Chapter 36

Chapter 36

Song Yao was busy compiling the list while Gu Yubai and Yu Li followed the crowd to the mid-mountain rest area, approaching a popular photo spot near the cliff edge.

There stood a large boulder, about two meters high, its surface flat and positioned safely within the guardrails. A line of people had formed, eager to take photos standing atop the rock.

Around this hotspot, many local photographers crouched in front of the rock, cameras raised.

Almost every photographer followed the same routine: using forced perspective to make the boulder and the safety railings disappear, creating the illusion of tourists standing at the cliff's edge, arms outstretched toward the sky as if leaning back into the clouds—a thrilling and romantic shot.

The price was cheap—thirty yuan per photo—with both digital and prints handed over right away.

Gu Yubai barely glanced over when an eagle-eyed photographer in a cap called out to him.

"Hey, friend! Want a photo? Thirty yuan—digital and print copies included!"

Gu Yubai instinctively looked at Yu Li, wordlessly checking with him.

Yu Li immediately tugged him into line.

Ahead of them, a young couple wanted to stand together on the rock for a sweet, romantic pose.

But for a single photo, their photographer charged double. The couple couldn’t accept it and started arguing on the spot.

"Others take group photos too—some even fit three people on the rock—and they only charge thirty. Why do you charge us sixty? It’s not about the money, but your dishonesty. That’s no way to run a business!"

"Got a problem? Call the police! Others charge what they want—I charge per head. My equipment’s the latest high-res, 360-degree camera. Of course my shots cost extra."

"But you didn’t say you’d double the price upfront!"

The photographer, towering over the girl, arrogantly shoved her.

"Tightwad! If you can’t pay, just say so. I’m not letting you get a freebie!"

The girl, humiliated and frightened, her eyes welled up instantly.

Her boyfriend, usually shy and mild-mannered, was now fuming but tongue-tied, stamping his feet in place but unable to retort.

The argument grew heated, drawing the attention of nearby photographers and tourists.

Some stepped in, urging the aggressive photographer to stop being unreasonable and stick to the standard rate. But the photographer smirked, leering at the tearful girl with amusement, refusing to back down.

He was clearly throwing his weight around, deliberately bullying them.

Gu Yubai and Yu Li exchanged a glance, about to call for the rest area’s management, when the situation suddenly changed.

The previously timid boyfriend lunged forward, shoving the loudmouth photographer over.

The photographer sprawled on the ground, dazed, bewildered by what had just happened.

But that wasn’t all.

The boy swiftly snatched the photographer’s brand-new high-end camera and, with a single motion, chucked it over the edge.

Furious and stammering, he glared.

"D-don’t bully my girlfriend! I—I have money! I’ll p-pay for it!"

The photographer finally snapped out of it, holding his head in his hands.

"NOOOOO! That camera took me a year to get!!!"

He howled like a scalded cat, his sanity seemingly flung off the cliff along with his equipment.

The crowd burst into laughter, and even Gu Yubai couldn’t help but smirk.

"That’s what you get for picking on people. Now you’re screwed."

He glanced back at his own hat-wearing photographer, who now clung to his camera protectively, as if fearing it would be the next victim.

Spotting Gu Yubai’s gaze, the photographer hastily reassured him.

"No worries! Whether it’s you or your boyfriend—or both—on the rock, it’s still just thirty yuan per photo!"

Gu Yubai: "...That’s not the issue."

Yu Li turned, giving the photographer a strange look.

Thinking they doubted his fairness, the photographer quickly added,

"Uh—how about touch-ups included? I’ll make sure you two look perfect. I—I don’t discriminate against same-sex couples."

Gu Yubai: "......."

This photographer was way ahead of his time. Gu Yubai almost felt embarrassed.

He shot a glance at Yu Li, who wore an amused smirk, then rolled his eyes dramatically and told the photographer,

"Your words, not mine!"

No point explaining.

He’d planned to take a photo with his good friend Yu Li anyway.

Hearing Gu Yubai’s words, Yu Li paused for a split second.

Before Gu Yubai could notice, Yu Li masked his surprise with a smile.

"Then I’ll stand on your right."

He was in high spirits.

Gu Yubai and Yu Li took ten photos in total—four solo shots each and two together.

Their individual shots went smoothly, but when they stood side by side, Yu Li on his right, Gu Yubai suddenly slipped. If not for Yu Li’s quick reflexes, catching him by the waist, he would’ve fallen flat.

When checking the shots afterward, Gu Yubai saw the moment captured perfectly: Yu Li bending down, wide-eyed with alarm as he steadied him, while Gu Yubai’s face showed shock and a flash of panic, as if he were about to topple.

Aside from the slight embarrassment, the shot was perfectly framed—the sea of clouds, the sunlight, their vivid expressions, all full of energy.

Gu Yubai was pleased.

He asked the photographer to scrap that shot and keep the other ten better ones.

Coincidentally, Song Yao had just secured the bulk deal for tent rentals and was cheerfully handing out pre-packed tents to both classes.

Gu Yubai got summoned.

