Chapter 20: The Cold Night

Qin Li brought her friend Qu Dani to the farmhouse, where the two brothers were lounging. As soon as she walked in, Thomas lit up and asked excitedly, "So, when are we going shopping for ingredients? What's for dinner tonight?"

Instead of answering, Qin Li introduced Qu Dani to the brothers. "My friend couldn't find a hotel. Everywhere is fully booked. Could she stay here for just one night?"

Thomas's face immediately fell, and he exclaimed, "What? Your friend wants to stay here? Absolutely not!"

Qu Dani froze in place, clearly embarrassed. She glanced at Qin Li, unsure how to respond.

"Why not?" Qin Li asked, genuinely puzzled. The farmhouse was massive, with four or five rooms on each floor and four floors in total, including the basement. Each person could practically have an entire floor to themselves. She'd thought this would be a trivial request, not a source of contention.

"I don't like strangers staying in my house," Thomas said with a dismissive wave of his hand.

"I'm a stranger," Qin Li countered.

"You don't count," Thomas said flatly.

"How do I not count? You don't even know what I like or dislike," she argued.

"It's different," Thomas said, his tone stubborn. "You're here as my brother's date. Strangers can be intriguing, even mysterious. But her..." He pointed at Qu Dani. "What is she supposed to be?"

"She's my friend," Qin Li said.

Thomas scoffed. "This isn't some buy-one-get-one-free deal. Just because we invited you doesn't mean you get to bring someone along."

"The house is huge! Helping her out is no big deal!" Qin Li retorted.

Thomas crossed his arms. "It's my house. Why should I share it with anyone?"

"You're being selfish," Qin Li snapped.

"And you're guilt-tripping me," Thomas shot back.

Qin Li stared at him, dumbfounded. "Don't you have an ounce of compassion? If she can't stay here, she'll have to sleep outside in the cold!"

"Then she can sleep outside," Thomas replied with a nonchalant shrug. "What's that got to do with me?"

Qin Li was furious. "How can you be so unreasonable?"

"I'm perfectly reasonable," Thomas said with a smug look. "It's my house, so I decide who stays and who doesn't. The one being unreasonable here is you."

Qin Li was speechless. Arguing with him was like talking to a brick wall.

Qu Dani, feeling the rising tension, gently tugged on Qin Li's arm. "Forget it. I'll just sleep in the car tonight."

"Wait," Qin Li said firmly. She turned to Yan Sen, who had been silent the entire time. "What about you? Are you going to let this slide too?"

Yan Sen, who had been quietly observing, nodded. "My brother's not wrong—"

Qin Li's face fell, all the goodwill she had toward him vanishing instantly. She said coldly, "Fine. I get it."

She turned to Qu Dani and said, "Wait here. I'm packing my things. I'm leaving with you."

Qu Dani tried to stop her. "Don't. I don't want to cause trouble for you."

"This isn't about you," Qin Li interrupted, speaking loud enough for the brothers to hear. "It's about me not wanting to stay in a place with such heartless people."

Qu Dani said nothing more, her expression a mixture of guilt and regret. She hadn't expected her visit to stir up such a mess. If the director found out the show couldn't be filmed because of her, she didn't know what she'd say. Still, she couldn't blame Qin Li. The brothers' refusal to help with such a small matter was cruel and, frankly, baffling. It was better for Qin Li to leave now before things got even more complicated.

Qin Li didn't have much to pack, so it didn't take her long.

As she was about to leave, Yan Sen asked, "Where are you going?"

She looked at him without an ounce of warmth. "We're clearly not compatible. Goodbye and good riddance."

She grabbed her suitcase, took Qu Dani's hand, and slammed the door on her way out.

Yan Sen stared at the closed door for a moment, then turned to Thomas. "You upset her."

Thomas huffed. "It wasn't just me. You agreed with me."

Yan Sen's gaze hardened. "I only supported you because you're my brother, not because you were right."

Thomas frowned. "Why didn't you stop me then?"

Yan Sen paused, then asked, "Why were you so against her staying?"

Thomas hesitated before mumbling, "She reminded me of Mom."

Yan Sen looked bewildered. "How? She doesn't look anything like her."

"It's the scent of her shampoo," Thomas muttered.

Yan Sen was at a loss for words.

If Qu Dani ever found out her shampoo was the reason she was turned away, she'd probably choke on her frustration.

Thomas glanced at the clock. Realizing it was dinnertime, he asked, "So, what's for dinner?"

"Spaghetti," Yan Sen replied coolly.

Thomas groaned, slapping his forehead. "Kill me now."

Yan Sen raised an eyebrow. "We could have egg pancakes instead."

Thomas perked up. "You know how to make those?"

Yan Sen hesitated. "Close enough."

Thomas sighed. "Too many eggs isn't healthy, you know."

But soon, he realized that worrying about Yan Sen's cooking was the least of his problems.

Qin Li and Qu Dani huddled together in the cramped car.

Qu Dani rubbed her hands together, muttering, "I didn't expect the mountain nights to be this cold. I should've brought a winter coat."

It was April, and the sunny daytime weather had been deceiving. Now that the sun had set, a chilly wind swept through the valley. Thankfully, they had the car to use as a temporary shelter.

Qu Dani started the engine and turned on the car's heater. "Honestly, you didn't need to storm off like that. Those brothers weren't that bad to you."

