Unable to Fall in Love Syndrome - Chapter 16

Chapter 16 – Time Speaks 06

Traveling with a pet dog wasn’t convenient, so Qiao Shan arranged for Dudu to stay at a pet boarding facility ahead of time.

The night before May Day, Xiao Jia arrived right on schedule to pick her up.

At the airport, Xiao Jia pulled three bags and two suitcases from the trunk. Wenwen was in charge of carrying the smallest snack bag on her back, Qiao Shan pushed one suitcase, and Xiao Jia handled the heavy lifting with the rest.

As they walked toward the check-in counter, Xiao Jia gazed at Wenwen ahead—wearing a big-eyed baseball cap and a pink backpack—and Qiao Shan in her casual outfit. The scene felt so heartwarming.

If he could marry Qiao Shan and have an adorable daughter together…

That would be perfect, with no regrets in this life or the next.

Xiao Jia had booked first-class seats, and during the peak travel season, the price was double the usual. While waiting to board, Qiao Shan poked Xiao Jia’s arm and asked, “Why book first class? It’s so expensive.”

“I’m paying, so why complain?” Xiao Jia laughed.

Qiao Shan replied, “I still feel bad… It’s just a two-hour flight; first class is such a waste!”

Wenwen playfully clung to Qiao Shan’s leg, tilting her little head up and saying, “Qiao Mama, you don’t get it, do you?”

Qiao Shan looked puzzled. “Get what?”

Wenwen grinned, showing her two missing teeth, and giggled, “Xiao Papa wants to woo you!”

“…”

Kids say the darndest things. But having his thoughts exposed, Xiao Jia couldn’t hide his embarrassment.

Qiao Shan: “…” She bent down, looking at the six-year-old girl, and pressed her palm gently on her head, asking seriously, “Little miss, where did you learn all this nonsense?”

The little girl shrank her neck and covered her big, watery eyes with her chubby hands.

She innocently thought that if she couldn’t see, the adults in front of her couldn’t see her either!

Qiao Shan straightened up, turned to Xiao Jia, and punched his left shoulder. “Did you teach her that?”

Xiao Jia defended himself earnestly, “Am I that kind of person?”

“Aren’t all you young professors like that? Wolves in sheep’s clothing, hmph.” She smirked at him. “Big old bachelor getting spring fever?”

Xiao Jia suddenly blushed.

To ease the awkwardness, he reached out and ruffled her hair, his voice clearly unnatural. “Teasing your elders now?”

Qiao Shan went nuts over her messed-up hair and hammered his chest. “What kind of elder are you? Can’t you stop messing with my hair or you’ll die?”

Xiao Jia laughed heartily. “Yeah, I will.”

…

The waiting lounge wasn’t big. Qiao Shan and Wenwen were playing with a yo-yo in an open area when she caught sight of two familiar figures in the back rows of seats.

To make sure she wasn’t mistaken, she stuffed the yo-yo back into Wenwen’s hands and walked over for a closer look.

Zuo Yi was hugging a handheld game console, battling fiercely. Sensing a pink figure approaching, he spared a glance upward.

He froze for a moment.

What was this, a haunting ghost? Running into her even at the airport?

Qiao Shan sat down next to Ying Shengnan, casually draping her arm over his shoulder. “It really is you guys.”

Ying Shengnan took off his earphones and teased, “Little matchmaker, we must be fated—running into each other at the airport?”

Qiao Shan’s gaze lingered on Zuo Yi for a second before returning to Ying Shengnan’s face. She smiled. “Yeah, what a coincidence. Where are you headed?”

Ying Shengnan: “Oh, I’m tagging along with Zuo Yi to Tangxi Ancient Town for a few days. It’s May Day—working folks need a break.”

“Tangxi Ancient Town?” Qiao Shan was surprised. “What a coincidence! I’m going there with friends too.”

Zuo Yi glanced at her, then looked down at his phone the moment she turned her head, pretending to scroll.

Zuo Yi was dressed stylishly for the trip: a casual hip-hop hoodie, a trendy baseball cap worn backward, and a game console in hand. It was a far cry from his usual polished suits and impeccable ties.

He looked like a completely different person.

From a stern, unsmiling office boss to a cool, aloof young hunk.

Qiao Shan couldn’t help but steal a couple more glances.

He was pretty handsome when he wasn’t talking, especially in a hoodie—it gave him a youthful vibe. Her thoughts drifted back to their elevator reunion.

The man’s elegant hands slowly adjusting his cuffs, fingers lightly pressing his tie. His dark eyes held no disgust then, just a distant coolness—that was her best impression of him.

Zuo Yi wasn’t friendly to her, but that didn’t mean he was like that with all women.

Qiao Shan suddenly felt a spark of anticipation for when Zuo Yi met his destined one. She wondered what he’d be like with someone he liked.

Would he still be so fierce?

Qiao Shan pulled her gaze away from Zuo Yi and started chatting with Ying Shengnan.

