dognovel Chapter 52 Lin Wei's Dream
Chapter 52 Lin Wei's Dream
A mountain breeze blew by, carrying a biting chill.
The two of them looked up at the starry sky, which seemed to exist only in a dream.
After a long silence, Lin Wei suddenly spoke softly, "Chen Mo, do you know, I could actually see starry skies like this quite often when I was a child."
Chen Mo turned to look at her.
The headlamp shone on her profile, outlining her soft features, and her eyes reflected starlight.
"My hometown is a small mountain village in western Sichuan."
Lin Wei's voice was very soft, as if she were talking to herself: "It's very poor there, the transportation is inconvenient, and the electricity is unstable."
When I was a child, my greatest entertainment was sitting at the front door of my house at night and looking at the stars in the sky.
At that time, I wondered, what is the world like outside the mountains? What kind of lives do the people living under those stars lead?
Chen Mo listened quietly without interrupting.
"My parents are ordinary farmers with little education, but they strongly support my education."
My dad often said, "Girl, you must study hard, get out of here, don't end up like us, trapped in the mountains your whole life."
Lin smiled, but there was a hint of bitterness in her smile.
"I'm actually not very smart when it comes to studying. Really, the top students in my class can understand a problem after reading it once, but I have to do it several times before I can understand it."
But I was determined; I didn't want to accept my fate, I didn't want to spend my whole life in that small mountain village.
She paused, took a sip of water, and continued, "Later, I was admitted to the county high school, and then I worked my hardest to get into university in Jiangzhou."
During my four years of university, I worked part-time while studying, taking out student loans, scholarships, and doing all sorts of jobs.
While my classmates were dating, shopping, and playing games, I was doing practice problems in the library, working as a waiter in a restaurant, and handing out flyers in a shopping mall.
Chen Mo thought of Lin Wei, who always had a bright smile and was capable in her work, and found it hard to imagine that she had such a past.
"After graduation, I joined my current company and started from the most basic position, learning and accumulating experience little by little."
Finally, I got a permanent position, a raise, a promotion... It seems like I'm doing pretty well, but actually...
Lin Wei took a deep breath, her voice trembling slightly.
"Actually, I still feel very insecure and feel that this city does not belong to me."
I rented a house in Jiangzhou for five years and moved four times.
Each time I move, it's not because I want a better environment, but because the landlord wants to sell the property, raise the rent, or their children want to move in...
That feeling of potentially being kicked out at any moment is really awful.
She turned to look at Chen Mo.
Chen Mo couldn't tell if her eyes were filled with starlight or tears.
"Actually, my dream is very simple: to be able to buy my own house in Jiangzhou with cash."
It doesn't need to be too big, a few dozen square meters is fine, even a one-bedroom apartment is good.
I also need a car for transportation, it doesn't have to be expensive, just something to keep me safe from the wind and rain.
This way, I won't have to worry about being evicted by the landlord anymore, I won't have to drag my luggage around looking for a place to live, and I won't have to calculate how much money I need to save each month to make a down payment.
"..."
As Chen Mo listened, a complex mix of emotions welled up inside him.
He recalled his previous experience renting a room.
Although not as complicated as Lin Wei's story, I can still understand that feeling of being adrift and helpless.
"It will happen."
He smiled and said softly, "With your hard work, you definitely will succeed."
"Yeah?"
Lin smiled slightly, wiped her eyes, and said, "I hope so."
The two remained silent for a while.
The mountain wind howled, but the starry sky remained brilliant.
Chen Mo suddenly thought of a question, hesitated for a moment, and then asked it.
"Lin Wei, you have such great qualities, you're beautiful, capable, and have a great personality... why are you still single?"
If two people work together, buying a house and a car should be easier, right?
Lin Wei was taken aback for a moment upon hearing this, and then laughed.
The smile was complex, containing helplessness, self-deprecation, and a sense of relief.
"Being liked by someone who isn't good enough is not something to be happy about."
She turned to look at Chen Mo, her eyes filled with a hint of probing and cunning, and said softly, "But outstanding people don't seem to like me very much."
For example, it seems like you're not really interested in me.
"..."
Chen Mo was caught off guard by the question and felt somewhat embarrassed.
"Um...no, I just haven't thought about personal matters yet, and I like being free and independent."
