After Rebirth, I Married My Rival - Chapter 10

Chapter 10: Are You Doubting My Integrity?

“It’s way too sunny out here! I’m exhausted!”

Qi Wei let out a miserable wail, his face drenched in sweat from exhaustion, yet the mountaintop still seemed endlessly far away.

“Tch, I wonder who it was at the foot of the mountain saying Mount Tai wasn’t that high after all.” Xia Ke was also panting heavily but still couldn’t resist mocking Qi Wei.

Lin Wan’er was also drenched in fragrant sweat, while the several adults, all in their early forties, were naturally exhausted as well.

Xu Yuan wiped the sweat from his forehead, looking at the energetic Li Xinran, thinking to himself, “This girl is way too lively, isn’t she?”

But then again, it made sense. Li Xinran usually worked part-time delivering takeout, so her stamina was definitely better than that of students who rarely exercised.

“Xinran, what’s in your bag? It looks so stuffed—isn’t it heavy? Let me carry it for you.” Xu Yuan eyed the large backpack on Li Xinran’s shoulders. Though he was pretty tired himself, he couldn’t pass up the chance to be chivalrous.

Oh! I just remembered—I have a sun hat in my bag.

Xu Yuan’s reminder made Li Xinran clap her hands in realization. She took off the backpack behind her and pulled out seven or eight sun hats.

“This young lady came well-prepared. We didn’t even think of that,” Lin Jiadong turned to look at Li Xinran rummaging through her bag, visibly surprised.

“No wonder our Xiaoyuan has good taste. This girl is impressive,” Xu Donglai inexplicably felt somewhat proud.

Xu Yuan helped Li Xinran distribute the sun hats to everyone. With the hats, they could finally block some of the scorching sunlight.

Academic gods are truly academic gods, so thorough in everything they do.

“Thank you.” Lin Wan’er looked at the sun hat in her hand, then glanced at Xu Yuan and Li Xinran’s intimate demeanor, unconsciously biting her lip.

“Rare indeed, Wan’er. You actually said thank you to Xu Yuan.” Xia Ke also put on her sun hat and remarked to Lin Wan’er beside her.

Back when Xu Yuan used to hand things to you, you always took it for granted. It’s true—we only appreciate what we’ve lost.

How could Xia Ke not see through Lin Wan’er’s state of mind?
She had always thought that Xu Yuan was trying to provoke Lin Wan’er by pursuing someone else. Lin Wan’er probably thought the same way, which was why she kept waiting—waiting for Xu Yuan to be the first to break and revert to his old self, the Xu Yuan who doted on her endlessly.

To put it bluntly, Lin Wan’er was just playing a game of stubbornness with herself.

“Not at all,” Lin Wan’er shook her head vigorously, naturally unwilling to admit it.

Xia Ke shrugged and didn’t say anything more.

“When did you buy these? I had no idea!” Xu Yuan asked with pleasant surprise as he finished distributing the sun hats.

“I read the guide. The sun is so intense, of course we need to prepare in advance. I bought plenty, just two yuan each—super cheap.” Li Xinran pouted with a hint of pride.

Seeing her smug little expression, Xu Yuan couldn’t resist the urge to flick her forehead.

Let’s go… there’s still a long way ahead.

..

By noon, the group finally reached the mountainside.

Things on the mountain are really expensive, but there’s no helping it. After all, the cost of transporting goods up here is quite high, and with the added premium of being a tourist hotspot, it’s somewhat acceptable.

After a simple meal at the restaurant, everyone sat in the shade to rest for a while.

Xu Donglai and Lin Jiadong smoked cigarettes nearby, making Xu Yuan itch to join them. He shamelessly went over and asked for one.

“When did you pick up this habit?” Xu Donglai flicked the ash off his cigarette, clearly displeased.

“It’s understandable for men to smoke. Xiao Yuan will be dealing with people a lot in finance later on, so he should smoke when necessary,” Lin Jiadong comfortingly remarked from the side.

Xu Yuan gave a sheepish smile but remained silent.

“Tourism is a lucrative business. TA City is much livelier than our Jiangcheng, packed with people during holidays,” Lin Jiadong couldn’t help but sigh with emotion. His entrepreneurial aspirations had never truly faded.

“Actually, when cities promote tourism development, they might not necessarily profit from it—they could even lose money,” Xu Yuan interjected with a smile upon hearing this.

Lin Jiadong glanced at Xu Yuan and asked somewhat puzzled, “How so?”

“Where there are people, there will be investment. With investment comes job opportunities, which can retain more local labor and attract external workforce.

With more people, basic needs like food, housing, and daily necessities must be met, driving the development of related industries and attracting further external investments to boost economic growth.

Otherwise, how much money can you really make just from ticket sales?”

Xu Yuan spoke unhurriedly, explaining some fundamental principles—this was why some said that with enough money, one could never squander it all in a lifetime.

With a robust enough capital chain, following the objective laws of the market and aligning with the broader trends, it’s hard to end up poor. Of course, this doesn’t mean one can’t go bankrupt due to unforeseen circumstances, and bankruptcy is entirely different from being poor.

“Makes sense, but these methods aren’t something we can use, nor do we have the means to,” Lin Jiadong said with a smile. The logic was simple, but after all, businesses and individuals could never operate this way.

“In essence, doing business boils down to supply and demand. The key is how to build this chain. Where there are people, there will be demand—creating a tourist destination serves exactly that purpose,” Xu Yuan remarked calmly.

Take a business example from his previous life—just a few years after graduation, additive-free food suddenly became a sensation.

