Sweet Gardenia - Chapter 14.2

After climbing for forty minutes, she felt her entire body burning, her energy draining, and her legs going numb.

The first round of selection on the mountain trail began at the rest stop.

Two girls nearby complained that they couldn’t go on, pointing to another small path and saying they could take the cable car up. Lu Zhi lowered her head, slowly sipping from her straw to stall for time, and glanced at them upon hearing this.

Following the direction the girls pointed, there was indeed a small sign: [Cable Car Entrance This Way.]

They have cable cars for mountain climbing now? Fully automated climbing?

She parted her lips, about to ask Fu Yanshang if they could take it, but the moment she met his gaze, she felt it was unnecessary. He would never allow his subordinate to slack off.

Lu Zhi bought a grilled sausage. Not long after, Fu Cheng, who had run ahead, noticed they weren’t following and turned back to ask Fu Yanshang, “Why aren’t you moving? It’ll take at least three more hours to reach the summit. If you delay any longer, will you even make it to your noon meeting?”

Fu Yanshang replied calmly, “How thoughtful of you to remember I have a meeting.”

“What’s the big deal about having a meeting? Does it conflict with spending time with your grandpa? Xiao Zhi, don’t you agree?!”

The thought of having to climb for three more hours washed over Lu Zhi with overwhelming despair. Still, she smoothed her expression and conjured a gentle, understanding smile. “Of course, it’s not hard at all. Climbing is really stress-relieving.”

Fu Yanshang: “…”

“You really understand my good intentions,” Fu Cheng praised approvingly, swinging his arms. “Then let’s hurry up and get moving. We should aim to reach the summit by noon for lunch!”

She licked her lips. “But my sausage isn’t ready yet. Maybe…”

“Eat your sausage,” Fu Yanshang tilted his chin, signaling it was fine. “If he wants to climb, let him go ahead.”

She stared at Fu Yanshang for a few seconds, then suddenly her eyes lit up, and the corners of her lips curved slightly.

Fu Yanshan’s gaze shifted subtly.

“Grandpa would be lonely climbing the mountain alone, and you two rarely get to hike together,” she said sweetly. “I won’t ruin this opportunity for you. I’ll be fine.  Don’t wait for me. I’ll catch up with you after I finish my grilled sausage.”

Just as Fu Cheng was about to speak, she continued considerately, “Oh, Grandpa, really, it’s fine. I like walking alone, and doesn’t he still have a meeting to attend? I’d feel bad if I delayed his work. I didn’t eat much this morning and I’m a bit hungry. I’ll climb more efficiently once I’ve eaten.”

Fu Yanshang’s gaze shifted away from the cable car signboard.

Unable to withstand her waves of well-behaved persuasion, Fu Cheng soon dragged Fu Yanshang away firmly. Five minutes later, her grilled sausage was ready.

She glanced toward the cable car in the distance, added a leisurely snack, and paid again: “One single cable car ticket, please.”

…

Three hours later, at the restaurant.

After reaching the summit, Fu Cheng felt refreshed both physically and mentally. Holding a bottle of water, he reluctantly changed tables and sat down. “Wasn’t the private room just fine? Why did we suddenly move here? This area is the cable car terminal.  It’s crowded with people everywhere.”

Fu Yanshang leaned back in his chair, gazing aimlessly out the window. “Better view.”

The old man snorted. After a moment, he asked, “Did you message Xiao Zhi? Where is she now?”

“No need to worry about her.”

“What kind of talk is that?!” The old man flared up again. “She’s your wife! Why are you asking me if I’m worried about her?!”

“I didn’t ask.”

“…”

“Besides, that’s not what I meant,” he said slowly, his eyes sweeping outside and settling on a particular cable car that had already made three round trips. “Her WeChat steps today might surpass yours.”

Inside one of the cable cars, his seemingly delicate and helpless wife was leisurely enjoying her snacks while video-chatting with a friend, completely at ease and carefree.

Fu Cheng: “What do you mean?”

“Exactly what I said,” Fu Yanshang withdrew his gaze and glanced at his phone. “She’s coming down.”

“What’s coming down?” Fu Cheng turned around. “If she’s coming, she’s coming. What do you mean by ‘coming down’? Have I been neglecting your Chinese language education so long that you’ve regressed to this point?”

“And let me tell you, Xiao Zhi is such a wonderful girl. You need to learn to cherish her, understand? I’m just afraid you’re too clueless about romance. What if she gets bullied by you?”

Fu Yanshang found it amusing and raised an eyebrow. “How could I possibly bully her?”

Right now, she was even more well-fed than he was.

