The entrance to Xiangshan Scenic Area was bustling, and as far as the eye could see, it was full of heads.
Li Peifeng stayed in place for only half a minute and could no longer see his parents' figures.
He never thought he would one day join the League of Fathers with worries, and at this rate, Li Qiyuan was likely to tell Yu Huizhi about his current emotional situation, giving him a chance to join the Orphan Aid Association.
Simply put, it was very likely he would be without a family!
Li Peifeng understood his mother well. Yu Huizhi was highly praised by those around her, even capturing Li Qiyuan's heart, all due to three things: beauty, kindness, and gentleness. In simple terms: naive, sweet, and charming.
Or simply: true, kind, and beautiful.
Kindness was particularly prominent. If she found out her son was a playboy...
"I definitely won't have any good juice to drink!"
But since things had co to this, it's useless to overthink it. Buying a ticket to enter the mountain and enjoying the scenery with a beauty was the most sensible thing to do now.
The two walked through the ticket checkpoint, and in front of Qinzheng Hall, there were more tourists and the noise was even louder.
"Telling you early on, don't get your hopes up."
Li Peifeng shouted, "The Capital is not known for its natural landscapes but excels in cultural sights. When it cos to scenery, it can't compare to Hangzhou. Xiangshan can't compete with other famous mountains in the country either, so let's just wander around aimlessly to pass the ti."
"Why start by pouring cold water?"
Huang Tianxuan chuckled, "But I didn't have any expectations; you see, I didn't even bring a cara."
"Wise choice. If you want photos, I'll take them with my phone for you, with its 150 million pixels, built-in beauty filters, and leg-lengthening feature—it will illuminate your beauty!"
It's fine not to bring a cara, but water is necessary. After all, it's climbing a mountain, and thirst is inevitable.
Li Peifeng bought two bottles of water, opened one, drank two sips, and held it in his hand, while the other unopened bottle was tucked into his sport jacket pocket.
Actually, if he wanted to warm up the relationship, buying just one bottle would do. That way, they could share, creating a cozy atmosphere, instantly heating things up to 38.6 degrees.
But Li Peifeng didn't do it. On the one hand, he adhered to the principle of not taking the initiative. On the other, he truly felt a bit afraid, afraid of attracting yet another risk of capsizing. Most importantly, he sensed Huang Tianxuan's distance from him.
This distance was obvious. Ever since she'd attended a talk in the Capital, Li Peifeng felt it clearly.
And although the invitation was initiated by Huang Tianxuan, the purpose seed more like a prank, demanding a favor, normal interaction between friends rather than a relationship-warming date between a couple.
LI Peifeng could see this clearly.
One could only say Huang Tianxuan was too wise—she knew there was a pit in front and avoided jumping in, which was especially comndable.
Believing in bad luck can be a good quality. Being overly confident in one's charm, chasing unfit partners, saying things like 'love is like moths to a fla, don't worry about gains or losses,' thinking that true love will change them—it's unnecessary.
Huang Tianxuan acting this way didn't surprise Li Peifeng.
For such a top-notch daughter of wealth and beauty, with an incredible family background and quite intelligent, if she saw his playboy ways firsthand and still chased proactively like in Wuzhen, Li Peifeng would think there was a bit of a problem with her brain.
Once inside the mountain, Li Peifeng led the way and navigated to a mountain trail without steps, a genuine forest path.
"Does anyone walk this path? We won't get lost in here, right?"
The forest path ahead was far from tourists, with dense trees blocking sunlight and isolating human noise, occasionally accompanied by the sounds of so green bird calls; such a scene made Huang Tianxuan worry.
But Li Peifeng stepped right in: "No, you won't get lost. No insects, snakes, or wild animals, don't worry about ghosts either; even if there are, they'd only be lustful ones."
The dirt path was about a ter wide, trodden flat without vegetation, just dried leaves and branches. Looking ahead, the path wound and twisted, with a few old folks walking it in the distance, though obscured by branches, unclear.
"Lustful ghost—are you talking about yourself?"
"If I were a lustful ghost, you'd have been reincarnated long ago."
The two teased each other, stepping on branches and leaves, creating a snapping sound; along with the unknown bird calls, there was a bit of an exploration and adventure vibe.
Huang Tianxuan forgot her previous worries, praising as she walked, "This path is indeed nice; earlier, it was too crowded."
Li Peifeng led ahead, seeing her lagging too far behind, stopped briefly, turned around, and laughed: "Last ti I ca to Xiangshan was with so old folks for a walk, which is how I knew about this path. Later, I realized sothing."
"Travelling and sightseeing, following the tour guide with the crowd is certainly okay. But you can also follow the old folks living nearby. They live here and are very familiar with the area. If you follow the crowd, you'll see stereotypical scenery, going through the motions."
"But if you follow those old folks, they'll take you on mountain trails with possibly more beautiful and tranquil scenery."
"We should have brought your parents, too."
Huang Tianxuan looked back, still able to see the group of tourists: "Am I keeping you from spending ti with your parents?"
"Don't worry about them; they can wander wonderfully on their own. We'd just be redundant if we were with them."
"By the way, why did your father suddenly hit you when he saw earlier?"
Huang Tianxuan stood in front of Li Peifeng, stopped, raised an eyebrow, "I don't get it. Generally, when parents see their son dating a beautiful girl, it seems like they're about to start a romantic relationship—they should feel pleased, right? Like your mom, that's a normal reaction. What's up with your dad hitting you?"
"I thought about it a lot, and it seems there's only one possible explanation for your dad's behavior..." Huang Tianxuan changed her tone, pensive: "Maybe you've already started a romance? Your dad knows, but your mom doesn't?"
"Just think of it that way."
Li Peifeng waved his hand, uninterested in hiding, turned around and continued walking, urging her to keep up.
Although she followed, staying half a step behind, she didn't let the matter go: "So is it with the cohabiting lesbian couple? Wu Wenyue or Xu Manning, or both?"
Li Peifeng glanced back at her: "Do you think a three-person romance counts as a romance?"
"Is that an admission?"
Huang Tianxuan laughed aloud: "Looks like I guessed right. Xu Manning is your ex, Wu Wenyue is your friend, and now they're back together—and not only are you not awkward about it, but you're also living together... As for your question, whether three people together counts as a romance or not, I'm not sure, maybe you should get a psychological consultation."
"By the way, Beihua University's psychology program ranks first. You don't need to look elsewhere; you can consult a psychology professor from your school."
The teasing was heavily laden with sarcasm!
Li Peifeng didn't mind, he even laughed: "Tianxuan, actually, compared to , I think you need a psychological consultation even more. From the start, you've always given a fragnted, unreal feeling. Now, you've co to the unfamiliar Capital for work, which further gives a sense of distance. Initially, I thought it was just towards , but later I realized it wasn't. You're distant from the entire world, detached from humanity—a state that's not ideal."
"..." Huang Tianxuan frowned slightly, remained silent.
Li Peifeng earnestly said, "I analyze that this might co from the influence of your original family, or perhaps, like , affected by your mother's health, not being breastfed as a child. So, should I introduce you to a psychological counselor?"
It was supposed to be a joke, but unexpectedly, Huang Tianxuan said, "Actually, I have undergone psychological counseling. When I first started working, the pressure was imnse—I felt like I was experiencing a ntal split, so I went. Once a week for two months, and what the counselor said in the end helped let go."
"What did they say?"
"ntal chaos is rely a reasonable reaction to this crazy world."
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