Weekend.
Luckily, the morning weather was decent—bright sunlight streaming down, casting dappled golden patches on the withered yellow leaves.
The ground was covered in fallen leaves, shriveled from lack of nutrients, crunching under the feet of passersby.
They could only stay out for two days and one night, so Ye Qingli packed light: a windbreaker, a change of clothes, and a backpack was enough.
Outside the school gate, they called a car but waited more than ten minutes past the agreed time. Every time they called, the driver said he was stuck in traffic. Xu Yan was fuming and muttered about haggling with him later to teach him a lesson.
Just as she finished, a Wuling minivan pulled up in front of them. The window rolled down, revealing Liu Xu in the passenger seat. Xu Qingsong, gripping the steering wheel, raised an eyebrow at the group outside.
With a smug look on his face, Xu Yan pouted and kept scanning for her elusive taxi.
Xu Qingsong frowned. "Hey? What's with that look? I came all the way to pick you up, and you're giving me the cold shoulder?"
"Who asked you to pick us up? We already called a car!"
Even though they'd only met yesterday, these two social butterflies already had the vibe of old rivals.
Xu Yan put her hands on her hips. Just then, her phone rang. She pulled it out—it was the driver.
She answered. "Hello?"
"Sorry, miss. There's an accident on the bridge ahead—two cars collided. Traffic's a nightmare. I'm not going to take your fare after all. The money's been refunded."
The driver sounded apologetic and genuine. Xu Yan couldn't bring herself to give him a hard time. "Stay safe," she said, and hung up.
"Bad luck, huh?" Xu Qingsong clicked his tongue. He'd thought they'd have to tail them, but fate had other plans.
Xu Yan looked a bit embarrassed. Xu Qingsong knew when to back off. He gestured to the back. "Get in."
Ye Qingli opened the door to find Xiao Yu in the seat behind the driver, chewing bubble gum. The aisle was narrow, forcing his long legs to bend slightly, his knees pressing against the seatback.
Ye Qingli's face flushed instantly.
"That's exactly what I want—for you to owe me."
"That way, if I pursue you, it'll be a little easier, won't it?"
The scene from last night replayed in her mind. Xu Qingsong was here, and they were inseparable—how could she have forgotten about him?
Seeing her face as red as an apple, Xiao Yu smirked. "Get in."
Ye Qingli stiffly climbed in.
She tried to sit in the back, but he grabbed her arm and pulled her into the seat next to him.
"Sit here."
Xu Qingsong turned back with an impressed expression. The other three got in behind her and winked wildly at Ye Qingli. No words were needed among girls—that look said it all: "This is killing me."
"..." Ye Qingli swallowed hard, too embarrassed to say a word.
"By the way, uh... Huang Xu? Isn't he... coming with you?" Liu Xu scratched her nose, trying to sound casual but clearly nervous.
Jiang Mo had brought chocolate and handed pieces around. "Why would he come? We didn't invite him."
Xu Qingsong was taken aback. "Didn't Xu Yan say yesterday that he was coming?"
"Oh, that was just to mess with you." Xu Yan blinked, grinning.
"..." Played for a fool. Xu Qingsong glanced at Xiao Yu, who was puffing out his cheeks—was he angry or speechless?
Couldn't very well kick them out now. Xu Qingsong coughed and turned the key. "Just this once. Trick me again, and I'll have someone beat you up."
They rolled up the windows, and the car started moving. Xu Qingsong turned on the AC and asked where they were going. The GPS showed about three hours. As the car jostled along, Ye Qingli inexplicably felt sleepy.
"Hey, what songs do you guys want to hear? Let me see what this car has."
"..."
As long as Xu Qingsong was around, things were never quiet. Zhang Yan, who liked music, asked, "Don't you know what songs your own car has?"
"This isn't my car. It's a rental."
Xu Yan: "Why would a rich guy like you rent a car?"
Xu Qingsong shot her a glare in the rearview mirror. "What, you think I'd drive you in my own car?"
They all had licenses, but none of them liked sedans. They usually rode motorcycles; if they needed to carry passengers, they'd rent. It wasn't expensive for a day anyway.
"..." Xu Yan regretted asking.
Xu Qingsong kept glancing between the road and the screen. Liu Xu, in the passenger seat, got scared and told him to focus on driving while she chose the songs.
"What's there to be scared of when I'm driving? Not a true buddy. Next time, sit behind me. Just looking at you pisses me off."
"You think I want to sit next to you? As soon as we got in, A Yu grabbed that spot. Didn't you see?"
Xu Qingsong laughed. "Come on, he's the most scared of dying."
They ribbed each other the whole way. Ye Qingli listened, keeping her head turned toward the window, not saying a word. The atmosphere beside her was chilly.
After who knows how long, they finally arrived at the foot of the mountain. The car pulled into the parking lot. Ye Qingli blinked her stiff eyes and turned around.
No wonder she hadn't heard Xiao Yu speak—he'd fallen asleep with his neck pillow.
The young man's eyes were lightly closed. From her angle, his nose bridge was high, with a slight bump in the middle. Strangely, even with his head tilted, there wasn't an ounce of extra fat on his face. His jawline was sharp and clean, the hair above his ears shaved short, giving him a fresh, crisp look.