Chapter 15

Chapter 15

Qu Yi Xian snorted, loosened her grip, and her phone fell onto the bed.

She was barefoot, slipped on the hotel’s fabric slippers, and went to turn on the air conditioner.

As the room gradually filled with a faint chill, she lay down under the covers fully clothed, reached for the phone on the bedside, and sent Yuan Ye a message: “Bring me a set of clothes to change into and have the front desk deliver them.”

Yuan Ye was considered an upper-middle-class second-generation wealthy kid, originally from Xining. His parents caught the right time when the country supported western development and had accumulated considerable assets for him.

When Qu Yi Xian first met him, Yuan Ye was no different from a little nouveau riche. He followed Peng Shen recklessly in off-roading and adventures, spending money as if it grew on trees.

Later, it was also Yuan Ye’s misfortune, fated to meet her as a calamity. After Qu Yi Xian brought him under control, he understood, settled down, and diligently followed her to do rescue work.

Yuan Ye’s parents, happy to see their son wake up to reality, bought him an apartment in Dunhuang as a regular place to stay.

Qu Yi Xian benefited too—during peak seasons, she stayed in hotels while guiding the line, and in the off-season, she paid Yuan Ye rent to use a guest room for the winter.

She was the only tenant of that guest room all year round.

Next door, the shower ran, and the sound of water was clearly audible through the wall.

She turned over, buried her face in the pillow, and fell into a deep sleep.

This sleep was particularly heavy for Qu Yi Xian.

She dreamt of Jiang Yuan.

It was the third day after Jiang Yuan went missing. Jiang Yuan’s parents and her own father rushed from Nanjiang. Ignoring the dangers of altitude sickness, they arrived at the camp immediately.

She had just returned to the camp with the rescue team and hadn’t spoken when her father, in front of everyone, slapped her without explanation.

Qu Yi Xian hadn’t slept all night; the slap left her dizzy and barely able to stand.

The camp was silent.

Some didn’t realize what had happened, while others knew but didn’t care.

She stood there, feeling as if her heart had been pierced by a glacier, gasping for air.

No one involved in the accident could calmly listen to her explanation.

Jiang Yuan’s parents blamed her for losing Jiang Yuan.

Her father blamed her for causing trouble and getting someone killed, leaving him to clean up the mess.

And Jiang Yuan, standing just a step away from the snowy mountain peak, looked back at her. Her brows and eyes were delicate, smiling as she asked, “Yi Xian, is this the peak?”

She took off the camera hanging around her neck and handed it to Qu Yi Xian. “Take a picture for me.”

She stepped forward, took the camera, waited for Jiang Yuan to pose, and pressed the shutter.

When she looked at the photo, Jiang Yuan was nowhere to be seen next to the peak. Only the snowy mountain photo Qu Yi Xian had taken countless times over the years appeared.

She instinctively looked up and saw Jiang Yuan still standing there with a smile, reaching out to pull her. “Jiang Yuan, will you come home with me? I’ll take you home.”

Jiang Yuan wrinkled her nose, a little troubled. “Yi Xian, I want to go home too, but you have to find me first.”

“I don’t know the way on my own; I can’t get back.”

She seemed displeased and hopped up toward the snowy peak.

Qu Yi Xian watched the trail of footprints she left behind. Just as she stepped forward, the magnificent scenery before her shattered in an instant. Her feet gave way, and she plunged straight into an endless abyss.

The abyss had no end; she kept falling, gradually being dragged into the deepest part of her dream.

When Qu Yi Xian woke up, her head was splitting with pain.

The doorbell rang repeatedly, as if tireless, disturbing any peace.

At first, she thought it was knocking from next door and ignored it, shielding her eyes. Listening more carefully, she faintly heard “Xiao Qu Ye” amid the doorbell ringing.

She sat up, glanced at her phone, which had already drained to its last battery line.

6:21 PM.

