Chapter 121: Journey to Jade Spring Mountain

The petite Scirocco sped along the national highway, filled with the melodic and infectious tunes of The Cranberries emanating from Su Ruoran’s iPod. The music perfectly complemented the couple’s delightful mood at that very moment.

Having set off shortly after seven in the morning, Zhang Wenhao pulled the car up to the edge of the Yuquan Mountain Reservoir before nine. With the mountain standing over 1,200 meters tall, even the reservoir, built on a relatively gentle slope, sat at an elevation of four or five hundred meters. After navigating over ten kilometers of winding mountain roads, the view opened up spectacularly upon reaching the water’s edge.

Spring was in full bloom on Yuquan Mountain; the area was teeming with vitality. The reservoir itself was vast, stretching beyond the horizon. The open, pleasant scenery made Zhang Wenhao and Su Ruoran feel that the trip was well worth it even before they stepped out of the car.

Jiangcheng was not a tourist city, and its economic development was lackluster, which had hindered the growth of its tourism industry. Even a spot like the Yuquan Mountain Reservoir could not attract out-of-town visitors for a dedicated trip. Locals generally only visited during the scorching summer for water recreation or to escape the heat, leaving the area nearly deserted in the spring.

Zhang Wenhao parked on a beach at the middle section of the reservoir. Aside from them, there was no one in sight—water ahead, mountains and trees behind—it was an idyllic setting.

Once the car was parked, Su Ruoran began helping Zhang Wenhao unload the trunk. Zhang took on the heavy lifting, saying, “Ruoran, go find a nice patch of grass and spread out the picnic blanket.”

Su Ruoran nodded, clutching the checkered blanket they had picked out at the supermarket the night before, and found a dry, level spot of green grass to lay it out.

By the time she finished, Zhang Wenhao had brought over all their supplies. Since it wasn’t quite lunchtime, he simply arranged everything and set up the charcoal grill, though he held off on lighting the coals.

Su Ruoran pulled a compact camera from her bag and said, “Let’s walk around first. The scenery is so beautiful, we should take some pictures.”

Zhang Wenhao agreed; it was quiet and peaceful with no other tourists around.

Su Ruoran was in high spirits, pulling Zhang Wenhao along as she explored. She photographed everything she found beautiful, occasionally snapping candid shots of him when he wasn’t looking. When Zhang tried to snatch the camera to delete the unflattering ones, she refused, insisting they were all significant and that every photo taken today must be preserved.

Zhang Wenhao eventually took the camera from her to snap a few pictures of her against the scenery. Su Ruoran was not only beautiful but also very photogenic; even through a simple point-and-shoot camera, she looked flawless.

After taking dozens of photos and walking a long way along the shore, Su Ruoran lamented that she hadn't thought to bring a tripod. In such a desolate place, finding someone to take a photo of them together was like a pipe dream.

Zhang Wenhao had a sudden idea and led Su Ruoran along the bank, searching for anything that could support the camera.

Finding a severed tree stump, he placed the camera on its flat surface, then sat with Su Ruoran on the dry grass. As they wrapped their arms around each other, Su Ruoran leaned her head against his shoulder like a fledgling bird.

In the photos, both wore natural smiles, radiating the sweetness of their bond. They spent the rest of the time walking and stopping, capturing nearly a hundred pictures of their affectionate day.

As noon approached, they returned to the car. They divided the labor: Zhang was responsible for lighting the fire, while Su organized the ingredients and seasonings.

The charcoal they bought at the supermarket proved difficult to light, appearing somewhat damp. By the time Su had everything ready, Zhang was still struggling, having gone through several sheets of paper without producing even a spark.

Su Ruoran stood by, snapping photos of the disheveled Zhang Wenhao, teasing, “I told you we should have bought kerosene, but you wouldn’t let me.”

Zhang Wenhao smirked awkwardly. “Kerosene ruins the taste. The food wouldn't be good.”

“So what now?” Su asked with a smile. “If you burn through all the paper and still can’t light the charcoal, we’ll go hungry. Everything I bought is raw.”

“If it doesn’t light in half an hour, I’ll just use some gasoline,” he replied. Su wasn't worried; she just crouched nearby, watching him bustle about and teasing him whenever he feigned frustration, which made her genuinely happy.

Perhaps because the sun had dried the charcoal, after twenty minutes of effort, Zhang finally got it lit. Even then, only a small portion caught fire. He puffed out his cheeks, blowing steadily on the smoking coals until they glowed red, then carefully placed them into the grill.

His face was smudged with soot, but he was so focused on the fire that he didn't notice Su Ruoran capturing every moment of his bedraggled appearance.

Once the coals were burning well, he began grilling the food. Su Ruoran hopped into the driver’s seat, opened the doors to let the music play, then put the camera away and returned to help him.

