Ding Binbing nodded, a strange smile playing on his lips—it looked like he was half laughing, half about to cry.
Mu Fu found it unsettling. The smile seemed forced, almost painful. Honestly, she thought he would’ve looked better without smiling at all.
Wu Qingyi took a sip from her cup, then looked down at the table, just staring. Who knew what was going on in her head?
……
They played two more rounds after that. But the mood had totally shifted. The easy laughter and light vibe from before were gone. Any fun they’d been having had just evaporated.
Eventually, everyone agreed to call it a night, and the group split up.
Xu Kangning didn’t go inside right away. Instead, he grabbed a few beers and headed out to the courtyard. He sat alone on one of the patio chairs, slowly drinking by himself.
Ding Binbing noticed and walked over to join him.
“Why are you drinking out here alone?” he asked casually.
Xu Kangning didn’t answer. Instead, he held out one of the bottles. “Want one?”
Ding Binbing waved it off and shook his head. “Nah, thanks. I’ve got work tomorrow—drinking wouldn’t be smart.”
Xu Kangning chuckled quietly but said nothing.
Silence settled between them.
One drank quietly while the other just sat there, both lost in their own thoughts. Ever since they’d arrived at the villa, it felt like their worries and emotional baggage had only gotten heavier.
By 10 PM, it was time to send the “heartbeat messages.”
After that intense truth-or-dare game, some people had changed their minds. Others, though, had figured out their feelings and were now surer than ever about what they wanted.
Mu Fu and Yu Mo sent their messages to each other like usual. But this time, Mu Fu also got one from Xu Kangning.
[The Mid-Autumn Festival is coming soon. The moon looks beautiful tonight.]
Mu Fu stared at the message. “???”
Seriously? He’s sending me Mid-Autumn greetings now?
She called up the system.
[Hey, System. Give me the full report on everyone’s messages.]
The system paused. It only ever gets called when there’s trouble…
Then it finally responded: [Among the female guests, Feng Ningran messaged Rong Yongxin, Xia Sihan messaged Xu Kangning, and Wu Qingyi messaged Ding Binbing.]
[Among the male guests, Rong Yongxin messaged Xia Sihan, Yu Mo and Xu Kangning both messaged you, and Ding Binbing messaged Wu Qingyi.]
Mu Fu was a bit surprised. She hadn’t expected Wu Qingyi and Ding Binbing to message each other tonight.
Something was definitely going on with them. It was just a shame she’d have to wait for the show to air to find out exactly what.
As for Wu Qingyi, her reason for sending a message to Ding Binbing was simple: he’d given her a rare vinyl record earlier today. A gesture like that at least deserved a thank-you.
Mu Fu guessed that if Ding Binbing also messaged Wu Qingyi, then maybe… he was finally giving up on Xia Sihan?
She hoped Ding Binbing and Wu Qingyi could end up together. Honestly, all the girls in the villa were beautiful and sweet—Mu Fu didn’t want to see any of them get hurt.
When she came out of the bathroom after a shower, she saw Feng Ningran walking over, looking uncomfortable.
“Mu Fu, can you feel my forehead?” Feng Ningran’s voice was faint and weak. “I think I might have a fever.”
Mu Fu quickly put the back of her hand on Ningran’s forehead, then checked her own for comparison. The heat from Feng Ningran’s skin was definitely not normal.
“You’re burning up,” Mu Fu said, concern all over her face. “You’ve definitely got a fever. I brought some fever meds. Wait here, I’ll go get them.”
But Feng Ningran gently tugged on her hand. “Mu Fu, thank you… but I think I want to go to the hospital instead.”
“Alright,” Mu Fu nodded without a second thought. “Let me just change, and I’ll go with you.”
Maybe it was the illness making her more emotional, but Feng Ningran felt uncharacteristically touched. She hadn’t expected Mu Fu to immediately look for medicine or to so readily offer to go to the hospital with her.
