Chapter 47 A Heart-Fluttering Departure A casual mention of it, and he kept it in his heart ever since…

The sun was blazing, and the gazes were intense.

Zhu Liushuang was so disoriented that she couldn't distinguish between reality and fantasy. Sweat blurred her vision, and the person standing in the light and shadow seemed so far away from her.

She couldn't help but raise her hand to rub her eyes, wanting to see more clearly.

Her eyelashes were damp, and He Ming's tall figure gradually became clear in her misty eyes.

He wasn't far from her at all.

Zhu Liushuang quickened her pace and walked to He Ming's side.

"Senior, why did you get off the bus?" Her heart was pounding, but she held back her emotions and asked with restraint.

He Ming lowered his head slightly, his gaze sweeping over the suitcase in Zhu Liu's hands.

"I have a lot of stuff in the trunk, I'm afraid you won't be able to fit it all in," he said succinctly.

"Oh—" Zhu Liushuang responded blankly and immediately let go. When she looked down, she saw the sweat stains on the suitcase handle, which made her look a little embarrassed.

She quickly opened her backpack flap, intending to grab a tissue to wipe the handle clean, but He Ming didn't give her a chance to fix it.

Or rather, only she herself would care about these trivial details.

Zhu Liu watched in disbelief as He Ming grabbed the sweat-stained pull tab with one hand, and the suitcase was lifted into the air.

The car trunk was opened, and after two quick "bangs," the box was stuffed into the back.

Zhu Liushuang's hand froze in mid-air as she stared blankly as he closed the trunk, unsure of what to say. It wasn't until He Ming turned to leave that she belatedly added, "Thank you."

My thoughts were immediately drawn back to the campus of Gucheng No.1 Middle School that year.

He Ming had carried her suitcase back then.

I wonder if he still remembers?

"Senior, do you still remember..."

"How were your mother's test results during her hospitalization?"

Two voices rang out at the same time, and Zhu Liushuang subconsciously fell silent, almost biting her tongue.

"What did you just ask me to remember?" He Ming, who was walking ahead, suddenly stopped and turned to ask her.

From her angle, she could see his high, straight nose and his eyes that slanted inwards towards his temples.

Zhu Liushuang's heart skipped a beat.

She quickly lowered her head, not daring to look He Ming in the eye any longer.

"No...it's nothing," Zhu Liushuang muttered to herself, a hint of regret in her voice that was hard to detect. "It's nothing important."

The person in front remained silent, nor did he take any steps.

Zhu Liushuang looked up in surprise; he was still waiting for her to continue.

So she put on a smile again and said, "My mother was just discharged from the hospital today, and her test results are all good. Dr. Liu said she can have a follow-up visit once a month from now on!"

Zhu Liushuang was especially happy that her mother's condition was gradually improving. She was even happier when He Ming suddenly inquired about her mother.

"Everything will get better slowly," He Ming said, seemingly infected by her emotions.

Zhu Liushuang caught up with him and asked, "How did you know my mother was hospitalized, senior?"

Actually, her question was somewhat unnecessary.

It was probably the excessive dopamine secretion that impaired her thinking ability.

"I overheard my grandfather mentioning it by chance."

When it was mentioned casually, he kept it in mind.

Zhu Liushuang's eyes curved into crescent moons, and the corners of her mouth couldn't help but turn up.

She strode to He Ming's side and stood beside him, glancing at the man next to her every now and then.

In fact, it's only a few meters from the back of the car to the front, but they walked and stopped, making it seem like they had traveled thousands of miles.

To avoid being noticed by He Ming's smugness, Zhu Liushuang took off her sun hat to cover half of her face.

“We’ve gone too far,” He Ming’s voice came again.

Zhu Liushuang braked hastily, only to realize that she had passed He Ming's SUV and walked towards the SUV further ahead.

As expected, getting carried away with success can lead to embarrassment!

Zhu Liushuang turned around and silently blinked at He Ming a few times, revealing an inexplicable look of innocence.

