Qiao Yuxian was still in a daze when she sat in Lu Mengyi’s car.
She didn’t know why she was sitting there, or how she ended up going out with a stranger.
She couldn’t figure it out.
She also couldn’t understand why she wanted to go out with her.
While thinking, she turned her head to look at Lu Mengyi.
Then... she just stared at her continuously.
Lu Mengyi was very beautiful, the kind of beautiful that was graceful and cool, with a unique captivating charm.
Thinking herself socially awkward, Miss Qiao stared at her without blinking.
When Lu Mengyi noticed she was being watched, she turned her head to look back at her.
Their gazes met, and Qiao Yuxian smiled politely but didn’t look away.
Lu Mengyi also smiled slightly and said, "Are you curious why I took you out?"
Qiao Yuxian calmly looked at her and said, "A little."
Lu Mengyi said, "Aren’t you afraid I might harm you?"
Qiao Yuxian raised her eyebrows without speaking.
Lu Mengyi looked at her calm demeanor and paused, "Do you know I like Gu Yanjing?"
Shang Yue, who was driving in front, glanced back at Qiao Yuxian.
Qiao Yuxian looked at Lu Mengyi with some interest.
"Seems like you know." Lu Mengyi said.
"I’ve liked him since I was very young, for more than twenty years." Lu Mengyi said lightly, unhurriedly, "I always thought I was the best match for him. I always believed he wouldn’t fall for anyone, and we’d end up together."
"Because of family interests, because it’s time to get married, because Gu Yanjing won’t fall in love, he’d choose an excellent woman as the Gu Family’s mistress." Qiao Yuxian said with a slight smile, her voice gentle, yet carrying a certain distance common among strangers.
This time, Lu Mengyi looked at her without speaking.
Then Shang Yue suddenly honked twice.
Qiao Yuxian looked forward and saw that the road wasn’t busy.
She looked in the rearview mirror and locked eyes with Shang Yue.
Shang Yue’s expression was fierce, as if trying to intimidate Qiao Yuxian to tears.
But Qiao Yuxian wasn’t easily intimidated, not even by Gu Yanjing, let alone her.
Not only wasn’t she intimidated, Qiao Yuxian even challenged her.
Qiao Yuxian raised an eyebrow at her and smiled lightly.
The feeling she gave off was just short of flipping the bird.
Shang Yue was so angry that the veins on her temple throbbed as she slammed the steering wheel.
After annoying her, Qiao Yuxian looked at Lu Mengyi again.
Seeing that she was looking at her, Qiao Yuxian’s lips curled slightly, and she continued, "You know Gu Yanjing very well. You’re clear that even if there’s no affection between you, Gu Yanjing would treat you well and give you enough respect because of his personality."
Gu Yanjing only looks cold and intimidating, but he respects people.
Lu Mengyi looked at her for a while, then admitted frankly, "Yes. You’re right. If it weren’t for you, everything would go as I imagined."
"So what? You want to silence me?" Qiao Yuxian asked with a smile.
Lu Mengyi looked at her extremely beautiful eyes, bright but exceptionally calm, and said, "I want to know why I’m inferior to you, where I lost to you."
Qiao Yuxian looked at her, then sat up straight, leaned back against the seat, and relaxed, "Then I’m relieved. As long as you don’t want my life, it’s fine."
Lu Mengyi looked at her, said nothing more, and turned her gaze forward.
After that, the two of them remained silent as Qiao Yuxian dozed off in the back.
She only opened her eyes when the car stopped and looked outside.
Then... she saw an incredibly tall mountain.
It was Lingshi Mountain.
Qiao Yuxian looked at the mountain, got out of the car with them, and asked Lu Mengyi, "What are we doing here?"
"Going to Lingshi Temple." Lu Mengyi said.
"Taking the cable car up, right?" Qiao Yuxian asked with a bad feeling.
"We’re walking up." Lu Mengyi said lightly.
Qiao Yuxian suddenly turned to her, "????!!!!"
Then she looked at Lingshi Mountain again.
Rumor has it there are nearly seven thousand steps.
At this time, how long will it take to climb up?
She was subtly implying she wanted her dead.
"You... I..." Qiao Yuxian pointed at her then herself, "You brought me out to play by making me climb a mountain? We, we, we’re climbing a mountain?"
"Yes." Lu Mengyi responded.
Qiao Yuxian looked at her, then after a few seconds said, "Miss Lu, I suddenly remembered I have something to do. You go up, I’ll catch a ride back first."
"At Fenglin Villa you said you were free today." Shang Yue suddenly said coldly.
"Can’t I suddenly have something to do?" Qiao Yuxian looked at her.
"No." Shang Yue blocked her way, "This is cowardly and incompetent. You don’t dare climb a mountain, what else can you do."
"Hey, you..." Qiao Yuxian was about to speak when Lu Mengyi called Shang Yue and told her to shut up.
Shang Yue did shut up but continued to look at Qiao Yuxian with extreme disdain, just short of calling her "useless."
Qiao Yuxian couldn’t take her attitude, rolled up her sleeves and said, "Come on, let’s climb. Now! I won’t be cowed by a mere mountain. Let’s go."
As she spoke, she went to grab Lu Mengyi’s wrist.
Seeing her approach, Shang Yue quickly reached out to block her.
But Qiao Yuxian predicted her move and dodged away.
Qiao Yuxian accurately grabbed Lu Mengyi’s wrist and pulled her towards the mountain’s base.
Shang Yue looked at her empty hand, frowned, and seeing Lu Mengyi being dragged away, hurriedly followed.
Three hours later, Qiao Yuxian sat on the steps, jacket open to release heat, forehead glistening with sweat, cheeks flushed.
Sitting there on the steps, she didn’t want to say a word.
Shang Yue stood before her, coldly saying, "Come on, get up, what are you sitting for."
Qiao Yuxian didn’t look at her, nor did she respond. The latest_epɪ_sodes are on_the novel·fiɾe·net
Lu Mengyi, who was taking pictures along the way, put her phone away, walked over to Qiao Yuxian, "Too tired to walk?"
Qiao Yuxian glanced at her, still keeping silent.
Just a simple glance, devoid of any emotion.
Lu Mengyi looked at her for a few seconds, then extended her hand towards Qiao Yuxian.
Qiao Yuxian looked at her hand and saw two candies in it.
She looked at Lu Mengyi again.
"Not eating? Afraid I poisoned it?" Lu Mengyi asked.
Qiao Yuxian didn’t say anything, just reached out and took the candies from her hand.
She opened one and ate it, and put the other in her pocket.
A mint candy, cool and refreshing.
After eating it, Qiao Yuxian didn’t feel as irritable.
Lu Mengyi waited for her for a moment and said, "Let’s go. Still an hour left."
Qiao Yuxian looked at her without moving.
The two exchanged glances for a while, then Lu Mengyi grabbed her wrist and pulled her up.
"Ahhh—" Qiao Yuxian shouted softly, drawing out the sound.
"Shut up." Shang Yue said.
"Aaaaa!" Qiao Yuxian, pulled by Lu Mengyi, turned and shouted even louder at Shang Yue.
Shang Yue was so angry that the ends of her eyebrows rose a little.
Listening to her shouting, Lu Mengyi said, "Shouting wastes more energy."
Qiao Yuxian snorted at Shang Yue, turned and let Lu Mengyi lead her upward.
And then... for the next hour, it was Lu Mengyi pulling Qiao Yuxian’s wrist, guiding her up the mountain.