After Marrying the Aloof Beauty, I Totally Fell for Her - Chapter 19

Chapter 19 – So Beautiful

Yunkong Mountain was located in the northern suburbs of Yuncheng. Its steep, layered peaks offered sweeping views from the summit—three major peaks and twelve smaller ones—all imposing and majestic, a classic example of a northern mountain range.

Although Yuncheng was considered a major city in the country, it didn’t have a long history or any particularly famous historical landmarks. For locals looking to escape the city’s noise without having to travel across provinces, Yunkong Mountain was one of the few good getaway options.

Thanks to the two hours An Ning had spent napping in the car, most of the crowd had already started climbing by now. The entrance to the mountain was only sparsely populated with tourists, giving the place a peaceful, leisurely feel.

An Ning, carrying her backpack, jogged up to catch up with Mu Yan who was walking ahead. She didn’t dare say much and simply handed the tickets they received from the tournament to the ticket-checking staff before Mu Yan could.

As they walked forward, a tall stone arch stood by the mountain gate. Three bold Chinese characters were carved into it—“Yunkong Mountain”—powerful and striking.

At the moment, a few groups of tourists were standing around the arch, smiling brightly for photos, making peace signs at the phone cameras held by their companions.

An Ning had never been particularly interested in taking tourist photos, but she noticed Mu Yan had stopped walking. Today, Mu Yan had her hair tied in a ponytail, making her look not much older than An Ning. Her pretty, almond-shaped eyes narrowed slightly as she examined the stone sign.

A gentle mountain breeze brushed past her hair, and the golden morning sunlight filtered through the thick branches of ancient trees on either side of the path, casting a warm glow over her soft facial features. All the coldness and distance had vanished, leaving behind a beauty that was impossible to look away from.

So beautiful…

An Ning had always thought she lacked any sense of aesthetics, but that didn’t stop her from suddenly wanting to pull out her phone and capture this moment.

Unfortunately, she didn’t have the nerve, and Mu Yan didn’t give her the chance either. After pausing for less than half a minute, she tossed out a comment—“Nice calligraphy”—and continued walking.

An Ning hurried to catch up, weaving past the photo-takers. She couldn’t help but ask, “Ms. Mu, do you know calligraphy too?”

“I can judge it, but I can’t write,” Mu Yan said as she climbed the steep stone steps using her trekking pole, her expression looking a bit complicated. “The person who wrote that was my college classmate.”

“Ah?” An Ning thought to herself, Dream City University really lives up to its reputation. Anyone whose calligraphy could be displayed at a place like Yunkong Mountain must be a well-known calligraphy master.

But it was clear that what Mu Yan wanted to emphasize was different. After climbing another flight of steps, she added, “The calligraphy’s fine, but it doesn’t really do this mountain justice.”

An Ning: “……”

Sounded like she didn’t have the best relationship with that classmate.

Neither of them were particularly talkative, so they continued silently up the mountain path. An Ning was in a great mood—she was the type who naturally preferred nature over steel cities, and her physical strength was excellent, so she didn’t feel tired at all. Breathing in the mountain air that smelled of earth and leaves, walking along a cool and breezy trail, she felt both clear-headed and refreshed.

But clearly, the always-indoors, rarely-exercising Ms. Mu didn’t have the same stamina. By the time An Ning noticed, Mu Yan had already fallen half a meter behind.

A thin sheen of sweat covered the woman’s fair forehead. Her pale cheeks were flushed, her lips tightly pressed together—obviously pushing herself hard.

An Ning immediately stopped walking, a vague ache rising in her chest.

“What’s wrong?” Mu Yan caught up to her, noticing her standing there in a daze. Her voice was calm, but the faint tremble in it revealed that she wasn’t as composed as she seemed.

“Uh… nothing. Do you want me to carry your bag?” An Ning asked, looking at Mu Yan’s bag.

Compared to her own rather bulky backpack, Mu Yan was only carrying a small crossbody bag that didn’t seem heavy.

But even a little less weight might help. An Ning was already regretting not taking the cable car from the base—it would’ve been less fun, sure, but at least Ms. Mu wouldn’t be so tired.

“No need.” Mu Yan glanced at An Ning’s backpack and declined a bit curtly, stepping around her to keep walking.

“Teacher Mu!” Feeling guilty, An Ning couldn’t let her go on like that. She instinctively reached out and grabbed the hem of her shirt.

“What are you doing?” Mu Yan turned to look at her, her slender eyebrows drawing together in displeasure.

Is she upset I’m trying to help? Or annoyed that I underestimated her?

An Ning’s thoughts spun quickly, and she managed to be clever for once. Looking at Mu Yan with wide, pleading eyes, she said earnestly, “Our coach said that training with extra weight helps build endurance. That’s why I’m carrying so much stuff today.”

Mu Yan wasn’t sure if it was because of An Ning’s expression or something else, but she turned her face slightly, her tone softening a bit—though still tinged with suspicion. “Really?”

“Really!” Seeing a glimmer of hope, An Ning brightened. Practically begging, she added, “I actually feel like I’m still not carrying enough. Please, just help me out.”

Mu Yan: “……”

She didn’t respond, just silently took off her bag and handed it over.

An Ning was overjoyed. She carefully tucked the small bag into her own large backpack and inwardly rejoiced that Mu Yan hadn’t seen through her.

It was true the coach had mentioned building endurance by carrying weight, but An Ning wasn’t nearly diligent enough to intentionally weigh herself down for a simple hike. The whole excuse was something she had just made up on the spot.

Dishonest, sure—but effective.

Turns out that as long as Mu Yan wasn’t staring at her with those red-rimmed eyes, she wasn’t too dumb to come up with a harmless lie.

As long as I don’t let her get too tired, anything’s fine.

Usually honest to a fault, An Ning felt no guilt at all. In fact, she was a little proud of herself. Cheerfully carrying the backpack, she said, “There’s a pavilion up ahead. Let’s go… check out the view.”

Definitely not because Ms. Mu needed a break. Just for the scenery.

Somehow, An Ning felt like she was starting to understand how to interact with Mu Yan—adapting quickly.

Almost like… this was something she had known how to do all along.

The stone-built pavilion stood atop a jutting cliff. Grass had even begun growing between the tiles of its old roof, indicating it had been there for many years. Inside, sturdy stone benches lined the four sides for tourists to rest.

An Ning took out tissues and wiped down a bench deeper inside the pavilion, then sat down with Mu Yan.

Mu Yan had been forcing herself to keep going, and now that she relaxed, she instinctively rubbed her sore legs. An Ning noticed this and felt another wave of guilt. She quickly pulled out her insulated thermos and a disposable cup, pouring half a cup of warm tea and handing it over.

“Teacher Mu, have some water.”

“I’m not thirsty,” Mu Yan shook her head. It wasn’t that she was in a mood—maybe it was from walking too long—but her throat was dry and sore. Just like how she felt after pushing herself to finish the 800-meter run during her university physical test. Drinking water now would only make her choke.

“Oh… okay…” An Ning was about to set the cup aside when she suddenly heard a loud voice coming from nearby.

“I told you—I can’t walk anymore!”