As he spoke, Dong Guoning put on a deeply moved expression, took off his glasses, and rubbed them.

Zhang Beixing's breath hitched. "Uh, Old Dong, is there a possibility that she was actually scolding you?"

Dong Guoning's expression changed instantly. "Shut up, you shameless old scoundrel! I won't allow you to slander my goddess like that. My goddess is so gentle and considerate, so adorable and kind. She's simply an angel. How could she possibly scold me? I get it, Lao Zhang. Are you just jealous?"

"I'm telling you, jealousy is pointless! The goddess is mine; don't even think about it!"

Saying this, Dong Guoning even took a couple of steps back, protectively clutching his phone and eyeing Zhang Beixing warily.

Seeing him like this, the corners of Zhang Beixing's mouth twitched. After a long moment, he managed to choke out, "Simp... no, king of simps, you're truly unbelievable!"

Good heavens. In all his life, Zhang Beixing had never witnessed such a spectacular case of self-delusion, someone practically convincing themselves to fall in love. Even in the entire realm of simps, this was a truly mind-blowing case! Teasing simps is one thing. But for a masterclass in simping, Dong Guoning, you take the crown!

After bantering with Dong Guoning for a while, Zhang Beixing saw that no matter how he explained, this damn jinx wouldn't believe him, dead set on the idea that Zhang Beixing had designs on his goddess. With an annoyed expression, Zhang Beixing walked over to the stream and squatted down, wanting to smoke a cigarette to calm his nerves.

Before he could light it, Lin Siqi's voice came from behind him.

"Lao Zhang, come help! I can't set up this tent."

Lin Siqi called out. Zhang Beixing turned to look and couldn't help but laugh.

For some reason, Lin Siqi had bought a large tent. Unfolded, it was 1.7 meters tall. The problem was, Lin Siqi was just over 1.6 meters tall—a typical Yordle university student. This meant that after unfolding the tent poles, even on tiptoe, she couldn't reach the top to secure the tent fabric to them, let alone put on the rainfly.

"HAHAHA, Sister Qi, what were you thinking, buying such a tall tent?" Zhang Beixing teased mercilessly.

Hearing his words, Lin Siqi, who was already frustrated, became even more irritated.

She pouted and retorted sharply, "It's my choice! I like big tents! What's it to you, you little brat?"

"Not my business, not my business, it's just..." Zhang Beixing gestured towards his own chest, an even wider, mischievous grin spreading across his face.

Lin Siqi instantly became enraged, her cheeks reddening. "You're still laughing! If you keep this up... if you keep this up, I won't film your videos anymore!"

"Ahem, I've had professional training. I'm certainly not laughing. It's just... PFFT! Sorry, I just thought of something amusing!"

"Zhang Beixing!!!"

Lin Siqi's furious voice echoed through the mountain forest, startling the sleeping birds, which fluttered into the night sky, chirping noisily.

Amidst their teasing and playful bickering, Zhang Beixing soon helped her set up the tent.

He checked the time; it was past three AM, with just a couple of hours left until sunrise. Zhang Beixing patted his growling stomach. Remembering that Zheng Jituo had mentioned once studying at Tiger Vibrations School for a while, he pulled Zheng Jituo over, took out the ingredients he had prepared, and ordered the old fellow to cook.

At this, Zheng Jituo, scowling, reluctantly picked up the spatula and began to stir-fry.

Before long, a pot of food was ready, and they shared it with their classmates.

After finishing his portion, Zhang Beixing patted his stomach and let out a satisfied belch.

He checked the time again: 4:20 AM.

The sky was already beginning to lighten; sunrise was about an hour away. Many of the students showed signs of fatigue, Lin Siqi included. Clearly, after the initial excitement had worn off, the exhaustion from staying up all night and hiking was catching up. They would probably go to sleep after watching the sunrise and only go sightseeing in the afternoon.

Realizing this, Zhang Beixing turned to Lin Siqi and suggested, "Sister Qi, I see you're tired. How about you help me film the video now? After we film it and watch the sunrise, you can go to sleep. What do you say?"

"Okay!"

Lin Siqi nodded, then took the phone Zhang Beixing handed her and turned it on.

While the phone was starting up, Lin Siqi asked, "Speaking of which, Lao Zhang, what are you planning to film today?"

"Boxing practice behind the waterfall, and spear practice too," Zhang Beixing replied.

Lin Siqi understood and followed Zhang Beixing to a spot diagonally to the side of the waterfall. After ensuring this position would capture both Zhang Beixing and the white curtain of falling water, Lin Siqi first checked the phone's memory to confirm there was enough space. Then, she switched to the rear camera, gave Zhang Beixing an OK sign, and started recording.

「Meanwhile, elsewhere.」

After nearly ten hours of trekking through the winding paths of the largely undeveloped West Yin Mountain, finally, just as the group of journalists was about to collapse from exhaustion, they found Zhang Beixing's group's campsite. Seeing the tents pitched one after another beside the stream, some distance from the waterfall, all the journalists could think was: This is so damn hard!

The only reason they'd persevered was that this incident had already caused a significant stir and attracted considerable public attention; it was a major news story. Otherwise, they would have thrown in the towel halfway up the mountain.

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