Locking away my heart and love! Going back to 2000 to be a top student again.

Xu Su even forgot that she had never been good at horseback riding, and galloped across Namtso Lake at an altitude of nearly 5,000 meters, enjoying herself immensely.

However, the price she paid for the pleasure was that the skin on her inner thighs was chafed raw…

Upon arriving at the campsite that night, Xu Su's strange walking posture immediately revealed the problem.

She was granted priority access to the bathroom.

After showering and returning to her tent, Xu Su received a call from Zhou Mochen. The moment she saw the caller ID, she felt a strange sense of pressure.

It's like a child who's been having a blast during the holidays suddenly remembering that she's a student and has to go back to school soon—that's how she feels about to give up.

Xu Su was just like that. After being overwhelmed by the magnificent landscape of her motherland and having completely forgotten her previous worries, she suddenly saw Zhou Mochen's call and couldn't help but think of all the messy things in Beijing again.

Her cheerful mood involuntarily turned somewhat gloomy, but she quickly recovered.

The signal at the campsite was pretty good, and Xu Su and Zhou Mochen chatted for a long time, talking about the beautiful scenery they had seen during the day and how fun the place was. She was so happy that she didn't want to leave.

Zhou Mochen could naturally hear her happiness. He stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, looking down at the bustling traffic below, his gaze deep and thoughtful.

Eight days. She's been gone for eight days.

He felt like each day was an eternity, each day more unbearable than the last, while she seemed to think of him at all…

If he hadn't called her, she wouldn't have even thought to contact him.

If Zhou Mochen were standing in front of Xu Su right now, Xu Su might be able to tell that he was in a bad mood. But over the phone, she was completely oblivious to her boyfriend's sensitive thoughts and was still enthusiastically describing to him how beautiful the sacred lake was.

Until Si Xuan's voice came from outside the tent, the boy's clear voice was very pleasant.

He said, "Xu Su, are you inside?"

Si Xuan's voice wasn't loud, but it was still clearly audible in the open campsite; at least Zhou Mochen could hear it perfectly.

The man on the other end of the phone paused, his grip on the phone tightening suddenly…

Xu Su was completely unaware. She put down her phone, got up, lifted the tent flap, peeked out, and asked the man at the door, "Is something the matter?"

Her long hair was still wet, with dripping strands sticking to her face. Si Xuan, who was about to say something, paused slightly, "You didn't bring a hairdryer?"

"Hmm," Xu Su nodded, then asked in confusion, "What's wrong?"

Not only did she not bring it, but neither did Jessica.

When she stayed at a guesthouse before, the owner provided a hairdryer, but these past few days, while staying at a campsite, she has been borrowing a hairdryer from Liuyun.

But when she came back from her shower today, Zhou Mochen called, and she hadn't had a chance to borrow it yet.

Si Xuan disagreed, saying, "It's cold at night, and your hair isn't dry. Go inside and wait. I'll bring you a hairdryer later."

He handed me the small box: "I see you seem to be injured. This medicine is quite useful. If you don't want it to affect your trip tomorrow, remember to apply the ointment."

Xu Su took the ointment and noticed that it was brand new and unopened. She looked up and asked, "How much is it? I'll pay you."

"Try it first. Money aside, we'll talk about the results later." Si Xuan smiled and pointed inside, saying, "Let's go in first, it wouldn't be good if you caught a cold."

Xu Su also noticed that it was very cold outside. She waved to Si Xuan, pulled her head back into the tent, quickly found a thick towel to wrap her hair, and then picked up her phone and said "hello" a few times, but no one answered.

Looking at the screen during the call, just as he was wondering if the signal was bad again, Zhou Mochen finally spoke: "Where are you injured?"

Xu Su was taken aback, not expecting him to have such sharp ears.

There was no point in hiding it, Xu Su said, "I tried riding a horse today and ended up chafing my legs."

"So..." Zhou Mochen hummed in response, then asked indifferently, "So, which man came to offer you this ointment and try to curry favor with you?"

The sourness in his words was so palpable you could practically smell it through the phone. Xu Su found it both amusing and speechless.

"He's the sect leader and the captain of this event. How can you call it fawning when he's just showing concern for the members?"

"Sect Leader..." Zhou Mochen paused for a few seconds, then asked, "That Si Xuan?"

"you know?"

Xu Su thought for a moment, but couldn't remember when they had met.

Zhou Mochen couldn't very well say that he had investigated her companion, but his anxiety was almost uncontrollable, and his voice unconsciously carried a hint of urgent command: "Stay away from him, Xu Su. He brought you ointment and found you a hair dryer. He's obviously after you. Don't tell me he's just a friend. Do you hear me?"

In the past, Xu Su would have stopped putting up with his tone of voice, but the thought of 'ordinary friends' inevitably brought Shen Chen to mind…

Traveling is indeed relaxing and allows one to escape that environment. Now, when Xu Su mentions Shen Chen, she can no longer recall the emotional breakdown she felt that day.

In the matter of Shen Chen, it was she who lost her composure, which gave him an opportunity to take advantage of her, so Xu Su did not mind Zhou Mochen's tone.

She said gently, "You've never even met her, so why are you making such wild guesses? Si Xuan knows I have a boyfriend. No normal person would want to be a mistress, right? Do you think everyone is like that pervert Shen Chen?"

"Su Su!" Her dismissive attitude made Zhou Mochen's voice suddenly lower. "Just think of me as narrow-minded. I can't accept other men getting close to you. Can you put my mind at ease?"

"..."

Although Xu Su felt that Zhou Mochen was being overly paranoid, she always remembered that her boyfriend was a bit jealous, so she decided to appease him.

Xu Su smiled and said, "Don't worry, Zhou Mochen, I promise you, I will keep my distance from all other boys and only like you, okay?"

Speaking of Shen Chen, now that I think about it carefully, their contact was indeed a bit too close, but Si Xuan? Xu Su didn't have any physical contact at all.

She's much more careful now; aside from that time when she was still recovering from altitude sickness and Si Xuan helped her up, there haven't been any other instances of touching her.

Zhou Mochen was very pleased with his girlfriend's patient reassurance.

His anxiety was quickly calmed, replaced by a surge of intense longing. His Adam's apple bobbed slightly as he asked, "Su Su, do you miss me?"

"Yes, I miss him," Xu Su said with a smile, having been greatly influenced by Xika these past few days. "Especially at night, I miss him so much."

On the phone, the man's breathing suddenly became heavier, "Then I'll come pick you up, okay? Su Su, I'll come pick you up tonight..."

His voice was deep and alluring, and Xu Su felt a little thirsty. She swallowed hard. She had meant to tease him, but now she found herself somewhat aroused, wanting to…

Just as he was about to say something, another figure stood outside the tent. Si Xuan returned with a hairdryer.

The temperature dropped quickly at night, and in just a short time, Xu Su's damp scalp made her feel cold.

Si Xuan stood outside the tent and asked, "Xu Su, may I come in?"