Chapter 342: A Hidden Heart

“A Yuan, are you okay?”

After they continued on their way, Li Tang slowly approached Lin Xinyuan, unable to stop herself from asking worriedly.

After resting, Lin Xinyuan’s complexion had clearly improved quite a bit. Upon hearing Li Tang’s words, she revealed a gentle, faint smile: “I’m fine… A Tang, I feel much better.”

“Ah… that’s good then.”

Seeing that her friend’s complexion had indeed improved, and even her mood seemed to have lifted somewhat, Li Tang felt a bit more at ease.

But she still couldn’t help lowering her voice: “If anything happens, if you can, you must tell me… Don’t always bear things alone…”

Having known each other for nearly six years, Li Tang knew her friend’s personality all too well—she always liked to bottle things up inside…

“A Tang…” Lin Xinyuan was briefly stunned, then her smile became even more sincere. “Mm… I’ll try…”

As for that matter, Lin Xinyuan naturally couldn’t explain it to her friend, so this promise was all she could offer.

With that, Li Tang sighed inwardly, said no more, and simply nodded…

Although their pace slowed considerably afterward, before it got dark at seven o’clock, everyone still managed to reach the mountaintop.

Naturally, they weren’t the only eight people up there. Quite a few groups of tourists had also come, preparing like them to spend the night up top.

They had already set up their campsites early and started their fires.

By then, the sky was beginning to dim.

Time was running short, so they picked the most secluded empty spot at the very edge and prepared to set up their campsite first.

Of course, they couldn’t have brought the kind of large tents that needed stakes to be hammered in while climbing a mountain—these were just simple tents, but they were more than enough to get through the night.

After all, it was clearly much colder up on the mountain than down below.

Although they could warm themselves by the fire, without tents they’d still inevitably get bitten by mosquitoes and bugs.

In less than five minutes, with a few unfolds and folds, all the tents were set up.

Everyone finally took a brief rest and started gathering some dry branches and other flammable materials nearby.

After all, as long as they stayed within the safely fenced-off area of the clearing, starting a fire was permitted.

Lin Xinyuan was physically weak. After walking for just another quarter of an hour, she began panting again, her complexion less than ideal.

Qin Nanfeng naturally told her to stay and rest while he went with the others to gather firewood. Before long, they returned.

The sky had completely darkened by then.

They got the fire going, and everyone simply heated up some canned food over it as dinner.

Coming up the mountain naturally wasn’t just for chatting and shooting the breeze up top—nobody would be stupid enough to come all this way just to blow in the cold wind.

The scenery and sky that couldn’t be seen from below—that was the real reason they had walked all day to get here.

So shortly after finishing dinner, they got up and headed toward the viewing platform, wanting to witness the true scenery of North Mang Mountain.

By the time they arrived at the viewing platform, quite a few people had already gathered there.

Fortunately, it was large enough that they didn’t have to fight for space.

Clouds and mist swirled around them. Looking down from above, beneath the lush green forests, they could even see the faint glimmer of fire from the riverside lawn where they had been that morning.

Turning their heads toward the direction of Tianbei City’s downtown, they could faintly make out the neon lights and towering buildings.

Witnessing the scene before them, the others couldn’t help but exclaim in admiration.

“It’s so beautiful…” Li Tang couldn’t help sighing, her eyes sparkling.

“Yeah, it really is beautiful…”

Standing beside her, Zeng Yan felt much the same—after all, he truly had never personally climbed a mountain or seen such a view before.

But in his eyes, what was even more beautiful was his little childhood sweetheart…

Thinking this, Zeng Yan couldn’t help but hold his girlfriend’s soft little hand. Li Tang was briefly startled, then gave him a big smile, and the two smiled at each other.

“Xiao Yan, after we get married and have kids, let’s come here again, okay? Just our little family…”

Sun Ce’s resolute face had matured greatly compared to before. His gaze was gentle as he looked sideways at Liu Qingyan, his eyes filled with anticipation.

Liu Qingyan couldn’t speak, only shyly nodding her head, then buried her face in his chest. A warm, cozy atmosphere spread around them.

