"I'll come pick you up tomorrow morning."

Xu Ye laid it out for her. "There isn't long left before New Year, so we'll be on the mountain three days at the most. It's cold up there, so put a couple of extra layers on, and one change of underclothes is enough. We'll take the cable car up, and it's awkward carrying too much luggage."

"Oh."

Once he was done instructing her, Xu Ye started booking the hotel on his phone. When that was done he looked up travel guides for the season and began planning routes for the next few days.

Chen Qingqing lay beside him watching, and before either of them noticed it was past seven in the evening.

In summer it might still be light outside at that hour.

But in winter it goes dark at four or five, and by seven there was hardly anybody left outside.

Chen Qingqing noticed the time and poked Xu Ye's arm with a finger. "It's very late. Aren't you going home?"

Xu Ye propped his head up. "Are you throwing me out?"

"No. I'm just reminding you, all right?"

Xu Ye rolled over and lay flat on the bed, laughing. "In that case I won't go home tonight. I don't think your mom would throw me out either. The usual arrangement — you sleep this side, I sleep this side."

"No!"

Chen Qingqing sat straight up on the bed and pushed at him. "Get up."

"Don't want to."

"Hurry up!"

"Not doing it."

Xu Ye was deliberately copying the tone Chen Qingqing used to take with him.

Chen Qingqing saw that force wasn't working, so she climbed down without hesitating, bent over and kissed him on the cheek. Xu Ye hadn't expected her to have a move like that. He sat up fast and then asked, knowing perfectly well why, "What was that for?"

Chen Qingqing brought a hand down flat on his back, angry and embarrassed at once. "Keep messing around and I'll text your mom."

"All right. Since you're being so reasonable about it, I'll head home." Xu Ye…