As you walk from the observation platform toward the back of the mountain, the light is gradually blocked by the dense canopy of trees, and the path is once again damp and cool.
Yu Jiuyuan walked ahead, her fingertips parting the drooping vines. Rong Shenghan followed half a step behind her, his gaze occasionally sweeping over her ears, which were slightly red from the sun, before quickly shifting back to the tangled tree roots at their feet.
“Yuan Xu said she wanted to collect moss samples, mostly on shady slopes,” Yu Jiuyuan suddenly spoke, breaking the silence in the forest.
“He told me last time that there is a kind of ‘cushion-shaped ground plum’ in the alpine tundra of Changbai Mountain, which can grow into a round cushion shape in the cracks of rocks, which is particularly interesting.”
When she spoke, her tone was naturally familiar, as if she were sharing a funny story with a friend.
As Rong Shenghan listened, his fingertips unconsciously rubbed his phone in his pocket. He had just sent a message to Yuan Xu, but it went unanswered. It seemed he really had left his phone in the dormitory.
“You seem to know his preferences very well.” Rong Shenghan’s voice was exceptionally clear in the forest, carrying a hint of barely perceptible inquiry.
Yu Jiuyuan turned to look at him. Sunlight filtered through the leaves and fell on her face, half bright and half dark, but her smile was open and honest.
“Yuan Xu is very simple. What she likes and dislikes is written all over her face. Unlike some people, whose thoughts are hidden deeper than the mist of Changbai Mountain.”
She raised an eyebrow meaningfully, her gaze lingering on his face for two seconds before turning and continuing to walk forward.
Rong Shenghan looked at her swaying hair and a faint smile appeared on his lips. The "certain people" who were mentioned were not angry at all. On the contrary, they felt that this kind of closeness with a hint of provocation was more real than her usual innocent and harmless appearance.
“At least I won’t let my friends get lost in the woods.” He followed, his tone relaxed. “Unlike a certain president, who can barely tell which way is which himself, yet he’s still worried about others.”
“Who says I can’t tell the difference?” Yu Jiuyuan retorted immediately, pointing to the moss on a tree trunk. “Look, the moss is denser on the north side and sparser on the south side. If we walk towards the direction with denser moss, we’re heading towards the shady slope, and we can’t go wrong.”
Her earnestness reminded Rong Shenghan of the first time he met her in the student council office.
He had just transferred to the school and was reporting for duty as the newly appointed vice president. She was sitting behind her desk checking documents. Sunlight fell on her slender fingers, her profile was pale and cold, and her aura was sharp. She was completely unlike the "pure and harmless" eldest daughter of the Yu family that was rumored to be.
So this is her true nature: like a beautiful cat, gently rubbing against your hand normally, but surprisingly sharp when she shows her claws.
“It seems Yuan Xu’s teaching of you wasn’t in vain.” Rong Shenghan’s voice was tinged with amusement. “He would be very happy if he knew you remembered his ‘moss positioning method’ so well.”
Mentioning Yuan Xu, Yu Jiuyuan slowed her pace. She recalled the light in Yuan Xu's eyes when she stared at the deer in the forest clearing that morning—a pure love she had never seen in Xie Zhecheng or Rong Shenghan.
“Yuanxu is doing very well,” she said softly, her tone carrying a genuine sense of gratitude. “She lives a very simple and focused life.”
Unlike her, who is always calculating pros and cons and weighing gains and losses, and unlike the person beside me, who seems gentle but is actually calculating every step of the way.
Rong Shenghan didn't reply. He looked at Yu Jiuyuan's profile and suddenly felt that perhaps she wasn't only calculating towards everyone.
At least when Yuan Xu was mentioned, the emotion in her eyes was pure, like a sky washed clean by rain.
The two walked forward for about ten minutes when they suddenly heard a soft knocking sound ahead, like a small hammer striking a stone.
"Found it." Yu Jiuyuan's eyes lit up, and she quickened her pace, pushing aside the bushes blocking her way.
The sight before her made her burst out laughing.
Beneath a shady rocky slope, Yuan Xu was squatting on the ground, holding a small geological hammer and carefully tapping the side of a rock.
His school uniform jacket was carelessly tossed on the grass nearby, the sleeves of his white shirt were rolled up to his elbows, his forearms were covered in mud and dust, his cheek was pressed against the rock, the tip of his nose almost touching the moss, and he looked as focused as if he were performing a delicate operation.
The backpack beside him was open, revealing half a piece of bread that had been bitten into, clearly indicating that he was feeling hungry but couldn't bear to put down his work.
"Yuan Xu, if you keep pressing your face against it, you'll end up living in symbiosis with the moss." Yu Jiuyuan walked over and kicked his backpack.
Yuan Xu was startled, nearly dropping the geological hammer in his hand. He turned around abruptly, and upon seeing them, a flicker of panic crossed his eyes, which then lit up. Holding up his small shovel, he exclaimed, "Look! I've found 'Polymorpha moss'! Its capsules are cylindrical, and..."
He was about to come closer to show it when he realized his hands were covered in mud and dust, so he hurriedly shrank back and frantically wiped them on his pants, only to make them even dirtier.
"Stop rubbing your hands, it'll only make them dirtier." Yu Jiuyuan took out a wet wipe from her backpack and handed it to him. "Clean your hands first, your bread will get hard if you don't eat it soon."
Yuan Xu then noticed the bread at her feet, her cheeks flushed slightly, and she quickly wiped her hands with a wet wipe: "I was so engrossed in seeing how well the moss on this rock was preserved that I forgot about the time..."
As he spoke, he picked up a piece of bread and stuffed it into his mouth, his eyes fixed on the moss on the rock as he chewed, like a child afraid of having his toy taken away.
Rong Shenghan, who was watching from the side, suddenly spoke up: "Do you need any help? Like, putting the samples in bags?"
Yuan Xu, her mouth full of bread, shook her head vaguely and pointed to the specimen box in her backpack: "I brought tools..."
As he spoke, breadcrumbs fell onto his shirt, and Yu Jiuyuan naturally reached out to brush them off for him, her fingertips brushing against his collarbone.
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