510. Plank Path
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Along the plank path, our class of forty or so gradually stretched into a line.
They called it a group activity, but in reality, the crowd had splintered into a dozen little factions. Close pals, roommates, and scattered friends huddled together, and aside from the initial bus ride, Lin Nan had barely spoken to anyone she wasn’t familiar with.
After an hour or so, her feet began to ache, and she regretted wearing sandals for a nice, cool breeze.
She thought climbing a mountain meant just a stroll along the trails—not a long trek. She believed sandals wouldn’t be an issue, but after an hour on the stairs, she felt like she’d walked the plank to a pirate’s doom.
If it were a shopping spree, this length of time might be bearable, but while the scenery was lovely, it was all too similar.
As they continued upward on the path, Lin Nan’s legs felt weaker, and her chest tightened. Her curiosity got the better of her, and she peeked over the edge at the increasingly high canyon below—her fear of heights was kicking in.
What if this plank path suddenly crumbled beneath her?
The wood was already showing signs of rot, blackened in patches, and she couldn’t help but imagine all sorts of grim scenarios in her head.
The once lively chatter around her had faded into silence, with only the faint sounds of complaints drifting through the air.
“Chen Yao, I’m tired…” After another half hour, Lin Nan leaned against the mountain wall, half-sitting in defeat, shaking her empty water bottle, looking even more pitiful. “I’m thirsty.”
“My feet feel like they’re about to bubble over…” She looked down at her cheap sandals, which were doing her no favors. Normally, a ten-minute walk to class was nothing, but after an hour of walking in these, her soles were screaming in agony.
With a pout, she grumbled about her choices, feeling miserable and questioning her sanity for signing up for such an event.
She never exercised, and suddenly trudging up this endless plank path—mostly stairs—was brutal. Even if magic could keep her stamina up, her feet simply wouldn’t cooperate.
Chen Yao, standing next to her, sighed. “Well, you chose sandals, didn’t you?”
“The problem is, Zheng Qian didn’t say we’d be walking this long!” Lin Nan shot back, glaring at the sheer cliffs opposite them. “How much longer do we have to go?”
“You can’t expect me to carry you, right?” Chen Yao leaned against the wall too, arms crossed. “Should we take a break?”
But Lin Nan suddenly perked up, nodding fast. “How about you just carry me?”
“Seems like you’ve never given me a piggyback ride before, huh?”
He didn’t mind, just looking around at the other tourists flocking that day. A smirk crept on his face. “Aren’t you shy about it now?”
“It’s not like I’m asking for a princess carry or anything…”
“But needing to be carried up a mountain? You’re not a child, you know. People might roll their eyes.”
Easier said than done…
Lin Nan shyly scanned the crowd, suddenly straightening up. “Forget it, let’s keep going. We can rest once we get there.”
Truth be told, she just wanted to hear Chen Yao’s comforting words and wasn’t about to throw in the towel.
Besides, going back would just make things worse.
She slapped her cheeks to shake off the fatigue and trudged onward.
In June, the local average temperature had already climbed above thirty-five degrees Celcius. Before the sun came out, it was manageable, but now, with the blazing sun and over an hour of exercise, Chen Yao was drenched in sweat, his clothes clinging to him uncomfortably.
Complaints echoed louder around them. Others were fine—they had at least done some research before coming—but Lin Nan and her classmates had been blissfully clueless about Zheng Qian’s sneaky agenda, and they were totally unprepared for this trek.
After another ten minutes, the duo caught up to the front squad.
Zheng Qian had gathered a little band of six or seven girls, laughing and chatting as they climbed. He was clearly enjoying the company, smothered by his little “fan club.”
With a frown, Lin Nan slipped closer, her tone ominous. “What if Yao Yao knew you were surrounded by so many girls…?”
“Then I’d probably get dumped right there!” Chen Yao chimed in.
Zheng Qian froze, glancing back with a panicked face. “Stop joking around! What Yao Yao?”
Clearly, the counselor didn’t want anyone to catch wind of his romance.
What a mystery! Could it be that Yao Yao was a guy? Hiss, suddenly she realized that was a possibility!
Zheng Qian, the guy who bothered to use the men’s restroom even after figuring out he was a dude—it was a wonder what made him change tune. Still, he seemed to be a fluttering butterfly when it came to gender.
But with her feet in agony, Lin Nan knew she had to strike back now or risk losing this golden opportunity forever.
So she put on her most innocent face, wide eyes sparkling, and asked, “But Chen Yao, last time you mentioned Yao Yao, you gave me a leave request!”
Chen Yao quickly caught on to Lin Nan’s game and nodded along. “We’ve still got a long way to go, how about the counselor share a bit with us?”
His suggestion sparked curiosity among the other girls, who started buzzing like bees. “Yeah, come on, Zheng! Spill the tea!”
“What does Yao Yao look like?”
“How did you meet her?”
Lin Nan jumped in, “Is it a guy or a girl?”
To everyone’s surprise, one of the girls lit up, “Are you the top or the bottom?!”
Zheng Qian looked pained, glaring daggers at Lin Nan and Chen Yao, cursing under his breath. Yet, in front of the students, he had to maintain his composure, keeping his mouth shut and looking dramatically tormented.
No matter how hard he tried to dodge, the girls’ curiosity surged, buzzing around him like a swarm of pesky flies, peppering him with questions that could make his scalp itch.
Seeing her plan worked, Lin Nan slowed her pace, trailing behind Zheng Qian as she relished the sight of him squirming with a group of girls throwing questions at him.
Her feet didn’t ache anymore, her legs felt rejuvenated, and she felt strong enough to climb.
Although the trail should’ve taken two hours, with stops and starts, Lin Nan finally made it to the end after two and a half hours.
Here, at the summit, the trees had been chopped down, leaving the area open with structures popping up like mushrooms. It resembled a small park. Various stalls offered snacks and meals, and she even spotted a ring toss for prizes.
Sitting on a stone bench, looking down at the small square below, she realized it seemed no bigger than a palm. The towering peaks in the distance felt like they were beneath her feet, a blanket of lush, green forest hiding the paths below.
Lin Nan felt a fleeting sense of conquering the world.
Looking at the distant tiny city, she even felt like she was playing a city-building game.
“Not too shabby, I suppose,” she mused, leaning against Chen Yao’s shoulder, then suddenly jolted upright, her expression one of disgust. “Did you just jump out of a pool? You’re soaking wet!”
With a weary sigh, Chen Yao replied, “Sitting under this sun for so long, it’d be weirder if I wasn’t sweating!”
