Classmate Li Zhuangsheng doesn’t want to be reborn

"Dude, can you hurry up a bit?"

Qin Luanyu's clear laughter echoed through the First Mountain.

Li Zhuang climbed the steps, panting, and when he looked up, he saw a pair of full, taut, long legs swaying in the sunlight, making it impossible to look away.

Qin Luanyu gently placed her hand on her leg, feigning shyness: "Don't look anymore. As long as you can catch up with me, I'll let you look to your heart's content. I won't even let you touch me!"

"I don't want to touch you! I'm not a pervert! Can you please stop treating me like one of those lecherous male protagonists from anime!"

Li Zhuang denied the allegations three times in a row, panting heavily.

"Yeah, you're not like Tomoki Sakurai, the lecherous type of male protagonist. You're like Keima Katsuragi, the repressed pervert type. You're secretly a lecherous man, but you pretend to be serious on the surface!"

"How could I possibly compare to the God of Conquest? The one you're talking about is Lin Mo!" Li Zhuangsheng couldn't help but correct him. "Besides, I'm not a lecher, and neither is Katsuragi Keima!"

"But you guys are all pretty good at winning over girls!"

"Who am I supposed to pursue?" Li Zhuangsheng couldn't help but complain.

Hu Mengke? Or Hu Mengdie before her marriage?

Okay, these two are top-tier in terms of looks and figures, even prettier than anime girls. But heavens, can't we have a more normal female lead?

Even in a visual novel, these two characters would only be heroines in an eroge; no one would put them in a serious anime/manga (ACG) work.

Oh wait, there's shaving and the love spectrum in novels and anime... I only had amnesia for 10 years, right? Why can't I understand the current trends in light novels anymore?

Ten years ago, all the female teachers must have been virgins who had never been in a relationship!
Does this mean readers nowadays have a taste for this? That's just too perverse.

"Your sister-in-law, isn't she completely devoted to you?" Qin Luanyu said with a smile.

"She..."

Li Zhuangsheng's gaze drifted, as if he wanted to say something but couldn't bring himself to say it.

"Oh my, I see the Glass Spring!" Qin Luanyu suddenly perked up again, jumping up and down. "Come on up, come on up, isn't that the Glass Spring ahead!"

She's so energetic! Although such a popular attribute is rare in male-oriented anime, energetic girls are quite likable in real life.

"Don't jump around on the steps, you might twist your ankle!" Li Zhuangsheng couldn't help but remind him.

He remembered that when he came to the First Mountain before, Xie Jiangqing seemed to have sprained her ankle, and he had to help her down.

"You think I'm like you? A man with kidney deficiency!"

"What did you say?"

Li Zhuangsheng was both shocked and furious upon hearing this.

"Isn't that right? A man with kidney deficiency! He did it with Hu Mengke several times last night, seven times in one night? No wonder he had no energy to climb the mountain today!"

"Do you think I'm made of steel? Besides, we didn't do anything last night!"

Li Zhuangsheng couldn't help but complain, "Who exactly invented the term 'seven times a night'? I've never been able to do it even when I'm with Hu Mengke. Can anyone really do it?"

"Didn't do anything?" Qin Luanyu raised an eyebrow.

"I really didn't do anything!" Li Zhuangsheng said, sounding guilty yet full of confidence.

It's not fair to say nothing happened, since the other party did use their mouth. Once last night and once this morning; I'm afraid he might have some feelings for Qin Luanyu.

But it wasn't officially done after all!
"Didn't actually do it?" Qin Luanyu said meaningfully, seemingly sensing the cleverness in the other party's words.

"Yes, we're not doing that kind of thing for now..."

"Why? Could it be because..." Qin Luanyu was slightly pleased, but then realized something and asked in a strange tone, "Is it because you care about Hu Mengdie?"

“Yes!” Li Zhuangsheng nodded frankly, then touched his face somewhat embarrassedly. “I feel like this is a bit inappropriate… I’m thinking of waiting until we actually get the divorce certificate before saying anything more.”

"I knew it!"

Qin Luanyu gave a light snort, quickly stepped over the remaining steps, and soon disappeared from Li Zhuangsheng's sight.

"Slow down, I'm not one of your athletes..."

Li Zhuangsheng sighed, wondering if Qin Luanyu had looked unhappy just now. Why was she unhappy?

After another minute of strenuous climbing, Li Zhuangsheng finally caught up with Qin Luanyu, exhausted and covered in sweat.

"Look at you, how weak you are!" Qin Luanyu sat by the glass spring, her face showing disdain.

"I'm getting old, I'm getting old!" Li Zhuangsheng's face was flushed, whether from exhaustion or embarrassment, he said between breaths and boasted, "Back when I was young, climbing this first mountain was a piece of cake, like walking on flat ground!"

"I've heard that you've never been good at sports since you were little?"

"Who told you that? Who is slandering me?"

Qin Luanyu slowly exposed the other person's nonsense: "Listen to yourself."

