Chapter 14.5
“SORRY,” SAID THE STAFF MEMBER, a young girl on the verge of tears. “I’m so sorry. The cable car broke down around 2 p.m. Repairs are underway, but we can’t operate after 5 p.m. because we aren’t permitted to run the cable car after dark…”
The visitors gathered at the summit raised hell. “Then what’ll happen to us? It’s way more dangerous to walk down in the dark!”
Standing at the visitors’ reception center, with a loudspeaker in hand, the staff member said, “Everyone, please hear me out. Listen! Ladies and gentlemen, please do not panic!”
On the periphery of the crowd, Zhang Yuwen and the others looked around.
“Food and lodging will be provided for everyone!” the employee continued. “I’m really sorry! The weather will be very cold tonight. Please do not try to descend on your own. It’s dangerous, especially with how slippery the trail is on rainy days! The cable car will take everyone down tomorrow morning!”
The crowd kept on making a ruckus for a long time, but in the end, everyone begrudgingly accepted the proposal. Fortunately, it was Saturday, and they still had Sunday to rest. Besides, it was the offseason, with fewer than three hundred people at the mountaintop; there would be plenty of room for everyone.
“What should we do?” Zhang Yuwen asked, having gathered the others to talk it over. Most of them had no important matters to attend to, except for Huo Sichen and Yan Jun, who both needed to get back. Yan Jun, who had Xiao-Qi to take care of, was in a particularly tricky situation.
“I’ll call the childcare center,” Yan Jun said. “If worse comes to worst, I’ll just have her stay there overnight.”
Yan Jun went to make the call, and Chen Hong asked, “Can we make it down if we take turns lighting the way with our phones?”
“It’s going to rain,” said Chang Jinxing. “Let’s not. It’s too dangerous.”
Zhang Yuwen, too, knew better than to fight nature. The mountain during the day was a completely different beast from the mountain at night, when the cold was biting and the trail perilous to navigate. If their body temperatures dropped while they were halfway down, they wouldn’t just need to worry about whether they could reach the bottom; they might not survive the trek.
Before long, Yan Jun returned from his phone call and made an “okay” gesture, surprising his roommates. Perhaps, with the situation having no ideal solution, Yan Jun understood that grumbling wouldn’t help anything and didn’t want to inconvenience everyone. “It’s okay,” he reassured them. “It’s not Xiao-Qi’s first time spending the night at the childcare center. I’ll video call her later.”
Huo Sichen stood by and listened silently, letting them discuss the arrangements between themselves. Zhang Yuwen turned to him. “What about you?”
“I’m cool with it,” Huo Sichen said.
“Then let’s stay for the night,” Chen Hong said decisively. “We can play cards and chat.”
That their hiking trip had taken an unexpected detour into an overnight stay wasn’t that bad, all things considered. Chen Hong, who’d been screwed by fate more than his fair share of times, had developed the habit of giving in and enjoying the moment. At his words, the others gradually cheered up.
“In that case, we’ll join the queue,” said Zhang Yuwen. “You guys go on ahead and find a place to rest and get a cup of hot milk tea.”
“Sure,” Chang Jinxing agreed readily. “You guys go queue up; us guys will take a break. That’s settled, then!” Zhang Yuwen threw him a menacing look at this blatant bit of teasing.
Huo Sichen and Zhang Yuwen collected everyone’s IDs and went to join the queue. There weren’t many people ahead of them, and their turn came quickly.
“You really have nothing on at night?” Zhang Yuwen asked as he accepted the hotel room cards and meal vouchers.
“Actually, I do,” Huo Sichen said, “but it’s nothing important. Can I share a room with you, though?”
Zhang Yuwen laughed and shot him a quizzical look, but when Huo Sichen made a “phone call” gesture, he understood.
Zheng Weize was resting in the visitors’ cafeteria, all bundled up in Yan Jun’s jacket, while Yan Jun himself stood by the railing and looked down at the scenery below.
Zhang Yuwen asked the obvious question: “How are we sharing the rooms?”
Just as he expected, Chang Jinxing and Zheng Weize took one room while Yan Jun and Chen Hong shared another. “Brace yourselves,” Zhang Yuwen reminded them. “The accommodations up here won’t be great.”
They had three adjacent rooms, each with a large double bed. Zheng Weize, perking up at the prospect of sharing a bed with Chang Jinxing, started fussing about the state of the room. Once they’d agreed on a time for dinner, he closed the door.
“Have you stayed here before?” Huo Sichen asked.
“Yup, with my ex.” Zhang Yuwen touched the bed—it was icy cold. Since there was only one large bed, he’d have to sleep with this straight guy. He took off his jacket.
“You should keep it on,” said Huo Sichen. “It’s not very warm in here.” He looked around and turned on the TV, but the picture wasn’t clear, so he turned it off again.
“You can watch TV if you want.” Zhang Yuwen wanted to change his clothes, but he hadn’t brought an extra set with him. Fortunately, the hotel had toiletries.
“It’s just my ADHD. I always have to check out everything I come across.” Huo Sichen fiddled with the air conditioner’s remote control but couldn’t get any warm air out of it. Then he asked, “What’s that?”
There was a rusty heater set into the wall at a corner. If Huo Sichen hadn’t asked about it, they would have never found it. Like a wallflower at a party, it hid in a secluded corner, occasionally trying to liven up the atmosphere. Zhang Yuwen went over and touched it. “It’s even colder than I am.”
Once they’d examined all the room’s amenities, they sat side by side on the bed, the mood becoming a little awkward. Their phones were running low on battery, so they had to take turns charging, but with one of them unable to use their phone, it would have been rude for the other to take out his.
Zhang Yuwen went over and parted the curtains, revealing floor-to-ceiling windows that offered a view to the bottom of the mountain. “Wow!”
“Is it snowing?” Huo Sichen stood behind Zhang Yuwen as they gazed through the unobstructed glass window.
“Looks like it.” As Zhang Yuwen watched, the sky outside grew darker and darker until all he could see was Huo Sichen’s reflection on the glass. Their eyes met in the reflection, and they shared a smile.
“Yuwen! Sichen!” Chen Hong knocked on the door. “Dinnertime!”
“Coming,” Zhang Yuwen replied.
“We need to ask for another blanket,” Huo Sichen reminded him.
It was one thing to share a bed with Huo Sichen, but sharing a blanket would have been really weird. Zhang Yuwen went to the front desk to ask for another blanket, then waited for the other guys to assemble.
When he arrived, Zheng Weize looked so listless that Zhang Yuwen touched his forehead, concerned that he had fallen ill. “You okay?”
Chang Jinxing answered for him. “He’s hungry. He’ll be fine once he’s eaten.”
For dinner, the visitors’ center provided individual self-serve hot pot. But there were so many visitors and families dispersed throughout the place that the seating arrangements were a mess, and it was impossible for the six of them to sit together. Spotting a single empty seat, Zhang Yuwen gave the others the paired seats. “I don’t care. I’m hungry too. I’m taking this seat.” Off they went to find their own seats.