From humble beginnings to the pinnacle of life

The moment the door opened, Su Qing and I looked into each other's eyes, and the air suddenly went still.

She had changed into a loose set of pajamas, her long, black hair casually draped over her shoulders, and a translucent face mask on her face, which made her skin appear fair and delicate.

Her sudden appearance really startled me.

I took a step back abruptly, my heart pounding.

Su Qing was clearly startled by my sudden action. She opened her mouth slightly and let out a soft "ah".

After a brief moment of panic, she quickly regained her composure, raised an eyebrow, and spoke with a strong sense of urgency:

"What are you doing! Standing sneaking around my door in the middle of the night instead of sleeping, trying to spy on me, huh?"

I was originally planning to apologize to her properly and smooth things over.

But after being bombarded with her rapid-fire, irritating complaints, all that remained in his heart was helplessness.

I shrugged, laughing and crying at the same time, and said, "What? I was just about to knock on the door when you suddenly opened it and startled me."

"If I go to the toilet and don't come out, am I going to pee in the bedroom?"

She rolled her eyes at me, spoke arrogantly, and walked straight out of the room towards the bathroom in the yard.

Before I could speak, her clear voice came from inside: "Speak up, why are you knocking on the door?"

I stood outside the door, momentarily speechless, and after a couple of seconds of hesitation, I slowly began to speak:

"I added the entire team to a WeChat group tonight so we can coordinate everything for tomorrow's departure. Did you see the message?"

"I already clicked 'accept' to join the group, do you think I didn't know?" Her voice still carried a hint of awkwardness.

"Um."

I froze, unable to say anything more. The words of apology were on the tip of my tongue, but I just couldn't get them out.

A moment later, the bathroom door was pushed open, and Su Qing came out, her face mask already removed.

The light fell on her face, making her skin look moist and radiant, and her eyebrows and eyes clean and delicate.

Seeing that I was still standing there staring at her blankly, she immediately narrowed her eyes and spoke in a haughty and arrogant tone:

"What are you looking at? I'm warning you, don't get any illusions about me!"

After saying that, she turned around and went back to the bedroom to close the door before I could refute her.

As the door was about to close, I finally mustered my courage and blurted out:

"Hey, the bus leaves tomorrow, you'd better come in the same car as me."

I thought she would happily agree immediately, giving me a way out.

Unexpectedly, her hand, which was resting on the door frame, paused slightly, and she said in a clearly distant tone, "No need."

"You're right. There are only two girls on the team, Chen Yunqing and I. It's only right that the two of us share a car so we can look after each other."

As soon as he finished speaking, the door slammed shut with a crisp "click".

I stood frozen in the corridor for several seconds, feeling a mix of emotions.

It's obvious that this girl is still angry and is deliberately trying to provoke me.

I shook my head, then turned and walked back to my room with a sigh.

Leaning against the headboard, I took out a cigarette, lit it, and slowly exhaled a puff of smoke.

I could clearly sense that Su Qing's emotions were off, but I couldn't quite put my finger on what she was angry about.

It was clearly her who had been willful and picky, making all sorts of excuses to avoid making arrangements, and I only gave her a couple of serious reminders.

The entire no-man's-land is fraught with danger and unknowns, and I can't possibly indulge her little moods all the time.

The journey has been long and arduous; if she continues to be so spoiled and willful, it will only cause more trouble.

Suppressing the tenderness and turmoil in my heart, I finished my bedtime cigarette and turned over to lie down.

Force yourself to adjust your mindset and prepare for tomorrow's journey.

……

I had a restful night without sleep.

The next morning, the alarm clock rang precisely at seven o'clock.

I quickly washed up and got ready.

At 8:00 sharp, we arrived at the entrance of Wang Ge's store to gather.

The six members lined up neatly, with three rugged off-road vehicles parked by the roadside. The vehicles were sturdy and imposing, adorned with special stickers for this no-man's-land crossing, exuding a powerful aura.

