The Approach of a Good Friend

The wind at the summit plaza carried a hint of coolness, blowing away the heat everyone felt while climbing the mountain.

People collapsed onto the benches in the rest area in twos and threes. Some unscrewed bottle caps to gulp down water, some rummaged through their bags for snacks and ate vigorously, while others sprayed mosquito repellent, chatted, or simply laid their heads on the tables.

Just then, a burst of noise came from another path leading up the mountain.

The main group from Class 15 had arrived.

They seemed to have chosen a more rugged and winding path, arriving late. Every one of them looked even more exhausted than Lin Mo's group.

But ultimately, they all had to reach the summit plaza.

A short-haired girl in the crowd had just sat down by a bench when someone immediately and attentively handed her mineral water and potato chips. There was even a portable mini fan blowing directly at her face.

Those boys bustled about, asking if she was cold or hot, their actions resembling textbook examples of caring guys.

Jiang Yunlu withdrew her distant gaze, leaned against the railing, and let out a delicate yawn, a slight physiological tear seeping from the corner of her eye.

Lin Mo stood beside her at some point, his voice sounding neither high nor low: "Sleepy?"

Jiang Yunlu didn't try to act tough. She turned her head, her eyelashes fluttering slightly. "Yeah, a little bit, but it's fine. I can push through."

Because of this camping trip, she was so excited last night that she didn't sleep well. She got up before dawn today, checking guides, watching videos, and even practicing pitching her newly bought tent in the yard.

Plus, they didn't start climbing the mountain until almost ten o'clock.

By the time they reached the summit plaza, it was already past eleven.

So it was normal for the girl to feel sleepy.

Even someone made of iron wouldn't be able to hold up.

Lin Mo looked at the faint dark circles under her eyes and understood.

"It's fine. Once we get up to the campsite, you guys can rest and sleep."

He wasn't just saying this to Jiang Yunlu.

Fang Jun had also noticed earlier that not only the girls, but even Cai Junhuang, who had been taking classes in the dance studio that afternoon, was struggling to keep his eyes open.

He clapped his hands, drawing everyone's attention.

"Alright, bros! I've watched an ad to revive you all! Let's make one last push. Once we reach the camp, we'll be free!"

Young people recover quickly. Encouraged by him, the group that was just slumping around immediately perked up, standing up one after another and dusting themselves off.

The group didn't feel too tired anymore; after all, they were all young and full of stamina.

Ruan Huanshan grabbed Mai Chuwen, who was about to get up, with a look of pity. "Xiaomai, are you leaving already? We just got here, and I wanted to take a selfie with you."

Mai Chuwen smiled somewhat apologetically. "I can't. I have to go with the main group, so I can't keep you company."

"Wow, abandoning your friends for boys!" Ruan Huanshan pointed at her exaggeratedly, her tone full of teasing.

Jokes between friends were usually harmless.

But at this moment, a harsh voice interjected without warning.

"Mai Chuwen, get this straight. You're from Class 15! Why are you turning your back on us and running off with outsiders? This is betrayal!"

The speaker was a boy wearing glasses, his face full of self-righteousness, as if Mai Chuwen had committed some heinous crime.

Mai Chuwen's smile froze on her face, and she looked a bit at a loss.

Ruan Huanshan was also stunned. She hadn't expected her joking remark to be blown so out of proportion.

Before An Yuexin could frown, Fang Jun beside him had already taken a step forward, standing directly in front of the boy. His height advantage gave him a sense of pressure.

"Little bro, who are you?"

Fang Jun tilted his head and twitched the corner of his mouth.

"You sure like to stick your nose in other people's business, don't you? Is this an official school activity? Or a class team-building event? It's neither."

He didn't speak fast, but every word hit the other party's face like a small pebble.

"Everyone came out to have fun. People can team up with whoever they want. What's this nonsense about class honor? If you can't handle it, don't come out. You're ruining the mood."

"Betrayal? Do you think we're acting in a spy movie? Stop arbitrarily putting labels on people and using moral kidnapping. That crap doesn't work on us."

A barrage of words poured out without a single curse word, yet it berated the boy so thoroughly that his face turned from white to red, and from red to blue. He opened his mouth but couldn't squeeze out a single word for a long time.

The surroundings instantly went quiet, and the eyes of both groups focused on the center of this small conflict.

The air seemed to freeze.

The boy was humiliated and couldn't step down. He clenched his fists and was about to retort in angry shame.

A hand pressed down on his shoulder, neither light nor heavy.

"Zhang Hao, let it go."

A taller figure stepped out from the Class 15 crowd. His voice was steady. He patted the bespectacled boy's shoulder, signaling him to step back.

Then, the person's gaze swept past Fang Jun and landed on Lin Mo, who had a calm expression in the back. His eyes carried a trace of scrutiny and hostility.

Who didn't know that Lin Mo was not to be messed with? The two most arrogant guys in the class, Wang Zhenji and his buddy, had now turned into timid quails.

If a conflict really broke out, even though they had more people, they would still be the ones to suffer.

Mai Chuwen returned to An Yuexin's side.

An Yuexin gently patted her shoulder.

"Don't worry, with us here, everything is fine. We won't let you be wronged."

Originally, An Yuexin had planned to go up and argue, but Fang Jun secretly held him back, so he didn't.

If it were him, his eloquence might not have been as good, and he might have just resorted to physical violence.

Lin Mo also took a step forward at this time. He didn't speak, but his oppressive aura was comparable to a king's engine.

The boys in Class 15 were not a united front. Instead, they complained about why Zhang Hao had a loose tongue and said those words.

As for Mai Chuwen, although she was quite pretty, she was already taken, so they didn't have much thought of stealing her away.

After all, decent students still had a basic sense of propriety, justice, integrity, and honor on the surface. Poaching someone's partner was mostly despised during student days.

Especially among boys.

Of course, after being lectured by Fang Jun like that, the people in Class 15 still felt a bit displeased with their group.

However, Lin Mo's group didn't care. They packed up their things and set off again.

Walking on the road, Cai Junhuang looked at Fang Jun and nodded with considerable satisfaction. "Not bad, quick reflexes and clear articulation."

"Of course. Those people weren't speaking cleanly, so I definitely had to give them a piece of my mind."

However, Cai Junhuang was actually praising how he had held An Yuexin back.

They had discussed before that An Yuexin was too impulsive and would be disliked by girls.

That was why Fang Jun had held An Yuexin back and stepped up himself.

Cai Junhuang also disregarded his image and put his hand on Fang Jun's shoulder.

"Not bad. A few words of praise for you. I'll give you 99 points. I'm withholding one point so you don't get arrogant."

"Alright, I'll reluctantly accept it." Saying that, just as Fang Jun was about to put his other hand on Cai Junhuang's shoulder...

"Ouch!!!"

An elbow strike! A fierce elbow strike!

"What are you trying to do! Believe it or not, I'll elbow you to death!"

"You already did."