The mountain climbing activity at No. 7 Middle School was being held for the first time, and the school leadership placed great importance on this event. After all, setting a precedent might lead to it becoming a school tradition.
However, safety was the school’s biggest concern. With so many students, ensuring that no one got into trouble carried significant risk.
Therefore, the school’s outing was split over several days, with twelve classes forming one large group, accompanied by their homeroom teachers to supervise the students.
The school had reported to the Education Bureau and chosen a day with favorable weather for the trip. At the foot of the mountain, several police cars and ambulances were even on standby.
After attending classes on Tuesday, the students eagerly anticipated Wednesday’s trip to Wangu Mountain.
Wednesday arrived as scheduled.
As Meng Ting left home in the morning, Uncle Shu specifically reminded her, “Wangu Mountain is very high, and that old tree is at the summit. Ting Ting, if you feel tired, ask the teacher for a break, okay?” After all, her eyes had only recently recovered and might ache if she got too tired.
Meng Ting nodded, knowing to pace herself.
Uncle Shu had her pack a thermos, an umbrella, and a lunch box in her backpack. The thermos contained warm glucose water, the umbrella was a precaution – after all, autumn rains in H City could start without warning.
The lunch box contained fried rice that Meng Ting had prepared herself. Uncle Shu’s lab was very busy, so the children were quite independent. At that time, Wangu Mountain hadn’t been developed, so there were no places selling food or water on the mountain. Meng Ting washed the white and blue lunch boxes at home, divided the fried rice between them, put on a warm jacket, and set out.
Shu Yang had the same items. Meng Ting handed him the blue lunch box, which he silently accepted before turning to leave.
Uncle Shu glared at him, “You little rascal!” He couldn’t help but remind Shu Yang to take care of his sister.
Meng Ting chuckled and followed Shu Yang out the door.
They needed to gather at the school gate. After the class monitor counted everyone, the twelve classes lined up and set off toward Wangu Mountain in an impressive procession.
Meng Ting’s class was Class 1, so they were at the front of the line.
The school was considerate today, only requiring students to dress warmly without insisting on uniforms.
Under the guidance of their homeroom teachers, the group of vibrant young men and women set off in high spirits.
With so many people, the pace was rather slow. The students chatted and laughed, like birds released from their cages, brimming with excitement.
Fan Huiyin shook her head but couldn’t help smiling.
At some point, someone in the crowd started singing cheerfully.
Meng Ting walked side by side with Zhao Nuancheng. Zhao Nuancheng kept glancing at Meng Ting, then turning away with flushed cheeks. My goodness, she still wasn’t used to how beautiful Ting Ting had become. In the misty mountain light of dawn, Meng Ting’s cheeks seemed to glow with a soft, beautiful light.
It wasn’t just her sneaking glances; their classmates from Class 1 couldn’t help looking over as well.
Zhao Nuancheng heard them singing and got excited, “Ting Ting, can you sing?”
Meng Ting was taken aback for a moment, then nodded.
Zhao Nuancheng was thrilled, “I’ve never heard you sing before. Ting Ting, sing a song for us!”
The crowd snaked along, with mountains stretching out beneath their feet.
Living a second life, Meng Ting looked at the many youthful faces, grateful for the preciousness of life.
She was in a light mood and didn’t want to disappoint Zhao Nuancheng, so she thought for a moment and said, “I don’t know many songs, so don’t judge me.”
As they walked along the mountain path, she began to sing softly:
“From a high place to a distant land
Fleeting happiness on the way home from below
The turning wheels carry me
Occasionally encountering the pale moonlight spilling over”
Her voice was soft, carried by the morning breeze with a trembling sweetness. Zhao Nuancheng was stunned; she had just casually suggested it, but she never imagined Ting Ting’s singing would be so beautiful!
“Colorful road signs
Warnings of no entry
Beneath the sky
We’re as light as feathers”
Sometimes a lifetime can be as light as a feather.
Her voice was incredibly sweet but without any cloying affectation. People nearby stopped singing and looked over in surprise. Meng Ting felt a bit embarrassed after finishing the verse.
Zhao Nuancheng was so excited she could barely speak, “Oh my goodness, wow wow wow, Ting Ting, your singing is so beautiful!”
Meng Ting was a bit lost in thought. She had more talent for dancing and playing the piano than singing, but these things, after two lifetimes, had become memories she dared not touch.
This was an old song from a few years ago called “Sunlight Fills the City,” but when Meng Ting sang it, it had a unique charm.
At first, the students were excited, but after climbing a quarter of the way up the mountain, they realized this path was far from the stroll they had imagined.
