When the day for camping finally arrived, only Fang Chi came from Yu Chen’s group of friends, and since Xi Yuan’s studio wasn’t busy, she came along too.

They brought a lot of things, so they took two off-road vehicles for the six of them.

Yu Yan was in the same car as Yu Chen and Xi Yuan, because he couldn’t drive, so they took turns driving.

Yu Yan was worried about them driving while tired, so they stopped at every service area to rest.

After they arrived at the service area, Yu Chen and Xi Yuan rested in the car. As soon as Yu Yan got out, he saw Shen Yuming leaning against the car door.

“Shen Ge, do you want some water?” Yu Yan unscrewed the bottle cap and handed it over.

Shen Yuming glanced at it but didn’t take it. “Switch seats.”

“Huh?” Yu Yan didn’t react immediately. “What do you mean, switch seats?”

“You can switch with either of them,” Shen Yuming said, biting a cigarette but not lighting it. His tone was filled with clear irritation.

When they left home, Yu Yan was in the car with Yu Chen, and they had picked up Xi Yuan together.

He didn’t want to be a third wheel, and had thought about switching to the other car, but Yu Chen said that three people were just right in one car, so he gave up the idea.

Shen Yuming’s tone was not good—could it be that Fang Chi and He Zhiyu had upset him?

Before Yu Yan could figure it out, Fang Chi and He Zhiyu came out, with their arms around each other’s shoulders.

“Xiao Yan, are you hungry? Want to try some oden?” He Zhiyu asked.

Before Yu Yan could answer, Fang Chi spoke up, “What’s so good about pre-made food? How about some marinated dishes and fruits? Aunt brought them from home, guaranteed fresh.”

“Didn’t you eat enough at home? You’re still eating this out here? Tasteless!”

“You’ve never had oden at home, right? Why settle for this service area stuff?”

“What’s wrong with the service area? It’s good!”

“Go away, stay away from me.”

…

The two of them started bickering, and Yu Yan couldn’t get a word in.

It really wasn’t fair to make Shen Yuming sit with these two chatterboxes.

Yu Yan moved closer to Shen Yuming. “Shen Ge, how about we switch seats?”

Shen Yuming glanced at him and said indifferently, “Do you want me to be the third wheel?”

Yu Yan fell silent for a moment, remembering how his brother and sister-in-law fed each other snacks, one saying “Thank you, baby,” and the other saying “Baby, you’ve worked hard.”

If Shen Yuming were to sit in the back seat…

Yu Yan didn’t dare to think about it. It would be better to endure Fang Chi and He Zhiyu’s teasing in the car.

“I’ll go find He Zhiyu to switch seats.”

He had originally planned to ask Fang Chi to switch, since he and Yu Chen and Xi Yuan were friends, but Yu Yan was worried he wouldn’t want to be the third wheel, so he decided to ask He Zhiyu.

He Zhiyu was thick-skinned and naturally cheerful, able to get along with anyone, so he seemed like the best choice.

It wouldn’t be awkward, and it would separate the two chatterboxes.

Everyone would be happy!

Yu Yan thought he had come up with the perfect plan, and was about to turn around to discuss it with He Zhiyu. However, before he could take a few steps, his wrist was grabbed.

“No need,” Shen Yuming said, spitting out two words.

“Huh?”

“Just sit over here.”

“But didn’t you…” Yu Yan suddenly realized, and his words stopped.

It turned out that Shen Yuming wasn’t annoyed with He Zhiyu and Fang Chi for talking too much, but because no one was talking to him!

This works too. No need to switch seats now.

Yu Chen lowered the window. “What are you two messing around for? If we don’t leave soon, it’s going to get dark.”

“Coming right away,” Yu Yan shouted. “Brother, I’ll sit in the other car. Pass me my phone.”

Shen Yuming opened the passenger door, and Fang Chi leaned over with a smile. “Wow, the young master knows how to serve people?”

As he said this, he was about to sit in the passenger seat, but Shen Yuming gave him a look, and he grumbled under his breath before obediently sitting in the back.

Yu Yan took the phone and came back. He didn’t know about this little episode, so after saying “Thank you, Shen Ge,” he got in the car.

As usual, He Zhiyu talked non-stop, asking for this and that to eat, and when he got tired of eating, he started boasting about the movies and TV shows he starred in, telling everyone to make sure to support them.

Perhaps Shen Yuming was annoyed by him, so he turned on the car’s sound system and started playing music.

He Zhiyu’s topic immediately changed, loudly claiming he knew the singer of the song and could sing it too. He didn’t stop singing along the whole way.

Finally, Yu Yan couldn’t stand it anymore and switched to a playlist of pure instrumental music.

He Zhiyu started bragging again, saying that he could play this piece since elementary school and had even won a first-place prize in a piano competition.

In contrast, Fang Chi seemed unusually quiet.

And so, with all the noise, they finally arrived at the campsite.

The campsite was on a mountain, and they had prepaid for the best spot near the observation deck.

As soon as they got out of the car, He Zhiyu started shouting, “Where’s the tent?”

“It’s in the car. Go get it yourself,” Yu Yan said, carefully wiping down the table and chairs with disinfectant wipes.

The tents were prepared by Jiang Mo, with a total of three tents, each for two people.

Originally, Yu Yan planned to get a small tent for each person, but after looking at the guide, he decided on a larger tent for better wind resistance and safety, so they agreed to go with the larger one.

The tent was automatic, so setting it up wasn’t difficult, but securing the stakes into the ground was a hassle. Yu Chen, who had experience with tents, dragged Shen Yuchen over to help.

