CHAPTER 394: CHAPTER 394: THE LONGEST JOURNEY

Qin Feng and the other three halted their steps, still in a state of utter confusion.

The four of them simultaneously turned their heads to one side, their movements stiff and mechanical, much like a line of sluggish zombies.

Realizing the shout was too loud, Lian Qi became a little panicked and nervously glanced toward the shore.

Luckily, Wei Lejun was almost done getting the boat ready, and Sang Ning seemed oblivious to the commotion, still fully absorbed in building the boat.

Now, every second was precious, and time couldn’t be wasted. Lian Qi consciously veered off course to ensure he could later run behind Sang Ning without being noticed.

But things didn’t go as planned. As Wei Lejun looked over anxiously after arranging the boat, Sang Ning suddenly stood up!

"Hi~" Sang Ning enthusiastically waved to Wei Lejun.

Startled, Wei Lejun’s body jerked in fright, nearly falling into the water. All she could do was respond awkwardly with a wave and an equally hesitant "Hi~".

Sang Ning strolled over slowly, hands clasped behind her back, examining the little plastic boat drifting on the water. She turned back to Wei Lejun with a satisfied smile. "Not bad, the defective parts have been handled quite nicely. Waste materials put to reuse, huh!"

"Heh... heh..." Wei Lejun could only let out two dry laughs, momentarily unsure of how to respond to Sang Ning.

"Mind if we ride together?" Sang Ning eyed the makeshift plastic boat, ready to step forward.

Wei Lejun immediately reached out to block her. "No way!"

Sang Ning raised an eyebrow in confusion. Wei Lejun quickly clarified, "What I meant is, this boat’s too small. Two people would be too cramped."

The refusal was evident.

Wei Lejun sneaked a glance into the distance — Lian Qi was already on the way.

Her mind raced furiously, trying to figure out how she could convince Sang Ning to leave.

But whatever actions or words she tried now felt too forced. Wei Lejun clenched her fists, pressing them to her lips, visibly anxious.

Sang Ning grasped Wei Lejun’s wrist and gently pulled her hand away. "You won’t know until you try. How about this? You get in first, and then I’ll follow?"

Wei Lejun hesitated. Sang Ning asked in a low voice, "Is it that difficult? Or are you saying you don’t want to try it with me and prefer trying it with someone else?"

"Who?" Wei Lejun retorted.

Sang Ning raised her hand and pointed into the distance. "Look, isn’t that person coming over already?"

Wei Lejun had been secretly monitoring Lian Qi’s movements all along. Even without following Sang Ning’s pointing finger, she knew exactly who she was referring to.

She had been on edge, fearing discovery, but now that it had happened, Wei Lejun finally took a breath of relief.

Suddenly, an electrifying realization hit her, and Wei Lejun widened her eyes at Sang Ning, disbelief flashing across her face. "Damn! Sang Ning, you didn’t already know this all along, did you? Were you deliberately tricking me here?"

Earlier, out of fear of Sang Ning, Wei Lejun had intentionally toned down her temper. But now that things had clicked, her usual tone when speaking to Sang Ning returned.

"Tricking you about what? Aren’t I just helping you?" Sang Ning shrugged indifferently, "It’s rare to see you following someone’s lead so earnestly; I simply couldn’t resist collaborating with you."

As expected!

Wei Lejun’s face turned a mix of embarrassment and frustration. She couldn’t tell when Sang Ning had managed to see through her and Lian Qi’s little conspiracy.

Lian Qi noticed Sang Ning had seen him too, but stopping now was out of the question. He could only charge ahead and reach the riverbank.

Having run so intensely along the way, Lian Qi stopped at the shoreline, unable to string together a complete sentence — he could only rest his hands against his knees, gasping for breath.

Wei Lejun was utterly nervous. Both the boat and Lian Qi were now in place, but how would they slip away under Sang Ning’s watchful eyes?

While Wei Lejun racked her brain for a solution, Sang Ning remained utterly silent, giving Lian Qi ample time to catch his breath.

Finally, once Lian Qi’s breathing started to steady, he straightened up, looked at Sang Ning, and, with a calm demeanor that betrayed no hint of guilt, said, "Sang Ning, see? I wasn’t lying to you guys! I told you there’d be a boat over here. Look, Wei Lejun even managed to fish out a ready-made one with my guidance."

Wei Lejun shot Lian Qi a glare, the meaning crystal clear.

For the love of all things holy, shut up! Sang Ning isn’t blind — her eyes can pretty clearly see the semi-finished parts tied onto that plastic basin!

"Really? You couldn’t even lift this, huh? You’ve been training all this time for nothing. Even a dog is stronger than you," Sang Ning scoffed at Lian Qi.

At that moment, louder shouts erupted from farther away. Though it was a cacophony of voices, all of them targeted Lian Qi alone.

"Lian Qi, you bastard, are you pulling tricks again?!"

"Just you wait! If you don’t run, I’ll beat the shit out of you!"

With Sang Ning in front and Qin Feng’s group closing in from behind, Lian Qi realized he was in dire straits — perfect timing and location but sorely lacking allies.

Considering Sang Ning would mostly make things hard for him, Lian Qi decisively shoved Wei Lejun forward. "Get on the boat, quick!"

"What about you?" Wei Lejun turned to glance at him under his urging.

"I’ll hold them off for you! You have to carry our glory to victory’s shore. If you win first place, it’ll be like I won first place too!" Lian Qi’s gaze locked with Wei Lejun’s, full of what seemed like deep affection.

Sang Ning rolled her eyes. Did these two seriously think she was invisible?

Unable to hold back, she interrupted their little moment: "Are you guys rehearsing for a soap opera scene or something?"

To her surprise, Wei Lejun actually got a little dazzled by Lian Qi’s heartfelt look just now.

Her brain short-circuited as she blurted out, "Sang Ning, can we count on you to deal with the others behind us? Just think of it as me owing you a favor."

Sang Ning propped her chin on her hand and shook her head, exasperated. "I can only mind my own business. Whether you outrun them or not depends entirely on your skill."

Upon hearing this, Wei Lejun and Lian Qi exchanged a pleased glance.

"Thanks, then!" Lian Qi threw out a perfunctory word of thanks to Sang Ning before stepping ahead of Wei Lejun, ready to board the boat.

Wei Lejun grabbed Lian Qi’s hand, suddenly suspicious. "What’s the meaning of this? Shouldn’t I be the one to get on first?"

Lian Qi gently patted her hand away, letting out a cheeky laugh. "You just don’t get it, do you? With this kind of plastic boat, the first person boarding can easily lose balance and tip it over. Someone needs to get on first and stabilize it. It’d be too dangerous to let a lady go first!"

Still half-convinced, Wei Lejun felt something was off about Lian Qi’s reasoning but didn’t argue. She just watched him smoothly step onto the boat, using his hands to paddle a bit, steering the boat forward for a little distance.

As Lian Qi continued paddling forward, Wei Lejun shouted loudly at him, "Lian Qi, what are you doing?! Going this far ahead, do you still want me to get on the boat?!"

Lian Qi turned back to glance at Wei Lejun, feigning wisdom. "You see, this is the thing. The first person can board the boat in shallow water, but the second person must board in deeper water. That’s the safer way."