"Breathe... breathe..."

Shen Teng leaned against the parapet, trying hard to regulate his breathing.

He felt he had been a bit too hasty; climbing a mountain is different from running. Now his heart was pounding, and his breathing was rapid, forcing him to stop and rest for a while.

Seeing a guy next to him slowly walking upward, looking like a fellow group member, he quickly asked, "Hey brother, how much further to the top?"

Cong Fu smiled warmly and said, "Not far, keep going. Boss Wang's barbecue skewers are waving at you."

Hearing this, Shen Teng couldn't stay still anymore. He thanked the man and started climbing again, but this time he learned to take it step by step instead of leaping ahead.

Cong Fu continued to move slowly, and soon, Shen Teng was ahead of him by a fair distance again.

"Huff... puff..."

After hiking for an unknown amount of time, Shen Teng leaned against the parapet again, panting heavily. The cold air made his gums ache, and even so, he couldn't keep his mouth closed, as breathing through his nose alone wasn't enough for the oxygen he needed.

The confidence he had earlier had been scattered by the mountain breeze, and his legs felt as if they were filled with lead, unable to lift.

"Damn it... how much further to the top?"

After resting for about ten minutes, he saw the same group member again and couldn't help but ask once more, "Brother, do you know how much longer until the summit?"

Cong Fu still smiled warmly, "Look up, isn't that the summit right there? We're almost there. I can already smell Boss Wang's barbecue."

Shen Teng looked up and indeed saw that the summit didn't seem too far away.

"Thanks..."

Out of nowhere, he mustered a bit of energy and took off again, soon vanishing from Cong Fu's sight.

And then...

"Oh crap, oh crap, oh crap! It feels like I've been walking for a century! Why does that peak still look so far away?"

"Damn it, isn't Mount Tai only about 14 kilometers? Why does it feel longer than a marathon?"

"How can anyone climb this thing?!"

Shen Teng was utterly exhausted, unable to even stand, sitting against the wall on the steps.

Staring at the unchanged-looking summit, he couldn't help but curse.

Cong Fu reached him again, and seeing his state, couldn't help teasing, "Already done? Just a few more steps; today's young people can't make it, huh? Those who give a hundred miles are halfway there at ninety—it's no lie."

With that, he shook his head and continued climbing.

Shen Teng wasn't happy about that, so he propped himself against the wall, stood up with some effort, and overtook Cong Fu within a couple of steps, "In my life, I've never been unequal to a task! Brother, I'll definitely reach the top before you!"

Shen Teng continued his climb, almost forgetting his own name, laboriously moving one step at a time. Cong Fu followed not far behind, slowly keeping pace, and each time Shen Teng seemed like giving up, he'd timely offer a word of encouragement.

"Don't stop now; are you gonna let an old man like me outdo you, young fella?"

"Hurry up, I can already see Boss Wang's skewers sizzling and smoking with oil."

"Oh, the meat skewers are in—man, they're tender and savory."

Shen Teng mumbled about skewers as he lumbered on like a zombie.

Cong Fu looked up and realized they were really close to reaching the South Celestial Gate, but feared the young man ahead might actually stop for a rest here.

If it were summer, resting would be fine, but in such a high place in winter, one might not only get sick but also drain one's energy.

He pulled out his phone and @-mentioned Wang Fan in the group chat.

"@Boss Wang, I have a little brother about to reach the South Celestial Gate, but it looks like he's too exhausted to make the final steps in one go. If convenient, could you grill a few lamb skewers to motivate him a bit? If he rests halfway, he might get sick."

Cong Fu still had plenty of energy himself and could help Shen Teng up, but the young man looked like someone with a stubborn streak. If he really helped him up, Shen Teng might feel like he didn't climb Mount Tai on his own merit, which would throw away 99% of the effort he put in. Cong Fu had been like that before.

So he thought that getting some external motivation would be a good method.

The tactic of provocative goading and the carrot-and-stick approach had already lost their effectiveness on Shen Teng; at this point, only Boss Wang's delicious food could work its magic.

After five hours of grilling, Wang Fan and the others had produced nearly 5000 skewers and were resting.

Li Wei, always attentive to group chats, directly handed the phone to Wang Fan, "Boss, boss, take a look at this."

Seeing it, Wang Fan couldn't help but smile and handed over his own phone, saying, "Alright, I'll grill them now. Please reply to him for me."

"Sure thing."

Li Wei agreed happily and used Wang Fan's phone to send a message, "@Cong Fu, received. Grilling them up now. I'll have someone bring the skewers to the steps to meet you guys."

Wang Fan worked quickly as always; shortly after Li Wei finished replying, Wang Fan's grilled skewers were ready—having grilled a total of 100 skewers, distributing 20 each to Li Wei and Feng Haoyu, leaving the rest for Li Wei to take to the climbing steps.

Li Wei and Feng Haoyu, after receiving their meat skewers, devoured them rapidly, their satisfaction practically emanating from the screen.

Just look—how wise and remarkable was the initial decision to take this job? Nowhere else could you find such a gourmet work meal!

After finishing his skewers, Li Wei took the remaining ones and headed out.

From the top of the climbing steps, he looked down and, sure enough, saw two people meandering slowly up.

The group had arrived fairly early, and Cong Fu and Shen Teng were climbing relatively swiftly, making them easy to recognize.

Waiting briefly, he saw one of the figures waving at him, prompting him to descend the steps.

Upon closer inspection, he realized what was happening: the fellow ahead was so absorbed in climbing that he seemed ready to collapse at any moment.

Cong Fu, wordlessly, gestured with his chin towards the skewers in Li Wei's hand.

With a chuckle, Li Wei instantly grasped Cong Fu's intention.

Taking off the insulation bag, he waived the skewers enticingly just out of reach above Shen Teng's head.

The hot, steaming lamb skewers quickly filled the air with a tempting aroma, making even Cong Fu swallow involuntarily.

Dazed, Shen Teng opened his eyes slightly.

He seemed to see a bunch of lamb skewers right before him.

Their appearance was so oily and shiny, their fragrance so mouthwatering, and the skewers seemed so tangible.

"Meat... skewers... give me..."

Like sleep-talking, Shen Teng moved his feet once more, and Li Wei stepped back at the same time, constantly keeping a little distance between the skewers and Shen Teng.

Shen Teng instinctively kept following, like a donkey with a carrot dangling in front of its nose.

Step by step... step by step...

Li Wei halted, watching as Shen Teng teetered forward one more step. Then, he bit into the meat skewer and stumbled forward, collapsing onto solid ground.

At the South Celestial Gate, he reached the top.

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