Lu Huan’s video continued to spread across the internet.
The lines she had spoken spawned several memes, which netizens quickly ran wild with. One particular line, “One glance and you’ll remember a vocabulary word, a mathematical formula” sent netizens into a frenzy of laughter and inspired countless creative twists.
For example, an underachiever quipped: “Teacher, will staring at you turn me into a top student?”
A teacher replied in the comments: “No, but you can try staring at the blackboard more during class.”
Netizens laughed heartily in response.
Then there was the simp’s remark: “Goddess, I’ve looked at you so many times will you marry me?”
Goddesses retorted: “Even if you develop piercing insight, I still won’t spare you a glance.”
Netizens chimed in: “Face reality, backup plan.”
Even major influencers and online celebrities jumped on the trend, creating their own short videos.
After finishing her wash-up, Lu Huan returned to the room. Since they were only staying one night and accommodations on the mountain were expensive, the group had opted for a youth hostel-style setup with bunk beds, eight people to a room.
Aside from their group of five, there were three other girls, who also seemed to be students on holiday traveling together.
The three girls had been chatting loudly at first, but when Lu Huan’s group entered, they lowered their voices and cast subtle, curious glances their way. It was hard not to notice each of the newcomers was strikingly attractive, each with a distinct style.
In particular, Lu Huan’s gentle and well-behaved demeanor, Lou Qing’s wild charm, and Song Meixi’s mature, domineering aura captivated the three younger girls. They even secretly took photos with their phones, sharing them in their group chat with excited squeals.
“Have some water.” Seeing that Lu Huan was back, Lou Qing unscrewed a bottle of mineral water and handed it to her.
“Thank you, sister.” Lu Huan accepted it.
Lou Qing’s bed was directly across from hers, separated only by a narrow aisle. They sat on the edges of their respective beds, knees touching.
Cui Lin, who occupied the upper bunk above Lu Huan, was still full of energy. Leaning over the edge of her bed with her phone, she suggested, “Let’s play a game! The five of us can team up.”
Tao Hai said, “Let me call my wife first. It’ll only take ten minutes.”
“Fine, fine.” Knowing she was about to be subjected to another display of affection, Cui Lin waved her off with a look of disgust.
Song Meixi, having finished her wash-up, was lying in bed with a face mask on, scrolling through her phone. “Are we playing Honor of Kings?”
“Yeah,” Cui Lin replied, sitting cross-legged. “Tao Hai totally screwed me over the other day. Today, I’m getting my revenge.”
Meanwhile, the three other girls were chatting in their hastily formed group chat while eavesdropping on the conversation nearby. Hearing that the group was about to team up for a game, they exchanged amused glances, surprised to learn that these impressive-looking girls also played Honor of Kings.
Lu Huan was still a novice. Although she had played a few rounds with the others recently, her skills hadn’t improved much.
“You should still play support,” Lou Qing advised.
“Okay,” Lu Huan nodded.
Lou Qing glanced over at the three girls. “Hope we’re not disturbing you?”
The girls hadn’t expected her to address them and were instantly flustered and shy.
“N-No, not at all,” one of them stammered, her face flushing.
“We’re used to staying up late,” another girl quickly added.
Lou Qing gave a quiet “Mm” and said, “We’ll only play two rounds.” With that, the game started, and she didn’t engage them further.
“Want to sit over here?” Lou Qing, playing as a marksman, glanced at the girl sitting across from her. The girl was holding her phone with both hands, her expression serious as she stared at the screen. Lou Qing couldn’t help but curl her lips into a smile.
Lu Huan looked up, hesitated for a moment, then stood up and moved over to sit beside her.
Once the game started, Lu Huan’s body would occasionally sway left and right along with the movements of her in-game hero. Though the movements were subtle, Lou Qing, sitting beside her, could still feel them.
“Are you controlling your body too?” Lou Qing suddenly asked.
“Huh?” Lu Huan looked at her in confusion.
It was clear that the girl hadn’t noticed her own habit, and Lou Qing had no intention of correcting her.
“Never mind,” Lou Qing said, placing a hand on Lu Huan’s head and gently ruffling her hair. Seeing the girl’s bewildered expression, she found herself saying, “You’re really cute!”
As expected, Lu Huan’s face instantly flushed at those words. She immediately averted her gaze to her phone screen. Just as Lou Qing was about to look away with a smile, Lu Huan glanced up at her again and whispered, “You’re cute too, sis.”
Lou Qing froze for a moment, then burst into laughter.
“What are you two doing?” Cui Lin, who was on the upper bunk, gave them a strange look and urged, “Hurry up and leave the fountain, the enemies are pushing in.”
Lou Qing: “Mind your own business.”
Cui Lin pouted and looked away.
They played two rounds in a row before calling it a night. By then, it was already 11 p.m.
Lu Huan yawned sleepily.
“Go to sleep now, we have to wake up early tomorrow,” Lou Qing whispered.
“Mm,” Lu Huan nodded obediently, closed her eyes, and fell asleep within seconds.
Cui Lin was about to speak loudly, but one sharp look from Lou Qing made her immediately shut her mouth. She muttered under her breath, “Why so fierce?”
With the game over, the room fell quiet. Everyone stopped talking, lay down, and went to sleep. The three other girls in the room had also closed their eyes by then.
The next day, it was still dark outside.
“Huanhuan, time to get up, or we’ll miss the sunrise,” Lou Qing said softly, bending over the girl’s bedside.
“Mm…” Lu Huan opened her sleepy eyes and, seeing the face so close to hers, curved her lips into a smile. Her voice was soft and sweet as she said, “Sis.”
That single word, “sis,” struck right at Lou Qing’s heart, sending a tingling, melting sensation through her. Her eyes darkened slightly, and her voice grew a little husky. “Good girl.”
The temperature on the mountain was quite low. When they opened the door, the group couldn’t help but shiver.
Lou Qing pulled Lu Huan closer, using her own body to shield the girl from some of the wind.
“Sis, have some water.” Lu Huan handed over a thermos, steam rising from it.
Lou Qing said, “You drink it, I’m not thirsty.” It’s clean,” Lu Huan quickly added, thinking Lou Qing might be disgusted. “I washed it.”
Seeing the girl’s earnest expression, Lou Qing sighed helplessly and smiled. “You!” Her tone carried a hint of indulgence she hadn’t even realized was there.
The two of them took turns sipping from the thermos until half the water was gone.
“We’re at Bright Summit,” Tao Hai announced.
There were many people who had come to watch the sunrise. Despite the cold, nothing could dampen their enthusiasm.
Lou Qing found a sheltered spot with Lu Huan, and they chatted idly.
“It’s coming out, the sun’s coming out!”
A sliver of light broke through the clouds at the horizon, illuminating the land below.
The crowd grew restless, pulling out their phones to record the moment. Some had even brought cameras prepared in advance.
“Let’s go over there too.” Lou Qing pulled Lu Huan towards Cui Lin and the others, where there happened to be an empty spot.
The light spilled over everyone’s faces, warm and gentle.
Lu Huan closed her eyes, tilting her head back to feel the sunlight on her face.
Lou Qing watched her, the girl’s face, bathed in the sunlight, seemed as if it were coated in a layer of golden light.