Chapter 54: Night Climbing Activity

From a few tables away, Lin Hexi lowered his head to send a WeChat message to Fang Qingning.

After receiving a reply, he didn’t linger any longer and got up to leave with You Chong.

What happened later that night was never brought up by Fang Qingning on WeChat, and Lin Hexi didn’t make an effort to ask about it again.

At 7 p.m. on Saturday, everyone gathered at the entrance at the foot of Chengnan Mountain.

The typhoon had already left the coastal city area, and the weather had returned to bright, sunny skies. After a round of cooling temperatures, the day-night temperature difference had significantly expanded, with summer and autumn alternating within a span of twenty-four hours.

As the elective course teacher took attendance, Lin Hexi pulled a jacket from his backpack and put it on.

In the group, some girls had brought their best friends along, and some boys had brought their girlfriends. Fortunately, there weren’t too many last-minute additions, so the teacher didn’t say much. He just reminded everyone once more, “When climbing, make sure to look out for each other. Safety should always be our top priority.”

More than thirty students nodded in agreement.

With the teacher leading at the front, everyone entered the mountain from the gate at the foot. Although it was already dark, the path was lit with streetlights on both sides, and they occasionally encountered other people also climbing at night. The students gradually relaxed.

The speed of Lin Hexi’s group remained consistently in the middle of the entire team.

Along the way, Yang Juan and Zhao Du started to feel a bit exhausted, so You Chong called out to the others, and they stopped by the side of the path to rest.

Worried about falling behind, Yang Juan wanted to continue walking after drinking some water.

Zhou Xuan clicked his tongue lightly and grabbed him, saying, “There are still people behind us. It’s not too late to wait until they catch up before we move on.”

It was clear that the others also agreed with Zhou Xuan’s suggestion, so Yang Juan obediently returned to sit by the rock.

The rock by the roadside was quite large. Zhou Xuan and Yang Juan sat on the left side, while You Chong and Lin Hexi, with their backs to them, sat on the right side.

Noticing You Chong unscrewing the cap of a mineral water bottle to drink, Lin Hexi also reached into his bag to find his water.

After searching for a while and not finding the bottle, Lin Hexi felt puzzled. Using the light from the roadside, he lowered his head to look inside his bag.

The bag had everything except the water bottle.

He propped his chin with one hand, and recalled the scene before leaving the house and, belatedly, remembered that he had left the water bottle on the living room table.

Lin Hexi turned his head, staring fixedly at the half bottle of water You Chong had just closed the cap on.

Catching the clear intent in Lin Hexi’s gaze, You Chong raised his eyebrows slightly. “Where’s your water?”

Lin Hexi replied, “I forgot to bring it.”

While shaking the half-full bottle in his hand, You Chong pretended to be indifferent and said, “I only brought one bottle.”

Lin Hexi leaned in closer, raised two fingers and, in a negotiating tone, said, “Let me have two sips.”

You Chong glanced at him unhurriedly without saying a word.

Lin Hexi took the initiative to compromise, “Then just one sip.”

You Chong lowered his gaze, slowly looking at Lin Hexi’s lips.

Sensing the look directed at him, as if to prove the sincerity of his words, Lin Hexi extended his soft tongue and licked his slightly dry lips.

You Chong’s gaze suddenly paused, lingering on his lips for a noticeably long time.

Lin Hexi retracted his tongue, pressed his lips together, and looked at You Chong with a somewhat eager expression.

You Chong tossed the water bottle into his lap.

Lin Hexi picked up the bottle, lowered his gaze to open the cap, and was about to put his lips around the bottle’s mouth.

A slender finger suddenly extended in from the side, pressing its fingertip against his lips, stopping his action.

You Chong’s voice sounded by his ear, “Don’t drink directly from the bottle.”

Hearing this, Lin Hexi frowned, and his expression seemed genuine. “If I can’t drink directly, I’ll pour the water out.”

You Chong took the water from his hand, and said, “Tilt your head back, and I’ll pour it for you.”

Lin Hexi obediently tilted his head up.

You Chong continued, “Open your mouth a little.”

Lin Hexi murmured softly, “How wide should I open it?”

You Chong didn’t respond further. He simply reached out, grabbed Lin Hexi’s chin, and pressed it down slightly. With his other hand, he held the water bottle, tilting it slightly to pour the water into Lin Hexi’s mouth.

Lin Hexi’s Adam’s apple moved gently as he slowly swallowed the water.

It seemed that Lin Hexi wasn’t quite used to swallowing while tilting his head back, as some water trickled down the corner of his lips.

Lin Hexi lowered his head and reached up to wipe the water off his face.

You Chong, however, was quicker, raising his hand first and using his fingertips to wipe away the water stains from Lin Hexi’s lips and chin.

Slightly stunned, Lin Hexi turned his face to look at him.