Because the lower half of her face was covered by her hat, her eyes looked larger than usual, bright and moist. When she blinked, her curled eyelashes fluttered up and down, like soft feathers brushing against clear lake water.

It also quietly brushed against He Ming's heart.

In a corner unnoticed by Zhu Liushuang, He Ming forgot what he wanted to say.

He lowered his gaze briefly before reaching out to open the back door of the car and saying, "Hurry up and get in the car, the tour guide said in the group chat that we're about to depart."

Wait, isn't it the passenger door?

Zhu Liushuang walked back, feeling a little disappointed.

So—did he want to squeeze himself in with Gu Xufeng and his sister?

Before Zhu Liushuang could speak, the person in the car gave her the answer.

Gu Xufeng unbuckled his seatbelt and stepped out, jokingly saying, "Why did it take so long to put down your suitcase? Old He, you didn't secretly assign Miss Zhu any work again, did you?"

Zhu Liushuang patted her chest: Thank goodness it wasn't anything else that was being teased!

However, after they were alone outside for a while, Gu Xufeng actually started thinking about work; his thought process was truly unique.

Zhu Liushuang suppressed a laugh as she scrutinized He Ming's expression, but couldn't discern anything.

He casually urged Gu Xufeng, "Hurry up and get in the passenger seat, or we'll be late."

"Alright, make room for the two fairies!" Gu Xufeng whistled and said ingratiatingly.

"Sister Xiaoshuang, you're finally here! If you hadn't come up, I was going to kick my brother down to check on things." Gu Xuting leaned out halfway and pulled Zhu Liushuang into the car, giving her a big bear hug.

With her head resting on Gu Xuting's shoulder, Zhu Liushuang couldn't help but look up at the two men in front of her fastening their seatbelts, thinking to herself: It seems all that mental preparation she did was for nothing.

But it's good, sitting in the back with Gu Xuting is definitely more comfortable and pleasant than sitting in the front passenger seat.

Zhu Liushuang is not a greedy person.

For her, being able to hitch a ride with He Ming was already an extremely lucky thing. What's more, they had three days and two nights to spend time together.

Thinking about it this way, I couldn't help but feel excited.

"Sister Xiaoshuang...cough cough...I can hardly breathe." Gu Xuting said, her face flushed. "I didn't expect you to miss me so much!"

Zhu Liushuang then released her grip, saying embarrassedly, "I'm sorry, Gu Gu, I didn't control my strength properly."

————

As the car sped down from the Ningguo North Expressway exit, a sign reading "East Entrance of the Southern Anhui-Sichuan-Tibet Highway" could be seen through the car window.

Zhu Liushuang vaguely remembered that Gu Xuting excitedly told her at the beginning of the journey that she would get off the bus and take a photo at the east entrance.

The little girl beside her was fast asleep, her head resting heavily on her shoulder, showing no sign of waking up.

Zhu Liushuang vaguely noticed that the car was moving slower than before.

"Do you want to get out and take more photos?" He Ming asked, glancing at the rearview mirror.

Zhu Liushuang hesitated: "Gu Gu is asleep..."

“Tingting has a terrible temper when she wakes up. I advise you not to wake her, or you’ll be in for a world of trouble!” Gu Xufeng frowned and turned around, practically begging.

"And what about you?" He Ming continued to ask.

"Me? Oh... no need. Getting out of the car to take pictures is a waste of time, it's just one photo spot. There aren't any cars stopping ahead, are there?" Zhu Liushuang realized that He Ming was asking her, and quickly replied.

"Okay." He Ming stepped on the gas, increased the speed, and caught up with the convoy ahead.

Gu Xufeng sat in the passenger seat, pondering the conversation between He Ming and Zhu Liushuang, feeling somewhat bewildered.

The way these two are talking... why do they sound like they know each other so well? He clearly knew Zhu Liushuang much longer than He Ming did!

Also, was he blatantly ignored?

Something's fishy; something definitely happened that he doesn't know about!

And so, Gu Xufeng began to observe the two people intentionally or unintentionally during the rest of the journey.

The car moved steadily forward on the winding mountain road, with rolling green hills, steep cliffs, and shimmering lake water in sight.

