ble. This immediately put him in a great mood.Looking over at Xiao Fei’s daughter, Xiaoyunyun, her face was rosy and she seemed as delicate as cherry blossoms; her appearance was pleasing. At dinner,...Chapter 70: The Secret Deep in the Jungle (Part 1)

Mare Pasture Mountain Forest Park is located twenty kilometers outside of Xiahai City. It covers over a thousand hectares, with an average altitude of more than seven hundred meters, forming a cluster of mountain peaks that overlook a lake. On top of the mountains are peculiar rocks and stunning scenery.

In summer, the forest's shade is dense; in winter, there might be occasional snowflakes dotting the peak while the valleys remain lush green with clear streams.

One can take a bus that circles around the lake, which sometimes passes by the foot of Mare Pasture Mountain. The base of the mountain is covered in mugwort grass and features a wide road leading up to it, though there are no direct public buses going up the mountain. Previously, Su Cen had come here with his family for an organized barbecue trip provided by his uncle who worked at the planning bureau.

It’s said that there is also a villa area inside where those villa owners are supposed to be big bosses from Chengdu City, the provincial capital. Occasionally, when riding on the lake circling buses and passing by the foot of the mountain, one can vaguely see red-tiled villas nestled among the greenery.

Due to its remote location and lack of convenient public transportation, it was initially criticized by city residents as a private retreat area for the rich.

The current facilities are now abandoned; the contracted company has long withdrawn. However, the campsite remains, occasionally visited by car owners who come with ingredients and charcoal for barbecuing.

The bus that circles the lake slowly parks beside shimmering water under the scorching summer sun. As they get off the vehicle, Zeng Yuan looks up at Mare Pasture Mountain Forest Park and turns to Su Cen, asking, "You said we’re going on an adventure here!"

"Yes, let's go." Under the blazing summer heat, cicadas in nearby bushes chirp loudly. Su Cen adjusts his backpack and steps onto the uphill road hidden among dense forests.

"What’s there to explore… If I had known this earlier, I would have asked my dad to drive us up!" Zeng Yuan mutters but still follows after Su Cen.

Walking on that wide road shaded by towering trees, they feel a slight relief from the heat.

The road winds up the mountain, with yellow crash barriers lining one side and concrete pillars here and there. On the other side lies a sheer cliff dropping down to plains below, where rice fields stretch out, interspersed with farmers working their land in straw hats.

"I keep wondering why we came here for nothing; this is just suffering unnecessarily. What's so adventurous about being up here There's only a forest park above..." Ceng Yuan grumbled as Su Can unpacked his backpack and pulled out two bottles of cola, tossing one to Ceng Yuan.

After unscrewing the cap, Ceng Yuan took a big gulp. The spicy kick was invigorating under the sweltering heat. He then patted Su Can's backpack. "What else do you have in here Oh... it’s not empty after all. Are you trying to be cool You could’ve used a smaller bag for this much stuff..."

"It looks more professional this way," Su Can smiled and patted Ceng Yuan on the shoulder. "Let's keep going."

The two brothers continued their uphill trek under the blazing sun, surrounded by an eerie silence except for the occasional chirping of cicadas and a faint rustling sound from dry grass stirred by hot winds.

When this forest park first opened, its association with the municipal government’s performance project gave it quite a reputation. Back then, there were plenty of vehicles coming and going, but now, cars are virtually unheard of here except for those who occasionally visit their summer retreats in these mountain villas.

In Su Can's memory, the place later became even more desolate. However, the spring water flowing down from this area was the only source they relied on to replenish their water when cycling around the sea and running out of supplies. At that time, he had just graduated high school. Later, Xiahai City underwent a dramatic transformation; the lakeside area turned into a tourist attraction. The sense of joy from spotting a spring while exhausted during those long bike rides was no longer possible.

As they walked, Ceng Yuan chatted with Su Can about some amusing incidents at school and inquired about his status there. Even though he was drenched in sweat, Ceng Yuan didn't seem tired as he said, "Bro, your grades are good, and you look pretty decent too; must be quite popular among the girls."

Su Can smiled. "I guess so."

"You know, if I liked a girl and did better in school, would that make her notice me more"

"Aren't you already into two girls at once" Su Can chuckled.

"You, how did you know!" Zeng Yuan was a bit alarmed. He had been planning to tell Su Can about his recent troubles at school, where two little girls were糾纏著他，他一個也不願放手，都快像個種馬了。 But now it seemed as if his brother could predict the future. Did he really have too much wisdom and turn into a demon

"I guessed that this was your character. Even when you studied in another city, you were like this. Now that you've returned, I'm afraid you'll be hard to change." This younger brother of mine has always been flirtatious. Although he's slightly chubby and his features are not bad, girls like him very much. Ever since little Zeng Na held him in her arms when she was young, sleeping with him as well, Zeng Yuan, who grew up in a warm environment, is basically a radish with colorful spots in the middle. Of course, I know everything about his affairs from my world.

