Once everyone had settled in, the barbecue dinner began. They had originally planned for a bonfire, but due to safety concerns and the fact that the resort provided all the necessary tools and ingredients, the organizers decided on a barbecue instead. The large group of dozens was split into several small grilling squads. Xia Yinuo and Zhang Jikang were pulled along by Ke Dinghao to sit with some familiar faces.
Xia Yinuo didn't have much of an appetite. She sat by the grill, constantly flipping food for others while picking at a few vegetables for herself. Around her, people were drinking and eating meat, the atmosphere lively and warm. As the charcoal crackled and popped, Xia Yinuo stared into the embers, lost in thought.
"What are you dazing off for? Watch out for flying sparks," Zhang Jikang said, walking over and ruffling her hair. "It’s getting cold. Put something on."
Xia Yinuo took the orange windbreaker he handed her and wrapped it around herself. The glow of the fire and the bright fabric made her fair face look flushed. She leaned back in her chair with her arms crossed, saying lazily, "I was originally from Mars, you know."
Zhang Jikang let out a hearty laugh.
Ke Dinghao walked over carrying a plate of grilled food. He nudged his chin toward Chen Diandian and Liang Jueyun’s direction and suggested, "Senior, want to head over there for a bit?" Xia Yinuo nodded, stood up, and followed him.
They arrived just in time to see Liang Jueyun being pressured to drink. A male teacher, already slurring his words from intoxication, was badgering her. "Teacher Liang, come on, let’s drink! If the feelings are deep, down it in one go!"
Chen Diandian actually proved herself reliable for once. "Teacher Ding, Teacher Liang already said she can't drink. Don't force her. How about I drink it for her?" She boldly took the glass and downed it in one gulp. It was only beer, after all, and Chen Diandian was quite confident in her tolerance.
Liang Jueyun didn't say anything, but she gently patted Chen Diandian’s back, signaling her to drink less.
However, Teacher Ding refused to let it go. He clamored again, "Teacher Liang, this isn't right. There’s no reason for a student to drink on behalf of their teacher. China’s drinking culture is profound—if you don't understand it, that's fine, come, come, I’ll teach you!" As he spoke, he tried to offer another toast.
Liang Jueyun frowned. "Teacher Ding, you’ve had too much. Why don't you head back and rest early?"
To her surprise, Teacher Ding pushed even further. "Not too much, not at all! I’m perfectly sober. Hey, little girl, fill up your supervisor’s glass!"
Xia Yinuo couldn't stand it any longer. She stepped forward and took Liang Jueyun by the wrist. "Teacher Liang, I mentioned earlier that I had a question to ask you. I wonder if you have a moment now?" She directed her words to Liang Jueyun, but her eyes were fixed on the drunken Teacher Ding.
"Alright," Liang Jueyun replied. She hadn't expected Xia Yinuo to appear so suddenly, but she didn't pull her hand away. Standing up, she said, "My apologies, Teacher Ding. Please enjoy yourself; I’ll be taking my leave."
For a moment, Xia Yinuo realized her own boldness and released Liang Jueyun’s wrist. She turned to the stunned Ke Dinghao and said, "Keep an eye on Diandian for me. Don't let her drink too much."
With a silent understanding, the two women walked toward a deserted area. Liang Jueyun didn't speak, and Xia Yinuo remained quiet as well. It wasn't until they were dozens of meters away that Xia Yinuo finally spoke up. "Um, I’m sorry, Teacher Liang. I saw him pressuring you to drink, so I... you know I didn't actually have a question for you, right?"
Away from the noisy environment, the mountain wind blew past, chilling their cheeks. Yet, the fair-skinned girl standing before her made Liang Jueyun feel exceptionally warm.
Because the other woman remained silent and simply stared at her, Xia Yinuo grew uneasy. "Teacher Liang?"
Liang Jueyun snapped out of it. "Not at all. I should be thanking you! Let’s walk around for a bit; it really was too loud back there."
Seeing that Liang Jueyun didn't mind, Xia Yinuo said happily, "Great! Why don't I take you to my base camp?"
"Base camp?"
"It’s the tent I set up for camping tonight. It’s already done."
"Alright."
The tent was pitched on a clearing with an excellent view. Xia Yinuo took out a picnic mat and spread it carefully outside the tent, then hung up a vintage-style LED camping lantern and invited Liang Jueyun to sit.
