14

 After the three major world-class

families finished their field trip to the mountaintop, the team leader organized everyone to descend. Choosing a campsite and setting up camp took time, so they didn't linger.

Jiang Nian didn't feel tired going down the mountain and didn't ask anyone to carry him. The mountain path was spiral, and Jiang Nian jogged along, laughing. Fu Qing and the others followed closely to prevent him from falling. Zhong Rui stood on the steps, not rushing to catch up, but instead taking out his phone to record a video of Jiang Nian.

Jiang Nian was so cute and lively.

It made his heart flutter.

Jiang Nian stopped halfway down the mountain. He saw several monkeys. There were quite a few wild animals along the way, even dogs carried by other tourists, but this was the first time he'd seen monkeys.

Jiang Nian exclaimed, pulling out a light pink phone—a gift from the system, hiding its own secrets. The phone's photo album was full of landscape photos. With a few taps of his finger, a blurry picture of a monkey was created.

Jiang Nian glanced at them a few times, not quite satisfied. But these monkeys were timid; the noise of the crowd scared them away. Jiang Nian bit her lip, and Fu Qing reached out and pried open her pale lips, feeding her a piece of beef jerky he'd been holding, coaxing, "It's okay, brother will take you to the zoo. They have all kinds of monkeys there."

Xu Haiyuan, always vying for attention, sneered, then confidently held his phone screen in front of Jiang Nian, saying, "Wife, I took a picture of you, it's high-definition."

"Mmm...mmm..." Jiang Nian chewed, her words unclear.

Xu Haiyuan took it as a compliment.

He said, "I'll transfer it to you later."

Jiang Nian nodded. Pei Shuheng had no chance to shine; Xu Haiyuan and Fu Qing were good brothers after all, they had to unite to eliminate the other rivals first.

Fortunately, Pei Shuheng managed to grab the opportunity to carry Jiang Nian's bag. Jiang Nian was quite hot from climbing the mountain and had taken off her jacket. Of course, she didn't want to carry the bag either, as it would be tiring after a while. Jiang Nian tied her coat around her waist, revealing her fair and slender arms and her incredibly thin waist, attracting the boys' discreet gazes.

Fu Qing and the others tried to block Jiang Nian from view. They weren't so macho as to care what Jiang Nian was wearing, but they still subconsciously didn't want others to spy on their wives.

Jiang Nian didn't care about their little schemes. She pushed them away one by one, wrinkling her nose and complaining, "You guys are so hot, stay away from me."

After saying that, she ran a few steps away and started walking down the wooden fence by herself.

Zhong Rui followed leisurely with his hands in his pockets.

He didn't squeeze his wife.

They walked to a gentle slope where a tall tree stood, covered with long strips of red wishing cloth—a truly magnificent sight. Several stalls stood in front of the tree, selling antique stones of dubious origin. Jiang Nian's eyes were drawn to the jade stones displayed on one stall; they were vibrant in color and displayed a variety of patterns, looking quite interesting.

Jiang Nian picked and chose a few with contrasting colors.

Xu Haiyuan immediately recognized them as glass, but since Jiang Nian liked them, he didn't say much and opened the QR code to pay.

However, Jiang Nian refused; he had picked out five or six, totaling less than thirty yuan.

The stall owner, an older man, looked at Jiang Nian as if she were his own child, happily giving her several bracelets.

Fu Qing picked out a stone identical to Jiang Nian's as a souvenir.

The stall owner, who had been chatting happily with Jiang Nian, held up five fingers and said, "Fifty yuan a piece, no bargaining."

Jiang Nian chuckled to herself. After paying, Fu Qing helplessly ruffled Jiang Nian's hair, making it messy. Jiang Nian slapped Fu Qing's hand, muttered something, and then smoothed it out strand by strand.

As for the wishing tree, Jiang Nian wasn't interested, but everyone dragged him to buy a strip of cloth.

Jiang Nian stood on tiptoe, tied the red cloth to a branch, closed his eyes, and pretended to make a wish, but actually didn't think of anything.

Jiang Nian really didn't want anything in this world; he was more curious about his original world.

The others, however, made sincere wishes.

They wished to be with Jiang Nian forever.

After they finished, everyone left. Jiang Nian stuffed all the jade stones into his bag, and held in his hand a stone plate with a pattern like quicksand, yellow, blue, and white.

After walking for a while, a stream flowed beside them, its splashing water cooling Jiang Nian's exposed skin.

Following the stream, they reached the vast grassland at the foot of Anshan Mountain.

It was already evening, but the sun hadn't yet set, hanging low in the sky, giving the students some time to rest.

Others wanted to follow Jiang Nian, inviting him to join them since he didn't have a tent, but Jiang Nian had already agreed to share a tent with his deskmate, so he refused, saying it didn't matter who he slept with.

Xu Haiyuan grew impatient, saying, "How can it be the same who you sleep with?"

He was a gentleman and wouldn't take advantage of Jiang Nian, but others might be, many being hypocrites.

"Wife, how about sharing a tent with me?" Xu Haiyuan coaxed.

Jiang Nian, as always, ignored Xu Haiyuan. He waved to everyone, leaving them with his slender back, and ran to meet his deskmate nearby. The two chatted and laughed as they walked away.

Seeing Jiang Nian leave, Fu Qing lost interest in staying. He wanted to see where Jiang Nian's deskmate's tent was set up so he could follow.

Zhong Rui had the same idea and left without a word, carrying his travel bag.

As for Pei Shuheng, he didn't think much of it. At worst, he'd launch a night raid; he'd done this many times and was used to it, without the slightest psychological burden.

