Chapter Forty
"Why!"
The girl reacted quickly and helped her up, preventing her from making a fool of herself by falling face-first into the dirt in front of hundreds of people.
With the girl's help, You Congxi steadied himself, shook his head, and thanked her.
She straightened up and subconsciously looked around; it was a sea of heads. Besides Class 7, four other classes had come together. Because there were many classes in the second year of high school, they were split up into several locations for this autumn outing. The homeroom teachers randomly drew lots, and they would go wherever they were assigned.
She slept all the way to her destination in the car. She hadn't paid attention when Tang Miaosong announced the location yesterday, so she was completely clueless about where she was. She looked around at the scenery.
You Congxi was speechless.
I really shouldn't have had any hope for Tang Miaosong's luck.
The surroundings were lush and green, with flowers and grass, and elderly people and children. You Congxi glanced at the sign next to him, and the four large characters "Xishi Park" were prominently displayed at the top.
Okay, there are only a dozen or so classes that drew lots, amusement park, aquarium, Tang Dashu just went for it, big park.
By this time, the two team leaders who had been called away by Tang Miaosong to give instructions had returned to their posts, and You Congxi realized that something even more speechless than the autumn outing to the park had happened.
I don't know how this line was arranged. Looking around, there were definitely people everywhere, and looking back, there was an even bigger line. To my right was the round-eyed girl who had saved my face earlier, and in front—well, as for the front—
Why is there only one Chen Yue standing there in front of Grandpa?
You Congxi was internally frantic, but outwardly remained calm, as if he had accepted in half a second that he was the first in line, second only to the captain.
Bullshit.
When Shen Yue explained the upcoming itinerary, his voice seemed to come from the top of her head. She subconsciously took a half step back. The people in the group were too close together and not arranged by height. As she took a step back, she bumped into a boy.
She quickly turned around and apologized, completely unaware of the unnatural pause in the sound coming from the top of her head. She stood back in her original position, thinking that she hadn't done anything else all morning but had fallen. To avoid this situation from happening again, she subconsciously tried to move forward, but stopped abruptly as soon as she lifted her foot.
Standing in front of Grandpa was Shen Yue.
You Congxi would rather fall face-first into the ground than face-first into poop.
That way, at least I can find a place to sit down and catch up on some sleep, and I don't have to stay in this team where the captain is my new neighbor who just broke up with me and the class representative sitting behind me.
The sound from the top of his head finally stopped, and the line in front started moving. Shen Yue shouted "Follow me!" and started walking forward.
You Congxi used the excuse of tying his shoelaces to step to the left and move outside the line, intending to wait for the main group to move to the front and then sneak to the back of the line without anyone noticing.
A familiar voice came from the top of his head again.
"Don't leave the ranks, return to the ranks."
The male leader seemed to have eyes in the back of his head; he knew without turning around that someone had slipped out of line.
You Congxi was so angry that his head was practically spitting fire.
It's none of your business!
She remained standing outside the line, expressionless.
If you're so capable, then kill her.
Unexpectedly, Shen Yue, that bastard, abused his power. Seeing that she didn't move, he stopped in his tracks, causing the team that hadn't even fully started to come to a complete halt. Those in the back who couldn't see what was happening in front were asking why they had stopped.
You Congxi suddenly looked up and met Shen Yue's gaze as he turned around. She had no doubt that if her eyes could shoot needles like Dongfang Bubai, that bastard Shen Yue would have been turned into a needle-straw man long ago.
Unfortunately, it's not possible.
Shen Yue crossed his arms, his expression calm and indifferent, but his eyes revealed a hint of provocation, giving off an arrogant "what can you do to me?" vibe.
......OK.
You Congxi stared intently at him, grinding her teeth.
She took a few steps back to the front of the line, still shameless.
The shameless bastard raised an eyebrow at the sight, his gaze lingering on the icy-faced girl for a few moments before turning back without a word and continuing to lead the group forward.
Even the round-eyed girl who had been oblivious to the situation noticed that something was wrong.
She gently nudged the girl next to her, who was radiating a gloomy aura, and whispered, "What's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"
fist.
You Congxi felt his fists were rock hard, and he desperately wanted to punch something.
She smiled at the girl and said, "It's okay, thank you."
She is absolutely well-mannered in this regard; even when she is angry, she won't take it out on others, unlike some people.
The girl with round eyes seemed to find her pleasing to the eye, and smiled sweetly, her eyes crinkling: "My name is Cheng Siying, what's your name?"
"You Congxi." You Congxi realized something was wrong as soon as she said it. She turned her head to carefully examine the girl next to her, somewhat surprised. "You don't recognize me?"
Moreover, Cheng Siying?
Even though she was face-blind, she had memorized all the names of the students in the class by heart from the time she collected and distributed homework. You Congxi quickly went through the list in her mind and confirmed that there was indeed no girl named Cheng Siying in Class 7.
You Congxi narrowed his eyes: "Aren't you in Class 7?"
She glanced at the line behind her, making sure most of the faces looked familiar. Then she turned back and saw the girl hurriedly making a "shh" gesture at her.
"Keep your voice down, keep your voice down," Cheng Siying said a little guiltyly. She cleared her throat, leaned close to You Congxi's ear, and whispered like a thief, "My girlfriend has something to do, so I'm going on the autumn outing in her place."
You Congxi was stunned: "Your...girlfriend?"
Cheng Siying nodded: "Yes, I'm a lesbian. Are you homophobic?"
A sneer came from ahead.
You Congxi paused, her fists clenched at her sides, and she told herself that a good woman doesn't fight with a dog.
Meeting Cheng Siying's questioning gaze, she quickly shook her head: "No, aren't you from our school?"
