Chen Kangle woke up with a wince, her neck stiff and unyielding. Pain flared as she tried to turn her head, as if the muscles had turned to iron overnight. Every movement was met with resistance—a tight, pulling strain that ran from the base of her skull down to her shoulder. She raised a hand to massage the tense spot, but even that sent a jolt of discomfort down her spine.
She glanced at Shen Moxuan, her neck twisted at an awkward angle, and instantly regretted it, because now she was socially dead. Great.
He just had to see it. Damn it. So embarrassing.
She cursed silently and averted her gaze, trying to stay invisible.
"Is that your signature morning pose?" Shen Moxuan said, amused. The corner of his mouth rising a little.
She turned her head to glare at him—"Ahh…"—but the sharp movement only worsened the pain in her neck, sending a fresh wave of discomfort shooting down her shoulder.
Shen Moxuan raised an eyebrow, clearly not sympathetic. "Serves you right," he muttered under his breath, though the smirk playing at his lips hadn't left.
She groaned and looked away again, determined not to give him another reaction.
A quiet beat passed between them before his voice shifted—less amused, more serious.
"Next time," he said, "don't fall asleep like that."
She blinked, confused. "Like what?"
"Unaware. Unprotected." His gaze flicked to her, steady and unreadable. "Especially if you're sharing a cave with a man."
That caught her off guard. "Are you saying you're dangerous?" she asked, her brow furrowed.
He didn't answer right away. Instead, he stood, brushing dust off his robes with an offhand motion.
"I'm saying not everyone will be as decent as I am," he said, his tone dry but weighted.
Chen Kangle scoffed, half to hide the strange flutter in her chest. "Decent? Says the man who laughed at my suffering neck."
He looked back at her, a glimmer of something unreadable in his eyes.
"I laughed. I didn't take advantage."
Then he turned and walked toward the cave entrance, leaving her sitting there—neck sore, cheeks warm, and mind suddenly very much awake.
Chen Kangle: "..."
"I'm leaving. You can manage on your own now, right?" she said, her back still turned to him.
"Hmm" he said, his voice a little low.
Without looking at him, she went out the cave entrance.
The morning air was crisp, biting gently at her skin as the sunlight spilled over the mountaintops. Chen Kangle squinted against the brightness, rolling her shoulder in an attempt to ease the stiffness of her neck.
She muttered under her breath, something between a curse and a complaint as she began making her way down the mountain.
She slowed, then stopped, frowning. Was he not going to say anything? Not even a "thanks for saving my life" or "take care"? Not that she needed it. Of course she didn't. But still…
With a groan—half from pride, half from pain, she turned slightly to peek over her shoulder.
Shen Moxuan was standing at the cave's edge, one hand braced on the rock wall, watching her. Not moving at all. Just watching.
Their eyes met briefly.
He raised an eyebrow. "Forgot something?"
Her pride almost choked her. "I forgot to stop caring. My mistake," she muttered, and promptly faced forward again, marching down the path without another word.
Behind her, she could've sworn she heard him chuckle.
After reaching the village gate, she headed straight to her house and began preparing a few things. Today, she would go herb-picking again, since she had no spare copper coins left. After filling her gourd with water and tying it securely around her waist, she gathered her hair and tied it up. Then she picked up her basket and slung it over her back.
The path to the forest was well-trodden as many villagers like me use this path to reach the outer ring of Wuhen Forests, where we frequently pick medicinal herbs. She could feel her neck still aching from her awkward sleep in the cave, but she pushed it aside. She had no time worrying for her sore neck, since she's broke.
She spotted the forest's edge up ahead and tightened her grip on the basket straps.
Time to work.
...
She found a shade under a large tree and sat down, placing her basket in front of her while she leaned against the tree trunk. She closed her eyes for a moment.
Chen Kangle decided to rest for a while after searching for an entire hour and still finding nothing of value.
She was relaxing when she heard a noise. She opened her eyes quickly and tensed. Adjusting her position and preparing for a run.
"Oh.. Xiaoyan, its you."
"Uncle Ma, you scared me there for a moment," Chen Kangle said and sigh in relief, realizing it was just Uncle Ma from the village.
"Oh.." he chuckled, scratching his head, "I didn't mean to startle you."
Chen Kangle sat up straighter, brushing a few leaves from her sleeves. "What are you doing out here, Uncle Ma? It's a bit far from the village."
"I was checking the traps near the stream," he said, lifting the small bundle slung over his shoulder. "Managed to catch a hare or two. Thought I'd circle back this way on the off chance I'd find you."
"Me?" she blinked.
"You're always out here when coin runs low," he said with a knowing smile. "Figured you'd be in need of herbs again."
Chen Kangle gave a sheepish smile, lowering her gaze. "You're not wrong."
He stepped closer, his eyes scanning the forest path behind her. "You should be careful though. This side of the forest's gotten a little strange lately. Some of the boys say they've seen claw marks on trees. Big ones."
She frowned, "A beast?"
"Could be." He glanced up at the tree canopy. "Just don't go wandering too deep alone, alright?"
"I'll be careful," she promised.
Uncle Ma nodded, satisfied. "Good girl. I'll leave you to it then. If you come across anything worth selling, you know where to find me."
With that, he gave a friendly wave and disappeared down the path, leaving behind Chen Kangle sitting beneath the tree once more with her mind no longer entirely at ease.
She decided to call it a day and picked up her basket slinging it over her back.
As she walked towards the village, she decided to take a detour at her cultivation spot at the mountain cave. To see if he had already left.
The trees thinned near the entrance, and the cave entrance came into view.
She hesitated just outside, heart beating with an odd mixture of curiosity and caution. Then, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear, she stepped inside.
It was empty.
The stone slab where Shen Moxuan had rested was bare now, the small lamp she'd left tucked neatly to the side. No trace of him remained, not even the faint warmth of his presence.
She let out a breath she didn't realize she'd been holding.
"Good," she murmured to herself, though the echo in the cave made the word sound hollow.
Stop thinking about him now, Chen Kangle. He's just a familiar stranger anyway.
She thought and shake her head. Just because they have the same face and same name, doesn't mean their the same person that Chen Kangle used to like.
More accurately, Chen Kangle had a love-hate relationship with that nasty professor of hers.
Her relationship with that man had always been a mess of contradictions. That nasty professor of hers—sharp-tongued, cold-eyed, always pointing out her flaws like he was doing her a favor. And yet... somehow, he always did. She hated how right he often was. She hated how, beneath all the disdain he showed, he was the one who believed she could be better.
And she hated how, their last meeting had been when she submitted her capstone project.
Without lingering, she walked to the slab and checked around just in case he'd left anything behind. Nothing. He was truly gone.
She scowled, brushing invisible dust off the stone and straws as if wiping him out of the space entirely.
She stood there for a moment longer, then turned on her heel and made her way back down the trail, her basket tapping lightly against her back.
"Goodbye, 'Mr. Not Mr. Shen' " she said as if he could actually hear.