People suddenly developed immense skepticism toward the oil, salt, soy sauce, and vinegar they had consumed for over a decade.

Even when authorities explained from a scientific standpoint that all properly labeled foods were safe,

consumers had already been subtly influenced, developing a degree of distrust, and this supply-demand dynamic became unshakable.

Because in their promotional process, they only tell the truth about how excessive food additives can indeed be harmful, but they never inform consumers that trace amounts of additives can be fully metabolized by a healthy individual.

Of course, even if they were told, it probably wouldn’t make much difference. Seeking advantage and avoiding harm is human nature.

..

I’m really getting old, can’t keep up with the pace of you youngsters.
Bai Qiu and Li Xiang supported each other, their faces already pale with exhaustion.

Not just them—Xu Donglai and Lin Jiadong were in the same state.

Qi Wei and Xia Ke were also dragging themselves along half-dead, leaning on each other for support.

Xu Yuan held Lin Wan’er with one hand and Li Xinran with the other. The two girls were probably about to collapse, and he himself was drenched in sweat, panting heavily from exhaustion.

Xiao Yuan, you kids go ahead. Us old folks can’t climb anymore—we’re turning back.

After some discussion, the adults decided to head back down the mountain and return to the hotel first.

Brother Yuan, how much farther is it?

Qi Wei groaned in frustration—he genuinely wanted to head down the mountain together, but Xia Ke stubbornly insisted on staying and wouldn’t let him leave.

“Just hang in there a little longer, maybe we’ll catch the sunset.” Xu Yuan had no choice. He’d told his mom earlier that halfway up the mountain, you couldn’t see the sunrise or sunset—and now it turned out he was absolutely right.

..

Xu Yuan never expected that his final outcome would be dragging along four others.

First, he helped Li Xinran, then Lin Wan’er, followed by Qi Wei, and finally Xia Ke.

Fortunately, hard work paid off, and we finally reached the mountaintop.

Everyone slumped into their chairs, long since drained of the energetic enthusiasm they’d had during the ascent.

“So beautiful!”

Xia Ke gazed at the sunset on the horizon, her eyes suddenly sparkling with vitality as if she’d been rejuvenated.

“Qi Wei, get up and take photos for me now!” Xia Ke pushed at Qi Wei, who had practically melted into a puddle.

“Wan’er, join us! It’s so beautiful here—we have to take a picture! How else can we prove we made it to the summit?” Xia Ke called out to Lin Wan’er as well.

“Should we take one too?” Xu Yuan glanced at Li Xinran, whose cheeks were flushed red like persimmons.

“Oh… okay.” Li Xinran nodded weakly, barely mustering any energy.

Xu Yuan carefully removed the glasses from the other’s face, watching their naturally clueless expression.

Li Xinran no longer had the strength to resist, allowing Xu Yuan to do as he pleased.

With their backs to the setting sun, Li Xinran leaned against Xu Yuan’s shoulder as they both flashed a peace sign together.

Lin Wan’er, who was taking photos with Xia Ke, couldn’t help but feel an inexplicable envy as she witnessed this scene.

Xu Yuan really didn’t seem to belong to her anymore.

After taking photos with Xia Ke, Lin Wan’er ran over again and said to Xu Yuan with a smile, “Xu Yuan, let’s take one together too, okay?”

Xu Yuan didn’t think too much about it and nodded in agreement.

The group continued fooling around for quite a while, taking at least 100 photos before they were satisfied.

Brother Yuan, there are only three tents left when renting over there. How should we distribute them?

“I hope you can be more sensible.” Xu Yuan gave him a look.

Qi Wei was stunned at first, then immediately caught on, thumping his chest as he declared: “I prefer to sleep alone!”

As the last rays of the sunset lingered, Li Xinran gradually regained her energy. Xu Yuan had her stand at a distance while he took another photo.

Is this okay?

A gentle breeze swept by, lifting strands of her long black hair. Bathed in the glow of the sunset, Li Xinran looked like a maiden straight out of a fairy tale. Xu Yuan found himself momentarily entranced—this must be what the ancients meant when they spoke of beauty akin to a painting.

..

“Xu Yuan, you’re going too far!” Xia Ke glared at him furiously. How dare this guy suggest sharing a tent with Li Xinran—it was clearly a scheme with ulterior motives.

“Xu Yuan, this isn’t appropriate. Xinran is, after all, a girl.” Lin Wan’er also frowned as she spoke.

Li Xinran stood there in a daze, unsure whether she should refuse. The sharp-witted Li Xinran from the class reunion that day now seemed oddly naive and clueless.

“You’re doubting my character! What if Qi Wei prefers to sleep alone? Three people can’t possibly squeeze into one tent,” Xu Yuan immediately retorted.

Hearing this, Qi Wei could only shrink back guiltily and withdraw from the argument.

“Character?” Xia Ke narrowed her eyes, genuinely skeptical.

If Xia Ke hadn’t witnessed Li Xinran’s true nature, she might have believed it. But Xu Yuan was very likely acting on his attraction to her beauty!

“Ahem… in public like this, what could I possibly do? It’s your minds that are too dirty. Xinran didn’t even say anything.” Seeing his character being questioned, Xu Yuan hurriedly defended himself.

“Xinran, what do you think?” Lin Wan’er looked at Li Xinran, eagerly anticipating her refusal.

“I… believe Xu Yuan.” Li Xinran adjusted her glasses. She hadn’t overthought it; she just didn’t want to make things difficult for everyone.

“See! Time reveals a man’s heart, and Xinran understands me.” Xu Yuan wore a smug expression that made people want to punch him.