Chapter 33: The Untrodden Path Leads Nowhere

Some snakes on the mountain are venomous. Most do not actively attack humans unless provoked, but some are fierce—they feel no fear upon seeing people and will even chase them to bite.

Wei Lin was uncertain which category the snake killed by Zhuang Qing belonged to. Yet, after discovering the creature, she did not panic or flee like Han Ying; instead, she remained to handle the situation and successfully killed it. Such grit and the ruthless efficiency she displayed in a moment of crisis proved that this woman was by no means simple.

Recalling how Wang Hongyu had tried to rush over to drag Zhuang Qing away back at the Japanese restaurant, Wei Lin couldn't help but chuckle. As it turned out, he had likely saved Wang Hongyu’s pathetic life. No wonder that while Gao Xue had quickly offered up her "affection points" for a similar act of heroism, Zhuang Qing hadn't contributed even a measly 0.5. It turned out she had never needed him to step in at all.

Looking at Zhuang Qing, he had every reason to suspect that Wang Hongyu knew absolutely nothing about her; they were likely just colleagues from the same public institution. How could someone like Zhuang Qing ever take a fancy to a guy like Wang Hongyu?

"What are you rushing over here for?" Zhuang Qing spoke first, breaking their prolonged stare. She let out a cold huff. "Don't tell me you wanted to see me in a state of undress?"

Wei Lin immediately put on a playful, cheeky grin. "My primary concern was your safety. Of course, if I happened to see something I shouldn't have, that would be purely accidental."

Zhuang Qing was taken aback. The Wei Lin who had reverted to his usual playboy persona seemed like a completely different person from the sharp, intense figure she had seen just a moment before. It made her wonder if the Wei Lin she had just witnessed was merely a hallucination.

"You certainly have many people to worry about—the college student working part-time at the bar, the beauty at the Japanese restaurant..." Zhuang Qing brought up the sensitive topics, sneering, "Are you even capable of juggling all that?"

Having been deeply studying the dynamics between men and women lately, Wei Lin chose not to answer such a question. He simply smiled and turned to leave.

"Scumbag!" she huffed coldly behind his back, loud enough for him to hear. Once he was further away, she frowned and muttered to herself, "Strange guy."

...

"It’s fine now. Zhuang Qing has driven the snake away. Everyone, let's continue."

Returning to the wild trail, Wei Lin saw the group gathered together, with Zhao Yuanqing and the two "experts" glaring at each other. "It’s past two o'clock already. How about we grab a bite to eat before we move on?"

They had eaten a late and hearty breakfast before arriving to store energy for the climb. But after all this time trekking, that energy was nearly depleted; even Wei Lin was hungry.

"Good idea!"

The suggestion was met with universal approval. As Zhang Xun, Qi Muyang, and Yuan Xiaoe leaned against tree trunks to retrieve items from their backpacks, Han Ying, who had just managed to calm down, asked urgently, "Wei Lin, is Zhuang Qing alright?"

"Don't worry, I'm fine." Zhuang Qing, carrying two small bags, emerged from the depths of the thicket.

"Glad to hear it!" Zhao Yuanqing laughed heartily. "Wei Lin, bring my backpack over. I’ve got plenty of snacks—all imported!"

As they ate, the seven of them naturally split into two smaller groups. Like someone showing off a treasure, Zhao Yuanqing pulled out mineral water and snacks, spreading them all over the ground and calling out generously, "Han Ying, Zhuang Qing, I hope you realize my contribution now, right?"

Both women were hungry; they had originally intended to grab something at a roadside kiosk, so they genuinely offered a few words of praise. Zhao Yuanqing beamed with smug satisfaction.

"Eat up, but... save some water for later. We still have a long way to go," Wei Lin said, biting into a sandwich, his voice devoid of emotion.

Zhao Yuanqing and Han Ying didn't pay much mind, continuing to snack away. Zhuang Qing, however, looked thoughtful. She glanced at him and asked, "Have you been here before?"

Wei Lin shook his head, smiling. "I did a bit of research at the crossroads when I had nothing better to do."

Zhuang Qing looked toward the two guys in the distance who were frequently casting glances their way. "I have nothing to do tomorrow anyway, so I might as well stay the night with Han Ying," she replied.

Wei Lin chuckled, guessing that Zhuang Qing probably had a good idea of what was going on. He had previously worried that those two scoundrels, Zhang Xun and Qi Muyang, might actually succeed in winning the women's favor through this hike, but after witnessing Zhuang Qing’s feat with the snake, he felt those two didn't stand a chance.

