Chapter Fifty-Nine: May I Hold Your Hand?

“You…” Yu Wenjing was so angry she couldn’t even speak.

“Mom, do you need anything else? If not, I’m hanging up.” Luo Yixia was scanning her surroundings, entirely uninterested in chatting on the phone.

People bustled around her, seasoned travelers of all kinds.

“When are you going back to the hotel?” Yu Wenjing asked again on the other end.

“We’ll go back tonight, I guess? I’m not sure. Let me ask Song Chengyi.” As she spoke, Luo Yixia called out, “Are we going back to the hotel tonight?”

“Up to you.”

“Mom, I’m not sure. I’m hanging up now.” Without waiting for Yu Wenjing’s reply, Luo Yixia ended the call.

She sighed, “My mom is just so annoying.”

“What did she say?” Song Chengyi asked, standing beside her.

“How would I know? She kept asking why we weren’t at the hotel. Oh, and your mom was there too—I overheard them muttering about something.” Luo Yixia tilted her head up as she spoke.

“Don’t care,” he replied coolly.

The sun was rising, warm rays growing hotter on their skin.

They headed first to Oshino Hakkai. Luo Yixia had long heard that drinking the spring water there would bring good fortune.

Eager to try, she took a sip herself, then held it out for Song Chengyi to taste as well.

Song Chengyi stepped back, wrinkling his brow and looking at Luo Yixia with distaste. He uttered a single word: “Dirty.”

Luo Yixia rolled her eyes and didn’t insist.

The water at the spring’s source was crystal clear. Luo Yixia hadn’t seen such clarity in ages—the last time was during last summer’s visit to her grandparents.

Thinking of her grandmother, she remembered the braised pork with preserved vegetables… how delicious it was.

This summer was disrupted, otherwise Luo Yixia would have gone home as usual.

Next time she went, she wondered if he would join her. She glanced sideways at Song Chengyi.

If she brought him along, her grandparents would surely be delighted—their grandson-in-law, after all.

And he was so handsome.

She could already picture her grandmother saying, “Such a fine young man!”

The smile on her lips sweetened with the thought.

“What are you grinning about?” Song Chengyi looked down at her, bemused.

“None of your business,” Luo Yixia replied playfully.

Eyeing the black eggs from Owakudani’s hot springs, Luo Yixia pondered whether to bring some back.

She bought two and tried one. It tasted no different from the eggs at home.

“Want to try one? They say eating one adds seven years to your life.”

“Superstitious nonsense.”

As expected, Song Chengyi was as unromantic as ever.

Luo Yixia looked around—He Die and Su Sheng were gone, probably off exploring somewhere.

Around them, couples abounded: arms linked, hands held, even He Die and Su Sheng had been holding hands just moments ago.

In contrast, she glanced at Song Chengyi, who had one hand in his pocket and the other dangling carelessly.

“Song Chengyi.” Luo Yixia suddenly called out.

“What is it?” He stopped and looked her over.

“There are so many people here. I’m terrible with directions—I might get lost,” she said, sounding pitiful.

“So?” Song Chengyi tilted his head, raising an eyebrow.

“Can I hold your hand?” Luo Yixia gazed at him with hopeful eyes.

Song Chengyi smiled, then refused, “No.”

Utterly exasperated, she stomped her foot, muttering inwardly—what’s wrong with holding hands? It’s not like it’s costing him anything. If she really got lost, just see if they wouldn’t kill him when they got back.