Little Sweetheart

Gu Siyi finished the last bite of the wafer biscuit. Afraid that there might be some chocolate residue at the corner of her mouth, she stuck out her tongue and licked it clean.

Xia Zhijun's eyes fell on her pink lips and her playful tongue. His throat suddenly tightened, and his eyes darkened like unmelting ink. He turned his face away and stared at the advertisement behind the front seat, reading each word carefully.

Gu Siyi swallowed the biscuit and said, "It's not a problem. I just thought it was inconvenient to switch seats back and forth."

Seeing Xia Zhijun turn his face away and not look at her, she thought he was angry, so she added, "But even if it's inconvenient, if you ask me to come over, I'll come over right away." The implication was: You're the boss, you're the most important.

Xia Zhijun turned his head and met her sparkling eyes, which held a hint of flattery, like a kitten trying to please its owner.

Indeed… very likable.

He pulled down the chocolate wafer wrapper a bit and handed it to her. "Later, when we change trains, you don't need me to remind you, right?" he asked.

Gu Siyi took a bite and felt like she had bitten into a sugar-coated bomb after hearing his words.

She had no choice but to nod. "Okay."

Xia Zhijun tore open the rest of the wafer biscuit. Gu Siyi thought he was going to feed her again, so she reached out and said, "I'll do it myself…" Before she could finish, she saw him put the rest into his mouth.

Xia Zhijun finished eating leisurely and glanced at her. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing." Gu Siyi smiled perfunctorily, her lips curving slightly.

On the other side, Lu Jiaye and the others were playing games together. He glanced at the two-seater next to them and then took a closer look…

Lu Jiaye looked bewildered. "Am I seeing things? Wasn't that Little Star just now? Why is it Little Dimple now?"

Just as he was trying to get a clearer look, he saw the two of them feeding each other…

"Holy crap, didn't we agree to go on a group trip? How come they're acting like they're on a honeymoon?"

Zhou Xiao reached out and pulled his shoulder back. "Stop looking. It's not like you don't have a sister."

Su Han couldn't help but turn his head to look. After a few seconds, he silently turned back. "I don't want to be force-fed dog food."

Xia Zhijun took out a bottle of yogurt, put a straw in it, and handed it to Gu Siyi. "Thank you," Gu Siyi said. She turned on the music on her phone and handed him an earbud. "Do you want to listen?"

Xia Zhijun took the earbud.

Gu Siyi clicked on Mayday's playlist. The first song he played on the piano that night was "If We Had Never Met," and then she saved this song as the first one on the playlist.

As the prelude played, Gu Siyi listened to the song, sipped her yogurt, and looked out the window.

Lush vegetation stood tall and proud under the autumn sun, with vast fields and plains visible to the eye, and even further away, rolling mountains faintly appeared. Large swathes of green spread out before her eyes and then whizzed past, each frame a scenic masterpiece.

Mayday's passionate singing filled her ears: "Sunburnt skin, unexpected snow, the four seasons spent with you, time flies by, but with you by my side, what is there to fear about the fleeting time… That day, that moment, that scene, you appeared in my life… Every minute, every second, every expression, the story is full of surprises…"

Gu Siyi turned to look at Xia Zhijun. The other end of the earbud was plugged into his ear, and he was also looking out the window. Confirming that he was sharing the scenery and music with her, she felt twice as happy, and the corners of her mouth couldn't help but rise.

When they were about to arrive at the Capital station, the boys got up to get their suitcases, and the girls followed behind.

Xiang Li sighed. "It's a good thing we came out to play with them. Otherwise, it would be so tiring to carry these big suitcases up and down."

Lu Jiaye stood up straight, turned his head, and looked at the girls with a grievance. "Are you saying that the only value of our existence as four handsome gods is to carry things?"

Zheng Peipei smiled faintly. "Of course not. Xia Zhijun has ornamental value, Su Han and Zhou Xiao have companion value, and you, you only have value when you carry things."

"…" Lu Jiaye, who had wanted to curry favor, was almost choked by Zheng Peipei's words and glared at her.

Zheng Peipei made a face triumphantly. "Blegh!"

Lu Jiaye shoved the suitcase in his hand towards Zheng Peipei. "The other party doesn't want to talk to you and throws a suitcase at you!"

"Ah…" The suitcase hit Gu Siyi. She let out a soft cry and held onto the suitcase. Xiang Li hurriedly took the suitcase. "This is my suitcase. I'll take it myself."

Lu Jiaye: "…??"

Xia Zhijun turned around and happened to see this scene. He threw a pack of tissues at Lu Jiaye, his deep voice laced with anger. "What are you doing!"

