Chapter 39 Summer

The kayak spun in the middle of the lake, ripples spreading outwards.

Ji Ling remained within Xia Li's sight. This lake had no other shore, and he was reflected in her eyes, as silent as the glacial lake and as slumbering as time itself.

After kayaking back to the cabin, under the warm, dim light, something seemed to be subtly changing in the air.

Realizing her own feelings, Xia Li surprisingly didn't show much emotion, and even accepted the fact in a very short time.

Ji Ling remained taciturn, as if the person traveling today was not him, but another soul of his. He silently brewed hot cocoa and handed it to Xia Li.

Their fingertips touched, and they both paused for a moment.

Xia Li looked down and didn't immediately pull her hand away, letting the warmth spread from her fingertips to her chest.

At night, when Ji Ling's arm wrapped around her as usual, instead of stiffly accepting it before, this time she leaned back slightly, embedding herself more deeply into the embrace of the person behind her.

Ji Ling's breath caught for a moment on the top of her head, his nose brushed lightly against her hair, and he tightened his arms around her as if to confirm, holding her even closer.

Two days later, based on the guide's recommendation from the last time,

I've booked a glacier visit.

The helicopter had large tires. After Xia Li boarded, she fastened her seatbelt, put on her headphones, and as the helicopter began to take off smoothly, she suddenly felt that everything was unreal. Flying over lakes and swamps and close to glaciers, she almost forgot to breathe.

In this situation, Xia Li suddenly recalled her first reunion with Ji Ling a few months ago.

Memories flooded back; it was at a photography exhibition that day.

She accidentally bumped into him on the top floor of the exhibition hall and almost kissed him.

At that time, Ji Ling asked her if she knew who the photographer was, and if there was a series of glacier photos called "Summer" at the photography exhibition.

She said she didn't know.

Ji Ling said she would find out later.

She wasn't sure if she had figured out whose work those photos were, but at that moment, she could clearly feel that the source of her frantic heartbeat was mainly the people around her.

If her brain were a camera, she would really want to freeze time at this moment.

Ji Ling's appearance in the imagined scene made this already stunning photo even more unique.

Finally, the helicopter landed on a relatively flat ice field. The guide handed Xia Li crampons and a helmet, which Ji Ling took before her and helped her put on. They looked like an exceptionally loving couple, which was truly enviable.

The scene was so beautiful that even the guide, who had seen all sorts of people, cast a peaceful glance at it.

Xia Li lowered her head somewhat embarrassedly. Before she could react, her gaze was drawn to a bright pink color not far away, which stood out conspicuously against the black and white ground. As she got closer, she realized it was a card holder.

She was about to bend down to pick up the cardholder when a strong force came from beside her elbow, restraining her movement.

It's Ji Ling.

Ji Ling squinted at the cardholder for a moment, and after confirming that there was no danger, he took her place, picked it up, and then held it in his hand to make sure there were no problems before handing it to Xia Li.

Xia Li glanced at the cardholder, then looked up at Ji Ling and said, "It must have been lost by someone."

Ji Ling responded to her gaze and gave a soft "hmm" in affirmation.

Xia Li opened the wallet again. The small space was filled with coupons and vouchers, including some credit cards and various supermarket cards. Fortunately, the outermost transparent layer contained her student ID and BRP. She took out the documents and discovered that the owner of the lost items was a student from U University.

Xia Li couldn't help but tilt her head slightly to observe Ji Ling's expression.

Ji Ling is also from U University.

Seeing that Ji Ling didn't react much, she said, "Maybe it was only recently lost. Let's give it to the tour guide."

Before the words had even faded, a call suddenly came from afar. An Asian-looking girl rushed over, camera in hand, her eyes fixed on the pink cardholder. She said anxiously, "Excuse me, this is what I lost. Could you please return it to me?"

Her Chinese had an accent, and she didn't look like someone who grew up in mainland China.

Xia Li compared the girl's appearance on the student ID and found that there was still a big difference. She frowned slightly and said apologetically, "I'm sorry, I think it would be more appropriate to give it to the staff."

The girl panicked instantly, disagreeing with her actions. In a hurry, she grabbed the girl's wrist, brought her face close, and blurted out instinctively, "Really, it really is me, it's just that I changed my makeup today..."

Ji Ling frowned as he stared, his expression somber.

He grabbed Xia Li's wrist, pulled her up, and intertwined their fingers. He broke free from the girl's grip and replied in English, "I'm also from U University."

The girl's expression froze for a moment, then returned to a look of delight, appearing exceptionally cheerful. She began to chat with Ji Ling about U University, from details inside and outside the campus, seemingly trying her best to prove that she was the owner of the card holder.

Xia Li then noticed a photo tucked inside the cardholder. She tried to pull the photo out, and the girl turned her gaze to it, curiously watching her movements and glancing at the photo.

Before the girl could see it clearly, Xia Li said, "It's your photo."

This time it was the girl's turn to be surprised; her expression could only be described as complex.

"Tell us the truth. We'll take a quick look at the situation and, once we know you're trustworthy, we can return your wallet. But if what you've said is all false, we'll have to hand it over to the staff and wait for the process to begin."

