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The post-rain humidity had seeped into the forest, making the trees, flowers, and grass look lush and full. The scent of damp earth drifted into the air in delicate wisps.
“Chen, Shu, Yin!”
The voice, filled with gritted-teeth frustration, was accompanied by a hand waving in front of Chen Shuyin’s face. A clear, mellow male voice followed, maintaining the well-behaved tone of a model student.
“Teacher, she didn’t rest well last night because she was making up your assignments. You go ahead and lead the group—I’ll wake her up.”
“She’s already slept for two and a half hours on the way here, and she still isn’t awake? I’ve called her seven or eight times—if she were a pig, she would’ve woken up by now.” The teacher shook his head in exasperation. “Forget it, just catch up with the group soon.”
A sudden pinch on her nose jolted Chen Shuyin awake. Her brows furrowed as she opened her eyes, staring up in surprise.
Through the half-open bus window, a lush green forest came into view.
Now that they had entered the hiking area, the mountain air was several degrees cooler than the city’s. The boy in front of her noticed her slight shiver, took off his school jacket, and tossed it to her.
“How much longer are you planning to fake sleep? If you’re cold, just say so.”
Chen Shuyin wasn’t as startled this time. She had been in a state of sleep paralysis earlier—aware of the surrounding voices but unable to move. Based on the scattered bits of conversation she overheard, she had already deduced that she had traveled back in time again. This time, she had returned to her high school days.
The school uniform draped over her, the red string bracelet around her wrist, and the familiar surroundings all confirmed that this was the hiking trip from March of her senior year.
Under pressure to provide results, Lingfeng had rushed to organize this event. The hastily planned outing was stressful for both students and teachers alike.
It was also on this trip that she had lost her way, hiding in an abandoned temple before nightfall. The temple roof collapsed in the middle of the night, trapping her legs beneath the rubble. She had almost died of hypothermia.
Now that she had a second chance to relive this day, she was determined to avoid that fate.
Shrugging into the oversized jacket, she zipped it up snugly.
The boy’s uniform was at least three or four sizes too big for her, barely covering her thighs. As she caught a faint scent of citrus from the fabric, she looked up with a smile and said, “Thank you, Pei Yu.”
Pei Yu seemed taken aback. He raised an eyebrow. “You’re actually saying thank you today?”
Chen Shuyin stepped closer, wrapping her arms around his waist without warning.
The unexpected embrace caught Pei Yu off guard.
His body stiffened as he awkwardly tugged at the hem of her jacket. “W-What are you doing?”
“I just wanted to tell you,” she smirked, taking in his startled expression, “not only can I say thank you, but I can also hug you.”
A forceful push sent her stumbling back.
Pei Yu’s ears turned red, the blush creeping all the way down his neck. “If something’s wrong with you, take some medicine! Why are you touching people for no reason?”
So, high school Pei Yu was this easy to fluster, huh?
Chen Shuyin didn’t mind the rejection. She simply laughed and followed after him as he hurried away. “Why are you blushing? I was just expressing my gratitude through a hug.”
Pei Yu ignored her, falling back to the end of the group.
Chen Shuyin walked beside him, tilting her head as she studied him. “Does your phone have signal here?”
“No,” Pei Yu answered briefly, his gaze fixed ahead.
“Then what do we do if we get separated?” she murmured.
She remembered how, back then, the school hadn’t issued communication devices to students. Once they ventured deeper into the forest, phone signals became too weak to be reliable. She had tried calling multiple times, only for the connection to drop instantly.
The only call that had successfully gone through was to Fang Zimiao.
As darkness fell, strange animal cries echoed through the trees, sending chills down her spine. Her legs were numb, and severe dehydration made even opening her mouth difficult.
When she finally heard Fang Zimiao’s voice, she clung to it like a lifeline.
“Mom, I got separated from the school hiking group. Can you—”
“If you’re lost, find a teacher,” Fang Zimiao interrupted with a sigh. “Shuyin, I already told you—I’m very busy. Try not to contact me unless it’s absolutely necessary. I’ll see you when I have time.”
It felt like a sharp needle had pricked her heart. Her voice wavered as she tried to explain, “No… I’m in real danger right now. My leg is trapped under debris, and my phone signal is—”
“Shuyin, you know I hate it when you lie.”
There was a pause.
“If you had no signal, how did you manage to call me?” Her tone was cold. “Don’t use such clumsy excuses again.”
Before Chen Shuyin could protest, the call was cut off.
The mechanical beeping of the disconnected line echoed endlessly in the vast, empty forest.
Looking back on it now, Chen Shuyin felt surprisingly calm. Maybe Fang Zimiao was right—she was a cold-hearted person, so she should expect to be treated the same way.
She wouldn’t rely on anyone.
She would figure it out herself.
“Shuyin, come stand over here.”
A familiar male voice called her name.
Chen Shuyin looked ahead and saw Fu Wencheng standing in the middle of the group, making space for her.
That’s right—back then, when she was on the verge of death, it was Fu Wencheng’s voice that had woken her up.
Asking Pei Yu, who was clearly refusing to talk, wouldn’t get her anywhere. It was better to go to the person who had saved her last time.
Hope flickered in her eyes as she smiled. “Alright,” she replied, stepping forward.
She didn’t notice the stormy expression on the boy standing at the back of the group, his jaw clenched.
Before setting off again, Chen Shuyin jogged to the back. “Pei Yu, give me your hand.”
Pei Yu, still sulking, glanced at her. “Why?”
Ignoring his reluctance, she grabbed his wrist, rolling up his sleeve to reveal the red string. Holding both ends of the thread, she gave it a firm tug, tightening the knot.
His brows furrowed slightly. “What are you doing now?”
“I’m securing it. If you lose this deep in the forest, you won’t find it again.”
Pei Yu had always been protective of this red string. When someone had once teased him about wearing it, calling him a weakling, he had responded by pinning the guy to the ground in a fight. No one had dared touch it after that.
But now, faced with her unusual behavior, he merely let out a soft snort. “Are you plotting something again?”
“You’re ungrateful,” Chen Shuyin huffed. “If you lose it, I won’t help you look for it.”
With that, she returned to Fu Wencheng’s side, chatting and laughing along the way.
Pei Yu, still standing at the back, clenched his jaw harder.