Why bother with dating when you already have a cat?

Little Fish obediently held onto Ai Qing's waist with both hands.

Soon, she felt a push from under her buttocks, and the thing she was riding on miraculously started to move.

She had seen these magical things flying around in the street before through the window, but this was the first time she had actually sat on one and experienced it firsthand.

She had ridden in cars before, but she was always inside a carrier, so she didn't really get a real feel for it.

At this moment, the electric car was moving slowly, and a gentle breeze was blowing in their face. Most of the breeze was blocked by Ai Qing's tall back, so Xiao Yu could only feel it slightly.

But the surrounding street scene was rushing past rapidly. At such a speed, Xiaoyu suddenly became a little nervous. Her hands, which were supporting Ai Qing's waist, clenched tightly involuntarily. She leaned forward and pressed her upper body against Ai Qing's back, and her head involuntarily rested against her.

"How are you feeling?" Ai Qing asked from the front.

"Quick, so fast!" Little Fish blinked and replied, "They've all flown away from the roadside, ah!"

The electric scooter bounced up and down as it passed a roadblock, which startled Xiaoyu so much that she quickly clung tightly to Aiqing with both hands.

The hands that were originally supporting his waist had now completely wrapped around his stomach.

"It's alright, it's alright." Ai Qing quickly reassured her, and the next time she went over a roadblock, she slowed down as much as possible to avoid the bumpy ride.

What used to take ten or twenty minutes to walk now only takes a few minutes by electric bike.

Under the cover of night, the two arrived at the foot of Linping Mountain. Ai Qing parked the shared electric scooter and pulled Xiao Yu off the seat.

"This isn't yours?" Xiaoyu finally snapped out of her dazed state while riding the electric bike and suddenly realized something. She turned to Ai Qing and asked.

“This belongs to everyone, anyone can use it, but you need to unlock it with your phone.” Ai Qing held up her phone and waved it in front of Xiao Yu, then coughed twice apologetically. “I don’t have much money right now. I’ll consider buying you a phone next month when I get my royalties and teach you how to use it.”

"A cell phone? This isn't it?" Xiaoyu looked puzzled, then raised her left hand and showed her children's watch. "This also lights up."

"This is kind of a stripped-down version, it only has functions like making phone calls," Ai Qing explained. "That time you called me before, and I thought I was locked up inside, you even bit me."

"Hmm..." Little Fish scratched his head, then realized he was wearing a straw hat. Finally, he scratched his face instead. "Make a... phone call? Why, do I need to make a call?"

Ai Qing: "...Okay, this is still a bit abstract for you. I'll teach you when I have time later. For now, let's climb the mountain."

Linping Mountain is only 200 meters high, and the highest point is a local training base that is not open to the public.

Therefore, theoretically, one can only climb to about two-thirds of the way up.

There's a sightseeing tower at that location, and Ai Qing used to enjoy playing there with her classmates when she was little.

However, since starting university, apart from the physical education classes in his first and second years and the annual physical fitness tests, he has rarely exercised.

She also has to write and research regularly, so she gets very little exercise. In just a few years, she has gained a lot of weight.

Pulling Xiaoyu along, Ai Qing entered from the entrance of Linping Mountain. After climbing for only a few minutes, she was already panting heavily, hands on her hips, looking towards the summit and subconsciously rolling her eyes.

Xiaoyu, however, acted as if nothing was wrong, looking at Ai Qing with a puzzled expression, wondering why he was panting so heavily.

Judging from her appearance, she clearly didn't feel any intensity of exercise at all.

"Let me rest... for a while..." Ai Qing supported Xiao Yu's shoulder, her legs aching as she walked to a bench and plopped down, only then regretting not buying a bottle of water on the way.

I really overestimated my physical strength and endurance.

Having not exercised for too long, Ai Qing had become a complete novice. Covering her face and panting, she felt embarrassed, as if Xiao Yu was staring at her.

hateful!

