A Gentle Night in the Tent

The sky had completely darkened.

The middle-aged "know-it-all" who had boasted about hiking for over a decade had long since crawled back into his tent with his companions, leaving only the howling wind echoing through the valley. The lead-gray clouds pressed lower and lower, the humidity in the air so thick it felt like you could wring water from it—the telltale signs of an approaching heavy snow were written all across the sky.

Su Bai washed the last batch of bowls and chopsticks in the stream, then tucked them into the insulated box. He glanced up at the sky, turned around, and ducked back into the tent.

The interior of this top-of-the-line MSR four-season tent was spacious, with a thick double-layer egg-crate sleeping pad spread out on the floor, topped with two extra thick down sleeping bags stacked on top. Right in the center of the tent, a pink-and-white cherry blossom-patterned portable stove burned steadily.

A blue flame in the shape of a heart flickered quietly inside the tent, casting a warm, cozy glow over the entire space.

Su Bai had deliberately left the stove on. That girl Wan Xinyue had spent several nights modifying this stove, and using it just for making hotpot would have been a waste of her effort—using it as a heating lamp now was just perfect.

"The wind outside is getting stronger." Su Bai zipped up the tent flap, sealing out the clamor of the mountain wind. "But our camp is anchored well—look."

He pointed to a black device in the corner of the tent, about the size of a palm. It was a temporary surveillance system he had specifically brought before leaving, with four micro-cameras mounted on the pine trees around the campsite. The footage streamed live to a tablet inside the tent. With night vision enabled, every movement within a hundred meters of the camp was crystal clear.

"Even camping requires this kind of setup." Chen Yusheng leaned against the sleeping bag, looking at the glowing screen, a hint of amusement on her cold, elegant face. "Others come to the wilderness to relax, but you—wherever you go, you have to max out the security."

"You bet I do." Su Bai sat down beside her and casually pulled a down sleeping bag over the both of them. "Taking my girlfriend out, I have to be on my game. If a wild boar or some stray dog comes sniffing around in the middle of nowhere, I need to know about it right away."

Chen Yusheng was about to say he was overdoing it, but as soon as she heard the words "my girlfriend," her beautiful eyes softened into a curve. She snuggled closer into Su Bai's arms, resting her head on his shoulder.

The wind howled outside the tent while the heart-shaped flame flickered within.

One cold, one warm; one restless, one still. It somehow created a kind of romance that no one else could truly appreciate.

"Su Bai." Chen Yusheng's voice was soft.

"Hmm?"

"Do you think Xinyue knew we'd run into weather like this?" She extended her pale finger and gently touched the shadow of the heart-shaped flame cast on the tent wall through the sleeping bag. "Otherwise, why would she have thought to modify this stove? It's freezing outside, warm in the tent, and we have this beautiful fire to keep us company."

"She doesn't have that kind of foresight." Su Bai looked down and smiled, taking her slightly cold hand and warming it in his palm. "She just wanted to make us happy. That girl—she doesn't say much, but she's more thoughtful than anyone."

Chen Yusheng didn't reply. She simply rested her hand quietly in the warmth of Su Bai's palm.

She had been frail and sickly since childhood, and with the hardships her family had faced, her life had always been frugal and restrained. Before she met Su Bai, she had never imagined her life could be like this—no longer worrying about her mother's medical bills, no longer counting every last penny free to pursue her passion for scientific research, and being able to be cherished by someone and trek hundreds of miles into the mountains just to see the snow.

The flame burned warmly, slowly chasing the chill from her body that had built up during the journey.

"Baby, are you cold?" Su Bai felt the person in his arms press even closer.

"No." Chen Yusheng lifted her head. Her eyes, usually so distant and cool, now glistened with a watery sheen in the firelight. "With you here, I'm not cold at all."

The words came out plainly—so plainly that even she was a little stunned after saying them. Her fair cheeks instantly flushed with two patches of pink.

The shell of the cold academic genius only ever fully crumbled in front of Su Bai.

Seeing her adorably shy like this, Su Bai felt a gentle tug at his heart. He reached out and tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear, his fingertips inadvertently brushing against her delicate cheek.

"Yusheng."

"Hmm..."

Chen Yusheng felt the intense warmth of his gaze on her face, and her heartbeat inexplicably quickened. She didn't flinch. Instead, she slowly closed her eyes, her long lashes trembling slightly.

These days, she would drop by Su Bai's place every other day, lingering by his side just to be close to him. Sometimes, when he waited for her outside the lab, she would finish her experiment and then throw herself into his arms. This kind of intimacy had long become a natural rhythm between them.