The seven of them soon resumed their journey. The scenery along the way was indeed lovely, with bamboo groves, streams, and waterfalls appearing in their view from time to time. Unlike the main trail that went straight up, the wild path, while time-consuming, lacked exhausting slopes. With their bellies full, the group was in good spirits. Even Zhao Yuanqing stopped whining.

Yuan Xiaoe and Han Ying would pause from time to time to take photos. The two "hiking experts" were also slightly knowledgeable about photography, taking out their DSLR cameras to enthusiastically choose backgrounds and angles for the women, clicking away incessantly.

Time slipped away like this.

"It's five o'clock. Why haven't we reached the summit yet?" Seeing Han Ying joining their circle, posing against a small waterfall in the distance while Zhang Xun snapped photos—even exchanging WeChat contacts to send the images later—Zhao Yuanqing was filled with dissatisfaction.

"I doubt we'll make it back today," Wei Lin said, sipping his water.

"What do you mean we won't make it back? We take the cable car from the summit and we'll be down in no time. We can grab a late dinner by seven and still make it back to Linjiang without any issues," Zhao Yuanqing grumbled.

"The cable car stops running at five-thirty," Wei Lin said calmly.

"What the hell! Does that mean we have to walk down? Walking down will take at least two hours! Even if we skip dinner, we won't get back to Linjiang until midnight!" Realizing they would have to hike down, Zhao Yuanqing became agitated. "Stop taking pictures! It's going to be dark soon. What else is there to see at the summit?"

Reminded by him, Han Ying and Yuan Xiaoe also realized they needed to save enough time to take photos at the summit.

The group continued on. The sky grew dim, and the mountain forest, deprived of the sun, turned chilly. Wei Lin, wearing thin clothing, began to feel the cold. The three women, whose sports shirts had been soaked with sweat and then dried, also felt uncomfortable and urged the two "experts" to pick up the pace.

Calculating the time, the two experts finally stopped delaying.

"There's a suspension bridge up ahead. Once we cross it, we’ll reach the summit in half an hour," Zhang Xun said, no longer holding back and striding forward with ease.

"Sorry about that. I was so busy taking photos for you that I forgot to keep track of the time," Qi Muyang said, looking back at the group with an apologetic smile. "Don't worry, there are guesthouses and small restaurants at the summit. We can grab a bite there, and even if there's no cable car, it won't take us long to walk down."

"Exactly. We might just be a little late getting back to Linjiang," he added, planting the seed early.

Yuan Xiaoe and Han Ying, realizing it was their own eagerness to be photographed that had delayed everyone, couldn't bring themselves to blame the men.

"If it's too late, we can just spend the night at a guesthouse on the mountain. It's Sunday tomorrow anyway," Yuan Xiaoe suggested, tired and unwilling to trek down in the pitch black.

"The sunrise at Nanshan is beautiful, too. If we're lucky, we'll get some great shots," Qi Muyang said with a smile.

At these words, the women's eyes lit up.

Just as they were heatedly discussing whether to stay the night at the summit to catch the sunrise, Zhang Xun, at the very front of the pack, suddenly let out a startled cry: "Shit! Why is the suspension bridge broken?!"

Wei Lin could tell by the sound of his voice that he was genuinely panicked; this time, it didn't seem like an act.

"What the hell! What kind of path are you leading us on?" Zhao Yuanqing cursed, stabbing his trekking pole into the ground and rushing forward in a panic. "You aren't expecting us to turn back, are you?"

Wei Lin frowned and quickly followed. He had calculated everything he could, anticipating that those two dogs might try to pull some tricks to keep the women on the mountain overnight, but he hadn't foreseen the suspension bridge being out.

The sky was about to turn completely dark. The return trip would take hours, and the mountain forest at night would be even colder. Plus, there were snakes!

At this thought, Wei Lin couldn't help but curse inwardly as well.

"Zhuang Qing, the bridge is broken. What do we do?" Han Ying asked, looking miserable, before blaming herself. "It’s my fault. If I hadn't insisted on taking those photos, we would have known the bridge was broken sooner."

"It's not your fault. If anyone is to blame, it's Zhang Xun and Qi Muyang for not doing their job properly and being so arrogant."

Zhuang Qing remained relatively calm. "It's fine. At worst, we'll just have to backtrack to the junction and head down the mountain from there."