Lin Qiong brought Fu Xingyun back to the campsite, and it was already past 6 AM, but the scene was the same as when they left. No one had woken up, most likely due to the fact that the majority were affluent second-generation individuals who naturally favored late nights and late mornings.
Grumbling, Lin Qiong settled Fu Xingyun back into the tent and then asked, "Xingyun, did you sweat?"
Looking at the slightly flushed face of his companion, Fu Xingyun replied, "No."
Lin Qiong put the wet wipes back, and Fu Xingyun asked, "Aren't you going to wipe yourself?"
Shaking his head, Lin Qiong gasped for breath and said, "I want to wash by the stream. I'm feeling sticky from all the sweat."
Fu Xingyun, thinking about Lin Qiong's fair back from the previous day, blurted out, "No."
Perplexed, Lin Qiong asked, "Why not?"
With a serious expression, Fu Xingyun stated, "In response to the country's call, outdoor bathing is prohibited."
Lin Qiong's mouth formed a perfect 'O' shape in response.
"Wow, that makes perfect sense."
Lin Qiong looked at Fu Xingyun with admiration, saying, "I never expected you to be such a disciplinary role model."
Fu Xingyun:...
However, noticing the sweat on Lin Qiong's forehead, Fu Xingyun furrowed his brows slightly and said, "Give it here."
Perplexed, Lin Qiong asked, "Give what?"
"The wet wipes."
Lin Qiong responded and handed the wet wipes to Fu Xingyun.
Fu Xingyun pulled out a few sheets, saying, "Take off half of your clothes first."
Perplexed, Lin Qiong asked, "Why only half?"
"If you take off too much, you might catch a cold."
Upon hearing this, Lin Qiong approached Fu Xingyun and said, "Xingyun, you're really considerate."
He then began to undress, and Fu Xingyun turned his head slightly.
"Done."
Lin Qiong exposed most of his back, and Fu Xingyun wiped him down with the wet wipes. Halfway through, Lin Qiong lowered his head and said, "Help me wipe my neck too."
Without responding, Fu Xingyun wiped his neck. As he did, he noticed a small mole on the back of Lin Qiong's neck, slightly to the side.
Fu Xingyun, feeling a bit mischievous, touched the mole with his fingertips.
Sensing the warmth on his neck, Lin Qiong asked, "What's wrong?"
Fu Xingyun explained, "You have a mole here."
"Really!" Lin Qiong curiously twisted his neck to take a look, asking, "Where is it?"
Fu Xingyun: ...
Using his index finger, he gently pointed, "Here."
Lin Qiong: "Why can't I see it?"
How can you see it?
Lin Qiong tilted his body slightly, and a pair of clear eyes looked at Fu Xingyun, asking, "How is it? Does it look good?"
Fu Xingyun was momentarily captivated by the fair shoulder, attempting to shift his gaze, but it landed on the collarbone instead.
He swallowed hard and turned away.
Lin Qiong leaned closer, continuing his inquiry, "Is it good-looking or not?"
For a moment, he resembled a mischievous fox causing chaos in the royal court.
Fu Xingyun took a deep breath, "It's good-looking."
Lin Qiong was pleased to hear that. He didn't expect to receive such a compliment from Fu Xingyun.
After wiping down, Lin Qiong changed into fresh clothes and lay down in the sleeping bag. He turned his head to find Fu Xingyun still sitting. Then, he patted the space beside him.
"Come here, come here."
Fu Xingyun glanced at him. "Why?"
Lin Qiong, now resembling a softened jelly, flopped onto the sleeping bag. "Aren't you tired?"
"Not really."
Looking at him, Lin Qiong said, "We woke up early today, and there are many things we can do."
"Like?"
"Take a nap."
"..."
Seeing that Fu Xingyun was still not moving, Lin Qiong pulled him down. "You should rest for a while too."
As he spoke, he covered them both with the jacket. Due to the lack of a pillow, Lin Qiong felt a bit uncomfortable. "Do you want a makeshift pillow, Xingyun?"
"I don't want one." Fu Xingyun then looked at Lin Qiong. "Do you want one?"
