Still Frame Chapter 46

Chapter 46: Pine Fragrance

The moment those words left his mouth, everyone present froze, especially Zhang Qiannan, who almost lost control of his expression. He shot a look at Zhang Liuxin, his eyes heavy with suspicion.

A soft chuckle came from the side. Lü Zixia said lazily, “We all go to the same school. Calling him ‘Senior’ is more appropriate. We’re out playing together, why the formality of ‘Young Master Wen’? That’s a bit too distant.”

Zhao Wan sensed keenly that the atmosphere among the men around her was off. Fortunately, she was quick-witted and immediately picked up on Lü Zixia’s cue: “Exactly, Senior Wen. We sometimes run into you at school, but you always look so aloof that we never dared to speak.”

Wen Jin changed his slightly sharp demeanor to one of gentle politeness. “When I’m not busy, chatting is fine.”

Lü Zixia whistled from the side and typed even faster. Soon, Wen Jin’s phone began to vibrate. He picked it up, glanced at it, and muted the group chat.

The tension eased slightly. Zhang Liuxin retrieved the proper address, and a simple phrase rolled around in his mouth several times before he finally spoke: “Senior, long time no see.”

As he spoke, he looked at Wen Jin, feeling his heart quietly constrict.

But Wen Jin merely nodded, saying nothing more. Zhang Qiannan seized the moment to ask him in a low voice if he was traveling next month. Wen Jin tilted his head, listened, and then replied, “Yes, for a week.”

They began chatting, and Zhao Wan tugged on Zhang Liuxin’s sleeve, signaling him to sit back down.

Fortunately, it wasn’t long before they boarded the plane. This was Zhang Liuxin’s first time in first class. Seeing his slight nervousness, Zhao Wan pulled him closer to sit next to her and asked, “Want to play tennis together when we get back to school? Though you’ll have to wait at least another week until I get over the novelty of these nails.”

Zhang Liuxin smiled and said yes. Just as he was about to say something, Wen Jin walked past. Perhaps it was his imagination, but Wen Jin cast a fleeting glance down. Before Zhang Liuxin could catch the look, Wen Jin walked straight ahead.

Did Wen Jin wear cologne today? Zhang Liuxin initially thought it was the cabin scent, but because it vanished so quickly, it wasn’t.

It was a very faint fragrance, much softer than the cold impression Wen Jin himself gave off.

Dwelling on the scent left behind by someone passing by seemed too strange. Fortunately, Wen Jin was seated in his blind spot and began talking with Zhang Qiannan again.

Their low but unignorable conversation made Zhang Liuxin drift off. He stared out the window for a while until takeoff, then rubbed his stiff neck and thanked the flight attendant who offered him an air conditioning blanket.

It wasn’t too far from Huanshi to Wuling. They landed an hour and a half later. Someone was there to pick them up and take them to the mountain, ready to begin their five-day study trip.

There were students from other provinces on the mountain, all looking wealthy and privileged. Everyone was housed in private wooden cabins scattered throughout the forest. A small problem arose when assigning rooms in the main building.

“Zixia, are you staying with your girlfriend?” The cabins were two-person rooms.

The girlfriend looked at Lü Zixia with hopeful eyes, but Lü Zixia waved his hand, slinging an arm over Wen Jin’s shoulder. “Let the girls stay together. I’ll be with Ah Zhuo.”

Wen Jin brushed his hand away, grabbed a room key card, and dragged his suitcase out. Even the teacher in charge had to scurry after Young Master Wen, asking if he needed help with his luggage.

In the end, the two brothers naturally stayed together. The thought of sharing a room with Zhang Qiannan for five whole days made Zhang Liuxin’s scalp tingle.

As soon as they returned to the cabin, Zhang Qiannan completely shed his outwardly gentle and refined facade. He tossed his bag onto the sofa in annoyance and spat out a curse. “Wen Jin definitely won’t show his face for the next few days. If I’m not staying with him, why the hell did I come? This is a poor, boring backwater.”

