The three girls sat together while the four guys waited at one side. After all, they were young girls so they were a bit weaker. Nonetheless, everyone was content.
After finishing their drinks and getting the rest they needed, the group started on their journey again.
They hiked and rested two to three times before they finally made it to the top.
The air at the top of the mountain was exceptionally good. Standing up so high, the city naturally seemed smaller and the scenery of the mountains and rivers was magnificent.
It was the first time Meng Kefei had ever come to a place like that. She could not help but look back at the breath-taking scenery; it made her heart flutter.
How would I ever have gotten a chance like this in the past? Now that she was able to witness all this, she felt excited and like she was about to overflow with emotions.
“By night time, you will realize how much more beautiful this place is. The stars will shine brightly, and it will be serene all around. You’ll even hear the sound of crickets calling.”
Zhong Chufeng seemed to have understood the surreal moment she was experiencing and started up a conversation with her.
“Tomorrow, when we go and watch the sunrise, you’ll be even more awe-struck.”
“Watch the sunrise?”
“Yeah. We all came here to see the sunrise. It’s spectacular from here.”
He smiled. “We used to come here once a week over the weekend. When I first joined them, my legs were always sore by the time I got home. You should take a bath tonight and give your legs a massage to relax the muscles or they’ll hurt when you walk tomorrow.”
She understood what he meant since they did go up all the way there by foot.
“Okay. Thanks for reminding me.”
“You have to thank me sincerely. Tell me; are there any boys at school who like Yuanyuan?”
It was that question again. Meng Kefei was put in an awkward situation.
“Chufeng, that is Yuanyuan’s private matter. I really don’t know. If you really want to know, why don’t you ask her yourself? You’re so nice to her. She’ll definitely tell you.”
“Tsk. Silly girl. Forget it.” He smiled and did not say anything else.
They had been hiking for a long time and the girls were almost out of energy, so they went to the place where they would be staying.
The employees at the villa went up to welcome Yuchi Yishu at the door as they had been waiting for him to arrive.
“Young Master Yishu, all the rooms are prepared.”
Yuchi Yishu pursed his lips. “We have an extra person this time. Do you have an empty room?”
“Yes. We’ll get it ready right away.”
Meng Kefei could tell that they were referring to her and interjected, “It’s okay. I can stay with Yuanyuan.”
“We’re all on our own. Do you still want to sleep together at this age?” Zhong Chufeng scoffed. “Don’t mind her. Go get the room ready.”
“Will do.”
After their rooms were settled, Tang Yuanyuan returned to hers and was completely exhausted. She climbed on the bed and rolled around for a bit, then she hugged a pillow tightly and fell asleep right away.
Meng Kefei was put into a single room that just so happened to be next to Zhong Chufeng’s room.
She looked at the single room that was bigger than her whole house. It had everything—a bedroom, a bathroom, a television table, a refrigerator, an air conditioner, and so much more.
However, she was not delighted or joyous at all. In fact, her mood was the complete opposite and had hit rock bottom. Yuanyuan and I used to get along very well. She has a gentle nature; she’s innocent and kind; while her family is obviously rich, she never looked down on me.
That is an invaluable trait that is hard to come by, so the two of us remained best friends for so many years. I always thought we had a good friendship and that we were close.
But over those two days, Meng Kefei realized that she and Yuanyuan were actually far apart and they only looked close on the surface.
Their social statuses were worlds apart. Yuanyuan is the spoiled apple of everyone’s eye, while I am like a radish that was pulled from the dirt—thrown at the side and left unbothered.
The cost of staying there for one night was probably several months of her allowance.
Can I really stay here?
Being in that state of mind, she no longer cared to see how beautiful the stars were at nighttime. When everyone ate dinner together, her mood was also down and she did not eat very much.
On the way back, Zhong Chufeng called out to her and told her he wanted to have a heart-to-heart talk with her.
She did not know what he was up to, but she slowed her pace down and continued to walk with him at the back.
“What’s up, Chufeng?”
He stuffed both of his hands in his pockets and had a faint smile on his face. “Do you feel inferior to them? Are you worried that they’ll look down on you or that you can’t fit in with them?”
She did not expect that he would point out everything that was troubling her. Her steps stopped abruptly and she looked at him in astonishment.
“Are you surprised?” he chuckled. “Don’t be. It was actually how I felt back then.”
“How you felt back then?”
“Mm. When I first met Yishu and followed them here, I was in complete shock. Even though my family is well-off and we’re comfortable, these guys are a completely different league of rich people. At the time, I wondered if I was even good enough to be friends with them. It felt like we were from two different worlds. But after some time had passed, I realized that friendships all depended on fate. After that, it was our personality that determined how long the friendship would last for.”
First, it’s fate; then, it’s personality?
Meng Kefei kept that in mind. Yuanyuan and I have known each other for years. Is that considered long?
“It’s your first time here, so it’s inevitable to have these thoughts. To cure it, you just have to come here a few more times then it’ll get better.”
She could not help but laugh at that.
“What kind of strange method is that?”
“It’s the best method. The more you’re afraid of something, the more you have to face it. As you face it more often, it’ll slowly become a habit. In contrast, if you keep avoiding it, you’ll get more scared of it, and you’ll end up being scared of it forever. As we live, we need to be fearless when it comes to certain things.”
Meng Kefei was slightly touched as she listened to this. Her mind wandered and she asked, “In the beginning, you felt like you were not good enough for them. But later you got used to it, so then you were able to start approaching Yuanyuan?”
Zhong Chufeng’s bold expression suddenly froze after hearing her question and he only returned to his normal self a moment later.
“Can you tell?”
She looked down and said, “It’s too obvious. It’s hard not to see it.”
“But she can’t see it.” He sighed. “Whatever. She’s still young. I don’t expect her to understand now. I’ll give her two more years. Once she becomes an adult, hopefully, she’ll consider me.”
“You’re so nice to her. She probably will.”
He clicked his tongue. “Kefei, out of all the things you said today, that resonates with me the most.”
