Frost-covered branches blocked my path, and the soft soil of the slope swallowed the soles of my shoes.
I pushed the branches aside to keep them from scratching An Zhi while pulling her up the incline.
As we ventured deeper into the orchard, I realized the small paths that once wound through the terraces had vanished.
I relied on my intuition to find the way.
The sky grew darker, and the shadows of the small trees around us looked more and more like gaunt people.
The long, drawn-out cry of a bird echoed occasionally.
A few more steps, and we seemed to have left the orchard behind, stepping into the unknown wilderness of the forest.
“Mingshan…”
An Zhi pressed close to my back, her voice sounding as if she were about to cry.
“Hold on to me. Once we find her, we’ll go home.”
Anyone would be afraid their first time in the wild, especially someone like An Zhi, who rarely went out.
Even I was beginning to hesitate, wondering if I should continue or head back before we truly got lost.
Just then, I caught a glimpse of a dark, square building through the tangled branches ahead.
Without a word, I picked An Zhi up and hurried toward it.
I was certain this was the shed I remembered.
After years of weathering the wind and rain, the corrugated iron was coated in a layer of yellowish dirt.
The pile of discarded junk beside it was lower than it used to be.
“This is it… Hey! Su Xixia?”
I set An Zhi down and walked toward the entrance.
I could smell a sour scent in the air — was it rotten fruit?
“Su Xixia?”
I turned on my flashlight to look inside.
The hay bed was sunken in, and some unripe green fruits sat beside it, most of them with bite marks.
She wasn’t here…
“She ate these… she was here.”
An Zhi picked up a fruit and sniffed it.
“It has her scent on it.”
“Huh?”
‘Do women have a natural instinct for identifying each other?’
“Okay.”
I looked at An Zhi’s relieved smile, but my scalp felt numb.
Even so, it was already so dark.
Why hadn’t she returned?
If she was hungry enough to eat these fruits, could she have already…
I searched for clues and found a trail of high-heeled footprints on the ground.
The heels were sunk deep into the mud, leading outside and making them easy to identify.
“I’ll go look outside. You — “
Before I could finish, An Zhi rushed over and hugged my arm tightly, stubbornly turning her face away.
I had no choice but to take her with me, following the footprints back into the woods.
Not far ahead, the sound of flowing water became more distinct.
I suddenly remembered that my old elementary school was likely just ahead.
Several mountain streams joined the river there, creating that sound.
‘Just how familiar is she with this place?’
Following the footprints downhill, we indeed reached the riverbank.
I pushed aside the tall grass, and on the opposite bank stood my elementary school.
“Mingshan, there’s something on the ground…”
An Zhi whispered.
I shone the light on the ground.
There was a neatly folded white dress and a cardigan.
Beside them sat a pair of white high heels…
This…
These were definitely Su Xixia’s clothes.
I could smell her rich fragrance on them.
The outfit looked like something a bride would wear.
Was it something she had recently bought?
But the way they were placed so neatly, it looked like —
“Su Xixia!”
I saw a dark shadow in the river.
In a rush of adrenaline, I pushed An Zhi aside and jumped in.
“Mingshan! Mingshan, what are you doing!”
The river looked calm on the surface, but once I was in, I realized the current was rapid.
I had known this once…
The icy water soaked my clothes instantly, making them heavy.
My skin felt as if it were being pricked by a thousand needles, draining my strength.
*Gurgle.*
I paddled my arms desperately, trying to reach the shadow.
But water kept rushing into my nose, making it impossible to breathe.
My blood felt as if it were freezing, slowing my movements.
“Mingshan!! Mingshan, you can’t swim! What… what do I do!?”
Hearing An Zhi’s frantic cries, I finally regretted my recklessness, but it was too late.
The shadow ahead became clear, and I realized it was just a half-built wooden bridge pier…
I tried desperately to grab it, but the surface was covered in moss.
It was so slippery I could barely hold on.
It was over…
“I — I’ll go to the village and get help!!”
An Zhi shouted.
“Get someone? Is that even useful now!? Just watch from the bank!”
“Are you…”
Was that Su Xixia’s voice?
Suddenly, there was a *splash*.
Along with the ripple of the current, something was swimming toward me at high speed.
My physical strength had reached its limit.
My body felt heavy as iron as I slowly sank toward the riverbed.
In my daze, something soft embraced me and began to pull me through the water. It felt warm.
When I opened my eyes again, I was lying on the damp earth.
I felt a warm touch on both my left and right sides.
“An Zhi…”
I croaked.
“Don’t call me,” her voice came from my left ear.
“I hate you…”
“I’m sorry. I thought Su Xixia was jumping into the river to commit suicide.”
I managed to squeeze the words out of my swollen throat, water trickling from the corner of my mouth.
Wait, if An Zhi was holding me on the left, then the person on the right was…
“And I thought you were committing suicide because you couldn’t find me! Idiot. You’re so desperate to find me that you’d throw away your life!?”
It was Su Xixia’s voice.
I could feel the direct contact of her skin; it was very familiar.
So, she hadn’t jumped…
“You’re the idiot… why would you do something like this? No, you’re not an idiot… you just can’t stand to see me hurt, can you?”
“Just — just breathe! Get your body warm. Stop talking nonsense!”
