Chapter 037: I Thought You Would Be Eager to See Me

"Ayao, is something on your mind?" Ye Yiyi asked, noticing the thoughtful look on Jiang Yao’s face.

Jiang Yao absently kicked at the small pebbles by the riverbank. "I owe someone too much. I don’t know how to repay it."

"Who is it?"

"The director’s son," Jiang Yao blurted out. She had never expected that the hospital really belonged to He Yunqing’s family!

The words were barely out before Jiang Yao already felt a twinge of regret. Sure enough, Ye Yiyi’s eyes sparkled with a blend of gossip and genuine concern. "What happened?"

When it came to digging for the root of any story, no one could outdo Ye Yiyi.

"It’s nothing. He kindly helped pay some of Chen Shu’s medical bills," Jiang Yao hurried to change the subject, nudging Ye Yiyi’s shoulder. "Didn’t you say you wanted to pick mushrooms? Go on, off you go."

Ye Yiyi went to look for mushrooms, leaving Jiang Yao alone at the river, catching fish.

She took off her shoes, stepped into the water, and balanced on the stones, peering into the river for any sign of little fish.

Yet, all she could see was the cold, handsome face of He Yunqing, constantly appearing before her eyes.

Lately, his name had come up in her life so many times that when he wasn’t there, she felt oddly unsettled.

Jiang Yao shook her head, as if she could shake away the image in her mind. "Jiang Yao, focus," she chided herself.

She lowered her head again, resuming her search for fish.

But the clear surface of the river suddenly reflected He Yunqing’s shadow once more.

Startled, Jiang Yao rubbed her eyes and looked again. That outrageously handsome face was still there.

"Jiang Yao, are you mad or just ill?" she muttered, tapping her head twice, then, in a fit of childish annoyance, stamped her foot on his reflection. "He Yunqing, He Yunqing, go away, go away!"

"I thought you’d be eager to see me," came a magnetic male voice from behind, laced with amusement.

Jiang Yao jumped, startled.

Her foot slipped, and she tipped backward, about to fall headfirst into the river.

At the critical moment, a cool, strong hand appeared at her back, lifting her gently. She fell straight into He Yunqing’s arms.

She collided with his well-defined chest and was enveloped in the scent of cold pine. Only then did she realize this was no illusion.

She quickly stepped back, putting distance between them, rubbing her head in embarrassment. "What are you doing here?"

He Yunqing bent down, his handsome face suddenly very close, scrutinizing her expression with a slight curl of his lips. "Other women don’t make that face when they see me."

Jiang Yao gave a forced, awkward laugh, tapping her head. "Is your head… um… your illness…"

"Hmm?" The man’s long eyes narrowed, a hint of a frown between his brows.

"No, no," Jiang Yao immediately realized her slip and corrected herself. "I mean, is the injury to your head better?"

He Yunqing straightened up and gave a light snort. "I was in the hospital for half a month. How could it not be?"

"You stayed that long?" Jiang Yao blurted in surprise.

She’d heard from the doctor that it was nothing serious, but she hadn’t expected him to be hospitalized for so long.

"All that time, and the person I saved never came to visit me," He Yunqing said, standing tall by the river, hands clasped behind his back. He gave Jiang Yao a sidelong glance, his tone tinged with mockery and a hint of pride.

"Ah, it’s just that the hospital staff were too strict," Jiang Yao replied without thinking. "I tried to visit you several times but was stopped each time. One time I even…"

As she spoke, she paced back and forth, becoming more animated with every word.

He Yunqing watched her ramble, a smile playing on his lips.

When Jiang Yao finally finished, she noticed his smile and realized she’d said too much.

One sentence from him was like a fishhook.

And Jiang Yao was the little fish, caught on the line…

Her awkwardness was plain to see. He Yunqing’s gaze drifted to her bare feet. "Shouldn’t you put your shoes on first?"

"Ah? Oh." Only then did Jiang Yao realize she was still barefoot. She hurried to slip on her shoes.

Looking up, she saw Irene approaching from a short distance away.

As always, Irene was impeccably put together from head to toe. She wore bright, elegant makeup and called out, "Yunqing."

Jiang Yao instinctively stepped back a few paces, waving to He Yunqing. "I have something to do, I’ll go now."

He Yunqing watched as she all but ran away, frowning slightly.

"I seem to have come at a bad time," Irene said gently, standing beside him.

"You did," He Yunqing replied blandly, giving his sister a sidelong look, and added, with deliberate mischief, "He Huo Lun."

They’d caught fish, picked mushrooms, and set up their tent.

In front of the tent, Jiang Yao sat by the campfire grilling fish, while Ye Yiyi worked on her mushroom soup.

"Ye Yiyi, is your soup even drinkable?" Cheng Yanchi eyed her skeptically.

Ye Yiyi rolled her eyes. "I checked the recipe before we came."

She lifted the lid, ready to add seasoning.

Cheng Yanchi watched her clumsy movements and clicked his tongue. "Didn’t you already add salt? Ayao, you try it. I don't trust her."

Jiang Yao smiled helplessly as the two bickered, then opened the pot, scooped up a spoonful of soup, blew on it, and took a sip.

She pondered for a moment, then had another taste.

"It’s a bit bland. Add more salt," she suggested.

"Okay." Ye Yiyi nodded, opening the lid again for the third time to add salt.

Plop—a sound as if something had fallen into the pot.

The three of them froze around the pot.

"Ayao, did I just see what I think I saw?" Ye Yiyi asked, stiff as a board.

"I think… you did."

All three looked up at the sky. An unidentifiable bird was flying lazily overhead.

Ye Yiyi jumped up, pointing at the bird. "You stupid bird, pay for my soup!"

Unnoticed, dark clouds were gathering in the sky.

At some point, even the breeze had picked up strength.

Jiang Yao glanced at the weather. "It’s fine. We still have grilled fish, but let’s be quick—it looks like rain."

Soon, the fish was ready, and the group sat around the fire, eating grilled fish.

Right then, a wild wind and rain struck.

"Ayao," Ye Yiyi nudged the still-dazed Jiang Yao, "let’s get in the tent!"

Jiang Yao turned—and saw, to her shock, that it was a rose speaking to her, not Ye Yiyi.

She blinked, rubbed her eyes, and the rose turned back into Ye Yiyi.

"Oh, right," Jiang Yao said, standing up. Just then, a loud flapping sound came from behind them.

All three turned toward the tent.

In the raging wind, the tent seemed to dance, swaying wildly before flying several meters away.

The three of them were left standing there, disheveled in the storm.

Jiang Yao slung her left arm around Cheng Yanchi’s shoulder, her right around Ye Yiyi’s, and gave a wry grin. "Having you two with me is truly my good fortune..."