When Ye Yunjin returned from his call, he first nodded at the driver.
Then he turned to Zhu Liuyue.
“We’re all set. Let’s go.”
Zhu Liuyue glanced up at him.
Ye Yunjin made no mention of how he had barely rested in the car the day before, nor did he complain when she suggested they come overnight.
He simply handled all the arrangements in silence.
“Mm. Let’s go,” she said.
The smile at the corner of Ye Yunjin’s lips became more genuine. “Mm.”
By the time they arrived at the primary school in Xingyun Mountain District, it was nearly midnight.
The principal was waiting at the entrance with a flashlight. When she saw them, she greeted them with a warm smile.
“Mr. Ye, Doctor Zhu, thank you so much for coming.”
The principal was a woman in her thirties or forties, with a strong, determined face. When she smiled, she revealed a neat row of teeth, giving her a very approachable air.
But the sunburn on her skin and the calluses on her hands bore witness to all she had devoted to the children in the mountains.
“No,” Zhu Liuyue said. “Compared with everything you’ve done for the children, we’ve only made a small contribution.”
The principal led them toward the dormitory building, introducing the school as they walked.
“Most of the children live at home. Some have both parents working away from home, while their grandparents aren’t able to care for them, so they live in the school dormitories.”
“The first through third floors are for the students, and the fourth and fifth floors are for the teachers.”
At that, the principal’s face filled with gratitude.
“Thanks to the Ye Foundation, our dormitories used to be a short row of one-story buildings. The roofs were always leaking whenever it rained.”
“It was only after we received the construction funds that we were able to build this dormitory building.”
“The blackboards in the classrooms, the desks and chairs…” Once she started talking about these things, the principal became extremely animated, her eyes shining.
When someone devoted themselves to a cause they loved, they never seemed to feel tired.
Only after she finished did she realize she had been rambling. She smiled and said, “Listen to me—I’ve been talking your ears off. It’s already so late. I’ll get you settled in, and we can discuss everything else tomorrow.”
Their rooms were on the fifth floor. Zhu Liuyue was in Room 502, while Ye Yunjin was in Room 503.
The principal brought them some toiletries and told them that the washroom and showers were at the end of the hall on the fifth floor before leaving.
Zhu Liuyue returned to her room and unpacked.
She planned to wash up quickly and go to bed.
When she opened the door, she discovered that the motion-activated light in the hallway seemed to be broken. The corridor was pitch-black.
They had not noticed earlier because the principal had been carrying a flashlight the whole time.
Zhu Liuyue was not afraid of the dark. She was only worried that she might trip in such a dark hallway.
Just then, the door next to hers opened.
Ye Yunjin also stepped out with his toiletries. He was holding a flashlight and asked naturally, “Together?”
“Mm.”
Zhu Liuyue followed unhurriedly behind him.
The wash area was communal. A row of mirrors hung above a long, rectangular washbasin tiled in black and white, with a faucet beneath each mirror.
The light bulb flickered due to a faulty connection, while tiny flying insects buzzed incessantly around it.
Zhu Liuyue was brushing her teeth when she lowered her head and noticed that Ye Yunjin was not washing up.
Curious, she turned to look at him.
He stood ramrod straight, his handsome face completely expressionless. His amber eyes were utterly still, as if he were perfectly calm.
But he had not turned on the faucet, nor had he squeezed out any toothpaste. He simply stood there, frozen like a statue.
Zhu Liuyue was quite bold.
That did not mean she could remain calm while watching Ye Yunjin behave like this. There was something distinctly strange about him.
She gently patted him on the back.
“Yunjin, what’s wrong?”
She was certain she had used only the lightest touch, the kind meant purely to show concern.
But Ye Yunjin reacted as if he had been startled by something. His entire body sprang up from where he stood.
Then, without thinking, he took one or two quick steps toward her before crouching down, covering his head, and becoming completely still again.
Zhu Liuyue noticed that his body was trembling faintly and uncontrollably.
At last, she understood.
“You’re afraid of the dark?”
Ye Yunjin remained half-crouched, his voice muffled.
“I’m not afraid…”
“Then why are you crouching?”
“I…” His voice trembled slightly. “I just…”
Zhu Liuyue understood and gave him an easy way out.
“You’re just not used to the darkness in the mountains, especially at midnight. And then there are all those mirrors.”
“Mm,” Ye Yunjin murmured.
Then Zhu Liuyue noticed that he had grabbed the hem of her pants. He clung to it as though it were a lifeline.
That explained everything.
Why had Ye Yunjin opened his door at exactly the same time she had opened hers? Why had he been carrying a flashlight?
Because he was afraid.
But as a grown man, he had been too embarrassed to admit it. After all, he always presented himself to the outside world as mature and composed. He could only force himself to endure it.
He had seemed expressionless while standing there, but inside, he had probably been scared out of his wits.
The contrast was simply adorable.
A light, amused laugh escaped Zhu Liuyue’s throat before she could stop it.
Ye Yunjin grew even more embarrassed, wishing he could bury his head in the sand like an ostrich.
“What are you laughing at?” he asked, his voice muffled.
“I’m not laughing,” Zhu Liuyue said.
After saying that, she laughed even harder.
Ye Yunjin: “…”
I want to die.
What was he supposed to do?
He had revealed his fear of the dark in front of his fiancée.
After laughing, Zhu Liuyue took a moment to compose herself.
She bent down and tugged gently at Ye Yunjin, her voice warm and soothing. “It’s all right. You have a flashlight in your hand. It’s not completely dark.”
“But there are mirrors, too. They reflect the light.”
Oh, she understood now. In a pitch-black room, shining a flashlight at your own face and seeing it reflected in the mirror would indeed be rather eerie.
“It’s fine. I’ll hold on to you.” Zhu Liuyue gently patted him on the head.
Ye Yunjin’s body had already been tense from fright.
Now he was startled by Zhu Liuyue’s sudden gesture.
His back stiffened instantly, and he seemed unsure what to do.
He was also beginning to panic.
His heart pounded uncontrollably, as though it might leap right out of his chest.
Ye Yunjin thought, Oh no! Am I going to scare myself into having a heart attack?
Of course, that was impossible.
He attributed it instead to the powerful yet gentle force brushing over him, and to the fact that his heart had been irresistibly drawn to it.
“Lift your head.” Zhu Liuyue’s voice sounded beside his ear.
Ye Yunjin clenched his teeth and told himself that he could do this. He still had a flashlight.
He could not lose face in front of his fiancée.
He abruptly raised his head—and met Zhu Liuyue’s smiling eyes.
He was crouching, so their gazes were level.
So… Zhu Liuyue had crouched down in front of him to take care of him.
“My face is very pale. Look at me, and you won’t be afraid. Come on, give me your hand.” She smiled sweetly and held out her hand to him.
Ye Yunjin realized that his heart was malfunctioning again.
Thump, thump.
It pounded wildly, with no rhythm at all.
