CHAPTER 526: CHAPTER 381: SUNSET AT THE SUMMIT (PART 2)

At first, Sophie was following closely behind Li Jing, but now she was already three to four meters away from him.

Li Jing turned around multiple times to check, and each time he saw Sophie’s forehead covered with fine beads of sweat, her hair stuck to her cheeks with perspiration. But she still firmly insisted that she was okay, telling him not to worry.

However, seeing Sophie grow further and further away, her steps becoming increasingly heavy and unsteady, like each one exhausted all her strength, Li Jing finally stopped, no longer listening to her refusals.

He turned around, walked down to her, took her hand, and said, "No, there’s at least another half an hour of journey ahead. How about setting up camp here? If you continue like this, your body won’t take it."

Li Jing looked at Sophie; her clothes were full of dirt, her shoulder was scratched by a branch, and her hands bore several small cuts, bleeding slightly, while her legs slightly trembled from exhaustion.

He couldn’t help but feel amazed in his heart at how someone seemingly fragile could have such incredible perseverance.

Li Jing persuaded her again, "You could have seen the sunset from halfway up the mountain just now. There’s no need to push yourself so hard. If you get hurt, you’re the one suffering."

But Sophie stubbornly shook her head, her tone firm, "No, I want to reach the top of the mountain!"

Li Jing, full of confusion, asked, "Why are you suddenly so fixated on reaching the top? We never said we had to get to the top before."

Sophie was silent, and after Li Jing pressed her again and again, she bit her lip slightly, a hint of shyness appearing on her face, yet she still firmly said:

"Because I want to go to the top with you. There are other people halfway up, but at the top, it will just be the two of us. It will be a memory that belongs only to us."

She continued, asking, "You haven’t gone to the top to watch the sunset with another woman, have you?"

Li Jing was taken aback, not expecting her to think that way, feeling it quite amusing, and then shook his head, "I haven’t."

Upon hearing this, a fleeting joy crossed Sophie’s face, her eyes sparkling as she said:

"Really? Then I definitely have to climb up. Don’t worry, you don’t have to worry about me. I’m just slow, but I won’t fall behind.

You go ahead, don’t look back. I’ll slowly follow the path you walked. You better go now, or else you’ll miss the sunset."

Looking at her determined and persistent manner, Li Jing felt both touched and a little tender-hearted. He took her hand and said:

"You can’t go up like this. Even if we don’t make it for the sunset, it’s alright. How about I carry you?"

"No way! You’re already carrying so much stuff, how can you carry me too?" Sophie exclaimed in shock, quickly shaking her head in refusal.

"Don’t worry, I’m very strong."

With these words, Li Jing swung his backpack around to his chest, exposed his back, and despite Sophie’s objections, directly carried her on his back.

Sophie immediately struggled to get down, waving her hands in the air, almost hitting Li Jing’s face.

Li Jing laughed, "The more you struggle, the harder it is for me; you might as well stay quietly on my back."

Only then did Sophie stop moving, softly asking with concern, "Are you sure you’re not tired?"

Li Jing replied, "Of course, I’ve got plenty of strength.

By the way, what exactly did Maria tell you earlier that made you so shy?"

Once this was mentioned, Sophie’s attention was indeed diverted, her expression a bit embarrassed, her eyes evasive:

"They’re too open-minded. They said you’re strong and asked if I could handle it, said you’re probably very ’energetic’ at night."

Hearing this, Li Jing was dumbfounded, no wonder Sophie was so embarrassed.

He went on to ask, "And how did you respond?"

Sophie said, "Of course, I didn’t answer."

Jokingly, Li Jing said, "They aren’t wrong though. Want to find out?"

Sophie immediately patted his shoulder, playfully scolding, "Don’t say such things, I don’t want to!"

With that, the duo continued their journey towards the mountaintop, chatting and laughing, with the occasional mountain breeze bringing a cool touch.

During the climb, Li Jing noticed a peculiar silence behind him. Sophie, who was occasionally chatting with him, had fallen silent.

