Chapter 88

Hai Zhou is a famous historical and cultural city in China, known as the "Land of Sea and Mountains." It is located in the eastern part of Donghai Province, and within its territory stands the highest peak, Guocang Mountain, with an altitude of 1,382 meters.

Fenghuang Mountain is one of the more famous scenic spots in Hai Zhou. Although it is not as tall as Guocang Mountain, its continuous mountain range is no less impressive. The complex terrain often looks the same from every angle, easily confusing visitors. The main peak stands out prominently, like a crane among chickens, and is therefore very popular among hikers.

Su Yuan and her group decided to climb the mountain from the side. After about twenty minutes of walking, the terrain became steeper, and the undulating hills became more pronounced.

At their feet was a small mountain path, a shortcut created by the local villagers for collecting firewood. This path did not exist on any map.

It seemed that no one had walked it for some time, as green weeds had grown in the middle of the path, and the branches and leaves on either side greatly hindered their progress. Su Yuan thought that if she had a machete, she would have no hesitation in cutting through.

"Ye Hao, how much longer until we reach the main road?"

After walking for a while, the repetitive scenery of the wilderness made Su Yuan feel a bit bored. Green, everywhere was green, and it was starting to make her feel a bit irritable. Hiking is like that; you start with high spirits, but soon you get tired. Without a breathtaking view to look forward to, interest quickly wanes.

Su Yuan was a typical case of short-lived enthusiasm. She hadn't walked for long before she started complaining of fatigue.

Ye Hao took out the map, looked at it, and said, "Not long now. After we climb over this small hill, there will be a mountain road. We can follow it up, and we'll reach the peak soon."

She adjusted the backpack on her back, and Su Yuan immediately felt more energetic. Among the group, she and Mo Ying had the least gear, just some water and food. Looking at the large backpacks that Ye Hao, Gao Jun, and Yang Xiaowei were carrying, she felt a cool breeze of relief. Compared to them, she was traveling light.

With this comparison, she felt even more motivated!

There were always fallen branches scattered in the mountain gullies. Su Yuan accidentally found one, her eyes lit up, and she jumped down into the dry ravine to pick it up as a walking stick.

Seeing her jump down so quickly, Mo Ying couldn't help but scold her, "Su Yuan, don't jump around carelessly. Be careful not to get hurt!"

Waving her hand, Su Yuan said, "Don't worry, I'll be fine."

Seeing Su Yuan climb back up, Mo Ying shook her head helplessly, thinking, "This isn't a young lady from a wealthy family; she's more like a wild child!" But when she thought about Su Yuan's cross-dressing and the simple setup in her home, she couldn't understand why such a wealthy family would be so low-key, which was quite puzzling!

The mountain path wound through the hills, undulating and rising. By the time they reached the halfway point, the valley was echoing with their footsteps. Occasionally, a few squirrels would jump from tree to tree, making rustling sounds.

Once they reached the main road, the path conditions improved significantly. They continued along it and were soon approaching the peak.

Looking up, they could see two astronomical domes on the mountaintop, said to house telescopes and military radars.

The mountain was covered with lush pines and cypresses, and the dense vegetation made the air exceptionally fresh. Looking down, they could even see the distant horizon of the sea.

As the sun set, the sky was filled with rosy clouds. They found a flat spot to set up camp.

"By the way, we only brought three tents. How should we divide them among six people?" Su Yuan suddenly thought of a serious problem as she cleaned the ground.

Three tents, three men, and three women—it seemed difficult to divide them. On the surface, it was four men and two women.

"This isn't a problem. Mo Ying and Lin Fei can share one tent, and the remaining two tents can be divided among the four of us men. For example, Xiaowei and I can share one, and you and Ye Hao can share the other," Gao Jun suggested with a smile.

"Ah!"

"No way!"

"Absolutely not!!"

One exclamation and two objections made Gao Jun look at Su Yuan, Mo Ying, and Xia Linfei in surprise, not understanding their strong reactions.

"Why not?"

"Absolutely not!" Xia Linfei's beautiful face was filled with opposition, and her big eyes almost made Gao Jun lose his soul.

