Will you keep going with me?

Unexpectedly, Qin Yuheng asked after all.

Actually, based on what he knew of Qin Yuheng...

Whenever he said something inappropriate in the past, Qin Yuheng never took it too seriously. He rarely let him feel embarrassed.

But this time, he had asked, which meant his age must really matter to him.

He looked over at him, only to discover, to his surprise, a hint of dejection in his eyes.

Dejection? Had he actually made Qin Yuheng all emo?

Unforgivable.

Yu Nian weighed his words, took a deep breath, and stopped joking around. Instead, he told him with complete sincerity, "No. I've never thought that."

"You're older compared to me, but you have plenty of strengths other people don't."

"You're smart, dependable, well-mannered, generous and tolerant toward others, and respectful, too," Yu Nian counted them off on his fingers. "And you're conscientious about your work. Sure, you took over your corporation from your father's generation, but keeping such a huge corporation running smoothly takes more than just sitting in the boss's chair. That proves you're outstanding at both your work and management!"

"The rarest thing is that you've held on to all those qualities despite having so much money and power..."

He could have lived in extravagant indulgence and done nothing all day. He could have used his power to order people around at his whim, or lived off the fortune his family had built until it ran dry. After all, they couldn't spend all their money in several lifetimes.

But there were far too many people like that. People like Qin Yuheng, who stayed true to themselves and had moral boundaries, were the minority.

The corners of Yu Nian's lips lifted as he earnestly listed his strengths, his eyes shining. "Besides, I don't think those are things everyone has once they reach your age. I believe those wonderful qualities are part of who you are deep down."

He tilted his head in puzzlement. "So why would someone as wonderful as Brother Yu feel anxious over something as superficial as age?"

Qin Yuheng: "..."

"I believe anyone who gets to know you well will like you. They'll like your soul and your well-rounded character, not a number that only represents your age." As Yu Nian spoke, he even patted his shoulder, hoping to encourage him. "Think about it. I've only spent time with you a few times, and I've already discovered so many good things about you. Whoever ends up with you is bound to be completely smitten once they've been with you long enough, right?"

"So don't worry. You'll definitely meet someone who truly appreciates you. They'll like you so, so much!"

A faint ripple passed through Qin Yuheng's eyes. Then he silently gazed into Yu Nian's eyes, that bottomless pool growing ever clearer and gentler, until something seemed to melt within it, almost spilling over.

His gaze made Yu Nian uneasy. He gave two light coughs and withdrew his hand. "Hey, did you take in what I said? Don't think I'm talking nonsense just because I'm younger than you."

"Yes, I heard you."

"Thank you, Nian-Nian."

Yu Nian's eyes widened slightly. It was the first time he'd heard Qin Yuheng call him Nian-Nian, and it felt a little strange.

When Qin Yuheng said his name, he sounded especially gentle.

Still, perhaps his words had simply touched his heart.

Besides, they'd come hiking together and cleared up the misunderstanding between them. As they grew closer, it was only natural for the way they addressed each other to change. It wasn't a big deal.

Yu Nian happily accepted the new way he addressed him.

After all that talking, they'd rested enough. Yu Nian put his earlier concerns aside, turned, and continued up the mountain, joking, "It's so remote here. Aren't you afraid I'll lure you deep into the mountains and sell you?"

Qin Yuheng said, "You wouldn't."

Yu Nian gave a light huff. "You never know. You're so rich, yet you're far too trusting."

Qin Yuheng's voice drifted over from behind him. "If you really did that, you'd only be after money."

"So before you decided to sell me, I'd offer a more advantageous proposal and change your original plan. You could avoid the risk of committing a crime and gain even more wealth."

Yu Nian looked back and blinked curiously. "What kind of proposal?"

Qin Yuheng chuckled softly. "I'd better not say. You might run away right now if I did."

Yu Nian shivered and gave him a suspicious look. "You're not planning to promise me the moon, get me to move you somewhere safe, then have a sniper shoot me, are you?"

"No," Qin Yuheng said helplessly. "But why are we discussing this here?"

Yu Nian grinned. "I'm bored."

"But, Brother Yu, do you really want to keep going with me?"

"If you want me to."

Yu Nian paused slightly, feeling that the exchange sounded odd, then added, "I'm fine with it. I just feel that since we're here and have already walked so far, I'd like to take a look even if it's a dead end up there. But I don't want to drag you along for nothing, so if you want to head back, you don't have to force yourself."

"I'm not forcing myself. Like you said, I'd like to go up and take a look, too."

Yu Nian looked back at him. Seeing that Qin Yuheng was serious and hadn't merely said it to reassure him, his expression eased. "Okay. Got it."

With that answer, Yu Nian finally understood that Qin Yuheng was the same kind of person he was. Neither cared whether they'd taken the wrong path, nor would they complain about a difficult journey. They had only one goal: to go up and take a look, even if there was nothing there.

He raised his bamboo staff, brimming with motivation again. "All right, then follow your guide, Yu! Our destination for this trip is the end of this path!"

They walked one behind the other, their pace dictated by Yu Nian, sometimes fast and sometimes slow.

Qin Yuheng could keep up regardless, always staying behind him.

Later, some litter on the ground, probably left by previous visitors, showed them that others had taken this path before. That undoubtedly boosted their confidence.

The higher they climbed, the more the woods were covered in a thin layer of snow, scattered here and there on the branches. The winter forest was quiet and secluded, full of atmosphere.

Yu Nian had Qin Yuheng take a few more photos of him. Sometimes, he deliberately crouched a little to reveal Qin Yuheng's face behind him.

That way, they had pictures together.

After all, it would have been a bit of a shame to go on an outing without even one photo together.

They were proof that the two of them had traveled part of the way together.