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

Shen Xinghe's "Let's go" broke the subtle tension between the two.

Zhao Ya lowered her burning cheeks and followed behind him, almost stepping in the same direction, towards the main group.

She could clearly feel the smiling, burning gazes of Zhou Yue and Lin Xiaoxiao ahead, as well as Su Yuqing's gentle, blessing look.

Zhou Yue couldn't help but wink mischievously, "Xiaoya, what's wrong with you? You can't even walk steadily all of a sudden?"

Lin Xiaoxiao immediately chimed in with a "tsk tsk" sound, then linked arms with Zhou Yue and burst into laughter.

Zhao Ya's face turned even redder, wishing she could disappear into the ground. She whispered in a barely audible voice, "It's...it's my leg that's numb..."

Shen Xinghe remained calm, seemingly oblivious to the deeper meaning in Zhou Yue's words, and simply reminded everyone, "The road ahead is even more slippery, so please watch your step."

Looking at Shen Xinghe's unmoved demeanor, Chen Mo glanced at Su Yuqing beside him, who was all smiles, and at Li Zhe, who, though expressionless, had a noticeably dim look in his eyes. He sighed inwardly, thinking that the romantic relationships on this journey were likely to become increasingly complicated.

He held Su Yuqing's hand tightly and pulled her closer to him. Su Yuqing understood and looked up at him with a reassuring and sweet smile.

After this little incident, the group continued their exploration upstream along the stream.

The morning light completely dispelled the last wisps of mist in the valley, gilding everything with golden edges.

Unlike the excitement and fatigue of their arrival yesterday, everyone felt more relaxed and at ease in nature on the second morning.

"Wow! Look, the stones here are colorful!" Lin Xiaoxiao exclaimed, squatting by the stream like a bird that had discovered a treasure, pointing to the colorful pebbles at the bottom of the water, which were stained by minerals.

Wang Lan immediately became interested, jumped barefoot into the shallow water, and began picking up stones: "Hey! This is pretty, I'll take it back as a souvenir for my sister!"

Li Zhe pushed up his glasses, his attention drawn to a dense patch of ferns across the stream. He took out his phone and started taking pictures, capturing these native plants that are rarely seen in the city.

Zhou Yue became interested in a wild grass with a peculiar smell on the shore. She plucked a leaf, smelled it, and turned to ask the guide in the group, "Xinghe, what kind of grass is this? It smells so peculiar."

Shen Xinghe walked over, glanced at it, and replied, "This is houttuynia cordata, also known as fish mint. It has heat-clearing and anti-inflammatory properties and can be used in salads or steeped in water."

He paused, then added, "However, the flavor is quite unique, and not everyone can accept it."

"Houttuynia cordata? I know that!" Wang Lan exclaimed as she picked up a stone. "That stuff is practically inhuman food, don't touch it!"

"How does it compare to cilantro?" Zhou Yue asked with a smile.

"Cilantro might be hard to accept eating raw, but it can be used as a garnish when cooked and eaten with food. This stuff is just too strong, I suggest staying away from it." Wang Lan seemed to be very resistant to houttuynia cordata.

Shen Xinghe smiled noncommittally; he didn't seem to have any of those feelings.

Their conversation caught Zhao Ya's attention, and she quietly moved closer, looking at the unassuming plant with its special effects and flavor, and couldn't help but wonder what it tasted like.

"Those who are interested in trying it can pick a little bit to take home. It won't poison you anyway," Shen Xinghe said with a smile, glancing at Zhao Ya.

She glanced at him furtively, too embarrassed to pick the fruit. Chen Mo and Su Yuqing didn't participate in the exploration; they chose a calm spot on the bank to sit down.

Su Yuqing immersed her fair feet in the cool stream water and couldn't help but sigh comfortably.

Chen Mo sat down next to her and, imitating her, put his feet in the water, feeling the gentle rinsing of the water and the natural massage of the pebbles.

"It's so beautiful!" Su Yuqing gently rested her head on Chen Mo's shoulder, looking at the crystal-clear stream in front of her, the lush bamboo forest on the opposite bank, and the misty mountain peaks in the distance, and said softly, "I feel like all the pressure has been washed away by this stream."

Chen Mo put his arm around her shoulder and whispered, "Yeah, if you feel tired in the future, let's go for walks in nature more often."

Sunlight filtered through the leaves of nearby trees, casting dappled patterns that danced on the water's surface and flowed across their embracing figures.

At this moment, being together, nestled close, and sharing this tranquil landscape is the best way to relax.

Shen Xinghe had somehow walked to a huge, flat rock in the middle of the stream, sat down cross-legged, and closed his eyes to rest again.

It seems that he can enjoy a different kind of natural bath in every different area he goes to!
This time, Zhao Ya didn't go over. After all, she was still feeling shy from what she had just experienced, especially from the teasing looks she received from her companions, which made her even more embarrassed.

She watched Shen Xinghe sitting quietly from a short distance away, and the excitement in her heart slowly settled into a quiet appreciation and longing.

She felt that being able to watch him from afar and feel the tranquility he was experiencing was already a rare kind of happiness.

At this moment, Shen Xinghe was closing his eyes and concentrating, seemingly using his whole being to feel the breath of the valley—the babbling of the stream, the crisp chirping of birds, the rustling of the leaves in the wind, and the warmth of the sunlight on his skin.

He seemed to blend into the landscape.

Wang Lan finally collected enough gems to satisfy him, stuffed his pockets full of colorful stones, climbed ashore, and proudly showed everyone his "spoils of war".

Zhou Yue stretched, took a deep breath of the air full of negative oxygen ions, and exclaimed with satisfaction, "The air in the mountains is so refreshing in the morning. It feels like every pore of my body opens up when I'm here!"

Shen Xinghe opened his eyes at some point, lightly leaped down from the rock, and walked to the side of the group.

His gaze swept across a relatively flat woodland on the opposite bank of the stream, and he said, "There's a small patch of wild berries over there. They should be ripe right now, and they taste pretty good. Shall we go take a look?"

"Wild berries?!" Wang Lan was the first to respond, her fatigue from picking up stones instantly vanishing. "Let's go! We have to go!"

This proposal was immediately agreed by everyone.

For urban college students accustomed to beautifully packaged fruits in supermarkets, picking wild fruits by hand is undoubtedly a highly attractive experience.

Led by Shen Xinghe, everyone carefully stepped across the stream by stepping on the stones protruding from the water and ventured into the more secluded woods on the other side.

The sunlight was filtered through the dense canopy of trees, leaving only soft dappled light that fell on the ground covered with fallen leaves.

Not far along, they indeed came upon a patch of low bushes, dotted with tiny, ruby-like berries, looking especially tempting against the backdrop of green leaves. (End of Chapter)