Chapter 38

Red silk ribbons were tied all over the bridgehead, fluttering in the mountain wind as though they were spirits drifting toward a freer world.

I thought the “memorial” Shen Jianqing mentioned would take place here. The bridge was covered in ribbons; surely one of them belonged to his mother. But he didn’t even glance at them and led me straight across the stone arch bridge.

“This isn’t the place?” I asked, surprised.

“No,” Shen Jianqing said. “My mother’s ribbon isn’t here.”

“Mm? Didn’t you say—”

Shen Jianqing replied, “She’s different. Come with me.”

We kept walking, crossing the stone arch bridge, heading farther away from the settlement, until we reached a bamboo grove backed by a mountain.

Beneath the trees, countless graves were neatly arranged, lined up like disciplined soldiers.

A jolt struck me—
I’d been here before.

Back then I had been wandering with my camera and stumbled into this place. Two Miao men had chased me off, and I’d left in a hurry.

I’d wondered why, if the Shidi Miao insisted on cremation, there were so many graves here. Turns out… one of them belonged to his mother.

“Strange, isn’t it?” Shen Jianqing said quietly. “You’ll know everything sooner or later. I’ll tell you when we go back today.”

My curiosity was already overflowing. I nodded.

His hand tightened around mine.

We turned a bend in the path and saw two people kneeling before one of the graves, praying devoutly.

One of them was an old man—hair and beard white, spine bent, face deeply lined. His eyes were shut tight as he murmured his prayers. Beside him knelt a stunning woman with a waterfall of black hair.

The chieftain of the village…and Wanying.

The moment Shen Jianqing saw them, whatever calm look he had disappeared. He stood still, expressionless, staring at them.

Technically, one of them was his grandfather, the other his cousin—family. But Shen Jianqing had never shown them a single warm expression. Well… that was their family matter. I had no right to comment.

Once the chieftain and Wanying finished three respectful bows, she helped him slowly stand. Only then did Shen Jianqing speak, saying something in Miao.

The chieftain paused, but his aged face remained unchanged. Supported by Wanying, he walked out of the bamboo grove.

As they passed me, the chieftain turned his head. His gaze flicked over my clothing, then settled on my face.

His eyelids drooped loosely, giving him hawklike, triangular eyes. Clouded yet razor-sharp—his stare sliced across my skin like a blade.

A shiver ran through me.

There was nothing friendly in that look. I could feel hostility—no, killing intent.

The eye contact lasted barely a second. We brushed past each other, but the oppressive weight didn’t lift. If anything, it pressed even heavier on my chest.

“What’s wrong?” Shen Jianqing leaned down.
Only then did I realize my right hand was crushing his left so tightly his knuckles had gone white.

“S-sorry.” I tried to yank my hand away, but he caught it firmly again. His palm was warm, steady—strangely calming.

“Don’t be afraid. I’m here.”

I looked up and slammed straight into the clarity of his eyes. The emotion swirling inside them was intense—undeniably real.

The way he stared at me… it felt as if I were the only person in his world. As if no matter what happened, he would never let go of my hand.

Thump. Thump. Thump.

My heartbeat didn’t slow—
It sped up. Faster, and faster.

Is this… liking someone?
A tiny voice whispered in the back of my mind.

No. Absolutely not!
Another voice roared.

I snapped my gaze away.

Shen Jianqing truly, deeply liked me—I knew that. But liking someone isn’t the same as being possessive, controlling, or forcing them. This kind of love was reckless, one-sided, and dangerous. I never knew what might set him off again.

I would never allow myself to fall for someone like this.

Steadying myself, I pressed down that spark of emotion and said, “Go see your mother.”

Shen Jianqing led me to the grave the chieftain and Wanying had just worshipped at. It was simple—just a modest stone tablet carved with winding Miao script, likely her name.

Fresh fruits sat before the grave, still beaded with water—offerings the chieftain must have brought. Shen Jianqing glanced at them with disgust, then grabbed them and flung them aside.

How childish…

He knelt properly, took out the offerings he prepared, and started murmuring to the grave.

“Li Yuze, come here.”
He suddenly turned and beckoned.

I walked over.

The moment I stepped close enough, he grabbed my hand and pulled me down with him, forcing me to kneel beside him.

A flicker of resistance rose in me, but his grip was unyielding.

“Mom, this is Li Yuze. I usually come by myself, but this time I brought someone. Are you happy?”
His voice was unusually soft—like a child speaking to his mother. I had never seen this side of him.

