Chapter 40: The Journey Ends
The girl's words were like a stone thrown into a lake, startling birds and beasts into a panic.
"Online? You saw me?" Xia Li was stunned, and subconsciously repeated it.
She exchanged glances with Ji Ling, and they both saw the same confusion in each other's eyes.
She is not a public figure, and her travels are extremely private.
Ji Ling frowned, but only for a moment before looking away as if avoiding her gaze, and did not continue to meet her eyes.
The girl seemed to sense Xia Li's confusion and quickly took out her phone, rapidly opening social media platforms. The Arctic Circle is vast, and the signal couldn't support online browsing; even maps needed to be downloaded offline, let alone social media messages. The girl tried several times, but the phone screen remained blank. She could only shrug helplessly, attributing the "I saw you online" message to a possible hallucination.
Before long, under Ji Ling's invisible pressure, Mandy finally mustered up the courage to approach her friend.
"Shishi, there's something I need to tell you."
There was no heated argument as expected.
In the face of pure and magnificent nature, one's own stubbornness and grievances seem insignificant. Mandy explained one by one, even speaking incoherently due to nervousness. Finally, she took out the cardholder she had found and returned it.
Her friend, the real U student, listened silently, a look of helplessness and annoyance flashing across her face, which finally turned into a long sigh. She took the wallet and gently hugged Mandy.
"Mandy, are you stupid?"
There were few words exchanged, but the tense atmosphere had already eased.
"Shall we go together?" the guide suggested at the right moment, and so what was originally planned as a trip for two became a wonderful group of four. After the guide finished explaining, they began to head deeper into the glacier.
Ice climbing is physically demanding.
Ji Ling went first, putting on his safety belt and checking his equipment. His movements were skillful and efficient, clearly indicating that he was not a novice. Xia Li followed his example, swinging his pickaxe while wearing crampons and stepping into the ice wall.
"Relax your wrists and engage your core." Ji Ling's cool voice was somewhat low in the air.
Xia Li looked up at him, her heartbeat inexplicably disordered. It felt as if the ice axe wasn't being carved into the glacier, but rather gently tapping her heart.
As they approached the top of the slope, Ji Ling squatted down without anyone noticing, extending one hand and suspending it in mid-air.
Xia Li hesitated for a moment.
She could have completed this final step on her own, but inexplicably, she raised her hand, still covered in ice shavings, and placed it in his palm.
With a slight effort, Ji Ling easily pulled her up, the force just right. But the moment she stood firmly, he let go, as if his support was an unconscious action.
Only then did Xia Li realize that she was standing very close to Ji Ling, and she quickly distanced herself.
"Are you alright?" Ji Ling asked, his voice a few decibels hoarseer than usual.
"Hmm." Due to excessive physical exertion, Xia Li was slightly out of breath, lowering her head to hide the inexplicable heat in her ears.
Mandy and Shishi had somehow walked ahead and were talking in hushed tones, their backs showing a return to their usual intimacy.
Xia Li turned her head and glanced at Ji Ling, who remained walking beside her.
"careful!"
When she slipped and fell due to distraction, Ji Ling quickly and firmly caught her.
"Wow!" Mandy exclaimed.
Xia Li looked up at the sound and saw an extremely open ice field not far away, like a huge ice canyon that had been cleaved open. Sunlight refracted on the ice walls, radiating dazzling brilliance.
"Sister, can you take some photos for us?" Mandy trotted up to Xia Li, a little shy and expectant, and handed her the camera.
It was a professional camera, heavy and with a familiar yet unfamiliar feel.
She was somewhat flustered, swallowed hard, and subconsciously looked at Ji Ling.
Ji Ling nodded slightly, her eyes filled with encouragement.
Xia Li took a deep breath.
Having not touched a camera for quite some time, the moment her finger touched the shutter and lens ring, she skillfully adjusted the parameters, found the right angle, and looked through the viewfinder at the two smiling girls beneath the glacier.
Friendship was frozen in this moment, flowing with the warmth of something lost and then regained.
"That's amazing!" Mandy excitedly leaned over to watch the replay, praising it sincerely.
Shishi, on the other hand, looked at Xia Li with a scrutinizing expression, her mind preoccupied.
"What are you looking at?" Ji Ling noticed Shi Shi's gaze, squinted at her, and said unhappily.
“…It’s nothing,” Mandy interrupted Shishi before she could finish speaking, as if she knew what Shishi was thinking. She said casually, “Are you still thinking about what you saw online? Didn’t you say you mistook someone for someone else? What? Is it really the pretty lady in front of you? By the way, what message did you see? Just tell me.”
Shishi shook her head, her lips slightly parted as if she wanted to speak, but then she sighed: "It can't be explained in a few words. It's not a bad thing... no, it can't be called a good thing either."
Shishi's words made Xia Li, who hadn't taken the matter to heart, a little anxious. At that moment, Mandy nudged her, and they bumped into Ji Ling's shoulder.
Ji Ling took the opportunity to put his arm around her waist and hold her protectively in his arms.
