From humble beginnings to the pinnacle of life

Back at the riverside courtyard, the courtyard was exceptionally quiet at night, with warm yellow lights shining inside.

Su Qing was sitting at the table organizing her luggage. A suitcase that was already full was at her feet, and she was checking the items she needed to add one by one.

Hearing me enter, she immediately turned around and looked me over, asking with a scrutinizing gaze, "You and Brother Wang sneaked out for so long before you finally decided to come back?"

"We did a final check on the vehicles and supplies, and also chatted about the itinerary and risks," I replied casually.

Su Qing raised an eyebrow, teasingly asking, "Could it be that you two were scared because you knew you were going into the no-man's-land tomorrow, so you secretly went to relax and de-stress?"

I was taken aback by her peculiar train of thought and shook my head helplessly: "What kind of nonsense are you thinking about all day long?"

She gave a soft hum, stood up, crossed her arms, and said with a smile:

"That's true. You and Wang are both quiet people, usually very sparing with words. You two can talk for half a day when you get together? Nobody believes that. There must be something fishy going on."

"That's not necessarily true. Two taciturn people together might actually create some unexpected sparks."

"Oh? Sparks flew between you two?" Su Qing immediately chimed in, teasing me with a smirk.

"Get lost." I rolled my eyes at her.

Looking at her relaxed and carefree demeanor, I couldn't help but say, "You don't seem nervous at all; you have a really good mindset."

Su Qing shrugged nonchalantly and said casually, "What's the use of being nervous? I chose this path myself. If something unexpected happens, it's my fate, and I accept it."

I was speechless for a moment, and said irritably, "We're leaving tomorrow, can't you say something auspicious? Stop with all this bad luck."

She immediately realized what was happening and quickly spat into the air several times.

"Just kidding, don't take it seriously. Don't worry, I'll definitely come back safe and sound with everyone."

After saying that, she asked curiously, "So what were you two quiet people talking about? You talked for so long."

"We just talked about the risks in the no-man's-land and precautions on the road, nothing special," I said casually.

Su Qing, however, didn't believe me at all, giving me a knowing look: "Heh, when men say 'just chatting,' they're 100% talking about girls!"

I was left speechless, both amused and exasperated: "Can you please stop being so boring? Even if we did chat, what difference would it make?"

"Right, what's wrong with just admitting it openly?"

I was too lazy to argue with her anymore, so I waved my hand, turned around and went back to my room to pack my luggage.

But this girl had no intention of letting me go. She followed me all the way to my room door, leaned against the door frame, watched me pack my things, and then started chattering on and on about the important matter.

"Oh, right, we added an extra supply pickup truck, so now we have three. How will the convoy be allocated tomorrow? Have you all decided who will share a truck with whom?"

While I was organizing my equipment, I replied without looking up:

"Wang Ge and A Qiu are the lead drivers; they have the most experience and are responsible for clearing the way."

"You and Chen Yunqing will share a car, you two girls can look out for each other. Luo Peng and I will share a car, so we can split into pairs."

Upon hearing this, Su Qing's smile vanished instantly, her brows furrowed tightly, and her face showed obvious reluctance.

"I don't want to share a car with Chen Yunqing. She's a quiet, reserved person, never talks or smiles, and is cold and aloof, just like my sister. I feel uncomfortable around her, and just looking at her makes me feel depressed."

I stopped what I was doing, looked up at her, and my expression became more serious:

"Su Qing, now is not the time for you to act childishly. What did you promise me before we left? You would follow my arrangements completely and never act on your own."

"Can't I have my own opinion?" she retorted softly. "I'm not familiar with her at all, it would be too awkward for us to be in the same car."

I sighed softly and said, "So, who do you want to ride with? You tell me."

She looked straight at me without the slightest hesitation and said bluntly, "With you."

I immediately refused: "No way. You talk too much, you'll keep nagging the whole way, and I want to focus on the road conditions and the itinerary. I can't stand it. You can ride with Luo Peng; you two used to work together, so it won't be awkward."

She immediately found a reason and retorted confidently, "I don't feel safe riding with him! What if he tries to touch me inappropriately in the middle of nowhere?"

At that moment, I was completely overwhelmed by her, and all my pent-up frustration suddenly surfaced.

Before they even officially set off, she was already being picky and insisted on doing everything her own way.

Once you enter the no-man's-land, danger lurks everywhere and restrictions are imposed at every turn; who knows how many troubles might arise.

My tone unconsciously hardened, becoming somewhat stern: "Su Qing, are you ever going to stop? This isn't allowed, that isn't allowed! Remember, we're going on an extreme trek through the no-man's-land, not a leisurely vacation! If you can't stand the rules, you can still back out now!"

My voice suddenly turned cold, and Su Qing froze on the door frame, completely stunned.

I ignored her, suppressed my frustration, and continued to pack my luggage silently.

After what seemed like an eternity of silence, her soft voice finally reached my ears:

"Why are you yelling at me... I just... simply wanted to ride in the same car as you."

Hearing her soft, gentle words, my heart immediately softened.

I was about to say something to comfort her, but before I could even utter a word, she took a soft breath and said:

"Alright, alright, I'll follow the arrangements. I'll ride in the same car as Chen Yunqing."

After saying that, she didn't look at me again, turned around and silently walked back to her room, her back view showing a hint of loneliness.

I opened my mouth, wanting to call her back and say a few more words.

In the end, he had no choice but to give up and watch her figure disappear at the end of the corridor.

After packing everything up, it was already 11 p.m.

I should have gone to bed early to recharge, but I lay in bed, wide awake.

On one hand, there was tension and trepidation; on the other hand, there was extreme excitement.

Two conflicting emotions kept me awake at night.

I simply created a WeChat group for the whole team and added everyone to it so that we could communicate anytime.

When I opened the group chat, I realized that it wasn't just me; the entire team was suffering from insomnia.

The group chat was unusually lively late at night, with everyone discussing tomorrow's itinerary, feeling both nervous and excited.

A Qiu, in particular, was very active, sharing his and Wang Ge's past experiences of crossing no-man's-land in the group.

Su Qing, who was usually very talkative, remained silent. It was unclear whether she was still angry or had already fallen asleep.

If they were already asleep, they wouldn't have accepted my invitation to join the group.

I had a vague feeling that she was probably still upset about how I had snapped at her earlier.

Otherwise, given her personality, she would never have been able to resist cracking jokes.

The more I thought about it, the more awkward I felt; ultimately, I realized I had been too harsh in my tone.

After thinking it over, I got up and went to Su Qing's room to apologize to her.

I raised my hand and hovered it above the door, hesitating for a long time before finally daring not to knock.

But just as I was hesitating and struggling, the door suddenly opened gently from the inside.