Chapter 26 It's a cool face, not a poker face...

Jiang Luo's ears were already bright red. She lowered her head, rubbed her nose, and said in a very soft voice, "...It was a gift from me."

Fearing that people might misunderstand, he quickly added, "It's a birthday gift I gave to my senior."

Xia Yi, with his typical straight-male mindset, assumed Jiang Luo was just being overly sensitive and worried that others might mistakenly think he and Gu Shiyue were gay. Upon hearing this, he chuckled and said, "So it was you who sent it. No wonder you reacted so strongly. Don't panic, little brother. I didn't say anything about you two doing *that*. Look how scared you are, hahaha."

Jiang Luo's stress response had nothing to do with whether he was straight or not; he was simply sensitive to everything related to Gu Shiyue.

Of course, he wasn't like this before.

Jiang Luo also realized that her reaction was a bit too much, and she awkwardly gripped her trekking pole tightly.

Xia Yi felt a strong sense of déjà vu when he looked at the chibi-style figure. The cool and aloof expression made it look more and more like Gu Shiyue, and there was even a kitten on its head, just like Gu Shiyue had a cat.

He asked Jiang Luo, "You didn't make this wool felt yourself, did you?"

“…Yes.” Jiang Luo nodded.

"Wow, that's amazing." Xia Yi pointed at Gu Shiyue, "Is this little doll him?"

Jiang Luo pursed her lips but didn't reply.

Xia Yi suddenly burst into laughter: "I knew it was him even without you saying it. Who else could it be but him with that poker face?"

"Let me see." Yao Zhiqing leaned over to look at the charm on Gu Shiyue's bag. "Hmm... it really does look like it."

"It's not just similar, it's exactly the same." Xia Yi pushed Yao Zhiqing forward, exclaiming exaggeratedly, "Alright, alright, let's go, let's go. Just one look is enough. She won't let us touch her, she's a treasure. I just touched her and got a warning look from her, so fierce."

Yao Zhiqing laughed and said, "Who's as clumsy as you? They poked it themselves. If someone gets it dirty, you'll pok it again."

Xia Yi laughed and cursed, "Damn it, I don't have any poop on my hands."

Jiang Luo and Gu Shiyue walked side by side at the back. Gu Shiyue remained silent, but Jiang Luo thought for a moment and decided to defend herself: "Senior, that little doll doesn't have a poker face."

Gu Shiyue turned to look at him.

Jiang Luo tilted his head and rubbed his ears, saying, "It has expressions... It has a cool face, not a poker face."

Gu Shiyue hummed in agreement: "I know."

Jiang Luo turned his head and secretly glanced at the pendant on Gu Shiyue's bag. He was actually quite happy at the moment. He never thought that Gu Shiyue would hang this pendant out.

Gu Shiyue chose a route suitable for beginners this time—not long and not too difficult—but Jiang Luo was hiking for the first time, and his stamina certainly couldn't keep up with those who were used to outdoor activities. The group intentionally slowed down their pace, with Jiang Luo walking behind them and Gu Shiyue following behind him at the very back of the group.

Jiang Luo was already out of breath after walking halfway, and he could clearly hear himself breathing heavily.

"Do you want to take a break?" Gu Shiyue's voice came from behind. They had walked quite a long way, but his breathing rate hadn't changed, and he wasn't out of breath at all when he spoke.

Jiang Luo shook her head: "It's okay, I'm fine."

He glanced back at Gu Shiyue, who was walking at the very back and had to slow down even more. Although the people in front of him were walking slower than usual, they had still managed to put some distance between themselves and Jiang Luo.

"Senior, you go ahead of me," Jiang Luo said to Gu Shiyue. "If you're behind me, I'll just be holding you back."

"Need not."

"It's okay, I can keep up with you."

"I'm right behind you."

"Hmm... okay then."

Jiang Luo wasn't unwilling to be with Gu Shiyue; he was just afraid of slowing down Gu Shiyue's pace.

The journey was tiring, but the scenery along the way was beautiful, making it a truly enjoyable experience. Reaching the summit, Jiang Luo was greeted by a vast and magnificent natural landscape, and at that moment, he genuinely understood the meaning of outdoor activities.

Jiang Luo closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

They rested for a while on the mountaintop, some enjoying the view, others eating. A few of them spread out a picnic blanket on the ground and sat in a circle to eat. Xia Yi took out a packet of pickled chicken feet from his bag and asked Jiang Luo, "Junior, want some?"

Jiang Luo didn't hesitate and said frankly, "Eat."