Lin Qiong nodded. Just as he was about to ask Fu Xingyun to get the flashlight from his side for him to use as a pillow, he saw Fu Xingyun extend his arm.
Fu Xingyun spoke in a flat tone, "Use this as a pillow."
Since he said so, Lin Qiong didn't hesitate. Like a cat, he rubbed against Fu Xingyun's arm and found a comfortable spot to rest his head.
"Xingyun, are you sleepy?"
"I'm okay." Even though he said he was okay, his eyelids were starting to feel heavy.
Lin Qiong squints, "How about I sing a lullaby for you?"
Fu Xingyun: "Am I a child?"
Lin Qiong smiles shyly, "In my heart, you're forever young."
"..."
The two of them engage in casual conversation, and before the lullaby could even begin, they both fall into a deep sleep.
When Li Hanyang and the others wake up, it's already 9 a.m. Hungry, they crawl out of their tents.
Li Hanyang weakly asks, "Is there anything to eat now?"
Qin Heng looks around the empty surroundings, "There is the northwest wind."
"..."
Later, the awakened group began preparing breakfast.
After finishing, Li Hanyang, Qin Heng, and
"Alright, who's going to wake everyone up for breakfast now?"
Li Hanyang suggested, "Let's play rock-paper-scissors, and the loser goes to wake up Ji Yao."
Qin Heng said, "I agree."
The friend added, "I agree too."
Living up to expectations, Li Hanyang's unlucky streak played out as usual. He nervously went to wake Ji Yao.
Ji Yao, still groggy from waking up, sat for a while before fully regaining consciousness.
Li Hanyang sighed in relief, "You can go wake up Xingyun and the others later."
Ji Yao adjusted her hair, "Okay."
She then put on her shoes and headed towards the tent where the two were.
"Lin Qiong, Xingyun, are you guys awake?"
Inside was dead silent.
Ji Yao yawned, "Get up, it's time for breakfast."
Still no movement from inside.
After a brief internal struggle, Ji Yao slightly opened a small gap, "Time to eat!"
With this glance, the scene inside the tent became clear.
Both of them had their eyes tightly closed, showing no signs of waking up. Lin Qiong was sprawled over Fu Xingyun, with one leg draped over his waist, resembling an octopus.
Ji Yao glanced at them, took out her phone, and opened the recording app, "Get up, it's time to eat."
Then, like tossing a hand grenade with the pin pulled, she swiftly threw the phone into the tent and zipped it up in one fluid motion.
"Get up, it's time to eat!"
"Increase the volume!"
Amidst the looping playback of the recorded messages, Lin Qiong finally regained some clarity. He got up, turned off the recording, unzipped the tent, and looked at Ji Yao, "What's going on?"
Ji Yao replied, "It's time to eat."
Lin Qiong acknowledged and went to wake up Fu Xingyun.
After they both freshened up, they joined the others for breakfast.
Ji Yao observed Lin Qiong's drowsy state, "Did you sleep late yesterday? You're waking up so late."
Lin Qiong responded, "No, Xingyun and I went to watch the sunrise."
Ji Yao was surprised, "You went to watch the sunrise?!"
Lin Qiong nodded, smiling, "It was beautiful."
Ji Yao instantly felt a sense of betrayal, "Are we still good sisters? You went to watch the sunrise without me."
Li Hanyang interjected silently, "Are you trying to outshine the sun?"
"..."
After breakfast, Lin Qiong began to clean up some garbage. Since others had prepared breakfast, he couldn't just stand by and do nothing; that wouldn't be fair.
As Lin Qiong was humming and working, Qin Weichu saw him and silently went over to help.
Qin Heng glanced at him, "What are you doing?"
Qin Weichu replied, "Helping."
Qin Heng: "Do you understand what I will do to you?"
Yesterday, the place Qin Heng hit still hurt a bit. Qin Weichu, feeling a bit annoyed, ran his fingers through his hair. "Alright, I understand. Can't I just take a look?"