Zhao Nuancheng felt like a fish dying on the shore, her feet as heavy as if filled with lead.
“Oh my god, I don’t want to walk anymore. This is worse than military training.”
It wasn’t just the students who couldn’t take it; the female teachers were also panting heavily. Even though everyone wore flat shoes today, their heels were still aching.
Fan Huiyin was tired too, but as the homeroom teacher, she had to set a good example, “Students! Teachers often talk about perseverance. Climbing a mountain is just like studying – the chances of reaching the summit are as challenging as getting into a good university. Everyone needs to have strong willpower!”
Zhao Nuancheng felt like she was about to cough up blood. She whispered in Meng Ting’s ear, “We understand the principle, but it’s so tiring!”
Meng Ting wiped the sweat from her forehead. The water bottle and lunch box in her backpack weren’t light, and she was also having a hard time. They had started climbing at 7:30 in the morning, and now it was 10 o’clock, but they had only climbed a quarter of the way. It was quite disheartening.
Teacher Fan took the lead, “If we get up there and make our wishes early, we can come down early!”
The students followed dejectedly, no longer in the mood to sing.
Before long, the neatly arranged line of students had completely fallen apart. Some students couldn’t keep up, and there was nothing to be done about it.
The teachers discussed and sighed, deciding to let the female teachers stay behind to look after the girls who couldn’t go on, while they continued leading the group up the mountain. Many people breathed a sigh of relief.
Teacher Fan was always stubborn and continued to lead Class 1 students upward.
Class 1 students: “…” They had something to say but weren’t sure if they should.
Class 12 was at the very back. Shen Yuqing had been complaining the whole way, “Why are we climbing this stupid mountain? We should’ve just gotten a day off.” Upon hearing that those who couldn’t keep up could stop, she quickly asked for a break, no longer caring about her image, and found a rock to sit on.
Then she gleefully watched Class 1 being forced to climb as an example.
Hey, that Class 1 homeroom teacher was like a merciless nun, how could she be so cruel?
Her friend was stunned for a moment and tapped her.
“What are you doing, don’t bother me…” Her words got stuck in her throat as she saw the boys following far behind their class.
Her gaze fell on the boy at the front, and she lost her voice for a moment.
Jiang Ren had his hands in his pockets, his jacket slung over his shoulder, with a somewhat lazy air about him. He was chewing gum and following at a leisurely pace.
He wasn’t a student of No. 7 Middle School, but today his hair was black! A… completely ordinary crew cut!
A crew cut!
It was the hairstyle that male students all over the street had been getting, neat and tidy.
When He Junming saw it yesterday, he nearly burst out laughing.
Had Ren gone crazy?!
Jiang Ren was wearing black track pants and sneakers for the mountain climb. His condition made it difficult for him to control his emotions; he had been hyperactive since kindergarten. However, it also gave this young man a body full of passion and energy.
This group of vocational school troublemakers was as tired as dead dogs. His black eyes were still shining brightly.
Shen Yuqing sat on the rock, feeling for a moment that she could hardly recognize Jiang Ren.
His black hair was very short, completely different from the roguish feel he had with silver hair. It made him look much sharper, but… Jiang Ren’s eyebrows and eyes were wild, with an untameable ruggedness. This made him look somewhat fierce, but also very handsome and manly. In any case, it didn’t suit a scholarly air at all.
He had always had a fiery temper, and now when he glanced at people lightly, there was an extraordinarily dominant and overbearing feeling.
He Junming was exhausted and said with a dejected face, “I can’t go on, I need to rest too.”
He Han snorted with laughter, “A man shouldn’t easily say he can’t go on.”
“Get lost! Are we brothers or not?”
He Junming shamelessly joined the group that had given up. With so many people, the teachers couldn’t keep track of everyone, and certainly couldn’t distinguish these few vocational school students.
Shen Yuqing’s eyes showed surprise and expectation. She stood up and said, “Jiang Ren, did you come to…”
Fang Tan smiled, “No, Shen Yuqing, could you keep your voice down?”
There was a hint of threat in his words.
After all, these few “bad eggs” from the vocational school had snuck into the mountain trip and only now that the group was in disarray did no one notice them.
Jiang Ren patted Fang Tan’s shoulder and continued walking forward.
Fang Tan hadn’t planned to continue either. He knew what was going on.
So he also squatted down halfway up the mountain with He Junming and the others.
Jiang Ren kept walking upward.