Lu Jiaye cowered instantly and blinked innocently. "I didn't do it on purpose…"

Gu Siyi hurriedly said, "I'm fine." As she spoke, she rubbed her knee. The impact just now had hurt a little, but it was fine now.

Lu Jiaye leaned over, rested his arm on the back of the seat, clasped his hands together, and apologized to Gu Siyi pitifully. "I'm sorry, little sister. I really didn't mean to…"

"It's okay, it's okay." Gu Siyi smiled.

Zheng Peipei watched Lu Jiaye leisurely, opening and closing her mouth. "Silly dog."

His gaze shifted to her, and he instantly turned fierce, mouthing each word slowly. "You, just, wait!"

"Blegh!" she said with a disdainful look.

The other people in the carriage couldn't help but laugh as they watched the farce of these handsome boys and girls, sighing that it was good to be young.

The carriage door opened, and everyone got off one after another. The station was still crowded. Zheng Peipei had been holding Gu Siyi's hand since they got off the train. She smiled and said, "We children have to hold hands so we don't get separated." Xia Zhijun glanced at them but didn't say anything. He led the way in front, and the others followed him blindly. With the top student leading the way, they had nothing to worry about. They took the escalators up and down, finally arriving at the waiting area.

There were no more seats left in the waiting room, so they had to stand and wait. The girls went to the bathroom together.

Lu Jiaye looked around. "I heard that there are a lot of beauties in the Capital. I wonder if we'll see any at the train station?"

Su Han said, "Zhijun has been to the Capital before, right? Are the girls on the streets pretty?"

Xia Zhijun was browsing through the travel guides on Dianping on his phone. Without looking up, he said indifferently, "Not as pretty as someone."

"…" The boys were stunned for a moment. When they came back to their senses, there was a chorus of tsk-tsks.

Su Han said, "We know you have a fairy-like sister. Please restrain yourself."

Zhou Xiao repeated, "We know you have a fairy-like sister. Please restrain yourself."

Lu Jiaye said, "Let's isolate him. Let's not talk to him anymore."

The girls came out of the bathroom, chatting and laughing. Su Han looked at Zheng Peipei and said, "I think Peipei is very pretty too."

Lu Jiaye clicked his tongue. "Dude, you should go get your eyes checked."

When they boarded the train again, Gu Siyi remembered Xia Zhijun's reminder and very sensibly didn't immediately take a seat. However, this time, the boy sitting in the single seat was Su Han, and the girl was Zheng Peipei. Zheng Peipei waved at them and sat down happily.

Thus, Gu Siyi was in the same row as the other two girls, while Xia Zhijun was in the same row as the other two boys.

This part of the journey only took a little over an hour, and they soon arrived at their destination.

After getting out of the station, they hailed a taxi and went straight to the hot spring hotel they had booked.

When they were checking in, the receptionist specially gave them hot spring experience tickets and reminded them that the opening hours were before 10 pm.

Back in their room, as they were putting down their things, Lu Jiaye said with a grin, "We're going to soak in the hot springs at night. Doesn't that mean the girls will be wearing swimsuits?" He threw himself on the bed and said, both embarrassed and excited, "I'm looking forward to Little Dimple's swimsuit show… Just thinking about it makes me a little shy."

Zhou Xiao, who was sharing the room with him, said, "Zhijun is here."

Lu Jiaye jumped up from the bed like a carp.

Zhou Xiao mocked, "Look at you, you coward. Do you dare to look at Gu Siyi?"

Lu Jiaye snorted and said fiercely, "Just you wait and see!"

After putting away their luggage, they went out of the hotel together to find food.

As soon as they entered the lobby, the boys, who were still in their original clothes, saw that all the girls had transformed.

Xia Zhijun's eyes fell on Gu Siyi. She had changed into a red long-sleeved linen dress. The cinched waist design accentuated her slender waist, and the long skirt made one can't help but imagine how long and slender her legs were under it.

When Gu Siyi changed into this dress, Zheng Peipei praised her. "With her long hair draped over her shoulders and her long skirt trailing behind her, she looks like a fairy-like and artistic girl."

Zhang Xinyi said, "I envy Siyi's long legs. My style is very limited because I'm short."

Gu Siyi looked at the white short suit on her and said enviously, "I envy you. You're so cute and adorable! Is it my fault that I'm so tall? My mom would tell me not to embarrass myself if I tried to act cute. Other people's children learn ballet and piano, but my parents made me learn basketball and taekwondo. People don't believe me when I tell them I'm not even 18 years old. Isn't it because I'm tall and look mature?"

