Chapter 23

Over the past few days, Ji Kailan had taken Su Louzhi to several outdoor supply stores, stocking up on a full set of hiking gear. Quick-dry hiking clothes, hiking shoes, hiking socks—Su Louzhi looked at all of it and thought Ji Kailan was quite thoughtful.

Then he bought hiking poles and a first-aid kit, and Su Louzhi thought he was being really thorough.

Then Ji Kailan even stuffed an emergency blanket into the backpack.

Su Louzhi finally couldn't hold it in anymore. She lowered her head and typed: 【Senior Ji, we're just going on a class social hike, not some extreme sport, right? Why even pack an emergency blanket?】

Ji Kailan merely smiled at the time, saying lightly, "Just in case."

Su Louzhi blinked and didn't press further.

Over the remaining two days, Ji Kailan walked her through the gear again and again. How to adjust the hiking poles' length, what every item in the first-aid kit was for, how to unfold and wrap the emergency blanket—he taught her everything meticulously, down to the smallest detail.

Before they knew it, Saturday arrived.

The two classes hadn't had many sign-ups—fewer than twenty in total combined. After some discussion, everyone decided to pool together and rent a small shuttle bus, meeting right at the school gate to head out.

When Su Louzhi walked to the school gate with Qin Qingyan, Jiang Yi, and Liu Mengting, she spotted two familiar figures in the distance.

Ji Kailan and Shen Boyang were already there waiting.

Su Louzhi's sharp eyes caught that quite a few people nearby were sneaking glances in that direction—girls and boys alike. The focus of all those gazes was Ji Kailan.

If her roommates hadn't pointed her to the forum, she never would've realized how popular Ji Kailan was on campus.

But her moment of realization quickly turned into awkwardness.

Because Ji Kailan spotted her.

Shen Boyang was still reserved, simply turning and waving with a smile. But Ji Kailan—he walked straight toward her.

Su Louzhi instantly felt all those eyes around her swivel in her direction.

Curious. Appraising. Probing. And some veiled with faint hostility.

Her steps faltered. She stopped in her tracks.

Too many.

There were too many eyes.

Her instinct was to hide, to tuck herself away, to disappear.

Ji Kailan's stride quickened.

In a few steps, he reached her, his tall frame blocking those gazes completely.

After all these days together, he'd figured out her nature.

To put it plainly, Su Louzhi was a soft person. She never put herself at the center, always yielding in her dealings with others. She was afraid of being blamed, afraid of being the center of attention, afraid of others' stares.

She never said it, but he saw it.

So when she stopped because of those looks, he moved in front of her without a second thought.

And her three roommates, who'd known her longer than he had, understood too.

The three of them silently shuffled a few steps, sealing off the directions Ji Kailan couldn't cover.

Su Louzhi kept her head low, her gaze fixed on the little patch of ground before her toes.

"Zhizhi."

Ji Kailan's voice came from above her—soft, gentle.

"Don't be afraid."

Just those two words.

Su Louzhi's nose suddenly stung.

She'd never told him she was afraid of others' stares. But he'd noticed anyway.

"That's right, Zhizhi!"

Qin Qingyan's warm voice came from beside her. "We're all here. We're your support system!"

"Yeah, yeah!" Jiang Yi's voice rang out even louder. "Zhizhi, my shoulders might not be broad, but I can still hold up a piece of sky for you!"

Liu Mengting giggled as she leaned over. "Zhizhi, want me to hold your little hand? Give you some strength!"

Su Louzhi lifted her head, meeting Ji Kailan's smiling eyes, then looking at her three roommates' beaming faces.

The warmth in her heart slowly turned into courage. She nodded at them, curved her lips into a smile, then picked up her steps and kept walking forward.

When she reached Shen Boyang, he looked at the scene in front of him—four people surrounding Su Louzhi like dragons guarding a treasure—and couldn't help but laugh out loud.

"Junior Su," he said, amused, "you walk over here like a little princess flanked by bodyguards."

Qin Qingyan immediately shot him a glare. "Alright, alright, Boyang, stop teasing our Zhizhi. Our Zhizhi gets shy easily."

She smoothly transitioned, naturally introducing them to Jiang Yi and Liu Mengting: "This is Shen Boyang, and this is Ji Kailan. They're both juniors in the Finance Department."

The four of them exchanged greetings and quickly fell into easy chatter.

Su Louzhi stood quietly beside them, listening, with Ji Kailan at her side.

The shuttle bus arrived soon.

The six of them boarded. Su Louzhi and Qin Qingyan sat together, with Jiang Yi and Liu Mengting in the row ahead. The back seats were left for Ji Kailan and Shen Boyang.

The bus started up slowly, and the streetscape began to recede outside the window.

A half-hour ride wasn't long. By the time they got off, Xiqiao Mountain was right before them.

The class reps, He Xin and Jiang Feng, stepped forward to brief everyone on the day's hiking route.

Tianhu Park, Senba Flying, Peach Blossom Garden, Baofeng Temple... The route was well planned—scenic views, fun activities, and real climbing. It wasn't purely a grueling hike. After all, it was a social event, so they needed to leave room for people to interact.

Once they'd confirmed the route, the whole group set off up the mountain in high spirits.

—

The first stop was Tianhu Park. Lake views, mountain scenery—they wandered, took photos, chatted. Su Louzhi didn't find it tiring at all.

The second stop was Senba Flying, a recreational adventure course with zip lines, suspension bridges, climbing frames, and the like. The two class reps announced free time and let everyone play on their own.

Su Louzhi looked at the equipment suspended in the air and quietly took a step back.

She had a timid heart. Things like this... better to watch others play.

"Zhizhi."

Ji Kailan's voice came at her ear.

Su Louzhi looked up.

"Want to give it a try?" He looked at her, his eyes carrying gentle encouragement. "I'll stay right beside you and keep you safe, okay?"

Su Louzhi hesitated a little. Those structures really did look... a bit intimidating.

But she looked into Ji Kailan's eyes, and remembered the way he'd shielded her at the school gate just a while ago.

She nodded.

For the Senba Flying course, Ji Kailan picked the gentlest options.

After the amusement park outing, he'd roughly mapped out Su Louzhi's comfort zone. Anything too thrilling was a no, anything too high was a no, but as long as he was there beside her, she was willing to try.

And so he got what he wanted—openly, legitimately, he got to touch her. On the suspension bridge, she was scared, so he held her arm. On the zip line, she was nervous, so he stayed close, guarding her side. On the climbing frame, when she couldn't reach the next foothold, he wrapped an arm around her waist and lifted her up. Every contact was just right, every touch felt natural, as if it were simply the obvious thing to do.

After all, she was scared.

He protected her, steadied her, held her—

Wasn't that only natural?