Qin Heng felt reassured upon hearing this. Seeing everyone around them busy with work, he quickly walked over to Fu Xingyun and asked, "Shall we discuss the project?"
Fu Xingyun glanced at him. "Now?"
Qin Heng nodded, and Fu Xingyun's company had extremely strict confidentiality. Apart from him and Li Hanyang, no one knew about it. Naturally, the person in charge of the collaborative project was also anonymous to avoid detection by the Fu family.
Qin Heng also realized that Lin Qiong didn't know about this matter, so he intentionally chose a time when no one was around to discuss it with Fu Xingyun. After returning from the camping trip, it would be a while before Fu Xingyun could visit the company.
Qin Heng took out his phone, and the two of them discussed the project together.
After packing up his things, Lin Qiong turned his head and saw the two of them talking.
Approaching them, he heard Fu Xingyun say, "There is a need for adjustments."
Curious, Lin Qiong asked, "What adjustments are needed?"
Both of them, originally engrossed in their conversation, were startled. Fu Xingyun looked at him and said, "Why did you come over here?"
Lin Qiong shrugged, "Nothing to do, just came to see what you're up to."
He then continued to ask, "What are you guys doing?"
Qin Heng responded first, "Checking out real estate."
Lin Qiong's mouth formed an 'O' shape, "Are you buying a house?"
Qin Heng replied, "Yes."
Lin Qiong said, "Congratulations, congratulations."
"Thank you, thank you."
Fu Xingyun: ...
Seeing Lin Qiong sitting nearby, the two of them began subtly communicating in a coded language, immediately stopping if Lin Qiong seemed to catch on.
They exchanged words in this covert manner.
Suddenly, Lin Qiong looked at the man, "Xingyun."
Fu Xingyun's demeanor stiffened, "What's wrong?"
Lin Qiong smiled, "Your words are quite profound."
Both of them were surprised, and Qin Heng probed, "How are his words profound?"
Lin Qiong shyly lowered his head, "I don't even understand them."
"..."
Lin Qiong took a pomegranate from his bag and sat down beside Fu Xingyun to peel it. With a serious expression and head lowered, he peeled a considerable amount and then stuffed a handful into Fu Xingyun's mouth.
Fu Xingyun mumbled, "Can you transfer to... um..."
Lin Qiong looked at him, "Is it sweet?"
Fu Xingyun nodded. Lin Qiong put a few in his own mouth, then noticed Qin Heng's gaze. "Do you want some?"
Qin Heng looked a bit envious but remained calm, "No, thanks."
Then, almost involuntarily, he asked, "Is peeling this pomegranate difficult?"
Lin Qiong glanced at him, "Not really, I have a small knife."
Qin Heng nodded, but his gaze dimmed a bit.
After feeding Fu Xingyun the pomegranate, Lin Qiong planned to get up and stretch.
Li Hanyang walked over from the side, "Lin Qiong! Want to check out another place?"
Having nothing else to do, Lin Qiong nodded, "Let's go."
After informing Fu Xingyun, Lin Qiong followed Li Hanyang as they left.
The two of them wandered around the mountains, and suddenly Li Hanyang asked, "I heard you and Xingyun went to see the sunrise this morning?"
Lin Qiong nodded, "Yes."
Li Hanyang was surprised, "I saw you heading to the back mountain yesterday, your eyes were shining. I didn't expect you really went. How was it? Was it beautiful?"
Lin Qiong replied, "Of course, it was beautiful."
Suddenly, there was a rustling sound in the grass ahead, and the two approached to find a wild chicken.
Li Hanyang's eyes lit up instantly, "Let's catch it and have it for dinner."
They had mostly finished the meat for dinner the previous night, and now only had some instant noodles left.
However, Lin Qiong shook his head, looking at the mole beside Li Hanyang's eyebrow, and said, "No, we, as individuals with moles, should respond to the national call to prohibit wild game. Besides, that chicken looks quite dangerous."
Li Hanyang glanced at the plump and delicious-looking wild chicken, "What's dangerous about it?"
Lin Qiong was very serious, "Being able to fatten itself up in the wild is not a simple feat."