Perfunctory in others' eyes, her heart is already won

Back at the hotel, the first thing I did was drop my luggage and eagerly rush into the bathroom.

With a swish, the showerhead turned on, and the water poured down, washing over my mind and body. Having stayed in the desert for far too long, where the absolute most one could manage was wiping down with a damp towel, it had been ages since I last enjoyed such a thorough and refreshing bath. In the past, every time I returned from a field geological mission, I would deeply appreciate the preciousness of urban life. This time, however, it felt a little different. As I relished the soft, comforting flow of the water, all sorts of lingering phantoms of the desert refused to fade from the bottom of my heart.

The steam enveloped me in a closed space, inevitably bringing Musa back to mind, along with his gentle or fierce kisses. I neither knew how we could be together, nor could I bear to let him go. What kind of future could possibly lie between us?

The pounding of the water cleared my head a bit, prompting me to reflect and turn things over in my mind. I told myself: yes, while I indeed liked him, was infatuated with him, and had been unable to restrain myself during the sandstorm, I was, after all, twenty-three years old—an open-minded, mature, and independent person. In front of a devastatingly attractive man like Musa, a temporary drop in immunity was entirely normal, but it was not enough to make me lose my bearings over a single kiss. The one who should be agonizing wasn't me, but rather him, the one facing wave after wave of daunting challenges.

Thinking along these lines, my heart settled down a bit. I touched the corner of my lips and suddenly let out a chuckle all to myself.

Given that Musa hardly even interacted with women, that must have been his first kiss, right?

The exhilarating sensation of claiming someone's first kiss brought me a peculiar joy, much like having just solved an unsolved problem, tinged with a bit of pride and a touch of happiness.

After finishing my shower and while drying my hair, the doorbell suddenly rang.

I wrapped myself in a bathrobe and, feeling fresh and clean, went to open the door, only to find Senior Sister Yin Qianyan standing there.

I was rather surprised. "Senior Sister, I just got back and haven't told a soul yet. How did you know?"

"Actually, I didn't even know you'd be here." Yin Qianyan beamed cheerfully, stared at my face for a few seconds, and evaluated, "Not bad, you haven't gotten too dark."

"I wrapped myself up tightly and did a great job with sun protection." I smiled and stepped aside to make way for her. "Come inside and talk."

"No, no, no need." Yin Qianyan declined. "I'm just acting on someone's orders, coming to knock on your door every night to see if you've finally returned. Now I have to go back and report."

I pondered for quite a while, unable to guess who this "someone" she mentioned could be, and finally had to ask, "Who asked you to check if I was back?"

She cast a disappointed glance at me and stomped her foot. "Who else could it be? Yun Yushu!"

"Yun Yushu?" I frowned, failing to understand what this was supposed to mean.

Seeing my bewildered expression, Yin Qianyan kindly explained, "When he saw that Ricky had already returned from the desert, he came looking for you a few times. But you weren't around, and your phone had no signal. He was worried sick and spent ages inquiring before he heard that you stayed behind in the desert for a few extra days. So, he asked me to come check every day." She nudged me in the waist with her elbow. "If you ask me, he's a rare catch of a quality single guy, and he's clearly interested in you. You'd better seize the opportunity."

If she had said this to me before my trip to the desert, I probably would have laughed and brushed it off with playful banter. But hearing it now, a subtle sense of rejection arose deep within my heart, and I couldn't help waving my hand dismissively.

Musa had only said he liked me without giving me any concrete promises, yet my affection for him had already taken root. And now, instinctively, I was rejecting any other man who might possibly be interested in me—even if that man hadn't even spoken the words aloud yet.