Li Zhuangsheng's face turned even redder, and he waved his hand, "What does he know? Does he understand me as well as I do? My memories of my youth are crystal clear!"

Qin Luanyu laughed heartily, whether it was mockery or not, but her laughter sounded like a lark, although Li Zhuangsheng didn't know what a lark's voice was.

"Is this the legendary Glass Spring?" After laughing for a while, Qin Luanyu finally stopped laughing, leaned on the pillar of the pavilion, looked at the spring in the courtyard, and recited Mi Fu's poem: "Old moss grows beneath the pavilion on the mountainside, a glass spring is broken to draw in the clear water. A jade toad cannot be kept, it flies into the mirror-like sky in the deep night."

"More or less, more or less..." Li Zhuangsheng was too tired to argue with her, so he lay down at the spring and started drinking.

"What are you doing, drinking water like a bullfrog!" Qin Luanyu couldn't help but laugh and handed her an empty cup.

Li Zhuangsheng took a few sips before taking the water glass, filling it halfway, and drinking it all in one gulp, only then feeling much better.

"Don't drink water so fast, sit down and rest for a while!" Qin Luanyu shook her head and urged Li Zhuangsheng to sit down and rest.

"The mountains surround Duliang, and the springs at its foot are sweet and refreshing. Entering this place, one forgets all worldly troubles, and the flowing water moistens the throat." Li Zhuangsheng deliberately smacked his lips in front of Qin Luanyu and recited Zhao Gongyu's poem, "This is about our Glass Spring. Would you like to have a drink?"

"Sure, that's exactly what I was thinking!"

Qin Luanyu laughed heartily, took half a cup, and drank it all in one gulp.

"Hmm, is it spring water? This is my first time drinking it, and it tastes alright!"

Qin Luanyu gave a serious critique, then opened her schoolbag, took out an empty 1.5-liter mineral water bottle, and filled it with water from the spring.

"You like drinking the water here so much?" Li Zhuangsheng was somewhat surprised, and at the same time felt a little ashamed and touched. He had only meant to joke with Qin Luanyu, but he hadn't expected such a sincere response. Moreover, the cup was one he had used, yet she didn't seem to mind at all. If it were Hu Mengdie, she might have simply thrown it away.

The poem "Moon Reflected in Glass Spring" is actually not well-known; in fact, it could be considered extremely obscure. Qin Luanyu's ability to recite it suggests she did thorough research beforehand.

Actually, there's really nothing fun about First Mountain. It's just a small hill a little over 100 meters high, and it's not famous outside the county. Does it really think it's the number one mountain in Southeast China?

The reason she valued him was simply because of him; this was his hometown, and he had mentioned the First Mountain and the Glass Spring to her. It felt so good to be valued; every word he spoke was taken seriously. It was as if he were something special.

"Tsk tsk tsk, you wouldn't understand this, would you?" Qin Luanyu tsk tsk, "You wouldn't understand the things that cultured people like us know."

"Ok?"

"Clear as the Huai River is not the best; the spring gushing from the Huai Mountains is perfect for brewing tea. Melted from glass, it opens like a sea eye, and is further enhanced by the moonlight and dew to steep spring buds." Qin Luanyu shook her head slightly, a hint of disdain in her voice, "You call yourself a local, yet you don't know Yang Wanli's poem about the Glass Spring!"

"Oh... I haven't heard of that before. What does he mean? Does he mean that the Huai River is no good, and the water from the Glass Spring in the First Mountain is better for brewing tea?"

Qin Luanyu revealed a hint of smugness: "That's right, you're smart. Since Yang Wanli said that the spring water from this Glass Spring is good for brewing tea, I'll fill a bottle and take it back with me. I brought some tea with me when I came here!"

“Really… Actually, let me tell you. I’ve always suspected that there’s a water pipe connected to this.” Li Zhuangsheng paused slightly, then couldn’t help but say.

"What?" Qin Luanyu was stunned, her face showing surprise.

Li Zhuangsheng said mysteriously with a serious expression, "Look, the Glass Spring from the Song Dynasty is almost a thousand years old now, and it hasn't run dry yet. I feel like it's a bit unreliable... So I've suspected since I was a child that there might be a water pipe connected to it!"

Qin Luanyu's lips twitched slightly: "This is spring water!"

“Yes, the mountain spring has been flowing for over a thousand years and hasn’t run out yet. Is that normal?” Li Zhuangsheng asked curiously.

"I... don't know either."

Qin Luanyu was speechless at this rebellious fellow who slandered the famous historical sites of her hometown.

Furthermore, Li Zhuangsheng's question unfortunately touched on a blind spot in her knowledge.

"Never mind, any water will do. We're already here, so let's fill up some. We're just making tea anyway, so tap water is fine once it's boiled."

"Of course, what I'm saying is just a personal guess... after all, I don't have any evidence."

Li Zhuangsheng perhaps sensed that this was an offense to his hometown, so he coughed twice and tried to make amends.

Qin Luanyu shook her head and chuckled: "If the people in your Culture and Tourism Bureau heard you say that, they'd probably sue you, wouldn't they?"

