Even on holiday, she couldn't refuse her boss's call.
Lin Xi swiped to answer: "Hello, Mr. Duan." Duan Yiheng choked: "This isn't work time."
Lin Xi remembered he was away on a business trip and asked, "Then what's the matter?"
"Any fun things to do in Rong County? The hotel staff highly recommended Dachuo Lake, a 5A-level scenic spot in Rong County."
Lin Xi: "...Maybe don't come. There's nothing fun, just a few bare boats."
"Then what should we do?" Duan Yiheng's tone was slightly somber. "I'm already here."
"You're in Rong County?" Lin Xi was stunned.
"Yes." Lin Xi: "..." One Duan Mingxuan left, and another Duan Yiheng appeared.
"I think... I see you."
Lin Xi subconsciously replied: "What?" Duan Yiheng said on the phone: "Turn around and look across the street."
Lin Xi turned around, and a tall bus slowly drove past. Through the gaps in the traffic, she saw Duan Yiheng on the other side of the road. "Where's Assistant Qin? Why are you alone?" Lin Xi asked on the phone.
"He went back first," Duan Yiheng said calmly. "Assistant Qin has a girlfriend. He finally got a vacation, so naturally he had to go back to be with her."
Lin Xi: "Then why didn't you go back?" Duan Yiheng: "Didn't I tell you, I was tricked into coming?"
Lin Xi didn't know whether to believe him or not. But since he was already there, she couldn't send him away. She said, "Then come over, shall we go have dinner together?"
"Okay." Duan Yiheng crossed the street, his gaze falling on Lin Xi.
The weather in the south is relatively warm. She wore a white dress with a long cardigan over it. Her black hair fell down, concealing her collarbone, and her slender waist beneath the white dress seemed almost too delicate to be encircled.
Standing there, she resembled a delicate bouquet of jasmine flowers, exuding a youthful fragrance with every move. Seeing that he hadn't moved for a while, Lin Xi nudged his arm. "What are you daydreaming about?"
"Nothing," Duan Yiheng replied, calming his racing heart. "What do you want to eat?"
Lin Xi asked, "But let's be clear, this is a county town, nothing fancy."
Duan Yiheng said, "I'll go with whatever you say." Alright, Lin Xi led him around for a while, finally finding a barbecue restaurant by the roadside.
The environment was interesting; it had been converted into a two-story farmhouse courtyard, filled with wooden tables and decorated with colorful lights.
"Looks pretty good," Lin Xi said as they walked inside, "I just don't know what the ambiance is like."
Duan Yiheng had never been to a place like this before, and quietly followed Lin Xi, sitting down in a corner by the courtyard wall.
A short while later, a young man in a black work uniform came out to serve them. Lin Xi ordered a table full of food, and Duan Yiheng didn't want to spoil her mood.
The evening breeze was pleasant, the liquor was strong, and Duan Yiheng knew she was feeling down.
"I think I promised you I wouldn't drink like this," Lin Xi smiled. "Tonight is an exception."
Duan Yiheng said, "If you're unhappy, then drink." Lin Xi stared at him: "Can you even eat?"
Duan Yiheng: "Mu Zhao hosted a lakeside barbecue at my club." It must have been very interesting; Lin Xi was intrigued.
She handed one can of beer to Duan Yiheng: "It's a waste not to drink it." Duan Yiheng took it, pulled the tab, and then handed it back to her.
"Thank you." Lin Xi handed him the other can of beer. Duan Yiheng didn't like beer and didn't touch the tab.
Lin Xi took a sip herself, frowned, and smacked her lips. It wasn't particularly good, nor was it bad; it was acceptable.
Halfway through the beer, Lin Xi complimented, "Assistant Qin is really nice."
Duan Yiheng: "…" Why did she suddenly mention him? "He's very good to his girlfriend," Lin Xi said.
Duan Yiheng took Lin Xi's beer away, saying, "Don't mix fruit wine and beer."
