Li Xia shot a covert glare at his retreating back.
The next instant, a light laugh sounded from overhead. Li Xia looked up to find him inches away—she could even make out the texture of his collar button. Their eyes met, and she held her ground, striving for composure. “What are you laughing at now?”
He was tall; his hand hovered uncertainly, rising and falling.
Finally, he gestured vaguely. “Your hair’s messed up.”
“Want me to fix it?”
“No, no, no.”
Li Xia shook her head while reaching up to smooth it, unaware that a damp, wayward lock had indeed stuck out at the back, frozen in a messy curl.
Damn it! She must look like a total space case right now.
“I’m done for,” Li Xia said suddenly, pressing her scalp.
“What is it?”
She peered up at him. “I didn’t leave Teacher Fang with a pretty first impression.”
It sounded regretful, but her tone carried a playful lilt, her upturned eyes sparkling, long lashes fluttering.
He chuckled. “No, you did.” He tilted his head, studying her for a deliberate second. “I think you’re still very pretty.”
Li Xia’s grin broke wide—eight teeth flashing before vanishing.
Her cheeks warmed, her heart pounded, her head swam dizzily. But God, she loved this moment.
And this moment shouldn’t be cluttered with the tangled ball of questions in her mind.
Li Xia let them go. She pocketed her phone and tossed out some witty banter instead. The air lightened with her clever touches, both of them easing into relaxation.
He glanced between the temple interior and exterior. “It’s getting crowded here. Want to find somewhere else?”
The rain hadn’t let up; outside wasn’t ideal.
“Are you heading in?” Li Xia asked.
Rather than answer directly, he considered her. “Have you already done your prayers?”
She nodded, then added, “Doesn’t matter. I can’t pray for you anyway. You’re here now—I’ll keep you company, come hell or high water.”
He seemed surprised and double-checked. “You really want to come with me?”
Now it was Li Xia’s turn to frown. “Don’t you want to go in?”
“It’s not that,” he said. “People always say this place is super spiritual. I never really believed it, never made a special trip.”
“Believe it now?”
“Yeah, now I do.” His gaze drifted outward, taking in the incense, the figures, the rain. Then he turned back to her, eyes alight with enthusiasm and satisfaction. “Spirit Spring Temple has already granted my first wish.”
“Oh? What’s that?” Li Xia asked, intrigued.
“Coming on a trip with you.”
He spoke while looking straight into her eyes, steady and sincere. Sometimes, honesty was like a mute button on the world. Chaos swirled around them, yet Li Xia heard and felt his earnestness crystal clear.
She could even swear the candlelight in his eyes flickered right in her heart.
There was some distance from the entrance to the main hall. Li Xia guided Fang to collect three sticks of free incense. Even though it was raining, the incense burner outside the hall was still bustling with activity, thick curls of smoke weaving through the misty rain like a hazy veil. He held the umbrella, with Li Xia walking at his right side.
In the corner of her eye, she could see the wooden umbrella handle gripped firmly in his clearly defined knuckles, his forearm extended protectively near her side. He wasn’t walking fast at all, always matching her pace. But Li Xia was used to sharing an umbrella with friends, arms linked and shoulders brushing. Now, walking side by side with Fang, if their steps didn’t sync or she stumbled slightly, she’d brush against his arm or the hem of his clothes.
That hem wasn’t cotton—it felt rough against her skin, like sandpaper or a matchstrike. Li Xia simply crossed her arms, creating a vast galaxy of space between them.
The rain fell silently on her half of the shoulder, the one she kept politely and stubbornly distant.
Fortunately, it was summer, so it wasn’t too chilly. She followed him step by step like this, her footfalls light and soft. With every step, she tried to steady her heartbeat, to get used to his presence.
Until Fang lit the incense and bowed his head, inserting the sticks into the burner. As they turned together toward the main hall, Li Xia suddenly felt a pair of hands tugging lightly at her arm.
The pull was gentle. She turned back, but Fang had already withdrawn his hand.
“You can stand a little closer to me,” he said softly, reminding her.
“Hm?”
“Your clothes are getting wet.”
Fang pointed at the shoulder of her blouse.
Called out like that, Li Xia had no choice but to lower her head and shuffle inward a small step. “Alright, let’s go.”
“Wait.”
Fang didn’t seem satisfied. He stood still, and in the next moment, he tilted the umbrella toward Li Xia’s head, making sure she was completely sheltered beneath it.
The distance closed again—
The umbrella canopy dipped lower, dimming her view slightly. Her ear was nearly brushing against the hand holding the umbrella, its warmth invisibly heating her earlobe until it burned. She didn’t even dare look up, and then she heard Fang’s helpless voice:
“The first time holding an umbrella for a girl, and I let her get soaked like this—it makes me seem so ungentlemanly.”
He paused, leaning his body slightly toward her, his voice right by her ear. They weren’t even making eye contact, but Li Xia felt her heart lift into her throat. This posture felt like whispering secrets in a crowd.
“Right?”
“Teacher Lizi.”
…
That was so against the rules.
He had actually called her that.
Li Xia had the urge to squeeze her eyes shut.
Gathering her courage, she lifted her gaze to meet a pair of clear, bright eyes. “It’s fine, I’m not mad. Just punish you by making you hold the umbrella for me all day!”