Qin Li shook her head. "There's no way I could just leave you alone here in the mountains."

Qu Dani sighed. "I could've squeezed into one of my coworkers' tents. It wouldn't be the end of the world."

"You don't even have a sleeping bag," Qin Li pointed out. "Spending a night outside in this weather would guarantee you'd wake up sick tomorrow."

Back in China, Qu Dani had saved Qin Li's life, so leaving her friend to fend for herself in the wilderness was simply not an option.

Qu Dani grumbled, "Germans may not be the warmest people, but they're not usually this cold-hearted. These brothers? They're something else entirely."

"It's just them," Qin Li confirmed. "This morning, there were two other women here for the matchmaking thing, but Thomas scared them both off."

Qu Dani perked up at the mention of gossip. "What happened?"

Qin Li recounted how Thomas had declared that the women were just supporting characters for his brother's romance drama. Qu Dani shook her head in disbelief. "This guy's supposed to be a physics master's graduate? Sounds like his studies fried his brain. Speaking of which, why didn't you leave with them?"

"My wallet was stolen yesterday," Qin Li said with a wry smile. "I don't even have a penny on me. I had no choice but to wait until you arrived."

Qu Dani patted her head sympathetically. "Poor thing. So, what's your plan for tomorrow?"

"I'll explain everything to the director and let them know this matchmaking thing isn't going to work," Qin Li said.

Qu Dani let out a deep sigh. "If I'd known these brothers were such jerks, I never would've introduced you. Now the director will probably blame me for this mess."

It was true that Qin Li had been recommended by Qu Dani, and Yan Sen had chosen her for the show. A whole production crew had set up camp here, but if filming fell through, Qu Dani would undoubtedly take the brunt of the blame.

Qin Li hadn't thought of that before. After a moment of reflection, she said, "You know what? Let's not rush. I won't tell the director anything yet. Filming only lasts a month. After that, we all go our separate ways. No need to make things harder for you."

Qu Dani visibly relaxed, though she hesitated. "But won't it be awkward for you? Dealing with those two every day?"

"We'll see how it goes," Qin Li replied calmly. "If Yan Sen doesn't want to see me either, he might tell the director to cancel the matchmaking himself. Then it won't be on us."

"Let's hope so," Qu Dani said.

In the car, they had a few snacks and two bottles of water to tide them over. It wasn't much, but it would have to do until morning when they could head to the nearest town for real food.

As night fully set in, the surroundings grew eerily dark. The moon occasionally ducked behind thick clouds, leaving everything in pitch-black silence. A gust of wind rustled the trees, and the mournful cries of owls echoed through the valley. It felt like the perfect setting for a horror movie.

"There aren't any wolves around here, are there?" Qu Dani asked nervously.

Qin Li's heart skipped a beat. "There shouldn't be... You've lived in Germany longer than I have. Ever heard of anyone being eaten by wolves?"

Qu Dani frowned in thought. "Not really. But still—if I'd known it'd be like this, I would've joined my coworkers at the campsite. At least they have food, and I wouldn't be this scared."

Qin Li scolded, "Stop talking nonsense. Just close your eyes and sleep. The faster we fall asleep, the faster morning will come."

"Fine, fine," Qu Dani muttered, leaning her head against the car seat and shutting her eyes.

Qin Li lay back as well, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't fall asleep. Still, keeping her eyes closed made the endless night a little easier to bear.

"Qin Li," Qu Dani whispered after a while. "Are you asleep?"

"No. But I'm close," Qin Li replied.

"I wish you were a man," Qu Dani said wistfully. "Then we could—y'know—burn off some energy. Afterward, I'd be out like a light."

Qin Li groaned. "..."

But Qu Dani wasn't done. "I need to pee. What should I do?"

Qin Li sighed heavily. "..."

Qu Dani suddenly sat up. "I can't hold it till morning. If I don't go now, I'll burst."

It wasn't particularly late, but the valley was shrouded in darkness. With no streetlights and the moon hidden by clouds, the atmosphere was downright creepy.

"Qin Li, come with me?" Qu Dani pleaded.

Qin Li grumbled but eventually agreed. "Fine. Let's go."

They ventured to the roadside, where Qin Li urged, "Hurry up."

Qu Dani looked around nervously. "No one's going to watch, right?"

Qin Li almost said, Who's there to watch? Ghosts? but bit her tongue. Joking about ghosts in this setting felt like asking for trouble.

"I think I need to go number two," Qu Dani admitted sheepishly.

Qin Li nearly collapsed from exasperation. "Then just go! Why are you telling me this?"

"I don't have toilet paper. Do you?"

Qin Li checked her pockets. "No. Just use leaves."

Qu Dani gasped. "Leaves? What if I get an infection?"

With an irritated sigh, Qin Li marched back to the car to retrieve some tissues.

"Check the side pocket of my bag," Qu Dani called after her. "Oh, and bring my phone too!"

Qin Li rolled her eyes. She needs her phone? For what? Scrolling Instagram while she poops?

As she rummaged through the bag, a cold breeze blew past, and the moon peeked out from behind the clouds, casting eerie shadows on the road. The deserted valley felt even lonelier under the pale light. The occasional cries of nocturnal animals sent shivers down Qin Li's spine.

Just as she found the tissues, a hand suddenly landed on her shoulder.

Startled, Qin Li screamed at the top of her lungs.