Cheng Siying praised her for being smart and gave her a thumbs up: "I'm from the lab next door."
“Well,” You Congxi said after a long pause, “it’s really good. They’re a truly loving couple.”
Another sneer came from ahead.
You Congxi turned to Cheng Siying and said, "Did you hear a dog barking?"
"Really?" Cheng Siying asked doubtfully. "Maybe it was brought for a walk by an elderly lady or gentleman?"
“That might be it,” You Congxi nodded. “I don’t know what breed of dog it is, but its barking sounds like it’s squeezing laughter out of its throat, it’s creepy.”
The boy in front of him stiffened.
Having achieved his goal of exploring Congxi, he smiled happily.
"You Congxi?" Cheng Siying suddenly asked, "Chen Yue's girlfriend?"
While swimming in the Congxi River, I almost tripped over my own feet and flew into the air.
"......What did you say?"
Cheng Siying said, "Did I say something wrong? I'm sorry, it was my girlfriend who told me."
The boy in front of me suddenly started whistling.
You Congxi suppressed his urge to punch and forced a smile at Cheng Siying: "Siying, what's your girlfriend's name?"
It seems that a new character is about to join Shen Yue's Death Note.
Cheng Siying was simple-minded but not stupid, so of course she could see the displeasure on You Congxi's face, which was forced and not genuine. She smiled foolishly and dodged the question: "Haha, I forgot."
You Congxi: "..."
You Congxi: "Do I look like a fool?"
Before she could speak again, Chen Yue stopped walking ahead.
"We've arrived. Everyone, please be careful. Then let's start according to the rules I just mentioned. Remember, competition comes first, friendship second."
What rules?
The main group dispersed, and people formed small groups to climb up the mountain. You Congxi stood still, a little confused.
She hadn't paid any attention to what Shen Yue was saying. Even though she was only a step away from him, and his voice was practically floating on the top of her head, it was as if her ears had automatically shut down their listening function, and the voice had flown away like an inflated balloon.
She stood there, surrounded by a constant flow of people chatting and laughing. Everyone she knew was in another group, leaving her all alone in this one, like an outsider.
She thought of Cheng Siying, that girl who joined the army in place of her wife, and was also an outsider.
Outsiders should stick together.
You Congxi made up his mind to team up with Cheng Siying to complete this unknown task, which, it seemed, might involve climbing the artificial mountain in front of them.
She turned her head and decided to reach this mutually beneficial consensus with Cheng Siying, a wife-obsessed woman.
result--
Where are they?
Weren't we just here a moment ago?
You Congxi spun around in a 360-degree circle, but still couldn't find any trace of the girl.
After hesitating for a moment, she raised her voice: "Cheng Si..."
"They left a long time ago," a familiar male voice interjected.
You Congxi looked at him without saying anything.
With his bag slung over one shoulder and his hand gripping the strap, Shen Yue said to You Congxi, "If you don't leave now, you won't be able to complete the mission and you'll become a failure."
After saying that, he started walking up the mountain, seemingly just offering a kind reminder to You Congxi.
You Congxi stared at his receding figure for two seconds, pursed her lips, weighed her options, and ultimately succumbed to the shame of becoming a loser.
Dignity is something one should never lose.
She accepted even if it was a provocation.
Thinking it over, she quickened her pace and gradually overtook the middle of the line from the back.
This mountain is not very high. Because it was carved out by human hands, it is usually a place for nearby residents to take a leisurely stroll in the early morning and evening to digest their meals.
As she walked along, head down, she gleaned bits and pieces of information from the people chatting around her, and gradually came to understand what the mission entailed.
Two groups climb the mountain from different directions. The group that gets the red flag planted at the top of the mountain first wins. The losing group has to grant the winning group a request.
Although You Congxi didn't know the purpose of assigning this task, nor did he know why the school had postponed the autumn outing to the beginning of winter, he decided to make the best of it and focus on capturing the flag.
Moreover, another necessary condition for success is that everyone in the group is present.
You Congxi recalled the laughing and chatting crowds along the way, suppressed the urge to sigh, and quickened his pace.
Who cares if everyone can get here? As long as we get the flag, everything else will be fine.
The rules don't say that you have to wait for everyone to arrive before you pull the flag.
She curled her lips into a smile, looking confident and determined, and became even more excited when the flag came into view.
This game is in the bag!
"......"
Shen Yue replied to Xue Meiying's message wishing him a happy birthday, even though they were in different time zones. He then hooked his finger on the slipping backpack strap, and when he looked up again, the girl was no longer in sight.
He frowned, wondering what You Congxi's zodiac sign was, and before he knew it, he had run far away.
Just now, I quickly stopped Cheng Siying, who wanted to ask Shang Congxi to walk with me, just to annoy her. Who would have thought she would be so stubborn, preferring to climb up the mountain by herself rather than walk with me?
He felt he had already given You Congxi enough cold treatment for so many days; if You Congxi still refused to confront his own feelings...
Shen Yue relaxed his furrowed brows and sighed helplessly.
What else can he do? If the hard approach doesn't work, he'll try the soft one. What else can he do? He just doesn't believe that You Congxi has no feelings for him at all.
Giving himself a pep talk, Chen Yue started walking, intending to catch up with You Congxi.
"Team leader!" someone called out to him in a hoarse voice.
He stopped and looked towards the source of the sound: "What's wrong?"
The person who came was a boy, who was out of breath from running too fast. Shen Yue patiently waited for him to catch his breath for a minute while supporting himself on his knees, and then asked again, "What's wrong?"
The boy, one hand on his knee, pointed in a direction with the other: "Swimming...swimming in the Congxi River..."
His words suddenly stopped, because the team leader who had been patiently listening to him just a second ago had already dashed off in the direction he pointed.
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