Wenwen came running over, throwing herself into Qiao Shan’s arms and insisting on being held. Qiao Shan placed the little girl on her lap, while Ying Shengnan magically produced some candies, delighting the kid endlessly.

After boarding, they were all in first class, and even more coincidentally, they’d booked the same inn.

The plane landed at ten o’clock.

The inn owner personally picked them up and led them onto a large shuttle bus heading to the ancient town. Xiao Jia sat in the front row with the inn owner, Qiao Shan and Wenwen in the second row on the left, and Ying Shengnan and Zuo Yi on the right.

Qiao Shan and Zuo Yi were separated only by the aisle. Joining them on the bus were an elderly couple and a young girl with an embroidered cloth bag and a mask. The rest of the passengers were mostly guests heading to the ancient town.

To break the ice, the inn owner stood up, holding onto a seat back, and said, “Thanks everyone for staying at our little place. We’ve got about fifty minutes to the ancient town. What would you like to eat? I’ll have the kitchen prepare it for you.”

Wenwen raised her hand first, her voice bright and clear. “Uncle, can I have a sunny-side-up egg?”

The inn owner smiled kindly. “Sure thing, no problem. Anything else?”

Wenwen scratched her head, thought for a bit, and added, “Um… can you put a little ketchup on my sunny-side-up egg?”

“No problem.”

Qiao Shan was hungry too. She rubbed her stomach and said, “Just a bowl of noodles for me. I’m not picky.”

Xiao Jia chimed in right after, “Same for me, a bowl of noodles.”

The inn owner’s gaze shifted to Ying Shengnan and Zuo Yi.

Zuo Yi was dozing on Ying Shengnan’s shoulder, his hat pulled low over most of his face. Ying Shengnan whispered, “No need, we’ll handle our own.”

The owner blinked, then chuckled. “First time I’ve seen guests who cook for themselves on vacation.”

Ying Shengnan explained, “I’m a chef; I’m not used to eating out.”

Qiao Shan added, “Yeah, and Zuo Yi’s got a really picky tongue.” The Ying family not only owned the country’s largest chain of gourmet restaurants but was also a lineage of master chefs. If Ying Shengnan preferred cooking himself over eating out, was he the picky one?

But he’d shared instant noodles with her before, so it wasn’t him who was picky—it was Zuo Yi.

The elderly couple didn’t want to trouble the owner too much and also asked for noodles. Finally, only the masked girl was left, staring out the window in silence. The owner asked her, “Young lady, what would you like?”

She snapped out of it, turned to look at him, thought for a moment, and said, “Um… I’ll cook my own.”

The owner laughed. “You a chef too?”

The girl had clearly been zoned out and missed the earlier conversation. Her dark, sparkling eyes showed surprise as she asked, “You… how did you know?”

The others were amused by her reaction.

*

They arrived at the ancient town inn close to midnight. Qiao Shan was so hungry she’d lost her appetite.

She collapsed onto the bed and fell asleep instantly, waking at five the next morning to find she hadn’t even taken off her shoes or washed up. She got up, took a shower, and washed away the grimy feeling from the travel.

Fully awake after the shower, she changed clothes and opened the curtains, only to see it was still dark outside.

The ancient town was far from the city’s hustle, free of chemical pollution. The deep blue night sky faintly revealed a Milky Way as thin as a cicada’s wing, with stars scattered endlessly. From the inn’s second floor, borrowing the dim courtyard light, she could vaguely make out the outlines of ancient-style rooftops.

In the courtyard stood a large banyan tree, its thick trunk hung with two traditional Chinese red lanterns. The faint red glow bathed the canopy in soft light, dreamlike and ethereal.

Qiao Shan was captivated by the inn’s ancient charm, and any lingering sleepiness vanished.

She put on her shoes and headed out. Passing Xiao Jia’s room, she noticed the door wasn’t fully closed, with yellowish light spilling through the crack. She pushed it gently, and the heavy wooden door creaked open.

She called Xiao Jia’s name from the doorway, but got no response. Cautiously stepping inside, she saw the blanket still thrown back on the sofa, and Wenwen sound asleep in the bedroom.

The bathroom light was on, but it was empty. Where had Xiao Jia gone?

As dawn broke, Qiao Shan went back to her room to put on makeup.

When Wenwen woke up and found Xiao Jia missing, she dressed herself. Hugging her cartoon toothbrush cup and kids’ toothbrush, she went next door to find Qiao Shan, tilting her head up and saying in a soft, sweet voice, “Qiao Mama, can I brush my teeth with you?”

“Why do you want to brush with me?” Qiao Shan asked.

Wenwen replied, “Xiao Papa’s gone somewhere, and I’m not used to brushing alone. It feels so unsafe.”

Qiao Shan couldn’t help but laugh. “Alright, alright, Qiao Mama will give you that sense of security.”

