As for her, she always tried to preserve her energy by moving forward one step at a time. Then, she was able to use her energy effectively to boost her chances of reaching the top.
Seeing Han Muzi smiling without saying anything, Yan pursed her lips unhappily. “This is unfair! This is unfair!”
Xiao Su couldn’t bear watching Yan like this, so he explained to her himself.
After listening to his explanation, Yan finally understood, but she immediately projected her embarrassment and rage on him. “So, the two of you knew about this. Then, why did you not remind me from the start? Do you not feel bad watching me waste all of my energy?” It wasn’t enough for her to only use her mouth, so Yan started to hit Xiao Su with her limbs.
A smile crossed Xiao Su’s lips as he felt resigned yet satisfied. With caring eyes, he then gazed at Yan. “I did not remind you because I knew that you would be tired eventually, but you did not exhaust your energy completely at that time. As long as you follow my method by recovering your strength while you move forward, then it should not be a problem.” As he finished, he lifted his head to have a look. “However, by the looks of it, we may need to rest a few more times on the way.”
If it was just him, he would have reached the top in one go, but there were two girls in the group. Young ladies usually have poor physical fitness. Even though Young Lady Ye knows how to preserve her energy, it doesn’t mean that she has enough of it. Even if she preserves and recovers her energy, she will still exhaust all of it in the end. Furthermore, she is pregnant. I should let them rest before she uses up all of her energy.
The more they went forward, the fewer the people around them. However, there was a married couple who consistently followed them from behind. They looked deeply in love as they continuously helped each other up the mountain.
Yan turned around to steal a few glances at them as her eyes filled with envy. I, too, want a magical love like this, sigh.
“Are you envious?” Xiao Su’s voice rang out next to Yan, pulling her mind back to reality. At some point, he walked next to her in an exceptionally close distance. “We can be like that if you want to.” When he said this, he leaned closer to her while intentionally lowering his voice.
Yan looked toward Han Muzi reflexively, noticing that Han Muzi stoically walked forward as if only she had heard what Xiao Su said. Yet, Yan still felt embarrassed for some reason, so she bit on her lower lip and glared at him. “Who wants to do that with you?”
Xiao Su blinked his eyes. “Do what?”
Yan was rendered speechless as she realized that her words would be easily misunderstood by others. Therefore, she quickly explained, “I am talking about them as a married couple. It’s not what you think it is!”
After a long walk, Yan’s white face flushed a bit and she looked even more adorable with her embarrassment. Xiao Su was usually a straightforward man, but when he saw her this way, he couldn’t help but feel the need to mock her, so he added, “What I think? How do you know what I’m actually thinking?”
“Of course I know you are thinking of that. How could I not know that you are thinking of that? But what you’re thinking of is not actually that thing that you are thinking of. I…” At this point, Yan suddenly trailed off before she snapped at him, “Ugh, this has now become a mess and a tongue twister for me. I refuse to talk to you now.” After that, Yan went over to Han Muzi’s side and far away from Xiao Su while he quirked up the corners of his lips to reveal a loving smile.
Han Muzi saw Yan running to her side with an angry face and asked, “What’s the problem?”
Yan complained to her straight away, “This Xiao Su is such a despicable person. He might seem like a gentleman, but that is not true at all.”
“Huh?”
“He… Forget about it. I don’t think I’ll tell you.”
Then, Han Muzi glanced at Xiao Su over Yan’s shoulder. After all these years, she was familiar with his character. According to his attitude toward Yan lately, Han Muzi believed that he was being serious. If Yan can’t be together with my brother, then Xiao Su is actually not a bad choice. As she thought about it, she lowered her voice and asked, “Have you ever considered him?”
“Huh? W-What?” Yan’s eyes instantly filled with panic. “Muzi, are you saying…”
“Yes.” Han Muzi nodded while her face and eyes reflected calmness. “You cannot always hook yourself onto a tree for the rest of your life. You are still young. You do not need to waste all your time on my brother. As a girl, you should really let your youth be widely known to everyone. If you lock your heart up and do not consider anyone else, you might just lose your youth.”
Yan remained quiet.
“I know I don’t have the right to advise you because I’m that stubborn and will only set my mind on one person. No matter if he is dead or alive, I would not ever change my mind. But… I still need to advise you—whether you want to listen to me or not.”
“Stop it,” Yan interrupted her quietly. “I am not as intelligent as you and I cannot be an outstanding designer like you, but… I have my own determination and pride. The fact is I like him and I would not take a step back to choose someone I do not like. Xiao Su… is a nice person, but we cannot force a relationship. Besides, I do not plan to hook onto a tree for the rest of my life. Ever since I returned from abroad, I have already decided to give up on your brother.”
Han Muzi already guessed it, but she still reminded Yan, “But when I look at you, it is obvious that you have not let him go.”
“Yes. I may have not completely let go of him, but I am much better than before. You can see that… I have stopped clinging on to him lately. Muzi, I have already progressed.”
Han Muzi was rendered speechless, so she remained silent. Yan held on to Han Muzi’s hand and lowered her voice. “Please stop talking about that anymore. It will be very awkward if he hears it.” She was referring to Xiao Su.
Even though Xiao Su had obviously expressed his feelings toward her lately and even admitted it to her, Yan was still a shy girl. However, that wasn’t because of love. She knew what she wanted and what she didn’t want. If she really got together with Xiao Su, she would only be hurting him.
Han Muzi had a look at Yan before letting out a resigned sigh inside her. There really isn’t much mutual love in the world. Even if there is, it’s easy for it to rot and most people are like Xiao Su, who can only love instead of being loved. However, they still hold on to the last remaining hope in the deepest part of their hearts as they await for a different ending. Maybe their dreams will really come true one day?
She lowered her eyes and decided that she would never talk about relationships to Yan anymore. Yan can do whatever she wants.
