From humble beginnings to the pinnacle of life

I sat down on the stone bench opposite her, sorted out the plans in my mind, and slowly began to speak:

"First, I'll focus on completing this no-man's-land crossing, then personally take over the live stream and film and broadcast the entire authentic and hardcore crossing experience."

"This is our team's first truly substantial and topical piece of hardcore content. As long as the content stands, we can build our own traffic. With our own dedicated traffic, subsequent business collaborations and resource connections will come to us proactively."

"Once the traffic and reputation stabilize, I will gradually build a complete team, open up a complete channel for outdoor live streaming and monetization through sales, and firmly establish myself."

Upon hearing this, Su Qing's eyes narrowed slightly, and she immediately pressed, "What about Fang Heng? He certainly won't just stand by and watch you get up; what if he continues to target you afterward?"

I chuckled softly upon hearing this, and reached for a cigarette to light.

"I don't need to target him at all."

I paused for a moment, then continued, "If he wants to keep going, I'll let him. But the more he tries, the clearer I become about his trump cards. He only has a few tricks up his sleeve. I've seen them once, and that's enough. I only need one chance to make his entire media company go out of business."

Su Qing listened without speaking, remained silent for a few seconds, and then nodded.

"It seems you've thought it through quite clearly."

I ignored her question and instead asked seriously, "I'm asking you honestly, are you really going to go to the no-man's-land with me? Aren't you afraid?"

"What are you afraid of?" she asked nonchalantly.

"Afraid of hardship, afraid of fatigue, afraid of getting a tan..."

Before I could finish speaking, she rolled her eyes at me and said with utter disdain:

"I spent a whole week under the sun last year when I was fighting wildfires, so I've already experienced what you're talking about."

Looking at the stubbornness in her eyes, I chuckled and shook my head, not offering any further advice.

At this moment, the little dumpling on the stone table leaped up and slowly walked to Su Qing's feet, affectionately rubbing against her trouser leg and acting coquettishly.

Su Qing looked down at the soft, cuddly kitten, raised her hand to gently stroke its head, and her expression softened instantly.

Suddenly, as if she remembered something amusing, a strange smile appeared on her lips.

Seeing this, I asked in confusion, "What are you laughing at all?"

As she petted the cat, a smile played on her lips as she said, "I suddenly remembered something particularly interesting from last year's wildfires. There was one uncle in the large group of motorcycles that were fighting the fires that left a very deep impression on me."

I took a drag of my cigarette and casually asked, "What's wrong?"

Su Qing recalled with a smile: "The fire was raging at the scene, and I was extremely anxious. I wanted to go to the front line to lend a hand. I flagged down a motorcycle on the road and asked him to take me to the front line."

"But for some reason, that guy didn't want to talk to me at all. I guess he couldn't stand my pestering him anymore, so he just stepped on the gas and drove me back to the city."

"I was completely confused at the time, thinking he was going to buy supplies. But as soon as I got off the bus, he turned around and rode off on his bike."

After hearing these words, I was completely shocked.

This scene is all too familiar to me!

Last year during the wildfires, I rode my motorcycle back and forth to deliver supplies to the front lines, and I did encounter a girl fully equipped with protective gear on the way.

Wearing a wide-brimmed sun hat and a mask that covered her face completely, I couldn't see her features. She kept stopping cars on the roadside, chattering and pestering me.

The fire was urgent, and all I wanted to do was rush to deliver the supplies.

Unable to resist her persistent pestering, he simply dragged her back to the city and then rushed back to the fire scene.

I was stunned when I heard Su Qing's words.

So, we met a year ago?

I was deeply shaken and remained silent for a moment.

Su Qing was still reminiscing to herself, her tone tinged with amusement: "Thinking about it now, it's really quite interesting. Those motorcyclists really worked hard, rushing into the fire again and again in temperatures over forty degrees Celsius, their faces covered in dust, but not a single one of them backed down."

"What's so funny about that?" I asked.

"I was just laughing at that older man, but he misunderstood me. Later, I wanted to explain to him, but there were too many people there, and I couldn't see his face clearly, so the matter was left unresolved."

I suppressed the turmoil in my heart, looked up at her, and spoke with a hint of probing:

"Have you ever considered that the older brother you misunderstood is most likely me?"

"ha?"

Su Qing froze instantly, thinking I was joking: "Lin Ye, can you be serious? Don't joke about this kind of thing."

I didn't bother to explain further, so I just took out my phone and pulled out a photo of my treasured firefighting volunteer certificate from my album.

Then he handed the screen to her: "See for yourself."

Su Qing's eyes widened immediately. I then scrolled through the photos and pulled up a group photo of the team after they put out the wildfire.

Everyone in the photo was covered in soot and looked disheveled, their faces blurred.

Su Qing stared at the photos, comparing them repeatedly, then suddenly looked up at me, her voice trembling slightly:

"No...no way? It really is you?!"

"I don't know, but judging from what you just said, it's most likely me!" I said with a faint smile.

Su Qing completely lost her composure, abruptly standing up from the stone bench, her face filled with shock: "Then how come you didn't recognize me?"

"You were all covered up so tightly, with your hat and mask covering only your eyes, how was I supposed to recognize you?" I said helplessly, spreading my hands.

She stood there, stunned, for a long time before slowly processing this astonishing coincidence, her voice filled with a sigh:

"So...we met a year ago?"

"I'd say so, I guess," I joked, raising an eyebrow. "But you're calling me an 'uncle'? I don't look that old."

Su Qing snapped back to reality, rolled her eyes at me, and said, "You were covered in dirt and grime back then, who could even see your face! How was I supposed to know how old you were!"

I gave a self-deprecating smile: "Now take a closer look, where can you find such a handsome older man?"

"You're kidding me!" Su Qing said with a look of disdain, unable to help but sneer.

"I know you're just too embarrassed to admit it, I understand."

Su Qing immediately gave me the middle finger. Seeing her lively expression, the gloom in my heart vanished, and I yawned, stopping the joke.

"Alright, stop fooling around and get some rest. You'll be busy for the next few days, and there's a ton of stuff to do tomorrow."

After a quick wash, I lay in bed, feeling physically exhausted but mentally alert, tossing and turning, unable to fall asleep.

The thought of personally appearing on camera to lead a team through the no-man's-land makes me feel a little uneasy.

I'm a quiet, introverted person who isn't good at speaking, so asking me to do a live stream in front of a camera was really like throwing a duck onto a shelf; I was starting from scratch.

Anran temporarily left the team, and now I'm the only one left who can shoulder this heavy responsibility of publicity.

No matter how difficult it is, we must grit our teeth and persevere.