“Thank you, Mu Fu,” she said softly.
Her smile, though a little tired, was genuine—and for the first time in a while, she felt a bit at peace. Honestly, how could someone like Mu Fu not be loved? If she were a guy, she’d choose Mu Fu too. It made perfect sense that Xu Kangning had fallen for her.
Mu Fu smiled. “What are you thanking me for? Just sit and rest for now—I’ll be ready in a second.”
Since it was chilly that night, Mu Fu threw on a jacket before heading out. When she noticed Feng Ningran was only wearing something thin, she brought her one too.
As the two of them were walking downstairs, they ran into Xu Kangning, who seemed to be moving to drink somewhere else.
He looked startled when he saw them. “You’re going out this late?”
Mu Fu answered calmly, “Feng Ningran’s running a fever. I’m taking her to the hospital.”
Xu Kangning immediately stood up. “I’ll take her. You stay at the villa.”
Without waiting, he stepped forward to help Ningran.
Mu Fu glanced at Feng Ningran and said, “It’s fine, really. I’ll go with her.”
Xu Kangning firmly took over supporting Feng Ningran, and she didn’t resist.
“If someone needs to stay with her in the hospital later, it’s better I go. I’m a guy—it just makes more sense.”
Feng Ningran spoke up gently, “Mu Fu, let Kangning come with me.” She gave her a weak, almost apologetic smile.
Mu Fu instantly understood the look in her eyes. Feng Ningran wanted to go with Xu Kangning. So Mu Fu simply said, “Alright, take care of yourselves. And hey, it’s chilly tonight—you should take that jacket with you.”
Xu Kangning nodded. “Okay.”
Soon after, he came back downstairs ready to leave.
Mu Fu walked them to the car before heading back inside the villa.
Not long after she returned to her room, there was a knock on her door—it was Yu Mo.
“I heard Feng Ningran has a fever. Are you okay?”
Mu Fu shook her head. “I’m fine. It’s just Ningran who’s not feeling well.”
Yu Mo reached out and gently touched her forehead with his warm palm.
Mu Fu couldn’t help but notice: This time, his hands weren’t as cold as usual.
Yu Mo said softly, “They say when someone around you has a fever, people with weaker immune systems are more likely to catch it too.”
Mu Fu couldn’t help but laugh. “Where do you even hear all this strange stuff?”
“That’s not important.”
“Alright, alright. You’ve checked. Now you know I’m fine, right?” Mu Fu gave him a small push—he had leaned in so close, it made her feel a little cornered. Maybe he was just worried, but his presence always came with an intensity she couldn’t ignore.
“I’ll boil some water for you. Drink a cup before you sleep.”
Mu Fu widened her eyes. “A whole cup? No way! I’ll be getting up all night to go to the bathroom.”
Yu Mo fell silent.
They eventually settled on half a cup.
Mu Fu followed him to the kitchen. When she opened the fridge and saw the vegetables and meat inside, her stomach gave a rumble.
“Yu Mo,” she said sweetly, “my stomach just told me it’s craving a late-night snack.”
He responded slowly, “Did your stomach also mention what exactly it wants to eat?”
“It did,” Mu Fu nodded solemnly. “It wants something spicy. Like mala tang.”
Without even thinking, Yu Mo flatly refused. “No. It’s too late. If you want something, I’ll make it for you tomorrow.”
“But I want it now,” Mu Fu pouted. “Or we could do barbecue instead.”
Her voice had a slightly whiny edge, the kind that sounded more like playful begging than an actual demand.
Yu Mo felt his heart soften. The way she looked—soft and sweet, like a sulking bunny—made it nearly impossible to say no.
“I could make you mala tang… with a tomato base,” he offered.
Mu Fu wrinkled her nose and muttered, “That doesn’t even sound spicy. What’s the point?”
Yu Mo raised an eyebrow and said lowly, “Hm? Are you eating it or not? In a minute, even the tomato base won’t be an option.”
