Chapter 58 Do You Like Her

Chapter 58: Do You Like Her

There was a stream in this rainforest, and the slightly raised bank beside it was the campsite chosen for this summer camp, with boxes of supplies delivered in advance stacked nearby.

A wide area of mixed rock and hard soil, the ground felt dry underfoot, unlike the damp forest floor.

Shen Shiyan and Shen Ci stood on a small patch not far from the stream, watching Lin Yuan, who was in the middle, demonstrate how to set up a tent.

"Everyone must clear the area thoroughly to avoid sharp branches tearing the tent floor," he said as he pulled out a folding tent. "Lay the tent flat, stretch the four corners straight, then secure them with stakes. Be careful not to hit your hands."

Shen Ci was still focused on watching, but Shen Shiyan had already started hammering in the first stake, like most of the parents.

He helped pull the tent flat, and Shen Shiyan precisely hit the stake head, driving it steadily into the compact soil.

After securing the four corners, they draped the rainfly over the top, fastened the guy lines, and tied them to the stakes. The tent frame clicked together, forming a low, sturdy little space.

Lin Yuan checked each one in turn.

Shen Ci ducked into the tent, laid out the moisture-proof mat and ground cloth, then pulled a sleeping bag from his backpack and placed it in the center.

Shen Shiyan crouched at the tent opening, watching Shen Ci shake out the sleeping bag and zip it up.

"..."

Shen Ci arranged the packed sleeping bag neatly, like making a bed.

"A two-person?" Shen Shiyan poked his head in, frowning. "I just saw your classmates setting up outside—aren't those one-person?"

Shen Ci felt a little guilty but quickly calmed down. "They were all issued by the school, both one-person and two-person."

Hearing this, Shen Shiyan knew the sleeping bag was a choice. He stood up, his head aching, tempted to drag Shen Ci out of the camp and back to Yuncheng City, even if it meant another sixteen hours on the bus.

Chen Bufan came over to find Shen Ci after setting up his own tent. Seeing Shen Shiyan there, he scratched his head and called out, "Brother."

Calling him "uncle" would've been too weird.

"Shen Ci, why did you pick a two-person?" Chen Bufan glanced inside. "Two-person ones are so inconvenient."

Shen Ci quickly crawled out of the tent and winked at Chen Bufan. "There were no one-person ones left."

It was clear the latter didn't get his hint. Chen Bufan slung an arm around Shen Ci's shoulder, indignant. "Damn, did someone rip you off? There are tons of one-person sleeping bags..."

Shen Ci slapped his hand over Chen Bufan's mouth, spun him around so his back faced Shen Shiyan, and lowered his voice: "Please, drop it. Change the subject, and I'll buy you dinner later."

Chen Bufan nodded, then pointed at Shen Ci's hand before he let go.

"Then I want the special spicy frog from Yunbei Road," he said, still not getting why, but deciding to help Shen Ci change the subject—and get a meal out of it.

"Whatever you want." Shen Ci released Chen Bufan.

Chen Bufan turned to face Shen Shiyan's cold expression, forgetting everything he'd planned to say. After a long pause, he looked up at the sky and said, awkwardly, "Nice weather today."

Shen Ci: "..."

What a forced topic change.

But Shen Shiyan still gave a faint response.

Seeing that he didn't seem to want to dig deeper, Shen Ci relaxed slightly. Chen Bufan's tent wasn't far from theirs. He glanced sneakily in that direction, then looked around to make sure his dad wasn't nearby before whispering to Shen Ci.

"Why didn't Song Qiuchi come along?"

Chen Bufan's crush on Song Qiuchi was a secret only Shen Ci knew.

He had initially gotten close to Shen Ci because he was close to Song Qiuchi, but after spending time together, he found Shen Ci was a great person too, and they became friends.

Because of this, Chen Bufan had zero respect for Shen Rong and firmly believed that "Shen Rong is crazy and has no class."

If you like a girl whose best friend is your own brother, shouldn't you at least be on good terms with him?

"She went to see a concert." Shen Ci pulled out his phone and, after getting Song Qiuchi's okay, showed Chen Bufan the photos she'd sent.

The signal in the rainforest was patchy, and when it was weak, the pictures wouldn't load at all. Chen Bufan held Shen Ci's phone patiently, waiting for them to load.

So beautiful.

Shen Ci watched Chen Bufan's tan skin turn red. To be honest, Chen Bufan's looks—narrow single eyelids, tall, crew cut, with visible muscles—didn't fit most girls' current taste, unlike Shen Rong.

"Why haven't you added her on WeChat?" Shen Ci took the phone back after Chen Bufan finished scrolling.

Still lost in Song Qiuchi's photos, Chen Bufan smiled bashfully and said, "I don't dare."

Shen Ci patted him on the shoulder. "It's fine. Song Qiuchi is easy to talk to."

Shen Shiyan stood to the side, looking at his phone. Shen Sicheng had sent him a photo of a new geological ore he'd acquired, with a metal short gun next to it—a very random image.

"Shen Sicheng: Isn't this awesome?"

"Shen Sicheng: Is the rainforest fun? Send me some photos when you get a chance."

Shen Shiyan replied with a single word: "Awesome," and listened with his eyes downcast to the two boys talking not far away.

"You're the only one who thinks that, huh? She's so distant with everyone else." Chen Bufan's good mood dropped a little. He looked at Shen Ci awkwardly, his tone mixed. "Don't you like her? You guys are so close."

"I do like her," Shen Ci blurted out, then quickly added with a smile, "She's my first good friend, so of course I like her."

Shen Shiyan held his phone with one hand, recalling how four years ago Song Xianghan had proposed betrothing Shen Ci to Song Qiuchi. The hand in his pocket tightened.

Chen Bufan felt like Shen Ci's words were a rollercoaster. "Not that kind of like, man... I mean, the romantic kind, like dating."

Shen Ci, nudged twice by Chen Bufan's elbow, belatedly understood and explained, "No, it's not that kind of like. We're just really good friends."

Chen Bufan breathed a sigh of relief but still looked troubled. He lifted one foot and shook it, the sole scraping the ground. "Maybe Song Qiuchi likes you, then. Why else would she only hang out with you?"

The concepts of dating and romantic feelings first formally entered Shen Ci's mind, and he found them a bit strange.

Song Qiuchi's love letters were mostly unopened, but quite a few girls had written to Shen Ci too.

Unlike the boys who boldly confessed to Song Qiuchi, the girls were shy, hiding their feelings, using pink and orange envelopes, writing their affection carefully word by word, editing and rewriting many times before sealing them.

At first, he didn't know they were love letters. He opened one, read the short content, and could almost recite it by heart.

The line "Shen Ci, I like you" felt like it burned. He thought for a long time, then wrote a serious reply to that girl, rejecting her feelings.

He couldn't quite describe it—it was like a numbness in his nerves and emotions. Shen Ci didn't reject anyone who approached him with kindness. He genuinely felt that every girl had her own traits, like Song Qiuchi's beauty or the quiet sweetness of the girl from that first letter.

But he had never experienced the kind of secret crush that made Chen Bufan's heart race just from looking at a photo.

Shen Shiyan lifted his head slightly, glancing casually at Shen Ci's eyes.

"Then we'll just stay good friends," Shen Ci said firmly. "And besides, what she likes is probably that white feather duster on the concert stage—that handsome little star."

Chen Bufan laughed at his wording. "True. If she liked you, she'd have come to the rainforest."

Shen Shiyan looked away, lowering his head again.