Peninsula's Life Begins in 2016

Chapter 119 Mountainside

"Pfft—haha."

Jiang Yan couldn't help but laugh out loud.

Choi Sulli had already taken half a step towards the main road, but upon hearing the laughter, she froze in place.

She turned her head, a hint of embarrassment and anger flashing in her almond-shaped eyes beneath the brim of her hat: "Hey, what are you laughing at!"

Jiang Yan covered his mouth with the back of his hand, his shoulders still shaking, trying to suppress his laughter, but when he saw Cui Xueli's wide-open eyes, he couldn't help but laugh even harder.

He bent down, one hand on his knee, and waved the other at her: "Miane—no, Truth, your stepping back just now—was too obvious."

"What's so obvious?" Sulli's voice rose a half-octave, her mask billowing slightly from the airflow. "I just think the main road is wider and more comfortable to walk on, so what? Is that a problem?"

"Alright, alright." Jiang Yan straightened up, took a deep breath to calm his expression, then walked up to her, looked down at her, a slight smile still lingering on his lips, "Then, Truth, when those birds flew by just now, who grabbed my hand?"

Choi Sulli's gaze began to wander at a visible speed, from Kang Yeon's left shoulder to his right shoulder, and then from his right shoulder to the flickering street lamp next to them.

"----have no idea."

"Oh, I don't know." Jiang Yan nodded thoughtfully. "Then let me ask you another way: whose fingernails left four crescent-shaped marks on the back of my hand? Look, they haven't faded yet."

He extended his right hand, back of which was facing up, and presented it to her.

Under the streetlights, four faint nail marks were neatly arranged in a row, extending from the base of the thumb to the index finger.

Choi Sulli glanced down at his hand, then quickly turned it over so that his palm was facing up.

"You're lying, you don't have any at all."

"Wow, that's such a cheating trick."

"Who's lying? Do you have any evidence? Do you have any eyewitnesses?"

Sulli, trying to appear calm, raised her chin. "You didn't take any pictures, so there's no evidence."

No sooner had he finished speaking than a rustling sound came from the path not far away.

Several gray sparrows returning to their nests darted out of the bushes, flapping their wings as they flew over the streetlights.

Sulli's body reacted in a fraction of a second.

She sprang back half a step as if she were on a spring, then reflexively shrank behind Jiang Yan, gripping the back of his coat tightly with both hands.

Jiang Yan looked down at the wrinkles on his coat from being gripped so tightly, then looked at the woman behind him who had buried her face in his back, a hint of nostalgia in his eyes.

"I never expected you to still be afraid of birds. I thought you wouldn't be afraid anymore when you grew up."

Choi Sulli whimpered, feeling wronged, "Who says you can't be afraid of birds when you grow up? Those things flutter around, who knows if they'll come over and peck at you."

Jiang Yan shook his head and smiled, then turned around and pulled her into his arms, gently patting her back with one hand.

"Don't worry, I'm here. I'll help you drive them away, just like when you were a child."

Upon hearing this, Choi Sulli's slightly stiff body slowly softened.

She pressed her face against his chest, listening to his steady and powerful heartbeat, and the panic she had felt from being startled by the flock of birds gradually faded away.

"—You still remember?"

"Of course."

Jiang Yan rested his chin on the top of her head, and chuckled softly as if remembering something: "When you were little, you were chased by pigeons and hid behind me crying. You had so many tears and snot."

"Oh no!" Upon hearing this, Choi Sulli immediately forgot her fear. "Why do you remember this so clearly!"

"How could I possibly forget about your affairs?"

All of Choi Sulli's words were stuck in her throat, and she just stared blankly at him with her head tilted up.

A few birds returning home at dusk flitted past the treetops in the distance, the sound of their wings flapping faintly drifting over.

Choi Sulli instinctively snuggled closer into his arms.

Jiang Yan tightened his arms around her, pulling her completely into his embrace, then glanced at the flock of birds: "Look, they flew away."

"Um--

"From now on, as long as I'm here, there's nothing to be afraid of."

"Yes!" Choi Sulli nodded emphatically, hugging him even tighter.

The two hugged for a while until someone walked over. Then, Choi Sulli gently pushed his chest and said, "Someone's coming. Let's go."

Jiang Yan didn't look at the people going up the mountain. He took her hand and prepared to walk down the mountain, but Cui Xueli tugged at his foot as soon as he lifted his foot.

Then, Choi Sulli pointed her other little finger at the path they had just taken: "Kang Yeon, I want to go this way."

Jiang Yan raised an eyebrow, somewhat puzzled as to why she had suddenly changed her mind: "Are you really going to take this route?"

Choi Sulli nodded: "Yeah, anyway, I'm not scared with you here."

Jiang Yan looked at her, whose legs were still trembling slightly but who was stubbornly insisting on talking the talk, and smiled slightly: "Okay, let's go then."

The two slowly walked down the narrower path.

This road is indeed much more remote than the main road, and the streetlights are spaced further apart, with the shadows of the trees pressing down in layers in the night.

Occasionally, the calls of night birds would drift from the depths of the forest, and Choi Sulli's hand would tighten slightly. But this time, she didn't shrink behind him; instead, she held his hand tightly and continued walking forward.

After walking for about seven or eight minutes, the shadows of the trees on both sides of the path suddenly thinned out, and the view gradually opened up.

Ahead, a wide-open plateau appeared, and a sign by the roadside read: Nanshan Botanical Garden or Wildflower Park.

Late April is the peak of the flowering season, and warm yellow ground lights meander along the wooden boardwalk, illuminating the layers of flowers on both sides.

Purple white-headed bulbuls and yellow Korean kerria grow intertwined, and late-blooming cherry blossoms are blown down by the night wind, their petals carpeting the boardwalk, making soft, rustling sounds when stepped on.

"Daifa————"

Choi Sulli released Jiang Yan's hand, took two steps forward, and looked at the sea of ​​flowers hidden on the mountainside in front of her. Her eyes above her mask were filled with surprise: "I've been to Nanshan several times, but I never knew it could be so beautiful."

Jiang Yan walked to her side and glanced at the route map on the sign.

This natural ecological road is about 1.6 kilometers long and has viewing platforms and rest areas along the way, but at this time of day, there was no one else on the entire road except for the two of them.

"Want to take a walk?"

"Mmm." Choi Sulli nodded vigorously and took his hand again.

The two walked slowly along the wooden boardwalk.

The ground lights on both sides of the boardwalk are designed as warm yellow spheres, which look like a string of fireflies falling into the flowers when viewed from a distance.

A night breeze carrying a faint floral fragrance blew by, and occasionally a few petals would fall onto the brim of Choi Sulli's hat, which Jiang Yan would gently brush away.

When she reached the first viewing platform, Choi Sulli stopped and looked down the mountain while holding onto the railing.

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