Xu Haiyuan was left behind, thinking for a while. He was rather honest and hadn't expected to be next to Jiang Nian, but he didn't stray too far either, joining his underlings to pitch their tents.

By the time everyone had finished setting up their tents, the sun had set, and the cattle and sheep had long since been driven home. The teachers gathered together and built a large bonfire.

In the pitch-black night, shrouded in black mist, the red flames burned until they turned bluish, and tiny sparks drifted away and disappeared into the air with the strong wind.

The teachers dug fire-prevention ditches around the bonfire, something that Anshan tourists and hikers did year-round, so everyone knew how to do it.

Jiang Nian sat with her classmates, as there were no seats for Fu Qing and his friends. They could only look at Jiang Nian's beautiful face, illuminated by the orange flames, across the fire. Her

emerald green eyes sparkled, slightly curved in joy, like the bright moon hanging high in the sky.

Her deskmate placed skewers of meat on the fire to grill. Curious, Jiang Nian asked for one, but unfortunately, she wasn't skilled at it, and the skewer ended up burnt on the outside and raw and bloody on the inside, inedible.

Her deskmate sprinkled salt on the crispy skewer and handed it to Jiang Nian, then took the skewer that Jiang Nian had ruined, scraped off the burnt surface with a knife, grilled it again, and then ate it heartily.

As Jiang Nian ate, she praised her deskmate's cooking skills, and her deskmate smiled back. The two clinked canned cocktails under the moonlight. Although the alcohol content was low, similar to sweet water, Jiang Nian's cheeks were still rosy, like the most plump apples, tempting anyone to take a bite.

Jiang Nian felt it was hot; the heat from the bonfire was so intense it created waves in the air. But the night on the grassland was accompanied by continuous strong winds that howled, which counteracted the heat of the bonfire.

Seeing Jiang Nian so intimate with his deskmate, Xu Haiyuan felt a tightness in his chest. He wanted to do the same with Jiang Nian, but she wouldn't let him. When Jiang Nian raised her glass, Xu Haiyuan also raised his own real beer, making a perfunctory toasting gesture towards her.

In this way, he too was toasting with his wife under the moonlight.

Later, everyone had a great time, singing and dancing around the bonfire. Jiang Nian wasn't drunk; he was still sober. But the atmosphere pushed him along, and he grabbed someone's hand, joining everyone in circling the fire.

Finally, when they sat down, Jiang Nian hugged his beer can, pressing his cheek against the metal bottle to cool it down. His eyes were still moist, and in the firelight, he looked even more gentle than usual.

"Jiang Nian."

A cold voice rang out.

Jiang Nian turned his head sluggishly, and the person next to him was Tan Shisheng.

He hadn't thought Tan Shisheng would come on the trip.

Tan Shisheng had arrived in a hurry, only having time to change into more comfortable clothes. This trip was booked at the last minute; even Vice President Tan Shisheng only found out later. By then, Jiang Nian had already left. After taking leave, Tan Shisheng contacted his family alone and drove over.

Fortunately, Anshan's travel arrangements were fixed, and despite his haste, Tan Shisheng arrived just as everyone was setting up camp. His glasses were slightly askew; he straightened them without a word, his expression still indifferent, but the beads of sweat on his forehead betrayed his haste.

Tan Shisheng had thought a lot on the way.

Jiang Nian didn't know why she hadn't included him in her list of potential suitors.

Tan Shisheng had never felt inferior; his looks and family background were top-notch. As for his personality, perhaps it wasn't Jiang Nian's type, which was why she ignored him.

But Tan Shisheng's advantage over others was that he was very clear about his own feelings. Even though the trip was only for a few days, he still came alone because he missed Jiang Nian so much.

Tan Shisheng knew he liked Jiang Nian.

Perhaps it was a love with a deeper meaning.

Tan Shisheng couldn't tell.

So if Jiang Nian wasn't willing to seduce him, then he would seduce her.

Tan Shisheng smiled after figuring this out; it was the first time he'd smiled, and he looked much more handsome. Jiang Nian's lips parted slightly in surprise, as if she'd seen something unbelievable.

But Tan Shisheng didn't stop. He took Jiang Nian's hand, lowered his head, and solemnly kissed the back of her hand. Then he looked up and said, "Jiang Nian... Nian Nian, can I pursue you?"

"Not with the premise of dating, but with the premise of our future marriage."

"Are you willing, Nian Nian?"

His handsome face was illuminated by the firelight. Jiang Nian tried to see a joke on Tan Shisheng's face, but all she could see was utter seriousness.

Tan Shisheng's words were overheard by Fu Qing and the others who had sensed something was wrong and rushed over.

Their thoughts shifted back and forth, ultimately surprised by Tan Shisheng's directness, yet also disgusted by it. It made them seem so pathetic—cowardly, hesitant, confident, reserved, indecisive, unable to see their own hearts. Therefore, they had never considered confessing to Jiang Nian.

And Tan Shisheng seized this opportunity.

But nothing else mattered.

What mattered was Jiang Nian's thoughts.

Jiang Nian was incredibly popular in the academy, but for various reasons, no one had ever confessed their feelings to her.

So Tan Shisheng became the first to confess.

Would he win Jiang Nian's favor?

Would he become her boyfriend? Her only boyfriend?

This thought, like a merciless hand, gripped everyone's hearts, making them breathless, like guilty criminals awaiting the judge's verdict.

Their eyes were all fixed on the innocent and bewildered Jiang Nian.

They were waiting for her answer.

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