After watching the sunrise, most people on the mountain chose to take the cable car down. The members of the climbing group were all very friendly, and they had all gotten along quite well over the past two days.
Someone suggested forming a group to travel together. The two girls, Yang Qianqian and He Qing, readily agreed. Zhang Chengjun smiled, waved his hand, and said he couldn’t join as he had already made plans with other friends.
One of the middle-aged couples in the group were cycling enthusiasts. Their cycling trip was only taking them through Yunxiang City, and they wouldn’t be staying there for long. Their ultimate destination was far away on the western plateau, and cycling through Xichuan was a shared goal for the couple.
The husband smiled and waved goodbye to them: “You young folks go have fun together! Wishing you a great trip!”
The young couple in the group decided to stay. Bai Meng hooked his arm through the arm of his Alpha, Xu Jiqi, and waved at the couple with a beaming smile: “Wishing you a smooth ride as well! Make sure to send us photos of the scenery when you get to Xichuan!”
Xu Jiqi held Bai Meng’s hand back, pulling him closer: “Be careful and stop jumping around. There are too many rocks on this path, it would be troublesome if you sprained your ankle.”
Bai Meng flashed Xu Jiqi a wide, bright smile and obediently stood still, listening to him.
Now, only Du Jichen and Jiang Chu had yet to express their intentions.
Yang Qianqian really liked Jiang Chu’s personality and eagerly invited him to stay: “Traveling alone is fun, but traveling together is fun too. A big group makes it much livelier, Xiao Chu, you should stay.”
Jiang Chu didn’t think much before nodding in agreement. His gaze subconsciously swept toward Du Jichen, but then quickly looked away.
Even he didn’t know what that subconscious action represented.
Du Jichen stood in the center of the crowd. He was always the natural leader, exuding a charismatic presence that naturally commanded obedience. His steady, outstanding personality and appearance were entirely his strong suits, resembling a dormant yet powerful king of the jungle, terrifying when calm.
Catching Jiang Chu’s nod out of the corner of his eye, the hand Du Jichen was using to grip his cup visibly relaxed. When Bai Meng asked him if he was willing to stay, Du Jichen smiled and replied: “Of course I am.”
Standing in the crowd, Jiang Chu lowered his gaze, trying to conceal the hard-to-hide joy in his eyes. But when he looked back up, his gaze collided with Du Jichen’s, exposing his unhidden delight completely to Du Jichen. The corners of Du Jichen’s lips curved upward, and a light chuckle escaped.
Jiang Chu turned his head away in a panic, his heart beating chaotically like a drum.
Over the next few days, the group rented a guesthouse to stay together and discussed their sightseeing plans.
Yunxiang City not only featured rustic ancient towns with small bridges and flowing water, but also large music festivals. In the morning, the group enjoyed the rain and sipped tea in the misty, rainy town, and in the afternoon, after the passing shower cleared up, they headed straight to the music festival grounds to let loose. The deafening music combined with the wild atmosphere completely swept away the stillness of the night.
Once the group arrived at the music festival, they scattered and vanished into the crowd. Bai Meng grabbed Xu Jiqi, weaving through the people, and quickly squeezed into the front row to vibe with the music.
Yang Qianqian and He Qing, holding melting ice creams, were also trying their best to push their way inside, not forgetting to call back to Jiang Chu: “Xiao Chu, hurry and keep up, we’re heading in first!”
It was Jiang Chu’s first time at a music festival, and he completely failed to keep up with the group’s pace.
The noisy music made his brain buzz and feel somewhat dizzy. Like a silent, noble, and aloof little cat, Jiang Chu followed closely in Du Jichen’s footsteps, step by step.
Du Jichen kept a constant eye on Jiang Chu, carefully protecting him and clearing a path. With so many people at the music festival, it was easy to get separated by the crowd, but fortunately, Jiang Chu was very well-behaved and wouldn’t run or wander around.
However, as they pushed further inside, the space available for them to walk became smaller and smaller, and the crowd grew denser.
Chaotic lights flashed randomly over Jiang Chu, casting a dreamlike glow upon him. Jiang Chu struggled to squeeze his way out from the crowd.
Clearly, he didn’t belong here. The messy smells in the air made Jiang Chu feel even more dizzy. Clearly Du Jichen was just a short distance ahead, but no matter how he walked, it felt like he couldn’t reach Du Jichen’s side.
Jiang Chu pressed his lips into a tight line and tried to walk forward once again, but the pheromone scents mixed in the air made him so dizzy that he had to stop and take shallow breaths.
Du Jichen glanced back and noticed something was wrong with Jiang Chu. He immediately turned around and walked toward Jiang Chu, shielding him from the crowd, and lowered his head to ask: “Are you alright? Are you feeling very uncomfortable?”
Jiang Chu clutched Du Jichen’s collar, taking deep breaths in a posture that practically buried himself against him, and this time he didn’t shake his head: “A little bit.”
Du Jichen immediately led Jiang Chu back out, no longer caring whether Jiang Chu minded physical contact. He half-wrapped his arm around Jiang Chu’s waist, pulling him into his embrace. Once they reached an open space, he let go, unscrewed a bottle of mineral water, and handed it to Jiang Chu: “If you don’t like this place, why didn’t you say so earlier?”
The quiet and cozy teahouse from the morning suited Jiang Chu much better, but when Yang Qianqian proposed coming to the music festival earlier, Jiang Chu hadn’t voiced any objection.
Jiang Chu took a large gulp of water, the icy liquid sliding down his throat and finally easing the tightness in his chest. His long, fair fingers squeezed the mineral water bottle as he whispered: “I didn’t want to ruin everyone’s fun.”
Jiang Chu’s voice was almost completely drowned out by the sound of the speakers. Seeing Jiang Chu instinctively frown because of the loud background music, Du Jichen pulled him a bit further away before replying: “If you’re not used to it, don’t force yourself. No one here will force you to do things you don’t like.”
Du Jichen’s voice seemed to carry a certain kind of magic, brushing past Jiang Chu’s heart like a warm summer breeze and leaving a burning, scorching trace behind. The large hand holding his was warm and strong, encircling his wrist like a constant-temperature jade bracelet, leaving behind a heart-palpitating tenderness.
The commotion of the music festival continued, but Jiang Chu felt that his heart had already quieted down.
Du Jichen unlocked his phone and typed with one hand, briefly letting everyone in the group chat know that he and Jiang Chu were heading out first. He then turned off his phone and said: “Then we won’t go to the inner area; we can just listen from the outside.”
“Next time there’s a place you don’t want to go, just tell me directly. You don’t have to accommodate everyone else. If there’s anywhere you actually like to go, I can go with you.”
The poised and serene Jiang Chu back in the teahouse was the version Du Jichen hoped to see.
Jiang Chu let out a low “Mn,” without specifying whether he was responding to Du Jichen’s first sentence or the latter one.