Faced with the implied threat, Mu Fu gave in instantly. “Okay, okay! I’ll eat it!”
She didn’t want to cook herself, and takeout never tasted as good as Yu Mo’s cooking anyway.
After finishing the mala tang, Mu Fu said longingly, “How about we do hotpot tomorrow? I’m seriously craving it now.”
Her stomach might’ve been full, but her heart still wasn’t satisfied.
Yu Mo thought for a moment. “Sure. But let’s ask the others first. If they’re not up for it, we can just go out.”
This week wasn’t like the last one—no scheduled dinners or assigned partners. Whoever got home first cooked, or whoever was interested volunteered. Since neither Mu Fu nor Yu Mo had outside jobs, if no one objected, they could head to the supermarket early and pick up hotpot ingredients together.
“Let’s go out for lunch tomorrow,” Mu Fu added. “Ningran’s not feeling well, and she probably can’t eat anything spicy.”
Yu Mo didn’t mind. As long as he was with her, he was happy.
After the midnight snack, Mu Fu also drank the half cup of boiled water Yu Mo had prepared.
She stared at the clear, steaming liquid in front of her with mild exasperation. I just had an entire bowl of steaming hot soup, she thought. And he still insists I drink hot water?
Mu Fu glanced at Yu Mo, her expression mixed. “Do guys have some kind of weird obsession with hot water? Like you think it cures everything?”
Yu Mo didn’t answer. In his mind, only plain hot water truly boosted the immune system. Soup didn’t count.
Mu Fu’s lips twitched. She wanted to laugh but couldn’t. Somehow, this slightly naive idea only made Yu Mo’s usually aloof image seem a bit more down-to-earth… even endearing.
Having drunk so much water, Mu Fu couldn’t fall asleep. So she dragged Yu Mo out to walk it off with her.
It was too cold outside, so the only place left to wander was the third-floor screening room. Ever since that second date when Mu Fu and Feng Ningran watched a movie with the others, she had unofficially renamed the leisure room to “theater room.” It was just too perfect for watching movies.
Mu Fu had no idea what to watch, so Yu Mo ended up picking.
When she read the movie description, Mu Fu turned to glance at him. She honestly couldn’t imagine Yu Mo liking romance films—she thought he’d be more of a horror fan. In fact, she’d already planned the whole scene in her head—how she’d pretend to be scared and dive into his arms.
To create more atmosphere, the lights in the room were off. The only light came from the projector, casting a soft, eerie glow across the space. In that dimness, the brightest thing in the room was the gleam on Yu Mo’s glasses, reflecting light in sharp, almost ghostly flashes. It was kind of funny—and slightly spooky.
From Mu Fu’s angle, his profile looked especially handsome. His high nose bridge stood out under the faint light, lips pressed in a soft line, his features cool and refined. He looked like one of those impossibly attractive characters drawn straight out of a manga—clean-cut and elegant. The glasses only made him look more restrained, more distant, like he existed in another world.
Yu Mo turned his head, and their eyes met.
In the dark, she couldn’t see the emotion in his eyes clearly—only the soft glow on his lenses.
“What is it? Not feeling this movie? Want me to pick another one?”
His voice was soft, rich, and smooth, like it echoed in the quiet space with a strange kind of pull.
“I just thought you’d pick a horror film,” Mu Fu murmured.
Yu Mo’s lips curved slightly. “You’re scared of those, remember? That’s why I didn’t pick one.”
Mu Fu stared at him for a long second, then turned back to the screen. She couldn’t help thinking—wasn’t he usually pretty sharp? How come he didn’t seize the opportunity this time?
Yu Mo quietly took her hand, gently wrapping it in his own.
It wasn’t that he didn’t want to watch something scary, like other couples did just to get closer. But he knew Mu Fu was timid. He didn’t want her having nightmares. Especially when he couldn’t be there for her if she needed him.
Axolotl Translations 
Leave a comment