First update,

...

Liuyun Mountain stood silently, as one gazed up from its base, a gloomy stretch of Qing Mountain met the eyes, yet even in deep autumn, it was lush and verdant, with none of the desolation one might imagine.

The weather seemed quite pleasant, too; clouds leisurely drifted on the breeze, forming a distinct trail of moving clouds. When they passed the main peak, Liuyun Peak, they split into two streams, perhaps explaining the origin of the mountain's name.

"It's so beautiful..."

The three beauties looked out over Liuyun Mountain, bathed in sunlight and clouds, admiring the green expanse, and couldn't help but exclaim.

"The scenery of Liuyun Mountain is indeed magnificent, with its rugged rocks and towering peaks. There are many springs and waterfalls, which are exceptionally beautiful, not to mention Lovers' Valley and Mandarin Duck Pond. If you visit after the rain, you might even see a 'Buddha's Light'..."

Wen Yan, their senior, proved her worth in coming along. As one of the organizers, though it was her first time here, she had already done ample research on Liuyun Mountain and began to share with Tang Feifei and Xiao Muxue.

"Lovers' Valley, Mandarin Duck Pond... Just hearing the names tells you the scenery must be beautiful! Qin Fang, let's get going..."

Women are always such emotional creatures, impressed by names alone without considering that if these scenic spots didn't have appealing names, who would visit them?

Of course, Qin Fang had no say in the matter, and apart from obediently following them, there was no other path for him.

Qin Fang was just a porter, laden with all sorts of items the ladies might need—food, water, tents, clothes, and so on—a massive backpack on his back, while also carrying two slightly smaller bags.

Only Qin Fang could withstand such a load. If it had been any other boy, just the backpack alone might have been enough to flatten him.

"Wen Yan, where are you guys going?"

Just as Qin Fang was preparing to head to these two places with the three beauties, someone came up to inquire. The tone seemed unfriendly, especially when they noticed that this group included only one man, Qin Fang.

"Song Lin, we're going to have fun. We don't need to report to you, do we?"

Wen Yan replied, her expression not looking very pleased.

"That's not what I mean... The thing is, Liuyun Mountain has complex terrain and is home to wild animals, especially in the deeper areas. Plus, being the off-season, there aren't many people around, so it's best for small groups to have more members, especially a few girls like you..."

This Song Lin, like Wen Yan, was also a sophomore and one of the organizers, and of course, a suitor of Wen Yan. His words were reasonable enough.

"We already have four people, and Qin Fang can protect us..."

Tang Feifei didn't have a good impression of this Song Lin. They were originally having fun chatting and laughing, and with Qin Fang, their porter, it was enough. Having someone else forced into their group was the last thing she wanted...

"That's definitely not okay, even if I agreed, the counselor would surely object..."

Song Lin appeared quite magnanimous, though, he used the counselor as a shield for his stance.

"Why not... let him come with us?"

Wen Yan frowned upon hearing this. Naturally, they were accompanied by a counselor for this outing, and usually, it was a big group activity. For smaller groups, indeed, they needed to file a report with the counselor. Having more people would provide better support, making it easier to find someone if they got lost.

"Fine..."

Tang Feifei clearly wasn't happy, glancing at Qin Fang and then back at Wen Yan before reluctantly nodding.

"Qin Fang, hand those two smaller bags to this senior... Song senior, that's okay with you, right?"

Tang Feifei was also sharp-witted, aware of the inconvenience of having Song Lin follow along. Seeing the two bags in Qin Fang's hand, she immediately said with a sly smile.

"No problem, no problem..."

Seeing such a pretty girl smile sweetly at him set Song Lin's heart aflutter, and he hurriedly nodded in agreement.

Qin Fang and the three ladies exchanged knowing smiles with mischief twinkling in their eyes.

"Bro, thanks..."

Qin Fang thanked him while tossing both bags into Song Lin's embrace.

But the bags, which seemed light in Qin Fang's hands, caught Song Lin off guard. He had not expected them to be so heavy. Each bag must have weighed over twenty pounds, and together they were close to fifty. Although Song Lin exercised regularly and was a "sports champ" among the beauties of the outer school, the unexpected burden of fifty pounds nearly floored him.

Seeing Song Lin struggle the moment he arrived, the three beauties and Qin Fang could barely contain their laughter. They pretended to notice nothing and immediately started walking ahead.

Song Lin had no choice but to sling one backpack over his shoulders and clutched the other in his arms, quickly catching up to the others.

The mountain paths of Liuyun Mountain were rugged, and the trails were equipped with protective measures. Following the gentle stream trickling down the mountain, the group of five gradually made their way upwards.

