Rong Shenghan stood there, watching her light and quick retreating figure, the cool touch of her skin still lingering on his fingertips. He smiled to himself, his eyes filled with complex and unreadable emotions.

Not dependent? Perhaps.

It's sometimes hard to say who can't live without whom first, when it comes to the person being pursued and the person being pursued.

As the sun set, the three finally emerged from the pine forest.

The lights on the observatory were already on, like a star suspended in the mountains.

Xie Zhecheng stood on the steps of the observation platform, seemingly waiting for someone. When he saw them, his gaze lingered on Yu Jiuyuan for two seconds before quickly looking away and turning to walk into the light.

"It seems that President Xie's equipment problem has been completely resolved." Yu Jiuyuan looked at his back and a knowing smile appeared on her lips.

Yuan Xu didn't understand the unspoken meaning in her words, but excitedly said, "I need to hurry back to the dormitory to organize the samples! We're going to collect samples at an even higher altitude tomorrow!"

After he finished speaking, he grabbed his backpack and ran off, leaving Yu Jiuyuan and Rong Shenghan standing there.

"Looks like our busy president is going to be busy again." Rong Shenghan's voice was tinged with laughter.

Yu Jiuyuan turned to look at him. The afterglow of the setting sun fell between them, casting long shadows. She suddenly felt that this fifth day in Changbai Mountain seemed more lively than the previous four days combined.

Xie Zhecheng's awkwardness, Rong Shenghan's probing, Yuan Xu's blushing... these vivid emotions are like a palette, painting increasingly rich colors on her originally black and white "taming manual".

"It's good to be busy." She smiled and turned to walk back to her dormitory. "Otherwise, it would be so boring."

Rong Shenghan watched her retreating figure and didn't follow. The evening breeze ruffled the hem of his clothes, and the distant snow-capped peaks gradually disappeared into the twilight, like silent bystanders.

He took out his phone, and the screen displayed an unsent message, which he had wanted to send to her in the woods earlier: "Actually, I don't like people who are too complicated."

My finger hovered over the send button, paused for a few seconds, and finally I pressed delete.

Some things are better left unsaid.

At least for now, it's quite interesting to watch her, like a proud peacock, maneuvering in the net she's woven.

As dusk deepened, the stars on Changbai Mountain began to shine one by one, like scattered diamonds on black velvet.

Under the lights of the observation deck, Xie Zhecheng looked at the perfect spectral curve on the computer screen, but for the first time he felt that these cold data were far less unsettling than the figure who had just smiled at him in the forest.

This unfinished trip to Changbai Mountain is like a huge stage, where everyone plays their own role, but no one knows who will rewrite the final script.

Yu Jiuyuan stood by the dormitory window, looking at the starry sky, her fingertips tracing the string of numbers jumping on the system panel, her smile growing deeper.

Great, the game has only just begun.