Unexpected Encounters and a Camping Trip

Ultimately, however, all of this depended on Lin Yi’s wishes.

As for his sister, she felt it wasn’t her place to say much more.

****

Early the next morning, the three stood on a deserted street.

Along the quiet road, a red bus slowly approached them.

“It’s here!”

They had waited with bated breath, and finally, the bus had arrived. Once Gu Yuetong was gone, Lin Yi’s life would become considerably easier; at least he wouldn’t have to constantly worry about her turning dark at any moment.

However, the moment the bus pulled to a stop at the station, Lin Yi’s expression froze. A striking, well-built young man glanced over in their direction.

As their gazes met, Lin Yi felt his heart skip a beat.

He recognized the man’s face; they had met once at the banquet. He was the young man who had initiated a conversation with that ‘old geezer,’ and Lin Yi had held a rather favorable impression of him.

Yet, the man’s distinctive features made Lin Yi recall something else entirely.

With the same dark purple hair and the same green eyes, could this man truly be the ‘brother’ Gu Yuetong had spoken of?

Further thought was pointless now. The bus had already stopped directly in front of them, and the handsome young man stepped out, heading straight for Gu Yuetong.

‘Brother?’

Seeing the young man, a flicker of surprise crossed Gu Yuetong’s face. How had her brother managed to track her down to such a remote location, especially when he should have been busy with company matters?

“Um… Brother, why are you here?”

Hanging her head with an embarrassed smile, Gu Yuetong instinctively ducked behind Lin Yi. She knew all too well the consequences of her brother discovering she had snuck out, so she needed to find a scapegoat before he lost his temper.

Lin Yi was thoroughly startled by Gu Yuetong’s sudden move. It was clear she intended to use him as a shield, and a single misstep in his words could lead to significant trouble.

“Brother, you two chat. My sister and I will be leaving now.”

In that short moment, Lin Yi had devised the most effective solution. This was a family matter, and they should resolve it themselves. He, an outsider, had no desire to get involved, especially since one of them was a female lead.

“Wait, your name is Lin Yi, isn’t it?”

Suddenly called out by name, Lin Yi involuntarily flinched. He had only met this person once, yet the man had already memorized his name.

Feeling an inexplicable sense of dread, Lin Yi subtly took a step back.

“Brother… Is there something you need?”

“No, it was just a chance encounter at the banquet.”

The young man offered a gentle smile, his calm demeanor making it seem as if this expression was natural to him.

“Gu Yuetong, don’t even think about my brother.”

Lin Yiting stepped forward, naturally shielding Lin Yi. Her gaze was sharp, ready to intervene if Gu Yuetong made any move.

However, Lin Yiting’s action drew a scoff from Gu Yuetong. His perception of Lin Yi shifted; he had initially quite admired him, but seeing him constantly hide behind his sister diminished his interest significantly.

“Miss Lin, an infant in swaddling clothes cannot learn to walk, you know.”

With a faint smile, Gu Yuetong uttered a cryptic remark, then extended a hand towards Gu Yuetong.

“Sister, isn’t it time to go home? I know you wanted a vacation, but you can’t be so willful.”

A trace of helplessness entered his tone as he looked at his sister, instantly feeling a headache coming on.

“Brother, I just wanted to relax. If you don’t agree, next time I won’t just track you.”

Gu Yuetong turned her face away, seemingly quite upset. However, when the word ‘track’ was mentioned, Lin Yi felt that Gu Yuetong’s ‘tracking’ couldn’t even be called tracking at all.

Who tracks someone only to get themselves lost?

“Then what else do you want to do?”

“Hmph, I won’t tell my mean older brother that.”

Resigned to Gu Yuetong’s willfulness, Gu Yuetong placed a hand on his forehead, his tone softening.

“Alright, I’ll take you on vacation. But you know nothing about Donglin City’s environment; there are hardly any good attractions. So, you’ll have to choose the location yourself.”

‘Is that so…’

Gu Yuetong pondered for a moment, her head bowed. She wasn’t seeking new sights, merely bored of staying at home. She had seen a few camping photos on her phone before; the scenery wasn’t particularly stunning there either.

However, the picture of a family enjoying themselves immensely had filled her with envy. She had decided then that she absolutely had to go out and have fun when she had time, and it had to be with her brother.

With this thought, Gu Yuetong turned her attention to Lin Yiting and Lin Yi. As locals, they surely knew the area well.

“Sister Lin, are there any suitable camping spots nearby?”

She leaned in and whispered the question into Lin Yiting’s ear.

Upon hearing the question, Lin Yiting cast a glance at Gu Yuetong. After all, he was Gu Yuetong’s brother, and she wanted to get his answer before discussing it further with Gu Yuetong.

“Listen to her. I don’t care.”

Gu Yuetong shrugged, clearly unconcerned about such matters. The company affairs were settled, and his sole purpose for coming out today was to accompany Gu Yuetong.

“There are some, but I come back so often that many places are a blur in my memory.”

Hearing this, Gu Yuetong stroked his chin and thought carefully. He had noticed the flicker of golden light in Lin Yiting’s eyes, so it wasn’t as simple as her merely forgetting.

“How about this, Miss Lin? I hear you’ll do anything for money. How about I hire you as our guide, and also to protect us?”

Gu Yuetong’s words hit exactly where Lin Yiting wanted them to. This was precisely what she had been waiting for.

“Follow this road straight ahead, and when you see the river, walk downstream for a bit. That area is at the foot of a large mountain, and hardly anyone passes through there normally. If you like quiet places, that spot should be quite good.”

After hearing this, Gu Yuetong felt that Lin Yiting’s description alone wasn’t convincing enough, so he decided to see it for himself.

“Miss Lin, words alone are not proof. Later, please take us there to see it. If it’s good, I’ll have someone send the tents and other equipment over.”

“Alright.”

The two reached a pleasant agreement, completely disregarding Lin Yi, who stood petrified. His body was rigid, as if turned to stone.

Lin Yi had originally wanted to quickly send Gu Yuetong away and extricate himself from his connection with the female lead. Who would have thought that his sister, who had always been on his side, would betray him for money?

Although her actions were unintentional and logically sound—after all, why refuse money handed to you?—for Lin Yi, this was akin to pushing him straight into the gates of hell.

‘I need to get away quickly!’

“Sister, if there’s nothing else, I’m going home first.”

“Brother, you’ve finally come home. Don’t you want to spend some time with your sister?”

“I think I’ll pass…”

“Are you trying to go back and play games again? It’s one thing to play normally, but you’re wasting such a beautiful day playing games at home?”

Lin Yi wanted to cry, but no tears came. He did want to spend time with Lin Yiting. But with a female lead tagging along, what kind of fun could they possibly have? He’d be lucky if he wasn’t completely devoured.