CHAPTER 524: CHAPTER 380: VISITING THE HOSPITAL_3

He turned back to glance at Li Jing, only to see Li Jing carrying a hiking backpack alone, holding a bag full of gear in his hand, and not even panting.

He couldn’t help but express his amazement, "Li Jing, your stamina is really impressive."

Seeing that the other was running out of strength, Li Jing proactively suggested, "How about we find a place to rest for a bit?"

Everyone immediately agreed.

After trekking on the winding mountain path for quite a while, they finally found a relatively flat grassy area.

The four of them were relieved, stopped walking one by one, and began to take a break.

Johnson and Maria took out the carefully prepared food from their backpacks, feeding each other affectionately. Every glance, every movement was filled with love, and that sweet atmosphere spread through the air.

Sophie sat beside them, her gaze drawn to this warm scene, her heart felt as if it was gently touched by something, as a tinge of envy quietly crept in.

She shyly lowered her head, opened a box of cookies, hesitated for a moment, picked up a piece, and offered it to Li Jing’s mouth, her actions tinged with a bit of bashfulness and expectation.

Li Jing was bowing his head, organizing the items in his backpack. When he noticed the cookie Sophie offered, he was slightly taken aback, lifted his eyes to look at her, a hint of surprise flashing through them.

He smiled slightly, gently opened his mouth to bite the cookie, and softly said, "Thank you."

His voice carried a hint of laughter.

Upon hearing Li Jing’s response, a bright smile bloomed on Sophie’s face, her eyes curved into crescents, and she happily replied, "You’re welcome."

That smile was like the warm sun of spring, making the surrounding air feel warmer.

Watching Sophie’s adorable demeanor, Li Jing felt a slight stir in his heart and couldn’t help but reach out to wrap an arm around her waist.

Sophie’s body stiffened suddenly, her expression changed slightly, and she instinctively turned back quickly, her eyes filled with a touch of panic and surprise, urgently asking, "What are you doing?"

Her voice carried a bit of playful scolding, but more so, it was the bewilderment from the unexpected intimate gesture.

Li Jing gazed at Sophie’s delicate face, a gentle smile playing on his lips as he slowly spoke:

"Nothing much, just thought you looked pretty and couldn’t resist wanting to look at you more."

Sophie was about to roll her eyes and mock him a little, but before she could react, she was startled by Li Jing’s sudden action.

Li Jing slightly leaned down and directly pressed his lips against hers.

Sophie’s eyes instantly widened in shock, her first reaction was not to resist, but anxiously glanced towards Johnson and Maria on the other side.

Fortunately, the two of them were also immersed in their own intimacy at that moment, completely unaware of what was happening over here.

Sophie secretly breathed a sigh of relief, and her previously tense body relaxed, no longer resisting, as she slowly closed her eyes, responding to this passionate kiss.

Time seemed to stand still at that moment, not knowing how many minutes passed, Li Jing finally, with satisfaction, released his lips.

Sophie’s cheeks were flushed, she gently tapped his chest with a playful, shy tone and softly said:

"Don’t do that next time, it’s embarrassing in public places."

Looking at her adorable demeanor, Li Jing couldn’t help but chuckle, "So, does that mean when we’re not in public, we’re allowed to do this?"

Upon hearing this, Sophie paused, momentarily at a loss for words, she could only feign anger and glare at him, then turned her head away, choosing not to speak.

Just then, Johnson, who had rested about enough, stood up, looked up at the sky, and said:

"In a few hours, the sun will set; we can’t rest too long. We need to keep climbing the mountain."

After hearing this, Li Jing nodded, promptly picking up the heavy backpack again.

Seeing this, Sophie immediately reached out, wanting to help share some of the weight, but Li Jing politely declined.

Looking over at Johnson and Maria, he had already divided some small items like maps and water bottles for Maria to carry.

Clearly, he too realized the difficulty of climbing this mountain and started planning with Maria to progress together.

However, in terms of stamina, Li Jing was indeed outstanding and didn’t need assistance from others at all.