Translator: Dj22031
Editor: Dj22031
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They quickly resumed their journey. Yan Qingchi and Jiang Mochen had only eaten a few bites of grilled fish, so they ate compressed biscuits and the instant noodles (the seasoning packet had been removed) as they walked.
The mountain path was long, and the two girls, carrying heavy loads, were starting to tire. Seeing this, Yan Qingchi spoke to Jiang Mochen, wanting to help lighten their load.
Jiang Mochen, seeing that the two girls were clearly exhausted but still trying their best to keep up, nodded, “Alright.”
They stood there waiting for Mo Xiaoxiao and Zhang Ningwei to arrive.
Mo Xiaoxiao walked up to them, puzzled as to why they had suddenly stopped. “Why did you stop?” she asked.
Yan Qingchi said gently, “You and Zhang Ningwei, give us your bags. Chen-ge and I will carry them for you, making things easier for you.”
“How can we do that?” Mo Xiaoxiao objected. “We’re already slow enough to slow you down; how can we let you carry our bags too?”
“It’s alright,” Yan Qingchi said, looking at her. “It’s just carrying your bags, nothing serious. Consider it an opportunity for us to show our gentlemanly manners, okay?”
Mo Xiaoxiao was at a loss for words. She turned to look at Zhang Ningwei, who looked at her blankly, unsure whether to agree. Mo Xiaoxiao looked back at Yan Qingchi and Jiang Mochen. She thought, since they had put it so bluntly, if they remained reserved, Yan Qingchi would probably feel awkward. Besides, giving the bags to Yan Qingchi and Jiang Mochen would allow them to walk faster, which would be better for the test results.
Mo Xiaoxiao understood and handed over her bag. Yan Qingchi took it and naturally passed it to Jiang Mochen. Seeing Mo Xiaoxiao do this, Zhang Ningwei also handed over her bag. Yan Qingchi carried hers and said to them, “Hang in there a little longer, we’ll rest after another 40 minutes.”
Zhang Ningwei nodded, “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
He turned and, along with Jiang Mochen and led the way again.
The group walked and stopped, stopped and walked, until nightfall.
Zhang Ningwei and Mo Xiaoxiao were truly exhausted; so they set up their tents and went straight to sleep without even eating.
The director kept a close eye on Jiang Mochen and Yan Qingchi, explicitly forbidding them from going out on any more adventures, otherwise he would have to anxiously wait for their return.
Yan Qingchi, seeing the director’s wary expression, felt that he and Jiang Mochen were like two disobedient children, causing the director endless worry. So this time he obediently said he wouldn’t go out again.
Jiang Mochen also hummed in agreement.
The two ate together, and since there wasn’t much else to do, plus they were a bit tired after hiking all day, they went straight into their tents and went to sleep.
The next day, even before the sun had risen, Yan Qingchi woke up first. He opened the small window on the tent and looked outside; it was still dark. Yan Qingchi took out his phone and checked the time; it was only a little past 4. He thought for a moment, then shook Jiang Mochen beside him. “Jiang Mochen, wake up, wake up.”
Jiang Mochen heard his voice, opened his eyes groggily, and instinctively reached out to pull him into his arms, asking, “What’s wrong?”
“Do you want to see the sunrise?” Yan Qingchi’s voice was excited. “Shall we go see the sunrise?”
Jiang Mochen was still half asleep, his mind a little foggy. “Now?”
Yan Qingchi nodded in his arms. “Want to see it?” he asked. “Or do you want to sleep a little longer?”
Jiang Mochen did want to sleep a little longer, but he could tell from Yan Qingchi’s voice that he wanted to see it, so he patted Yan Qingchi’s back. “Pull me up, let me sit up and restart.”
Yan Qingchi instantly perked up, sat up, and reached out to pull him up. “Can we restart now?”
“You should at least press the power button,” Jiang Mochen laughed.
Yan Qingchi leaned forward and kissed his cheek. “Is it on?”
Although Jiang Mochen couldn’t see him clearly in the darkness, he still found Yan Qingchi adorable. So he ruffled Yan Qingchi’s hair. “It’s on. Let’s go wash up quickly.”
“Okay.” Yan Qingchi nodded.
The two quickly washed up, each shining a flashlight on the other, and grabbed a backpack to watch the sunrise.
“Should we pack up the tent?” Jiang Mochen asked Yan Qingchi. “Or should we pack it up when we get back?”
“Let’s pack it up when we get back. They shouldn’t be awake or just waking up when we return, so we can pack it up then.”
“Okay, let’s go then.”
“Let’s go.”
Yan Qingchi glanced happily at Jiang Mochen, took his hand, and felt a surge of joy in his heart. He whispered “Let’s go” and quietly left their campsite.
They didn’t go far, just a few steps further to the mountain path. The terrain here was high and the view was expansive. Yan Qingchi felt this was enough, and it would be convenient for them to return after watching the sunrise.
Jiang Mochen looked around and saw two rocks not far away, so he pulled Yan Qingchi to sit down there.
It was just beginning to lighten, still a grayish-blue color without a trace of warmth, but they could already vaguely make out the shapes of the people beside them.