Ye Hao was setting up the tent and didn't object to their discussion. In his view, sharing a tent with Su Yuan wasn't unacceptable. They had already shared a bed, so why fear sharing a tent? Besides, compared to sharing with Gao Jun, he preferred Su Yuan, who was more pleasant to look at.

Mo Ying suggested, "How about this: Xiaowei and I share one tent, Gao Jun and Ye Hao share one, and Su Yuan and Lin Fei share one..."

"This won't do!!" This time, Gao Jun objected. He couldn't agree to Su Yuan and Xia Linfei sharing a tent! Although Su Yuan looked like a girl, she was still a boy! If they shared a tent, who knew what might happen?

He had to nip this possibility in the bud!

"What do you suggest?" Yang Xiaowei suddenly interjected.

Gao Jun rubbed his nose. If his decision counted, he would prefer to share a tent with Xia Linfei, Mo Ying with Yang Xiaowei, and Su Yuan with Ye Hao. Just thinking about it made him satisfied.

But he didn't dare say it because this suggestion would definitely be rejected.

Now the six of them were in a dilemma. With six people and three tents, how should they arrange the groups?

"Su Yuan, what do you think?" Mo Ying looked at Su Yuan, who was slightly dazed.

"Me?" Of course, she hoped to share a tent with Mo Ying and Xia Linfei. They knew her secret, so there was no need to be cautious. But sharing with Xia Linfei had already been opposed by Gao Jun, so she looked at Mo Ying with an innocent expression, "I... I want to sleep with you..."

"Phew!" Gao Jun, who was drinking water, spat it out.

Ye Hao also had a stunned look. Su Yuan's words were quite forceful, especially with Yang Xiaowei standing right there.

Looking at Yang Xiaowei, they saw him first look surprised but not strongly object, which was unexpected for Gao Jun and Ye Hao.

"Su Yuan, you want to sleep with Mo Ying?"

Seeing everyone look at her, Su Yuan's cheeks turned slightly red. She realized her answer was quite shocking. No matter whether she chose Mo Ying or Xia Linfei, there would be objections.

But both Mo Ying and Yang Xiaowei knew her secret, so choosing Mo Ying was psychologically easier. However, this instinctive choice had its flaws.

Three men and three women in three tents was an unsolvable problem. After a moment of silence, Xia Linfei said, "How about this: Xiaowei and Gao Jun share one tent, I and Mo Ying share one, and Su Yuan and Ye Hao share one..."

After a full circle, they were back to Gao Jun's initial suggestion.

Su Yuan sighed helplessly, "There's no other way, it has to be like this."

—

The three tents were set up, and the sky gradually darkened. They took out food to eat.

Su Yuan had almost finished her water and casually put the empty bottle back in her bag.

The darkness was creeping in, and the silent mountains seemed a bit desolate. The cool mountain breeze blew, giving a chill reminiscent of late autumn.

"Su Yuan, do you have any tissues?" Xia Linfei came over and asked for a pack of tissues, then walked toward a nearby bush...

Watching her disappear, Su Yuan smiled knowingly, looked up at the two domes on the mountaintop, and suddenly felt excited. "How about we go up and take a look?"

Seeing it was getting dark and the domes were still a distance away, Ye Hao shook his head, "The sun is setting. Let's go in the morning."

"Tsk, did you forget we have flashlights?" She took out a mini travel flashlight from her bag.

When Xia Linfei returned, Su Yuan suggested her idea, and she immediately agreed. Xia Linfei was a competitive and stubborn girl at heart.

"I'll go too!" Seeing Xia Linfei agree, Gao Jun shouted loudly.

"I won't go. How about you, Xiao Ying?" Yang Xiaowei sat on a rock, enjoying the breeze, and turned to ask Mo Ying.

Mo Ying shook her head, completely following her husband, which made Su Yuan a bit envious.

Yang Xiaowei said, "Then Xiao Ying and I will stay here. Ye Hao, you should go too. With only Gao Jun, cough, I'm worried about their safety..."

Su Yuan found their concern somewhat ridiculous. "Pfft, it's not that far. We've already climbed over hills and valleys. We won't stumble in a small ditch. Look, there's a mountain road ahead!"

—