Chapter 38 (Thirty-Eight Chapters) - Liking
If there were any adjectives that could summarize her feelings at this moment, Xia Li wouldn't know how to answer.
Time spent in Ancheng was like a movie on fast-forward, each frame flashing by so quickly that there was no time to react before it was over. Yet some memories are like fragments worth savoring, remaining vivid even after many days have passed.
On the first day, Ji Ling accompanied her to check into a local hotel in the early morning.
The following afternoon, we strolled around Ancheng Town together. Even during the peak tourist season in June and July, there were still not many Asian faces, and even fewer people who spoke Mandarin. Perhaps it was due to visa issues, or perhaps they couldn't bear the long layovers and high-altitude flights. But for Xia Li, this was one of the few pleasant moments, a rare sight without the crowds.
Two people without detailed plans or intentions strolled along the street as they pleased, like countless ordinary couples.
Ancheng was incredibly boring; jewelry shops were everywhere, just a few steps away. Xia Li had no interest in these things. Ji Ling noticed her unusual behavior and asked, "Shall we go find something to eat?"
She glanced at her watch; it was already evening. The relentless sun had made her lose all sense of time. If Ji Ling hadn't mentioned it, she probably wouldn't have felt hungry until the next day.
She nodded and said, "Okay."
The original intention was to find a Chinese restaurant nearby, but unfortunately, they couldn't find one. In the end, they went into a well-known pizza place. The taste wasn't very delicious, but at least it wasn't spicy, which was within Xia Li's acceptable range.
After finishing their meal and returning to the hotel, Xia Li was not sleepy at all, so she suggested to Ji Ling that they go to the next location.
She didn't follow Ji Ling's original plan, but went with her own instincts, doing whatever she felt like. In the end, she settled down in a small cabin in the area, and Ji Ling had no objections, following her arrangements throughout.
She watched the person in front of her clumsily packing their things and couldn't help but laugh out loud.
Ji Ling was a little puzzled, but continued tidying her luggage. He asked, "What are you laughing at?"
Xia Li bit her lip, not answering, but instead stepped forward, squatted down beside him, and said, "Let's do it together."
Ji Ling paused for a moment, then took her fingers and warmed her slightly cold hand in his palm. "No need, you just need to rest. You didn't sleep much last night. Is it the weather here that's not right? Or are you still jet-lagged?"
If you want to go somewhere else, or go home, you can tell me, and I'll go with you.
These words immediately surprised Xia Li.
To be honest, apart from when she was in school, she had never seen Ji Ling say so much in one breath, let alone after they reunited. People grow up, and someone who was originally indifferent now rarely speaks more than three words at a time.
After marriage, their daily communication consisted only of casual chats during monthly family gatherings. Most of the time, she and he were more like two newly developed robots. Once they said something beyond their intended purpose, they could only look at each other and part on bad terms.
Thinking about her future plans, she neither nodded nor responded. After helping to pack her luggage, she silently lowered her eyes and walked to the sofa, sat on the carpet, and casually touched the whalebone pendant she had found in the jewelry store that afternoon, unconsciously playing with it in her hand.
Ji Ling assumed she was resting, glanced at her from afar, and didn't ask for an answer.
The scenery around the cabin is superb, nestled in the forest, like a fairytale dwelling. It had been drizzling for several days in a row, and Xia Li had no intention of going out, staying there for quite some time.
She thought Ji Ling would get tired of it and might return to China soon, giving her a legitimate reason to leave. But to her surprise, Ji Ling not only didn't leave, but instead thoroughly enjoyed this mundane and boring life, quietly staying by her side and occasionally, day and night, cuddling with her.
Xia Li couldn't take it anymore. If she continued to indulge her like this, her body wouldn't be able to handle it. So, on a slightly sunny day, she contacted the booked project in advance and prepared to go out for a walk to clear her head.
Where are you going?
As she put on her shoes, Ji Ling slowly opened his eyes, poked his head out from under the covers, reached out a hand to pull her up, his warm knuckles caressing her wrist, and asked in a low, husky voice.
"Let's go out," Xia Li replied.
"do what?"
"I signed up for kayaking."
Ji Ling's eyes darkened for a moment. He quickly got up, put on his shirt, and kept a sullen face without saying a word.
Xia Li explained, "There's only one spot left for this project."
Ji Ling remained silent, staring intently at her, and slowly approached.
As they retreated, the space between them became increasingly cramped. Xia Li reached behind her to steady herself until her shoulder bumped into the wooden wardrobe.
At that moment, Ji Ling reached past her, picked up the black coat hanging on the wardrobe, wiped away the eyelashes stuck to the corner of her eye, and said, "I understand."
Xia Li breathed a sigh of relief, glanced at her watch, and estimated the time to set off.
But when she arrived at the meeting point arranged by the guide, she found herself alone, even though the activity was supposed to be done by the four of them.
"Were they all unable to make it due to other commitments?" Xia Li sighed and asked the guide with a thick beard standing in front of him.