This was Zhang Wenhao’s first time grilling. The problem was that his culinary training was in Chinese cuisine, which didn't cover barbecue, so he had to rely on intuition, constantly flipping and seasoning, which left him feeling a bit flustered.

Fortunately, he had a solid foundation in cooking, and within ten minutes, the aroma of grilled meat filled the air.

Having spent the whole morning wandering and wasting time on the fire, they were ravenous. When the skewers were nearly done, they abandoned all notions of a romantic, leisurely barbecue and began to devour the food as soon as the first batch was ready.

Because he had to drive, Zhang hadn't bought alcohol, only soft drinks. Regardless, the food tasted excellent. Even with their high spirits, they had bought too much; by the end, they couldn't finish it all. Zhang extinguished the fire, and they sat on the picnic blanket, embracing and chatting.

For Su Ruoran, being alone with Zhang Wenhao in such a beautiful, undisturbed place was a rare and joyous occasion. She wrapped her arms around his waist and whispered, “If only we could always be like this.”

“What’s wrong?” Zhang asked with a smile. “If you want, we can do this every day.”

She shook her head and laughed. “I mean this feeling of being carefree and undisturbed.”

Zhang smiled softly, stroking her smooth cheek. “After the college entrance exams, we’ll be completely free. Then I’ll go wherever you want to go.”

Su Ruoran sighed. “After the exams, I’m afraid I have to go back to Beijing. My family hasn't seen me in six months, and they’ll definitely miss me. Plus, I’ll likely go abroad with my mother to visit my grandmother. I’m afraid I won't see you for a while.”

Zhang nodded. “It’s right to spend time with family. But as soon as summer break ends, we have to register for school. Then we can be together every day, and since we’ll be living on campus, we’ll have plenty of time.”

She looked at him and asked, “Do you remember what you promised me?”

Zhang smiled calmly. “Of course. A tandem bicycle. I’ll definitely buy one by then and ride it to your dorm to pick you up every day.”

Su Ruoran smiled sweetly and nodded. She had only mentioned it in passing, and the fact that he remembered filled her with happiness. Her mind drifted to Beijing University; she was familiar with the campus and couldn't help but envision their future there.

Zhang Wenhao, meanwhile, was planning his own future. College meant entering a new stage of life, yet he still lacked a clear direction.

Most of his peers were similarly lost, having no real plans beyond getting into a good college and figuring things out later. But Zhang didn't want to drift through life. College was within his reach, but the knowledge he would gain there held little appeal—not with his Super Learning System. He had to decide what path he truly wanted to take.

When Su Ruoran’s mother, Nie Minhui, had asked about his future and offered three paths, he had decisively rejected a career in politics. With his system, working for someone else seemed unlikely; business was the most probable option. But how should he start? When?

He felt a measure of pressure. He wanted his parents to live a life free of worry and to provide enough material security for his family, Su Ruoran, and those around him. But he lacked the means to earn money right now. Moreover, Su Ruoran’s family background was powerful; his nature forbade him from relying on them. To give her a life not inferior to what she was used to, he had to rely on himself.

The Super Learning System contained plenty of money-making skills—corporate management, stock futures, financial investment—but these were merely tools. In today’s society, talent didn't guarantee wealth. If he knew a stock was going to soar tomorrow, how much capital could he actually invest? Earning a hundred percent return on a hundred million sounded impressive, but it required having that hundred million to begin with. Earning a hundred percent on ten thousand was the same ratio, but it would take forever to reach a satisfactory level of wealth.

He felt a faint sense of helplessness. Su Ruoran didn't demand anything of him, but that didn't mean he could be content letting her live a life of scarcity. His parents had suffered their whole lives; they had never craved great wealth, but even the two million yuan provided by Director Han felt like a fortune to them. Yet, what could two million do? Buy an apartment in Jiangcheng, some decent renovations, high-end appliances, and a car—the money would be gone in a flash.

Then there was the scum, Mo Sinan. The reason Mo was so arrogant and fearless was his immense wealth and background. He acted as if he lived in a different world, even attempting to run Zhang over as if his life were meaningless, confident that he could easily escape any consequences.

It seemed that to establish a firm footing in this society, physical strength was only one aspect. The entire incident with Mo Sinan proved this: Mo could act on his murderous impulses openly, while Zhang had to plan meticulously without leaving a trace. He feared he lacked the power to confront the forces behind Mo, whereas Mo never had to worry about such things.

Since obtaining the Super Learning System, his life had changed dramatically—from a struggling student to a top-tier scholar, from someone with no prospect of college to a candidate for the best universities, from a nobody to a master of many skills. He should have been content, but after these events, Zhang finally understood: there was still much he lacked.