She scolded me, but she quietly huddled closer.
Her smooth, long legs tangled with mine.
“This is to save him. You over there, do you understand?”
She said to An Zhi, lifting her head slightly.
“Um… thank you. But why… are you naked?”
“I haven’t bathed in days. I was going to splash some water to wash myself. Is there a problem with that!? Besides, taking off our clothes to huddle together will make him warm up faster.”
“Is that so? Um… then I’ll… but it’s so embarrassing…”
I heard the sound of fabric rubbing together on my left.
Warmth flowed into me continuously, chasing away the chill in my body.
In the middle of the tall grass by the river at night, I couldn’t see anything.
I could only imagine the two of them naked, holding me.
This was a bit bad…
“Xixia, if I hadn’t come looking for you, would you have committed suicide… right?”
I asked.
“You would have come! I’m not an idiot…”
Her voice gradually softened.
“It’s normal for you to hate me. I’m the one obstructing your dreams. After all, you only have your dreams and other people in your eyes. You don’t have me…”
“If you really committed suicide, you’d be a real idiot. I’d rather you were setting a trap, just like before. Like our first time on that thunderstorm night… thank you for everything you’ve done for me in your own way.”
Taking advantage of the fact that I couldn’t see her, I spoke the words I wanted to say to the deep blue, starry sky.
It was a thank you she had deserved long ago.
“Mingshan, you know everything?”
“Yes. The Village Chief told me everything about your past.”
“That damn old man! I wanted to wait until you found me and asked me why yourself before I told you. Otherwise, I would have taken those secrets to the grave!”
She kicked her legs in frustration, and more heat transferred into my body.
“If you want to tell me, you can. I’m listening.”
I found it increasingly difficult to ignore the touch of the two of them.
“Idiot, some things only feel right the first time you hear them. And to the current you, saying ‘I like you’ doesn’t mean anything!”
“Didn’t you just say it…?”
The sensation on my left became more distinct as An Zhi’s small hand pressed into my skin.
“Yeah, I like you! Always have, ever since we were kids. It’s the same now. I’m Su Xixia, what wouldn’t I dare say!”
“Right…”
A wave of emotion surged in my heart.
If she had insisted I take her away on that thunderstorm night, or if I had gathered the courage to chase after her, I probably would have given her a different answer after hearing her story and her confession.
But now…
“I can’t accept it. I’m sorry.”
“See! Right! I knew it would be like this! You have your new love, a person like a star. Who doesn’t want to pluck a star!? Especially a stubborn idiot like you!”
I felt warm liquid dripping onto my right shoulder, but I didn’t hear any sadness in her tone.
I was wrong.
She had indeed changed.
Even if she was still selfish, she wasn’t as repulsive as she used to be.
Just as she said, if An Zhi was my star…
I was her star, too.
“I don’t like your methods. If you stop using those tricks in the future… maybe we can still be friends.”
“……”
She didn’t speak.
It was then that I heard her soft sobbing.
I squeezed An Zhi’s hand tightly, trying my best to comfort her and stop her from trembling.
“Su Xixia…”
I didn’t expect An Zhi to speak.
“Huh? Let’s get this straight. I tricked people out of their money for Mingshan’s sake, not yours. You don’t need to thank me! I don’t want to hear it!”
Su Xixia sniffed loudly, her words as stubborn as ever.
“If you insist on talking, don’t blame me for being mean!”
“No… I want to ask you a question. After what happened… I’ve made up my mind to ask you…”
I heard An Zhi take a deep breath before speaking slowly with all her strength.
“If there is a chance for fair competition for Mingshan in the future, would you accept it?”
!?
What was she saying?
Contrary to before, I was the one who gripped her hand tighter.
“Wh — what do you mean! When is the ‘future’? If you willingly step aside, then I will definitely, absolutely eat Mingshan up! I know him better than you do!”
Su Xixia questioned her.
“Um… I know Mingshan better now, too. I’m starting to understand the things you said when we first met… Seeing Mingshan risk his life for me… I’m moved, but I’m also hurt. I… don’t want a future like that…”
“Fine, you aren’t as naive as I thought! I don’t want to hear about the future. We’ll deal with things when they happen. What’s the use of empty words now? Just stay with Mingshan for now!”
Yes, I had realized long ago that the distance between An Zhi and me wouldn’t close just because we went through this crisis together.
With my current abilities, even if a miracle happened and I helped her through this…
What about after that?
“Um…”
An Zhi squeezed my hand even harder.
The three of us huddled together in silence.
Only the sound of the river and the birds remained.
My heart gradually returned to a state of calm.
“Hmm?”
Su Xixia suddenly let out a sound, swinging her long legs back and forth.
“Mingshan, it looks like you recovered ages ago! What are you pretending for!”
‘Dammit.’
Once my mind calmed down, my body couldn’t stop itself from reacting.
“Whoa…”
There was movement on the left, too.
‘An Zhi, it’s not like that!’
“Mingshan, you pervert. I’m ignoring you…”
“Haha, serves you right!”
Then, the comfortable sensations on both sides vanished instantly as I heard the sound of clothes being put back on.
They didn’t give me any chance to explain.
I really didn’t do it on purpose.