In the end, even Teacher Fan couldn’t hold on anymore. There was no choice but to let the students who could persevere continue. After all, those who made it to the top could get a small flag, which could earn extra points for class conduct, aimed at praising the spirit of perseverance.
Zhao Nuancheng said softly, “Let’s rest after we’re out of the teacher’s sight.”
Meng Ting nodded. She wasn’t insistent on reaching the top; the main issue was that her backpack was too heavy, and her shoulders were aching now.
Once Teacher Fan was out of sight, the two of them sat down on a rock.
Meng Ting was covered in sweat. She took off her backpack and placed it on her lap, took out her thermos, and had a few sips. With the cool breeze, she finally felt much better.
Meng Ting had long since taken off her jacket and put it in her backpack. Now she was only wearing a thin, light green long-sleeved cotton shirt, looking like a delicate dragonfly in spring.
She closed her eyes contentedly, enjoying the breeze on her face.
When she opened her eyes again, she saw the black-haired boy.
He stopped in front of her, his eyes brimming with a smile, “What a coincidence, good student.”
Meng Ting looked at him in disbelief. How had he still managed to come along?
Zhao Nuancheng’s expression also froze.
Meng Ting’s figure was slender as she sat on the tall rock, her legs dangling slightly in the air.
The wind blew her clothes, clinging to her delicate frame.
As the wind carried the warmth of the young girl, her slender waist and the exposed parts of her face and neck were very fair. Her collarbones were partially visible as she looked up at him.
His… his hair.
Jiang Ren noticed her surprised gaze and smiled mischievously, “Just realized how handsome I am, huh?”
Meng Ting’s cheeks flushed slightly. How could he be so shameless?
She turned her head away, refusing to engage with him.
Zhao Nuancheng was afraid of Jiang Ren and tightly gripped Meng Ting’s hand. The black-haired Jiang Ren looked… so fierce. Oh no, he’s scary! Zhao Nuancheng looked around and realized they had found a good resting spot, but it was also a rare blind spot.
Their classmates had either given up or gone ahead, and there was no one around to ask for help.
Jiang Ren looked at her fair face, beautiful beyond compare, simply irresistible.
But he also noticed that Meng Ting didn’t seem to want to talk to him.
What, did she think it was embarrassing to talk to him in front of her friend?
He raised an eyebrow and grabbed her slender wrist, pulling her closer, “Weren’t you going up the mountain? I’ll take you up.”
“Let go, I’m not going up anymore.”
Jiang Ren curved his lips, “Don’t you get extra points for going up? Good student, don’t you want to bring glory to your class?”
Meng Ting felt the force on her wrist, both embarrassed and angry, “My feet hurt, I can’t go up. If you want to go, go by yourself.”
Zhao Nuancheng, watching this scene, was almost scared to tears. She bravely said, “Jiang Ren, let go of Ting Ting, or I’ll tell our school teachers.”
Jiang Ren sneered and glanced at her.
The young man’s eyes were sharp, with a hint of wildness in his domineering gaze.
Zhao Nuancheng: “…” Sorry for the interruption.
Jiang Ren picked up Meng Ting along with her bag in one swift motion. His eyes held a smile, “With me here, you’ll make it up!”
Meng Ting was lifted into his arms bridal style, her cry of surprise caught in her throat.
His eyes held a deeply suppressed tender smile as he walked and said, “Don’t shout, okay? If your teacher comes, you won’t be able to explain. My reputation is already bad, but yours shouldn’t be.”
He looked back at Zhao Nuancheng who was following, “Go back, don’t provoke me. I won’t do anything to her, but I can’t guarantee the same for you if you follow.”
He was like the worst villain from a TV drama, holding onto someone’s weakness, making them want to beat him to death out of frustration and embarrassment.
Meng Ting held onto her heavy bag with one hand, being forced up the mountain. She was almost angry enough to cry.
This hadn’t happened in her previous life. Where had things gone wrong? She remembered that Jiang Ren was capable of killing, and suddenly felt both angry and fearful.
He carried her without much effort.
Meng Ting knew she couldn’t escape, so she said, “Put me down, I’ll walk by myself.”
He smiled, “You’re not tired, are you?”
“I’m not.”
This was so awkward.
He put her down. At that time, the mountain was lush green, and the majestic peaks seemed to be shrouded in a faint ethereal mist. He could see that she was scared, clutching her bulging bag tightly, her eyes filled with a faint watery sheen, whether from pain or fear was unclear.
The seventeen-year-old girl was like a dew-covered flower bud on a branch.
Hadn’t he dyed his hair back to black?
Why was she still afraid of him?