Xia Yi threw the pickled chicken feet at him: "They're yours now."

Jiang Luo smiled and said, "Thank you, Brother Xia."

Gu Shiyue wasn't there. Jiang Luo turned her head and saw Gu Shiyue standing not far away, taking pictures with a camera.

Jiang Luo couldn't sit still. After finishing half a bag of chicken feet, she grabbed a bag of bread and went to find Gu Shiyue.

They weren't the only group on the mountaintop; there were other hiking groups as well, and the surroundings weren't quiet. Gu Shiyue was looking at photos on his camera and didn't seem to notice Jiang Luo's footsteps. Jiang Luo was right behind him, but he didn't even turn his head.

Jiang Luo simply remained silent and quietly stopped behind him.

This area is a slope, and Jiangluo Station is located on higher ground. From his angle, he can see the photos on the camera screen.

Jiang Luo looked down at the scenery on the screen, her gaze involuntarily falling on Gu Shiyue's fingers.

Gu Shiyue's fingers were long and slender, with slightly protruding veins on the back of his hand and clearly defined finger bones. He had just touched Jiang Luo's hand with this very hand, feeling its warmth.

The sun was shining brightly, and the wind was gentle.

Jiang Luo drifted off into thought in the gentle breeze.

"What are you doing hiding in the back?" Gu Shiyue suddenly spoke up.

Jiang Luo's eyes flickered, and she suddenly came back to her senses.

Gu Shiyue didn't ask who it was, nor did he turn around. Jiang Luo introduced himself in a soft voice: "It's me, senior."

"I know." Gu Shiyue said, then raised his camera and took a picture of the distant scenery.

"When did you find out?" Jiang Luo moved closer to him. "You knew as soon as I arrived?"

"Um."

"So... you knew it was me as soon as I arrived?" Jiang Luo asked, then immediately pursed his lips, thinking to himself, "What kind of inexplicable question is this? Jiang Luo, are you out of your mind?"

Gu Shiyue replied, "Mm."

Jiang Luo rubbed her nose, wanting to ask, "How did you know it was me?" but in the end, she didn't bring herself to ask.

"Are you hungry?" Jiang Luo asked him. "I got you a bag of bread."

"We'll eat later." Gu Shiyue said, turning around to meet Jiang Luo's eyes.

Jiang Luo had just finished eating pickled chicken feet, and his lips were a little red and swollen from the spiciness. Gu Shiyue's gaze fell on his lips, which were redder than usual: "What's wrong with your lips?"

Jiang Luo paused for a moment, then raised her hand to touch the corner of her mouth: "Is there something on it?"

"No." Gu Shiyue turned his head back to continue taking pictures. "What did you eat to get so red?"

"...Pickled chicken feet." Jiang Luo rubbed his lips with the back of his hand, still feeling a slight burning sensation.

As the two were talking, Xia Yi's voice suddenly came from behind them: "What are you two doing here?"

Xia Yi's shout was full of energy, catching Jiang Luo off guard. He slipped and stumbled forward, bumping directly into Gu Shiyue's back. He and Gu Shiyue were too close, and he didn't even have time to react.

Jiang Luo quickly steadied herself by supporting herself on Gu Shiyue's back with her hands, and then quickly removed her hands from his back.

Gu Shiyue glanced at Xia Yi: "What are you yelling about?"

"I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry." Xia Yi quickly apologized to Jiang Luo, and then said, "Hey, hey, what did I do? You two were chatting so enthusiastically that you didn't even hear me when I came over."

Listening to Xia Yi speak was like riding a roller coaster. The moment the word "hot" popped out, Jiang Luo's forehead twitched again: "Brother Xia... let's just have a normal chat."

"Huh?" Xia Yi blinked. "You two can't have a normal conversation?"

Jiang Luo was speechless.

Xia Yi was a simple-minded, straightforward guy, a bit dim-witted. When Xiang Qin came looking for someone, he chuckled beside him. Xia Yi turned around: "What are you laughing at?"

"I'm laughing at you for being an idiot," Xiang Qin said. "Where's your power bank? Charge me up."

"Your phone died in such a short time?"

"I didn't charge it last night." Besides Jiang Luo, Xia Yi is the youngest here. The other two are "adults" and don't have as much of a phone addiction as him, so they naturally wouldn't bring a power bank. Xiang Qin had to borrow one from him.

Xia Yi followed Xiang Qin back: "You go on a long trip without charging your phone or bringing a power bank. I'm speechless. Brother, could you be any more relaxed?"

