CHAPTER 140: CHAPTER 140: MEMORIES (40)

Ethan Harper listened to the bits of conversation around him, glanced at the long staircase below, and planned to continue climbing.

He needed to hurry back to find Florence Fuller.

But just as he took a step forward, he paused and looked back at the long staircase below.

A figure in a purple windbreaker, long hair tied low at the back, carrying a backpack, was climbing hard with her head down.

After a while, she looked up and saw Ethan Harper at the rest pavilion.

Ethan Harper looked at her and smiled slightly.

Florence Fuller took a couple of deep breaths and climbed to the rest pavilion in one go, not entering, just staring at Ethan Harper.

But Ethan Harper was laughing.

The strangers inside the rest pavilion looked at Florence Fuller and then at Ethan Harper, and one person joked, "Did the young couple have a fight?"

Florence Fuller glanced at the person speaking and then looked at Ethan Harper.

"But handsome, why don’t you wait for your girlfriend to climb the mountain together? Your girlfriend is so pretty, be careful she might leave you halfway," said another.

"Exactly!" Florence Fuller was indeed a bit angry. She sat down and regretted it, grabbed her backpack, and followed.

But she never thought Ethan Harper would climb so fast.

The path zigzagged, with both stairs and flat ground. She didn’t dare rest much for fear of not catching up with Ethan Harper.

Ethan Harper stopped smiling, "Okay, I was wrong."

Florence Fuller: "Let’s go!"

Ethan Harper nodded, and the people in the rest pavilion waved at them, "We’ll see if we can catch up with you later."

"See you later," Ethan Harper responded politely.

"Want some water?" Ethan Harper asked.

"No."

"Hungry?"

"No."

"Tired?"

"No."

"Why did you come?"

"Because..." Florence Fuller hesitated, "because everything was ready, it’d be a shame not to go."

"Really? Not for me?"

"Certainly not."

Florence Fuller couldn’t quite tell what she was thinking. She casually agreed to go climbing with Ethan Harper, but didn’t actually want to move.

She planned to take a nap in the car but couldn’t fall asleep no matter what.

She wondered why she wouldn’t go since she was already here.

But Ethan Harper had already gone ahead.

Could she catch up by climbing now?

What if she couldn’t catch up—could she finish the climb herself?

Could she do it?

Then she thought, why couldn’t she do it?

So in that moment, she grabbed her bag, got out of the car, and resolutely stepped onto the stone steps.

After climbing the first section, she regretted it.

But she was never one to give up halfway, so going back was impossible.

"How far is it to the top from here?"

"Not far," Ethan Harper kept pace with her, the two walking side by side, "very soon."

"You’re lying to me, right?"

"No."

Florence Fuller bit her lip, looking at him half-believingly.

"Keep going."

Halfway up, the clouds above were blown away, sunlight poured down, accompanied by a slightly cold wind, a perfect day for climbing.

"Seems like..." Florence Fuller looked up, "it won’t rain."

Ethan Harper looked up as well.

"I’m glad I came," she murmured.

At four in the afternoon, the two reached the mountain top.

The summit offered a view overlooking the entire city. Florence Fuller sat on the ground, her legs weak from exhaustion.

They weren’t the only ones who reached the top, but there weren’t many people that day, sparsely scattered taking photos.

Sitting on the ground, Florence Fuller looked at the distant, miniature version of the entire city and sighed, "Turns out Cloudsea City is so big."

In the three years since she’d returned, she’d barely visited the places in Cloudsea City.

Ethan Harper sat down beside her, "You might not know, but the year my leg healed, I climbed here alone."

Florence Fuller looked surprised, "I really didn’t know."

"Then why did you come?" Florence Fuller asked.

Ethan Harper: "I wanted to know if my leg was really healed. I also wanted to see if I could still climb mountains."

Florence Fuller always felt his words had a double meaning.

"The weather was excellent that day, but it started drizzling once I reached the top," Ethan Harper said, "but it didn’t seem to affect me."

"You had already reached the top," Florence Fuller said.

"Yeah, and haven’t we too?" Ethan Harper looked at her.

Florence Fuller blinked, "I know you brought me out to clear my mind, but this mountain climbing is quite exhausting."

The first part she pushed through, and by halfway, she felt it was a shame not to continue since she was already here.

"Tiredness is good, it stops you from thinking about other things, and you can let your mind go blank," the voices of strangers around them didn’t seem to bother the two, Ethan Harper said, looking at her, "You’re very tired, right?"

Florence Fuller hummed in agreement.

The sunset cast a golden hue over the mountain top.

Florence Fuller silently gazed at the distant world, exhaling deeply.

At the moment of letting go, it felt truly comfortable.

"After the sunset, say goodbye to past sorrows, and welcome a new tomorrow."

Florence Fuller didn’t respond to him, just said, "Ethan Harper, let’s head down the mountain."

Ethan Harper readily agreed, "Of course. But only the top has the cable car down, so think carefully. You know how long the way up was; if you regret halfway, it’ll be too late."

"I certainly know." She stood up, brushing off the grass on her, "Take a picture for me, I want to commemorate it."

Ethan Harper took out his phone and snapped a couple of pictures. Florence Fuller pulled him in for a selfie.

Ethan Harper pocketed his phone, "Seven hours to climb up, let’s bet how long it’ll take to get down."

Florence Fuller thought for a moment, "Up was slow, down faster, four hours."

Ethan Harper reached out his hand.

Florence Fuller slapped her hand onto his.

"Then let’s make it to the mountain’s base in four hours, okay?"

"Okay."

The sun set in the west, the twilight gradually darkening, Florence Fuller bit into a candy, hands in pockets, as they walked down the mountain.

There was almost no one going down.

Just the two of them.

Even with the spotlight lamps, it was nighttime, pitch black, and Florence Fuller was a bit scared, reaching for Ethan Harper’s hand.

"Scared."

"Hmm," she nodded, "but you’re here."

Ethan Harper chuckled softly, "I’m scared too, but you’re here."

Florence Fuller knew he was teasing her, couldn’t help but laugh, "Will my legs be very sore tomorrow?"

"Do some relaxation, stretching when we get back, but it might be, a bit."

"Alright."

"School starts in a couple of days, rest well these days, give yourself a break."

"Okay!"

Halfway down, Florence Fuller and Ethan Harper encountered some people night climbing, seemingly to see the morning sunrise, and asked how long it would take to reach the top.

"Soon," Florence Fuller looked at Ethan Harper, "the sunset is beautiful, the sunrise should be even more so."

They smiled, "All the better, makes it worthwhile traveling such a long way here."