After the earthquake, a volcanic eruption occurred, currently spewing volcanic ash.
This volcano has long been their symbol, and in recent years, it has been very active. The locals have been worried that one day it would erupt suddenly, and that day has finally come.
Following the earthquake.
Massive amounts of volcanic ash scattered like snow, leaving the people of J Country in despair, feeling as though the world was ending for them.
At the same time, those enveloped by the volcano and earthquake fell into a state of widespread despair.
Some people, after safely escaping the earthquake, chose to commit suicide upon seeing the volcanic ash, as it resembled an apocalyptic scene for them.
This country has always lived in insecurity, as seen in their various disaster movies.
After returning home, Wen Qian watched all sorts of disaster movies and documentaries. Historically, they had once experienced a volcanic eruption following an earthquake, but the scale of this time was evidently larger.
Wen Qian put down her phone, her mind recalling various earthquake-related scenes. As the bad news piled up, Wen Qian felt she could actually fall asleep.
Without the aid of white noise or English broadcasts, Wen Qian drifted into sleep.
The next morning when she was taking down her tent, the people around her had already started discussing the volcanic eruption after the earthquake.
Wen Qian didn't watch the news anymore, as she wasn't a psychologically tough person.
As a child, when she saw parents rushing into internet cafes to drag their kids out, she realized that games could be addictive.
She knew she wasn't a self-disciplined person, so it was best not to try playing games from the start.
Similarly, as she wasn't psychologically tough enough, she avoided further exposure to such information.
However, even just passing by local residents on the road, she could hear them discussing this incident.
She didn't know what it was like for those living under the volcano, but more serious events were likely to follow.
Some were also discussing where the refugees from that country should go if it became uninhabitable, debating their destinations.
Wen Qian finished her breakfast, packed her belongings, and added some extra weight to her backpack before continuing on her way.
She felt her body grow weary, so her mind should be less active, making it easier for her to sleep at the next campsite.
No matter what the future held, she had decided to walk alone, so she needed to pay less attention to other matters.
Along the way, Wen Qian didn't admire the scenery as she usually did, but walked silently forward.
She didn't think about anything, just walked ahead, stopping to eat when she reached a place, then continuing on until she arrived at the campsite early.
Since she came early, she decided to admire the scenery around the campsite, making up for what she had missed earlier.
Originally, they were supposed to pass by a beautiful lake today, but she had hurried through, only remembering to appreciate the scenery after reaching the campsite.
Fortunately, the area around the campsite was also beautiful. After setting up her tent, she walked towards the nearby mountain.
On the side was a rather steep slope, with a slanted path leading upwards from the edge. Once on the path, the rest of the hillside was quite gentle.
From halfway up the hill, Wen Qian could look down and see the hiking trail they were following, with people walking towards this direction.
Further away was a prairie and a lake, sparkling under the sunlight.
Wen Qian found a spot to sit down, admiring the scenery while snacking on some food.
When in a bad mood, Wen Qian tended to eat sweets, so she had a lollipop in her mouth as she stared into the distance.
In August in Xia Province, the sun rose after 6 am and set after 8 pm.
Wen Qian had originally planned to watch the sunset, but later abandoned the idea as it would be too late, so she left when the light dimmed slightly.
On her way down, she didn't pay attention at first, but as she was about to slowly descend the steep slope, she overheard someone confessing their love.
"I should be braver in expressing myself..."
Wen Qian had no intention of witnessing this, but she also didn't want to disturb them. So she stepped back a few paces, turned around, walked a few steps up the slope, and sat down to continue daydreaming.
She decided to wait there for five minutes, no, ten minutes before going down, setting a timer on her phone for this.
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Zhang Zixuan stood in the corner, feeling somewhat awkward, as she could easily guess what the person in front of her wanted to say.
Since yesterday, this person had been acting strangely, and when they arrived at the campsite, she had originally planned to set up her tent with everyone else. But then Feng Haoran pulled her aside, and the other two seemed to understand the situation.
Now she really wanted to dig her toes into the ground, as she didn't need to guess what those two remaining friends were implying - they probably thought she was in a romantic relationship!
Feng Haoran was nervously making a second attempt at confessing his feelings.
Previously, when they were in school, he had secretly confessed to Zhang Zixuan by giving her a small gift for a holiday, but she had politely rejected him.
His friend and Zhang Zixuan's roommate were a couple, and when he learned they were going hiking, he joined them, giving him a second chance.
He felt that if he persisted, she would eventually be moved by his sincerity.
"Yesterday, when I saw the disaster news, I thought that I should be braver in expressing my feelings," Feng Haoran said nervously as he took a box out of his pocket.
"I like you, and I hope you'll be my girlfriend." Feng Haoran felt his arms trembling.
"Sorry, I feel like I was very clear last time." Zhang Zixuan took a step back, feeling that she had made herself clear the previous time, but she didn't know why he was still persisting.
Feng Haoran's hand holding the gift froze, and he opened the box hesitantly, wanting to show her the gift and demonstrate his sincerity at the very least.
The last time he gave a gift, his buddy had mocked him, saying that a stuffed toy was not an appropriate confession gift and that he should be more formal.
This time, he had bought a necklace.
The awkward situation made Zhang Zixuan want to turn and walk away, but that would be rude. So she said, "I'm sorry, I don't like you."
She thought this would make him understand, although it was hurtful. But Zhang Zixuan felt that a decisive rejection was better for both of them.
After saying this, Zhang Zixuan turned and left without looking back. At this moment, she didn't want to return to the campsite either, so when she saw a path leading upwards, she dashed up it.
Feng Haoran saw her heading up and forgot his disappointment, calling out to her, "Where are you going? You can't leave the group on your own."
He then followed her up.
Zhang Zixuan ran ahead blindly, but to her surprise, there was someone just ahead, startling her.
At this moment, Feng Haoran caught up and kept apologizing, "Sorry, did I scare you? You can't leave the group; we're in the same team..."
Zhang Zixuan saw someone else there, so she turned to Feng Haoran and said, "I know, I'll just sit here for a bit and come back shortly. I won't wander off."
"Oh, okay." Feng Haoran seemed to understand that she had run off because she didn't want to be around him, and since there was another girl here, she would be safe.
Just as Feng Haoran was about to leave, Wen Qian passed by them, apparently intending to go down the slope.
