Kyoto Night Kiss

Early in the morning, the study tour bus stopped at the school gate. The bus was noisy and filled with the sound of whispering.

Qu Yun and Cheng Tongzhou arrived just in time with Cheng Chongchong.

The three of them walked to the back of the car. Qu Yun's gaze swept over the people who had already sat down, but she did not see Lu Jinxing.

That's strange, Chongchong clearly said he would come too.

Could it be that Lu Junhe disagreed and ultimately didn't register him?

She felt a pang of sadness.

Shortly after he sat down, Lu Jinxing got into the car, but he was the only one there.

Cheng Chongchong called out enthusiastically, "Little brother, come sit here with your big brother!"

The bus can only seat three people per row.

Upon seeing this, Cheng Tongzhou, who was sitting by the aisle, took his backpack and moved to the back row, giving up his seat.

Cheng Chongchong then sat in his seat, giving the middle seat to Lu Jinxing so that his deskmate could sit next to his mother.

Lu Jinxing walked up the steps, looked at the empty seat in the middle, pursed his lips, then looked up and said to Qu Yun, "Aunt Qu, may I sit on the side?"

"I want to see the scenery along the way."

Qu Yun was taken aback by this form of address.

She felt she had let both children down.

Because he didn't want Cheng Chongchong to be saddened by the truth, Lu Jinxing actually took the initiative to call her Aunt Qu.

However, she still inadvertently exposed Cheng Chongchong to the cruel reality.

The homeroom teacher glanced at the time; it was almost time to leave.

She boarded the bus with her notebook and began taking attendance.

Only one person was missing from the entire car: Lu Junhe.

The homeroom teacher frowned, because according to the rules of this activity, Lu Jinxing was not allowed to participate without the accompaniment of his parents.

Because schools cannot afford the risk of children getting injured or going missing.

Lu Jinxing's small face had all his features scrunched up together.

He didn't want to be kicked out.

He wanted to play with his best friend.

In the back row, Cheng Tongzhou spoke up, "Let this child stay with our family. If any problems arise later, I will take full responsibility."

Qu Yun nodded, and just as she was about to respond, a cold and aloof figure suddenly walked in through the open car door, causing the laughter of the surrounding children to subside.

Backlit, Lu Junhe's figure was cold and sharp, his jawline was taut, and most of his eyebrows and eyes were hidden in shadow, leaving only his straight back with an oppressive sense of pressure.

"No need, I am the child's biological father."

Upon seeing his father, Lu Jinxing immediately beamed with joy.

Lu Junhe glanced over and found that only Cheng Tongzhou's row of seats was left on the bus.

He naturally wouldn't separate Lu Jinxing and Qu Yun, who were already seated, so he could only sit down next to them with a hint of displeasure.

The bus finally departed on time.

Along the way, Cheng Tongzhou kept feeding the two small animals and the big one in front of him.

Lu Junhe watched as he even inserted the straw before handing Qu Yun a bottle of milk, and instantly closed his eyes, calming himself down.

Does Qu Yun not have hands?

But then he thought that if it were him, he might even take the milk and personally feed it to her.

He was angry because he felt he was no longer qualified.

From the moment she got on the bus until she got off, Qu Yun didn't say a single word to him.

She was probably genuinely angered by what he said by the pool that day.

But isn't this the result he wanted?

—He certainly achieved his goal.

After arriving at an open space at the foot of the mountain, the class's assigned physical education teacher gathered the children and led them in stretching their arms and legs to warm up before climbing the mountain.

The activities for each class were staggered to avoid accidents caused by too many people.

Moreover, considering that these first-graders are still too young, they only need to climb halfway up the mountain to set up their tents and rest.

After warming up, Cheng Chongchong held Lu Jinxing's little hand tightly, and the two little ones couldn't wait. They ran up the mountain in a flash, stepping on the stone steps.

Qu Yun shouted loudly from behind, "You two slow down, be careful not to fall."

Cheng Tongzhou finished checking the water bottle, coat, backpack, and other items, picked them all up by himself, and then said to Qu Yun, "Let's hurry up and catch up."

Qu Yun told the two children to be careful, but she herself hadn't taken more than a few steps when she stepped on a moss-covered pebble. Her body swayed, and she staggered uncontrollably to the side.

Lu Junhe subconsciously reached out his arm, and just as he was about to grab Qu Yun's arm, Cheng Tongzhou took a half step ahead and steadily supported Qu Yun.

His eyes were gentle, and he said with a hint of indulgence, "Don't just worry about the child, you need to be careful too."

Lu Junhe silently withdrew his hand, which had been suspended in mid-air.

After lowering his eyes, he kicked away the moss-covered pebbles.

His brows were furrowed, and his thin lips were pressed into a cold, hard line.

The school's initial preparations were really terrible.

Didn't you know to clear the road up the mountain beforehand?

If someone really gets into an accident, he'll see who dares to take responsibility.

"I'm fine..." Qu Yun said softly, glancing at Lu Junhe out of the corner of her eye.

I noticed a hint of impatience in the man's eyes, and the atmosphere seemed even more oppressive than before we went up the mountain.

Is he really that averse to it?

Even being in the same close air as her felt irritating.

Qu Yun felt a sinking feeling in her heart, and a wave of bittersweet emotion quietly rose within her.

She really, really, never wants to climb mountains again in her life.

The trail on this mountain has only been under renovation for a short time, and not many people have climbed it. Today, I only encountered two or three climbers along the way.

Around 1 p.m., the class successfully reached the mountainside.

The homeroom teacher directed everyone to make preparations on the spot, and each family could start setting up their tents for the night.

Cheng Chongchong and Lu Jinxing had always been together, but they had never had such an experience before. They curiously fiddled with the tent parts on the ground.

Cheng Chongchong suddenly suggested, "Hey, my dad bought a super big tent, why don't you sleep with me tonight?"

"I also brought a board game, we can play together!"

"This..." Lu Jinxing really wanted to, but a somewhat troubled expression appeared on his face.

He glanced at his father, who was setting up a tent alone not far away.

I don't know if he will agree.

Qu Yun saw what he was thinking, squatted down slightly, and said gently, "It's okay, I'll go talk to your father."

"Let's play Ludo together tonight."

Cheng Tongzhou cleared away the nearby pebbles, branches, and other sharp objects, then opened the tent and said, "How about the loser gets their head flicked?"

"My uncle is a master at playing Ludo."

Cheng Chongchong immediately leaned close to Lu Jinxing's ear and secretly revealed her father's secrets to him.

Because he could never roll a 6, one time his plane had already flown all the way home, but his father hadn't even left yet.

Lu Jinxing laughed heartily.

Qu Yun picked up a bottle of mineral water from the ground and walked towards Lu Junhe, who was setting up a tent alone not far away.

In contrast, his place was particularly deserted, with not even a sound of someone speaking.

When he saw her arrive, he simply asked coldly, "What is it?"

The implication was that they were urging her to leave quickly.

Qu Yun unconsciously clenched the water in her hands.

She clearly wanted to talk about something else, but when she opened her mouth, her voice sounded particularly aggrieved: "Lu Junhe, you really are a complete jerk."