"This... this... absolutely not! I have plans tomorrow!"

Yun Mingxin stammered, his words stumbling out in his haste.

"Please? Next time, I promise!"

"But you agreed to this! Why put it off? If we don’t do it in the next two days, the competition will be over."

"It’s already over," Yun Mingxin muttered under his breath. Aside from the championship title, all other rewards were just participation trophies.

"Hmm? What did you say?"

"N-nothing! But tomorrow really won’t work."

"Then what exactly are you doing tomorrow?"

"Just tell me!"

Bai Ziyi’s voice turned wheedling—sweet and velvety, like a little girl pouting or a stray Ragdoll cat rubbing against your leg. Yun Mingxin felt his resolve crumbling.

"I’m going to Purple Mountain. I promised someone I’d hike it. Can’t break my word."

He blurted it out honestly, even surprising himself. *Since when am I this easy to handle? Why does she know exactly how to get to me?*

Unaware of his thoughts—and even if she knew, she’d never admit it—Bai Ziyi had spent eight or nine years with him, slowly tuning her voice to his favorite pitch until it became second nature.

Silence stretched over the line. Finally, a flat, unreadable voice replied:

"Then I’ll just come with you."

"No!" Yun Mingxin shot back instantly. Bringing another person would make Zhan Mengxi blow a fuse.

"... ..."

The pause on the other end was heavy. The atmosphere shifted, thick with awkwardness.

After a moment, Bai Ziyi’s familiar, bright tone returned: "Haha, Mingxin-gege, I was just joking! Look at me—do I seem like someone who hikes mountains?"

True. Delicate and lacking "shopping stamina," intense exercise wasn’t her style.

"I’ll make it up to you next time. Name your condition," Yun Mingxin offered, guilt pricking at him after his blunt refusal.

"Deal! *Giggle-giggle-giggle!*"

Her laughter rang like silver bells, carefree and light.

But the moment she hung up, the cheerful mask vanished.

Bai Ziyi’s face darkened. She puffed her cheeks like an angry hamster, grinding her teeth with a faint *click-clack* sound—a habit born from vocal fatigue after music practice. Only exhaustion or fury triggered it.

"It’s definitely that fat monkey Zhan Mengxi! Damn her, dragging Mingxin to some remote mountain..."

Her small fists clenched until her knuckles turned white. She grabbed her snow-white hair and yanked it violently, tangling the silky strands.

"Grrr! She’s just a loser cicada! Does she think a few ‘butterfly effects’ will turn her into a ‘Sky Howler’?"

Bai Ziyi’s eyes narrowed. "No way. I’m going too. Can’t let that thief steal my tower!"

She immediately dialed her assistant.

"Miss Bai, how may I assist?"

"Charter every cable car up Purple Mountain. And station guards on the stairs—report the moment you spot two people together!"

"All of them? Every single one?" The assistant winced. His boss’s daughter was never easy.

"Did I stutter? *Every. Single. One.*"

"Understood, Miss Bai."

"Their descriptions are..."

---

Dawn brought Yun Mingxin fresh agony.

"Xiao Xin, I’m here!"

A knee slammed into his stomach while he slept. He jolted awake, greeted by generous curves pressing mercilessly against his softest spot.

"Wah—!" He nearly choked.

Blearily, he saw Zhan Mengxi’s face swimming in double vision.

"Mengxi... did you gain weight again...?" he mumbled, half-asleep.

"Oh?"

A murderous aura suddenly cut through his drowsiness.

"Haha! I’ll just... go wash up! Breakfast time!"

Forcing a grin, he dodged her death glare and bolted for the bathroom.

Two hours later, after surviving the morning chaos, he finally took in his childhood friend’s appearance—and felt a flicker of awe.

Today, Zhan Mengxi wore comfort over flair: a black sunhat, her usual twin tails merged into one long ponytail. The vibe screamed *youthful energy*.

Her shirt strained valiantly over its chest embroidery. Yun Mingxin spared a silent moment of sympathy for the tortured fabric before they set off.

After another hour’s drive, they reached their destination.

Yun Mingxin slapped his thigh. His muscles ached—walking was fine, but pressure or sudden movement sent sharp twinges through him.

Thanks to Kujou Yukihime’s tea last night, he felt better than expected. Yet staring up at the looming mountain, he swallowed hard.

Purple Mountain wasn’t a single peak but the highest in a small range—a famous landmark back home.

As kids, villagers often hunted wild boars here, each a 200-pound beast. With prosperity, the wildlife dwindled, but danger lingered.

They’d climbed it countless times. And that familiarity made him dread it all the more.

"Over here! This way!"

Zhan Mengxi yanked the reluctant Yun Mingxin off the paved path onto a muddy trail. This uneven route was forged by villagers’ footsteps alone—no stairs, just packed earth.

Childhood adventures had led them here often. Still, his heart sank. This path was overgrown, human-free, and unlike the main trail, its summit had no buildings—just wilderness.

Ahead, Zhan Mengxi bounced like a cheerful hundred-pound kid.

Less than twenty minutes in, Yun Mingxin was already panting. The overgrown weeds made it harder than he remembered. Meanwhile, she hopped ahead, untouched by fatigue.

She glanced back just as he pressed a hand to his thigh.

"Hey, Xiao Xin! Already wheezing? You used to race me up these slopes! Did you get weak from... *ahem*... too many solo activities after growing up?"

Her loud teasing made him grind his teeth. *If only I were back in my peak high school form—I’d show this monkey exactly how fists meet sandbags.*

"You’re the one dragging us off the paved road! Ignoring the cable cars! Why this path?!" he shot back.

Zhan Mengxi fell quiet. She turned away, whispering almost inaudibly:

"...This is where we came most as kids. And... with people around, how could I ever confess to you?"