I must start training hard when I get back this time!

No matter what, I can't lose face in front of Xiaoyu.

Sitting next to Ai Qing, Xiao Yu noticed that Ai Qing seemed troubled. She tilted her head, knowing that her own warmth was already waning.

With no idea how long it would be before she reached the summit and the sunrise, she could only silently move closer to Ai Qing, pressing her shoulder against his, hoping that the warmth flowing from him would be stronger and help alleviate her exhaustion.

Ai Qing thought Xiao Yu was trying to comfort him with her actions, and suddenly felt a little embarrassed.

So he took a deep breath, jumped up from his chair, and said to Xiaoyu, "Let's go, let's continue!"

Feeling the warm current thinning again, the little fish sighed softly.

I really want to jump into Ai Qing's arms, that way I can save a lot of warmth.

Unfortunately, Ai Qing didn't like being carried, so we could only hope to reach the top of the mountain soon and see the sunrise.

However, the little fish did not forget to appreciate the scenery along the way.

Tall, dense trees stretch out on both sides of the stone-paved path leading up the mountain, their heights varying. When you look down from the halfway point, you can no longer see the bottom of the mountain.

When they passed the platform in the middle, Ai Qing pulled Xiao Yu to rest again.

Ai Qing sat, and Xiao Yu stood, gazing out from the edge of the platform, where half the city came into view.

Is this what the world looks like?

Xiaoyu gazed into the distance, then turned to look at Ai Qing, and sat down beside him.

No matter how big the world is, she only feels safe and happy when she is with Ai Qing.

Xiaoyu snuggled closer to Aiqing, and the two huddled together in the early morning mountain breeze.

“Let’s come here every day from now on,” Ai Qing said suddenly, looking over the railing as the city gradually awoke in the morning light. “Let’s treat it as exercise.”

Upon hearing this, Little Fish nodded in delight, "Great! I'm so happy!"

Chapter 58 Sunrise

Ai Qing never expected her body to be so weak.

When he reached the highest point of the open section of Linping Mountain, he was panting heavily, his legs felt weak, and sweat was pouring down his forehead and back.

The cold mountain wind in the early morning made me feel a bit chilly, and a chill ran through my body.

Looking ahead, there is the Donglai Pavilion on Linping Mountain. In front of it is a small square. Ai Qing and Xiao Yu climbed up here and found a bench to sit down.

Feeling a bit chilly from the wind, Ai Qing glanced at the coat tied around Xiao Yu's waist, coughed twice, and asked, "Are you cold?"

"It's not cold." Xiaoyu shook her head, wondering why Ai Qing was asking this.

In fact, she didn't feel particularly tired; it was just normal physical exertion, and she didn't even need to use the warm current's auxiliary function.

If I used a warm current to irrigate my legs, I feel like I could reach the top of the mountain in ten minutes, instead of taking more than half an hour to climb here, stopping and starting as I am now.

"Then lend me your coat." Ai Qing reached out and untied the knot on the sleeve of the blue coat, quickly put it on and felt a little better, not so cold anymore. "There's no one here, so don't worry about your tail showing. I'll return it to you when we go down the mountain."

"Then, now?" Little Fish asked, tilting her head.

"Well, let's rest for a bit first, and then we'll go to the top floor of this Donglai Pavilion to watch the sunrise." Ai Qing took out her phone and glanced at it. "It's 5:07 now. Let's rest until 5:15 and let me catch my breath."

"Okay, okay." Xiaoyu sat up obediently, quietly moved closer to Ai Qing, pressed herself against him, and inhaled his warmth. Then she touched her straw hat and asked softly, "Then, can I take it off?"

Hearing her say that, Ai Qing looked around to make sure no one was climbing the mountain at this time, and nodded and said, "Let's pick some for a while to get some fresh air."

"Mmm!" Little Fish nodded happily, quickly took off her straw hat, and her pure white cat ears on her head twitched slightly, as if she was also relaxing after finally getting some fresh air.

