The bus weaved left and right through the mountains until everyone lost sense of direction. It felt as if they were diving deeper and deeper into the wilderness, and it was getting dark. There was unease among the passengers. No one knew where the driver was taking them.
Approximately an hour later, the bus came down the mountain road and entered an ancient town that had been there for many years. It was surrounded by mountains and tall ancient trees. The quaint, old-fashioned buildings made the town look like a world hidden from the rest of the world.
Based on the guide's introduction, the locals had been living in these mountains for hundreds of years with a population of several thousand. The roads in and out of mountains were rough and access was inconvenient but when the bridge was built, the authorities built a road for the townsfolk as well.
As the group got off the bus at the entrance to the town, the locals gawked at them curiously with an air of surprise, as if it had been long since they had visitors.
This ancient town flew under the radar so not many tourists came hence, they only got visitors during the peak tourist season when there was severe road congestion and tourists would rest in this town.
Having heard the backstory, everyone realized why there were so many signboards advertising guest houses in the town. Some even reckoned that even if this side trip was a bust, it was worth it to visit this ancient town.
As soon as they entered the town, they became the center of attention. Due to Lin Xi's beauty, the town inhabitants ogled at her making her feel a bit awkward.
Gu Fan found it strange; it was one thing for men to steal extra glances at Lin Xi, but he couldn't understand why even women were staring at her. He wondered if the residents of this old town were attracted to both genders.
Since it wasn't peak tourist season, business was slow and guesthouse owners quickly came up to them with warm greetings.
Du Jun assumed the role of a leader, wanting to evaluate the living conditions before selecting a few satisfactory guesthouses and bargaining their rates. Lastly, he discussed the choices with everyone else.
Gu Fan had to admit that he admired Du Jun at times and Du Jun indeed had great leadership qualities and everyone respected him for that.
At this point, Lu Yi nudged Gu Fan and quietly said, "If you don't act soon, your momentum will be dwarfed by your love rival. Don't forget why we came here in the first place."
As a man, Gu Fan didn't want to let Lu Yi down, but he wasn't excited about this rivalry either. He just wanted to get through the night safely and hoped that they could return smoothly the next day.
However, the issue was that no guesthouse could accommodate all of the sixteen people and the bus driver so they had to split into three groups and stay in separate guesthouses.
Gu Fan naturally chose to stay in the same guesthouse as his best friend, Lu Yi. Lin Xi, Gu Fan's girlfriend, also stayed in the same guesthouse, albeit a different room.
"Now that the accommodation issue is resolved, we should try to connect with the outside world again, we hope that someone will figure out a way to help us leave tomorrow," everyone agreed with Gu Fan's suggestion.
Du Jun demonstrated his leadership again, calmly dialling a number. This time, the call went through.
The response he got was that the road was being cleared and that the rescue team would arrive the next day. They asked for patience.
Knowing this good news, everyone was ecstatic and felt relieved enough to have a sound sleep that night. However, for some reason, Gu Fan felt a chill down his spine, he just couldn't put a finger on it.
Lu Yi walked over to Gu Fan and whispered, "Have you noticed? The residents here have odd looks in their eyes and they keep watching us."
"Maybe they're surprised to see visitors at this hour. Don't overthink it," Gu Fan downplayed it but he too noticed the glances from the passing locals.
After everyone checked into their respective guesthouses, Gu Fan started a conversation with the guesthouse owner. He also mentioned the recent earthquake and asked if it was a common occurrence in the area.
The guesthouse owner shook his head, indicating that it was his first experience of an earthquake in the town where he was born and raised. Thankfully, it was just minor trembling, and the old town was still intact.
"Just minor trembling, you say?" Gu Fan was puzzled. If the trembling was minor, how could it have caused a landslide that blocked the road completely while the ancient town remained unaffected, as if nothing had happened?
But Gu Fan did not overthink it. All he wanted was to get through the night peacefully, wait for the rescue to arrive tomorrow, and then everyone could return safely.
Upon entering the simple room, Gu Fan was exhausted. He collapsed onto the bed just wishing to sleep, but he felt uneasy. When he closed his eyes, the strange stares from the inhabitants kept flashing in his mind.
Daylight had completely faded and soon, every household turned their lights on. Amid the darkness of the wilderness, the town glowed like a pearl in the night.
Lu Yi, who was always full of energy and did not feel tired, started to tease, "Gu Fan, you're really a killjoy. We're alone in the wilderness— just the two of us and yet, you're going to let such an opportunity slip by."
After hearing this, Gu Fan looked puzzled, "Opportunity, what opportunity?"
Lu Yi, appearing tense, said: "Think about it, you holding Lin Xi's hand, walking through the dark forest... Girls are especially scared at such times, so she's likely to get frightened. Once frightened, she'll hide in your arms. Once she hides, you naturally embrace her, then she'll feel your heartbeat and body warmth, you'll feel her softness and scent. Affection will rise rapidly and who knows, something that should or shouldn't happen might occur."
