### 511. Sidekick
The development at the mountaintop was quite impressive; if Lin Nan didn’t glance outside, she’d almost believe she had stepped into a theme park.
One after another, her classmates stumbled up the walkway, all exhausted and whining as they hurriedly sought out chairs to plop down on, while others, still brimming with excitement, darted about snapping photos.
The sun was scorching, and many of the students, like Chen Yao, were drenched in sweat. Lin Nan seriously doubted if there was even a place to shower here.
She peered back at the pathway they had taken and curiously asked, “You’re not going to make us walk back tomorrow, right?”
“Probably not? Once is enough,” Chen Yao said, lounging comfortably beside her.
The mountain breeze was refreshingly cool; sitting under a tree, feeling the wind ruffle her sweat, he also seemed to grow drowsy, yawning and leaning back in his chair, propping up his legs with glee.
After a short wait, Tu Junhui and Xiong Da made it to the mountaintop as well.
Tu Junhui, who had previously announced he was going to flirt with Lin Kexin for some reason, ended up chatting and laughing with Xiong Da instead. Both were distracted, playing games on their phones while they ambled about, blissfully unaware of their surroundings.
Zheng Qian also showed up, preparing to gather the students for yet another headcount, clearly paranoid that someone might actually be lost.
However, he looked rather haggard, without the usual entourage of female classmates, his face grim – perhaps he had a meltdown earlier.
Upon spotting Lin Nan and Chen Yao, Zheng Qian glared menacingly at them.
Lin Nan kept an innocent expression, blinking her large eyes and giving a cute look, signaling that she knew nothing at all.
After waiting a bit longer, the students gradually assembled. After taking attendance, Zheng Qian declared free time and headed toward the camping area to rent tents.
The area was bustling with commercial activity; nearly every common snack was available, surrounded by a variety of restaurants, outdoor barbecues, inns, convenience stores, and shopping malls. Living here was no different from anywhere else, though prices were notably steeper.
When they set out, Lin Nan had already deemed the five-yuan water bottles too pricey, only to discover here they were ten. Still, she just had to s*ck it up and say nothing.
Lin Nan was increasingly suspicious that Zheng Qian brought them to this tourist spot for a kickback.
There were quite a few visitors around; after sitting for a few minutes, dozens passed by. Lin Nan felt rested enough and tugged on Chen Yao to head toward Snack Street.
Chen Yao wore an expression of helplessness, clutching his stomach as if he wouldn’t need dinner today.
“Chicken wings wrapped in rice!” Just a few steps in, Lin Nan excitedly rushed to the entrance of a stall, peered inside, and then shoved Chen Yao into the line, “You get in line for me!”
These snack stalls generally had queues. The line wasn’t too long, but it would take at least ten minutes to get to the front.
Lin Nan lacked the patience for that, but her boyfriend was proving handy at this moment.
“Just don’t run off, okay?” Chen Yao called out to her from the line, a hint of worry in his voice.
“Got it, I’ll just peek around up ahead.”
The street was perfumed with the aroma of various foods, leaving Lin Nan even more excited; suddenly, walking for hours here didn’t feel unbearable at all.
“Lin Nan! Over here!”
Before she had strolled for long, a voice called out, drawing her attention. Looking up, she spotted Lin Kexin waving at her.
A few unfamiliar female classmates stood beside Lin Kexin. After a moment’s hesitation, Lin Nan approached to see what all the fuss was about.
“What’s up?” she ventured closer, feeling a bit sheepish.
After all, they weren’t very close.
“Let’s go check out the camping area! Teacher Zheng has rented the tents!”
Camping area, huh?
The camping area was a flat lawn, spacious and dotted with a few trees; it looked better than the seaside camping spot from before.
Not many opted for camping; most visitors just walked up the trail, explored the mountaintop, and then took the cable car to another peak.
Tents were already stacked all around, with several male classmates being corralled into pitching tents, looking particularly miserable, while Zheng Qian lounged under a tree, calmly sipping cola and giving orders.
“Let’s set them up in a circle; that way we can all hang out in the middle tonight.”
“You ladies come over first and choose; they’re all double tents, so find a friend to share!” Zheng Qian caught sight of the hurriedly arriving girls but then suddenly zeroed in on Lin Nan, adding seriously, “No cohabiting with the opposite s*x! No couples allowed!”
Lin Nan felt her face flush as Zheng Qian glared at her while saying this, and she shot him a look.
Lin Kexin turned to spot Lin Nan’s reddening face and whispered, “How about you sleep with me tonight?”
She knew Lin Nan didn’t have any female friends in class; probably her only friend was her.
But despite the kindness, Lin Nan instinctively took a few cautious steps back.
“???” Lin Kexin looked confused, tilting her head, feeling a bit aggrieved. “Why are you looking at me like I’m some creep?”
Ever since being bombarded by Li Na’s yuri antics, any hint of similar remarks sent Lin Nan’s mind spiraling towards suspicious territory.
Seeing Lin Kexin’s innocent, hurt expression, Lin Nan realized her misstep but cautiously asked, “You’re not a yuri fan or anything, are you?”
Lin Kexin paused, surprised, “Nope!”
“Good…”
That eased Lin Nan’s tension a bit, but she still asked anxiously, “You won’t try to pull anything weird at night, right?”
“I’m not a creep…” Lin Kexin shot her a glare. “Have you been molested by a yuri fan or something? Why are you so paranoid?”
Lin Nan recalled that time with Li Na at the hotel – while nothing happened, she had been completely freaked out.
“I’ve actually been harassed before…” Lin Nan sighed, knowing Li Na had mostly just been teasing, but verbal harassment still counts, right?
Several male classmates were taking forever to pitch the tents, and with only a little time left in the afternoon, Lin Nan was eager to get a tent set up so she could take a nap.
She signaled to Lin Kexin and picked a tent with a color that met her standards.
Lin Kexin crouched down, ready to unpack and set up the tent but froze when she noticed Lin Nan just standing there, seemingly doing nothing.
Lin Nan was scanning the area and spotted a tool man absorbed in his phone, “Wait, I’ll go find Tu Junhui.”
“Eh?”
She dashed over to Tu Junhui and, with little ceremony, snatched his phone away.
Tu Junhui shot her a furious glare as Lin Nan smiled sweetly, “Kexin said she can’t set up the tent, so you have to help her out.”
“Let her figure it out herself,” Tu Junhui grumbled, “Give me back my phone! I’m in the middle of a match! d*mn!”
But Lin Nan leaned in closer, whispering, “I just tested the waters, and she really has a bit of a crush on you.”
“Really?” Tu Junhui perked up, his demeanor shifting dramatically. “No way! I talked to her earlier, and she was all over the place! Didn’t seem into me at all!”
“She’s probably just shy?” Lin Nan grinned, explaining.
Feeling invigorated, Tu Junhui charged toward Lin Kexin like a bull.
I’m a fantastic sidekick! For my roommate’s happy ending, I’ll give it my all!
She didn’t think of Tu Junhui as a tool at all, completely pleased with herself.
——————
Later this evening…