Yu Yan wasn’t entirely at ease, keeping an eye on them, “Do you want to watch an installation video? I have it on my phone.”

“No need,” Yu Chen said as he found a soft, dirt spot to insert the ground stakes.

Xi Yuan brought out the prepared skewers, “Don’t worry, they often camp together. Putting up a tent is no problem for them.”

“Really? My brother and Chen Ge’er went camping together?” Yu Yan was a bit surprised.

“Is that strange?” Xi Yuan lit the charcoal.

Yu Yan nodded, “I thought they’d prefer extreme sports like racing, skydiving, or wingsuit flying—something thrilling. I didn’t expect them to like something like camping… a slower-paced, more relaxing lifestyle.”

“Isn’t He Zhiyu into both racing and camping?” Xi Yuan tilted his head and smiled at him.

Everyone was busy, but He Zhiyu was different. He took out the speakers, played music, and sang along with Fang Chi, each holding a microphone.

Their singing was full of emotion, with no technique involved.

Yu Yan felt a buzzing in his head as he listened, “He’s different. He just likes to have fun. Even if I said I wanted to go swimming in the sea right now, he’d probably carry that broken speaker and follow me.”

In Yu Yan’s eyes, his brother and Chen Ge’er were the type of “other people’s kids”—always thinking ten steps ahead, having a complete life plan, and avoiding high-risk activities.

“Does my brother still play those extreme sports?” Yu Yan asked, curious.

“He occasionally races cars, but not as crazily as before, he’s calmed down a lot.” Xi Yuan put the skewers on the grill, “He said he has to be responsible for the family and for me, so he stopped.”

No wonder Shen Yuchen had mentioned that Yu Chen and He Zhiyu had toned down a lot during their last car race.

Thinking about the videos he saw at Shen Yuchen’s place, Yu Yan still felt a bit uneasy, “It’s better that he stopped, so I don’t have to worry about him all the time.”

“Your brother used to keep those things from us. After Aunt found out, her eyes were swollen from crying.” Xi Yuan carefully turned the skewers, “He was doing it with Shen Yuchen.”

Yu Yan froze for a moment, “Hmm? What do you mean? My brother was dragged into it by Chen Ge’er?”

Xi Yuan saw him placing beef skewers on the grill and interrupted, “Hey, isn’t this without seasoning?”

“Chen Ge’er likes his food milder, this is what I had mom specially prepare, with less chili.” Yu Yan casually replied, steering the conversation back, “How did Chen Ge’er get into extreme sports? And why did he stop?”

Xi Yuan hesitated for a moment, his gaze moving away from the beef skewer in Yu Yan’s hand, “I’m not exactly sure, but it seems like he stopped because he got sick.”

“Is that so?”

This matched what Jiang Mo had said earlier, it seems that Shen Yuchen really liked these extreme sports, but had to stop due to illness.

In just half an hour, the tent was already set up, and even Yu Chen and Shen Yuchen had put up the small night lights.

The barbecue was nearly done, and He Zhiyu and Fang Chi, having sung enough, switched to playing pure instrumental music. The group sat together, eating barbecue.

As night fell, a few stars hung in the sky, and the orange glow of the small night lights swayed gently in the wind, casting shadows on the ground.

Yu Yan placed the non-spicy barbecue on a plate and specifically put it in front of Shen Yuchen.

After the spring, no one wore hats or scarves much, but at night the campsite was windy, and everyone was bundled up warmly. Shen Yuchen also wore the scarf Yu Yan had knitted for him.

The two of them sat together, watching the latest episode of Hello, Friends. Since the tablet’s screen was small, they had to sit close together.

On the other side, Yu Chen poured a drink for Xi Yuan. “What are you zoning out for? Is it too spicy? Want to drink something?”

“No… no…” Xi Yuan snapped out of it, took a sip of the drink from his hand, and then glanced at Yu Yan.

“Why are you staring at Xiao Yan? Did he get hurt?” Yu Chen asked, his confused gaze shifting between the two of them.

Yu Yan and Shen Yuchen were still watching the variety show, unaware of their unusual behavior.

Xi Yuan hesitated for a moment and then quietly spoke, “Xiao Yan said that the non-spicy barbecue was specially prepared for Shen Yuchen by Auntie.”

“Yeah, Shen Yuchen’s mom is from the south, so she prefers milder flavors.” Yu Chen explained, then leaned closer, “My mom remembers your taste, too. The dishes at the engagement banquet were specially made by the aunt at home. The black chicken and ginkgo soup you had last time at our house was also made by my mom.”

Xi Yuan pouted, “How could I be jealous over this? What do you take me for?”

“I know you wouldn’t be jealous. I was just saying it casually.” Yu Chen took the chance when no one was looking and gently kissed her cheek.

“You got oil all over my face.” Xi Yuan glared at him.

Yu Chen wiped it off with his hand, “No oil.”

Xi Yuan got back to the main topic and lowered her voice, “Don’t you think Xiao Yan is being too nice to Shen Yuchen? It’s a bit… too much. When he was wiping the table and chairs, he wiped Shen Yuchen’s chair twice.”

“They’re friends, so this is… normal.”

Just as Yu Chen looked up, he noticed that Yu Yan’s gaze was no longer on the tablet. Instead, he was looking at Shen Yuchen, his eyes sparkling with intensity, and the two dimples at the corners of his mouth slightly indented, revealing a beautiful smile.

Yu Chen froze for a moment, swallowing the unfinished “normal” sentence he was about to say.