"You…" Unable to hold back his laughter, Gu Fan threw a pillow at Lu Yi, putting an end to such nonsense.
Just then, Gu Fan heard a sound he shouldn't have - someone knocking on Lin Xi's door across the corridor, and heard his romantic rival Du Jun's voice: "Lin Xi, this is Du Jun."
Then the sound of the door opening. Gu Fan and Lu Yi pricked up their ears to listen, silently cursing that the scoundrel Du Jun just couldn't let Lin Xi go and was now up to something new.
They heard Lin Xi's sweet voice reply: "Du Jun, what can I do for you?"
Du Jun answered: "Well, we thought since we're here, why not go out for a walk, there are a few mountains around. I've asked around and there aren't any dangerous animals or poisonous snakes, it's very safe. Plus, I heard it's beautiful on the mountain top where you can see the lights of the ancient town below. I was thinking of inviting everyone for a hike."
"Going mountain climbing this late?" Judging from the tone, Lin Xi was a bit hesitant, but then the others began to coax her: "Don't worry, we'll all go together, looking out for each other. We've checked the route, the mountain path is well maintained, it won't be hard at all."
Lin Xi said: "That sounds nice, let me ask Gu Fan if he wants to go."
On hearing this, Gu Fan felt pleased, thinking to himself how considerate his girlfriend was, always wanting to do things together. It proved that he hadn't been spoiling her in vain.
Du Jun nodded in agreement. He had no reason to refuse.
Soon Lin Xi found Gu Fan and shared the idea of a midnight hike to stargaze. But Gu Fan, considering safety concerns especially right after the earthquake, thought they should be more cautious.
At this, Du Jun was dismissive, considering Gu Fan's concerns as unnecessary caution, or more bluntly put, cowardice.
Du Jun believed the recent earthquake had had no impact on this area, and even if there were aftershocks, he was confident there wouldn't be any problems. He urged not to let such a rare outing be wasted, they should make some beautiful memories.
Many people agreed with Du Jun, considering Gu Fan to be overly cautious. Most of the people in the dance group were willing to go mountain climbing with Du Jun at night, excited by the idea of overlooking the ancient town from the mountain, particularly the brightly-lit town at night, and possibly the view even beyond.
Seeing a group of people siding with Du Jun against him, Gu Fan remained unperturbed, arguing: "It's better to be safe than sorry. If a group of us go and there's an actual aftershock, we all would be stuck on the mountaintop waiting for rescue. Time would be of the essence then. The locals wouldn't know we've gone up; it would be daylight before they found out. Therefore, a few people would have to stay behind. If they couldn't reach us for a long time, they would have to take action immediately. We are not children. We should know the difference between leisure and taking risks and not just think about having fun."
Upon hearing this, Du Jun's face darkened. He hated being left speechless, and the atmosphere became somewhat awkward.
Naturally, Lin Xi knew she shouldn't leave Gu Fan, but deep down, she wanted to go, and the girls from the dance group were persuading her to join them, leaving her in a difficult position.
Although Gu Fan was at odds with his romantic rival Du Jun, it didn't mean he would forcefully make Lin Xi do something she didn't want to. Besides, there were many people going and Du Jun wouldn't dare do anything adverse.
Thus, with Gu Fan's agreement, Lin Xi and the dance group went mountain climbing at night. However, Gu Fan repeatedly cautioning Lin Xi not to leave the group and stay with her girlfriends at all times.
For the first time, Lin Xi felt that Gu Fan cared so much about her, giving her a sense of being cherished. But she didn't know that it was Gu Fan's intrinsic male nature at play, he just wanted her to be with her girlfriends all the time, which would eliminate any chances for Du Jun to be alone with Lin Xi.
In fact, Lu Yi also wanted to go, but since Gu Fan was staying back, being Gu Fan's best friend, Lu Yi reluctantly sighed: "Following Du Jun, at least I'd be in the company of handsome men and beautiful women what more could one want. But following you, just the two of us, doesn't exactly inspire enthusiasm."
Gu Fan laughed, but he was still a bit worried, fearing a sudden earthquake that would put Lin Xi and the others halfway up the mountain in danger.
Lu Yi seemed to know what Gu Fan was thinking and teased him again: "If you're so worried, why not just go with them?"
At this, Gu Fan shook his head, revealing a hint of helplessness. He believed it was always better to be cautious, especially under such circumstances, they really shouldn't be mountain climbing.
Of course, Gu Fan wasn't the selfish type. So when he saw Lin Xi hesitating, he knew what she was thinking. So Gu Fan helped Lin Xi make the decision, giving the girl he liked support and freedom.
However, if he could do it over, Gu Fan would definitely insist on objecting to Lin Xi and the dance group going out because everything started from this ancient town.