After she grabbed it, Jiang Yuan found that the hand was broad and thick. Her own hand was mostly enveloped by it.
"Help! There's a female hooligan here," drawled the boy in a lazy, slightly hoarse voice, still in his usual nonchalant tone. "Yuanyuan, what do you think we should do?"
As if burned by fire, Jiang Yuan yanked her hand away with a swift motion. The hand that had just been holding the other one hung behind her back, and her snow - white earlobes blushed with shame.
"Why is it you? Where's Lin Suye?" she said irritably.
From the other side came a timid voice, hesitant to interrupt: "Yuanyuan, I'm over here."
Jiang Yuan: "..."
OMG, she'd miscalculated.
The physical contact was just something she'd jotted down in her memo and fantasized about in her head. When it came to actually doing it, all sorts of unexpected things happened.
However, it seemed that Chi Xu wasn't averse to it. Instead, he seemed to be in the mood to tease her.
Maybe the chances of her successfully confessing her feelings during the meteor shower tonight would be higher.
Jiang Yuan gave herself a mental pep - talk and flashed a smile at Chi Xu that looked bright on the surface but was actually full of embarrassment inside. "Your roommates have walked far ahead. We should catch up quickly."
"Yuanyuan, shouldn't you be responsible for me?" a voice like that of a wronged woman in a boudoir murmured in her ear. "Changing the subject isn't a smart move."
Responsible? How was she supposed to be responsible?
Jiang Yuan tilted her head and looked at Chi Xu in confusion, waiting for him to continue.
"You should stay by my side to prevent female hooligans from attacking me again," Chi Xu said confidently, without a hint of embarrassment.
She was the female hooligan, and now he wanted her to stay by his side.
Jiang Yuan's face, which was already red, turned even redder. She ruffled her hair randomly, thinking that this was a good opportunity to get closer to Chi Xu. She pretended to be calm and agreed.
But her heart was pounding like a rabbit, and she couldn't help but make wild guesses.
Chi Xu must have feelings for her. It seemed that his feelings were much stronger than she'd thought, and he also wanted to get to know her better.
The chances of a successful confession should be pretty high.
After they got together, when Chi Xu liked her the most, she'd break up with him and tell him that she'd never liked him at all.
The more she thought about it, the happier and more excited she became. Her beautiful eyes curved into crescent moons, and her gaze towards Chi Xu became softer.
Well, she'd get her revenge for what happened back then, and she'd also have such a good - looking boyfriend. It was a pretty good deal.
Chi Xu was still climbing forward. Jiang Yuan's roommates passed her one by one, but she didn't keep up. He couldn't help but look back and saw Jiang Yuan smiling with her eyes and eyebrows curved, her loving gaze falling on him.
A shiver ran down his spine. What bad idea was Jiang Yuan up to?
He felt in his pocket. The old phone with the synced memo was there. He could check what Jiang Yuan's bad idea was when they took a break at night.
Jiang Yuan and Chi Xu were lagging behind, but they weren't in a hurry. There was only one way to the top, and they just needed to walk slowly along it.
The people walking in front noticed that Chi Xu and Jiang Yuan were missing. Lin Suye stopped and shouted to Jia Fang and the others, "Hey, Chi Xu and Jiang Yuan are missing. Should we wait for them?"
Jia Fang turned around and walked backwards to Lin Suye's side, smiling. "Lin Suye, you don't have to worry about them. Why bother?"
"You're not worried about your Chi Xu, but I'm worried about my Yuanyuan, okay?" Lin Suye rolled her eyes and pretended to walk back to check the situation.
Jia Fang quickly grabbed the strap of her backpack and pulled her forward. Lin Suye tightened her grip on the backpack, and inevitably, she was dragged forward.
As she walked, she complained about his behavior. "Jia Fang, what are you doing? Just because your name is Jia Fang doesn't mean you're my client!"
"Come on. You'd better save your energy and keep walking. Brother Chi just sent me a message. He told us to go first, and they'll catch up."
Jia Fang let go of the backpack strap and took a step back. Lin Suye glared at him and rubbed her hands. "Fine. Since you're the first to be unfair, don't blame me for being rude."
"Come on, come at me," Jia Fang said with a big smile, not afraid at all. He even tried to provoke Lin Suye.
Lin Suye's anger flared up. She shouted aggressively, "You stop right there!" Jia Fang dashed forward like a bolt of lightning, and Lin Suye chased after him.
Yu Huan, who was tired from walking, sighed, "Youth is really wonderful."
Su Kexin: "I second that."
...
Three hours later, the group successfully reached the top.
There was a long queue at the iconic photo - taking spot on Yangming Mountain. Jiang Kuo and He Suyan were still horsing around. They ran around the girls and then dashed to the front of the queue, waving at them.
"How can they have so much energy? They can still run," Jiang Yuan gasped, bending down to regain her strength as much as possible. Seeing the two of them running around recklessly, she felt like crying.
In contrast, the girls were in a sorry state.
"Why don't you rest here first? I'll go and queue up with them to save a spot for you to take pictures," Chi Xu asked.
Lin Suye, Yu Xin, and Su Kexin frantically winked at Jiang Yuan, indicating that they didn't want to go. They were completely out of energy and didn't want to move at all.
But Jia Fang and the other two had already joined the queue. Jiang Yuan didn't want to go either, so she pursed her lips and declined their offer.
Chi Xu had no choice but to go and queue up with his roommates.
Ten minutes later, it was Chi Xu's group's turn to take pictures. Jiang Yuan saw Chi Xu talking to the tourists still in the queue, while Jia Fang quickly ran over, grabbed Lin Suye, and shouted at them impatiently.
"No way. We came up together, so we have to take pictures together. Otherwise, it'll be a waste of the trip. Hurry up!"
Lin Suye had no strength left and was dragged over by Jia Fang. Jiang Yuan and the other two roommates looked at each other and resignedly walked over.
Chi Xu brought a camera and adjusted the angle in front of the landmark building.
Jiang Yuan and the others were listless. They weakly made a "V" sign. With a click, the photo was taken.
Chi Xu said something to the tourist, who readily agreed and took the camera. The four boys stood behind the girls.
"Hold on. It'll be over soon," a warm breath blew across Jiang Yuan's ear. She felt her ear heat up instantly, and her body involuntarily stiffened.
Chi Xu was standing right behind her. They were very close. The faint fragrance of laundry detergent on him mixed with the fresh scent unique to a young man lingered in her nostrils.
The camera shutter clicked softly. At that moment, Jiang Yuan's heart seemed to skip a beat.
The friends in front all showed bright smiles, but Jiang Yuan's smile looked a bit shy and unnatural because of that skipped heartbeat.
The sky was filled with dark - blue hues, and the cold - toned green wind blew away all the secrets of the young boys and girls, writing them in bold and powerful strokes on the pure - white draft of their youth.