As soon as Bai Qingzhou said those words, Xia Xinghe froze on the spot.
His old beliefs were too deeply rooted. The pain from the past was too scarring. He didn’t dare hope that Bai Qingzhou might actually like him. Even though Bai Qingzhou’s recent actions had caused stirrings in his heart, he never thought Bai Qingzhou would really say it out loud.
It felt surreal—like a dream.
His heartbeat skipped wildly. His brain turned to mush. His lips parted hesitantly as he stammered, “Are you… joking?”
Bai Qingzhou furrowed his brows. “Do you think I would joke about something like this?”
Xia Xinghe still stood frozen. He nodded. Then shook his head. His uncertain expression made Bai Qingzhou feel even more defeated.
For the first time, Bai Qingzhou realized just how differently they thought. After all this time, Xia Xinghe truly hadn’t seen it.
“…Forget it,” he said after a long pause, brushing past the topic entirely. He lowered his eyes and asked calmly, “So… what’s your answer?”
This roundabout dance had gone on long enough. He wanted to get to the point.
“I…”
Xia Xinghe opened his mouth, but no words came.
They were standing so close—close enough for him to see his own reflection in Bai Qingzhou’s eyes. Close enough that Bai Qingzhou’s cool breath brushed against his skin.
Too close. So close that he couldn’t think.
His mind was jammed up like sticky paste, his fingertips tingling with static. His heart was pounding wildly.
Bai Qingzhou spoke again. “Do you still like me?”
That low, quiet voice cut through the ambient noise around them, strangely clear and scorching hot, like it might set Xia Xinghe on fire.
He always had this effect—just one look, one sentence, and it was enough. As long as he looked at him like that, as long as those eyes held only him, Xia Xinghe couldn’t say no.
His lips parted. He looked at Bai Qingzhou in a daze. The word “like” was right at the tip of his tongue when—
“Xia Xinghe!”
A loud, booming voice dragged him back from the edge of daze.
Yan Cai rushed up to them in a few quick strides, his voice unmistakably loud: “What are you two doing?”
“We…”
Xia Xinghe stumbled back two steps, suddenly at a loss for words. And then he realized something else—
Yan Cai was standing. Upright. Right in front of him!
Xia Xinghe asked in surprise, “Your leg’s already fine?”
“Ahem! Well… uh… anyway, it’s fine now, yeah.”
Yan Cai hadn’t expected Xia Xinghe to still remember that, and awkwardly coughed a couple of times. He glanced at Nie Xingchao beside him, then hurriedly tried to change the subject. “Hey now, don’t change the topic. I’m the one asking questions here. What were you two doing just now, standing that close?”
“Well…”
Xia Xinghe opened his mouth, but still didn’t know how to answer. A moment later, a clear, cool male voice sounded beside his ear.
“Nothing, just watching the sunrise,” Bai Qingzhou said calmly, then added, “We’ve been waiting for you two forever. What took you so long?”
His tone carried no emotion at all—cold and indifferent, as if nothing had just happened. If Yan Cai hadn’t seen with his own eyes how close Bai Qingzhou’s lips had been to Xia Xinghe’s nose just now, he might have actually believed him.
Out of consideration for Xia Xinghe, Yan Cai didn’t call it out directly. He shot Xia Xinghe a look that clearly meant “I’ll interrogate you later,” then reluctantly began to answer Bai Qingzhou’s question: “Sigh, not much. We just… took the wrong path on the way up.”
Just mentioning it made Yan Cai even more annoyed.
The two of them had taken a wrong turn in the second half of the climb and ended up taking a huge detour before finally reaching the top. They’d even had to watch the sunrise from halfway up the mountain.
After a whole night of climbing, Yan Cai was exhausted to the point of spitting blood. Dragging his tired body forward, he’d lifted his head—only to see Bai Qingzhou about to kiss Xia Xinghe!
That was totally unacceptable. Suddenly, all the fatigue left Yan Cai’s body—his back didn’t ache, his legs didn’t hurt—and he strode right up to interrupt them.
Yan Cai gave a quick summary of everything that had happened during the night. But Xia Xinghe was still hung up on his ankle injury. “What about your foot? You walked so far on that mountain path—are you really okay?”
