From humble beginnings to the pinnacle of life

I stopped arguing and responded firmly with a "Mm".

"So where are you living now? Have you gone back to the riverside courtyard?"

"No, I'm staying at Shanshan's place. The riverside courtyard is too remote and deserted; I'm scared to live here alone."

It's really too deserted and remote there. It's definitely not safe for a girl like her to live alone.

And so we chatted idly, and before we knew it, the call had lasted a full hour.

The tension and oppressive feeling of the no-man's-land were mostly soothed by this gentleness.

I didn't end the call until I heard the sound of a car engine outside the courtyard.

Three cars drove into the courtyard one after another, their bodies covered in oil stains from the repair shop.

Luo Peng parked the car, strode towards me, and said, "Brother Lin, everything's done!"

"All three cars have been serviced, including chassis reinforcement, tire pressure adjustment, and I've made double the parts for easily damaged components like shock absorbers, water hoses, and belts."

I patted him on the shoulder and said sincerely, "You've worked hard."

"What's so hard about this!"

Luo Peng rubbed his hands together and said with a serious expression, "These are the foundations for survival, so we can't afford to be lazy."

He then looked at me and asked earnestly, "Is the route completely finalized?"

"It's settled. We'll depart promptly in three days."

As soon as she finished speaking, soft footsteps sounded at the hotel entrance, and Su Wan came out.

She had just finished chatting with the local guesthouse owner, and now a faint seriousness settled between her brows as she spoke in a steady tone:

"I've asked the boss carefully, and it's extremely dangerous to open the wrong main entrance recently—turbulence, blizzards, sandstorms..."

"If a novice racing team goes in recklessly, nine out of ten will get stuck."

"The entrance we chose, the Purogangri Glacier, is rarely used by locals. Although it is a long route, it is currently the most stable route and our only relatively safe option."

I took a deep breath and looked back at the hand-drawn map spread out on the stone table.

Looking at that roundabout but safe red route, my mind was filled with many thoughts.

"Driving an extra thousand kilometers, enduring hardship and fatigue, these are not problems."

"Living is our only goal."

I looked at the two of them and said solemnly.

"Over the next three days, we need to get plenty of rest, check for any omissions, and take stock of the supplies."

"Three days later, we'll be fully prepared and set off into the no-man's-land!"

……

For the next three days, we didn't have a moment to rest.

While busy taking inventory and organizing various supplies, they also kept a close eye on the weather conditions inside the no-man's-land.

They even consulted several experienced hikers with real-world trekking experience, going through all the risks they could think of.

Luo Peng had previously experienced unexplained nosebleeds and went to the county hospital for a checkup.

There was nothing wrong with me; it was just a physical reaction caused by the high altitude and excessively dry air. I finally felt relieved.

The night before we set off, we found a local highland yak hotpot restaurant and had a nice farewell meal.

The sizzling hot pot, steaming and bubbling, dispelled the fatigue accumulated over the past few days.

The three of us raised our teacups and gently clinked them together, without any grand or impassioned words.

But I know in my heart that each of us has a reason in our hearts that we must complete this journey.

I had a vague feeling that even if the road ahead was treacherous, we would be able to get through it smoothly.

That night, the cell phone miraculously regained a weak signal.

I sat alone in the courtyard of the inn, and using this hard-won signal, I dialed Su Qing's number.

The call connected quickly, and Su Qing's voice carried obvious surprise: "Don't you have no signal at night?"

I chuckled and said, "I was lucky to snag a spot tonight, but once we enter the no-man's land tomorrow, I'll have no chance at all."

"Oh yeah! You're going into the no-man's land tomorrow, right?"

"Hmm." I softened my tone, "That's why I made this special call. After tonight, it will be incredibly difficult to hear your voice again."

Su Qing immediately said, "Then let's try video calling. Can one bar of signal hold up?"

"I don't know, but let's give it a try."

After hanging up the voice call, I initiated a video call request, which was answered almost instantly.

Su Qing's face appeared on the screen, with a room as the background.

She looked like she had just taken a shower; she was wearing loose pajamas and no makeup.

It has been almost a week since she returned home, and the roughness brought on by the high altitude has faded a lot, but there is still a faint blush on her cheeks.

She winked at the camera, striking a cute pose: "Look how well-behaved I am!"

I laughed and said, "If you're not being good, who is? It's so late, aren't you going to sleep yet?"

"I'm not sleeping. I just finished showering and was about to edit a video when you called."

"You're still getting a haircut this late?"

She nodded, propped her phone up with something, adjusted the camera angle, and then said:

"I've only edited one clip from all the footage you shot along the way, and the fans are all urging me to release more."

"I've seen that video, and the effect is very good, much better than what I filmed."

Su Qing shook her head smugly: "Of course, I'm doing it very seriously."

I joked, "When are you going to learn to be humble?"

"Why be humble? It's called having confidence in your abilities."

This is Su Qing.

Most people would politely decline such praise, but her confidence is ingrained in her bones; she is frank and vibrant.

Before I could reply, she picked up a face mask, unwrapped it, and said with a smile during the interview:

"Tomorrow we'll officially enter the no-man's-land. How are you feeling right now? Aren't you especially excited?"

I frowned and thought about it seriously: "To be honest, I'm not excited. I thought I would be full of enthusiasm, but I'm actually quite calm."

Why?

She put on a face mask as she spoke.

"I guess we've been too well prepared. Everything that needs to be inspected and everything that needs to be prepared is in place. Now I just want to set off as soon as possible and make sure we complete this journey smoothly."

After the face mask was applied, she asked, "How long do you estimate it will take to come out?"

"It's hard to say. The road conditions and weather inside are too unpredictable. I'd conservatively estimate around twenty days."

"Twenty days..."

She repeated it softly, her tone tense: "I hadn't thought much about it before, but after hearing what you said, I'm starting to get nervous."

I was both amused and exasperated: "It's not like you're the one going in on an adventure, why are you so nervous?"

Su Qing rolled her eyes at the camera: "You're such a clueless straight man! I was worried about you, you idiot!"

Only after she pointed it out did I realize what had happened, and I gave an awkward laugh.

"Don't worry, I'll definitely come out alive and well to keep my promise. When that happens, I'll be your boyfriend, and you can't go back on your word."

Beneath the face mask, her eyes darted around, and she playfully retorted, "What if I change my mind?"

Hearing this, a warm feeling welled up inside me, and the corners of my mouth involuntarily turned up.

Looking into her bright eyes through the screen, I half-jokingly and half-seriously said:

"That won't do. Once the words are spoken, there's no reason to go back on them."

"There are still quite a few rules, but I'm going to go back on my word anyway, what can you do about it?"