Financial Independence through Cracked Apps

Chapter 369 - 194: Ascending to Gaze Afar

Lin Shen’s suggestion left Qin Yuenan in a bit of a daze.

She vaguely remembered their first time climbing a mountain together. An accident had happened midway, and he had carried her down on his back.

She’d even had an incredible dream that night because of it.

Even now, whenever Qin Yuenan thought back on it, she still felt a sense of shame and embarrassment. She couldn’t help but wonder...

’Could it be that I fell in love with Lin Shen at first sight back then?’

Seeing the broad back Lin Shen presented as he crouched down, Qin Yuenan rejected his kind offer this time.

"No, it’s fine. I can still walk."

Qin Yuenan took a step forward, pulled Lin Shen up, and continued climbing the mountain.

Looking up, a "chain of light" formed by the countless flashlights of the hikers stretched from the mountainside up into the clouds, disappearing into the depths of the night sky.

After leaving the Central Celestial Gate, they reached Taishan’s most famous section: the "Eighteen Bends."

It consisted of over sixteen hundred steps in total, and the slope was incredibly steep.

You could say it was the most physically demanding and intimidating part of the entire ascent—a true nightmare for tourists!

Coupled with the poor visibility at night and a cool breeze that pricked the skin, it was enough to make one’s heart falter with fear.

So Qin Yuenan gripped Lin Shen’s hand tightly, treating him like her lifeline as she stressed,

"Don’t let go!"

"Okay."

Lin Shen gave a doting smile and began to climb, leading Qin Yuenan by the hand.

Although there were many tourists on the path, everyone was panting for breath. The sound of heavy breathing rose and fell, but there was very little conversation.

Qin Yuenan was the same.

But thankfully, she had someone to rely on.

Her hand held tightly in Lin Shen’s warm, large one, Qin Yuenan looked up at his broad, reassuring back, and a profound sense of happiness welled up in her heart once more.

She had been feeling very lost lately.

Quitting her job had felt great, but the unknown path ahead left Qin Yuenan feeling a little melancholic.

She really wanted to help Lin Shen build a successful career, but she didn’t know if they would succeed.

If they failed, she could accept it. After all, she had her family as a safety net.

But could Lin Shen, who came from a modest background and had such a strong-willed personality, accept it?

Qin Yuenan was terrified that the blow would leave him unable to recover, that he would just give up on himself.

If that really happened, she would have no idea what to do.

She was terrible at comforting people and didn’t know how to handle a man’s pride.

But now, Qin Yuenan felt like she might have been overthinking things.

From these past few hours of climbing Taishan at night, it seemed Lin Shen wasn’t the type of person to give up at the first sign of a setback.

His personality was more resolute than most. He hadn’t complained about being tired or in pain the entire way, and even when his head was covered in sweat, he would just wipe it off with a tissue himself.

Besides, the fact that he’d improved his own situation by losing weight was proof enough. Lin Shen was truly a very strong person.

Whenever she thought about this admirable quality of his, a deep sense of love and adoration for him would inexplicably blossom in her heart.

This was the most crucial reason she had fallen in love with Lin Shen.

"Thank you."

Qin Yuenan took a few steps to walk shoulder-to-shoulder with Lin Shen, then took the initiative to kiss his cheek. She pulled out a tissue to wipe the sweat from his forehead and said softly,

"You’ve worked so hard."

"It’s nothing. Holding your hand doesn’t take any effort."

Lin Shen smiled gently and tightened his grip on Qin Yuenan’s hand.

「Just like that, over an hour later, it was 3:30 in the morning.」

Supporting each other, Lin Shen and Qin Yuenan successfully reached the South Celestial Gate!

As he stepped onto the final stair, Lin Shen let out a long sigh of relief. His tense, exhausted body instantly relaxed, and an unprecedented sense of satisfaction and accomplishment washed over him.

Of course, that was mixed with a single, damn thought.

’These stairs are so damn long!’

Once they reached the South Celestial Gate, the mountain wind suddenly picked up, and the temperature dropped sharply.

Lin Shen wrapped his windbreaker tighter around himself, feeling the temperature on his skin was only around sixteen degrees Celsius.

Maybe even lower!

"What do you think? Cold, isn’t it?"

Seeing Qin Yuenan shivering from the cold, Lin Shen quickly pulled her into a tight hug, not forgetting to tease her a bit.

"Was I right when I told you not to wear so little back at the hotel?"

"Mhm."

Qin Yuenan hugged Lin Shen’s body tightly, continuously drawing warmth from his embrace. She buried her face deep into his chest and said in a muffled voice,

"Let’s go rent one of those military greatcoats. I see a shop over there."

"Okay."

Beyond the gate of the South Celestial Gate was the famous "Celestial Street."

The area was brightly lit and bustling with people.

