014 "As long as it's not true, you must never betray Bai Ou."

"Alright, I’ll switch it back," Song Dahai said, steering the wheel with one hand as he changed the CD back to the previous one. The familiar voice of Phoenix Legend filled the car once more.

The horsehead fiddle sang melodiously, the mare’s milk wine warming the throat,
My love runs wild across the Hulunbuir grasslands,
Your kindness, I cannot resist,
Your purity tightly binds my heart...

Fang Qingye couldn't help but sigh inwardly. He really was a hopeless romantic. However, Fang Qingye remembered that before his rebirth, the two had never become a couple. He wondered if this time would be different.

From Nanxin County to the Langshan Scenic Area wasn’t far—just over sixty kilometers. Three cars took the Shenhai Expressway, driving half an hour before exiting and following Tongjing Avenue around Jinghai City to finally reach Langshan.

Langshan Scenic Area is a 4A-level tourist attraction in Su Province, located six kilometers south of Jinghai City on the northern bank of the Yangtze River.

After parking, Jiang Chen bought tickets for everyone. They entered through the North Gate, where Buddha Light Avenue was adorned with artificial wisteria blooms and dotted with perennial flower bonsai, creating a fragrant walkway.

Every spring, Langshan National Forest Park welcomes a brilliant bloom of mountain flowers, especially peonies, which come in single, double, and thousand-petal varieties across nine color series. From early April to early May, the park holds the famous "Langshan Peony Festival," attracting many locals and tourists to enjoy the spring.

As they strolled, chatting and laughing, several girls kept snapping photos. Smartphones were just emerging and not widespread yet, and feature phones had poor photo quality, but Jiang Chen brought along a Casio digital SLR, satisfying the girls' photography needs.

Langshan wasn’t very high. Climbing from the foot of the mountain, it took less than an hour along stone steps to reach the summit. From there, to the north lay all of Jinghai City, and to the south stretched the vast Yangtze River, its sparkling waves dotted with white sails, offering a refreshing and soothing view.

At the mountain’s base were food stalls, but Jiang Chen had planned a self-service barbecue. So, they drove five kilometers west, still within Langshan but sparsely populated, where a quiet stream flowed gently.

They found a grassy patch near the riverbank and unpacked all the barbecue tools: grill, charcoal, racks, and cooking utensils. Everyone started bustling about.

Jiang Chen seemed experienced in outdoor cooking, moving with practiced ease. Several girls helped too, and Chen Meimei appeared accustomed to kitchen work, deftly slicing and skewering meat. Even Song Dahai, usually reluctant to lift a finger, pitched in.

Fang Qingye, having never done such things at home, stayed out of the way, wandering nearby by himself.

Qian Xiaoli, who also seemed inexperienced with chores, couldn’t help much and approached Fang Qingye.

“Yezi.”

“Hm?” Fang Qingye turned to look at her.

Qian Xiaoli glanced at Chen Meimei, busy helping out, and asked, “Is she your girlfriend?”

“No, I told you before, she’s my colleague,” Fang Qingye replied with a smile. “Dahai said three guys and two girls were one short, so I invited Chen Meimei. If I’d known you were coming, I wouldn’t have asked her.”

“That’s good. You can’t let Bai Ou down,” Qian Xiaoli suddenly said.

Bai Ou?!

“Look, Qian Xiaoli, Bai Ou and I grew up together. We’re just childhood playmates, nothing more,” Fang Qingye hurried to explain.

“Really?”

“Really! Then tell me, is there anything between you and Dahai?” Fang Qingye countered.

“There could be, but he’s unwilling,” Qian Xiaoli said coolly, hands in her pockets, glancing at Song Dahai helping Chen Meimei nearby.

Fang Qingye was speechless.

“Alright, I’m going for a walk,” she said, heading toward the riverbank alone.

Fang Qingye didn’t follow, standing there in a daze.

Bai Ou.

In his mind appeared the image of a girl with chin-length hair, her eyes crinkling into crescent moons when she smiled.

Bai Ou was Fang Qingye’s childhood friend. Their parents were close too; Fang’s father, Fang Jianwen, and Bai Ou’s father, Bai Chuanzhe, had been classmates and good friends at Jinghai Normal University.

They grew up together, sharing the same class through elementary and middle school. In high school, they split into science and liberal arts tracks—Fang Qingye in science, Bai Ou in arts. Bai Ou was admitted to the Law Department of East China University of Political Science and Law. Last year she secured a graduate scholarship at the same university and was now a first-year graduate student.

In his previous life, Fang Qingye didn’t stay long after graduating, returning to Shen City to pursue his career. Bai Ou, after graduate school, passed the civil service exam and joined the Jinghai Municipal Court, later becoming an outstanding judge. Their paths rarely crossed thereafter.

Fang Qingye was late to mature emotionally. Through middle school, he was clueless about romance. In high school, besides studying, he and Song Dahai and Liu Dong secretly played games at internet cafes. They scoffed at other boys and girls dating.

Bai Ou, in the liberal arts class, seemed to have no close relationships with any boys. She often rode her bike alone to and from school, though she was closer with Qian Xiaoli among the girls.

“Hey, Yezi, come help!” Song Dahai’s call broke his reverie.

“Coming!” Fang Qingye hurried over.

“Yezi, Jiang Chen forgot to bring chili powder. What’s barbecue without chili? Take my car to the city and get some,” Song Dahai said.

“We’re the only ones who don’t eat chili—you’re the odd one out,” Fang Qingye muttered but took the keys and drove off in his BMW toward the city.

By the time Fang Qingye returned with the chili powder, Jiang Chen and the others had already started grilling, filling the air with the aroma of roasting meat.

Beef and lamb skewers, chicken wings, squid, prawns, capelin... They grilled a feast and brought out drinks, all sitting on a plastic tarp, happily eating.

Blue sky, white clouds, a babbling stream nearby, lush green grass, and little wildflowers—there was no better place to enjoy a barbecue.

They ate and chatted, sharing amusing stories.

“Hey everyone, let me tell you about a weird person I met online,” Jiang Chen said, raising his voice after finishing a lamb skewer. Everyone watched him curiously.

“I trade stocks, right? I joined some stock trading groups on QQ. They’re full of all sorts of people—plenty of weirdos.”

“Last night, I met one such eccentric in a stock group. Guess their username? ‘Universe’s Invincible Youthful Beauty’.”

“Ah, someone online really has that QQ name? So cheesy,” Wang Simin laughed.

“Exactly, ‘Invincible Beauty’—maybe it’s a dinosaur,” Shao Jing chimed in.

“Who says it’s definitely a girl? Could be a shemale! Lots of big guys use girl names to fool people,” Song Dahai said loudly.

Fang Qingye hadn’t been paying much attention, busy eating capelin, a fish he loved for its tender meat, especially grilled.

But when Jiang Chen mentioned “Invincible Youthful Beauty,” Fang Qingye looked up, stunned.

“Invincible Youthful Beauty”—wasn’t that the QQ name of that girl from Dongguan?