Chapter 6
The weather in the mountains was different from that in the city.
It seemed that a heavy rain had just stopped, leaving the air filled with a refreshing, clean scent.
The flagstone path leading into the town was slippery, and there were few people on the street. The brick-and-wood structures along the road were old and quaint. The rooftops, covered with green tiles, slanted steeply to avoid water accumulation, and droplets from the eaves continued to fall intermittently.
The sky remained overcast with a cool breeze, and the dark clouds moved quickly across the sky. Each mountain peak around was crowned with a white, misty cap.
It looked like another heavy rain was coming soon.
Yu Le exhaled deeply, dragging his suitcase and quickening his pace.
His accommodation had been booked online in advance. Although Daiwa Town was remote and undeveloped, it wasn’t completely devoid of travelers with similar plans to Yu Le’s. The town had a few service facilities for tourists, though not many.
Yu Le pulled out his phone, opened the booking app, and followed the navigation.
The town was situated halfway up the mountain, with a simple layout: a single street running straight through. This greatly reduced the difficulty of finding his way. As he approached the end of the street, the navigation indicated that he had reached his destination.
He looked up and saw a guesthouse with no sign standing in front of him.
Three stories high, the building had a simple, rustic appearance. The doors, beams, columns, and window frames were all made of yellowish-white wood, weathered by time. It seemed to have never been intentionally renovated since it was built.
Yu Le finally found the source of the noise he had been hearing along the way.
It turned out that each floor of the guesthouse had eaves with old copper bells hanging at the corners. The bells tinkled softly in the wind, creating a clear and lingering sound.
The appearance of the guesthouse matched the pictures online, and the timeless charm that a camera couldn’t capture pleasantly surprised Yu Le.
He took a deep breath of the fresh mountain air, shedding the painful mask he had been wearing throughout the journey.
The suffering wasn’t in vain.
To prevent water from entering the buildings, structures in the town were generally elevated above the road level. The entrance had two low steps, and Yu Le gathered his strength, lifting his suitcase and stepping over the threshold.
The lobby was spacious, with the counter directly in front of the door. In the center was a large stone fish tank with lotus flowers and koi fish, sunk into the floor of the lobby. There were wooden screens on either side of the tank, one painted with wild geese and the other with ink orchids.
Yu Le set down his suitcase and looked up, his gaze crossing over the large stone tank to see a figure leaning casually against the counter, idly fiddling with an abacus.
A professional’s instinct made Yu Le immediately notice the superior proportions of the figure—tall with long legs, broad shoulders, and a narrow waist. Even though the posture and clothing were quite casual, it couldn’t hide his outstanding presence.
Such a person would surely shine on a fashion runway.
At this moment, the lobby was empty except for the two of them. In the vast, quiet space, only the sound of the abacus beads clicking echoed around.
He must be the owner.
Yu Le marveled at how someone so striking could be found in the mountains. As he dragged his suitcase past the wooden screens, he noticed that both screens had yellow pearwood tables and chairs behind them.
As he passed by the stone tank, he glanced inside and saw three plump koi fish swimming, bubbling up from under the lotus leaves.
They were quite adorable.
Yu Le reached the counter, put down his suitcase, and took out his ID card.
“Hello, I—”
The man looked up at him.
“……?”
When Yu Le saw his face clearly, he felt as if struck by lightning. The words he was about to say stuck in his throat.
What a coincidence.
Why is the person who had been in his bed this morning here now?!
The painful mask he had just removed was firmly back on his face.
Lu Yao’s fingers rested on the abacus beads as he quietly observed the person in front of him. His brow twitched slightly, and a fleeting, ambiguous emotion flashed in his eyes before quickly disappearing, leaving him with his usual calm demeanor.
Yu Le finally noticed that the man exhibited entirely different qualities when his eyes were open versus when they were closed.
With elongated eyes and deep black pupils, the man’s apparent indifference could not mask the powerful sense of aggression that Yu Le felt when they locked eyes.
The initial impression he gave Yu Le was like a verdant stone perched on a cliff, or like a snow-covered mountain range.
It was a strange comparison, even Yu Le couldn’t quite explain why.
This face was undoubtedly a striking visual impact to anyone.