After hearing this, the girl hesitated, her feet sinking into the slightly dirty, icy ground. After a moment's consideration, she lowered her head and said, "My name is Mandy. The cardholder doesn't belong to me; she's my friend..."

Mandy moved to Irvine with her parents when she was young and later attended a university there. Her friend was an international student at the University of Michigan in another country. As graduation approached, Mandy hoped her friend would come to live with her, whether to pursue further studies, find a stable and easy job, or do something meaningful together. However, her friend refused all offers. The two had a disagreement, ending on bad terms. Her friend came to Onthan to relax, booking a week-long glacier hike. Mandy secretly followed, doing some questionable things, such as stealing her friend's ID and trying for a week to bump into her on the glacier, hoping her friend would accept her offer…

Mandy told Xia Li the whole story. Xia Li listened thoughtfully. This girl who booked a week-long trip sounded particularly exaggerated. She had heard a similar story from the guide two days ago.

She was somewhat unsure; it shouldn't be the same person. She didn't think she would encounter something so unlikely.

As Ji Ling's hand was firmly clasped in hers, Xia Li gently moved her only movable little finger, hooked it around the back of Ji Ling's hand, and looked up at him, her pleading expression on her face.

Ji Ling gazed at her quietly for a moment, then shyly avoided her gaze, nodded slightly, and turned to the girl, saying, "I'm sorry."

After being rejected, Mandy panicked. In her panic, her logic became a jumbled mess, and she blurted out whatever came to mind. She then hurriedly opened her camera and showed Xia Li photos of herself and her friends: "This is a photo of us when we first met, taken at summer school. This is a photo she took of me on my eighteenth birthday. And this one, this is from when she came to congratulate me on my graduation ceremony. Oh right, there's a photo of me in the card holder, right? It should be this one, this is from our first trip together. We really are close friends."

Xia Li sighed softly. She could tell from the little details that Mandy and her friend had a deep bond, but Mandy had misunderstood her. Xia Li wasn't one to meddle in other people's business, but faced with this situation, she couldn't help but say, "Since you're friends, why not be more honest? Stealing important documents, especially in a foreign country, will make her anxious. Maybe your friend really disapproves of this behavior. She cares about you so much, and you've done something she hates. It might hurt her."

Mandy disagreed: "That's why I'm waiting for her here. I have her documents, and even if she's impatient, she'll listen to what I have to say."

Xia Li really didn't know how to explain it to Mandy. At this moment, Ji Ling couldn't stand it anymore and said bluntly, "You need to return the documents to your friend and respect your friend's wishes."

Mandy seemed to have been struck on a sensitive spot, suddenly pausing, as if she hadn't reacted yet, or perhaps she was deep in thought.

At this moment, the guide came over and said to Xia Li, "Can we set off a little later? Just wait a moment. My friend will be bringing a new companion later. She is all alone and hopes to travel with someone, even if she is not in a different team."

Xia Li nodded. After all, they were from different teams and were just going the same way. She had no objection to whether there was one more or one less person.

Ji Ling, on the other hand, frowned, looking like he had something to say, but when he saw Xia Li's nonchalant expression, he swallowed his words and replied to the guide very politely, "No problem."

He gently held Xia Li's hand with one hand, while his other hand, out of Xia Li's sight, gripped his glove tightly, his fingertips turning white.

Xia Li noticed his less-than-pleasant expression and tilted her head, asking with concern, "Are you alright? Is something bothering you? If you're not feeling well, we can go back sooner. If it's because you're not adapting to the environment here, or if things back home are distracting you,..."

"You can have your assistant buy the return ticket..."

Ji Ling didn't let her finish speaking. After she finished, he calmly turned his head, looked down into her eyes, and said, "I feel very comfortable."

Xia Li replied, "Okay."

Mandy had been looking on for a while, eagerly hoping that Xia Li and Ji Ling would end their nonsensical conversation. Finally, when the time came, she moved closer to Xia Li again, speaking with exceptional sincerity: "Sister, thank you. I've thought about it for a long time and decided to apologize to her. I hope you can give me the documents. If they end up in the hands of the staff, only she can claim them. Rather than hiding this, I'd rather be honest with her."

Seeing that Mandy was no longer the indifferent and aloof person she had been before, Xia Li gently responded and slowly handed over her documents.

Mandy carefully put the package away, thanked them repeatedly, and prepared to leave the area.

At that moment, a girl's figure was slowly walking towards them from not far away.

Two people followed behind the girl: one was Xia Li's current guide, and the other was the guide she had used for kayaking a few days ago.

Seeing the current situation, Xia Li guessed that these must be his companions for today.

"Mandy?" The girl approached, speaking uncertainly, then hesitated and stopped, even showing signs of backing away, as if she had encountered a huge problem.

“Hmm…” Mandy responded, about to explain something to the girl, when the girl turned her gaze to Xia Li, narrowed her eyes, scrutinized her for a while, and then exclaimed in realization, “Ah… I know you! I just saw you online!”