That night, after washing up and getting into bed, Zhao Zhilan nudged her husband. "Hey, don't fall asleep yet. What should we do with this voucher?"
Bei Licai turned over and mumbled, "Didn't Yaoyao say to sell it?"
"Just because she said to sell it, we should? Last time, a colleague at work mentioned how much fun her daughter had at that summer camp, and she even brought back photos. Our Yaoyao has never asked for anything since she was little. I don't want to sell it."
"Then don't sell it."
Zhao Zhilan felt a pang of regret—over a thousand yuan was no small sum. But thinking of her beautiful, sensible daughter, she declared, "Never mind, this has to be for my Yaoyao. Don't say anything to her. Let her go directly the day after tomorrow. Otherwise, she'll definitely refuse."
Pulling the covers up, Zhao Zhilan affirmed, "This is for my Yaoyao. We're not selling it, and that's final!"
Bei Licai chuckled helplessly.
At the same time, Pei Haobin returned home from work.
Pushing the door open, he said with a smile, "I'm back—" but his smile froze on his face.
Cao Li had prepared a glass of cold water and came forward upon seeing him. "You must be tired after a long day. Come, sit down."
Pei Haobin stared blankly at the teenager in the living room.
The boy had grown so much taller. When he left, they were the same height, but now he stood half a head taller than Pei Haobin.
"Xiao Chuan?"
The boy lifted his dark eyes and replied indifferently, "Dad."
The child was undeniably handsome, having inherited the best features of both Pei Haobin and Jiang Wenjuan. From birth, he had been exceptional. When he went missing, Pei Haobin had searched for him and hadn't given up even now.
But tonight, Pei Chuan had suddenly returned.
"Where... where have you been this past year?"
Pei Chuan didn't answer, only stared at him expressionlessly. In the awkward silence, Bai Yutong spoke up, "Uncle Pei, let's eat first. I bought your favorite wine today."
Pei Haobin forced a smile. "Okay."
After dinner, the heavy atmosphere remained unchanged. Bai Yutong, washing dishes in the kitchen, seethed with resentment. In the past, everything had been fine. If she had mentioned going out in the summer heat to buy wine, Pei Haobin would have praised her for being thoughtful and hardworking, even rewarding her with pocket money. But today, with Pei Chuan back, Uncle Pei had forgotten, only offering an absent-minded smile.
Now, wherever Pei Chuan was, there was no sound or laughter.
In the past, evenings spent watching TV together as a family had been joyful.
But now, with Pei Chuan sitting there, Pei Haobin remained silent, lost in thought. Cao Li, who had no job and was a full-time housewife, naturally found it even harder to speak up.
Pei Haobin felt as if a fishbone were stuck in his throat. Faced with his cold son, he could neither vent his anger over the year-long disappearance nor express any words of concern. Pei Chuan was like a block of ice, devoid of warmth.
After a long silence, Pei Haobin finally said, "Since you're back, stay properly. Don't leave home without a word again."
"Stay?" Pei Chuan asked calmly. "Where?"
Only then did Pei Haobin realize that his son's room had been taken over by Bai Yutong. Though Pei Chuan's tone held no trace of sarcasm, it made Pei Haobin's face burn with shame—Pei Chuan had only been gone a year, yet his space was already gone.
Cao Li, ever considerate, said, "We'll tidy up tonight and return Tongtong's room to Pei Chuan."
Bai Yutong, having finished washing the dishes, grew extremely anxious and looked at Pei Haobin.Pei Haobin glanced at the nervous Bai Yutong, then looked at Pei Chuan’s resolute profile. “Xiao Chuan, what do you think…”
He had intended to say that, given his son’s sensible and non-confrontational nature since childhood, since the family now had an additional “little sister” who had already moved in, it wouldn’t hurt to let Bai Yutong have the room. After all, they were going to move soon—they would only live in this neighborhood for about a year at most. By then, they could arrange a better room for Pei Chuan in the new house.
But Pei Haobin couldn’t bring himself to ask his son to give up the room. He didn’t know how much suffering this physically impaired young man had endured outside, and he already felt guilty for secretly registering his marriage back then, afraid it would upset him. With a heart full of remorse, he could only wait and see what Pei Chuan decided.
Bai Yutong clenched her fingers and also looked at Pei Chuan.
“Move,” he said.
Bai Yutong suddenly bit her lip tightly.
What followed was an unbearably humiliating period for Bai Yutong. The aloof young man sat on the living room sofa, coldly watching the three of them rush back and forth, busy until late into the night.
By the time Bai Yutong finally moved into the bedroom converted from the storage room, she was grinding her teeth in frustration.
If she ever became successful in the future, she wouldn’t even think about helping such a heartless, disabled stepbrother!
