Chapter 51

"For example, you could take her on a trip, specifically to places that are popular with couples, where you're surrounded by other couples. Being alone together, it's bound to foster some feelings between you," Zhao Peng suggested.

"What if it still doesn't work?" asked Yuan Yi.

"If it doesn't, then it just means she's not interested. It's better to give up early," Zhao Peng replied.

"Got it..."

Yuan Yi had never considered that maybe Yan Xi didn't like him. It wasn't that he lacked confidence in himself, but subconsciously, he had avoided considering that possibility.

"Is there a safer method? You know, something that wouldn't make things awkward even if the confession fails?" Yuan Yi's tone became uneasy. "Can you think of something else?"

"Well, if you want a safe approach... just wait until April 1st next year. Even if the confession fails, everyone will just assume you were joking," Zhao Peng chuckled, feeling like his old friend was being overly cautious. He usually had a lot of courage, but when it came to relationships, he seemed clueless.

"Forget it, it looks like you don't have any reliable suggestions either," Yuan Yi said with a sigh. He felt that all of Zhao Peng's ideas were terrible. He shouldn't have asked a playboy like him for advice. He should've asked his brother instead.

But... his brother had been in a relationship for years without marriage. Was he really the right person to ask about love?

As Yuan Yi reflected on this, he opened his Moments on WeChat and posted a status: "Can't sleep again."

His post quickly attracted several comments and likes, including one from his brother, Yuan Bo, who left a message urging him to rest well and not to carry the pressure of work alone.

Yuan Yi scrolled through his Moments, noticing that many people had commented, but there was no comment from Yan Xi. She was probably already asleep by this hour.

He thought to himself as he opened Yan Xi's art blog on Weibo. He scrolled to the first post she ever made.

The first post was a long comic about a mother rabbit and her baby rabbit, telling a warm and heartwarming story. The comments were sparse, but the first one was from a user with the profile picture of a mother rabbit, praising the illustration with words of joy and admiration. Almost every comment after that was from this user. For several months, she was active in the comments, but then she disappeared, and Yan Xi hadn't posted anything for over half a year.

Yuan Yi clicked on the profile of the "Mother Rabbit" user. Most of the posts were reposts of Yan Xi's work.

This must be Yan Xi's mother's account, he thought.

Though he had never seen Yan Xi interact with her mother, Yuan Yi's intuition told him that they had a very close relationship.

Without realizing it, he had spent an hour or two scrolling through posts, and as he fell asleep, his mind kept wandering back to a post Yan Xi had made on New Year's Eve the previous year. The baby rabbit had prepared a big meal, setting three sets of chopsticks on the table. The rabbit father, mother, and baby rabbit stood by the window, watching the fireworks together.

It was warm and beautiful, like a dream.

"Yan, are you planning to keep doing this?" Zhao Peng asked, squatting by the side of the road, looking at the elderly farmer tending his vegetables. He looked down at the mud on his feet, feeling completely overwhelmed.

"Not following them, how will we prove this is their real life?" Yan Xi, wearing a pair of high-top leather shoes, tied her hair up with a headband and walked over to the old man. "Grandpa, is there anything I can help with?"

"Little girl, go back inside. These heavy tasks are too much for a city girl like you," the old man said, his forehead wrinkled with age but his body still sturdy. "Farming used to rely on physical strength, but now with technology, machines do most of the work. It's nothing like when we were young; a piece of land would take a whole family's effort for a long time."

"It's fine, just think of me as joining in for the fun," Yan Xi said as she helped the old man put sweet potatoes into a basket. Her fair, clean hands quickly became covered in dirt.

The old man, when he had nothing else to do, liked watching "Life Around Us," and that made him especially fond of Yan Xi. Seeing her getting her hands dirty made him worry for her, but when she insisted on helping, he reluctantly agreed. Still, he kept asking if she was tired and needed a break.

Before long, Yan Xi had gotten comfortable with the old man, and he began sharing some interesting old stories. Yan Xi asked about the details, and the old man grew more and more excited, weaving stories full of twists and turns.

They had lunch at the old man's house, and all the dishes were made from the vegetables they had picked. The food tasted fresh and delicious, and Yan Xi couldn't help but eat half a bowl more than usual.

She patted her slightly protruding stomach, glad that she had inherited her mother's metabolism rather than her father's, or she would have been too chubby to be on camera.

After lunch, the two elderly people took a short nap, and the old woman went out to gather more vegetables while the old man continued to collect sweet potatoes, loading basket after basket onto a small electric cart. The old man hummed a tune while telling Yan Xi stories about courting his wife decades ago.

