Chapter 106: Never to Be Discovered

Gu Shiyan turned off his phone and narrowed his stinging eyes.

Looking down, he saw Luo Xing asleep soundly, clutching the bag he had set beside her.

Gu Shiyan lay on the other side, his phone set to vibrate at three o'clock.

Luo Xing slept deeply that night.

Only once did she vaguely feel a cold draft rush into the tent, making her shiver.

In the darkness, she half-opened her eyes to a blur of black, then drifted back to sleep.

Gu Shiyan was standing up, carefully zipping the tent closed again so the cold air would not keep blowing in.

In the dim light, he held something in his hand. He tucked one item into his pocket.

Then he unzipped the front of Luo Xing's windbreaker. Inside was a small pocket; he slipped the other item in, then pulled the zipper back up.

"Mmm..."

The sleeping girl let out a soft murmur, her palm brushing against his icy hand.

Afraid he might become attached to that warmth, Gu Shiyan quickly withdrew his hand.

His eyes were dark as he looked at Luo Xing, his lips parting slightly. "With how carefree you are, you probably won't notice in your entire life."

He glanced at his phone. It was nearly five. They should be getting up soon, so he eased out of the tent as quietly as possible.

"Luo Xing, wake up and watch the sunrise!"

Luo Xing frowned with her eyes shut. "Mm..."

After answering, she rolled over and went back to sleep.

Qi Changbai patted her face, but still could not wake her.

Xu Yan kept shaking his head.

"Look at this bunch of lazybones. Everyone else on the other teams is already up, and here we are taking photos while three sleepy pigs are still lying around."

Seeing that Luo Xing had no intention of waking up, Qi Changbai still did not rouse her and Xu Yan to go watch the sunrise.

Xu Yan stretched. "But I woke up once in the middle of the night, and there were still only the three of us in the tent. Do you know when Gu Shiyan got here?"

Qi Changbai snorted. "How should I know? I don't have a crush on him. Why would I need to keep tabs on him every minute of the day?"

"Why are you so sharp-tongued today?" Xu Yan swatted him on the head. Qi Changbai chased after him to strike back.

"Who can get up at five on vacation without being sharp-tongued? I knew I shouldn't have come."

Luo Xing missed not only the sunrise, but breakfast as well. By the time she woke, the sun was already high overhead.

With her hair a tangled mess, she watched everyone else appear polished and put together, then quietly withdrew to fix her own hair.

Halfway through...

Hm? Where was this?

Luo Xing had not yet reacted when Shen Que handed her a piece of bread from outside. "You're finally awake. I kept it for you."

Luo Xing's hand was still combing through her hair as she thought about the tent, and she nodded vaguely, motioning for him to leave it there.

In Shen Que's other hand was a paper cup filled with milk, a straw stuck in it. "The milk is still warm. Drink the milk first. The air was a bit cold last night."

Before Luo Xing could speak, the straw was already being held to her lips. Her throat really did feel so sore that she did not want to say a word.

Still holding her hair up, she lowered her head and drank through the straw, finishing it in no time.

"This tent of mine?" Luo Xing quickly tied her hair into a bun, took the bread from Shen Que, and looked at him tentatively.

"Gu Shiyan's," Shen Que replied.

Luo Xing took a bite of the bread. "Then... where is he?"

"Don't worry. He went back to our place to sleep."

Luo Xing nodded, then glanced down at herself. She was still wearing two jackets.

"It's still cold, so keep them on."

Luo Xing hesitated for a moment, then bit into the bread and went out wearing both jackets.

The moment she stepped outside, she found two girls standing in front of her, the ones who had shared the tent with her.

"Do you need something?"

Wei Xue looked a little awkward. The girl beside her held her hand and first asked how Luo Xing had slept last night.

"Sorry, Luo Xing. Last night we didn't wait for you and then..."

The girl rubbed her palms together in embarrassment.

Luo Xing did not even know why she was apologizing. She shook her head and did not mind.

"All right, everyone gather up. It's ten o'clock now." The team leader waved a small flag in his hand. "We're continuing upward now. After we climb the ladder, we'll reach Golden Moon Temple, the largest temple in North City. Most people who come to climb this mountain do so to pray for studies, careers, or love. The school has already arranged everything: we'll go into the temple to pray for blessings, and at noon the temple will provide lunch for us. After we eat, we'll head back down. Pack up your things and we'll leave."

Luo Xing finished the last bite of bread in her hand, then returned to her team with Shen Que and followed along.

"I just wiped my face with a wet wipe. Will Buddha think I'm being disrespectful?" Luo Xing said to Shen Que beside her.

"Anyone who comes climbing is bound to work up a sweat. Buddha won't be that particular," Qi Changbai said from the side.

Luo Xing looked over at him, but her gaze landed on Gu Shiyan in the black overcoat behind him.

Xu Yan had his arm draped over Gu Shiyan's shoulder. "I didn't see you when I woke up last night. When did you get here?"

Gu Shiyan closed his eyes and yawned lazily. "Didn't see me?"

Xu Yan nodded.

Gu Shiyan curled one corner of his mouth, his tone unreadable. "Maybe I turned into a ghost at night."

Xu Yan: "..."

"Xu Yan, I suspect you have a crush on Gu Shiyan. Why do you need to know everything?" Qi Changbai teased.

Xu Yan wanted to kick him.

Instead, he missed with his foot and dragged Gu Shiyan down with him.

"What was that?" Qi Changbai had not even had time to laugh when he saw something red fly out of Gu Shiyan's pocket.

Before anyone could make it out, Gu Shiyan had already snatched it back and stuffed it into his pocket.

"What is it? So precious that you won't even let us look?" Xu Yan said with a grin.

Gu Shiyan gave him a kick. "Get lost."

The two of them dusted off their clothes and stood up.

Luo Xing looked ahead. "Where did they go? Why are they walking so fast?"

When she looked forward, she could not even see their shadows anymore.

Gu Shiyan raised a hand and pointed. "This way."

"How do you know?" Luo Xing asked without thinking.

"I'm smart."

Luo Xing: "..."

Qi Changbai muttered, "How shameless."

The group quickened their pace and headed forward.

Soon, they saw a little flag held high in the air.

They had reached the ladder.

It was suspended between two cliff faces over a chasm.

Each step was higher than the last, disappearing into the depths of the clouds before connecting to the other side.

The planks were sturdy, with iron chains running along both sides.

When Luo Xing first saw it, she was startled. "I-I don't have any blessings to pray for."

She took a step back. "I really don't have anything to ask Buddha for. You all go ahead."

Qi Changbai clicked his tongue. "What's so scary about this? There are chains on both sides, and the planks are solid too."

Luo Xing nodded, forcing a serious expression onto her face. "Brother, it's not that I'm afraid. It's just that we don't really have any wishes..."

"Don't you want us to win the national prize in Country M this time?"

Luo Xing: "..."

"There's strength in numbers. The five of us working together—who knows, maybe we'll really win it. Come on, come on. Didn't you say you had no wish? Brother's just made one for you."

Luo Xing: "..."