Ai Qing looked at her cat ears, which were so adorable, and couldn't help but raise her hand to pat her head and pinch her cat ears.

"Hmm..." Little Fish blinked, her cat ears twitching slightly, a little sensitive.

Then, Ai Qing looked curiously at the human ear hidden in the long, snow-white hair and asked, "I didn't notice before, can you hear anything with this ear?"

Feeling Ai Qing's hand touch her earlobe, Xiao Yu subconsciously raised her hand to touch her ear, then nodded: "Sure."

Wow... that's really amazing.

"So, what did it feel like when you were wearing a straw hat and listening to me talk?"

"It's like, it's stuffy, it's clear, it's tight, it's uncomfortable." Xiaoyu tried hard to organize her thoughts and express her feelings.

Yes, it's like having one ear underwater and the other ear above the surface; it's definitely not very comfortable.

"Let's not wear it now, we can put it on when we get down the mountain." Ai Qing took the straw hat and put it directly on her head.

The two sat together, looking at the towering Donglai Pavilion beside them, and then at the winding mountain road below. They were surrounded by dense and secluded forests, and if they listened carefully, they could almost hear the chirping of birds at dawn and the chirping of countless insects hidden in the grass.

Ai Qing pointed to the mountain path and said to Xiao Yu, "Do you know, when I was in elementary school, I participated in a mountain climbing competition in my grandfather's neighborhood and won first prize."

"A race!" Little Fish's eyes lit up as he asked, "Rabbit, Turtle, a race!"

"Ah, it's similar to that." Ai Qing understood what Xiao Yu meant and nodded, saying, "I'm number one, isn't that amazing?"

"Awesome!" Little Fish nodded vigorously.

Cough... After showing off, Ai Qing touched his nose and thought to himself that it was normal for him to win in a competition that only involved old men and women.

He was sick and on leave at home at the time. He had just recovered but hadn't returned to school yet, so he went with his grandfather to join in the fun.

It was just a small competition organized by the neighborhood committee, and everyone was just having fun. When Ai Qing won first place, everyone was all smiles.

Looking back now, I realize how shameless I was back then.

It is said that a good education teaches people humility and courtesy, and students raised in this way are often more sensitive to criticism.

But once you enter the real world, you have to put all those layers of skin back on and become thick-skinned again, otherwise you'll often be taken advantage of by others and lose your own interests.

"Next time, let's have a competition," Little Fish said expectantly when he didn't speak. "And the reward!"

Well, so you just want a reward.

"Why don't you just tell me what you want?" Ai Qing chuckled and shook his head, thinking that with his current physical abilities, unless Xiao Yu was the stupid rabbit in the tortoise and the hare race, how could he possibly win?

"I want it, I want it, um..." Little Fish frowned in distress, pouted, and thought for a while before her eyes suddenly lit up and she said, "I want a coat!"

Ai Qing: "...Huh?"

Blinking, Ai Qing was a little confused. She subconsciously looked at Xiao Yu's dress and asked somewhat embarrassedly, "Are you feeling a little cold?"

"No." Xiaoyu shook her head, looking at him with a puzzled expression, not understanding why he asked that.

"Then why do you need a coat?" Ai Qing asked, puzzled. "Summer is coming soon, and it will be too hot to wear a coat. I'll buy you a new coat when it's fall."

The main problem is that he doesn't have any money right now; he'll have to wait until next month when his royalties are paid before he can have some money left.

He also planned to buy Xiaoyu a cell phone first, and try to save money on the coat if possible.

But Xiaoyu quickly explained in a low voice, "No, I mean, I want this."

As she spoke, Xiaoyu tugged at the sleeve of Ai Qing's blue coat, her expression earnest and sincere.

Ai Qing rubbed her ears to make sure she hadn't misheard.

"Why do you need this jacket? It's not suitable for girls to wear."