Lin Wei stared at him for a few seconds, then suddenly stood up and patted the dust off her pants.
She put on her headlamp, slung her backpack over her shoulder, and as she turned to walk away, she smiled and said, "Now, you can consider me, okay?"
Chen Mo was stunned.
He stood there, watching Lin Wei's back, not reacting for a moment.
"Are you... joking with me, or are you serious?" he asked.
Lin Wei didn't turn around and continued walking uphill. Her voice drifted over on the mountain breeze: "Haha, of course I was just kidding. If anyone's going to chase someone, it'll be you chasing me, not me chasing you."
She stopped and turned around, the light from her headlamp shining on Chen Mo's face.
"Besides, the company forbids office romances, and I don't want to lose my job. I still need to work hard to earn money to buy myself a house."
After saying that, she turned around and continued climbing the mountain, her steps a little lighter than before.
Chen Mo stood there, shook his head helplessly, picked up his backpack, and followed.
Neither of them brought up the topic again on the rest of the journey.
But the atmosphere had clearly shifted subtly.
Chen Mo had to admit that Lin Wei was indeed a very charming woman.
She's beautiful, independent, hardworking, and has a great personality.
If the other person really likes me and confesses their feelings, maybe I will actually consider it.
But reality doesn't offer so many "what ifs".
Chen Mo shook his head, clearing his mind of these distractions, and focused on the road beneath his feet.
After the ninety-nine hairpin bends comes the steep and slippery slope, where the two of them practically had to use both their hands and feet to climb up.
My physical strength is nearing its limit, and every step I take requires tremendous effort.
His breathing was heavy and labored, sweat blurred his vision, and his muscles ached to the point of numbness.
Chen Mo once again experienced the same pain he felt during his first mountain climb!
We arrived at Xixiangchi at 3 a.m.
We arrived at Leidongping at 4 a.m.
We arrived at the Hall of Reception at 5 a.m.
We were only one step away from the Golden Summit, but time was running out.
The eastern sky was beginning to lighten with the first hint of dawn, the sunrise was just around the corner, and they were still halfway up the mountain.
"We're going to miss it..." Lin Wei looked at the sky, her voice full of regret.
Chen Mo glanced at it as well and sighed helplessly.
After twelve hours and nearly thirty kilometers of mountain road, they tried their best, but still missed the sunrise.
"Keep climbing."
Chen Mo wasn't too concerned about seeing the sunrise, and comforted him, "If you can't see the sunrise, at least you can see the sea of clouds."
"Um."
Exhausted, the two continued their ascent.
The last stretch of the journey is the most difficult.
Chen Mo was completely exhausted and was only able to keep going by willpower.
Every step felt like walking on cotton; my vision blurred and my ears rang.
Although Lin Wei has a lot of mountaineering experience, she is, after all, a woman, and her physical strength is limited. This time, she was not much better than him.
Fortunately, the two encouraged and supported each other, and step by step, they finally climbed to the top of the golden summit as dawn broke.
The moment they stood on the golden platform, the two of them collapsed to the ground almost simultaneously.
tired.
I'm more tired than ever before.
My bones felt like they were falling apart, and my muscles ached so much that I didn't want to move at all.
But when they looked up and saw the scene before them, all their fatigue was instantly replaced by awe.
Golden sunlight spilled onto the rolling sea of clouds, the clouds surging like a golden ocean.
The distant mountains appear and disappear in the sea of clouds, like a fairyland.
A morning breeze blows, the sea of clouds churns, and the light and shadow shift, creating a breathtakingly beautiful scene.
"So beautiful..."
Lin Wei murmured, her eyes fixed on the sea of clouds.
Chen Mo was also engrossed in watching.
This was the first time he had ever seen such a magnificent sea of clouds; the shock was indescribable.
Just then, the system interface popped up in front of us.
[Host has completed the temporary task "A Brave Promise"; task reward has been issued.]
[Emotional Intelligence +1, Health +1, Courage +300]
[Current attribute update:]
Health: 71 (Good)
Emotional Intelligence: 77 (Good)
System Level LV1: 5200/10000
Chen Mo looked at the updated attributes with a smile in his eyes.
Damn it.
All the hard work this night was worth it.
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