"Yes, in fact, there's another one on its way."
Xia Li was puzzled. Generally speaking, popular attractions here require advance reservations. Since a date had been agreed upon and the fee for the visit had been paid, there was little chance of a no-show. Before she could think further, a familiar figure gradually walked towards them from the path in the distant grass.
She was a little unsure, squinted at him, and asked the guide, "Is it him?"
However, a split second before she could speak, the guide had already raised his arm and called out to the man in black in the distance, "Hey! Come quick! He's over here!"
If Xia Li's expression before was uncertain, it could now be described as one of absolute embarrassment.
Because another partner was sleeping very comfortably next to her this morning, or rather, an hour ago, with his arms around her waist, when she woke him up by getting up.
Who else could it be but Ji Ling?!
Before Ji Ling could get close, Xia Li questioned the guide, "Didn't you say the other people were girls?"
The guide waved his hand: "I didn't expect you to be so concerned about gender, but it's okay. Since you're here, let's have some fun together. I think it's fate."
Xia Li: "..."
After Ji Ling arrived, they went to the nearby area together, put on the clothing and equipment provided by the guide, and inflated the kayak.
Xia Li planned to ask him why he had suddenly come here, but the white guide next to her seemed to understand simple Chinese, so she gave up. Ji Ling, however, seemed a little strange. He didn't seem to ask anything, but his gaze remained quietly fixed on her the whole time, unusually deep.
These two people, who have done everything together, are now pretending to be strangers.
Before putting on the gloves, Xia Li noticed someone coming from behind her. This person even secretly touched her hanging hand, hooked her little finger, and took the other bulky glove from her hand.
She turned her head in confusion, only to suddenly meet Ji Ling's pair of deep green eyes.
To put it bluntly, she suddenly felt that even the clearest and purest glacial lakes that stretched across the valleys behind her couldn't compare to the beauty of his eyes.
Ji Ling asked her, "Where are you going next?"
Xia Li answered blankly, "Kayaking..."
Ji Ling: "...I'm asking about your next plan."
The guide watched the two of them talking and exchanging questions, assuming they were just fellow countrymen who had hit it off in a foreign land. He didn't have much interest in gossip. Instead, he used his not-so-fluent Chinese to recommend to Ji Ling, "My friend can book a private helicopter to see and climb glaciers. Are you interested? Maybe we can leave tomorrow."
The guide paused, glanced at Xia Li, and then said, "You can go with this lady if neither of you has made any plans. But I need to contact him beforehand. I heard he has a girl who can't confirm her travel dates and has booked her for a whole week."
Xia Li did not respond. Ji Ling chatted with the guide for a few words, then helped Xia Li put on her other glove and invited her to sit in the front of the kayak.
Kayaking together would test the two people's teamwork, so Xia Li decisively refused, inflated another kayak instead of going with Ji Ling.
A gentle breeze blew by, and she swung her arms, rowing the boat, causing ripples to spread across the crystal-clear, smoky-blue lake.
The guide told her that she could lie on the lake, a very straightforward description. Xia Li's eyes widened in surprise. She had never thought that the word "lie" could be used to describe it. It was as if at this moment, she was the only one left in the world. She could do whatever she wanted without worrying about anything else.
Xia Li followed the guide's instructions and did so, and Ji Ling followed suit.
The waterproof suit didn't keep her warm; even with the sun shining down, she could still feel the chill. But at that moment, Xia Li's heart felt warm and cozy.
She recalled that during her university years, Sheng Mingyang invited her to travel to Antarctica during a holiday, and also invited many other people.
At that time, she did not understand Sheng Mingyang's intentions and thought it was just an invitation between friends. The guide also asked her to turn her back and lean backward. The clothes provided were heat-insulating, so she would not feel cold even when she came into contact with the cold water.
She was terrified, afraid that something might happen to her, but she didn't know what she was worried about. She only remembered someone instructing her to straighten her back and not to be afraid. The more she bent over, the more water would flood her chest and abdomen. This was repeated several times. She tried to do it and tried to follow the instructions. She moved her right arm and turned to the left. The moment her body moved with the ice, she turned her head in panic and saw Sheng Mingyang's face turned to the side.
Looking back now, she doesn't know if Sheng Mingyang's feelings at the time were attraction.
But at this moment, as she turned her head to look at Ji Ling, she thought that if time could truly stop at this moment of throbbing, that would be the best ending.
Ji Ling's face was as cold as a winter wind, and he turned his head slightly to meet her gaze, which made her gradually understand her feelings.
like.
It's hard to describe the feeling of liking someone.
If I were to describe it in the form of a specific event, it would be like wanting to go to places we've never been before with him, to experience things we've never experienced before, to keep things fresh, to seek excitement, to enter his world, and to let him enter my world, even if it's just for a short time, it would be worth cherishing.
It also represents compromise and concession, and that true happiness does not necessarily have to end with being together, getting married, or growing old together.
Happiness can take many forms, and even when it appears as a memory, it can still be unforgettable.
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