The girls were all amused. Not to be outdone, Zheng Peipei complained, "Is it my fault that I'm well-developed? I hate it the most when boys stare at me. In junior high school, someone even said behind my back that I was… Damn it, it pissed me off!"

"Haha, who's next? Hurry up and tell us something unhappy to make us happy~"

Laughter filled the room.

Among the four girls, Gu Siyi was the tallest at 1.69 meters, and her body proportions followed the golden ratio. She was slender and eye-catching in the crowd. Zheng Peipei was 1.65 meters tall, but she was the most well-developed. When everyone else was still a small bun, she was already a big bun. Xiang Li was 1.6 meters tall, which was neither tall nor short among high school students. Zhang Xinyi was the shortest at 1.55 meters.

The four girls' private clothes were also according to their styles, each dressed in their unique way.

The girls, dressed up beautifully, stood together like a group of colorful butterflies.

Lu Jiaye sized up the girls and said with a grin, "It's worth it to carry your suitcases all the way just to see you all dressed up like this."

As his gaze lingered back and forth on Gu Siyi, Xia Zhijun pressed his head down and said, "Let's go."

Xia Zhijun chose a food court that was a few minutes' walk away.

The group of them shuttled through the food court, buying and eating, laughing and chatting all the way.

While the girls were busy taking pictures of each other, Xia Zhijun used his phone to take many pictures of Gu Siyi.

Since they had to get up early the next day to climb the mountain, they didn't stay long. They even skipped the idea of drinking and singing.

Leaving the food court, the girls were still excitedly taking pictures along the way. Xia Zhijun said, "Let's go buy some hiking gear first."

After greeting the girls, the boys left them to take pictures and went to a nearby store to buy gear.

In this tourist season, the streets were crowded with people coming and going.

The four girls were a beautiful sight to behold.

Not far away, a young man with dreadlocks and a few of his friends saw the beautiful girls. They exchanged knowing glances and walked towards them.

"Hey, are you guys here for a trip too?"

The girls looked at them, feeling a little repulsed by these young men who reeked of gangster-like vibes.

One of them handed the camera to Gu Siyi. "Can you please take a group photo of us?"

Gu Siyi took the camera and took a few pictures of them.

After returning the camera, the girls were about to leave when the men caught up with them and started chatting them up.

"Are you going to climb Mount Emei?" "I've been to Mount Emei a few times. Why don't we form a group? We can lead the way for you girls." "There's a delicious local specialty restaurant nearby. We were just about to go there. You girls seem very nice, why don't we go together? We'll treat you…"

The men chattered non-stop beside the girls. They thought that these were just four girls traveling together. They were just kids, so they thought that if they were nice to them and coaxed them a little, they would go with them.

On the other side, Xia Zhijun, Lu Jiaye, and the others had bought hiking poles, disposable raincoats, shoe covers, hats, and other necessities. As Xia Zhijun was paying the bill, Lu Jiaye walked to the door of the shop and saw three men standing next to the girls.

Lu Jiaye said, "Where did these flies come from? They've set their sights on our delicate flowers so quickly?"

Su Han looked over and said worriedly, "Let's hurry over. Don't let them take advantage of the girls and chat them up."

"Hey, why aren't you girls talking? We're not bad people. If you don't believe us, we can show you our IDs."

At first, the girls still responded out of courtesy, but seeing them getting closer and closer, they became more and more impatient and simply stopped talking.

One of them stopped in front of Gu Siyi and said with a smile, "I can tell that you're a kind and warm-hearted girl. You even helped us take pictures just now. It's fate that we met. Let's be travel companions. Men and women make a perfect match, and climbing mountains won't be tiring. What do you think?"

The man reached out to put his hand on Gu Siyi's shoulder. Just as Gu Siyi was about to dodge, an arm blocked her way and grabbed the man's hand, pushing him away forcefully.

Xia Zhijun stood in front of Gu Siyi, his delicate brows and eyes sharp as a blade as he stared coldly at the man. Although he looked younger than these men at first glance, he was tall and had a strong aura. His entire being exuded an air of "don't mess with me."

Lu Jiaye and the others, who were following behind him, handed each of the girls a hiking pole. Lu Jiaye sneered and said, "Beggars, take this dog-beating stick. It can be used for mountain climbing and also for beating dogs, especially those shameless dogs who pester girls."

In the blink of an eye, the four boys and four girls all had a bamboo pole in their hands. Zheng Peipei was amused by this formation. "Is this a Beggars' Sect convention?"

Lu Jiaye raised his chin, looked at the men coldly, and tapped the ground with his walking stick. "You bastards, want to try my dog-beating stick technique?"