Mandy, satisfied with the sight of the handsome man and beautiful woman, raised her voice and said, "Let's not talk about such depressing topics. It's fate that we met today. Why not just enjoy the beautiful scenery? My parents bring the whole family here for a road trip every three years. Let me tell you, the glacier beneath our feet is changing every moment. Tomorrow, it might look like a completely different scene..."
Mandy knew quite a bit about it and kept talking.
“So, older brothers and sisters, it’s your turn now!” Shishi continued Mandy’s words with a smile, “Let Mandy take a picture of you! Mandy is a directing student, so her skills are guaranteed.”
Mandy quickly took back the camera and gestured for them to stand in the best vantage point.
Before Xia Li could react, Ji Ling had already naturally put his arm around her shoulder and led her to the clear ice wall. His actions were open and firm, as if it were only natural.
Xia Li leaned slightly towards him, feeling the warmth and strength emanating from his chest.
Facing Mandy's camera, she was initially a little stiff, but Ji Ling's hand on her shoulder gently squeezed it, as if conveying some kind of calming power. She gradually relaxed, turned her head, and met Ji Ling's downcast gaze. Her usually cool and aloof eyebrows and eyes were incredibly soft.
At this moment, there is no need for any deliberate posing; the vastness of the glacier is the backdrop, and they are the only focus in each other's eyes.
Mandy captured just such a moment.
Genuine feelings flowed silently where eyes met.
After climbing the glacier, I was extremely tired, but I also felt a sense of exhilarating comfort.
Mandy enthusiastically recommended accommodations, "Brother and sister, have you been to the most famous hot spring town around here? It's called Luo Town, and it's about a four or five-hour drive from us. I go there every time I come here. Do you want to go and relax together?"
Mandy raised an eyebrow at Ji Ling, as if to say: I'm going to risk everything to create some alone time for you, so say yes! And remember to thank me after you say yes!
Perhaps the trip to the glacier brought them closer, or perhaps they longed for warmth when they were tired, but neither Xia Li nor Ji Ling refused.
Mandy drove, enthusiastically offering a ride to the group, and confidently assured them that they would arrive before sunset.
Shishi sighed and rubbed her forehead, disapproving of Mandy's boastful manner. She gently patted Mandy's forehead and said, "Are you out of your mind? This is the Arctic in July. It might not even be dark by 2 a.m.
Xia Li sat in the back seat, her hand held tightly by Ji Ling.
The first was friendship, the second was love.
Perhaps everyone's youth is dominated by these two emotions.
Xia Li's friendship may be ahead, behind, or somewhere far away and unknown.
But at least, love is by my side right now.
Climbing the glacier had taken a toll on her energy, and when she arrived at the hotel, she could barely lift her feet. She leaned lazily against the entrance, but she hadn't completely let her guard down.
The words Shishi mentioned were like a tiny thorn, constantly pricking her heart.
She picked up her phone; the signal had been restored. As she logged into social media, her fingertips carried a hint of urgency that she herself didn't even realize.
Just then, an arm wrapped around her from behind, warm and carrying a faint, sweet grapefruit scent.
The hand didn't exert any force; it simply rested loosely on her lower abdomen, creating a subtle restraining effect that successfully made her fingertips, which were about to tap the screen, pause in mid-air.
Xia Li stiffened slightly.
Ji Ling's chest pressed against her back, through a thin layer of fabric, his chin gently resting on her shoulder, kissing her neck down to her collarbone, his kisses sparkling and tender.
"What's wrong?" Xia Li asked.
She could clearly feel the heat emanating from his body and his steady heartbeat.
"Stop looking." Ji Ling's voice was deep as he gently bit her earlobe.
Ji Ling hugged her even tighter, their bodies almost touching, and at the same time, his other hand covered hers, his warm, dry palm enveloping her hand with a light touch, and he took the phone away.
His fingertips even gently caressed the back of her hand.
“There’s nothing to see,” Ji Ling repeated, his breath getting closer, almost whispering in her ear, his voice losing its usual coldness.
Xia Li felt her ears burning up rapidly, and the heat seemed to be spreading.
She was held in Ji Ling's arms, his strong chest behind her, and his hand covering her in front of her. The air around them seemed to become thin and viscous, filled with his unique scent.
She tilted her head slightly, trying to avoid his overly hot breath, but her lips inadvertently brushed against his cheek, which was so close to hers.
Ji Ling's throat bobbed, and he let out a very soft and suppressed sigh. He tightened his grip on her arm slightly, guiding her, and at the same time released his hold, embracing her more tightly, more deeply, and more completely from behind.
He lowered his head, his nose gently brushing against her earlobe.
The movements were slow, carrying a tentative, cherished quality.
Xia Li could feel the vibrations in his chest and hear his slightly more rapid breathing than usual. She stopped struggling and speaking, simply leaning quietly against him, feeling the sudden intimacy. She unconsciously closed her eyes, as if in acquiescence, or perhaps as a silent invitation.
Finally, his lips, burning hot, landed on the corner of her lips.
There was no rush to go deeper; they simply stayed close, feeling the trembling of their skin touching.
Outside the window, all was quiet; inside, the sound of each other breathing could be clearly heard.
The cold of the glacier has been completely forgotten, leaving only the gradually rising heat, enough to melt away reason.
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