Zhang Liuxin was used to it. He pulled his suitcase into the guest bedroom and meticulously arranged his toiletries. Since he was here, he might as well make the best of it. Wuling was a nature reserve in Yinzhou, and the scenery was quite beautiful. He could treat it as a vacation, he told himself.

Zhang Qiannan proved right. Wen Jin did not participate in the courses or practical projects with them. Even his meals were delivered to his cabin. Without a chance to be with Wen Jin, Zhang Qiannan ignored even Lü Zixia and started skipping classes. Thus, the study trip became a foursome: Lü Zixia and his girlfriend, Zhao Wan, and him. Luckily, Zhao Wan was talkative and unpretentious, and most importantly, she didn’t look down on his background. After three days of interaction, the two had become friends.

Wen Jin finally appeared on the evening of the third day. Coincidentally, the task that night required everyone to form groups and cook their own dinner outside. They had to forage for ingredients, draw water from the well, and even chop their own firewood.

However, among the group, only Zhang Liuxin and Lü Zixia’s girlfriend knew how to cook. So, the two of them were left at the main camp. Zhang Liuxin had exchanged a few words with the girl in the previous days and learned she attended the dance school next to State University, majoring in classical dance. No wonder her temperament was so refined.

“Young Master Zhang, what dishes can you make?”

Zhang Liuxin wasn’t used to being called that, so he said, “Miss Bai, please just call me by my name. My cooking is very ordinary. I usually just whip up something for myself—enough to fill my stomach.”

“My cooking is decent,” Miss Bai’s voice was soft and delicate, like a string instrument, but Zhang Liuxin detected a lack of enthusiasm. “I usually make bento boxes for Zixia.”

Lü Zixia had seemed uninterested in everything these past few days, yet he was inseparable from her, as if deliberately accompanying his girlfriend. However, he rarely spoke and showed no intimate gestures around Miss Bai.

Zhang Liuxin nodded. “Then I’ll be your assistant.”

“Okay.”

While waiting for the others to return, Miss Bai was clearly anxious, constantly looking toward the depths of the jungle. Her fingertips were marked with several white, crescent-shaped indentations where she had nervously pinched herself.

Zhang Liuxin poured some tea and placed it in front of her. “Miss Bai, have some water.”

“Thank you,” Miss Bai took a sip. “Excuse me, let’s go fetch some water.”

Zhang Liuxin: “Alright.”

There were no wells in the city, so the young masters and ladies gathered around the well, drawing water one by one with great novelty. Some couldn’t manage the effort and spilled the hard-won water everywhere, soaking a patch of Zhang Liuxin’s trousers.

“Oh no, why did this fall off?” The person in front burst out in surprise. Zhang Liuxin saw that the crank used for drawing water from the well had broken.

“At least the water is up,” the boy patted Zhang Liuxin’s arm. “Sorry, man. Just make do with this.”

If he were truly sorry, he wouldn’t have worn such a gloating expression. Zhang Liuxin was a little speechless but didn’t want to start an argument, so he nodded.

The wooden bucket was heavy, especially with the rough rope making it hard to grip. Miss Bai asked if he needed help, but she was wearing a light-colored long dress, which clearly wasn’t suitable, so he shook his head and said, “No need.”

He gripped the rope with both hands and pulled. The muscles in his shoulders strained and ached intermittently. Zhang Liuxin slowly lifted the bucket. Just as it reached the wellhead, someone helped steady it. The person’s hand was very fair, with blue veins visible beneath the thin skin, bulging out from the exertion, forming powerful, winding lines.

“Thank you…”

He thanked the person instinctively, catching a very faint pine fragrance, similar to what he had smelled on the plane the first day. But because they were in the forest, the scent blended with the surrounding grass and leaves, making it hard to distinguish.

