The three drove to the parking lot at the foot of Xia Zhaoshan Mountain, parked their car, found Ren Baiping's friend, and met up with them.
Five of Ren Baiping's friends came this time, three women and two men, all of them young people.
Among the five people, there was a couple who appeared to be holding hands.
Now, including Cheng Qicai and the others, there are a total of eight people. When you look at them together, it's quite a lot.
After introducing themselves, Cheng Qicai noticed that Gu Rongqi was the person they were most interested in. She could feel their curious gazes from the moment they met.
Ren Baiping stepped forward and said, "Alright, even if he's handsome, you can't just stare at him like that! At least give us ordinary people some more attention, especially Wu Jingjing, your boyfriend is right here!"
Ren Baiping's words immediately created a harmonious atmosphere among everyone.
The group set off together, chatting and laughing.
Although Xia Zhaoshan is called a mountain, it is not actually very high, and the terrain is relatively gentle. It only takes about 30 minutes to climb to the highest point.
Perhaps because it's Friday, there are quite a few people coming to see the night view, and we occasionally run into other people who have come to climb the mountain.
It wasn't quite dark yet. Walking on the gray stone steps and smelling the fresh scent of plants, Cheng Qicai felt instantly refreshed.
The noisy chatter of Ren Baiping's friends around Cheng Qicai made her feel like she was back in college.
When climbing a mountain, there is a back-and-forth movement, and at most three people can walk side by side. But even with three people walking, it is still a bit cramped, and it is easy to bump into someone.
Originally, Ren Baiping and Cheng Qicai were in the same row, but as they walked, he moved to the front. In addition, his friends chatted with him from time to time, so in the end, only Cheng Qicai and Gu Rongqi were left walking at the back.
Watching Ren Baiping and his friend chatting in front of her, Cheng Qicai turned around and started chatting with Gu Rongqi.
She exclaimed, "It's been so long since I've experienced this kind of life."
"This kind of life?" Gu Rongqi didn't understand what kind of life Cheng Qicai was talking about.
"Yeah, back in college, my favorite thing to do every week was to go hiking or take a trip around the area with my friends on weekends. When we weren't going out, we'd stay out until the wee hours of the morning, a bunch of us going crazy on the street. But now I don't have any friends in City A anymore, so I'm just stuck back in my rented room getting moldy."
Cheng Qicai reminisced about her past life, her whole body radiating joy and longing, her eyes shining brightly.
She seemed to be glowing.
Perhaps this is the reason why one can feel her abundant vitality.
"You can call me to hang out sometime in the future," Gu Rongqi said gently, looking ahead.
Cheng Qicai's heart skipped a beat, and she stared blankly at Gu Rongqi's profile.
Remembering how Gu Liji kept emphasizing how strict Gu Rongqi's parents were, Cheng Qicai looked at him and said, "Never mind."
"What's wrong?" Feeling Cheng Qicai's gaze, Gu Rongqi turned his head to look back at her.
"No," he joked, trying to sound casual, "I wouldn't dare call you, you're so busy."
This statement is half true and half false.
“No,” Gu Rongqi paused for a moment, “You know my parents are actually very strict, and I rarely experience this kind of life, so I feel it’s good to come out and experience a different life with you. It’s also a way to relieve stress.”
This was the first time Cheng Qicai had heard Gu Rongqi talk about his parents; before, she had only occasionally heard a few words from Gu Liji.
Cheng Qicai couldn't help but be curious about what kind of parents Gu Liji had that made him so afraid, so she asked, "How strict are your parents?"
"It's alright, but I just need to meet their requirements."
"What if it didn't reach that level?" Cheng Qicai asked.
Gu Rongqi thought for a moment and said, "It seems that I have always met their requirements, I have never failed to meet them."
"Huh?" Cheng Qicai was somewhat surprised. "What are your parents' requirements?"
She couldn't imagine that anyone in the world could completely meet her parents' expectations.
Is this the perfect child in other people's eyes?
Although she heard Gu Rongqi admit it, she still couldn't believe it. She felt that no one could do things that completely met their parents' wishes. Just like how Ms. Yun often did things that Ms. Yun asked her to do, she often did them in a way that did not meet her expectations.
Of course, Ms. Yun is partly to blame. She has a very impatient personality and is easily criticized. However, she is not without her own responsibility as well. She was indeed slow and procrastinating when she was a child.
Gu Rongqi said, "It's about what rank you need to get in the exam, what school and major you need to study, what books you need to read every day, and what skills you need to learn."
"Oh, the academic high-achiever path, huh?" Cheng Qicai understood. "So your parents arrange everything for you, won't you be unhappy?"
"It's okay, it doesn't really matter which one I choose."
Cheng Qicai didn't understand, but at the same time she became even more curious, "So, from childhood to adulthood, has there never been anything that went against your parents' wishes?"
Gu Rongqi pondered for a moment, then nodded and said, "Yes, but not really."
When Cheng Qicai saw him nod, she felt that this made sense.
She said that Gu Rongqi is such a grown man, yet he has never been rebellious.
"What is it?" Cheng Qicai asked.
“When I was in school, my parents called me home once, but I told them that I was busy with schoolwork. In reality, I went on an adventure in the forest.”
Cheng Qicai's gossipy heart sank. She thought it was something serious, but it turned out that he was just lying to his parents that he was studying, but in reality, he had already run off to play.
To be honest, Cheng Qicai has been doing this kind of thing since she was a child.
In the past, when Ms. Yun came home, she would ask her if she had finished her homework, and she would always say that she had, even though she had just come back from playing with her friends.
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