Pei Chuan returned to his original room. He pulled open the curtains and looked across. It was already 2 a.m., and the light in her room was off.
For over three hundred nights, this was the first time he had been so close to the little girl.
~
Zhao Zhilan said, “Anyway, it’s too late to resell the ticket now. Just pack your things and go, Yao Yao!”
When Bei Yao received this news on the third day, she didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. She understood Zhao Zhilan’s intentions, so she couldn’t insist on refusing. Following the guidelines she found online, she packed her luggage.
Change of clothes, pajamas, outerwear, spare change, umbrella, towel, toothbrush, toothpaste…
A whole large bag of miscellaneous items.
Zhao Zhilan rode her electric scooter to drop Bei Yao off at the gathering point for the bus. “Call Mom every day, understand?”
“Understood.”
“Be safe.”
“Understood.”
“Don’t talk too much with boys!”
Bei Yao smiled. “Okay.”
No matter how worried Zhao Zhilan was, she had to go to work after handing her daughter over to the group leader.
On an August morning, the group leader curiously glanced at the girl who had arrived the earliest and was struck by her still somewhat youthful, delicate beauty. He proactively reassured her, “Don’t worry. Although this is a survival adventure summer camp, it won’t be too difficult.”
“Survival adventure summer camp?”
Bei Yao repeated the words softly. She distinctly remembered that the ticket said “Youth Summer Camp,” which was supposed to involve sightseeing, eating, playing games, and the like. How had it turned into a survival adventure summer camp?
Bei Yao had never participated in one like this before, but the location and time matched perfectly. She couldn’t help wondering—had summer camps nowadays started teaching survival skills?
“You can wait on the bus first. The other students will take a while to arrive.”
By nine o’clock, Bei Yao saw two familiar faces.
Zheng Hang and Jin Ziyang walked over, chatting and laughing.
Bei Yao was stunned.
The two boys boarded the bus and immediately spotted Bei Yao sitting in the third row.
Even though it was only their second time seeing her, the two young men still couldn’t hide a flicker of admiration in their eyes. Jin Ziyang said, “You’re Bei Yao, the school belle of No. 6 High School, right?”
Bei Yao nodded. “Hello.” She hadn’t expected to run into them here either.Jin Ziyang, seeing her gentle and well-behaved demeanor, couldn't control the blush on his face: "Hello, I'm Jin Ziyang. We met last time."
"Mm, I remember you."
I remember you! Remember you... remember...
Jin Ziyang had never felt his face burn so hot before. Yet the girl remained polite and shy, clearly someone who rarely went out. He said, "May I sit..."
As the sun rose, the first slanted rays of sunlight streamed into the bus. A boy in a black T-shirt boarded, his steps slow and steady, and sat down beside Bei Yao.
Jin Ziyang: "..."
Dejectedly, he went to the back row.
"Pei Chuan." Bei Yao was extremely surprised. She hugged her large bag tightly to make more space for him. "Why are you here?"
Pei Chuan took the bag from her arms: "Jin Ziyang signed me up."
"Oh, I see." Bei Yao said, "My bag is very heavy, I should carry it. If you really don't want to go, I can help you sell the ticket." The bag was so heavy that she couldn't even lift it with both hands to place it in the bus's luggage compartment.
"..." Pei Chuan pinched the little panda face attached to the backpack, paused for a moment, and said, "No need. Since we're already here."
He stood up, lifted Bei Yao's bag with one hand and placed it in the overhead compartment. When he looked down, he met a trusting little face smiling in the sunlight.
Pei Chuan's fingers trembled slightly, but he maintained a calm expression as he sat back down.
The summer camp participants gradually arrived.
But there weren't many in total - six boys and four girls, ten people altogether.
Originally, the summer camp wouldn't have had so few participants, but the tickets weren't 2,000 yuan each as Bei Yao had imagined - the registration fee was 8,000 yuan.
In the summer of 2007, only the wealthy or privileged could afford an 8,000-yuan summer camp.
Wei Wan was the last to board. She had dressed up carefully and applied multiple layers of sunscreen. She took this summer camp very seriously, as her family couldn't afford it - Zheng Hang had paid for her.
As soon as Wei Wan got on the bus, she instinctively looked for where Pei Chuan was sitting, and her gaze settled on the third row.
It was that beautiful cheerleader girl!
Pei Chuan was looking down at his phone. Bei Yao said something to him, and he responded with a noncommittal "Mm." He seemed neither familiar with nor interested in the girl beside him.
Wei Wan's anxious heart relaxed somewhat, regretting that she had arrived late. But it didn't matter - seven days and seven nights, she would have opportunities.
The bus traveled throughout the day, and they even ate lunch on board.
Jin Ziyang complained: "If it weren't for the air conditioning, I'd smash this damn bus. How far is this place anyway?"