Zeng Yuan felt very embarrassed and smiled awkwardly, "Forget it then. Telling you was useless anyway. But I've always been curious: Wang Yue is three years older than you and now she's the boss of the store. She's beautiful and more mature than a sister. She knows a lot... Sometimes when I chat with her, she worships you... Could it be because your grades are good"

Su Can smiled and said, "Yes, that should be the reason."

Zeng Yuan gave him a doubtful look but still sighed faintly. "My sister will take the college entrance exam this year, and after she takes it, she'll leave... Brother, you seem like you're going to take the exam in two years as well... Your grades should be good enough for an excellent university. Recently my dad has been scolding me because I'm not studying hard enough. When all of you have left, only I will remain here. Then I would follow him around... That's exactly what I don't want! I think that you should quickly go out and strive, so in the future, I'll rely on you and my sister. It is said that my sister wants to study at a university in Rongcheng. After both of you have established yourselves elsewhere, I will come to seek your support. Then even if I don't study, it's fine!"

Su Can glanced at him. "It’s like leveling up in a game. People need to constantly absorb experiences and grow step by step. However, unlike RPGs where there are clear goals and the pleasure of upgrading, studying doesn’t provide tangible rewards for many abstract things. Furthermore, some things you may not want to do yourself. Blindly doing something without direction is normal!"

"Brother! I like this side of you; you never lecture me like my dad or big uncle. You talk about the essence of things. Maybe one day, I will suddenly have a desire to do something. Now Wang Yue is helping our aunt, and your family has opened three chain stores. My mom says business is very good. When you graduate from university and can’t find work, coming back to inherit your family’s business would be great! Hehe, if I don't get into college, I'll come help you. You have to give me an easy position!"

"Didn't you say that you wanted me to work for you" Su Can smiled.

"Tsk, that was just a moment of passion. Later, I thought about it and realized it wasn’t very realistic... If my dad were rich, or if I were the son of wealthy parents, or if we won 5 million one day, then everything would be fine! Why worry about grades Even if I don't get in, I can bribe someone to let me in, or sponsor a school some money. Could they really refuse to admit me Also, just give you and Wang Yue a few hundred thousand dollars, and you could make money for me... The main problem is that I’m not the son of wealthy parents! We don’t have any family business; we’re all ordinary people..."

Su Can’s eyes lit up with pleasure. "Being able to understand these things shows that you've grown a lot. If you want to change your ordinariness, then you should do it yourself."

As he spoke, they could see the wooden sign of the forest park from a distance. Su Can turned and left the road, heading towards the dense woods on the side, with Zeng Yuan following closely behind. They walked through the dry leaves, making crunching sounds, while Zeng Yuan asked, "Brother, where are we going Are you really looking for an old castle"

Su Cen smiled but didn't say anything, and continued to move through the bushes.

In the distance, there appeared a vast expanse of grassland with undulating terrain. Zeng Yuan was amazed; she ran two steps forward, then froze in place. Before her were villas with red brick walls, their peaked roofs giving them an elegant European style. The spacing between each villa was quite wide, separated by fences and arranged at different elevations. Various bouquets of flowers were scattered around, blooming brilliantly—a scene that resembled a utopia.

"Brother... where are we" Zeng Yuan looked at Su Cen in astonishment. "There really is an ancient castle... your classmate lives here"

"Come with me." Following the fence of one extremely luxurious-looking villa, Su Cen found a suitable spot to use as leverage and leaped over, landing perfectly on the flower bed inside. The flowers were tulips in alternating shades of purple and yellow, very eye-catching.

Zeng Yuan's eyes widened—had she seen correctly They had just jumped over the wall! This made her feel incredibly excited; she followed suit and climbed up as well. After Su Cen reminded her to be careful not to damage someone else’s flowers, she then lowered herself down.

The floor inside was paved with tiles, but it seemed that the owner hadn’t been around for a long time since there was a thin layer of dust on the ground. Up ahead was a pond which appeared to have once been an open water body now enclosed within the villa grounds. The decoration here looked quite exquisite; this area was lower in elevation and when one looked up, they could see another set of steps leading towards the main building atop the villa. From there, a cement path connected directly to the main gate and extended out to the public road outside.

On the left side was a garage.

The courtyard had white jade tiles; the glass door was tightly closed. Through some of the windows, one could see the interior living room, dining area, and kitchen. The furniture inside, including sofas and kitchenware, were all unique in design. Although it wasn’t possible to go up to the second or third floor, every terrace, window, and potted plant displayed a tasteful elegance.

Creeping into this compound secretly was enough to give one an extremely thrilling feeling.

Su Cen reached the edge of the pond and lay down on the ground leisurely. He turned over and winked at Zeng Yuan with a smile, "Let’s take a bath."half when faced with trouble.And Su Can His admission form listed both parents as ordinary workers; he had average performance across all subjects and was suspected of early romance with Tang Wu. He w...