Yan Cai looked embarrassed and quickly said, “It’s fine, really.” But Xia Xinghe wasn’t reassured yet, and turned his gaze to Nie Xingchao. “Is he really okay?”
“Well…”
Nie Xingchao drew out the word.
Yan Cai panicked, signaling with his eyes for Nie Xingchao to help him out—looking utterly pitiful, just short of wagging his tail. Nie Xingchao, still in a good mood, curved his lips into a smile and finally finished, “Yeah. Nothing serious.”
Yan Cai finally let out a sigh of relief but glared hard at Nie Xingchao.
Nie Xingchao just shrugged, then mouthed, “Ungrateful brat,” though the corners of his mouth were still turned up, clearly enjoying himself.
……
That night’s climb had exhausted a lot of their energy. The four of them discussed it and decided to head back to the hotel in the afternoon to rest, and continue exploring the next day.
They weren’t on a tour group, so time wasn’t an issue. Once they returned to the hotel, Xia Xinghe took a nice long shower and collapsed into bed. When he opened his eyes again, the sky outside was already dark.
Yan Cai had woken up earlier and was lying on his bed playing on his phone. Xia Xinghe rubbed his eyes groggily and asked, “What time is it?”
Yan Cai glanced at his phone and said, “Eight thirty.”
Xia Xinghe sat up in shock. “I slept that long?!”
They’d gotten back before noon, and even after showering it was only around twelve. He had actually slept the entire afternoon.
“Yeah,” Yan Cai drawled, clearly enjoying the moment to tease. “You slept like a dead pig. I even went out for dinner and you didn’t notice.”
As he spoke, Yan Cai handed him a piece of bread. “Hungry? Eat this first.”
Xia Xinghe smiled gratefully. “Thanks.”
He hadn’t eaten much before napping, and now he really was hungry. He quickly scarfed down the bread, feeling much better once his stomach was full. Just as he was about to lie back down, he noticed Yan Cai’s expression had shifted.
“Full now?” Yan Cai asked.
Xia Xinghe nodded in confusion, then saw Yan Cai’s face turn serious.
“Then let’s have a proper talk.”
“Huh?” Xia Xinghe blinked. “Talk about what?”
“You and Bai Qingzhou.”
Yan Cai was straightforward and hated beating around the bush, so he got straight to the point: “What’s going on between you two?”
What’s going on…?
Honestly, even Xia Xinghe didn’t know.
On the way back down the mountain, Bai Qingzhou had gone back to acting like nothing happened—he didn’t even glance at Xia Xinghe. But Xia Xinghe’s heart was still pounding uncontrollably, as if it hadn’t caught up.
Yan Cai was an old friend who had helped him through a lot. Xia Xinghe didn’t plan to keep anything from him. After thinking it over briefly, he told Yan Cai everything that had happened that morning. When he finished, Yan Cai’s eyes widened in shock.
“What?!”
His voice was full of disbelief. “Bai Qingzhou said he wants to pursue you?”
“Mm…”
Xia Xinghe nodded shyly. A faint blush rose on his cheeks and couldn’t be hidden. His bashful expression made Yan Cai swallow all the harsh words he’d been about to say.
Yan Cai truly didn’t like Bai Qingzhou. He thought the guy was too arrogant and not suited for a relationship. But Xia Xinghe clearly still liked him. After all this time, he still hadn’t let go. So as a friend, Yan Cai could only sigh and ask helplessly, “And what about you? What do you think?”
“Me?”
Xia Xinghe froze, then slowly shook his head. “I don’t know…”
The shock of it all had left him unsure how to respond.
He did still like Bai Qingzhou. So much that even after they broke up, no one else had ever caught his eye. Xia Xinghe even doubted whether he’d ever be able to like anyone else again. But the moment Bai Qingzhou said he wanted to pursue him, his first instinct was to run.
The more you care, the harder it is to face. Especially when they had already failed once before—those old wounds were still there, constantly reminding him of past pain. And even now, he still couldn’t see through Bai Qingzhou’s heart.
Xia Xinghe didn’t speak for a long while, his hesitant feelings showing clearly in his eyes. Yan Cai knew him too well. He felt both distressed and frustrated—angry that Xia Xinghe was still so lovesick, still unwilling to turn back even after hitting rock bottom.
