On a rainy night, the school beauty knocked on my door and asked for shelter

Following Shen Xinghe's guidance, Zhao Ya began to truly relax, allowing the tranquility of the mountains and rivers to gradually seep into her heart.

Amidst the roar of the waterfall and the swirling mist, two figures sat side by side, creating a scene of tranquil harmony.

For Zhao Ya, this brief interaction, though involving few words, has become the most precious memory of this trip.

Just now, when Shen Xinghe turned to look at Zhao Ya and smiled and waved, this subtle interaction did not escape the eyes of some people.

Lin Xiaoxiao, who was just about to take a picture with Zhao Ya, happened to see this scene. Her eyes widened instantly, and an excited and gossipy expression immediately appeared on her face.

She instinctively wanted to rush towards Zhao Ya, and the cheering "Wow!" was about to escape her lips.

However, at that moment, an arm reached out and firmly wrapped around Lin Xiaoxiao's shoulder.

It's Zhou Yue.

She had appeared beside Lin Xiaoxiao without her noticing, a knowing smile on her face. She gently shook her head at Lin Xiaoxiao and whispered, "Shh, you third wheel, don't go and cause trouble."

Lin Xiaoxiao was stopped by Zhou Yue, and excitedly grabbed Zhou Yue's arm, whispering excitedly, "Yueyue, did you see that? Xinghe actually called Xiaoya over! My God, the sun has risen in the west!"

As she spoke, she couldn't help but tiptoe and peek over there, her face beaming with the satisfaction of "I've found the perfect ship."

Zhou Yue laughed and pulled her to the other side: "I saw it, I saw it, so I shouldn't bother you. Come on, come on, this angle is better, take some pictures of me and Su Yuqing."

She cleverly diverted Lin Xiaoxiao's attention, leaving Shen Xinghe and Zhao Ya some space to be alone.

As for taking Su Yuqing away, that doesn't matter. Chen Mo and Su Yuqing are like an old married couple, so they don't care about separating the two for a little while.

For couples like this who have been married for a long time, a short separation can make them feel even closer.

On the other side, Wang Lan also noticed the commotion on Shen Xinghe's side.

He had just run back from under the waterfall, shaking the water droplets off his hair, when he saw Zhao Ya walking towards Shen Xinghe with a flushed face. He grinned mischievously and nudged Li Zhe, who was studying the moss on the rocks, with his elbow: "Hey, Zhe, look over there, something's up!"

Li Zhe pushed up his glasses, his gaze falling on Zhao Ya. He didn't reply, and his expression seemed somewhat unnatural.

His attention quickly returned to observing his surroundings, seemingly showing little interest in Wang Lan's gossip.

Wang Lan clicked her tongue, finding Li Zhe boring, and instead decided to go find Chen Mo, whose wife had just been taken away by Zhou Yue and Lin Xiaoxiao, to share the story.

"Old Mo, there's something going on with Xinghe!" Wang Lan chuckled.

"It doesn't seem like it to me." Seeing Shen Xinghe's serious expression, Chen Mo knew that he was definitely not looking for Zhao Ya to talk about anything related to relationships.

"How could there be no problem with these two in this state?" Wang Lan asked, looking incredulous.

"You'll know if you crouch down and listen," Chen Mo said jokingly. But as soon as he finished speaking, Wang Lan actually crouched down furtively, quietly moved closer, and started listening intently.

Soon, Shen Xinghe's suggestion—to meditate together—was clearly heard by Wang Lan, who was "ears pricked up" nearby.

"Meditation?" Wang Lan blinked, a little surprised, but also feeling that it fit Shen Xinghe's character perfectly. He muttered to himself, "This idiot, I thought we were going to talk about something else. No wonder he's Xinghe."

He walked back to Chen Mo's side dejectedly. "You're so smart. You saw it right away. There's really nothing going on, it's even boring." For the restless Wang Lan, making him sit still and meditate was the most vicious form of torture.

He couldn't find anything fun about it.

Seeing that there was no gossip to see, he went off to play by himself nearby.

Chen Mo, however, looked at the two people over there, found a rock, and sat down cross-legged.

When Zhao Ya was truly immersed in meditation, she found that her sensory world was magnified infinitely.

The roar of the waterfall is no longer a single sound, but is divided into different layers—the vigorous rush of water hitting the rocks at the top, the dense curtain of water cascading down in the middle, and the deep pool at the bottom receiving it.

She can even distinguish the subtle differences in how water droplets fall on different leaves.

The breeze also brought a wealth of information—the scent of damp earth, the freshness of moss, the faint fragrance of unknown wildflowers, and a clean scent similar to cedar wafting from Shen Xinghe's direction. This suddenly made her heart, which had finally calmed down, a little more chaotic.

"Try to focus on your breathing." Shen Xinghe's voice rang out again, soft yet clear, penetrating all the noise to reach Zhao Ya's ears. "Feel how the air enters your body and how it leaves."

Zhao Ya followed his instructions and gradually entered a wonderful state.

She felt that she was no longer just sitting by the waterfall, but had become a part of nature.

The skin on your feet can feel the temperature of the stone, the skin on your arms can feel the gentle caress of the water mist, and even the sunlight refracted through the water mist can be outlined with a hazy red halo through your eyelids, even with your eyes closed.

At this moment, time seemed to lose its meaning, and Zhao Ya was completely immersed in a meditative state of experiencing nature.

It wasn't until Shen Xinghe softly said "It's okay" that Zhao Ya slowly opened her eyes. As the sensation brought by sight once again took precedence over her other sensations, she suddenly felt as if she had been transported to another world.

She was surprised to find that the world became exceptionally clear in her eyes—the texture of every stone, the light spots dancing on the water, and even the relaxed smiles on her companions' faces in the distance all became incredibly vivid.

What surprised her even more was the change in her heart.

The shyness, anxiety, and fear of loss that had been lingering in my heart miraculously subsided, replaced by an unprecedented sense of peace and contentment.

"How are you feeling?" Shen Xinghe had already stood up and was looking down to straighten his slightly damp cuffs.

“It’s…amazing,” Zhao Ya said softly, mustering her courage to look up at him. “Thank you for letting me experience this.”

Shen Xinghe nodded slightly: "It seems you have a lot of talent; you were able to get into the zone on your first try."

His praise was objective, yet it brought a sweet feeling to Zhao Ya's heart.

The morning light was perfect, and the waterfall refracted a dazzling halo of light in the mist.

Seeing that the two had changed their posture from sitting opposite each other, Zhou Yue called out from a short distance away, "Have you rested enough? Let's continue uphill, there might be even more beautiful scenery ahead!"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Ya prepared to stand up, only to find her legs were numb from sitting for so long. She stumbled and fell towards Shen Xinghe. (End of Chapter)