The main peak of Liuyun Mountain towered over 1700 meters high, with mountain ranges stretching endlessly, averaging over six or seven hundred meters in height. There was a cable car to ascend directly to the top, but taking that would have meant missing much of the fun, so naturally, Qin Fang and his friends chose to hike on foot.

"Wen Yan, are you tired?"

"Wen Yan, do you want some water?"

"Tang junior, that's a beautiful spot over there. Want to take some photos?"

"Xiao junior, you three pose, and I'll take a picture..."

And true enough, Song Lin wasn't bad looking—a certain kind of dapper young man, judging by his outfit, clearly from a wealthy background, well-fed and well-dressed. He was also quite articulate and knew how to charm the ladies, diligently showering attentions on the three beauties throughout the journey.

As for Qin Fang, he was unfortunately ignored.

Who could blame him, as Qin Fang just carried his pack in silence, resembling a sullen bottle gourd. The three beauties were busy with their own affairs, exchanging plenty of conversation among themselves, but they seldom spoke with Qin Fang, providing Song Lin with the perfect opportunity to lavish them with his attentions.

Although he didn't overtly slander Qin Fang, he often made snide remarks about this "sullen bottle gourd" to inadvertently belittle Qin Fang and contrast himself as tall, handsome, and wealthy...

Too bad for him, he never realized that the more he behaved like this, the worse his image became in the hearts of the three beauties, and the more they disliked him.

If it weren't for the occasional eye contact between Qin Fang and Tang Feifei or Xiao Muxue, which conveyed mutual understanding, probably they would have retaliated against Song Lin already.

Instead, the girls opted for a subtler method, like speeding up their pace. This was a mountain trail, after all, not smooth by any means, with regular ascending and descending parts.

The three unburdened girls carried almost nothing, only Tang Feifei with a camera, and Wen Yan with a tiny backpack containing some girls' personal items.

Along the way were peculiar rocks, trees, mountain springs, and rivulets, and occasionally rocks etched with bright red characters, which excited the three beauties into taking photos, hopping and skipping along, moving at a remarkable pace.

Qin Fang, on the other hand, followed at a leisurely pace, but this caused Song Lin a good deal of suffering. In the late autumn season, the weather was quite cool, and in the mountain air, it was even chilly, yet Song Lin was soaked in sweat. The lightweight jacket he wore was long removed, and the thin shirt underneath was soaked through, clinging to his body. Every so often, he had to stop and catch his breath.

"Brother, how about we switch?"

Having barely caught up to Qin Fang, Song Lin was truly exhausted. Yet Qin Fang seemed very relaxed and didn't even break a sweat, which made his backpack seem lightweight.

"Are you sure?"

Qin Fang smiled, questioning cautiously, and at that moment the three beauties also took notice, all looking their way.

"Of course, I'm sure..."

Despite feeling somewhat hot-faced under the scrutiny of the three beauties, Song Lin was genuinely spent and gritted his teeth in affirmation.

"Alright then!"

Without further ado, Qin Fang effortlessly hooked the backpack from his back to his hand. Meanwhile, Song Lin had already put down the two smaller backpacks, and Qin Fang immediately tossed his own over.

Plop~~

Even though Song Lin had braced himself fully, when the huge backpack, weighing over a hundred pounds, fell upon him, the already exhausted Song Lin just couldn't hold on and collapsed onto the ground, bottom first. The massive backpack pinned him down so hard that he couldn't muster the strength to move even slightly.

"Giggle, giggle, giggle..."

The ladies witnessed it all and burst into tinkling laughter. Tang Feifei, ever the prankster, even snapped a photo, capturing Song Lin's embarrassing moment.

Song Lin's face immediately went sour as he struggled to get up, but it was as if he had no strength remaining, even just to flail about.

Fortunately, at that moment, a strong hand lifted the oppressive backpack from his body, greatly relieving Song Lin, almost prompting him to hug the helper's legs in gratitude.

"Buddy, if you want to impress the girls, you've got to assess your own strength. Get some more practice when you get back..."

Before Song Lin's thanks could escape his lips, Qin Fang had already expressed his disdain, then took all three backpacks upon himself.

"Ladies, let's move on..."

With a wave of his hand, Qin Fang completely ignored the annoying Song Lin, even managing to casually sling an arm around Tang Feifei's shoulders, walking intimately towards the front, picking up an even faster pace than before.

"You..."

Song Lin's face turned completely green. He wanted to curse a few words, but he was still out of breath. By the time he had recovered, Qin Fang and the others had already vanished without a trace, leaving him all alone in the vast mountain. (To be continued. If you like this work, please come to Qidian (qidian.com) to cast your recommendation votes and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)

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