Morning light seeped through the curtains like pale gauze, pooling on a single white bed—single because Joanna had shoved two beds into one last night. On that bed, two naked Little Lolis curled together, their gold hair fanned out like a warm quilt, flaring bright under the sun’s soft halo.
Thump-thump-thump, thump-thump-thump! The tempting tableau shattered under a urgent knocking, the door booming like a drum in a temple. “Xiaoxue, up, both of you! We’re heading out!” The class monitor’s voice carried a clean, heroic edge, like a wind cutting through pine.
A drowsy fog rose first in her chest. She rubbed her eyes, then stretched with a cat’s lazy arch. Turning her head, she met a pair of lively brown eyes, deep as forest pools. “G-good morning, Nana.” The golden-haired girl flinched, her body a small shiver, and awareness bloomed—bare skin on bare skin, the touch smooth and warm, like palm against tempered jade.
“Morning~” Joanna pouted, then lunged under the blanket and hugged Xiao Qianxue tight, like a fox tackling snow. “Yao!” The tremor ran sweet through her, the contact a gentle blaze she didn’t want to leave. “Quit it. Wash up—we’re heading up the mountain.”
Reason cooled the pulse like a ladle of spring water. Little Loli braced both hands and pushed her teasing bestie away, popped open her suitcase, and slipped into the prepped hiking fit: thin long pants, windbreaker over a tee, and a visor casting shade like a leaf.
“You look like you’re off to work the fields, but still cute!” Under someone’s stare, Little Loli blushed red as an apple while dressing, only to get roasted without mercy. “...” Heat rose in a cross on her forehead like a cartoon storm, but she swallowed it. “Go change. I need to do my hair.”
The golden girl slid out a chair and sat at the vanity, fingers moving with a sparrow’s care as she braided her gold into twin tails. “This style still suits me best.” She stepped back two paces, gazing into the mirror like checking a moon in water, and sounded sure.
“You little show-off.”
“Argh, I can’t hold back!” Like a fluffed-up kitten, Xiao Qianxue pounced at the teasing Joanna; they tangled again, two willow branches knotting in a playful gust. Ten minutes slipped by like sand. Thump-thump-thump! “Who is it?” They stopped rolling, both looking toward the door like deer lifting heads. “You two are the only room that skipped breakfast. Move it—I’m done eating.” Still the class monitor, voice crisp as a snapped twig.
“Got it!” they chimed together. After a quick tidy, Xiao Qianxue and Joanna headed to the restaurant. They were late, but the hall still hummed, a mix of adults and kids like a small market.
“Another breakfast under the spotlight. I’d rather find a quiet corner.” Under a trail of stares like pricking needles, the golden girl yawned and set her haul on the table. “If they’re watching anyway, why not give them a show? Want me to feed you?”
“...Ah—mm!” She opened to protest, and a hash brown blocked the words like a soft brick. Joanna’s fork had speared it and stuffed it in. “Could you be gentle?” Xiao Qianxue chewed down the near-choking bite, a flare of complaint flicking like a match. “Sorry, sorry. I didn’t want to miss a perfect moment.” Joanna’s grin was the fox again, plan neatly landed.
Half an hour of fussing later, the whole class finally piled into the bus. “Alright, next stop Xiushan. From here, we’ll get there around noon.” It was the same lady guide, her voice steady as a stream, though eyes barely turned her way. It didn’t matter; she flowed on, sketching Xiushan’s history like strokes of ink.
I saw the bus roll out. Then keep on them. We move when they camp tonight. Understood. From a shadowed corner, a black van slid into the street, its nose pointing where the bus had gone, a crow trailing the flock.
“This is why you told me not to go?” Ou Xiangyang sat in a grand study, the air cool as stone. At the desk’s flank stood a capable middle-aged man, crisp as iron; Ou Xiangyang leaned forward, hands braced, eyes on an A4 sheet like a hawk over prey.
“Yes, young master,” the man replied, voice compact as a folded blade.
“These people are full and bored, picking fights for sport. I was going to make that trip a bit more interesting...” He sighed, letting it go like smoke. “If that’s their plan, I won’t meddle. Best to stay out of it.” He crumpled the paper into a tight ball, arced it into the trash like a pebble into a pond, and left the study.
High noon—bam bam bam bam—the sun beat down like a brass gong overhead. The trees cast stitched shade, but heat still pooled, a simmering pot you couldn’t step out of. “We’ll eat at the restaurant at the foot of the mountain. After lunch, we head up.” The guide hopped off first; the students followed with groans, leaving the bus’s cool air like leaving an oasis.
Little Loli and Joanna adjusted hats and glasses, their gear wrapping them like armor. “With this heat, hope it’s cooler tonight.” Joanna’s gripe drifted like steam, while a quieter feeling stirred in Xiaoxue’s chest, a thread of unease like a cold draft under the door.
“What’s wrong?” Joanna tilted her head at Xiao Qianxue’s sudden stop, eyes steady as a hand on a shoulder. “N-no... probably nothing.” She shook it off, twin gold tails swaying like wheat heads, and they walked toward the crowd.
By afternoon, the class began to hike, steps turning toward the peak like ants up a slope. Complaints peppered the path; everyone panted, cheeks hot as embers. Joanna bounced like nothing touched her, a goat hopping ledges; Little Loli became truly a loli today—climbing wrung her dry.
“Nana... h-help me.” In back, Little Loli faltered, sweat tracing the porcelain curve of her doll-like cheeks, blush petaled there like peach bloom, sweet and aching.
“Xiaoxue, are you sure you’re okay? You used to outpace me—what’s with you now?” Her mouth fretted like a sparrow, but her arm swung in, catching Xiao Qianxue to her side without a beat.
“Don’t fuss so much!” Frustration pricked like nettles; once she could sprint to the summit in one breath, now a few steps drained her. She leaned on Joanna and moved forward, two shadows stitched together.
With hands trading support like passing a lantern, the class reached a flatter stretch. “Rest here first.” The lady guide lifted a loudhailer; her call rolled wide like a bell, and the students surged to the clearing, grabbing spots as if they’d found heaven’s gate. “Want some water, Xiaoxue?” Joanna settled the golden girl on the ground, then tugged a bottle from her pack.
“I’m fine. I brought mine.” Her hand went back, fingers finding her flask like a fish finds a stream, and the group eased down to recover, breath cooling like wind under pine.
