From humble beginnings to the pinnacle of life

For the next three days, the convoy made few stops, heading straight for Lhasa.

The latter half of the Sichuan-Tibet Highway is much more difficult to travel than the first half, as the altitude remains high and the weather can change in an instant.

One minute it's sunny, the next it's raining or snowing; the winding mountain road makes you dizzy.

But everyone else is in good shape. Wang Ge and A Qiu have been running this kind of route for years, so they don't feel much pressure.

Luo Peng and I are both energetic and have no major problems.

Chen Yunqing has a weak constitution, but she is highly adaptable. After experiencing mild altitude sickness, she quickly adapted to the high-altitude environment.

Only Su Qing is getting worse every day.

She took the medicine prescribed by Batang for three days, but there was no sign of improvement.

When things are going well, I can barely manage to say a few words and shoot footage.

When she felt unwell, she would curl up in her seat, her face pale, and she wouldn't even have the strength to lift her hand.

Everyone assumed she was just suffering from altitude sickness and acclimatization issues, and no one considered the possibility of something more serious.

But Su Wan and I both knew that her problem was not that simple.

There must be something wrong with her health, but the small hospital couldn't find anything.

Throughout this journey, I devoted almost all my energy to taking care of Su Qing.

The girl who used to bicker with me all the way, complaining that the old songs I played were awful, and constantly criticizing me, is now unusually quiet.

Most of the time she would lean against the passenger seat with her eyes closed, sometimes not even wanting to say a word.

Occasionally, when she's feeling a little better, she'll force herself to say a few words to me, afraid that I'll worry too much and that it will slow down the whole team's schedule.

Not only that, she also insisted on live streaming.

She kept holding back during the live stream, and I told her several times to stop.

She always said, "I'm fine, Lin Ye. I'm just a little slow to adapt. I'll be fine after resting for a couple of days in Lhasa."

"Don't worry about me all the time. Everyone is on their way, so don't let me delay the progress."

Every time I hear her say something like that, I feel choked up.

In my eyes, she has always been an immature, spoiled, and willful rich girl.

But this trip allowed me to see a different side of Su Qing.

She knows how to take care of everyone's feelings and has a strong sense of teamwork.

On the third day, as the convoy crossed a mountain pass, a sign by the roadside read "Dongda Mountain, 5130 meters above sea level".

This is the highest point we passed on this trip, and it's also a notoriously difficult section of the Sichuan-Tibet Highway.

The road surface was bumpy and uneven, and there was a cliff hundreds of meters high on the outside. The wind was so strong that it made the car shake.

I gripped the steering wheel tightly and reduced the speed to about 20 km/h, not daring to be distracted.

Su Qing was awake at this time, looking out the window at the gray gravel slope and the snow-capped peaks that were faintly visible in the clouds in the distance, and remained silent for a long time.

After a long while, she suddenly spoke up: "Lin Ye, do you think that if there were no roads in this place, no one would ever come here in their entire lives?"

"No one used to come here; the road was built afterward, and that's how it got here."

She hummed in agreement, looked around for a while, and said, "That's fine too. Some places are better off without anyone coming."

I glanced at her; her face was expressionless, and she was just quietly looking outside.

The wind blew in through the cracks in the car window, messing up her hair, but she didn't bother to fix it.

After passing the Dongda Mountain Pass, the altitude begins to gradually decrease, and the road becomes slightly easier to travel.

But Su Qing became listless the whole way, and spoke less and less as time went on.

On the evening of the fourth day, after overcoming numerous difficulties, the convoy finally traversed the last stretch of winding mountain road.

In the distance, a city slowly came into view in the valley.

The Potala Palace sits atop Red Hill, its outline clearly visible in the twilight, its golden roof reflecting the afterglow of the setting sun.

Lights twinkled across the entire river valley plain; we had arrived in Lhasa.

After a long and arduous journey, traversing mountains and valleys, we finally arrived in Lhasa, a place that countless people yearn for.

The people in the car suddenly became lively, and the walkie-talkie was filled with excited voices.

I laughed along with him; it hadn't been an easy journey after all.

Although the journey is not even halfway complete, and we haven't reached the edge of the no-man's-land yet.

But after experiencing so many hardships along the way, we finally saw the sacred Potala Palace.

But I stopped laughing halfway through.

Because Su Qing, who was in the passenger seat, showed no joy on her face, only deep exhaustion and weakness.

She sighed softly and whispered, "We've finally arrived..."

Wang Ge then spoke into the walkie-talkie: "Everyone, get a good night's rest tonight. Tomorrow is free time to explore the city and rest. The day after tomorrow, we'll assess everyone's physical condition to determine whether we should continue our journey across the no-man's-land!"

No man's land!

This is the ultimate goal of our entire team on this trip.

Having traversed thousands of kilometers of treacherous roads along the Sichuan-Tibet Highway, and endured altitude sickness, wind, snow, and turbulence, everyone's hopes rested on the upcoming crossing of the uninhabited area.

Everyone was excited and looking forward to that ultimate adventure.

But I knew perfectly well in my heart that Su Qing's physical condition meant she most likely couldn't go.

After arriving in the city, we checked into a nice guesthouse with plenty of oxygen and spacious rooms.

After settling their luggage, the group discussed going out for an authentic Tibetan meal that evening to celebrate their successful arrival in Lhasa.

Everyone was in high spirits, except for Su Qing, who couldn't muster any enthusiasm whatsoever.

"You guys go ahead, I'm a little tired and want to rest in my room," Su Qing said weakly, leaning against the headboard.

I immediately said to Brother Wang, "Brother Wang, you guys go ahead, I'll stay here with her."

As soon as I finished speaking, Su Qing quickly said to me, "No! You've had a long and arduous journey. You've finally arrived in Lhasa. Let's have a good celebratory meal. I'll lie down for a while and go to the hospital when you get back."

I shook my head: "It's okay, I don't want to eat right now."

Seeing this, Wang Ge said, "Alright, Lin Ye, you stay here to take care of Su Qing. We'll go out and grab something to eat, and we'll pack some for you to bring back."

Everyone nodded in agreement. Luo Peng and Wei Qingyun thoughtfully told Su Qing to get some rest before leaving with Brother Wang and his group.

The courtyard fell silent instantly, leaving only Su Qing and me.

I went into Su Qing's room, poured her some warm water, and said softly, "It's getting late, the clinic is probably closed. I'll take you to the hospital again tomorrow morning for a comprehensive check-up."

Su Qing paused for a moment, then nodded slightly, but said in a deep voice, "Lin Ye, I feel that my situation this time is quite serious."

I fell silent. She herself knew that there was definitely something wrong with her body, and it wasn't just a simple case of not adapting to the new environment.

In my silence, Su Qing spoke again: "Say something! The room is so quiet. You know I don't like it too quiet."

I managed a weak smile and said softly, "Don't overthink it. You'll know for sure when you go to the hospital for a checkup tomorrow morning."

"Then... if something really serious happens, does that mean... I can't go to the no-man's-land anymore?"

She looked up at me with pleading eyes, and I could sense her disappointment.

For a moment, I didn't know what to say.

After a moment of silence, she spoke in a seemingly relaxed tone, "It's alright. You're always so energetic, you'll definitely be fine."

She fell silent, turned her head to the window, and stared blankly at the neon lights outside.

After some time, Su Qing suddenly said, "Let's go for a walk."