Chapter 122: The Single-Minded Yan Wenkai

 Chapter 122: The Single-Minded Yan Wenkai

Xiao Yeyang led a large group of people from the back mountain, immediately drawing the attention of nearby tourists. Ordinary folk didn’t dare to approach, but some young nobles and aristocratic ladies were unafraid.

A few among them recognized members of the Dong, Su, and Zhou families. As soon as they saw Dong Yuanxuan, Su Hongxin, and Zhou Chengye, they approached to greet them.

Walking at the front, Xiao Yeyang ignored everyone, his gaze straight ahead as he headed directly toward the mountain stairs. His demeanor deterred anyone from getting in his way.

Standing nearby, Daohua noticed the faint impatience on his face.

Interacting with others was always taxing, and even more so when dealing with ulterior motives.

Daohua could empathize with Xiao Yeyang.

If she had to face a crowd daily, she’d probably become a shut-in quickly.

Daohua held onto Zhou Jingwan, shielded by Yan Wenkai and Yan Wentao, and followed closely behind Xiao Yeyang.

“Stop looking around,” Daohua reminded Zhou Jingwan.

“Why?”

Daohua explained softly, “If you see someone you know, they’ll come over to say hi. If they suggest joining us, do you agree or not?”

This wasn’t a casual outing. Xiao Yeyang clearly didn’t like being disturbed, so it was best for them to keep a low profile.

Zhou Jingwan immediately withdrew her gaze. Moments ago, she’d noticed a friend waving at her. Stealing a glance at Xiao Yeyang’s silent expression, she shrank back. No way would she dare provoke him.

Her friend could entertain herself.

Soon, the group arrived at the mountain stairs.

There were already many tourists climbing the mountain.

Xiao Yeyang didn’t exercise any domineering behavior, such as ordering the guards to clear the path. Instead, he stopped at the base of the stairs and turned to Daohua and Zhou Jingwan. “Alright, from here, you have a fifteen-minute head start.”

Yan Wenkai grinned mischievously. “Little sister, you better hurry. Later, I won’t hold back!”

Dong Yuanxuan, having just shaken off the crowd, arrived in time to hear this and couldn’t help but tap his own forehead with his fan.

Of all these people, only this guy seemed to treat the climb as a real competition.

Competing with young girls—did he have no shame?

“Let’s go!”

Daohua ignored her second brother, grabbed Zhou Jingwan, and began climbing.

“Daohua, are we really racing them?” Zhou Jingwan asked nervously. She was active and in better shape than most girls, but competing against martial arts-trained brothers? No, thank you.

Daohua said, “Just treat it like a game to pass the time. Otherwise, staying in the back mountain with such a big group would be boring!”

Zhou Jingwan nodded and then perked up. “Daohua, let’s race each other!” Competing with her brothers might be intimidating, but racing with a friend sounded fun.

Daohua smiled. “Alright!”

Behind them, Xiao Yeyang watched as the two quickly disappeared up the stairs. Smiling faintly, he remarked, “They’re fast!”

Yan Wenkai, itching to move, said, “Don’t worry, once we start, we’ll catch up in no time.”

Xiao Yeyang said nothing to this, but Dong Yuanxuan and the others all looked to the sky, exasperated. Yan Wenxiu sighed—his younger brother took everything so seriously!

Meanwhile, some well-informed people heard about the climbing race and came over, eager to join.

As usual, Xiao Yeyang ignored the commotion, leaving Dong Yuanxuan to handle it.

Seeing Xiao Yeyang focused only on his timer and glancing up the mountain occasionally, Dong Yuanxuan understood he didn’t care. Smiling, he said, “Sure, everyone can join. The more, the merrier, but be mindful of safety.”

Hearing this, even some young ladies decided to participate.

“Yihuan, let’s go too!”

Qian Bilian tried to pull Yan Yihuan toward the mountain stairs.

