FULL NOVELXO Chapter 64 The Best Couple
Chapter 64 The Best Couple
Catalina arrived at Starham with the rest of the team by flight that day.
They then continued by bus to a very remote county.
Five hours of driving and another three hours on the bus brought them to Starham Mountain. After a short walk from the bus stop, they reached the foot of the mountain.
Starham Mountain was a cliffside outcropping in a narrow gorge between two towering peaks.
It was difficult for people to enter the canyon, making it even more difficult for the car to enter.
Lucky for them, a villager had brought mules to help them with their luggage.
"Please be cautious as you walk. Stay on the wall and away from the cliff edge." The villager warned them.
"Catalina, I'm so scared."
Emery balanced herself by placing one hand on the wall and the other on Catalina's hand. Her legs were shaking from nervousness. "What on earth was the chief editor thinking? Why did he send us to such a dangerous place?"
Catalina was also the first time to set foot on such a steep mountain. She had never been in such a perilous location before, so it was natural for her to feel scared.
Catalina knew she couldn't show any fear because Emery was already terrified. To cheer up her friend, she could only say, "It's okay. This is what we should go through. If we succeed, we might even get a promotion when we return! Maybe everyone will be green with envy over us."
"Wow! What gives you cause for such hope? Is the camera on? When we come back, I must show the chief editor with evidence of our ordeal."
"Sure. It's on!"
The group walked for nearly four hours in the mountains while chattering. It was after dark when they finally made it to the Starham Mountain office.
As soon as dinner was over, everyone collapsed into bed from exhaustion.
Catalina checked her phone before going to sleep out of habit.
"You can put down your phone."
Emery removed her journal from her suitcase and placed it on her pillow. She got on the floor and said, "I've checked it before. Once we reached the mountainous region, the cell phone service virtually vanished. We cannot do anything, not just use the Internet, but even make a phone call."
"Fine."
Catalina put down her phone because she had no choice.
But she couldn't stop thinking about Bennett and whether he had seen the divorce papers she had left on the table.
She started to think about his reaction when he saw the paper, whether he'd be angry or relieved. She wondered if he would call and question her about what was happening.
Catalina couldn't help but glance at her phone again.
Her phone screen didn't light up, indicating that she had not missed any important calls or texts.
Emery was lying contentedly while reading her journal. "I can't live without the Internet! Thank God I brought my journal because otherwise, I'd be so bored."
Catalina only glanced at the journal absentmindedly but accidentally spotted a photo of Bennett and Claire.
She frowned and turned around immediately. She pretended to sleep by closing her eyes.
The expression on Catalina's face was telling, and Emery picked up on it. She felt remorse when she saw the photo in the journal.
"Catalina, I'm sorry. I..."
"It's okay. I don't care about that."
Catalina cut Emery off before she could finish her sentence.
"No! You lied to me!" Emery said.
She couldn't understand why Catalina was so concerned about her idol dating someone.
Emery moved closer to Catalina and said, "I know how to get you to stop thinking about it. But, promise me that you won't punch me." "Fine."
Catalina turned back around and looked at Emery.
Emery laid out her journal in front of Catalin's eyes. "Instead of simply liking Bennett, you should ship him and Claire! I did some research yesterday and found out that they attended the same high school. I find it very moving when two people who have known each other their whole lives fall in love. Theirs is an incredible love story, and the more I read about them, the more I was impressed by it. Honestly, I accepted the fact that the two of them are dating in just one night. And, I even think the two of them are a match made in heaven! I'm looking forward to them getting married and having a baby! They could be on one of those reality shows about celebrity families in a few years. They're going to have adorable children!"
Catalina didn't seem to care much about what Emery said, judging by her lack of reaction.
As she closed her eyes, she drifted off to sleep.
"Catalina?" Emery said.
"Go to bed. We have an early start tomorrow." Catalina said this without looking up.
"That doesn't work?"
"Yes, it doesn't work. But I will truly bless them."
Catalina turned around and went to sleep, no longer paying attention to Emery.
Emery shook her head as she stared at Catalina's back.
She thought, "Catalina is head over heels in love with Bennett! She must have seriously considered herself his girlfriend and planned to marry him. It's always these types of fans who feel betrayed when their favorite stars start dating. Poor Catalina! "
Emery recalled how sad many teenage girls felt when Justin Bieber announced he was in a relationship.
****
Their visit to Starham Mountain was very difficult.
To get to Starham Mountain Elementary School from their house, they had to cut through the cliff.
Because the school was perched on the edge of a cliff, access required a steep ascent across a suspension bridge.
Catalina was astonished by the sight of the vertical suspension bridge.
Teenagers could be seen on the bridge above them, desperately trying to scale the seemingly endless cliff face.
They hadn't taken any precautions, which made the situation look terrifying.
Emery turned around, terrified. She averted her gaze because she didn't want to look at that scene anymore. "No way! Do we have to do this as well? I'm scared."
Catalina asked the villager, "Didn't the government spend a lot of money to build a road a few years ago? Is the work still in progress?"
"This has indeed been accomplished before. The bridge between the mountains was finished just last year." The man pointed to the southwest and said.
"I'm baffled. Why do these kids keep walking down this path?"
"Because it's the closest way!"
The villagers sighed and said, "They could get to school in under an hour if they take this road, but it will take at least five or six hours if they take the new bridge. The construction crew had already visited the site for a survey and determined that the terrain was unsuitable for building a bridge. Some reporters had been here before, but they didn't bother trying to figure out what was going on. They never told the truth and were always making things up. Those people have never had the opportunity to see the true situation here. They say we stole the money, but they have no evidence. But we've been living in these mountains for a long time and don't require any money. Besides, look at all these poor children! We can't take away that money."
Catalina hastily took down notes on paper of what the villager said.
She realized all the situations here were different from what had been described online.
Reports circulating online suggested that the locals had embezzled government funds for road construction. As Catalina explored Starham Mountain, however, she learned that every single employee was a city resident who was volunteering their time. They were all working toward the same end: to lift the entire community of Starham Mountain out of poverty.
However, sometimes not even money could help them because the terrain was so treacherous.