But tonight—deep in the mountains, inside a tent, with a snowstorm looming, just the two of them. This romance carried a weight more profound than any other time.

Su Bai leaned down.

The heart-shaped blue flame continued to burn quietly in the center of the tent, its warm light enveloping the couple in their embrace. The sound of the wind outside gradually faded into a distant background hum. The faint glow of the surveillance screen flickered in the corner, standing guard over this little sanctuary.

Time passed. Then, woven into the wind came a fine, rustling sound.

It had started snowing.

Snowflakes, as large as goose feathers, fell silently onto the tent roof, piling up thicker and thicker. But inside the tent, the two of them were already wrapped tightly in an unyielding warmth, so cozy that neither cared about the bitter cold outside.

A tender night, lingering and endless.

...

Late into the night.

Chen Yusheng lay in the warmth of Su Bai's arm, covered by the thick down sleeping bag, her whole body pleasantly toasty, without a trace of sleepiness.

The heart-shaped flame had been turned down low at some point by Su Bai, leaving only a faint blue glow that cast the tent in a soft, hazy light.

She lay her head on his arm, one hand resting gently on his solid chest, clearly feeling the steady, powerful rhythm of his heartbeat.

"What are you thinking about?" Su Bai's voice was low and a little husky. He reached over and pulled the sleeping bag higher on her shoulder, afraid she might catch a chill.

"Nothing." Chen Yusheng buried her face against his chest and rubbed it gently, her voice muffled, but the tips of her ears burning red betrayed her.

Neither of them had brought up the topic of contraception tonight.

Ever since that time at the East Lake Club, when she had mustered up the courage to tell Su Bai that she wanted to start preparing for pregnancy during her prime years at twenty, he had agreed without hesitation. So this unspoken understanding hung between them.

The thought made her heart beat even faster, a little betrayer.

Then, a new and tender thought she had never had before suddenly crossed her mind.

"Su Bai." She lifted her head, her eyes gazing at him in the darkness. "Do you think... what would our future baby look like?"

Su Bai had been dozing with his eyes half-closed, but at her words, his eyes flew wide open. He looked down at the girl in his arms, the corners of his mouth curling uncontrollably upward. "Why did that just pop into your head?"

“I was… just imagining randomly.” Chen Yusheng’s face was so red it looked like it might drip blood, but once the floodgates opened, she couldn’t stop. “If it’s a girl, she’d have to take after me. Look how tall you are—if our daughter grew to be six feet, it would be so hard for her to find a partner. She’d need to be like me: five foot seven, just right. Eyes like mine, nose… nose like yours. You have a high nose bridge.”

Su Bai was amused by her serious, face-distributing analysis, and had to hold back a laugh so as not to interrupt her.

“If it’s a son, then he should take after you.” Chen Yusheng grew more animated as she talked, her voice full of longing, gesturing with one hand. “Tall like you, strong like you. And his personality should be like yours: cheerful and caring. When he grows up, he’s sure to be a very handsome young man.”

It was as if she could already see that sturdy little kid stumbling across lawn of the East Lake Club, running until he was tired, then crashing into Su Bai’s arms and calling out “Daddy” in a milky little voice.

“When the time comes, I’ll teach him math and programming, and you can teach him driving, fishing, and cooking.” Chen Yusheng counted on her fingers, delighting in her plans, and for the first time her cool, reserved face wore such a soft, happy expression. “Jialu can help us take care of him, and Xinyan and Xinyue will definitely be fighting over who gets to hold him… Oh, and Xinyue can even modify a little nightlight in the shape of a heart flame for the baby.”

She chattered on and on, the light in her eyes brighter than the campfire inside the tent.

This girl, who had known very little warmth growing up, was now earnestly planning a steaming, vivid future for a little life that hadn’t even arrived yet.

Su Bai listened quietly, his heart filled with an unprecedented tenderness.

He reached out and pulled Chen Yusheng’s cool body closer into his arms, resting his chin lightly on the top of her head.

“It will happen,” he whispered, his voice carrying an unshakable certainty. “Everything you just said—it will all come true one day.”

Chen Yusheng let out a satisfied “hmm,” and buried her face back in his warm chest.

Outside the tent, the heavy snow fell without a sound, leaving the world vast and white.

Inside the tent, the small, heart-shaped flame still burned faintly, casting its glow on the two people holding each other as they slept, and on the adorable, small little figure they had gently painted with their words.