The teacher, familiar with the bad tempers of these wealthy kids from previous years, smiled reassuringly: "We're almost there. After all, it's a survival adventure location - we couldn't do it properly in the city. Xiao Chen has gone to buy ice water for everyone, and we'll have a substantial dinner soon."
The complaints finally subsided.
She had fallen asleep.
Pei Chuan turned his head.
Completely unguarded, amidst the noisy chatter of the bus and its constant swaying, Bei Yao leaned against the window, her long eyelashes resting peacefully, like an angelic girl unaware of worldly matters.
She didn't make noise, didn't fuss, and didn't complain about the strange itinerary.
He put away his phone, resting one hand against his forehead while bracing the other on the seat in front. His dark eyes watched her.
From the back row, he appeared to be dozing off from exhaustion too.Wei Wan, sitting in the back next to Jin Ziyang and the others, felt relieved and even a little smug. So what if she was pretty? Pei Chuan had always been cold and indifferent to her, and now he was so bored he had fallen asleep.
Could it be that Bei Yao had even spent eight thousand yuan just to climb the social ladder?
～
In the evening, the bus stopped at a winery.
To their surprise, the winery offered a buffet dinner. The teenagers were overjoyed—after being jostled around in the bus for so long, they could finally let loose and have fun. Everyone ate happily.
The group leader took the microphone: "Students, tomorrow marks the official start of our seven-day, six-night summer camp. You all know what type of summer camp you signed up for, so for everyone’s safety and to ensure the activities remain engaging, please listen carefully to what I have to say next."
All ten teenagers turned to look.
"First, no accommodation has been arranged for tonight."
"Damn! Seriously?"
"Please quiet down. We will be distributing tents to each of you shortly. There’s a soft field not far from here where you can set up your own tents. For the next seven days, you’ll be living in the jungle. Tents have been placed at various resource points throughout the jungle—once you find one, you can rest for the night."
"What if we don’t find one? Get eaten by mosquitoes?"
Someone burst out laughing.
"That won’t happen. There are far more tents than people," the teacher said sternly. "Second, food supplies will be obtained in the same way—you’ll have to find them yourselves. Third, each of you will wear a GPS tracking bracelet so the teachers can monitor your health at all times. The bracelet has two buttons: one green, which we call the 'check-in button.' Press it at noon and 8 p.m. daily to let us know you’re safe."
"The other is a red button, called the 'withdrawal button.' Press it, and a teacher will immediately locate you and escort you to safety. If you can’t handle it, don’t push yourself—press it in time. Students who happen to meet can form teams, but each team can have at most two members."
"Fourth, the jungle has been cleared of large predators and sprayed with insecticide, so there are no lethal threats. However, there may be other small, non-dangerous animals—you’ll have to explore and find out."
"Lastly, each of you will receive a map. While it may not be very useful for navigation in the jungle, following it could lead you to treasure. Wishing you all a wonderful 'Survival Adventure Summer Camp'!"
Zheng Hang grinned. "This is insane! The money was totally worth it. So thrilling."
Jin Ziyang added, "I agree, this sounds awesome! But hey—" He turned to Ji Wei, who was still absorbed in his book and lost in his own world. "Wei Ge, if it’s too much, just bail early, okay?"
Ji Wei looked confused. "…" Wasn’t this a study and exchange summer camp? What did "bail early" mean?
"Hahahaha! Oh man, Wei Ge still thinks we’re here for academic exchange! Someone come quick, we’ve got an easy mark here—let’s mess with him!"
Bei Yao felt a bit uneasy. She hadn’t expected the summer camp to be like this, but she had a positive mindset and wasn’t aiming for any grand treasure. If things got tough, she could always press the red button.
Soon, tents were handed out to everyone.
They were all black—ugly, but high-quality and waterproof.Everyone exchanged glances, wondering blankly, how do we set this thing up? Someone went to ask the teacher, but the teacher would only explain the method and couldn't help directly.
Pei Chuan took his own tent and was the first to find an open area with a good view to start setting it up.
The boy's fingers were long and nimble, and he worked in silence. The summer evening heat hadn't yet dissipated. Everyone was secretly watching him.
Bei Yao hugged her heavy tent and followed his lead, learning beside him.
Pei Chuan occasionally glanced up. She was learning very seriously, but because she lacked strength, she was still stuck on the third step.
The summer field was free and open, the wind blowing through the girl's bangs. She was trying her hardest, her small hands tapping and adjusting as she struggled to prop up her own tent frame.
He lowered his gaze and quickly finished setting up his tent.
It was sturdy and well-constructed.
Then he reached out with one hand to steady Bei Yao's half-finished tent. She looked up at him in confusion. The boy stood a head taller than her. He lowered his eyes, avoiding her gaze, and began silently assembling her tent.
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