Liang Jueyun found Xia Yinuo quite charming. "Then I’ll be intruding on you and your little world."
"It’s fine. Please, make yourself at home."
Liang Jueyun said lightly, "Then, Student Xia, you should stop addressing me so formally. Especially since I’m not your supervisor. You can just call me by my name. I got used to it back then—everyone in the lab was like a colleague. We didn't strictly distinguish between teacher and student. Calling each other by name felt more natural."
"That’s true, but this is China. Calling you by your name would be too impolite. If others heard, they’d think I was being disrespectful."
"Then call me by my name in private. We aren't in a teacher-student relationship anyway, and I’m only a few years older than you. Remember, don't use the formal 'you.' It sounds too awkward to me."
"How about I call you Senior? Yes, that works. And you shouldn't call me Student Xia anymore. Professor Tang and many others in the department call me Xiao Xia."
*Xiao Xia?* Earlier, she had heard Zhang Jikang call Xia Yinuo "Xiao Bao" several times. "Xiao Bao" must be a name reserved for those very close to her.
"Then, may I be so bold as to ask... Senior, how old are you this year?" Xia Yinuo asked with a grin.
"Twenty-seven."
"Wow! Then didn't you get your PhD at twenty-four or twenty-five? That’s amazing!"
"The American academic system isn't as rigid as the domestic one. If it were you, your grades would have been enough to earn a PhD as well."
"To be honest, I’m really in no rush for that."
As they spoke, Xia Yinuo’s phone rang. It was Zhang Jikang calling to ask what had happened. Xia Yinuo told him she was fine and had returned to her tent to chat with Teacher Liang. Zhang Jikang reminded her to stay safe, and Xia Yinuo promised she would.
"I heard that boy you were with, Zhang Jikang? He calls you Xiao Bao," Liang Jueyun noted.
"We aren't 'together,' we’re just ordinary friends," Xia Yinuo explained hurriedly. "My family calls me that. He’s lived next door to me since we were kids, so he calls me that too."
"Oh. Actually... my mother used to call me Xiao Bao, too," Liang Jueyun said with a smile, though she didn't seem to be joking.
"Really? What a coincidence!"
"Yes. But no one has called me that for a long time."
"Why?"
"She passed away when I was ten."
"I’m so sorry... I didn't realize..."
"It’s alright. It’s been so many years. When I was little, my mother always called me Xiao Bao. My dad said it would spoil me, so he always called me by my full name. After my mother died, no one used that name for me anymore."
"I’m sorry."
"What do you have to be sorry for? If anything, I hope you don't mind me bringing these things up."
"I don't mind at all! I just don't want to trigger sad memories for you. Look at me—we’ve been talking for so long, and it’s quite cold out here, yet I haven't offered you anything to eat." With that, Xia Yinuo pulled over her hiking pack and began rummaging through it.
Lemonade, bread, milk, milk, milk, a notebook, a first-aid kit... and a bottle of red wine! To be precise, there was also a corkscrew and a few miniature wine glasses. Who could possibly explain the thought process of the artsy youth that was Xia Yinuo?
"You carried all that in your bag?!"
"Well, just in case of emergencies. It’s the Mid-Autumn Festival; one should appreciate the flowers, the moon, and the autumn fragrance."
The two shared a knowing smile. Xia Yinuo was truly a person full of surprises.
"My alcohol tolerance is terrible," Liang Jueyun admitted honestly. "But since we’re here to appreciate the flowers, the moon, and the autumn fragrance, I suppose a little won't hurt."
Xia Yinuo smiled as she opened the bottle and poured two glasses. " I can't drink much either. Jikang and I have a childhood friend named Mai Shining. She loves wine and knows a lot about it. She’s been working abroad these past few years, so I suppose this bottle is in her honor."
"It’s rare to have friends like that to grow up with," Liang Jueyun remarked.
As the night deepened, the temperature on the mountain continued to drop. Xia Yinuo took out a thin blanket and handed it to Liang Jueyun. Seeing there was only one, Liang Jueyun didn't take it. "What about you?"
"Me? My clothes are thicker than yours, and the wine will warm me up." She draped the blanket directly over Liang Jueyun’s shoulders.