Jiang Ren felt frustrated. He knew they still had half the mountain to climb, and he didn’t want to go up either, he just wanted to see her. He knew she didn’t think much of him. He Junming was right, they were from two different worlds. If he hadn’t forcefully pulled her along today, she wouldn’t have said more than a few words to him.
But he… he needed a chance.
Even if he were sentenced to death, he wanted to be close to her.
She was so beautiful and likable. He was at the vocational school, and it was hard to even see her once normally.
Jiang Ren had followed her halfway up the mountain, just wanting to spend a little more time with her. The thought made his heart ache indescribably.
He lowered his gaze to look at her, his tone involuntarily softening, “Don’t cry, okay? I’m not bullying you, I want to take you up the mountain. I’ve been up here once before, it’s beautiful up there.”
He wasn’t lying to her.
For today, he had climbed Wangu Mountain alone yesterday.
He couldn’t explain why, but some things, if not done, would keep gnawing at him, and if done, would make his blood boil. It was torture either way. That naive, unspoken feeling turned into inexhaustible energy, foolishly driving him forward.
“The forest ranger said there’s a small path up there. I know you don’t like your teachers and classmates seeing me with you. Can I take you that way?”
Seeing that he didn’t intend to harm her, Meng Ting nodded after a moment.
So they slowly walked forward.
Jiang Ren silently took her bag and carried it on his shoulder. He had long since given his jacket to He Junming and the others.
She was still struggling to walk.
Hearing her breathing, he crouched down in front of her, “I’ll carry you on my back.”
Meng Ting quickly shook her head.
He snorted, his black eyes fixed on hers, “What are you afraid of? When a boy is nice to a girl, it’s just because he likes her and wants to please her, understand? Give me a chance, Meng Ting.”
This wasn’t the first time she had heard such blunt words from Jiang Ren, but in her entire life, she had never met someone so brazen and unabashed.
The tips of Meng Ting’s ears turned red, “Can you not say things like that?”
“What things?” His eyes held a hint of amusement, deliberately teasing her.
She didn’t dare to repeat it and averted her gaze from his.
He knew she was unwilling, but the summit was still far, and she definitely couldn’t make it up on her own.
He handed the bag back to her, “Hurry up, choose – carry or piggyback. If you don’t choose, I’ll choose for you.”
Couldn’t she choose to beat this jerk to death? Meng Ting didn’t want to go up the mountain anymore. She hadn’t gone up in her previous life either and didn’t feel any regret about it.
He raised his eyebrows, his black hair giving him a fierce, aggressive look, and made a move to carry her again.
Frightened, Meng Ting quickly said, “Piggyback.”
Her tone was trembling, sweet enough to melt one’s heart.
He chuckled softly, “Mm.”
When those thin, soft arms wrapped around him, his heart rate increased almost uncontrollably.
The young girl’s body was fragrant and soft. He felt even her sweat was sweet-smelling. Meng Ting was probably the kind of girl every boy wanted to have.
Unlike He Junming and the others who reeked of sweat after walking for a while.
Meng Ting tried to keep her distance, loosely wrapping her arms around his neck.
He seemed to have inexhaustible energy as he walked.
She had never been in a relationship in either of her lives, having died before going to college, when she was still very young. Now she felt both annoyed and embarrassed.
Jiang Ren noticed her turning her face away, seemingly unwilling to be too close to him. He smiled and said, “Think I stink?”
She kept her distance, not making a sound.
He couldn’t help but laugh. How could he smell as nice as her? But he still explained, “The hair dye has a bit of a smell. Don’t mind it, it’ll go away in a few days.”
It didn’t smell bad.
But there was something intense about him. She keenly sensed that kind of morbid obsession that was different from normal people. Jiang Ren was like a fire from hell, both domineering and annoying. She simply didn’t like this person.
However, this person she didn’t like had great strength, carrying her and her heavy bag steadily as he walked.
Jiang Ren followed the small path, surrounded by the coolness of autumn, listening to the faint sounds of insects in the forest.
As they went on, his clothes became damp with sweat, outlining the young man’s strong physique.
Meng Ting hadn’t expected the journey to be so long.
When they reached the summit, it was already one o’clock in the afternoon.
A hundred-year-old tree that would take three people to encircle stood firm in the wind. Countless small red flags fluttered around, but no one else had the perseverance to come and take them.
And Jiang Ren, carrying her on his back, was the only one who had reached the summit.
He was formidable.
The young man was panting as he let her sit down under the old tree. His black eyes looked at her, and he couldn’t help but smile, “Hey, I didn’t bring water. Can I sip yours?”