Ye Qingli almost doubted her eyes. She actually thought he looked... cute like this.
"We're here!" Xu Qingsong parked and shouted from the front.
"..."
Everyone in the car was startled. Ye Qingli snapped back to reality a second before Xiao Yu woke up, hurriedly looking outside.
The next second, a familiar, cold voice sounded in her ear.
"Xu Qingsong, do you have a screw loose?"
Ye Qingli swallowed. How could she possibly associate Xiao Yu with "cute" when he sounded like that?
Xu Qingsong protested his innocence. "Dude, I drove for three hours. Can't I let off some steam?"
He had a point. Xiao Yu didn't say anything more, tossed aside his neck pillow, shook out his neck, and bent down to get out now that he was more awake.
The parking lot was huge. The edge spots were taken, so Xu Qingsong parked in the middle, which meant a ten-minute walk to the trailhead.
"Man, I haven't exercised in ages. Suddenly climbing a mountain feels like too much." Liu Xu lagged at the back, already complaining before they started.
"And you were a P.E. student in high school. A little hike shouldn't be a big deal." Xu Qingsong plucked a blade of grass from the roadside and stuck it in his mouth. Xiao Yu saw it and chuckled. "You're not afraid someone peed on it?"
The parking lot had no restroom; the nearest was a kilometer away. Lots of people lacked basic decency these days, yet he dared to put that in his mouth.
Xu Qingsong froze, then yanked it out and threw it far away. "Ptooey! Why didn't you say so sooner?"
"Better not to remind you." Xiao Yu sneered. "You must have drunk a lot of that 'Wahaha' as a kid."
They were both completely off.
There was a shop at the foot of the mountain. Xu Yan glanced inside and asked if they wanted to buy trekking poles.
"No need. We won't be hiking often. There's a place up ahead selling bamboo sticks for a few bucks each," Ye Qingli said.
Xiao Yu looked down at her. "You've been here before?"
"No," she met his eyes. "I did my research."
"Oh."
In the end, they went inside anyway. They might not need trekking poles yet, but gloves and raincoats wouldn't be available once they passed this shop.
The gloves were the workman's kind. Xu Yan rummaged through the bin but couldn't find a nice pair. Compared to her, Xu Qingsong was effortless—he grabbed a pair and walked off, not missing the chance to mock her. "If you're too picky, don't wear any."
Xu Yan shot him a glare and grabbed a passable pair, then followed the others to the counter to pay.
This time, Ye Qingli insisted on paying.
Xiao Yu had only halfway pulled out his phone, so he had to put it back.
Outside, Xu Qingsong patted his shoulder. "Dude, how can you let the girl you're chasing pay?"
Xiao Yu watched Ye Qingli's back, frowning slightly. "Probably richer than me."
"..." Xu Qingsong let go. No one could outdo him in being unserious. Who could be richer than him?
As Ye Qingli had said, there was indeed an old lady up ahead selling bamboo sticks for just two yuan each.
They were easy to hold, much more practical than trekking poles costing twenty or thirty.
The path at the base was wide, like a regular road, but as they went further, it narrowed into uneven stone steps.
Ye Qingli took out her phone to snap a picture, planning to send it to Zhang Luan later. Xiao Yu passed by and laughed. "Documenting a beautiful life?"
"... Just to show her."
Liu Xu asked, "Show who?"
Ye Qingli: "My mom."
"Just a landscape? How about a group photo for your mom?" Xu Qingsong leaned in. Ye Qingli quickly shoved her phone back into her pocket. "Better not. That would worry her even more."
Xu Qingsong: "..." Clearly, she didn't trust them.
The mountain path was steep, the steps uneven—some wide, some narrow. The girls took the lead, with the guys following.
It was almost noon. The sun was so bright it stung their eyes. Everyone regretted not buying sunglasses.
After climbing for what felt like forever, Ye Qingli's energy gave out. She leaned against the railing, panting.
"Can you even make it?" Xiao Yu looked down at her, amused.
Ye Qingli started digging through her bag for water, puffing her cheeks. "I hope you can still talk to me so smugly at the top."
He had been waiting for her to say that. Xiao Yu said smugly, "Don't worry about me. We P.E. students have what it takes."
Zhang Yan and the others watched, puzzled. Xu Yan bit her lip. "Is that the new way to chase a girl?"
"My god, we P.E. students have infinite charm just standing around doing nothing. What do you know?"
Xu Qingsong eyed her sideways. Xu Yan couldn't figure out why he always had something to say. She frowned. "What charm? I don't see it."
"Cataracts must be pretty advanced, huh?" Xu Qingsong rolled up his sleeve to flex his bicep. "See this? One punch and your grave would have grass growing on it by next year. Believe me?"
They could bicker like that endlessly, neither willing to back down. It was something else.
Ye Qingli was enjoying the show when a big hand suddenly covered her eyes.
"What are you doing?"
She hadn't unscrewed the bottle cap yet, and the water bottle wobbled, nearly spilling.
"Nothing." Xiao Yu raised an eyebrow, drawing out his words. "Just don't want you looking."