped Jin Zijin, who was already curled completely into her arms, entirely inside the huge jacket.
Jin Zijin froze for a moment, then looked up and met Wen Yan’s eyes.
Golden light filled Wen Yan’s gaze. She bent down gently and kissed Jin Zijin’s lips.
Whether or not gods existed in this world, Wen Yan didn’t know.
But if they did, then so-called gods would never be as great as Jin Zijin’s sincere heart.