“Man, this is so beautiful! North Mang Mountain~”

Chen Ze smacked his lips and made a strange noise, which only earned him a speechless look from Yu Xiaowei, who couldn’t help twisting the guy’s waist with her hand.

“Hey! That hurts! Yamete!”

Chen Ze immediately let out sounds of begging for mercy, and the commotion quickly drew the attention of Li Tang and the others, leaving a trail of laughter.

Even the other tourists nearby turned to look.

Lin Xinyuan, like everyone else, watched Chen Ze—who was getting his arm smacked by Yu Xiaowei chasing him around, clearly showing signs of being henpecked—and couldn’t help but let out a “pfft” laugh.

But then, as if remembering something, she glanced at the man beside her, and her heart suddenly ached.

Gradually, the smile at the corners of her mouth faded. She turned back, putting on a plain, indifferent expression again.

Qin Nanfeng had been holding his wife’s little hand the whole time. Seeing this, he wasn’t particularly surprised.

He said nothing, only gently kneading Lin Xinyuan’s soft hand as the two silently gazed at the distant night view.

Below were the lights of countless homes; around them were the noise and laughter of friends and tourists.

But the more Lin Xinyuan looked, the more dazed she became, as if she were automatically filtering out all the worldly bustle.

Her gaze gradually turned blank as she stared into the distance.

In that moment, scenes suddenly flashed through her mind one after another, eerily overlapping with the scene before her eyes, forming a memory fragment she could never forget.

“This place is…”

Lin Xinyuan’s lips trembled slightly. At this moment, she gradually understood why she had been uneasy the whole way up the mountain.

No… she had started feeling restless from the moment they reached the foot of the mountain. She always felt this place was so familiar…

“They” had been here…

A moment later, Qin Nanfeng let out a soft “mm,” as if responding to the words Lin Xinyuan hadn’t spoken.

That’s right… coming here had been his suggestion…

He lowered his eyelids, turning his head to gaze at Lin Xinyuan’s beautiful profile.

His tone was low but filled with certainty, yet beneath it lay an indescribable emotion.

“North Mang…”

Hearing this, Lin Xinyuan’s thoughts sank deeper, continuously murmuring those two words.

At this moment, she felt as if she had stepped into “her” perspective. In a daze, she seemed to be here, making a promise with someone—

「Xiaoyuan, I’ve liked you for a long time. I’ve liked you from the very beginning.」

「Will you be my girlfriend?」

The young man’s eyes carried tenderness, his tone steady.

Words that others would find embarrassing, he spoke naturally, with a sincerity and determination that left no room for doubt.

He stared straight at the girl, as if he could see through every bit of her heart.

The affection contained within moved the girl deeply…

But to this, the girl struggled, her expression hesitant, her heart aching.

The grief of the past and the happiness of this period intertwined in her mind, leaving her at a loss.

Yet in the end, looking at the person before her, her heart finally softened, and she gave the last precious trust she would ever offer in her life.

「Okay…」

「Xiaoyuan, I love you.」 The young man’s usually frivolous face finally revealed an indescribable joy as he pulled the girl into an embrace, drawing a soft, sweet gasp from her.

「Mm…」

「Xiaoyuan, trust me, I’ll definitely treat you well! Let’s get married next year, okay?」

The young man’s face was exceptionally animated, but as if remembering something, he spoke hesitantly,

「Just as long as you don’t deceive me…」

Hearing these words, the girl’s pupils immediately constricted, her heart tightening.

But in the end, whatever she thought of, her greed for this relationship she had originally deemed utterly absurd still kept her from voicing the truth she had been hiding all along…

「I know, Feng Ge… I… I like you too…」

As long as no one found out, that would be fine…

As long as she kept it hidden deep in her heart, as long as she never said it…

Then… it would be okay, right?

The girl comforted herself inwardly like this, allowing herself to enjoy this moment of tenderness and warmth with a clear conscience.

Her gloomy, overcast eyes finally rippled, beginning to shine…