After he finished speaking, he lowered his head and went back to tapping and hammering at the broken little stool. He seemed perfectly calm and composed, not the least bit nervous.

The three of them looked at each other in dismay.

It was already past four in the afternoon when they had planned to head down the mountain. The rainy, gloomy weather was making the sky grow darker by the minute, and if they waited any longer, the temperature would drop significantly.

"Can you give us a specific time?" Chen Yuan asked, feeling uneasy.

"That depends on whether the fog clears. I can’t say for sure," the old man mumbled.

"And if it doesn’t clear, are we supposed to just wait forever?"

"There are hotels on the mountain. If it gets dark, you can find a place to stay and wait until tomorrow. This has happened plenty of times before."

The old man’s answer made their hearts sink.

There were hardly any staff on the entire mountain, and the facilities were dilapidated. Even if there was a hotel, it couldn’t be very good.

It definitely couldn’t compare to the warmth and comfort of home.

Besides, the two sisters always had trouble sleeping in new beds. That time they went to Sanya, it took a huge effort for them to finally fall asleep. Their brows furrowed at the thought.

"Young Master, if we can’t take the cable car, can we walk down?" Jiangg Yao asked, her eyes filled with worry as she squeezed Chen Yuan’s fingers.

"The steps are very slippery. It’s too dangerous."

"Then what do we do...? I don’t want to stay on the mountain. It’s so gloomy and spooky."

"Don’t worry," Chen Yuan could only comfort them in a low voice, seeing as there was no other choice. "Let’s wait a bit. The rain is already letting up. Maybe we’ll be able to go down soon. Even if we can’t, I’ll figure something out."

"Okay."

"I remember there’s a time limit for the cable car. It doesn’t run after dark," Jiangg Ning suddenly piped up.

"The young lady is right. In another hour, the cable car service stops, and then I get to clock out."

The old man’s laid-back attitude was getting on their nerves. He stubbed out the last of his cigarette butt and tossed it onto the muddy ground.

Jiangg Yao had already cursed him out silently several times. After a moment, she pouted and turned her head away.

There was nothing to do but wait anxiously.

This was where Chen Yuan’s thoughtfulness and consideration shone through. He took on the role of their mainstay, distracting the two sisters with other topics and offering a few words of comfort now and then. He managed to inject some life and humor into the grueling wait, making it less of an ordeal.

In the end, fate wasn’t too cruel to the three of them.

In just half an hour, the water vapor hanging in the air had thinned considerably, and a gleam of hope sparked in Jiangg Yao’s eyes.

She hurried over to ask Chen Yuan.

"Does this mean we can go down the mountain now?"

"I think so. Wait here, I’ll go ask that old man. If he says yes, we won’t have to stay here tonight."

"Then go ask him quickly, Young Master."

Urged on by Jiangg Yao, Chen Yuan strode to the door of the sheet-metal hut and knocked on the staff member’s door.

A moment later, the door finally opened.

’Well, I’ll be.’

So the three of them were outside freezing, their noses running, while this old geezer was inside enjoying the air conditioning. The atmosphere in his room was as warm as a spring day.

Chen Yuan cursed inwardly but kept a smile on his face.

"Sir, do you think we can take the cable car down now?" he asked.

"What’s the rush? The fog won’t clear that fast."

Annoyed at being disturbed, the wrinkled old fellow waved his hand dismissively and tried to shut the door.

But Chen Yuan’s expression darkened, and he directly blocked the door.

"You’d better go look."

Chen Yuan, who was over six feet tall, looked down imperiously at the stooped old man, his eyes filled with malice.

Some older people in society are like that. The friendlier you are to them, the more they think you’re a pushover. It completely goes against the basic principle of mutual respect.

The old man, his temples graying, felt the force holding the door in place. He looked up at Chen Yuan in a panic, afraid the strong young man might do something rash.

"Alright, alright, I’ll take a look. No need to be so pushy..."

Half a minute later, the old man finally relented, saying it was clear enough to take the cable car down.

"Eighty per person, so that’s two-forty for the three of you. Scan the code on my window to pay."

"Payment sent."

"Listen up. Do not, under any circumstances, remove your safety harness while on the cable car. If you take it off on your own and something happens, we’re not responsible. Don’t open the door either. When you get to the destination, have someone open it for you, then just follow the signs to the parking lot."

Chen Yuan listened to the old man’s indifferent instructions as he guided the two sisters, heads bowed, into the cramped metal cabin. He climbed in last, checking all three of their safety harnesses while glancing around at the dilapidated walls.

To be honest, looking at such crude facilities made him a little worried.

But this tourist area had been operating for many years, one way or another. Chen Yuan had climbed other mountains before, and their cable cars had all been just as decrepit. They often looked dangerous, but the actual probability of an accident was extremely low.

The ride was just a bit more heart-pounding, that’s all.

"Are you all settled in?"

"Yes!"

The three of them answered like kindergarteners sitting in a row.

With a cringe-inducing CREAK and SQUEAL, the steel cable shuddered, and the metal cabin began to sway from side to side. Jiangg Ning and Jiangg Yao felt like they couldn’t stay seated.

In their panic, Jiangg Yao frantically grabbed onto Ningning beside her, and Ningning, in turn, grabbed Chen Yuan. Feeling the combined force of the two sisters, Chen Yuan gripped a nearby handrail so tightly the veins on his hand bulged, barely managing to steady himself.

"Why is it tilting so much!?"

"It’s fine! It should even out in a second. We’re going down—"

The cable car accelerated to an unimaginable speed, shooting down the steel cable like a sharp sword plunging toward the base of the mountain. It was more thrilling than any roller coaster at an amusement park.

A moment later, a unified scream from the two sisters erupted inside the metal cabin.