After Confessing To My Childhood Friend - Chapter 44
Chapter 44: Climbing the Mountain
◎Green Ring◎
Chen Mengyin sat in a pavilion by the roadside, with a bulging backpack at her feet. The wind blew—not cold, but rather comfortable.
Xie Zhirou sat beside her, her waterfall-like long hair tied in a high ponytail, revealing a smooth, full forehead. A few soft wisps of hair fell over her brow, fluttering gently in the wind like fuzz—extraordinarily cute.
“So slow, those two.” After the hotpot dinner, Xu Qingqing had posted the meeting time and location in the group chat. But on the day of the hike, Chen Mengyin had been waiting in the pavilion for over ten minutes without seeing a shadow of them.
She asked in the group chat where Xu Qingqing and Wang Xueling were, but all she got back was the same answer: Almost there, almost there, just about to arrive.
Chen Mengyin could tell with her toes that the two definitely hadn’t even left yet—or had just left at best.
“Maybe something held them up.” Xie Zhirou opened a pack of gummy candy and picked out the grape-flavored ones that Chen Mengyin liked, feeding her one. “Let’s wait a bit longer.”
Chen Mengyin bit into the candy, her white teeth crunching through the thin shell, releasing a rich grape flavor that exploded in her mouth, sweetly soothing her irritation.
“When they get here, I’m gonna give them a proper talking-to. It’s not right to act like they’re the queens of the world.” While speaking, she idly pulled up a blade of grass. Twisting the flexible stem in her fingers, she fashioned a green ring. “Give me your left hand.”
Xie Zhirou obediently held out her left hand.
The green ring slid past the knuckle and onto Xie Zhirou’s slender, fair ring finger, making her skin appear even whiter. Faint blue veins were visible beneath the thin skin.
The grass-stem ring was crude, and green juice from the cut seeped out, staining the surrounding skin with a light green mark.
“It’s beautiful.” Xie Zhirou looked lovingly at the ring on her finger and smiled. “I really like it.”
That compliment made Chen Mengyin a little shy. She rubbed her nose and said that once she started working and earning money, she’d replace it with one that had a diamond.
Xie Zhirou wasn’t particularly into diamonds, but she still gave Chen Mengyin face and nodded. “Sure.”
About five minutes later, Xu Qingqing and Wang Xueling came running up, panting heavily, their hands on their knees. Despite it being winter, they were sweating from the exertion.
“Well, well, look who decided to show up—our influencers!” Chen Mengyin teased.
Knowing they were in the wrong, Xu Qingqing and Wang Xueling didn’t argue back. Instead, they wiped the sweat off their foreheads and apologized between breaths, “Sorry, sorry—we forgot something after heading out and had to go back to get it.”
Wang Xueling was about to add something when Chen Mengyin quickly cut her off. “Stop, stop—this sudden politeness is creeping me out.”
Xu Qingqing rolled her eyes. “Told you this one’s a total masochist—if you don’t yell at her, she complains.”
Wang Xueling added, speechless, “You’re messed up.”
Chen Mengyin playfully lunged at them, pretending to hit them. But before she could touch their clothes, Xu Qingqing and Wang Xueling dodged skillfully, mocking her for losing her touch.
“If you’ve got guts, don’t run!” Chen Mengyin put her hands on her hips and ordered them not to move, even though her argument had no moral high ground.
Xu Qingqing managed to hold back her desire to smack her and called a halt to the antics. “Enough. We still need to hike up the mountain. It’s dangerous if we don’t reach the summit before nightfall.”
“Oh.” Chen Mengyin, for once, didn’t argue. She shouldered her backpack and followed behind Xu Qingqing and Wang Xueling with Xie Zhirou.
Jiushou Mountain wasn’t as high as Siyue Mountain, but at nearly 800 meters, it was the tallest in Yonghuai. A thin layer of snow covered the mountain, and in the sunlight, the white snow shimmered gold. Their hiking boots left clear prints in the golden snow.
Looking back, they could see Yonghuai City behind them.
The skyscrapers of the city looked like iron beasts crouched on the land—gray, cold, and dull, far less interesting than the plants and trees on the mountain.
At first, they still had the energy to take photos and admire the scenery.
“I’ll take some photos of you guys.” The sunrise on Jiushou Mountain was beautiful, and Chen Mengyin had brought her camera to capture the moment.
“Yeah, yeah! Make sure we look good!” Xu Qingqing and Wang Xueling posed for solo shots, duo shots, and group photos. Finally, they took a photo of Chen Mengyin and Xie Zhirou together.
Looking at the screen, Xu Qingqing marveled, “Is this what it’s like to have a natural beauty filter? Zhirou looks like she’s on another layer compared to us.”
“You two look youthful and pretty too,” Chen Mengyin said, zooming in on their beaming faces.
Xu Qingqing patted her shoulder. “Nice photos. Send them to me later—I need to edit them before posting on social media.”
Wang Xueling raised her hand. “Me too! Send them to me after Qingqing finishes editing.”
Xu Qingqing: “ODK, I got you.”
Looking at the photo of herself with Xie Zhirou, Chen Mengyin thought with delight: We look so good together~
They continued climbing.
Even in winter, Jiushou Mountain had plenty of visitors. Chen Mengyin noticed several middle-aged men with big bellies and young girls in fitted hiking outfits overtaking them from behind.