Remembering Daohua’s advice about saying no to things she disliked, Yan Yihuan shook her head. “Sister Qian, you go with the others. I can’t climb anymore.”

“This…”

Qian Bilian glanced at Yan Yihuan and noticed her clear reluctance. Unwilling to force her, she suppressed her desire to join the race and said with a smile, "If you’re not going, I won’t go either."

Her mother had instructed her earlier to build a good relationship with the Yan sisters.

When they boarded the boat, she had chatted with her familiar friends and missed the opportunity to approach Yan Yiyi. As a result, she had no choice but to settle for sticking with Yan Yihuan instead.

Sensitive by nature, Yan Yihuan could see Qian Bilian’s reluctance. However, since Qian Bilian was determined to stay by her side, Yan Yihuan felt it would be inappropriate to say anything.

Soon, the fifteen-minute head start was over, and Xiao Yeyang and the others began climbing.

At the start, everyone gave it their all, climbing with vigor.

Xiao Yeyang and Yan Wenkai were the most enthusiastic, quickly taking the lead.

However, contrary to their expectations, they didn’t catch sight of Daohua and Zhou Jingwan right away. It wasn’t until they had climbed for a while that they finally spotted the two.

“Your little sister is really in good shape,” Xiao Yeyang commented.

Yan Wenkai grinned proudly. “Of course! She’s my sister—she’s bound to be as strong as I am.” Then he paused briefly and added, “Though my eldest brother only cares about studying and doesn’t train his body. Among the three of us siblings, he’s definitely the weakest.”

Xiao Yeyang shot him a sidelong glance. “Your eldest brother is a scholar, and you’re a martial artist. Can you even compare?”

Yan Wenkai immediately retorted, “Then what about my eldest sister? She’s a girl, and yet she’s strong too!”

Xiao Yeyang faltered for a moment. Glancing at Daohua, who was now ahead of Zhou Jingwan, he chuckled. “She’s different—she’s naturally full of energy.” After saying this, he quickened his pace again.

As time passed, the number of climbers on the mountain stairs gradually dwindled.

Many young nobles and ladies who had hoped to get close to Xiao Yeyang gave up halfway due to exhaustion.

Xiao Yeyang eventually overtook Zhou Jingwan, who was sitting on the stairs catching her breath.

Zhou Jingwan glanced at Daohua, who was a short distance ahead, and sighed. “We’ve lost!” Then she looked at the men climbing up after her and complained, “You all didn’t even consider letting us win!”

Yan Wenkai passed her without stopping. “This is a race—how could we let you win? If word got out that we lost to two young girls, how could we face anyone?”

Dong Yuanxuan couldn’t hold back anymore. Catching up to Yan Wenkai, he reached out and slung an arm around his neck.

“Hey! Brother Dong, what are you doing? I still need to catch up with my sister!”

“That’s exactly why I’m stopping you,” Dong Yuanxuan said, panting. “Yan Wenkai, I can’t climb anymore. Help me for a bit! As for your sister, the little prince is already with her.”

Behind them, Zhou Chengye and Yan Wenxiu, seeing Dong Yuanxuan restraining Yan Wenkai, couldn’t help but grin in amusement.

At the back, Yan Wentao noticed Zhou Jingwan sitting on the stairs. After some thought, he stopped climbing and stood beside her.

“Why aren’t you climbing?” Zhou Jingwan tilted her head and looked at him.

Yan Wentao hesitated before saying, “There are fewer people ahead, and you’re only with a maid. I think I’d better stay with you.”

Zhou Jingwan was immediately touched. “Thank you, Third Brother Yan. You’re so much better than my eldest brother! Look at him—he just climbed ahead and didn’t even think to look out for me!”

Zhou Chengye, the subject of her complaint, sneezed. Turning back to glance at his sister, he saw Yan Wentao with her. Noticing the guards and their family servants at the rear, he felt reassured and continued climbing. 

(End of Chapter)