They both laughed at the funny parts, and by the time they parted ways, the elderly couple had sent them away with fresh sweet potatoes, dates, and other produce.

"Don't worry, these are all natural, no chemicals. Come back anytime to get more," the old man patted his chest proudly. "I don't have much else, but I've got plenty of fresh, healthy fruits and vegetables."

Yan Xi nodded, promising to visit again next time, and then left the peaceful village.

"Yan, you're really something," Zhao Peng said from the passenger seat, watching her drive. "I've noticed you've got a special knack for winning over old folks. Every time you do a program related to seniors, they treat you like their own granddaughter. I've worked as a cameraman for so many years, and I've never seen a host like you."

"I'm just a unique, one-of-a-kind firework," Yan Xi said, her loosely tied hair hanging down behind her, giving her the appearance of a drama's female protagonist. "I think these old people are great, and their mysterious stories are really interesting. I almost believed them myself."

"These stories are the kind of thing grandparents tell to entertain their grandchildren," Zhao Peng shook his head. "You're a top student, and you believe this stuff?"

"Belief doesn't matter. What's important is that they tell the stories well, with the magic of last century's legends," Yan Xi's eyes lit up as she suddenly had an idea for a future comic. "Our country is so vast, with different places, customs, and legends. I could use these magical stories as material for heartwarming little tales."

As they dropped Zhao Peng off and had dinner at his place, Yan Xi then leisurely drove home.

Just as she parked in the garage, her phone urgently rang.

"Hello?"

"Yan Xi, where are you?" Yuan Yi's voice sounded a bit anxious.

"I just got home. What's up?" Yan Xi asked, hearing the urgency in his tone.

"It's nothing... just wanted to check in," Yuan Yi's voice quickly calmed down. "Don't forget about tomorrow's gathering. I'm worried you won't find the place, so I'll come pick you up in the morning."

"Isn't that a bit much?" Yan Xi felt a little embarrassed.

"Humph, if you know it's too much, then wake up earlier tomorrow," Yuan Yi's tone was as cold as ever. "If there's nothing else, I'll hang up."

His tone made it sound like she was the one who had called him.

Yan Xi clicked her tongue, about to put her phone in her bag, but it rang again. This time, it was Chen Pei calling.

"Yan Xi, where are you right now?"

What happened today? Is everything arranged?

"I just got home, Chen Jie, is there something you need?"

"Thank goodness, I saw the news just now saying there was a car accident on the road you take to get back to the city. A woman in her twenties was seriously injured and sent to the hospital for emergency treatment. I was worried..." She spat a few times, "But it's good you're fine. You've been working hard, get some rest."

So that's why Yuan Yi called earlier, he was worried she had been in an accident?

What a complicated person. He was clearly worried about her but acted all indifferent. He was nearly thirty, still so awkward and aloof. She couldn't help but laugh.

After hanging up, Yuan Yi slumped into his office chair. He hadn't slept well last night and had two meetings today. When he suddenly saw the news about the car accident, and the car in the image looked just like the one Yan Xi drove, along with the report saying a young woman in her twenties was seriously injured, he couldn't help but think of Yan Xi.

How could he forget the saying, "calamity lingers for a thousand years"? She had been hit by a falling lamp but was fine, so how could something like this happen?

Thinking of that, he pressed the button to call his assistant. Soon, Assistant Meng entered. "Boss, are you feeling unwell? You look pale, you're scaring me."

"I'm fine. Can you help me find information on an injured person? I want to anonymously donate to her." Yuan Yi pointed to the news and asked Meng to come over. "It's her."

"Boss, do you know this person?" Meng looked at the image of the injured person, who was entirely pixelated, making it hard to recognize. How did the boss know who it was?

"I don't know her."

"She can afford a Ferrari, does she need your donation? She probably has plenty of money to spare."

"Even so... it's for good karma." Yuan Yi patted Meng's shoulder. "Thanks for handling this."

Assistant Meng: Well, it's your money, do whatever you want with it. You've earned enough to last a few lifetimes.

"No problem, I'll take care of it," Meng noted down the details. "Boss, it's already after hours. Why aren't you leaving?"

Yuan Yi tapped his trembling knee, not wanting his assistant to see how weak his legs felt. "You can go. I'll leave once I finish looking over the information."

"Okay." Meng left the office.

Once the assistant was gone, Yuan Yi slowly stood up and realized his knees felt so weak that they weren't responding as they should. He pinched his knee and took out his phone to check the weather for tomorrow.

The weather tomorrow would be clear. Would the moon be visible at night?