“Hahaha.” Fang laughed brightly and freely.
“What, no good?”
He grinned cheerfully: “As you command.”
The awkwardness and silence vanished like smoke once more, and Li Xia felt lightness bloom in her chest. The rest of the way, Fang sheltered her perfectly; even her damp sleeve began to warm and dry.
The main hall was still thronged with people, the three kneeling mats filled to capacity. As they reached the doorway, Li Xia raised a hand to stop Fang. She reminded him solemnly, “Men step with the left foot first, women with the right. And whatever you do, don’t step on the threshold—that’s a big taboo!”
“Got it.”
He said he understood, but he didn’t move. Li Xia finished reciting “men left, women right” five times like a chant, and just as she was about to step forward, she noticed the man beside her hadn’t budged. Puzzled, she looked over.
“?”
Such a tall guy, yet right then he stood rigid, staring at her with a mix of embarrassment and helplessness. “You chanted it so much that now I can’t tell left from right… My legs won’t listen… This is the right one, right? Yeah?”
“Hahaha…”
In front of the Buddha statue, Li Xia covered her mouth but still burst out laughing.
Fang furrowed his brow. “Give me a little face, will you?”
“Alright, alright.”
Li Xia thought he was so cute—obedient and a bit clumsy, hilariously so. She’d imagined before how happy and excited she’d be meeting Fang, probably awkward from the unfamiliarity too. But now, this relaxed, playful vibe made her lips curve uncontrollably, leaving her a touch dazed as well.
While Fang paid his respects, she stood quietly to the side. She watched him close his eyes, bow his head, clasp his hands together; watched his half-kneeling, straight-backed silhouette, the clean, broad line of his shoulders.
His profile was as strikingly sculpted as in his photos, the curve from brow to nose to lips like the perfect proportions she’d learned in her early drawing lessons—a straightforward, intuitive kind of handsome.
The people around maintained a tacit, reverent quiet as they came and went.
For a moment, Li Xia felt like she was watching her own dream unfold, a beautiful one.
She glanced around: temples upon temples, and looking up, the Bodhisattva’s benevolent brows. She began thanking the divine from the bottom of her heart—
For granting her wish so effortlessly.
Silently, she prayed this beautiful dream could last a little longer.
…
“What did you wish for?”
They had just stepped over the threshold when Li Xia’s eyes sparkled with curiosity. She waited for Fang to open the umbrella, then leaned in teasingly. “Attract some romance?”
“Nope.”
“Get rich quick?”
Fang shook his head, lowering his eyes to meet hers. “Something to do with you.”
He dangled it like that, piquing her appetite. Li Xia’s curiosity instantly turned to shy fluster, her heart itching. She turned her head away.
“Not asking anymore?”
Li Xia didn’t look at him, letting the cool raindrops and breeze cool her cheeks. “Since it’s about me, I definitely can’t ask. Say it out loud, and it won’t come true.”
Fang chuckled lowly behind her.
“There’s two more halls ahead. How about the one on the left first? That’s the Medicine Master Hall, and on the right…” Drawing from experience, Li Xia started down the stone steps, only for her wrist to be suddenly gripped.
This was the second time today—that not-too-light, not-too-heavy tug forcing her to stop.
This time, Fang didn’t let go right away.
His tone was gentle and warm: “I’m actually a bit hungry, Teacher Lizi.”
“Should we grab something to eat first?”
He never spoke forcefully, always mindful of the other person’s feelings. It reminded Li Xia of an obedient puppy—impossible to refuse.
“Oh, sure!” she said.
Her wrist was still in his grasp, the spot of skin contact transmitting a warmth that wasn’t hers. The pulse beneath that small patch beat even harder. Li Xia’s fingers curled reflexively, and only then did Fang release her.
At this hour, the vegetarian eateries at Spirit Spring Temple were still packed. Li Xia hadn’t eaten lunch either and was getting hungry. She suggested the nearest one at Hidden Light Temple. “I hear their vegetarian noodles are amazing.”
And so, under one umbrella, they passed through the post-rain pine forest, over bluestone paths and mossy trails. They walked a long way, talked a lot, climbed halfway up the mountain, and arrived at Hidden Light Temple.
The vegetarian food shop had a prime viewing platform. Fang went to rent a power bank, but Li Xia couldn’t wait and claimed a window seat—
Outside the window stretched lush, rain-freshened green as far as the eye could see. The air was even fresher than down the mountain, negative ions hitting her face. In the distance, ancient temples nestled in the woods, bells echoing through the valleys. Sitting on a hand-embroidered cushion, Li Xia felt like she’d stumbled into a hidden paradise. She couldn’t resist pulling out her phone to snap photo after photo.
“No power banks for rent here, it seems.”
Fang searched around fruitlessly and sat down across from her.
Li Xia was standing, elbow on the windowsill, angling for the perfect shots. She turned with a grin. “Looks like this meal’s on me, then.”
Fang smiled too. “Fang here is completely relying on Teacher Lizi now.”
Li Xia waved it off grandly. “No big deal.”
She was absorbed in the view and didn’t notice the intense gaze Fang fixed on her—or rather, the quiet satisfaction filling his eyes as he watched her.
Seeing her focused on photos, Fang shared some professional photography tips. Once she got shots she loved, Li Xia was even happier.