Jiang Luo watched Xia Yi's departing figure and let out a soft sigh.

They didn't stay on the mountain for long. After eating and drinking their fill and resting for a while, they descended. The descent was faster than the ascent, and there were more people on the path than on the way up. Gu Shiyue was still at the very back. Because the path down was quite wide, other hikers were interspersed among their group.

A girl was walking in front of Jiang Luo. The road was full of stones. The girl tripped over a stone and was about to fall forward when Jiang Luo quickly grabbed her backpack.

The girl screamed and instinctively grabbed Jiang Luo's arm from behind.

Jiang Luo used a bit of force to help the girl forward, but he lost his balance and fell down. Fortunately, he had his hiking poles to support him, so he didn't fall too badly.

Jiang Luo knelt on one knee, holding a trekking pole in one hand and supporting himself on the ground with the other.

To be precise, it wasn't on the ground, but on the rocks.

Gu Shiyue was some distance away from Jiang Luo, and he didn't have time to catch Jiang Luo when he fell.

By the time Jiang Luo felt the pain, Gu Shiyue had already walked up to him.

"Can you move?" Gu Shiyue asked him, frowning.

"Yes." Jiang Luo leaned on his trekking poles and stood up for a moment. His knee had hit a rock earlier, and his leg hurt a little when he exerted force, so he couldn't stand up.

Gu Shiyue helped him up.

"I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry!" the girl beside her apologized repeatedly. "I'm really sorry!"

Jiang Luo smiled and said, "It's nothing, it has nothing to do with you."

Gu Shiyue squatted down and rolled up Jiang Luo's trouser leg to his knee. Jiang Luo was stunned and took half a step back: "...Senior, I'm fine."

"Don't move," Gu Shiyue said, frowning.

Jiang Luo remained motionless.

Jiang Luo had scraped his knee, and the wound was bleeding. Gu Shiyue took out a wet wipe from his bag and wiped the blood off his knee. He then pressed his finger on Jiang Luo's kneecap through the wet wipe and asked, "Does it hurt here?"

"It doesn't hurt. Senior, I didn't break any bones, my bones don't hurt."

Gu Shiyue didn't speak, his expression was not good. After wiping away the blood, he took a disinfectant wipe and said to Jiang Luo, "It hurts a little, bear with it."

He gently disinfected Jiang Luo's face, and it really hurt. Jiang Luo bit her lip to endure the pain, and a layer of sweat appeared on the tip of her nose.

"What happened? Did you fall?" Xiang Qin walked over, followed by several other people. The girl's relatives and friends also came over, and a group of people surrounded Jiang Luo.

The girl turned back to explain the situation to her relatives and friends, feeling guilty and wanting to give Jiang Luo financial compensation. Jiang Luo had to persuade them to leave after much pleading.

After disinfecting, Gu Shiyue applied a sterile dressing to Jiang Luo's wound. Jiang Luo had just braced his hand against the rock, scraping his palm, so Gu Shiyue disinfected and applied a dressing to his hand as well.

"Did you break any bones?" Yao Zhiqing asked.

"No," Jiang Luo said, moving his knees slightly. "Just a scrape."

“It’s not just a scrape, your knee is all swollen,” Xia Yi said.

Jiang Luo grinned and said, "It's nothing, just apply a cold compress when we get back and it will go away."

"Can you still walk?" Xiang Qin asked him.

"Yes." Jiang Luo said, taking a few steps. He could walk, but not smoothly. After all, any movement would aggravate his wound, and it was impossible for it not to hurt. Moreover, the ground was full of stones, making it uneven and even more difficult to walk.

Jiang Luo walked slowly, leaning on her trekking poles, trying her best to make her gait look normal.

Gu Shiyue handed his bag to Xiang Qin, then took the trekking pole from Jiang Luo's hand and handed it to Xiang Qin as well. Xiang Qin understood and took the bag and trekking pole without asking any questions.

Jiang Luo was stunned when his hand went empty, and then he saw Gu Shiyue walk up to him.

"I'll carry you on my back," Gu Shiyue said.

Jiang Luo was taken aback, then quickly said, "No need, no need."

"No need?" Gu Shiyue narrowed his eyes. "If you walk to the foot of the mountain like this, your knees will be so swollen you won't be able to walk tomorrow."

"I……"

"You won't listen to me?" Gu Shiyue asked indifferently.

“…Listen.” Jiang Luo nodded, her voice very soft. “I’m listening.”

Gu Shiyue turned around and leaned down slightly. Jiang Luo wrapped her arms around his neck and climbed onto his back.