If their encounter had been before last night, Yu Le might have felt inclined to admire or compliment him with undivided attention.
Unfortunately, reality had no “what ifs.”
Yu Le struggled to control the distortion of his expression, his temples throbbing, and he even felt like he wanted to turn and leave immediately.
Fortunately, before his impulse turned into action, reason pulled him back.
No, even though his mind had been unclear last night, he vaguely remembered that the room had been completely dark, with no lights on.
The room he had entered by mistake, and he had been the first to wake up and leave in the morning. This meant that this one-night stand partner had never seen his face from start to finish and didn’t know what he looked like.
Yu Le held onto this slim hope and quickly observed the man’s expression.
There were no extraneous emotions, fitting the image of someone completely unaware and confused.
That was a relief.
Yu Le breathed a sigh of relief, quickly adjusting his mindset, and casually handed over his ID card.
“Hello, you must be the owner. I booked a room here online.”
Lu Yao took the ID card from him.
The photo showed Yu Le at 18, looking almost the same as he did now, though the baby fat from that time made him appear a bit more youthful, like a child.
Lu Yao scanned the photo and name, finally pausing at the birthdate.
November 23, 1998.
His silence lasted a bit longer than expected, causing Yu Le to furrow his brow. He blurted out without thinking, “I’m of legal age now.”
As soon as the words left his mouth, Lu Yao lifted his gaze.
“……”
Yu Le awkwardly cleared his throat and turned his attention to the lotus tank, mentally cursing himself.
“Understood.” Lu Yao turned and went behind the counter, entering his ID details into the computer. He quickly returned the ID card to Yu Le.
“Please wait.”
Yu Le took back his ID card and stood in place. After a while, he saw the man emerge from a side room with a thick quilt and also grabbed his luggage.
“Come with me.”
Yu Le followed him, walking past intricately carved partition walls. The hallway was short, and his view opened up quickly.
The guesthouse was larger than he had imagined, with a hidden courtyard behind the main building.
The courtyard was filled with a variety of flowers, with ivy climbing up the walls on both sides. In the center stood a large tree covered in clusters of white flowers. The canopy of the tree almost covered the entire courtyard, and around the trunk was a circle of large, flat, green stone blocks, with a water well chiseled nearby.
The air was filled with a light, clean fragrance mixed with the dampness after the rain. It was a deep, lingering aroma, and it was easy to guess that the fragrance came from the clusters of white flowers on the tree.
Yu Le took a deep breath and found the scent very pleasant; he liked it.
“This way.”
Lu Yao stopped at the top of the stairs and waited for him. Yu Le realized he had fallen behind and quickly caught up.
Lu Yao turned and started up the stairs.
“The flowers will be in bloom for a while, so if you like them, you can take your time.”
The stairs were wooden and creaked slightly with each step. The steps were considerably higher than those at the guesthouse entrance. As soon as Yu Le took the first step, he felt a sharp pain in the inner side of his thigh.
…Why did there have to be an aftereffect too?
Fortunately, it wasn’t severe, and walking slowly helped alleviate it.
He thought the person ahead might urge him to hurry or go up to the second floor first, but that wasn’t the case. Lu Yao merely glanced back at him and slowed his pace to wait.
The time to ascend the stairs was prolonged, and Yu Le felt awkward in the silence, so he tried to make conversation.
“Are there no quilts in the rooms here?”
Lu Yao replied, “This is to be used as a mattress.”
Yu Le immediately frowned, “So, is the bed board too hard?”
“No guests have complained about it, it’s mainly because your situation is special,” Lu Yao replied, glancing at him casually.
“Does your back still hurt?”
“?”
Yu Le was initially confused, wondering how he knew about his back pain.
Then, his pupils dilated, and his soul trembled.
Damn it!
He knew it was him!
It was clear that no lights had been on all night, how could he know?
Lu Yao was unaware of the mental impact his casual remark had on Yu Le. After saying this, he turned and continued leading him upstairs.
Yu Le, recalling how he had cried and asked for help with his back last night, felt like he wanted to bang his head against the wall.
The room Yu Le had booked was on the second floor towards the back. It had been cleaned in advance and was not very large, but it was tidy and well-equipped.