She took the little one to the bathroom and they rinsed and brushed together. The kid stood on tiptoes at the sink, brushed her teeth, then methodically packed up her things. Her chubby hands wiped the water spots off the counter, then lathered up with soap.

Qiao Shan thought that Wenwen was unbelievably well-behaved for a six-year-old—she could already handle things on her own.

The inn served breakfast at eight, but Xiao Jia still hadn’t returned. Qiao Shan called him, but his phone was off, which made her vaguely worried.

Near noon, Wenwen suddenly felt unwell, lying on the bed clutching a pillow and crying.

Qiao Shan scooped her up, felt her forehead—the little girl had a fever! She called Xiao Jia a few more times, but within a minute, Wenwen started vomiting, crying miserably in her arms.

With zero experience in childcare, Qiao Shan panicked and ran to Ying Shengnan for help. Among the people she knew, he was the oldest; he should know how to handle emergencies like this.

She knocked on the door, and it was a sleepy-eyed Zuo Yi who answered.

She peered inside and asked anxiously, “Where’s Ying Shengnan?”

“Out for a morning run, not back yet.”

Without thinking, Qiao Shan grabbed Zuo Yi’s arm and dragged him toward her room.

The little girl was writhing in pain, sniffling and sobbing nonstop, her eyes and nose bright red. If this kept up, she’d cry herself unconscious.

Zuo Yi went over, picked her up, and barked at Qiao Shan, “What are you staring at? Snap out of it! Get a car to the hospital!”

“Oh, oh, right…” Qiao Shan tumbled down the wooden stairs on her way down but quickly got up and went to borrow a car from the inn owner.

Wenwen lay on Zuo Yi’s shoulder, sobbing in fits. “Uncle… I know good kids don’t cry, but I really, really feel awful. Uncle, am I going to die?”

“What nonsense?” Zuo Yi cradled the back of her head, pressing it gently against his shoulder, and soothed softly, “We’ll go to the hospital, get a shot, and you’ll be fine.”

The inn owner drove the car to the door, and the group rushed to the hospital.

The ancient town’s hospital was small, with few doctors.

While waiting in line to register, Wenwen wouldn’t stop crying, and Qiao Shan was nearly frantic. Zuo Yi held the little girl, pacing back and forth, patting her back gently and cooing, “Don’t cry, don’t cry, little Wenwen. It’ll be our turn soon.”

Wenwen’s chin rested on Zuo Yi’s shoulder. She lifted her chubby hand to wipe her tears, choking out, “Uncle, can you sing ‘Twinkle Twinkle Little Star’ for me?”

“Hm?”

“Twinkle, twinkle, little star…”

Zuo Yi frowned and glanced back at Qiao Shan and the inn owner.

Singing a nursery rhyme here… it was embarrassing.

Qiao Shan clenched her fists, looking worriedly at Wenwen, and said softly, “Wenwen, how about Qiao Mama sings it for you?”

Wenwen stayed on Zuo Yi’s shoulder. “But… I want to hear Uncle sing…”

Zuo Yi carried Wenwen a few steps forward, stopping by the window.

Outside, the sky was a clear blue, with tiled roofs stretching endlessly. He recalled the lyrics, his voice vibrating as he hummed the tune softly.

The man’s low hum echoed in the empty hallway, deep and resonant.

“Twinkle, twinkle, little star, how I wonder what you are…” The melody shifted slowly to “Fireflies.”

“The dark sky hangs low, bright stars follow along, fireflies fly, fireflies fly, who are you missing… Stars in the sky shed tears, roses on the ground wither, cold wind blows, cold wind blows, as long as you’re with me…”

The man’s magnetic voice filled the corridor, echoing naturally.

Qiao Shan stared at the figure by the window, lost in thought. This was different from the man she knew.

Caught off guard, he hadn’t changed clothes—still in a tank top and shorts.

The girl’s little arms hugged his, her pudgy wrists contrasting sharply with his toned arms.

He paced gently, singing softly, and she almost heard a child’s voice joining in—that pure, ethereal tone, unaccompanied by instruments, carrying a faint sorrow.

The familiar nursery rhyme pulled Zuo Yi back to many years ago.

Fireflies in the nighttime courtyard, an old man singing softly:

“Stars in the sky shed tears, roses on the ground wither, cold wind blows, cold wind blows, as long as you’re with me, fireflies fly, flowers sleep, pairs are beautiful, not afraid of the dark, only afraid of heartbreak, no matter how tired, no matter north, south, east, or west…”

…

Qiao Shan gazed at Zuo Yi, entranced.

Damn, the way he holds a kid is explosively charming!

She’d naively thought he had zero musical sense—like his cow-killing erhu playing.

Who would’ve guessed he sang so well?

A killer bass that hit the ears, no accompaniment but full of rhythm.

Pure voice, pure melody, pure emotion…

Looking at his broad back, Qiao Shan suddenly recalled the female doctor who’d treated her cramp.

She’d said Zuo Yi had a straight nose, tall stature, and was great in bed…