After a short rest, the two set off again. Around half an hour later, most people had gradually arrived at the summit. There was a grassy area at the top, used for camping and barbecuing, though they had to pay extra for that.
The President went to pay for it, while the rest prepared for lunch. They had brought their own ingredients and water, though buying supplies at the top was much more expensive.
Everyone worked together - some set up the tents, while others prepared the barbecue...
Chi Yan put down his things and went to set up the tent first. Their spot was secluded in a corner, so they wouldn't disturb others too much.
Chu Yang was already helping the other girls thread skewers of vegetables and meat for the barbecue. Some had even started on the charcoal. Everyone was bustling around happily.
Soon the barbecue kicked off, with someone playing guitar and singing to liven up the mood. Joyful expressions were on everyone's faces.
Chi Yan sat next to Chu Yang, deftly grilling a chicken wing, then some squid, duck intestines - clearly skilled at it. Of course, Chu Yang didn't let him do all the work, grilling greens and eggplants for him too.
Plus, whenever Chi Yan grilled something, Chu Yang would eat half and give him the other half, occasionally wiping the sweat from his brow. Sometimes Chi Yan would look up at Chu Yang and smile, before going back to cooking.
Two girls nearby held each other's hands, and with one look they knew they were of the same persuasion, screaming internally!
Ahhh it's too sweet!
I'm going to die from their sweetness!
After a hearty lunch, everyone cleaned up their trash - being university students, they at least took care of that. The President reminded them, "Everyone, remember to clean up your own trash. We'll take it down the mountain tomorrow, can't let down our school's reputation."
"Got it, President."
The afternoon was free time, with most people going to the peach blossom forest to take photos and play around. Some went back to nap in the tents. Chi Yan brought a camera as he and Chu Yang went to the peach blossom forest.
Seeing Chu Yang wander through the peach blossoms, Chi Yan suddenly thought of getting her a traditional Han dress - she'd definitely look beautiful in it. Maybe next time.
The two played here and there, and before long it was time to prepare dinner.
For dinner they not only barbecued, but also cooked with pots they had brought.
After filling their bellies, everyone sat around together. Some went up to perform - dancing, playing guitar, and they even sang the national anthem together joyfully.
Chi Yan was egged on to perform too, and sang a love song while looking at Chu Yang, leading to even more raucous cheering as she was pushed up to sing with him.
Not just them - other couples were egged on too, like the girlfriend sitting on her boyfriend's lap as he did push-ups.
Everyone was overjoyed, and they later played games like Werewolf and Truth or Dare.
When the bottle pointed to Chi Yan, everyone shouted, "Quick, ask a naughty one!"
The girls blushed while the guys hooted and snickered.
"Okay, when was your first time?"
"Woahhh..." Everyone exclaimed, staring at Chu Yang and Chi Yan.
Chu Yang's ears turned red, not expecting them to go that far.
Chi Yan looked at Chu Yang, his face flushed too, and scratched his head. "Not yet." It was true they hadn't fully done it yet, though they had been intimate before, just not all the way. Even without going all the way in this day and age, there were many methods, ahem.
Everyone was shocked. One guy gave Chi Yan a thumbs up, "Damn, mad respect for being able to hold back for so long with a girlfriend."
A girl sitting next to Chu Yang whispered, "Whoa, that means your boyfriend really loves you. You should make a move soon."
Chu Yang: ???
They hadn't gone all the way, but were close.
After that, it was others' turns for truth or dare. For truth, people were quite open, but for dares they kept it mild out of respect for the girls present - unless the dare involved couples, they definitely wouldn't ask strangers to kiss for a minute or anything.
Once they got bored of truth or dare, someone started telling ghost stories, which had the girls clinging in fear to whoever was beside them. Those with boyfriends quickly huddled into their embraces, like Chi Yan holding his girlfriend tightly.
"Did you know? There have been spooky things happening at Lingqiu Mountain before. I heard people have seen will-o'-the-wisps here before."
"What's so spooky about will-o'-the-wisps? Didn't they explain it's because of phosphorus - human bones contain phosphorus which has a low burning point and can self-ignite."
"Ah, so there are graves at Lingqiu Mountain?"
"Yeah, over on that side of the mountain there are a lot of graves. I've also heard there used to be a mass grave here with thousands of bodies. Not many people know about it now though. Oh, and with all those graves, I've heard they're suppressing something."
"Ah? That scary? Then where we're lying down is..."
"No wonder the peach blossoms bloom so beautifully!"
Everyone shuddered thinking they were lying on a pile of corpses.
Someone knowledgeable quickly said, "No no, not here. The open areas are all fine - they're talking about the undeveloped areas. The graves are on the other side of Lingqiu Mountain, about a kilometer from where we are. Lingqiu Mountain is huge, and this scenic area is just a tiny part of it. Lots of areas haven't been developed yet."
"How do you know so much about it, Su Su?" everyone asked the knowledgeable guy named Su Su.
Su Su: "My home is right near Lingqiu Mountain. I heard it from the elders in my family when I was little. But there's nothing to be scared of - our great Chinese lands, so many years of history, what place hasn't had people die? Didn't they say every school used to be a graveyard too?"
"Yeah, I heard that about my middle school too, that it used to be a graveyard."
"Hahaha, seems like every school has that story."
"Saying how with lots of people around, the positive energy suppresses evil spirits and stuff. Hahaha."
"Right, and how some school has a spot that's suppressing an evil spirit or something."
"Or like the legend of the ghost student in red shoes who can never leave room 404 and stuff."
"Yeah, all kinds of rumors, who knows where they started."
"Probably because with lots of people around, all sorts of things can happen at schools, so the rumors come up."
"Su Su's right, where in our vast Chinese lands hasn't had people die before?"
"Exactly."
With that topic, everyone didn't feel so scared anymore.
The conversation went on until almost midnight, and many were getting tired, so they quickly went to the bathrooms for a wash before returning to their tents, which had already been assigned with couples sharing of course.
As Chu Yang went to the bathroom, a guy nudged Chi Yan with a wink, "Brother, make your move tonight. Time to lose that V-card!"
Chi Yan: ...