The men were furious, but they didn't dare to act rashly. They could only hurl harsh words, "You brats, you're still wet behind the ears, yet you dare to be so arrogant…"

Gu Siyi saw the ruthlessness in their eyes and tugged at Xia Zhijun's arm. "Let's go. Don't bother with them."

They were traveling in a foreign place. It was better to avoid trouble.

Zheng Peipei agreed and pulled Lu Jiaye, smiling. "Let's go, let's go."

No matter how fierce they usually were, they knew when to back down and wouldn't stir up unnecessary trouble.

Xia Zhijun held Gu Siyi's hand tightly in his palm. As they passed by the men, his cold gaze swept over them, carrying a warning.

The men were also tourists from the Capital. They had wanted to hook up with some girls and have fun together, but they didn't expect them to have boyfriends. They were left feeling ashamed. However, looking at the boys, each one of them was tall and imposing, and they didn't look easy to deal with. They might not be able to win a fight, so they could only give up and leave.

After walking far away, Lu Jiaye said, "It's all your fault for dressing up so flamboyantly and attracting unwanted attention. Something would have happened if we hadn't been there."

Zheng Peipei scoffed. "According to you, it's our fault for being pretty? Your logic is like a rapist blaming the victim for wearing a tank top. What kind of bullshit logic is that?"

Lu Jiaye was a little embarrassed by her retort. "That's not what I meant. I was just saying that you guys are too pretty."

Xia Zhijun said to Gu Siyi, "It's okay. You do you."

"?" Gu Siyi turned to look at him and blinked.

Xia Zhijun looked straight ahead and said casually, as if it was nothing, "I'll be here to protect you anyway."

Gu Siyi was stunned for a moment. She lowered her head and smiled, pursing her lips.

The boys walking in front of them accidentally overheard the top student's casual words.

Su Han said to Lu Jiaye, "Honestly, Zhijun's sister-con skills are a galaxy away from yours."

Lu Jiaye: "…" He felt 10,000 points of critical damage.

Back at the hotel, everyone went back to their rooms to get their swimsuits and prepared to soak in the hot springs.

The girls' swimsuits were all tankinis. Although they were much more conservative than bikinis, they were still a little embarrassed.

However, when they arrived at the hot spring area, they found out that there were mixed areas as well as separate areas for men and women. They were separated by a fork in the road.

The boys were all a little embarrassed. Puberty was the time when they were most sensitive and innocent, curious and timid about the opposite sex.

Gu Siyi touched her nose and said, "Then we'll each go to a different section."

Lu Jiaye didn't say anything, but he screamed in his heart 10,000 times, "Let's soak together!" but he held back and didn't say it out loud.

Xia Zhijun said, "Okay, let's go."

The hot spring water was slightly hot, soaking every pore of their bodies, making them feel relaxed and comfortable.

Su Han said regretfully, "I still wanted to see Peipei in a swimsuit."

Lu Jiaye splashed around in the water and shouted unwillingly, "My Little Dimple's swimsuit show, ahhh, my heart aches…"

Xia Zhijun glanced at him. "What are you thinking about?"

Lu Jiaye retorted, "What do you care what I'm thinking about? Aren't you thinking about it too?"

"Don't you dare!" Xia Zhijun's face flushed slightly. He lunged forward and wrapped his arm around Lu Jiaye's neck. The two big boys started fighting in the hot spring.

Lu Jiaye yelled, "If you dare say that Little Dimple is your friend, I promise I won't think about it. You have no right to stop me from thinking about it. I'm going to think about it, think about it…"

Xia Zhijun: "…" You're asking for a beating!

Su Han: "For some reason, I think Jiaye has a point."

Zhou Xiao: "Forget it, let's not expose him."

The two of them leaned against the edge of the pool, lazily watching as Lu Jiaye, who was asking for trouble, provoked Xia Zhijun and stirred up the hot spring water.

Before going to bed at night, Gu Siyi habitually opened WeChat, but she didn't see any messages from Xia Zhijun.

Zheng Peipei, who was sharing the room with her, rolled over in bed, yawned, and said, "You're still playing with your phone? Go to sleep. We have to get up early tomorrow to climb the mountain."

"Okay, I'm going to sleep soon." Gu Siyi stuffed her phone under her pillow.

Just as she was drifting off to sleep, her phone rang, instantly waking her up.

She sat up, pulled the blanket over her head, and turned on her phone to check. It was a voice message notification from Xia Zhijun.

Her heart instantly blossomed with joy!

Covering her mouth to stifle her laughter, she lowered the volume and clicked on the voice message. "I received a task at the last minute and was busy for a while. Good night."

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