She pinched the bridge of her nose and finally realized—it was the hotel front desk delivering the clothes to change into.

After showering, Qu Yi Xian wrapped her wet hair in a dry towel and went to look for a hairdryer.

Unexpectedly, after searching every corner of the room, she couldn’t find the hairdryer.

Hotels often had broken hairdryers, and the staff usually borrowed one from another empty room. Since she was staying for free… she felt really awkward to call room service at this hour.

She pondered for a moment and suddenly remembered Fu Xun next door.

She wondered if he had gone to his appointment yet.

To avoid wasting a trip, Qu Yi Xian used the room’s internal phone to call the next-door room. After a few beeps, the call was quickly answered.

The man’s voice was low. Slightly hoarse, slightly magnetic.

Qu Yi Xian couldn’t help but whistle, “It’s me.”

……

“Can you open the door for me? I want to borrow your hairdryer.”

Hanging up, Qu Yi Xian took her room card, grabbed her phone, and went next door to knock.

Having called ahead, Fu Xun didn’t deliberately leave her waiting. As soon as the doorbell rang, he pulled the door open for her.

His room had excellent lighting, with street-facing windows half open. Sunlight slanted across the metal window frame, refracting into large patches of colorful light on the ceiling.

Fu Xun stood in this seemingly unreal glow, head lowered, his features indifferent as he looked at her.

This scene gradually merged with a memory in Qu Yi Xian’s mind.

The bright glow before her eyes blinded her, and she momentarily returned to Yan’an, Hukou on the Yellow River, several years ago.

It was the height of summer tourism.

She traveled independently, with a relaxed schedule. Arriving at Hukou around three in the afternoon, she toured until dark and then decided to find lodging.

Along the river, there was only one inn. Her luck was bad; all the rooms had been reserved by tour groups, leaving only a mixed-gender six-person dormitory.

She had to make do for one night.

After getting the key, she went to drop off her luggage.

The inn was old, with crowded staircases around the courtyard-style building, narrow hallways, and no elevator.

She carried her luggage to the fifth floor and wandered half a circle in the hallway like a headless fly before finally finding the room.

The lock was a traditional Bull lock. She fumbled for a long time, only hearing the click of the lock’s core but unable to open the door.

Just as she started sweating in frustration, the door opened from the inside.

Fu Xun stood at the doorway, just as today, head lowered, features indifferent, looking at this unexpected guest.

Behind him was a rainbow over the Yellow River, a vast glow enveloping him, blurring his features into just a lingering silhouette.

Qu Yi Xian was surprised, yet felt a lightness, as if a mystery had been resolved. Even looking at Fu Xun’s handsome face, she felt a sudden closeness, like meeting a familiar soul in a foreign place.

What a coincidence—two people from Nanjiang, who had slept in the top and bottom bunks at the Hukou inn, now meeting again in Dunhuang.

This kind of fate—if she hadn’t experienced it herself, she wouldn’t have believed it.

But now, there was another problem.

She wasn’t sure if Fu Xun remembered her. After all, in the past few days of reconnecting, he hadn’t shown any recognition, not even the almost involuntary question, “Have we met before?”

Either he had no memory at all, or he didn’t want to acknowledge it.

It wasn’t a romantic encounter, so what was there to remember…

Thinking this way, she felt there was nothing to be troubled about.

She felt especially considerate.

If Fu Xun didn’t mention it, she would pretend it never happened. If she pressed, and he said something like “Oh, it’s you” or “What a coincidence,” that would be perfect. But if he replied, “I don’t remember”… it would stab her heart into a thousand holes.

Fu Xun saw her standing at the door without coming in, raised an eyebrow lightly, his gaze dropping to her hair, now half-dried, and made a small circle with his eyes. “Weren’t you here to borrow a hairdryer?”

He stepped back half a pace, giving her room. “Aren’t you coming in?”

Qu Yi Xian touched her nose and stepped inside. “Then I won’t be polite.”