A short while later, Lu Zhi entered the restaurant via the shortcut from the cable car.

As soon as she sat down, Fu Yanshang suddenly leaned in close.

Her heart skipped a beat, and in 0.01 seconds, she realized she’d forgotten the follow-up act.  She should have sprayed some water droplets on her face and reapplied blush…

Oh no, was he going to see through her?

Fu Yanshang reached out and wiped the corner of her lips.

Lu Zhi’s voice trembled. “Wh-what is it?”

He paused for a couple of seconds, looking at his fingertip calmly. “Ketchup.”

“You must be mistaken. How could there be ketchup on my lips?” She said seriously. “That must be blood from my cough.”

“…”

–

By the time they finished lunch and waited for Fu Yanshang to conclude his meeting, it was already 2 p.m.

This time, on the way down the mountain, Lu Zhi didn’t take the cable car and walked the entire way with them. Mainly because she had taken three cable car rides in the morning to kill time, she was almost sick of them.

By the time they descended the mountain, evening had fallen. A vivid orange hue bled across the lush green slopes, striking in its beauty.

She took out her phone to snap a photo but dozed off again shortly after getting into the car.

When she woke, the car was already parked in the garage. Rubbing her eyes, she felt momentarily disoriented, unsure of the time or place. After a quick glance around, her senses gradually returned, and she asked Fu Yanshang, “Where are we?”

“At the hotel.”

The memory of the last hotel arranged by her grandfather jolted her awake instantly.

This hotel was equally unconventional, an immersive zoo experience where guests could dine and sleep alongside wildlife, separated only by glass. The most popular rooms overlooked the tiger enclosure, but Lu Zhi, with her delicate constitution, had politely declined and opted for a red panda room instead.

As she entered her room, the little red panda was darting around the massive glass wall. Spotting her, it curiously pressed against the glass, studying her before signaling for her to open the feeding hatch above. After she obediently offered a few apple slices, the creature, satisfied, scurried off to who-knows-where.

Beyond her room lay the vast expanse of the zoo.

Lu Zhi recorded a video and sent it to Li Siyi, suggesting she try the tiger enclosure room next time for a real thrill.

Li Siyi: (?)

While filming, Lu Zhi happened to catch a hotel staff member adding a lamp to the room, unavoidably capturing a corner of it in the video. Moments later, a message from Li Siyi arrived: 【That lamp… can you show me a closer look?】

Thinking Li Siyi had taken a liking to it, Lu Zhi sat on the edge of the bed and meticulously showcased the lamp. The staff had already left, leaving only the sound of Fu Yanshang showering in the background.

Li Siyi: 【Don’t you think that handle looks a bit odd?】

Lu Zhi recorded another video, picking up the handle beneath the lamp, a cute blue dolphin. She examined it from all angles. “It’s just a dolphin. What’s odd about it?”

Li Siyi replied with a voice message: “Have you forgotten about the mirror, the waterbed, and the handcuffs from the last room? Do you really think your grandfather would pass up such a perfect opportunity? Besides, hotel rooms are usually fully set up before guests arrive. Yours was probably cleaned and arranged beforehand, so why would they randomly add a lamp? Doesn’t that seem strange?”

Lu Zhi pursed her lips, still skeptical.

Soon, Li Siyi found photos of the room’s original layout online and sent several as proof: “Look for yourself. In this room type, the lamp isn’t supposed to look like that at all!”

“…”

Ever the diligent student, Lu Zhi asked, “Then what is this?”

Li Siyi: 【?】

After staring at it for a while, Lu Zhi couldn’t figure out what else it could be. She shook it a couple of times and said, “You’re overthinking it. I bet the original lamp broke, and they just replaced it with a new one.”

Li Siyi: “If this turns out to be just an ordinary decorative piece, I’ll work 60 hours of unpaid overtime next month.”

Instantly motivated, for the sake of their game and their studio, Lu Zhi declared, “You said it.”

“I did. Prove it’s just a decoration.”

Unnoticed, the sound of the shower had ceased.

Setting her phone aside to record, Lu Zhi focused intently on pressing every possible switch-like spot, even though she had no idea what it could be if not a lamp. But it didn’t matter.  Li Siyi’s 60 hours of unpaid overtime were on the line.

There was a small switch on the back of the dolphin. Thinking something had stuck to it, she gently pulled it off along the curved surface. The next second, the dolphin in her hand seemed to come alive, vibrating in her palm with a low, humming sound.

She was dazed, her mind going blank. The next moment, she looked up and met the gaze of Fu Yanshang, who had just stepped out of the bathroom.