We arrived at Chujiatan at 3:30 pm. The summer sun had not yet set, but the cool mountain air made us feel refreshed.

The convoy stopped at the tourist distribution center, and dozens of people dragged their suitcases and headed towards their accommodations.

Zhonghe booked a five-star hotel, while Ruixin booked a guesthouse. The two accommodations are a few hundred meters apart and in different directions.

Zhu Liushuang dragged her suitcase and walked alongside Zhuang Xiaoqian, chatting and laughing about gossip.

"Sister Xiaoshuang, waaaah—I don't want to be separated from you, why don't you come live with me!" Gu Xuting rushed over from behind and wrapped her arms around Zhu Liushuang's neck.

Zhu Liushuang had to stop. She glanced helplessly at Zhuang Xiaoqian beside her and said, "No, I've already made an appointment with this pretty lady! I heard that your brother's firm has booked suites, which are much more upscale than our company's guesthouse. Let's go back!"

"It's so boring following two men. One is so cold that I'm a little scared, and the other just argues with me and tries to control me!" Gu Xuting held onto Zhu Liushuang's hand tightly, her words full of resentment.

"Then why did you beg Mom and Dad to let me bring you here?" Gu Xufeng caught up from behind and said angrily, "Gu Xuting, do you have any conscience? You can't just kick me away like that!"

Zhu Liushuang patted Gu Xuting's hand and whispered comfortingly, "Although we don't live together, we can have dinner together later. There's also a bonfire concert tonight! Go back with your brother first, or your sister won't let you play!"

After being persuaded by Zhu Liushuang, Gu Xuting obediently let go of Gu Xufeng's hand and went back with him.

Zhu Liushuang smiled and shook her head, then turned back to continue walking and chatting with Zhuang Xiaoqian.

"You seem to know that girl quite well? She seems very affectionate towards you," Zhuang Xiaoqian asked curiously.

Zhu Liushuang replied, "She often buys my tiramisu, and we became familiar with each other over time. She's only in her second year of high school, and she's quite cute."

Zhuang Xiaoqian laughed and said, "She's not young anymore, not much older than you. That girl looks like she's been pampered by her family..."

Zhu Liushuang agreed with the second half of Zhuang Xiaoqian's statement.

What was she doing in her second year of high school? Was she figuring out how to save money on her meal card, or thinking about doing more housework on weekends to ease her mother's burden?

During high school, she never traveled anywhere; the farthest she ever went was to her maternal grandmother's house in the countryside.

Not to mention, people like Gu Xuting take road trips during the summer vacation.

"Liu Shuang, are you feeling carsick?" Zhuang Xiaoqian asked with concern when she noticed that Liu Shuang's complexion wasn't very good.

I've been off the bus for a while now, why am I still getting carsick?

Moreover, He Ming drove very steadily the whole way, and she, who has extremely sensitive sensory organs, did not feel uncomfortable sitting in the back seat.

It's just that thinking about the past makes me feel a little lost and sad.

"It's nothing, I just ate little for lunch and am a little hungry," Zhu Liushuang said gently.

"I brought some soda crackers in my suitcase, want me to give you some?"

Zhu Liushuang felt a warmth in her heart and waved her hand: "No need, no need, it's too much trouble. Sister Zhuang, let's hurry up and check in. After we've settled in, we can take a walk on the lakeside boardwalk before dinner. I think the scenery here is quite beautiful."

"Okay, but I'm really looking forward to the bonfire music concert tonight. By the way, Liu Shuang, you sing so well, you have to show off your talent and amaze everyone!" Zhuang Xiaoqian said excitedly.

"Sister Zhuang, please stop teasing me. I get nervous with so many people around..."

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Author's Note: Ta-da! The last update of 2024 is here! Sweetness overload!

Wishing all the readers a happy and healthy 2025!

Let's hope that Shuangshuang and her senior's love will blossom and bear fruit in 2025!

(The section on the self-driving tour along the Anhui-Sichuan-Tibet Highway may contain some personal additions and differ from the actual route.)