506. Camping?
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“Climbing a mountain? Camping?”
Lin Nan looked at Zheng Qian on stage in disbelief, her expression totally bewildered. “What? Are there such activities in college?”
This was a class meeting, and Lin Nan had been reluctant to attend, but then realized she had nothing to do back at her rental apartment anyway.
“Isn’t it normal? We had spring and autumn outings in elementary and middle school,” Xiong Da chimed in from the sidelines.
“No, it’s just a big city thing for you…”
Honestly, Lin Nan and Chen Yao had never experienced those outings growing up.
She turned back to the podium, propping her chin in her hands while gazing at Zheng Qian.
“This is our class’s first group outing. I hope everyone will enthusiastically sign up and participate,” Zheng Qian added, “We’re all adults now, and remember to be careful during the trip.” He concluded, “The fee is three hundred yuan per person, and we’ll either refund or charge a bit extra when we return.”
Lin Nan suddenly understood, “Oh, it costs money? Then I’m out.”
Chen Yao chuckled teasingly, “So if it were free, you’d go?”
“Of course I’d go if it were free! Why wouldn’t I snag a good deal?” Lin Nan muttered, “Who knows if after paying, Zheng Qian won’t try to scam us on purpose.”
“Look at his name; it sounds like he’s a swindler. The place he’ll take us will definitely have referral fees. Who knows, maybe he’ll take a cut of our cash!”
“You probably don’t have any right to speak like that…” Chen Yao tried to soften the blow, “His parents just didn’t name him well.”
While you, on the other hand, are greedy to the core.
Lin Nan had zero self-awareness and continued to grumble, “If I were organizing such an event, I’d definitely take a cut and charge referral fees.”
“Got it; from now on, if Lin Nan invites us out to play, we’ll definitely decline,” Tu Junhui quickly realized.
The class meeting ended swiftly. Other than discussing the camping trip, the only other topic was the school cracking down on food deliveries. But since Lin Nan lived off-campus, that didn’t concern her much.
“Details about the camping trip will be shared in the group chat. If you want to participate, you can transfer the money to the vice class leader.”
As soon as he finished speaking, Lin Nan yawned, got up, and left the classroom with Chen Yao.
She was actually quite interested in the camping idea—after all, she had only gone camping with her mother at the beach before and had never participated in such group activities.
Just imagine—dozens of tents pitched up, a fire crackling in the middle, a group of classmates sitting around chatting, roasting skewers under the moonlight, getting bitten by mosquitoes together. That scene seemed pretty idyllic.
She trailed behind Chen Yao, asking, “Are you going?”
“Not interested. Climbing in the summer just means sweating buckets, and I won’t have anywhere to shower at night,” Chen Yao turned back to look at Lin Nan and noticed a hint of excitement in her voice, “You want to go?”
“Of course not.”
“Then just go. Three hundred yuan isn’t that much, and we could share a big tent…”
Lin Nan’s expression shifted dramatically. She kicked out, exclaiming, “Pervert!”
Wait, how did that become perverted?
Chen Yao stood there, bewildered by the sudden kick, looking at Lin Nan with confusion, not quite getting what he said wrong.
Isn’t it normal for couples to camp in the same tent?
With Lin Nan’s personality, she’d probably end up crying if she had to sleep alone in the wild. And sleeping with other girls from class wouldn’t sit well with her either.
Realizing Chen Yao’s clueless expression, she suddenly understood she had misinterpreted what he meant. Her face turned red, and she looked away, only to see Lin Kexin approaching.
“Nannan, are you going to join?” Lin Kexin was the vice class leader and was in charge of collecting fees for this camping trip.
The class leader was a guy, probably because Zheng Qian thought males weren’t as detail-oriented, so tasks like this were left to Lin Kexin.
“I’ll think about it?” Lin Nan hesitated, her cheeks still flushed as she shook her head.
“This is our class’s first large-scale outing,” Lin Kexin’s big eyes sparkled as she looked at Lin Nan, her pitiful expression tugging at Lin Nan’s heartstrings, “If someone’s missing from the group photo, that’ll be such a shame.”
“Come on~” she hugged Lin Nan’s arm, swaying it back and forth.
Lin Kexin wasn’t exactly a stunning beauty, but she certainly was cute. Her soft, sweet voice when she acted cute was just irresistible.
Lin Nan felt dizzy from being jolted around like that, and her face was awkwardly red as she tried to awkwardly adjust.
So, she turned her gaze to Chen Yao.
Chen Yao caught Lin Nan’s pleading look, slightly hesitant, as he couldn’t quite figure out what she was thinking.
It seemed like Lin Nan really wanted to go but was still undecided. If he made any choice now and Lin Nan regretted it later, he’d be the one taking the blame.
“So, uh, maybe we should go?”
He hesitated, “But it depends on the situation. We have some things to do this weekend; let’s see if we can reschedule.”
Lin Nan shot him a glare; Chen Yao was being slippery again.
But at least he managed to pacify Lin Kexin, “Just try to reschedule. As long as you transfer the money to me by Friday, we’re good.”
Suddenly, she noticed Tu Junhui and Xiong Da leaving the classroom and brightened up, smiling as she approached, “Junhui, Xiong Da, this is our class’s first large group outing. You have to join!”
Tu Junhui blinked, not even looking up as he quickly tapped on his phone, “I’m gaming. Talk later.”
“I’m gaming too!” Xiong Da immediately lowered his head, pretending to tap on the black screen of his locked phone.
These two would rather wither away in the dormitory than contemplate stepping outside to climb a mountain.
Lin Nan seized the opportunity and left the teaching building with Chen Yao, frowning as she pondered whether or not to go play this weekend.
She did want to go, but three hundred yuan felt a bit steep.
Wasn’t it better to use that time to teach Pan Maoxin? Going climbing would likely mean skipping a day of classes, which added up to almost a thousand yuan lost in terms of tuition and missed earnings, right?
“Just go if you want. It’s not like you’re broke,” Chen Yao noticed her conflicted expression and tried to convince her. “Besides, this is probably a once-in-a-college-lifetime opportunity.”
“Easier said than done…” Lin Nan mumbled, twirling a strand of hair that hung by her cheek, “The problem is, every time something like this happens, it seems like some unexpected mishap pops up.”
“Really?”
She nodded vigorously, “Every time I’m suddenly asked to go out like this, just like that time when I had to rush back for my cousin’s wedding!”
Chen Yao scratched his head, frowning, “Maybe it’s just bad luck? What kind of surprise could happen on this camping trip? You can’t possibly get lost on the mountain, right?”
Normally, camping spots are well-traveled and confirmed to be safe and open.
Considering that this camping trip requires a fee, Chen Yao figured they were likely just going to some scenic area, where camping services were provided, much like when Lin Nan went camping at the beach.
“That might be true; with so many people together, it shouldn’t cause any accidents, right?”