"Ahem, what did I just say? I just said that our Glass Spring is the number one spring in the world! The number one spring on the number one mountain!"

Upon hearing this, Li Zhuangsheng immediately became serious and pointed to the three characters "First Spring" on the stone wall with a sanctimonious air.

Qin Luanyu filled the bottle with spring water, screwed on the cap, and poked him: "Clearly, Baotu Spring in Jinan is the number one spring in the world."

"That one in Jinan is a fountain, ours is a mountain spring! Oh well, I'll just reluctantly put it on the same level as it!"

"What a big face! He just said it was tap water!"

Qin Luanyu smiled and gently kicked him. Li Zhuangsheng dodged to the side and laughed as well.

It had been a long time since Li Zhuangsheng had chatted so happily with someone. It seemed like the first time he had felt so relaxed and joyful since he suddenly arrived in this unfamiliar place ten years ago.

At that moment, he felt as if he had returned to his beloved high school campus, laughing and joking with his classmates.

However, there isn't such a pretty girl in their class... Oh, actually there is one, but her legs aren't this long, and she probably isn't this pretty either, but she has other outstanding qualities that are in no way inferior to Qin Luanyu.

Sigh, high school days that can never be relived, a youth that ended in failure.

The two sat by the glass spring, playing around, and Li Zhuangsheng briefly returned to that carefree happiness.

I really don't understand why chatting and laughing with Qin Luanyu is always so relaxed and pleasant, as if I have no worries at all.

Oh, right. Qin Luanyu herself had no worries; she was so radiant, as radiant as the spring sunshine.

That's why being with her allows one to temporarily forget their sorrows.

The two rested by the glass spring for a while before continuing their ascent. Qin Luanyu stopped teasing Li Zhuangsheng for the second half of the climb and slowed down to match his pace.

There are sculptures depicting Sun Wukong coming to borrow reinforcements in the mountains, as well as a brand-new plank road. It is said that the plank road was originally built by Yue Fei when he trained his troops here.

"The scenery on this mountain is truly magnificent. Not to mention the towering peaks and constellations, it is the premier mountain in the southeast. Putting everything else aside, the scenery alone is worth it."

Qin Luanyu climbed to the top of Longshan Temple and gazed at the Huai River in the distance amidst the sound of the bell. It was like a ribbon of silk that had fallen to earth by the gods, flowing mightily. She smiled and expressed her feelings.

"actually……"

Li Zhuangsheng felt increasingly embarrassed, a sense of unworthiness creeping in. Of course, this shame didn't stem from the First Mountain, but from himself. Yet, all he could say was "First Mountain."

"Actually, First Mountain is just like this... Look, there aren't many people here. Of course, it's because we have classes or work today... But it's not usually crowded... It's not that great! What place doesn't have a few scenic spots and historical sites?"

Li Zhuangsheng spoke softly.

"Well, how should I put it... in terms of scenery alone, there are definitely many places more beautiful than First Mountain!" Qin Luanyu pondered for a moment, her smile gradually fading, her expression becoming serious and earnest. "However, I'm still very happy today. This is the happiest day of my life. I think even if I travel to the ends of the earth, I'll hardly ever feel this happy again!"

"Why... Haha, you're exaggerating too much..."

"Actually, in many aspects of life, the result is not important; the process is what matters most. I can see all the beautiful scenery in the world by wearing VR, so why should I go to see it offline?" Qin Luanyu asked rhetorically.

"This...is different..."

"Okay, let me put it another way. You think West Lake must be very beautiful, right? After all, even Su Dongpo wrote a poem comparing West Lake to Xi Shi, and Bai Suzhen and Xu Xian fell in love by West Lake... Not only are Yue Fei and Yu Qian, two junior guardians, buried by the lake, but there are also beauties like Su Xiaoxiao."

"That's right, the First Mountain is nowhere near as good as your West Lake!"

"But West Lake is nothing more than mountains and water. I don't think there's anything particularly special about it. If I showed you a picture of West Lake and didn't tell you it was West Lake, you definitely wouldn't recognize it. In fact, most landscapes in the world are like that. I don't think there's anything special about West Lake in Hangzhou compared to Xuanwu Lake in Nanjing. It's just rocks and water. The shapes of the rocks may be different, but the lake surface is practically identical."

Li Zhuangsheng listened intently, and after a long while, he slowly nodded and chuckled dryly: "What you said makes sense... places like ours, especially in Jiangsu and Zhejiang, have similar geological features."

"That's why I said I'm really happy!" Qin Luanyu smiled again. "And you're clearly happy too, aren't you?"

"Yes, right..."

Li Zhuangsheng saw his own face reflected in Qin Luanyu's smiling eyes, which made him subconsciously look away, seemingly embarrassed.

"Right? Even though you didn't think the First Mountain was beautiful, we were all very happy." Qin Luanyu's smile grew even more radiant and captivating, as bright as the sun and moon. "The scenery along the way isn't really important; what matters is who you're with!" (End of Chapter)