He turned around in curiosity, only to find Sophie asleep, leaning on his back.

Li Jing silently shook his head, full of helplessness. This woman was really pushing herself too hard; she must be utterly exhausted to fall asleep on his back.

Although Sophie usually worked out to maintain her figure, an intense hike like this would be taxing even for a seasoned mountaineer, let alone her.

That she clung to accompany him all this way was purely perseverance supporting her all the way.

Previously, Li Jing noticed her legs trembling slightly, and yet she said nothing just to reach the top with him.

Li Jing couldn’t help but chuckle softly, "What a silly woman."

Having undergone physical enhancements, Li Jing’s stamina far surpassed that of ordinary people, capable of easily lifting a grown man, so carrying Sophie along with his backpack, although tiring, was far from the point of being unbearable.

Throughout, his pace didn’t visibly slow, steadily moving step by step toward the peak.

But the dense foliage and shrubs in the forest constantly grazed his clothes, which was a bit bothersome.

After struggling for another half hour, they finally reached the summit.

At this time, the sun hadn’t completely set, with the sky gradually dyed in shades of orange and red, breathtakingly surreal.

Li Jing breathed a sigh of relief, thankful they made it in time for the stunning sunset.

He gently placed Sophie down on a flat stone nearby, seeing her sleep soundly, didn’t disturb her, and began setting up camp nearby.

Proficiently, he took out the tent and pegs, setting up a simple yet cozy campsite in no time.

Just waiting for Sophie to wake up so they could enjoy this unique romantic sunset from the mountaintop together.

...

Sophie slept exceptionally soundly, despite the less than ideal sleeping conditions.

However, leaning on Li Jing’s back gave her an inexplicable sense of security.

Though Li Jing’s steps inevitably jostled her now and then, and branches sometimes scratched her, none of this interrupted her deep slumber. She slept sweetly, and not even when Li Jing set her down did she wake.

After about half an hour, her long lashes fluttered slightly as she slowly woke from her dreams.

She lazily stretched her entire body, letting out a big yawn.

Though she only slept for twenty to thirty minutes, being a deep sleep, it felt like hours to her, greatly refreshed both physically and mentally and feeling particularly comfortable.

When she opened her eyes and moved her body, she realized she was lying on the ground, covered with a piece of clothing.

She picked up the clothing and saw it belonged to Li Jing.

With a look of surprise, she hurriedly sat up from the ground.

Taking in the unfamiliar surroundings, she felt a slight alarm, but upon spotting the familiar figure cooking dinner nearby, a sense of calm washed over her, and a satisfied, happy smile spread across her face as she quickly walked towards Li Jing.

Li Jing was fully focused on cooking the noodles, just adding the seasoning to the pot, and the rich aroma immediately filled the air.

It was then that he heard a faint sound behind him and was about to turn to look when he felt a light figure gently embrace him from behind.

Li Jing turned around, and the first thing he saw was Sophie’s delicate, fair face, a gentle smile lifting the corners of his mouth. He softly asked:

"Awake so soon? Don’t you want to rest a bit more?"

Sophie, brimming with happiness, hugged Li Jing tightly and said:

"If I sleep too long, I won’t have much time alone with you. I don’t want to waste our time together."

Hearing this, Li Jing raised his eyebrows in amusement and said no more.

Then, he looked up towards the distance, drawn by the nearing climax of natural beauty, and said:

"Look, the sun is about to set. You woke up just in time."

Following his gaze, Sophie’s breath was taken by the scene before her.

They were now at the peak, with an incredibly broad view, truly like "standing above all the smaller hills."

Without the interruption of trees or any obstacles, the vast and boundless ocean lay out in the distance, where the sea and sky met seamlessly at the world’s end, forming one continuous expanse.

The setting sun descended slowly toward the horizon, painting the sky in dazzling orange and red. Large swathes of flaming clouds spread across the sky, as if painted by nature with the most vivid colors, an exquisite painting.

The orange-red glow scattered across the ocean, shimmering, every wave seemed lined with gold, dazzlingly brilliant.