Seeing the face of the person beside him clearly, Zhang Liuxin subconsciously finished the second half of his sentence: “…Senior.”

The Senior seemed satisfied with the address, helping him lift the bucket out and pour the water into their group’s container.

Zhang Liuxin reached for the water bucket, but Wen Jin beat him to it. The other man, carrying a bucket that completely clashed with his status and temperament, said, “What are you spacing out for? Let’s go back.”

Zhang Liuxin and Miss Bai exchanged a look and followed him back to the main camp.

“Brother Wen, is it heavy?” Zhang Qiannan immediately stood up when he saw Wen Jin return with the water. He then turned to Zhang Liuxin behind him. “Brother, honestly, why didn’t you help Brother Wen?”

He twisted open a new bottle of water and handed it to Wen Jin. “Brother Wen, drink some water.”

Zhang Liuxin was almost dumbfounded, unable to believe that the person in front of him was Zhang Qiannan, who was usually spoiled rotten at home.

Wen Jin didn’t take the water and sat down on a nearby stool. Zhang Qiannan was left hanging, his expression slightly awkward. He finally shoved the water into Zhang Liuxin’s hand, pulled up a chair, and sat next to Wen Jin.

Soon, Lü Zixia and the others returned. Zhao Wan was holding a very small bundle of dead branches, while Lü Zixia carried most of the firewood. However, that weight was likely nothing to him; he looked relaxed as he tossed the wood aside.

Miss Bai stopped what she was doing, pulled out a wet wipe, and cleaned his hands, asking if he was hot.

“Not hot,” Lü Zixia used his slightly dirty hand to smudge Miss Bai’s cheek. Seeing the clean face smeared with ash, he smiled, picked up the wipe, and cleaned her face. “Let’s prep the ingredients and cook.”

Miss Bai’s face was slightly flushed. Zhang Liuxin felt her anxiety had been soothed.

Zhao Wan also came to help them prep the ingredients, but Miss Zhao’s skills were rusty, and she nearly threw all the edible parts into the trash. Zhang Liuxin worried that if this continued, they would starve tonight, so he said, “Miss Zhao, why don’t you rest for a bit? I can handle this.”

Zhao Wan watched him with interest from the side. “Liuxin, do you usually cook for yourself?”

“Yes, but I only know simple things.”

Zhang Qiannan walked over at some point and smiled at Miss Zhao. “My brother is very domestically capable, and he has a great personality, doesn’t he?”

Zhao Wan played along, with a hint of teasing. “Yes, if I had known your brother was so excellent, I would have asked you to bring him out sooner.”

Zhang Qiannan’s smile grew brighter, as if genuinely happy for his brother. “There will be plenty of opportunities in the future. Have you exchanged contact information? Maybe you can play tennis together when we get back to Yinzhou? My brother learned tennis from a famous coach; most people can’t beat him.”

Zhao Wan naturally understood what he meant, but Zhang Qiannan’s current status was clearly unusual. Before this trip, her parents had told her to avoid contradicting Zhang Qiannan’s wishes if possible. Plus, after three days of interaction, she genuinely felt comfortable interacting with Zhang Liuxin. Even if it was just making a friend, she was happy to do so.

So, she readily agreed, shaking her phone. “Of course, we exchanged contact information. But the tennis courts at school are too hot. Liuxin, we can go to the tennis club my aunt owns.”

Zhang Liuxin was busy chopping vegetables and didn’t pay attention to the specifics of their conversation. He only heard his name and instinctively responded, “Mhm, sounds good.”

Lü Zixia, who was leaning against a post watching Miss Bai, smiled, somewhat inexplicably. Zhang Liuxin didn’t need to look up to feel his slightly improper scrutiny. Yet, his words were directed at Wen Jin, and the tone was familiar—Zhang Liuxin felt he had heard it somewhere before. “Young Master Wen, are you sulking over there or something? I’ve come over to help cook, and you’re still waiting to be served?”