“Don’t be so quick to decide,” Yan Cai could only advise him like this. “You have to make him pursue you a little more and see how he behaves.”
Xia Xinghe pursed his lips, wanting to say something else, but Yan Cai added, “At the very least, make him understand that you’re not someone who comes and goes at his beck and call. Otherwise, if he treats you coldly again, you won’t even have a place to cry.”
Xia Xinghe was silent for a moment, then said: “…Okay.”
…..
Xia Xinghe didn’t give Bai Qingzhou an answer, and Bai Qingzhou didn’t ask again. Their relationship seemed to return to what it was before, and yet it was completely different. Deliberately or not, Xia Xinghe could increasingly sense the emotional undercurrents behind Bai Qingzhou’s indifferent gaze, and the gentleness hidden beneath his aloof exterior.
The mountain weather was cold — Bai Qingzhou would pack an extra thick jacket in his bag for Xia Xinghe.
The rapids were swift — he would silently sit on the outer edge of the kayak.
Xia Xinghe was allergic to seafood — so every time before meals, Bai Qingzhou would remind the kitchen staff, even though seafood was rare in the mountains, he never got tired of repeating it…
So many little details.
Bai Qingzhou never said what he had done, never expressed how much he cared. His face remained cold, and even when he spoke, it was always in that flat, indifferent tone.
He was like a cold, proud iceberg — seemingly unreachable. But as long as Xia Xinghe turned around, he would always see him right there.
Xia Xinghe’s heart felt like it was soaked in lemon water — sour and swollen.
So he had to admit: the scales in his heart had long since tipped without him realizing it.
….
The three-day mountain trip passed quickly. The four returned, satisfied and slightly tired. After a brief rest, they headed to the final stop of their journey — a quaint, old-fashioned town.
With the boom of tourism, many places began branding themselves as “ancient towns” to attract visitors. Souvenir shops were everywhere, local snacks were advertised left and right — but everything had started to feel a bit too commercial, missing the authentic charm of the past.
After combing through many reviews, they finally picked this small town — not as bustling as others, but with a more genuine, down-to-earth atmosphere.
It took some time to travel from the mountains, and by the time they arrived, night had already fallen. The owner of the guesthouse warmly welcomed them and served them steaming hot tea.
“Thank you,” they all said politely.
A few sips of hot tea warmed their travel-worn bodies.
“Don’t mention it. If you need anything, come downstairs anytime,” the host said cheerfully. Just as he was about to head downstairs, cheerful music floated in from outside. Rhythmic drumming paired with bright vocals — it had a distinctly local flavor.
“Wait,” Yan Cai stopped him. “Boss, what’s going on downstairs?”
“Oh, downstairs!” The boss slapped his forehead. “I was just about to tell you!”
“You’ve come at the perfect time — tonight we’re having a bonfire party.”
“A bonfire party?” Xia Xinghe asked.
The boss smiled. “Yep, just a way for people to make friends. Most tourists these days are young folks, so the town set up this event — people from all over gather, and it’s very lively.”
These kinds of events weren’t uncommon — usually with singing, dancing, and some unique snacks — great for attracting crowds and giving tourists a taste of local culture.
Xia Xinghe wasn’t particularly interested in such social gatherings, but Yan Cai looked very excited. Without another word, he grabbed Xia Xinghe and dragged him downstairs, leaving Nie Xingchao and Bai Qingzhou alone in the room, staring at each other.
“Shall we go too?” Nie Xingchao asked helplessly.
“Not interested,” Bai Qingzhou replied listlessly.
“Really not going?”
The boss chimed in with a grin, “You young men are all so handsome. Got girlfriends yet? I hear people often meet someone at events like this — maybe you’ll find the right one.”
Bai Qingzhou paused for a second — then stood up immediately.
“I suppose we can go take a look.”
He said.
“That’s the spirit!” the boss’s voice trailed behind him. “No girlfriend, huh? Then you better try hard. With your looks, you’ve got nothing to worry about.”
Bai Qingzhou didn’t argue, striding straight downstairs. Nie Xingchao followed with a helpless but knowing smile.
Bai Qingzhou didn’t care about so-called “romantic encounters.”
He was just jealous — worried that someone else might try to talk to Xia Xinghe.