Just then, a male tourist nearby gently dropped the watermelon on the ground, causing it to crack open. He then broke it open with his hands and gave it to another boy next to him.
Chai Qianning glanced at it only once before saying to Sheng Muxi, "Do you believe I can split a watermelon in half with my bare hands?"
Chai Qianning said this before when I came here with friends.
Although she always first smashed the watermelon on the ground to create a crack, and then only half-cut it open, it didn't stop her from saying those words to Sheng Muxi.
"Really?" Sheng Muxi clearly didn't believe her, thinking she was joking again.
Chai Qianning blinked gently: "Let's make a bet."
"Hmm? What do you want to bet?"
"If I can split it open, you will grant me one request; otherwise, I will grant you one request."
Sheng Muxi sat on a rock, resting her chin on her hand, her face showing a contented expression after being blown by the wind. She raised an eyebrow slightly and asked, "What is it?"
We'll talk about it later.
Chai Qianning answered, placing her hands on either side of the watermelon, squatting down, and looking at her with a slightly sly smile in her eyes.
Unexpectedly, Sheng Muxi didn't play by the rules at all, and said with a slight parting of her lips, "Then I believe you."
".."
Chai Qianning tossed a strand of hair aside, her lips slightly parted: "Ah, well, I'll give it a try."
As she spoke, she flipped the watermelon over.
Although every side of the watermelon has the same shape.
But she's not a strongwoman, and her hands aren't made of cleavers; she couldn't possibly split any side open with her bare hands.
Unless, of course, the watermelon swells up too much and decides to split open on its own.
Or, she might smash the watermelon to create a crack.
That was what she had planned to do all along.
However, just as she was about to make a move, Sheng Muxi leaned over and grabbed her wrist.
So her hand remained suspended in mid-air.
"What if you hurt your hand?" Sheng Muxi asked.
Chai Qianning's dark eyelashes trembled a few times as she looked at her.
The wind blowing from the mountain stream passed between the two of them, lifting the tips of their hair.
Sheng Muxi let go of her hand and took the watermelon: "Let's take the watermelon inside and let the proprietress cut it with a knife. I admit defeat in this bet. Okay, now you can tell me what you want me to do."
Chai Qianning chuckled: "What kind of trick is this? The way you're doing it, I can't bear to say it out loud."
"Then you can think about whether you want to tell them or not." Sheng Muxi picked up the watermelon and walked into the store.
A few minutes later.
Sheng Muxi carried out two halves of watermelon in each hand. Inside each half of the watermelon, which had an even and flat cut, was a spoon that Sheng Muxi had taken from the proprietress.
Chai Qianning took half a watermelon from her hand, held the bottom with both hands, leaned against the smooth stone surface, raised her eyes slightly, and said seriously, "Teacher Sheng, then I'll talk about it later."
Sitting down opposite her, Sheng Muxi didn't expect her to be so serious, as if Chai Qianning was asking her to agree to something, and she seemed very serious.
At first, she thought that Chai Qianning was just coming up with some unreliable ideas to play around with.
"In the future?" Sheng Muxi raised his eyes and glanced at her.
The word "later," placed in the bustling world, is small yet charming.
It means that we will stay in touch, meet again, and have further exchanges in the future.
“The timing doesn’t seem quite right,” Chai Qianning replied.
Sheng Muxi pondered for a moment, then, as if thinking of something, used a spoon to scoop up a piece of watermelon flesh and put it in his mouth.
Wind chimes hang on all four sides of the pavilion, and when the wind blows, they collide and make a crisp, melodious sound.
The stream flows over the pebbles that have been polished smooth over the years, making a soft gurgling sound.
The red watermelon flesh, sliding down the throat, brings a moment of refreshing sweetness and tranquility in the sweltering summer heat.
Chai Qianning stretched out her legs, casually crossing them. Every now and then, she would scoop up a piece of watermelon to eat, her gaze occasionally drifting to a pleasing view.
I chatted with the person next to me occasionally, and a leisurely half afternoon passed by just like that.
The other two, Qiu Jie and Shi Manwen, were completely absorbed in taking photos.
The scenery here is beautiful, attracting many photographers who come to capture its beauty. Some online celebrities also come here specifically to take photos.
There's a clothing experience center at the foot of the mountain, where you can find all sorts of outlandish costumes.
Qiu Jie and Shi Manwen went inside to rent some clothes and took pictures everywhere.
Because of her striking appearance, along with her long, snow-white hair and clothing, Qiu Jie has been mistaken for an internet celebrity by tourists several times.
"See that tree over there? Stand over there." Shi Manwen held up her phone and gestured with her chin toward the tree.
Qiu Jie looked over incredulously: "I'm standing there taking pictures?"
Seemingly finding it outrageous, Qiu Jie couldn't help but complain, "Teacher Shi, why does your photography style look so much like my mom's? Should I go find a silk scarf and hold it above my head to float around?"