“He looks great, doesn’t he? This outfit looks great on him too, right? I know you’ll like him as much as I do.” Shen Jianqing smiled, content. “And the things you told me—I haven’t forgotten any of them. I won’t repeat the same mistakes.”

He went on and on, and I just listened quietly beside him.

“Mom, I’ll come see you again next year. Everything you told me to do—I’ve done well. If you don’t believe it, just pick a windy day and ride the wind to check on me.”
Then he bowed three times, very solemnly. When he straightened up, he shot me an expectant look.

Back home in Yancheng, kneeling and kowtowing before a stranger’s grave is taboo. I wasn’t superstitious, but I still didn’t want to do it. And frankly… Shen Jianqing and I weren’t anything. Why should I bow to his mother? Doing it would feel like admitting there was something real between us.

Honestly, I should’ve just gone along with him. I didn’t even know why—after enduring so much—I was choosing this moment to hesitate.

Shen Jianqing saw how rigid my posture was. He let out a breath through his nose, then suddenly leaned close to my ear and whispered, “Don’t make me angry in front of my mother.”

Before I could react, his hand came up and pressed the back of my neck, forcing me down with surprising precision.

He wasn’t using much strength, but it was impossible to resist. My body pitched forward, and my forehead knocked against the ground before the grave.

“Let me go!”

I tried to push myself upright, but the moment I lifted my body, he pushed me down again.

And again.

Three times in total.

Only then was Shen Jianqing satisfied. He finally released me, helped me back to my feet, and even reached up to gently brush the dirt from my forehead, as if nothing had happened.

I pulled away from his touch.

Shen Jianqing wasn’t annoyed. His face carried a mix of indulgence and helplessness. “Li Yuze, don’t ignore me.”

As if he wasn’t the one who had just snapped and manhandled me!

We walked out of the bamboo grove in silence. Neither of us spoke. Outside, two figures stood waiting—
the bent, stooped chieftain, and Wanying standing tall at his side.

When he saw us, the chieftain said something in Miao. Shen Jianqing’s expression soured; his gaze flicked between the chieftain and Wanying several times before he finally nodded.

He turned to me. “I need to handle something. Wait here. Don’t wander off.”

I didn’t answer.

As punishment, Shen Jianqing quietly pinched my waist, then left with the chieftain.

But moments later, Wanying returned alone.

She stepped forward and supported me by the arm. “Your foot… better now?”

I nodded. “It’s fine. Thank you.”

She smiled, then said suddenly, “You wear… this Miao outfit very well. No wonder Shen Jianqing likes you. Even I can’t help… liking you a little.”

The Miao people were always this warm and direct. I forced a polite smile. But Wanying continued, “This was A-Qing’s… the outfit she left… for Shen Siyuan.”

“A-Qing? That’s… Shen Jianqing’s mother?”

I remembered what he told me on Shidi Mountain—
The ‘Jian’ you see, and the ‘Qing’ from A-Qing.

So the Qing in his name came from his mother.

Wanying’s eyes suddenly softened with pity. “You and… Shen Siyuan… very similar. Both like… birds in a cage.”

I snapped my head toward her.

A bird in a cage?
Shen Siyuan?

A dozen thoughts connected in a flash.

Wanying must’ve seen my shock, because she explained, “He didn’t… tell you? Shen Siyuan died… very pitifully. His whole life… he never stepped… outside the stilt house.”

Shen Siyuan—the outsider who stumbled into the village years ago. The one who, according to Shen Jianqing’s story, shared a deep love with his mother.

Never stepped outside a stilt house?

That’s love?

I thought I couldn’t be shocked by anything anymore, but those few simple sentences turned my understanding upside down.

At that moment, Wanying leaned close to my ear and whispered something so soft, so quiet—

My eyes flew wide open.

But the very next second, a cold, deep voice cut in from behind us.

“What are you two doing?!”

Every hair on my body stood on end. I jerked away from Wanying like a guilty thief. I didn’t dare turn around. I was terrified he’d read something from my eyes—some hint of what we’d just talked about.

Shen Jianqing strode up, grabbed my arm, and pulled me firmly into his side by the waist. Then he shot Wanying a warning glare.

Wanying blinked. Her beautiful eyes remained calm, not a hint of guilt. “He… fell just now. I helped him stand.”

I had to admit—she lied without even blinking.

“Is that true?” Shen Jianqing asked, lowering his gaze to me.

I forced myself to meet his eyes, nodded solidly. “Yes.”

I handled it well too.