With more people, the mountain lost its peaceful and desolate feel.
On the muddy trail, Chen Mengyin helped Xie Zhirou over a fallen tree trunk, following closely behind the others.
The weight of their backpacks started to kick in, like carrying lead—dragging them down with every step.
Xu Qingqing was the first to call it quits. She waved them over and pointed to a rock, suggesting they sit and rest.
“Damn, hiking in winter is brutal. Every breath feels like stabbing ice in my lungs,” she said, drinking water.
Chen Mengyin laid a tissue on the rock and had Xie Zhirou sit, while she stayed standing, taking photos of their worn-out looks.
Xu Qingqing and Wang Xueling threw up peace signs at the camera, begging her to make them look good and not like ghosts.
Chen Mengyin joked that they’d look the same no matter what, but secretly found the best angle and lighting to make them appear fair-skinned and radiant.
Xu Qingqing admired the photos, drank some water, and regained her strength enough to keep going.
The higher they climbed, the steeper the trail became.
They made sure to stay close together, checking frequently that no one was falling behind.
Chen Mengyin stuck to Xie Zhirou’s side, watching her closely. Whenever Zhirou looked tired, she would stop and rest with her before continuing on.
Near the summit, they paused again.
At this altitude, the thinner air was hard for people used to the plains. Xie Zhirou’s cheeks were flushed, and her ears felt blocked—the surrounding sounds became distant and distorted.
“Not feeling well?” Chen Mengyin touched her forehead. After climbing for hours, Zhirou’s skin was still icy. The sweat trapped under her skin made her feel both hot and cold—miserable.
But Zhirou just shook her head. “I’m fine.”
Which meant she wasn’t fine.
Chen Mengyin pulled a small bun and a thermos from her backpack. She unwrapped the bun and handed it to Zhirou, then poured her a cup of hot water, urging her to eat.
Zhirou took small bites and sipped the hot water.
Across from them, Xu Qingqing and Wang Xueling watched enviously and quickly asked Mengyin for buns too.
Xu Qingqing: “Why is Mengyin totally fine after all this climbing? So unfair.”
Wang Xueling: “Have you been secretly training without us?”
Chen Mengyin proudly replied, “You forget I was gold-medalist in the 3000 meters at the school games?”
Xu Qingqing didn’t even have the energy to roll her eyes anymore. After eating and resting, she stood up and asked, “Ready to keep going? We’re almost there—let’s push through and crash at the hotel after.”
“I’m in. If I sit any longer, I won’t get back up,” Wang Xueling muttered weakly.
Xu Qingqing slapped her thigh. “OK! Let’s go!”
They reached the summit after noon. Xu Qingqing threw her arms up and ran toward the hotel, immediately pulling out her ID to check in.
In under five minutes, they were all checked in. Xu Qingqing and Wang Xueling had a room on the second floor; Chen Mengyin’s room was on the third.
Xu Qingqing: “Meet at the hotel restaurant in ten?”
Chen Mengyin: “Sure!”
The elevator arrived on the third floor. Chen Mengyin led Xie Zhirou to their room, opened the door, inserted the key card, and the lights came on instantly.
To attract more guests, the summit hotel had large floor-to-ceiling windows in every room. From them, you could see the full mountain view.
“So beautiful.” Chen Mengyin was immediately drawn to the scenery outside. She dropped her bag, took off her muddy boots, and ran to the window to breathe in the mountain air.
“Zhirou, come here! I think there’s a lake over there!” She spotted a patch of crystal blue nestled in the mountain like a sapphire. Many hikers were taking pictures by its banks.
Zhirou joined her, resting her hand on the window as she looked. Sure enough, there was a serene lake surrounded by visitors.
“Want to check it out after lunch?” Mengyin asked.
Zhirou: “Sure.”
Mengyin beamed. “Then let’s go eat. I’m starving.”
They went to the first-floor restaurant. Since lunch rush had passed, it wasn’t crowded. They picked a window seat.
“I’ll go grab some food first. You wait here for Qingqing and the others,” Mengyin said.
Zhirou nodded.
Not long after, Xu Qingqing and Wang Xueling arrived. Qingqing waved and rushed over.
“Starving. Where’s Mengyin? Already getting food?”
Zhirou: “Yeah. You guys go ahead too—I’ll wait for her.”
Qingqing: “Alright, we’ll be quick.”
Zhirou smiled. “No rush. Mengyin probably picked all my favorites.”
Realizing that, Qingqing stopped feeling guilty and went with Wang Xueling to get food.
Ten minutes later, Mengyin returned.
She held two trays full of food, followed by a restaurant staff member carrying two more.
“Thanks so much! If you hadn’t helped, I’d have to make another trip,” Mengyin said, smiling gratefully.
The staff member replied, “No problem. If you need anything else, just let me or any of my colleagues know. We’re happy to help.”
Mengyin waved her off. “That’s all, thank you!”
“Enjoy your meal,” the staff member said, leaving.
Mengyin placed the trays in front of Zhirou. “Eat up—I picked mostly light dishes for you.”
Zhirou picked up a shrimp dumpling and held it to Mengyin’s mouth. “You’ve worked hard.”
Mengyin took a bite, her smile sweet and satisfied.