Shi Manwen ignored her words: "Really, stand over there, I feel that tree is very picturesque." She stared at her phone screen, framing the view from different angles.
"Alright then," Shi Manwen said as she walked over, "Let's see what kind of tricks you can come up with."
She placed one hand on the tree. After seeing this, Shi Manwen put down her phone and said to her, "Why are you acting like an old man?"
Qiu Jie released her hand from the tree bark and rotated her wrist: "Then what poses can I strike?"
“Like this.” Shi Manwen walked over and instructed her: “Hide behind this tree, stick your head out, hey, that’s it.”
Shi Manwen took a few steps back and pressed the shutter button on her camera.
Qiu Jie went over to take a look with some skepticism, and what she saw shocked her.
Behind the cold, towering tree, a woman's long hair and an expressionless face were revealed.
"Damn! What is this?! A female ghost!" Qiu Jie herself felt that she looked very much like one. No wonder Shi Manwen said that the tree was part of the horror movie atmosphere?
Shi Manwen applied a dark filter to the picture: "Doesn't it look even more like her now?"
Qiu Jie blinked, unable to judge the other person's photography skills based on whether the photo was good or bad for the first time.
“You don’t like it? Then I’ll delete it and reshoot it for you,” Shi Manwen said.
"Wait a minute." Qiu Jie scratched her head. "Just send it to me."
Qiu Jie's fingers flew across the phone screen without even looking up as she said, "I must say, I look pretty good as a female ghost."
"You'll just keep being narcissistic," Shi Manwen scoffed and shook her head.
Qiu Jie was happy to share, so she sent the photos to Sheng Muxi, along with an emoji and the text: "Let me show you some stills from my upcoming horror movie."
Then he said to Shi Manwen, "It's time to go up."
When Sheng Muxi received the photos sent by Qiu Jie, she paused for a while. Chai Qianning saw her staring blankly at the screen and asked her what was wrong.
"I'll show you a picture." Sheng Muxi raised her eyes: "You should be mentally prepared."
Chai Qianning watched with interest as she held the phone, and said in a light tone, "Okay, I'm prepared."
Sheng Muxi opened the photo sent by Qiu Jie and held it out to Chai Qianning.
Chai Qianning glanced at the photo casually, then her gaze suddenly froze, and she stared at the photo for a long while until Sheng Muxi withdrew his hand.
"Why do you look like that? Are you scared out of your wits?" Sheng Muxi waved her finger in front of her.
Chai Qianning raised her eyelids: "Is it Qiu Jie?"
“Yes, you can still recognize me even with the filter adjusted like this. Your ability to recognize people is quite good.” Sheng Muxi turned off her phone screen.
"You didn't recognize me?"
"It almost didn't work out at first."
Who told Qiu Jie to post something about stills from a movie? When she glanced at it, she thought it was the female lead from some horror film. Only after reading the whole sentence did she realize it was her.
The sun wasn't as strong as it was at noon, so Chai Qianning and Sheng Muxi decided to slowly walk up the steps. By the time they reached the top of the mountain, it would be almost sunset.
Chai Qianning was familiar with this area and knew which path offered more shade and cooler conditions.
She muttered casually, "I've been seeing images of female ghosts a bit too frequently today."
"Frequency? Which other time? You mean early this morning?"
"Yeah, you were walking so lightly back then, I saw you float behind the pillar."
Chai Qianning described the scene she saw at the time, although she may have been a little sleepy and misjudged it, and the foggy atmosphere also contributed to the misrepresentation.
Sheng Muxi tilted her head slightly and thought for a moment: "I was just walking normally at the time, was it that scary?"
Chai Qianning nodded seriously.
"Then you still have the guts to go over and take a look?"
"I didn't just see it, I saw it heading towards your room."
"Hmm?" Sheng Muxi slowed his pace, his shoulder brushing against hers. He turned his head and whispered in her ear, "Could it be that I'm already possessed? The me you see now isn't the real me?"
Chai Qianning blinked, staring at the face so close to hers, her lips moved but she didn't say anything.
She wasn't afraid of ghosts at all, but her silence made Sheng Muxi think the joke had gone too far and scared her so much that she couldn't utter a word.
The place where they were standing was the path chosen by Chai Qianning, and hardly any tourists passed by here.
The surrounding trees are lush, trapping the sunlight above the branches and leaves, while the area below is shady.
The greenery in this scene creates a somewhat eerie atmosphere.
Looking at Chai Qianning's blank stare and the quiet environment, Sheng Muxi did feel that it was indeed a bit scary.
Out of guilt, she reached out and pulled Chai Qianning closer to her.
The next second, Chai Qianning's body tilted slightly to the side, following her force.
She lowered her eyelashes slightly, glanced sideways at Sheng Muxi's hand wrapped around her shoulder.
A gentle breeze rustled the leaves, and the unique scent of grass, mixed with the wild aroma of the mountains, filled the air.