Yan Qingchi turned off his flashlight and took out bread and biscuits from his bag, handing them to Jiang Mochen.
Looking at the bread in his hand, Jiang Mochen felt a deep sense of weariness, realizing he was practically sick of eating bread these past two days.
He unwrapped the bread and asked Yan Qingchi, “Which one do you want?”
“Both.”
“You want the bread too?”
Yan Qingchi reached out and took the bread from his hand. “You don’t want this one, right? Then I’ll eat this one, and you can have the cookies.”
Jiang Mochen looked at the cookies in his arms. “Well, I’m getting much better treatment than you. My cookies even have raisins on them.”
“Then consider it a reward for watching the sunrise with me.” Yan Qingchi said, tearing off a piece of bread and starting to eat. “I think the bread is okay. Why don’t you like it?” But he quickly realized, “Yeah, you don’t like this kind of thing anyway. You don’t like cake either.”
Jiang Mochen tore open the cookie wrapper, took out a cookie, and fed it to him. “To be honest, I don’t like this cookie either. I like salty ones.”
Yan Qingchi said, biting into the cookie. “Well, I’m different from you. I like sweet ones.”
“I know,” Jiang Mochen looked at him. “You also like candy.” He finished speaking with a hint of regret. “It’s a pity I didn’t bring you any this time.”
“You can give it to me when we get back, there’s no rush.”
“After our test is over and we go abroad, we’ll see what local specialties are available and buy you some.”
Yan Qingchi nodded, “I just don’t know what place we’ll be. If we’re last, we won’t get much money.”
“It can’t be that bad, can it?”
“I hope so.” Yan Qingchi glanced at him.
As they spoke, Yan Qingchi noticed a red hue slowly appearing on the horizon. He quickly patted Jiang Mochen, “Look, the sun is about to rise.”
Jiang Mochen looked up and saw the red on the horizon like a light veil, initially very thin, slowly spreading and spreading out, like an endless rose-colored ocean, or layers of brocade with varying shades.
He watched quietly, a sense of peace and tenderness filling his heart.
Then, he saw golden light suddenly appear on the horizon, the rose-colored ocean as if edged with gold, and the sun shyly peeked out from behind the mountains, appearing in his eyes as he watched intently.
He turned to look at Yan Qingchi, who was focused on the rising sun, his features as beautiful as a painting amidst the cool mountain air and the warmth of the sunrise.
“Qingchi,” Jiang Mochen called to him.
Yan Qingchi turned, and Jiang Mochen kissed his forehead, a fleeting kiss.
“Good morning.” Jiang Mochen smiled, noticing the obvious surprise on Yan Qingchi’s face.
Yan Qingchi smiled, his eyes crinkling. “Yeah, good morning,” he said, then returned the favor with a kiss. They were both happy after watching the sunrise. Yan Qingchi was in a good mood and chatted with Jiang Mochen for a while before deciding to head back.
“Let’s play a game,” Yan Qingchi said. “The way back isn’t long anyway, let’s play a little.”
“How do you want to play?” Jiang Mochen asked.
Yan Qingchi said, “We’ll play rock-paper-scissors. Whoever loses has to carry the other person a certain number of steps. Rock is ten steps, scissors is two steps, and paper is five steps. Simple, right?”
“It is quite simple, come on.”
Yan Qingchi looked at him. “Rock-paper-scissors—”
He threw rock, and Jiang Mochen threw scissors.
Yan Qingchi was overjoyed. “I won! You carry me!”
“Okay.” Jiang Mochen walked in front of him, bent down, and carried him on his back.
This was the first time Yan Qingchi had been carried by someone since he grew up, and the feeling was quite novel. He whispered in Jiang Mochen’s ear, “You know what? You’re the first person to carry me since I became an adult.”
“Then you’re probably the first person I have carried me since I became an adult too.”
“Is that such a coincidence? Didn’t you carry me when we were filming?”
“No, I’ve never carried you like this.”
“Oh.” Yan Qingchi nodded.
Jiang Mochen quickly took ten steps, and Yan Qingchi patted his shoulder to let him put him down. Jiang Mochen smiled, “Never mind, didn’t you say that no one has carried you since you became an adult? This is a good opportunity for you to experience it.”
“So nice to me?” Yan Qingchi said happily, “I’m not the kind of person who would be polite with you.”
“Who asked you to be polite with me?”
“Alright then, then carry me back.” Yan Qingchi said, reaching out to wrap his arms around his neck, and said to him, “Thank you for your hard work, Mr. Jiang.”
“As long as my wife is happy.” Jiang Mochen replied.
Yan Qingchi smiled broadly, “Happy, happy.”
He tilted his head to look at Jiang Mochen, then at the road ahead, feeling a warm and joyful feeling. Perhaps this sudden test would be a tedious and tiring ordeal for others, but for him, it was a precious trip. This was his first trip with Jiang Mochen, without assistants, without fans and without too many taboos.
They could walk side by side, explore deserted places, whisper sweet nothings, and enjoy the beauty of nature together. Yan Qingchi actually wished time could slow down, so they could have more sweet and romantic moments, but time never stops according to human will. They eventually returned to the camp, and before the director even came out of the tent, they began packing up to continue their test.
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