"You look really sharp, Nan."
Lin Shen complimented her sincerely. Qin Yuenan glanced away, seemingly a bit flustered.
"Where are your glasses?"
"When I heard I was going hiking with you yesterday, Nan, I got so excited I accidentally crushed my glasses."
"You're such a smooth talker."
She wasn't put off by Lin Shen's playful attitude at all; on the contrary, she found it rather refreshing.
She secretly sized up the Lin Shen in front of her, and her heart began to beat a little faster.
They say glasses can hide a person's good looks. Qin Yuenan never used to believe it.
But now, it seemed there was some truth to it.
Without his glasses, Lin Shen looked much more refined and handsome than his usual dorky self.
Especially after his successful weight loss, his facial contours and physique were perfectly proportioned, giving him the air of a sunny and confident handsome man.
This feeling was especially prominent now that he was wearing hiking gear.
It made Qin Yuenan stare blankly for a moment, until Lin Shen waved a hand in front of her face.
"Nan?"
"Can you see clearly without your glasses?"
Qin Yuenan quickly changed the subject, making Lin Shen shrug helplessly.
"Of course not. That's why if we pass a pharmacy, I'm going to buy a pair of contacts."
"Okay, get in the car."
Qin Yuenan gestured for Lin Shen to toss his backpack in the back, and he took the wheel.
'After all, a CEO who earns millions came to pick you up personally. The least you could do is take on a chore, right?'
After driving out of the Min'an District, there was a National Pharmacy right across the street.
Lin Shen went in and bought a box of -4.00 prescription contacts. When he came out, he sat in the driver's seat and tilted his head back to put them in.
Seeing how unpracticed he was, Qin Yuenan was a little surprised.
"You've never worn contacts before?"
"Nope."
"Let me help you, then."
Qin Yuenan had Lin Shen push the driver's seat back a bit, then she got up, took the contact lens case from his hand, and balanced the lens on the tip of her fair index finger.
While holding his shoulder, she turned to the side and leaned forward, their bodies pressed closely together.
Being this close made Lin Shen extremely nervous.
After all, the warm, yielding softness pressing against his right arm was undeniable.
'She's this stacked?!'
Lin Shen's mind started to wander, but then a cool voice suddenly sounded by his ear.
"Look to the left."
'?'
Lin Shen did as he was told. The moment his eyes glanced left, Qin Yuenan seized the opportunity and jabbed it right in!
"SSSK—!"
Lin Shen sucked in a sharp breath. Startled, he shot upright and began blinking furiously.
Though his eye stung so much it teared up, the contact lens eventually settled into place as his eyelid and eyeball adjusted.
But the experience also left Lin Shen deeply traumatized.
'So rough!'
"Nan, have you ever worn contacts?"
"No."
"Then why did you volunteer so enthusiastically!"
Lin Shen couldn't help but complain bitterly.
'You looked so confident, I thought you were some kind of expert!'
'And now you're telling me you've never done it?'
"I learned a little trick online for putting in contacts. It said that if you look to the side, you'll overcome the unconscious urge to blink."
Qin Yuenan picked up the other contact lens with her fingertip. She blinked her cool eyes playfully, a look of eagerness on her face.
Seeing this, Lin Shen hurriedly stopped her.
"I'd better do it myself!"
"Hmph."
Qin Yuenan snorted softly. While Lin Shen put in the other contact, she played one of her favorite playlists through the car's sound system.
Her Volvo S90 was the top-spec model, equipped with a Bowers & Wilkins concert-hall-class audio system.
The car had a total of 19 high-fidelity speakers, and when they worked in concert, the sound was in no way inferior to a Harman Kardon system.
♪~An autumn night withers away, lost in a sky of falling leaves~♪
♪~This yellowed world, bit by bit, drifts away on the wind~♪
*
Hearing the familiar melody, Lin Shen was taken aback.
In his mind, someone with Qin Yuenan's cool and aloof persona should be listening to obscure indie songs from Europe and America.
K-pop was also a possibility, of course.
But Lin Shen really hadn't expected her to like these old songs from the 2000s.
"Great taste!"
Lin Shen gave her a thumbs-up, which made Qin Yuenan raise a delicate eyebrow.
"You've heard it?"
"I was born in the 2000s, so of course I have."
Lin Shen hummed along softly with the tune, while Qin Yuenan sat in the passenger seat, resting with her head tilted to the side and her eyes closed.
The bright morning sun filtered through the car window and the gaps in the leaves, casting a serene and beautiful light on her delicate face.
However, you could tell from the way her right hand, which was crossed over her chest, was rhythmically tapping her left arm that her mood matched the song now playing.
♪~Feeling great, let's go for a walk, enjoy the blue sky and a fresh breeze~♪
♪~The world is wide, let's go for a walk, don't just laze around at home like a couch potato~♪
*
*
Sheshan is located in the southwestern part of Modu. The area is dominated by a university town, where the main campuses of six universities fuel a variety of surrounding industries, making the district incredibly vibrant.
As a result, most of the people who came for weekend hikes were university students, the majority of whom were women.
And they were all young, beautiful, and long-legged. The cheerful, chirping laughter of the girls made Lin Shen's heart itch.
'I definitely came to the right place. University life is the best!'
At nine in the morning, Lin Shen parked the Volvo S90 at the South entrance of East Sheshan.
Just as they got out of the car, Qin Yuenan suddenly tugged on the corner of his shirt.
"Did you put on sunscreen?"
"Oh, right. I forgot."
The memory jogged, Lin Shen grabbed his bag from the back seat, pulled out the sunscreen spray he had bought yesterday, and began spraying it haphazardly all over his arms and calves.
Seeing this, Qin Yuenan squeezed some of her own sunscreen into her palm, rubbed her hands together, and pressed them onto the back of Lin Shen's neck.
"This spot gets sunburned the easiest. You need a double layer of protection."
"You're so thoughtful, Nan."
Lin Shen said gratefully.
After spending this time with Qin Yuenan, he had discovered that this cool and elegant beauty was only serious and stern at work.
Although she wasn't very talkative usually, she was actually easy to talk to.
She wasn't the demanding or unreasonable type. You could tell at a glance that she was a high-caliber individual.
After helping Lin Shen with the sunscreen, Qin Yuenan noticed his bulging backpack and looked a little puzzled.
"You bring this much stuff for a hike?"
"It's not that much."
Lin Shen explained.
"Four bottles of water, some food, and emergency supplies."
"Are you here for a picnic?"
Qin Yuenan was a little speechless.
"The most important thing in hiking is to keep your pack light. Is this your first time?"
"I've been a few times."
Lin Shen didn't dare reveal he was a hiking novice, trying to cover it up with a smile.
"I always pack this much. I've got good stamina."
"Suit yourself."
Qin Yuenan didn't press the issue and started heading toward Sheshan.
"Let's just follow the route you sent. East to west."
"Okay."
Lin Shen kept up with Qin Yuenan. After entering the forest park, they ambled together along the narrow, winding path that circled the mountain.
The woods were lush, and the mountain was elegant and beautiful.
From time to time, birds of unknown species would fly overhead, their crisp, clear calls of "CHIRP CHIRP CHIRP" echoing through the air.
Lin Shen subconsciously spread his arms and took a deep breath. He felt the oxygen content in the air instantly spike, as if all the impurities and haze particles had been filtered out.
In that moment, he seemed to understand why so many people loved nature.
Because only by being here could you feel what it was like to be truly alive!