The simple yet solemn departure ceremony proceeded as scheduled.

Without any unnecessary formalities, everyone encouraged each other, signifying the official start of our wilderness adventure.

As the applause subsided, Brother Wang gently tapped my arm and asked in a deep voice, "Has the allocation of personnel and vehicles for the convoy been finalized? Who will be paired with whom?"

I nodded and said to Wang Ge, "You and A Qiu will definitely be in the same car, so you two will go first. Su Qing and Chen Yunqing will go in the middle in one car, and I'll team up with Luo Peng to bring up the rear... If there are no problems, let's get ready to go."

Unexpectedly, Brother Wang frowned slightly and said bluntly, "This arrangement is a bit unreasonable."

I was slightly taken aback and looked at him with a puzzled expression: "Wang-ge, what's wrong with you?"

"A Qiu and I can lead the way, but you'll have to ride in the same car as Su Qing. You two are the partners for this live stream and short video content production. You need to communicate and coordinate details at any time, and you'll be most efficient sitting together."

Upon hearing this, I was instantly enlightened.

Last night I was so focused on the male-female pairing that I neglected the most crucial aspect of the job, which was indeed a lack of consideration.

Luo Peng, standing nearby, immediately nodded in agreement: "Brother Lin, Brother Wang is right. Chen Yunqing and I are mainly responsible for monitoring the vehicle's condition and recording its performance data. The two of us working together in one car complement each other perfectly."

I subconsciously looked up at Su Qing, who was not far away.

She stood to the side, hands in her pockets, her profile cool and aloof.

He's clearly still sulking with me, acting completely indifferent.

I immediately nodded: "Okay, let's make the adjustment. Su Qing and I will ride together, and she will still be responsible for bringing up the rear."

Seeing this, Brother Wang nodded, and then, in front of everyone, repeatedly reminded them of the driving rules in the no-man's-land and the team's discipline.

After the instructions were given, everyone went their separate ways and boarded the vehicles in turn.

Wang Ge and A Qiu were the first to board the off-road pickup truck and lead the way.

The four of us rode in two modified Raptors because we needed to record the vehicles' performance data and also conduct a live broadcast for promotion. This arrangement was reasonable.

As soon as I got into the car, Su Qing in the passenger seat let out a soft snort, her tone tinged with resentment:

"Let me make this clear first, I didn't insist on sharing a car with you. It's just a work arrangement, so don't take it personally!"

Seeing her stubborn but soft-hearted demeanor, I lowered my stance and took the initiative to apologize: "It was my fault. I didn't think things through yesterday, and my tone was too harsh. Don't be angry."

She immediately raised her chin, a hint of smugness flashing in her eyes: "So, do you know you were wrong?"

"I understand." I readily admitted my mistake.

"If you know you're wrong, say something nice to coax me. If I'm happy, I might forgive you."

I chuckled helplessly: "What's so nice about it? I don't know how to say anything fancy."

I gazed quietly at her bright and vibrant profile, paused for two seconds, and then said sincerely:

"You look beautiful today, especially radiant and full of energy. Is this alright?"

Her face instantly fell, filled with disgust: "You're such a clueless straight man! When am I not beautiful? That's a complete waste of breath!"

I added earnestly, "I'm serious, you're in a different state today, and it makes people feel at ease."

Su Qing couldn't help but smile slightly, but she suppressed her laughter and waved her hand:

"Alright, alright, I won't make it difficult for you. Getting a straight man like you to say nice things is harder than climbing to heaven."

Just then, Wang Ge's voice suddenly came through the vehicle's walkie-talkie: "Did everyone hear that? Respond if you hear me!"

The next second, Luo Peng's voice rang out first: "Roger that, vehicle in normal condition, ready to go at any time!"

I reached for the walkie-talkie and replied in a deep voice, "The last vehicle is normal, you can depart."

"All personnel ready, let's go!"