From the highest peak amidst the rolling ranges, the view was unobstructed and vast. The weather was perfect; beneath the deep blue sky lay the undulating mountains, and above them was a sky full of stars—bold, sparkling, and seemingly so close they were within reach.
For a while, neither spoke, silently sipping their wine. A gust of autumn wind howled past, and Xia Yinuo couldn't help but shiver.
Liang Jueyun shifted closer to Xia Yinuo, narrowing the distance between them. She pulled half of the blanket over Xia Yinuo’s shoulders and called out softly, "Xiao Xia?"
"Hmm?" Xia Yinuo responded reflexively.
"Actually, the summer my mother died... it was at night. We were in the same car when the accident happened. I saw her bleeding so much, but I didn't know what to do. In her final moments, she kept comforting me while I was panicking and crying. She told me, 'Xiao Bao, don't be afraid. Mommy will turn into a star in the sky and watch over you forever.' That night... it looked just like this. A sky full of stars."
"Teacher Liang..."
"Hey, I told you not to call me teacher."
"Senior..."
Liang Jueyun gave a light laugh. "I don't know why I’m suddenly remembering these old stories. Don't we Chinese like to say that truth comes out after wine? I’m just telling you my truth. I don't have many friends in C City."
"Senior..." Seeing Liang Jueyun’s cheeks flushed from the wine and hearing her words, Xia Yinuo felt the alcohol rush to her head. Her heart ached so much she wanted to pull the woman into her arms.
"I’m okay. Don't worry. It’s been a long time since I’ve spoken so freely. I should thank you."
"I’m sure your mother wants you to be happy."
"Mm." After responding, Liang Jueyun actually leaned her head against Xia Yinuo’s shoulder. Xia Yinuo was so startled she didn't dare move, her hand tightening around her wine glass.
After a few minutes, when Liang Jueyun hadn't moved, Xia Yinuo whispered, "Senior?" She looked down and realized that Liang Jueyun had fallen asleep! Her tolerance really was abysmal; she’d only had one glass of red wine. But with the temperature so low outside, she would surely catch a cold if she slept like this.
"Senior, wake up. Let’s go back. You’ll catch a cold here."
"Mmm..." Liang Jueyun gave a faint, unconscious moan at the sound of Xia Yinuo’s voice, then went silent again.
Left with no choice—she couldn't exactly carry Liang Jueyun all the way back to her room—Xia Yinuo decided to let her sleep in the tent. She half-supported, half-lifted the dazed Liang Jueyun into the tent, opened the sleeping bag, removed Liang Jueyun’s shoes and jacket, helped her lie down, and zipped the bag up in one fluid motion. When she had removed the jacket, she saw Liang Jueyun was only wearing a white T-shirt underneath; the revealed lines of her body suddenly made Xia Yinuo feel a bit shy.
Looking at Liang Jueyun like this, Xia Yinuo felt both heartache and amusement. Heartache for the truth Liang Jueyun had shared—a child witnessing her mother’s departure and lacking that love for so many years; amusement because the usually cool and collected Teacher Liang was now lying in a mummy-style sleeping bag, looking like a cute little silkworm. Even with the tent, the moisture pad, and the sleeping bag, Xia Yinuo worried she might still be cold. She quietly zipped up the tent and ran back to the resort to borrow a clean quilt from the front desk. She jogged back, saw that Liang Jueyun was still sound asleep, and only felt at ease after tucking the quilt over the sleeping bag.
After tidying up the scattered items, Xia Yinuo faced a problem: where was she going to sleep tonight? Although the tent had enough space, she had only prepared one moisture pad and one sleeping bag. She couldn't leave the drunken Liang Jueyun here alone, so she would have to make do. Xia Yinuo went back to the resort once more and managed to get another quilt from the front desk.
Xia Yinuo crawled into the tent, draped the quilt over herself, and leaned against a corner. She pulled her knees to her chest and wrapped her arms around them. Looking down at Liang Jueyun’s sleeping face, she saw her looking as peaceful and honest as a child. The night was silent. Xia Yinuo felt a sense of being drawn in, moved, and fulfilled. She felt a willingness to be happy for her happiness and sad for her sorrow.
Shaking her head, Xia Yinuo thought that perhaps she had drunk too much herself. Without realizing it, she drifted off to sleep, curled up right there.