The bed had a tatami style, with light blue checkered bedding and pillows. To the left of the bed was a window, to the right was a wooden table, and there was a simple hanging clothes rack.
The wooden floor was not carpeted. On the left-hand side near the door was an old-fashioned radio, and further in was a separate bathroom.
Lu Yao walked in, placed Yu Le’s suitcase next to the cabinet by the door, and then, carrying the quilt, moved to the bedside. As he said, he really did place the quilt under the bed sheet.
Yu Le stood stiffly at the door, feeling the impulse to run again, but he also felt a bit unwilling.
Everyone was a participant here; he alone was so embarrassed he felt like his soul was leaving his body.
How could he be so calm and indifferent?
Or was this the reaction of a truly mature adult?
“The kitchen is behind the courtyard,” Lu Yao said, facing away from him, busy arranging the bed linens with practiced ease.
“The cook comes every morning and evening at six and at noon. You can eat there within two hours; after that, you’ll have to cook for yourself or eat out.”
Yu Le, with a wooden expression, replied, “Oh.”
Outside the window and door, a rustling sound began, signaling that it was raining again, and the noise was quite significant, with heavy and dense raindrops.
Lu Yao finished arranging the bed and walked over to the window to close it. He also took the time to instruct Yu Le, “Push forward to open, pull to close, and press down the wooden bolt to lock it.”
Yu Le maintained his aloof demeanor and replied, “Oh.”
Lu Yao glanced back at him.
He leaned against the windowsill, his gaze falling casually on Yu Le’s face, without much emotion, matching the current weather perfectly.
But it didn’t match Yu Le’s current state at all.
“Please go outside,” Lu Yao said, avoiding Yu Le’s gaze, lifting his chin in an attempt to appear calm.
“I’ll handle the rest myself. Thank you.”
Lu Yao noted Yu Le’s discomfort and lightly tapped the window frame with his fingertips, turning his attention to the woode
“Rest well. If you need any help, just call me.”
Yu Le didn’t want to say “oh” for the third time, fearing it would make him seem clueless, but he didn’t know what else to say. He could only remain silent and watch as Lu Yao left.
Once the door was closed and the sound of footsteps faded, Yu Le’s forced composure finally crumbled. He turned to face the wall, collapsed in frustration, and covered his face.
He felt completely disoriented.
What was going on?
The rain seemed to be getting heavier, with the wind and rain battering the oil-paper-covered window. The leaves in the courtyard and the entire world seemed to be overtaken by it.
Yu Le looked up, staring intensely at the direction of the window as if deep in thought.
After a moment, he made up his mind, stood up, grabbed an umbrella from the cabinet, and hurried downstairs.
Lu Yao was deleting the 20th-floor check-in list sent by his assistant that morning.
The coincidence was entirely unexpected.
The list had 19 names, with 5 meeting the criteria of young men. Originally, he had planned to find a way to filter them, but now it seemed unnecessary.
The guesthouse had been closed for over half a year and had only reopened a week before his return. The staff had cleaned it thoroughly inside and out. He had left the booking matters to someone else, and he had only returned two hours ago. He hadn’t finished tallying new items and additional supplies yet, so he was currently occupied with other tasks.
He recalled Yu Le’s room, which was fully equipped. Yu Le had booked the room for over two months. Lu Yao wasn’t sure if Yu Le would adapt to the summer climate here, so he thought it might be wise to provide a fan just in case.
He vaguely heard footsteps coming from the backyard and turned his head towards the sound.
Yu Le had entered the hall and saw the person who had just left his room standing behind the counter, busy with something, his head down, seemingly unaware of Yu Le coming downstairs.
Yu Le pursed his lips and silently walked out.
“Be careful of the slippery roads in the rain,” Lu Yao’s deep voice came from behind as Yu Le passed the counter.
“Remember to come back for dinner before eight.”
Yu Le paused, gave a vague response, and quickened his pace out of the guesthouse.
After Yu Le’s figure disappeared through the door, Lu Yao finally looked up and immediately dialed a number on his phone.
After only two rings, a lively voice came through the receiver:
“Hello? Brother Lu, what’s up?”
