Chapter 34 Exercise Can Make People Happy. After we climbed the slope, a flat asphalt road followed. Suddenly, Derek asked me if I wanted to learn how to ride a bike. To be honest, I envied Louise for being able to enjoy riding earlier, but I was too timid to learn. “There’s no need to worry. I’ll teach you,” said Derek. I began to ride in a crooked pattern. It took me a while before I gathered enough courage to ride steadily. As Louise rested nearby me, she clapped her hands with glee. “Eve, you’re a fast learner!”. When I looked back, I found that Derek was no longer supporting the bike, causing me to panic. Thus, my panic suddenly caused me to lose momentum and fall to the side. Fortunately, Derek caught me right in time. He chuckled and said, “This means that you’re capable of riding a bike now. You are just a bit timid. He was right. I was timid. In order to challenge myself, I rode the bicycle again. Later on, I became better and better. Though my skills remained poor, I had become more confident in riding the bike. I was sweating all over, and all the negative emotions I felt must’ve dissipated with the sweat. Soon, we stopped atop a mountain, where a viewing platform was located. I leaned against the railing, feeling delighted as the cool breeze brushed against my skin

“Exercise does make people h appy!” I said. Meanwhile, Felix gasped for air at the side, smiling obscenely. “It’s never to o late to find that out. Exercise can be done anywhere. You can even do it free ly at home! Like, on the bed, the sofa, the tea table, or perhaps the balcony. Right after he spoke, all of his friends laughed. Der ek leaned against the railing, lighting up a cigarett e. Suddenly, I found that his lips had formed a smile. Not long after, I under stood what Felix meant, and my face turned red. “Felix, stop bullyin g Eve,” Louise warne d, pointing at Felix. “Fine, I’ll stop. I’ll bul ly you instead!” An impish grin appeared on his face. Louise glared at him, c rooking her fingers at h im. “Try it if you can. At first I thought that we’d go back after enjoying a b rief ride, but I didn’t expect that they would set up c amp here. They even prepared some tents and food to eat. In the past twenty-six years of my life, I had lived conventionally. Never had I tried campi ng once, but it always sounded exciting to me. In my impression, Derek must be a neat freak, because each time I saw him, the white clothes he was wearing always seemed new. But at this moment, he wasn’t bothered by all the dirt. As he and his friends enjoyed eac h other’s company, they sat cross-legged on the grass, eating, drinking, and throwing banters at each other. Truthfully, I e nvied such a car efree lifestyle. Since Louise had a high alcohol tolerance, she drank without hesitation

When they tried to pers uade me to drink, I refused, for I had learned my lesson. Just last time, Derek told me that I w as stupid for getting drunk around men. Thus, I figured it would be better for me to stay sober. I insisted on not drink ing, so they stopped co nvincing me altogether. Upon counting how many of us there were and how many tents were in place, I calculated that the tents would be just enough if every two people shared a tent. I assumed that I would be sleeping in the same tent as Louise, but Felix , being a little drunk, said, “Ma’am, these tents are ours, and it’s up to us to decide who gets to sleep in them. Suddenly, a b ad feeling ros e in my heart. Felix snickered, rubbi ng his chin while glan cing at me and Louise. “Those who rode the same bicycle during th e daytime should sleep in the same tent ton ight. Come on, pretty ladies! Let’s do it?” . I didn’t think Louise would agree to that ridiculous suggestion. Anyone who tried to even lay a hand on her would certainly regret it. However, I heard her say, “Why not? We’re merely sharin g the tent, right? If you try anything foolish, I’m going to castrate those testicles of yours. Felix didn’t seem threatene d by her warning. He just l aughed at her nonchalantly. “What do you mean by ‘foolish’? Does touch ing or kissing count?” . Men seemed to enjoy tellin g dirty jokes. Naturally, Louise was not one to give in. She glared at him, show ing that she would not back down. “Try if you must but know that my fists are ready to beat you up any time. By the way, I sometimes do shadowboxing in my sle ep. Be careful, Felix. I might mistake you for a punching bag