Yu Li transferred the money to the photographer wearing a cap and waited for him to hand over the photos.

The photographer opened his phone and immediately widened his eyes:

"You... you gave me too much. Let me refund you."

Yu Li curled his lips into a smile and said casually,

"No need, I have money. Just send me all the digital copies of the photos."

----

The tent weighed about twenty *jin* (approx. 10 kg).

There was no cable car here, so the students had to carry the tents up the mountain themselves.

Yu Li handed his black sports bag to Gu Yubai and hoisted the tent onto his own back.

He chuckled, "I’m worried you'll get squished under the weight. Normal people keep growing until they’re twenty-four or twenty-five. I hope you can grow a bit taller."

Yu Li held his palm flat at his own height.

"If you could gain a little more weight and grow a bit taller, you'd have the perfect build."

Gu Yubai felt Yu Li was mocking him for being skinny and short.

He glanced at the top of his head, which only reached Yu Li’s shoulder, and had to admit he was right.

"You’re tall, you’re tall, of course you’re tall!"

Gu Yubai shot him an eye-roll.

Before setting off, the two went to the supermarket to buy a few bottles of water for the journey. Then, when Song Yao called roll, they followed the group of classmates and continued their ascent toward the summit.

The second half of the hike was way more tiring than the first.

The group walked and stopped several times, sitting on the stairs to rest. They took photos with their phones of the endless, serpentine staircase winding down the mountain, their faces filled with the joy of nearing the summit.

"Hell yeah, after today, who can say I lack perseverance? I climbed such a high mountain! If anyone underestimates me in the future, I’ll show them this photo!"

One student took a sip of water and excitedly chattered to those around him during the break.

Gu Yubai and Yu Li were also resting. Hearing this, Yu Li burst out laughing.

Gu Yubai shot him a sidelong glance, his eyes clearly saying, "The hell you laughing at?"

Yu Li bit back a smile and explained,

"It seems hiking isn’t just good for the body and mind—it also strengthens willpower. At the end of the year, I can have HR organize a corporate retreat here!"

Yu Li was totally evil!

Employees probably wouldn’t want such a brutal company outing.

Gu Yubai’s disapproval was practically written all over his face, his eyes tinged with a touch of worker's rage toward capitalists.

Yu Li couldn’t hold back another laugh.

----

By the time everyone reached the summit, it was already half past five. Watching the sunset from the mountaintop created an atmosphere entirely different from the city.

Gu Yubai was struck by poetry: "Standing atop the highest peak, all other mountains seem small."

Though there was only this one mountain they had painstakingly climbed, standing at the cliff’s edge and gazing at the ocean of clouds and the sunset made his heart feel vast and open.

Gu Yubai took out his phone to snap some photos. Before long, Yu Li, who was setting up a tent in the nearby camping area, called out loudly to him.

"Yubai, come back and see how the tent setup's going! At least lend a hand."

Gu Yubai replied, "Coming!"

The mountaintop was crowded with campers, and the lively atmosphere followed. Aside from their group of incoming freshmen, many tourists had even brought guitars, grills, ingredients, and charcoal.

The camping area manager provided them with several bonfire spots.

Song Yao couldn’t stay idle. After only a short rest at the summit, she led her classmates to the shops to grab supplies.

With so many of them, they bought a lot of ingredients—so much that Gu Yubai had to drag Yu Li along to help wash, chop, and divide up the vegetables and meat.

But thankfully, there were enough people that the others could focus on threading the food onto skewers.

By the time Gu Yubai’s belly started rumbling, the nearby bonfire had doubled as a grill. The warm, blazing flames were surrounded by the savory smoke of roasting meat and the cheerful laughter of the crowd.

"Aw crap, I burned the bacon! Who wants it? I’ll hand-feed you myself!"

"Wow, these bell peppers are so spicy! Quick, quick, pass me that soda Song Yao just bought!"

Laughter, chatter, and good-natured arguing filled the air.

Gu Yubai wore a contented grin the whole time. He took a bite of the chicken wing Yu Li had grilled for him and flashed a thumbs-up in praise.

Yu Li just smirked in response.

The sky had darkened, and the bonfire threw a small pool of bright light around them.

The flickering flames reflected on their faces, creating dancing shadows.

Yu Li looked completely at ease, the unconscious tension from the city work grind entirely gone.

Before the bonfire gathering could end, colorful fireworks suddenly lit up the sky.

Gu Yubai nudged Yu Li and pointed at one of the fireworks for him to see.

Things got fuzzy after that.

After a full day of hiking and scrambling to prep the barbecue ingredients, everyone was exhausted.

The moment Gu Yubai entered the tent, he closed his eyes, and within seconds, he was out like a light.

Yu Li came back from talking to the manager with a bucket of warm water for washing up, only to find Gu Yubai already asleep. He didn’t wake him.

Instead, he took out a towel, dipped it in the water, and tenderly wiped Gu Yubai down.

The comforting warmth made Gu Yubai’s face relax even more. He let out a contented sigh and drifted off completely.