"It's okay," Lin Xi reached out to grab it, "I didn't drink much fruit wine either."
"Where's Duan Mingxuan?" Duan Yiheng tilted his head back and downed the rest of her beer in a few gulps.
Lin Xi was dumbfounded: "You really sacrificed a lot, drinking what I left just so I wouldn't have to drink."
Duan Yiheng wiped his mouth: "You're deliberately avoiding the topic." Lin Xi's smile froze slightly: "Didn't you see him when you came?"
Duan Yiheng said, "No."
"He's gone," Lin Xi said. Duan Yiheng: "He left you here alone?"
"Not really," Lin Xi's smile was more like a grimace. "After all, he had an emergency, and what's going on here isn't a big deal. I can manage on my own."
Duan Yiheng pulled out a tissue and handed it to her. "Then why are you crying?"
"Then why did you ask?" Lin Xi's nose stung, and she snatched the tissue. "Didn't you ask? I didn't cry when he left; I cried because of you."
Duan Yiheng laughed, exasperated. "You only have this much temper, and you use it all on me."
Lin Xi felt inexplicably guilty and glanced at him. "Who told you to keep asking?"
"So, did you feel better after crying?" Duan Yiheng's tone suddenly softened.
Lin Xi nodded and asked, "Where are you staying tonight?" Duan Yiheng replied, "I booked a room at a nearby hotel, probably the same place as you."
Lin Xi countered, "How do you know we're staying at the same hotel?" Duan Yiheng gave her an ambiguous look: "You came with Duan Mingxuan, would you let him stay in a cheap hotel?"
Lin Xi immediately denied it: "Not necessarily, I'd stay in a high-end hotel if I came alone."
"The cemetery is in the north of the city, this is the south," Duan Yiheng stated bluntly, "It takes forty minutes to drive here if the road is clear and there are no problems."
Lin Xi remained silent. If she had come back alone, she would indeed have gone directly to the north of the city to find a hotel.
This conversation couldn't continue; Lin Xi felt that Duan Yiheng had seen right through her. She got up to pay the bill, and Duan Yiheng didn't stop her. The shopkeeper gave her a bottle of Wahaha.
Lin Xi inserted the straw and took a sip. She turned to look at Duan Yiheng: "Let's walk back." Duan Yiheng followed her out of the barbecue area.
The two walked leisurely along the roadside. Lin Xi threw her empty Wahaha bottle into the trash can.
"I'm so full," Lin Xi muttered softly.
Duan Yiheng: "Even if you're full, you didn't share a bite with me." Lin Xi knew he was joking and went along with it: "I'm a bit possessive of my food."
"So, Miss, are you feeling better now?"
Duan Yiheng said, "If not, I wouldn't mind walking with you a couple more times."
Lin Xi: "No, thank you. I have to go to the cemetery tomorrow."
"I'll come with you?" Duan Yiheng tried to sound natural. "We're already here."
As a Chinese person, it's impossible to refuse those four words. Lin Xi herself hadn't expected that the person accompanying her to the cemetery would change from Duan Mingxuan to Duan Yiheng.
"Okay, thank you for keeping me company." Duan Yiheng smiled and followed her into the hotel.
His room was two floors above Lin Xi's. They said goodbye in the elevator. After entering her room, Lin Xi texted Duan Mingxuan, saying she was back at the hotel. But Duan Mingxuan didn't reply; he was probably still on the plane.
Lin Xi took a shower and forced herself to sleep, but her aching stomach made her toss and turn. She felt nauseous but couldn't vomit, feeling bloated. Lin Xi got out of bed and paced back and forth in the room. Ten minutes later, she was covered in sweat, and her stomach pain worsened.
Her phone vibrated on the bedside table. She leaned over the bed, finally managing to reach it. It was a message from Duan Yiheng, saying he had booked a private car service for tomorrow.
Lin Xi gripped the voice message button, and in her weakness, she unconsciously used the affectionate term again: "Big brother, my stomach hurts."