The flagstone path was lined with hotels and shops of all sizes. Mist often drifted past, making it feel as though they were in a fairyland—beautiful and dreamlike.

People were renting greatcoats, eating instant noodles, and finding places to shelter from the wind... The place was filled with the lively energy of the mortal world, only it was all happening above the clouds at an altitude of over a thousand meters, giving it a unique charm.

"Boss, we’d like to rent two greatcoats."

Lin Shen had just held up two fingers to the shopkeeper when Qin Yuenan immediately added,

"One is enough."

Huh?

Lin Shen froze for a second, and Qin Yuenan muttered under her breath,

"The greatcoats are so big, the two of us can share one. We’ll save money."

"..."

’You’re a former company director who made over a million a year before you quit, and I’m making over two hundred thousand a day. You’re telling me we can’t afford to rent a fifty or a hundred-yuan greatcoat?’

Lin Shen didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

It was obvious this was just an excuse Qin Yuenan had come up with to be close and cuddly with him.

But because she was too reserved to say it outright, she had to use this method to maintain her last shred of a cool, aloof facade.

Lin Shen smiled knowingly. He didn’t expose Qin Yuenan’s little scheme and simply rented one greatcoat from the boss before they immediately headed for Jade Emperor Peak.

That was the best spot to watch the sunrise.

Lin Shen had thought he was plenty early.

The sun was due to rise a little after five, but he had pulled Qin Yuenan to their destination just after four o’clock.

But when they got there, he discovered that a large crowd of tourists had already gathered to wait. Some were even wrapped in greatcoats, sleeping on the ground.

’These people are seriously dedicated!’

Lin Shen complained silently to himself, then quickly pulled Qin Yuenan to find a relatively good viewing spot.

By now, the sky was already beginning to shift from inky black to a deep blue, then to a gradually emerging crab-shell green.

Lin Shen sat on the ground, leaning against a large rock that blocked the wind and using his backpack as a cushion.

Seeing this, Qin Yuenan tactfully leaned back against his sturdy chest, nestling her delicate frame in his embrace.

This way, when they draped the greatcoat over the front, it easily enveloped them both.

They were shielded from the wind and the cold, as if they were in a small shelter at the end of the world.

Qin Yuenan seemed to love this secure environment, curling her legs up and hiding in Lin Shen’s arms just like a well-behaved kitten.

Lin Shen, however, wasn’t quite so comfortable.

The cold wind on the mountaintop would occasionally lift strands of Qin Yuenan’s dark hair, whipping them across Lin Shen’s face. Some even flew into his mouth.

"Ptooey! Ptooey!"

Hearing the sounds from behind her, Qin Yuenan looked up and couldn’t help but laugh. She quickly found a hair tie and gathered her soft, dark hair in front of her, cooing,

"It’s cooold~ Hold me tighter!"

"Okay, okay."

Lin Shen tightened his arms around Qin Yuenan’s fragrant shoulders, resting his elbows on her curled-up knees.

The pose was so intimate and ambiguous that she couldn’t resist taking out her phone to snap a few selfies.

Although they both looked a little tired, their hair was a mess from the wind, and they could barely keep their eyes open, their faces were still alight with brilliant, excited smiles.

Nothing could be more perfect than this.

Qin Yuenan truly wished she could freeze this moment and stay with Lin Shen forever.

"Lin Shen."

"Hm...?"

"I like you."

"Hm!?"

Lin Shen froze for a moment. Seeing the deep affection in her eyes as she looked back at him, he smiled gently, kissed her cheek, and whispered,

"I like you, too."

"I love you."

"I love you, too."

The two whispered sweet nothings to each other. For once, the usually mischievous Lin Shen didn’t try to tease Qin Yuenan in his arms.

Gradually, fatigue and drowsiness washed over her, and she grew sleepy, resting her chin on Lin Shen’s forearm as she began to doze off.

As her consciousness drifted in a haze, an excited voice suddenly rang out by her ear.

"Nan, don’t fall asleep! The sun’s about to come out!"

?

A sudden chill made Qin Yuenan shiver, and her mind instantly cleared. She realized the sky had already completely brightened.

All around them, a huge crowd of tourists was now standing, everyone eagerly taking out their phones and cameras, waiting restlessly for the sunrise.

As time passed, the horizon slowly lightened to a pearly white, then a faint layer of orange-red began to bloom, spreading silently along the edges of the clouds.

Then, this warm hue gradually deepened, transforming into a flowing, orange-gold that outlined the sea of clouds with ever-increasing clarity.

The next second, a golden-red arc burst forth from the depths of the clouds. A myriad of rosy rays pierced through the cloud cover, splashing like shattered gold across the mountain peaks.

When the sun finally broke free from the shackles of the clouds, the entire world seemed to hit a pause button.

Then, in a burst of glory, the red sun emerged!