Qin Lie parked the car in the parking lot at the foot of Baiwang Mountain, leaned back in the driver's seat, and waved.
"You guys go ahead, I'll take a nap in the car."
Cheng Che got out of the car, and his first action was to activate [ Fade into the Bustle ].
Guo Xin jumped down from the other side, took a mask out of his pocket and handed it to him. " Brother Che, put this on."
Cheng Che took the mask, weighed it in his hand, and then stuffed it back into Guo Xin's pocket.
"Need not."
Guo Xin was taken aback. "You don't need to? You're currently trending at number one on the internet. I saw you on Douyin yesterday. What if someone recognizes you later?"
Cheng Che took a step forward, his steps casual, his expression calm.
"I don't recognize him."
Guo Xin looked at him like this and didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
Su Qingyue and Lin Xiao got out of the back seat and stood beside them watching.
"Let's go," Cheng Che called out, turning around. "What are you dawdling for?"
The four people walked towards the entrance at the foot of the mountain.
Baiwang Mountain is not high, with an altitude of only over 200 meters, but the mountain road is well-maintained, and the stone steps are lined with pine and ginkgo trees.
The autumn leaves have begun to change color, with golden yellow and deep green overlapping, and sunlight filtering through the gaps in the branches and leaves, scattering across the ground.
After walking for ten minutes, Guo Xin was already out of breath.
"This... this mountain is so steep..."
"This is just the beginning." Cheng Che walked ahead, glanced back at him, and said, "You don't even run five kilometers, of course you'll be tired climbing a mountain."
"You run five kilometers every day, of course you can talk without thinking!" Guo Xin leaned against the roadside railing, bent over and panting for a few breaths. "I can't go on, let me rest for a bit."
Su Qingyue and Lin Xiao walked in the middle, chatting as they went.
After climbing for more than twenty minutes, the four of them reached the first checkpoint.
The four large red characters " Taihang Outpost " are engraved on a huge blue stone.
Several people were already taking pictures next to the stone tablet.
Guo Xin was the first to rush forward, striking what he thought was a very cool pose, pointing one finger to the sky and taking a step forward with one leg.
"Take the picture quickly!" he shouted.
Lin Xiao raised her phone, pressed a button, glanced at the screen, and burst out laughing.
"What kind of pose is that? It looks like you're pointing at a bird's nest."
Guo Xin was unconvinced, so he leaned over to look at the photo and laughed at himself.
"One more, let's change the pose."
This time, he crossed his arms over his chest, raised his chin slightly, and looked into the distance.
Lin Xiao took another picture, and Su Qingyue also took one.
Cheng Che stood to the side watching, not in a hurry to go up.
After Guo Xin finished taking pictures, Su Qingyue walked to the stone tablet, turned around, and smiled at the camera.
She wore a light-colored knitted cardigan today, her hair was tied in a low ponytail, and her eyes crinkled when she smiled.
Lin Xiao pressed the shutter, looked down at the photo, and nodded in satisfaction.
"This one looks good."
Cheng Che stood to the side and glanced at the screen.
In the photo, Su Qingyue stands next to the stone tablet, the sunlight falling perfectly on her profile.
"It really looks good," he said.
Su Qingyue's ears turned slightly red. Pretending not to hear, she quickly walked forward.
Keep climbing.
The path became steeper from there, and the gaps between the stone steps widened, requiring each step to be taken with legs raised higher.
Guo Xin slowed down more and more, while Cheng Che walked with increasing ease, until finally he had to stop and wait for him.
" Guo Xin." Cheng Che leaned against the railing, watching him slowly incline upwards. "With this kind of stamina, how are you going to pursue girls in the future?"
"I... I don't rely on physical strength to pursue girls," Guo Xin said, panting, supporting his knees. "I rely on... my talent..."
What are your talents?
"I can play games."
Cheng Che chuckled, then continued walking without replying.
The second place to visit is the She Taijun Temple.
The temple is small, with blue bricks and gray tiles, and an old locust tree at the entrance.
Inside the temple, there is a clay statue, and incense smoke curls around it.
Su Qingyue and Lin Xiao went inside to pay their respects, while Guo Xin studied the merit stele at the entrance. Seeing the words "rebuilt during the Northern Song Dynasty" inscribed on it, he remarked, "This temple is even older than my great-great-great-grandfather."
The third check-in point is Wangjing Tower.
Wangjing Tower is a two-story wooden building perched on a hillside, offering excellent views.
Standing upstairs, you can see the Capital City skyline in the distance.