After drying her hair, it was about time for her appointment. Qu Yi Xian tidied the cord of the hairdryer and, making small talk, asked Fu Xun, “It’s this late already, aren’t you going to your appointment? After eight, the Mingsha Mountain scenic area closes, and all the tourists will flood back into the city.”

“Just about to leave.” Fu Xun grabbed his car keys and asked, “Where are you going? Want me to give you a ride?”

“No need.” Qu Yi Xian pulled a car key from her back pocket and waved it in front of him. “I have more than one vehicle.”

Qu Yi Xian also had a motorcycle in Dunhuang, a trophy from the Alxa Heroes Meeting a couple of years ago. She usually treasured it and rarely took it out.

It was still early. She planned to buy a pack of cigarettes first, then head to the Star-Picking Tower.

After parting ways with Fu Xun in the lobby, she walked briskly, crossed the street, and went into a small alley.

In a row of single-story houses, Qu Yi Xian stopped in front of an inconspicuous little supermarket at the front, lifted the curtain, and went inside.

The store owner was a young man in his early thirties, lying in a recliner playing games.

Hearing the noise, he lifted his eyelids, a polite greeting almost escaping his mouth but swallowed back. Awkwardly, he stood up and bowed slightly. “Master Qu, you’re back.”

Qu Yi Xian glanced at him. “I came to buy a pack of cigarettes.”

She pressed two bills on the counter, and seeing him trying to stand with his disabled leg, she quickly called out, “Sit down, I’ll get it myself.”

Leaning over, she reached past the counter, opened the display, and, as if familiar with the routine, took out a pack and turned to leave.

“Master Qu.” The store owner called after her, a little flustered. “I haven’t given you your change yet.”

Qu Yi Xian glanced at the shelves, grabbed a small box of chocolate, and said, “Keep it.” With that, she lifted the curtain and walked out, leaving him no chance to speak again.

At 7:00 PM, Qu Yi Xian arrived punctually at Qu Yin Pavilion, to the private room on the third floor of Star-Picking Tower.

Peng Shen and Yuan Ye had already been there for a while, drinking tea.

Seeing Qu Yi Xian enter, Peng Shen waved for her to sit wherever she liked. “I was just about to ask Yuan Ye to hurry you up, see if you were still asleep.”

He poured her a cup of tea personally, his gaze falling on the cigarette in her hand. “You went to buy cigarettes again?”

“Mm.” Qu Yi Xian didn’t want to elaborate, answered vaguely, and noticed a half-drunk tea cup on the empty seat beside Peng Shen. She asked curiously, “More guests?”

No sooner had she spoken than the hidden door in the room was pushed open. Fu Xun came out after washing his hands. His tall, straight figure cast a vague side shadow on the wall under the lights.

He held a cigarette, the glowing tip flickering at his lips, making his eyes look like dark ink.

He walked a few steps to the table, pulled out a chair, and sat down. He took a deep drag and crushed the cigarette in the ashtray.

He looked up, slightly squinting through the smoke curling from his lips.

Qu Yi Xian widened her eyes in disbelief.

Damn!

Wasn’t there supposed to be an appointment?

She turned her head and glared hard at Yuan Ye on her left, who was pretending to play dead. Then she looked back at Fu Xun, her expression settled, only the corners of her eyes slightly lifted, revealing a hint of challenge.

Only those who knew her temperament well understood: the more she appeared calm and collected, the angrier she truly was.

Sure enough.

She smiled, her tone dripping with sarcasm and restrained anger. “Fu Xun, playing games with me like this is really meaningless.”

She lost her temper, giving no regard even to Peng Shen, stood up, kicked the chair away, and turned to leave.

Before stepping out of the room, she heard Fu Xun’s low voice behind her, calm and faint: “I came as invited to see you.”

Peng Shen and Yuan Ye: “???”

The liar remained expressionless, shifting the blame to Peng Shen. “Don’t believe me? Ask him.”