C81 The Love Tree
C81 The Love Tree
It really was like entering the palace. "I'll leave you to rest, Young Master, Young Madame," he said simply before closing the door on them. When they were finally alone, Mu Shengchen started to read the documents he had brought with him while she explored her surroundings.
Once she had gotten used to the wide space, she started to take out her clothes from her suitcase. She hung hers in the bedside cabinet while she placed his pajamas on the bathroom rack.
She made the preparations needed before poking her head out the door. "The water's ready," she said softly. "Will you be taking a bath first?"
He nodded in response, and she pushed him into the bathroom.
Once she was alone in the bedroom, she leaned back against her seat and grabbed her phone. They were already in B City, so they might as well visit all the tourist sights that were near them, right?
Her old phone had cracked in the research institute, so the one she was holding now was the smartphone Mu Shengchen had bought for her. The corners of her lips lifted as her fingertips grazed across the hard screen. It took her a couple of seconds to snap out for it. "Famous tourist attractions," she hummed to herself as she typed it down.
Ning Qianyu silently scrolled down the screen. "Hm, other than these famous tourist attractions, you might appreciate the outdoor restaurant in Champs Avenue. It's said to be known as the most romantic restaurant in B City. Hm..." She glanced at the picture. There, she saw something–the Heart Tree.
Turned out, this originated from the Lovers' Tree legend.
A long time ago, a young man and woman had fallen in love with each other. However, they were separated by financial status. While the woman was born with a silver spoon in her mouth, the man wasn't. Her parents refused such engagement, and they immediately pushed her to marry their family friend–an only child. She wanted to refuse, wanted to rebel, but she was helpless under her parent's wishes. The best she could do was to cut a strand of her hair and form it into a knot before handing it to the man so that her heart would always be with his.
When she finally got married, the man had died of grief and indignation under the large tree they used to date. Then, he turned into a colorful ribbon and wrapped itself around the branches to wait for his love. The woman died right after and became a ribbon herself. The two colorful ribbons began to interweave, forming a heart knot.
That's why it was called the heart tree–also known as the Lovers' Tree. It was rumored that the couples who'd hang their own heart knot would be blessed with so much love and appreciation in their lives. Their love would last forever.
"A heart tree, huh?" she murmured to herself.
Mu Shengchen had just come out of the bathroom when he saw her staring intently at her screen. She didn't even see him approaching. The corners of his lips inched downwards as he tilted his head, wanting to see what she was looking up.
He only had the time to read 'Heart Tree' when she looked up.
"Oh, you're done?"
He retreated back into his seat as if nothing had happened. "Yes," he responded casually. "What are you looking at?"
An embarrassed flush colored her cheeks, and she immediately turned off her phone. "Oh, nothing," she said quickly. "I'm just looking around."
"For tourist spots? You can check and see where you want to go, and we'll go there some other day, okay?" Not wanting to expose anything about what he had just seen, he went back to his table to grab his laptop. Once he got everything, he returned to his side of the bed.
"Okay." She smiled.
Mu Shengchen glanced in the direction of the bathroom. Once he heard the water running from the faucet, he immediately logged out of from his documents and typed in the words 'heart tree' in his search bar. Hundreds of articles popped out onto his screen, showcasing different versions of the old legend.
He read through them all one by one. It was only when he heard someone stepping out of the tub did he finally went back to his previous file.
Ning Qianyu came out of the bathroom, none the wiser. "I'll dry your hair first, okay?" When he nodded, she started running her hands through his hair, massaging the back of his head as she was doing so. He leaned closer against her chest. There was something about her soft fingertips brushing against the nape of his neck that calmed him. Unable to help himself, he dozed off in her arms.
After blowdrying his hair, she pulled the laptop from his grip and placed it back on the study table. "Night," she whispered, kissing him on the forehead. She grabbed her bag from the corner of the room and headed out.
"Where to find the knots?" she asked herself as she pressed one of the buttons in the elevator.
The elevator doors opened. She hesitated for a second before walking straight towards the front desk.
"Hello," the receptionist greeted. "How may I help you?"
"I'd like to know if there's a shop selling some satin nearby? The colorful one? I'll be using it for weaving, so I think I'll need something..." she slowly said, carefully describing the satin that she needed.
"Oh, will you be weaving for the Heart Tree?" The receptionist smiled.
"That's right." She nodded rapidly. "Can I buy it here?"
"I would love to assist you, but it's very late. Most of the shops are closed by now. You might have better luck going tomorrow."
Her shoulders sagged in disappointment. "Oh, so they're all closed, huh."
The woman stared at Ning Qianyu's sullen figure. There was a short pause before she suggested, "There might be a place that still hasn't closed yet if you want to give that a try. But I can't offer any assurances."
"Really?" Her eyes lit up. "Where?"
"You'll find traffic light a block from here. Turn right and walk straight into an alleyway," she slowly instructed. "There's an old bookstore that's open until midnight, so you might be able to find the fabric you need there."
"That's great! Thank you, Miss!"
"Hope you get the fabric." The receptionist flashed her a smile.
Ning Qianyu skipped out of the clubhouse, following the instructions that the woman had indicated. Once she arrived in the alleyway, she saw a dimly lit bookstore not far from there. Beside the building were old garbage cans too.
There weren't any customers. Upon moving closer, she saw that the owner was already in the process of shutting the place down.
"Wait!" she yelled. "Please wait."
"Yes?" The boss glanced to the side.
Panting, she looked around. "Do you sell satin fabric? The one used to weave heart knots?"
The bookstore owner stared at her strangely before nodding his head. "Come with me."
"Thank you, Sir!"
Ten minutes later, Ning Qianyu walked out of the old bookstore. The colored satin was evident in her hands, and her eyes squinted in happiness. All she could think about was the love knot and the tree as she dangled the fabric between her fingertips.
The light in the alley was incredibly dim, pulling her shadow across the pavement.
As she walked, she heard something rustling behind her.
Ning Qianyu froze, glancing at the back. When she didn't see anything else, she blinked in a daze as her footsteps sped down the road.
The rustling noises became louder and louder. Her heart thumped in her chest as she started jogging down the street. "Fuck," she breathed out, ducking her head. She couldn't even glance at the back.
Suddenly, she stumbled and fell onto the ground.
Ning Qianyu glanced at the back to see a slender figure escaping out in the shadows. His head was bowed, so she couldn't see his face very clearly. What was he going to do with her?
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Her palms were getting clammy as she staggered upwards.