Several tourists were already inside the building, taking photos of the distant city with their phones.
Cheng Che and the other three went up to the second floor and found a corner to sit down.
The wind blew in from the mountains, carrying the scent of pine resin and earth.
In the distance, the city skyline is shrouded in gray; closer by, layers of tree canopies rise, with golden ginkgo leaves and deep green pines intermingling.
As soon as Guo Xin sat down, he took out his water bottle, poured half of it down, and then leaned against a pillar, panting heavily.
"We've finally arrived."
Cheng Che also sat down, leaned against a pillar, and closed his eyes.
He sensed that his time to [ Fade into the Bustle ] was approaching, and the feeling of his presence being suppressed was slowly fading away.
He stood up, walked to the side, took the mask out of his pocket, and put it on.
Guo Xin stood up as soon as he put it on.
"I'll go buy some water." He patted his pants. "What do you guys want to drink?"
"Mineral water is fine," Lin Xiao said.
"I want a bottle of iced water," Su Qingyue said.
Guo Xin went downstairs.
Only three people remained on Wangjing Tower.
Lin Xiao leaned against the railing taking pictures, while Su Qingyue sat in the corner, her fingers resting on her bag strap.
Cheng Che walked over, took the small bag out of his pocket, and handed it to Su Qingyue.
"For you."
Su Qingyue was taken aback.
She looked down at the bag and recognized the logo on it; it belonged to a jewelry store.
She looked up at Cheng Che with curiosity.
"When... did you buy it?"
"You gave me a belated coming-of-age ceremony last time," Cheng Che said, "I have to reciprocate."
Su Qingyue took the bag and opened it.
Inside was a small velvet box. She opened the lid, and a four-leaf clover pendant lay on the velvet, with a tiny diamond embedded in the center, which shimmered slightly in the sunlight.
She looked at the pendant, her lips twitched as if she wanted to say something, but before she could speak, she noticed a card tucked under the box.
The card was small, with a line of text printed on it. She flipped it over and glanced at it, her face instantly turning red.
[Couple's four-leaf clover pendant - May luck and love always be with you.]
Su Qingyue turned the card over, placed it face down in the box, and her heart was pounding.
Lin Xiao peeked over from the side and her eyes lit up when she saw what Su Qingyue was holding.
Wow, what's this? Who sent it?
Su Qingyue opened her mouth, but before she could answer, Lin Xiao saw the bag in Cheng Che's hand and then the box in Su Qingyue's hand.
"You guys..." Lin Xiao's eyes widened, "Exchanging gifts?"
"It's a congratulatory gift..."
Su Qingyue nodded, her ears burning.
Lin Xiao was stunned for a moment, then suddenly realized that she hadn't prepared anything.
She scratched her head sheepishly, "I didn't even prepare a gift for you..."
Cheng Che smiled and said, "It's enough that you're treating me to grilled sausages."
"Real?"
"Really. Treat me to a grilled sausage when we go down the mountain; that'll be a return gift."
Lin Xiao breathed a sigh of relief, patted his chest, and said:
"Okay, leave it to me."
Su Qingyue sat beside her, holding the pendant, without saying a word.
Lin Xiao glanced at her and noticed her face was getting redder and redder. Worried, she asked:
" Qingyue, your face is so red. Is it too hot? Should we find a cooler place?"
"No," Su Qingyue clutched the pendant in her hand, "It's just... from climbing mountains."
She stood up, walked to the railing, and turned her back to the two of them.
She took the card out of the box, glanced at the words again, then quickly folded it and stuffed it into her pocket.
Then she gently put on the pendant, the four-leaf clover resting below her collarbone, shimmering slightly in the sunlight.
Cheng Che glanced at it from the side and thought it looked quite good on her.
Then he stood up and dusted off his pants.
"I'll go buy you some ice water," he said. "You all rest first."
He went downstairs.
Su Qingyue stood by the railing, looking down at the four-leaf clover pendant on her chest, gently touching it with her fingertips, and a smile curved her lips.
But her heartbeat hadn't completely calmed down yet.
Because she knew that Cheng Che most likely hadn't seen the card when he bought the pendant.
He didn't know it was a couple's item.
She doesn't plan to tell him yet.
After a while, Guo Xin and Cheng Che returned with water, and the four of them sat there, gazing at the Guomao CBD.
A gentle breeze is blowing, it's incredibly pleasant.
At that moment, the Charisma Trial mission popped up in front of Cheng Che!
[ Charisma Trial - Stage 3: Bearing of a Top Star. Mission Objective: Gain 100,000 core fans. Completed!]