Chapter 23: The Wish Before the Crescent Stone

“Good friends!”

Staring at the three words sent by Gu Luosheng, Shen Mo found himself completely unable to sleep. He wanted to invite Gu Luosheng out for a meal alone, but couldn’t find an excuse to do so.

Gu Luosheng, meanwhile, began to feel drowsy again. After saying goodnight to Shen Mo, he went back to sleep.

When daylight brightened the sky and Gu Luosheng finally got up, it was already nine in the morning.

Entering the living room, Gu Luosheng saw Gu Qingwan lounging on the sofa, playing on her phone as if nothing had happened. When she noticed Gu Luosheng, she even smiled and waved at her.

Gu Luosheng’s expression remained cold; naturally, she had no intention of being friendly toward Gu Qingwan. This crazy woman had barged into her room in the middle of the night and nearly suffocated her.

“Good morning, sister!” Gu Qingwan, noticing Gu Luosheng’s steady gaze, gave her a special little wave.

“Gu Qingwan, you’re really something, aren’t you? Sneaking into my room in the middle of the night to try and smother me with a towel?”

Gu Yunqi and Gu Yunzhou were present too, both turning to Gu Luosheng in surprise. Gu Yunqi was the first to speak, “Luosheng, what are you talking about?”

“Gu Luosheng, don’t make baseless accusations. Why would Qingwan go to your room in the middle of the night?” Gu Yunzhou found her claim preposterous.

It made no sense—why would Gu Qingwan sneak into Gu Luosheng’s room at night? The two had barely spoken these past few days; what kind of conflict could have arisen?

Gu Qingwan pouted pitifully, her eyes shimmering with unshed tears as she stared at Gu Luosheng. “Sister, have you misunderstood me? I didn’t go to your room last night. Did you have a nightmare?”

With acting skills like these, Gu Luosheng thought, it was a pity Gu Qingwan hadn’t become an actress. If she hadn’t seen Gu Qingwan’s face with her own eyes last night, she wouldn’t believe it herself. But she had no evidence, so what could she say?

Forget it.

She couldn’t be bothered to waste her breath arguing further. Without proof, no one would believe her no matter how much she said.

“What’s going on, Luosheng?” Gu Yunqi looked at her with concern. Not wanting him to worry, she replied, “It’s nothing, brother. I must have had a bad dream.”

“I told you so, Gu Luosheng, you’re always making trouble,” Gu Yunzhou remarked bluntly.

Gu Luosheng had no desire to stoop to his level and didn’t bother to reply.

The atmosphere grew awkward until Gu Yunqi spoke up, trying to ease the tension. “Why don’t we go hiking this afternoon to relax?”

“Luosheng, will you come with us?”

“All right.”

With Gu Yunqi going, Gu Luosheng agreed readily.

Actually, Gu Yunqi and Gu Yunzhou had already discussed it. Since Lin Yichen had turned down Gu Qingwan, they didn’t want her to dwell on it and feel sad, so they decided to take her hiking to distract her.

“Alright then, I’ll take care of the hiking gear. Let’s have Wang Ma prepare lunch early; after we eat, we’ll set out together.”

Gu Yunqi pulled out his phone and began ordering the gear immediately.

Gu Yunzhou was in high spirits, telling Gu Qingwan about an odd experience he’d had on his last hike.

“Qingwan, let me tell you, Purple Gold Mountain is really something. Last time I went with a friend, we ran into wild pheasants and monkeys on the mountain!”

“There are even wild citrus trees halfway up; this time of year, the fruit is ripe and sweet as can be.”

“Then second brother, you must show me around,” Gu Qingwan said.

“No problem, leave it to me,” he replied.

Not wanting to sit in the living room with certain people, Gu Luosheng slipped out to the villa’s back garden to bask in the sun.

The sunlight was harsh, the air heavy and stifling, making it even harder for her to breathe.

...

After lunch, the hiking gear arrived just in time. Gu Yunqi divided up the equipment, then drove the three others to Purple Gold Mountain.

Gu Luosheng had been to Purple Gold Mountain once before, the day before her eighteenth birthday, brought there by Gu Yunqi and Gu Yunzhou.

She remembered it vividly—there was a huge crescent-shaped stone on the mountain, and Gu Yunqi had told her to make a wish before it.

Legend had it that the Crescent Stone could grant everyone one wish, so you had to choose your wish carefully.

Back then, Gu Luosheng had wished for eternal happiness with her family.

Looking back now, the Crescent Stone hadn’t fulfilled her wish at all. Not only had it failed, it had left her family shattered and her home lost.

When they reached the foot of the mountain, Gu Yunqi parked the car and the four of them chose a gentle path to begin their ascent.

The trees this time of year were lush, and the air was filled with birdsong and the scent of flowers.

On the hike, they saw plenty of bamboo shoots and wild vegetables. Many people would come on days like this to pick wild greens, either to sell or to eat themselves.

They hadn’t climbed far before Gu Qingwan was gasping for breath, exhausted. She rarely exercised, so she couldn’t keep up with this sort of aerobic activity.

Gu Yunqi and Gu Yunzhou weren’t much better off, both panting heavily, while Gu Luosheng kept her breathing steady. Clearly, five years of hard labor had toughened her up.

Gu Yunqi wiped his brow and gave a wry smile. “If I’d known, we should have just driven up to enjoy the view.”

“Now we’re stuck—too tired to go up, but too far to turn back.”

But as the saying goes, “Since we’re here, we might as well climb.”

They didn’t give up halfway, and after nearly three hours, finally reached the summit of Purple Gold Mountain.

They had barely caught their breath when Gu Yunqi received a work call and had to return to the office.

“You all have fun. I have to head back to the company.”

He took the cable car down, leaving first. Gu Luosheng wanted to leave with him, but he was too busy on the phone to hear her.

When she reached the cable car station, the staff told her that the ride down ran every half-hour, and the one Gu Yunqi had taken was the last. She’d have to wait another thirty minutes for the next one.

“Fine, I’ll just wait for the next one,” Gu Luosheng said, planning to wander alone for a while. But Gu Qingwan clung to her like a burr.

“What are you doing, Sister Luosheng? Let’s go together!”

Gu Yunzhou stuck with Gu Qingwan wherever she went.

Faced with the two people she least wanted to see, Gu Luosheng didn’t feel like saying a word. Unwittingly, as she walked, she found herself near the Crescent Stone.

Gu Yunzhou, grinning, eagerly explained to Gu Qingwan, “Qingwan, this big rock is called the Crescent Stone. They say it can grant everyone one wish. Go ahead and make a wish!”

“Second brother, is it really that effective?” Whether to humor him or because she truly believed, Gu Qingwan pressed her hands together and closed her eyes, readying herself to make a wish.

“Of course it’s effective. Once, when Dad was diagnosed with cancer, I wished for him to get better—and later the hospital said it was a misdiagnosis.”