You Chong, with an unchanged expression, lowered his hand, handed the bottle back to him, and gestured for him to screw the cap back on.

Zhou Xuan stood up from behind them, reminding everyone to continue on their way.

Lin Hexi sat on the rock, holding the water bottle without moving. He watched You Chong get up from beside him and walk towards Zhou Xuan with his back turned. Only then did Lin Hexi absentmindedly raise his hand to touch his own lips and chin.

He noticed that after wiping his face, You Chong didn’t even pour out any water to wash his hands.

Around 9 p.m., everyone reached the mountain summit.

After taking attendance, the teacher stood in the open space and addressed everyone, “From now until 9:30, you all have half an hour of free time. You can go up to the top of the tower to see the night view or rest here, but don’t go too far. Group leaders must keep track of their members’ whereabouts at all times. If anyone is missing, inform me immediately.”

The people in the open space gradually dispersed, with most climbing up to the top of the tower to see the night view, and a few lining up for the restroom.

You Chong had visited the tower’s night view before with his roommates, so he wasn’t as enthusiastic as the others.

After sitting for a while on the steps in front of the tower, Zhao Du and Chen Xuan went up to the top of the tower to see the night view. Among the remaining four, You Chong and Zhou Xuan went to a small shop across the street that was still open to buy cold drinks, while Lin Hexi and Yang Juan stayed in place, waiting for them.

Noticing that the people who had gone to the restroom were returning one after another, Lin Hexi calculated that if he went now, he probably wouldn’t need to wait in line. Lin Hexi stood up from the steps and said to Yang Juan, “Stay here and don’t wander around. I’m going to the restroom.”

Yang Juan quickly nodded in agreement.

Lin Hexi followed the path of those returning, going down the narrow and steep stairs on the right side. After a small turn, he saw the simple restroom not far away.

Sure enough, there was no longer a line outside the restroom, with only a few people standing by the roadside, waiting for their companions.

By the time Lin Hexi finished using the restroom and came out, those who had been standing by the roadside were already gone.

Lin Hexi continued walking along the small path that extended forward on the right side, but after a while, he still didn’t see any place to turn. He then realized he must have taken the wrong path.

He stopped, intending to retrace his steps.

However, he faintly heard someone shouting from below.

Lin Hexi followed the path to its end, where it turned into narrow stone steps again.

Looking down from the edge of the steps, he noticed that, probably because this was a mountain trail, the distant lights were getting dimmer, and the roadside streetlights were becoming increasingly sparse.

At the end of his field of vision, there was nothing but pitch darkness, making it impossible to see anything clearly.

Lin Hexi didn’t continue down but instead stood still and shouted loudly.

In the empty, silent mountain, a response suddenly echoed back—a faint, sharp sound, like a girl’s voice.

Without further thought, Lin Hexi quickly descended the steps and walked toward the darkness at the end.

As he got closer, he found that the end was a narrow bend. After rounding the corner, he saw a small patch of flat ground ahead, with a beautiful double swing set.

The swing was wrapped in pink flower vines, with numerous small bulbs nestled among the branches, making the entire swing glow softly in the dense night.

A dense tree growing at the bend happened to block the light emitted by the swing, which was why Lin Hexi saw nothing but darkness when he looked down from the edge of the steps earlier.

Lin Hexi found the girl calling for help at the bottom of the slope in front of the flat ground.

She was a student from the university town, but not part of their group. She and her best friend had come to sit on the swing and take pictures after viewing the night scenery from the mountain top.

There was no guardrail behind the swing, and the girl had accidentally slipped and fallen down. Her friend had gone down the mountain to find help but hadn’t returned. Meanwhile, her phone had rolled into the bushes and was nowhere to be found.

Lin Hexi squatted at the front of the slope, mentally estimating the height from the top to the bottom.

The slope wasn’t very steep, which was likely why there was no guardrail installed. However, the girl couldn’t climb up on her own.

He tried to pull her up using his jacket, but it wasn’t long enough. There were also no sturdy enough branches nearby to help.

Lin Hexi called down, “Are you injured?”

The girl at the bottom of the slope remained relatively calm. “I twisted my ankle, not sure if the bone is injured.”

Lin Hexi frowned.

Although it would be most sensible to stay put and wait for others to arrive before figuring out a rescue plan, he didn’t intend to leave the injured girl at the bottom of the slope for too long.

He took off his jacket and tied it to the base of the swing frame. While grabbing the other sleeve, he slid down from the top of the slope, and lifted the girl up. Using his height, he helped her grab onto the edge of the jacket hanging down, and she climbed up to the flat ground at the top of the slope.

Seeing that she was seated safely on the flat ground above, Lin Hexi stood at the bottom of the slope, contemplating whether or not to call You Chong.

As if sensing something, the next second, Lin Hexi’s phone, which he had taken out of his jacket pocket and placed on the swing, started ringing.