From humble beginnings to the pinnacle of life

I was caught off guard by Su Qing's sudden question.

His mind went blank for a moment, and after a few seconds of stunned silence, he said helplessly, "We were just having a nice chat, how did it suddenly escalate to me again?"

Seeing my hesitation, a sly glint flashed in her eyes, and she immediately seized the opportunity to press me for answers:

"You were stunned just now. You don't actually have a soft spot for Su Wan's aloof and reserved type, do you?"

I was speechless. I turned my head to look at her and said, "I was just surprised that you suddenly asked about such a private matter."

"Then just answer me directly, do you like her type? If you're interested, I can even step in and help you get to know her."

Su Qing crossed her arms, looking like she was enjoying the show.

I was both amused and exasperated by her words: "Don't make jokes like that, it's getting more and more outrageous."

"Look at you, you keep avoiding my questions and you don't dare to answer me directly." She stared at me relentlessly.

I sighed deeply, unable to resist her persistent probing, and had no choice but to tell the truth:

"I don't like it. I'm naturally introverted and quiet. If I were to find a partner who's even more silent and aloof than me, and we were together day and night with nothing to say to each other, how agonizing would that be?"

"That makes sense, doesn't it? According to you, Su Wan will have a hard time finding a boyfriend in the future?"

I shrugged lightly: "Just because I don't like it doesn't mean others can't accept it. To each their own, and everyone's preferences are different."

Su Qing's eyes darted around, and she quickly asked, "So what kind of girl do you like?"

A few doubts arose in my heart.

Throughout our time together, Su Qing has always been very easygoing and never inquired about my romantic preferences. But today, she insisted on probing into this very topic.

I turned to look at her: "You're acting a bit strange today. Why are you asking such odd and personal questions?"

Su Qing casually shrugged, feigning nonchalance: "Long journeys are too boring, so I'm just chatting to pass the time. If you don't want to answer, that's fine too."

I then followed up by asking, "So, tell me, what type of guy do you like?"

"I don't know, I've never been in love with anyone," Su Qing answered crisply.

I couldn't help but tease, "There are so many popular idols online these days, and so many young girls are obsessed with them. Aren't you tempted?"

Hearing this, Su Qing curled her lips in disgust: "What's so attractive about those people? They're all heavily made up, delicate and fragile. They can't even compare to me in terms of presence or words."

Her blunt criticism made me burst out laughing. Seeing her serious expression, it didn't seem like she was just joking.

Noticing my laughter, Su Qing immediately turned and glared at me: "What are you laughing at? I'm being very serious, don't you believe me?"

"I believe you, of course I believe you."

I suppressed my laughter and continued teasing her, "Then you should appreciate guys with a tough, masculine vibe, right?"

To everyone's surprise, she decisively shook her head and rejected the idea: "I can't accept that either. Does 'manly smell' mean body odor or body odor? Just thinking about it makes me uncomfortable."

I gave an awkward, dry laugh: "This is a real problem. You don't like either of these types. Does that mean you're destined to be single forever?"

She snorted arrogantly, "What's wrong with being single? I'm perfectly fine on my own. Does that mean I can't live without a guy?"

I completely agree with her idea.

I'm not in a rush to date. Firstly, my circumstances are limited, and secondly, I don't have any girls I'm interested in.

Whether you have a partner or not, you can still live a peaceful and comfortable life.

In this matter, my thoughts were surprisingly aligned with hers.

The atmosphere inside the carriage was relaxed, and chatting with Su Qing along the way made the long journey less tedious and unbearable.

The car drove out of the vast Maoya Grassland and headed west along the deep canyon.

The surrounding mountains suddenly became steep and precipitous, and the mountain road had a series of sharp bends, so I could only drive slowly and cautiously.

But the scenery here is far richer than elsewhere along the way, with rolling hills stretching out in all directions.

The snow-capped peaks of the distant mountains are clearly visible, exuding a serene and magnificent aura.

The altitude slowly increased again, and the thin air made my chest feel tight, and mild altitude sickness came back to me.

At that moment, A-Qiu's clear voice came through the vehicle's walkie-talkie: "Attention, teammates, we are about to arrive at the Sister Lakes viewing platform. You can get off the vehicle to rest and take photos."

There was still some distance to the viewing platform, but the impatient Su Qing had already stretched out half an arm, holding up her phone to take pictures of the canyon scenery along the way.

When the car stopped at the Sister Lakes viewing platform, the view before me was so stunning that words could not even begin to describe its beauty.

Two lakes of different sizes nestle at the foot of the snow-capped mountains, resembling two clear and bright blue mirrors.

The warm sun shines on the lake, and the snow-capped mountains behind it are reflected in the water, making the lake surface ripple.

A gentle mountain breeze ripples across the water, causing the shimmering surface to sparkle like countless stars, a sight so beautiful it's impossible to look away.

Because of the high altitude, we didn't stop for too long. We just took some video footage and continued driving down the mountain.

Wang Ge's voice came through the walkie-talkie again, reminding us to be careful and control our speed during the long downhill stretch ahead.

As the altitude gradually decreases, patches of shrubs and low pine trees slowly grow on the bare rock walls of the canyon.

Meltwater from the snow-capped mountains converges into clear streams that flow down the valley. Sunlight shines obliquely through the gaps at the top of the canyon, casting bright patches of light on the asphalt road.

As the oxygen content in the air increased, my altitude sickness symptoms, which made me feel tightness in my chest, gradually dissipated, and my body returned to a comfortable state.

In contrast, Su Qing, who was standing to the side, did not experience any altitude sickness whatsoever throughout the entire process.

When she crossed Zheduo Mountain, she ran around and played everywhere. You should know that tourists from the plains should avoid strenuous running on the plateau, as it can easily trigger severe altitude sickness. But she was completely unrestrained.

She was born with the ability to adapt to high-altitude environments, and her physical fitness was ridiculously strong.

At first, I was worried that she wouldn't be able to handle the long and tiring journey, but in the end, it was only me who suffered from discomfort and lack of oxygen.

The journey was boring, so I turned on the car's built-in music.

The song "Words of Love" by Lo Ta-yu slowly began to play.

Old songs have a lingering charm, and the more you listen, the more you appreciate them.

Before she'd even played half of the song, Su Qing couldn't help but complain, "What era are you from? Anyone who's heard this song has probably been divorced multiple times by now... I can't stand you!"

I immediately retorted, unconvinced: "This is a well-known classic song, how can you complain that it's outdated?"

Su Qing pouted, looking resistant: "It's old-fashioned to begin with, the melody is slow and soft, and there's no rhythm at all."

"What do you know? The older the song, the more vintage it has. Do you even know what taste is?"

As I spoke, I began to hum along with the original audio.

Su Qing covered her ears and yelled, "Please stop singing! Even someone whose girlfriend died couldn't sing with this kind of wailing!"

"Your mouth is too sharp," I sighed helplessly.