The sky was a pale gray, with thick, chaotic clouds obscuring any trace of blue. Beneath this sky stretched a range of dark green mountains. Below the mountains lay a deep green forest. Closer still, a vast grassland blended shades of deep yellow, light yellow, grass green, and scattered wildflowers.
A pale gray road lay right before her.
A light drizzle fell from the sky, and the wind began to pick up. A few sheep by the roadside, indifferent to the rain, chewed on grass and lifted their heads to gaze at You Mingxu.
You Mingxu hadn’t expected Tibet in June to be this cold. She wore only waterproof pants, a T-shirt, and a windbreaker over it. Her long hair was tied into a ponytail tucked under her helmet. Despite the chill, her mountain bike maintained a steady, even pace.
There wasn’t a soul in sight, ahead or behind.
She looked up at the sky again, then checked her watch. It seemed like the day was over; perhaps it was time to find a place to rest.
But this area was remote, with few residents—only the occasional backpacker passing through. She rode on for a while longer. It was already past four in the afternoon, and the sky had grown darker, the mountains shrouded in gloom. The raindrops were getting heavier.
Tired and a little hungry, You Mingxu pulled her bike to the side of the road, took out some chocolate and sausage from her backpack, and ate slowly.
She had been stopped for over ten minutes when only one car passed by. It had a local license plate and looked old. The driver was a middle-aged man. You Mingxu waved, hoping to hitch a ride, but he sped past as if he hadn’t seen her.
Unfazed, she leaned against a tree by the roadside and continued eating the cold sausage.
A little later, a motorcycle approached from a distance, ridden by a young man with long hair. You Mingxu watched him without moving. The young man had dark skin, wore a denim jacket, and his face had a sly look, his eyes roving over You Mingxu.
He stopped beside her bike, stared at her for a moment, and asked, "Where are you headed?"
Just then, You Mingxu heard the sound of a car. She glanced back and saw another vehicle approaching. Through the misty rain, its headlights were on, and for a moment, she couldn’t make out the person in the driver’s seat.
She jerked her chin forward, indicating her direction to the motorcycle youth.
The motorcycle youth asked again, "Alone?"
You Mingxu smiled and replied, "No, I have a few companions. They’re behind me. I ride faster."
The young man’s gaze deepened, and he fell silent, his hands resting on the motorcycle handles, not moving. Just then, the car that had been behind them passed by at a steady, unhurried pace. You Mingxu looked past the motorcycle youth and, through the rain-spattered window, saw a young man. His skin was quite fair, and his features didn’t look local. He had a buzz cut and distinct facial features. He was also wearing a windbreaker, black, with the collar slightly raised, revealing a glimpse of his neck and Adam’s apple. He was handsome, with a rugged, masculine kind of attractiveness.
The motorcycle youth also turned to look, sizing up the driver for a few moments, his expression blank.
You Mingxu grabbed her bike’s handlebars and quickly jumped on, ready to leave. But the motorcycle youth, perhaps accustomed to herding or hunting—or maybe having done this sort of thing many times before—reacted swiftly. He leaned over, seized her handlebars with one hand, and with the other, grabbed for the backpack on her back.
He was a robber.You Mingxu glared fiercely at him, gritting her teeth as she tried to break free. The two immediately began struggling with each other. Meanwhile, the car ahead had already driven over a hundred meters away and was unlikely to notice the commotion behind. Resigned to her fate, You Mingxu clutched her backpack tightly and shouted, "Let go! Let go of me! Help! Robbery! Help!"
The motorcycle youth revealed his vicious side, throwing a punch at You Mingxu's face while snarling, "You asking for death? Shut up and stop yelling!" You Mingxu reacted quickly, dodging the punch in a clumsy but effective move. The youth seized her wrist and paused momentarily, surprised by how soft and smooth her skin felt. When he took a closer look at her face, his heart skipped a beat.
Feeling a rush of heat to his head, the youth began to entertain other ideas. He abandoned his motorcycle, no longer focused on stealing her bag, and instead grabbed her shoulders, pushing her toward a cluster of trees. With a smirk, he said, "Why are you running? I'm not robbing you anymore. A girl walking alone on this road in this weather isn't safe. Let me take you somewhere secure, alright?"
His tone had suddenly turned flirtatious, and he began to grope her. You Mingxu understood his intentions all too well, feeling nothing but disgust and contempt. But the situation was critical. Struggling and resisting with all her might, she mustered her strength and screamed again, "Driver of the car with license plate Chuan AXXXXX, help! Please save me! Someone's trying to rob and assault me! Help!"
The motorcycle youth grew irritated and couldn't help glancing back. To his surprise, the car had actually stopped up ahead. In that moment of hesitation, You Mingxu broke free and ran. Cursing under his breath, the youth was about to chase after her when he noticed the car had turned around. A sharp honk—"Beep!"—pierced the air as the vehicle sped straight toward them.
You Mingxu stumbled forward a few steps and looked up to see the black sedan just over ten meters away. The driver was staring intently at her, his gaze alert and resolute. His hand remained pressed on the steering wheel, the horn blaring continuously, cutting through the rain and echoing across the highway, almost resonating throughout the entire wilderness.
A wave of warmth surged in You Mingxu's heart, an inexplicable sense of security washing over her. She thought she saw him nod at her before accelerating, the car closing in within seconds.
You Mingxu turned back to see the youth jump onto his motorcycle, rev the engine, and speed away.
Like a wooden post, You Mingxu stood frozen, still clutching her backpack.
The rain had intensified without her noticing, pattering noisily on the ground and his car. He slammed on the brakes and stepped out. Despite the dim, rain-soaked surroundings that blurred everything into a hazy gray world, You Mingxu could see him clearly: he was about 1.8 meters tall, dressed in outdoor gear, with a sturdy build and a gentle, clean-cut face.
He glanced at You Mingxu, then looked in the direction the motorcycle had fled, a flicker of ferocity crossing his expression before he quickly composed himself. Turning back to her, he asked, "Are you alright? Were you... hurt?"
You Mingxu shook her head. "I'm fine. Thank you... thank you for turning back. If it weren't for you, I would have been done for."
He gave her a gentle smile.He hadn't expected the girl he'd casually rescued to be so strikingly beautiful. Even in such dismal surroundings, her face stood out brilliantly. His gaze lingered on her face for a moment before shifting away as he asked, "Do you have any companions? Should we contact them?"
You Mingxu replied, "I'm alone now. I originally had a friend with me, but she had a family emergency yesterday and went back first. I wanted to finish the remaining journey."
The man didn't respond, his hand resting on the car door as he tapped it absently. You Mingxu noticed raindrops silently tracing paths along his lean, well-defined knuckles.
He asked, "Can you continue cycling alone from here? Do you need me to call the police?"
You Mingxu lowered her head slightly, studying his boots. His storm pants were tucked neatly into them, creating sharp, handsome lines. She answered, "Could I ride with you to find a safe place up ahead? I really can't cycle anymore, and I don't want to."
The man fell silent for a while.
You Mingxu looked up and saw him frown slightly, his expression actually seeming somewhat reluctant. But his brow quickly smoothed as he said, "Alright."
You Mingxu smiled at him. "Thank you! I'm really grateful for your help today!"
Rain fell steadily from the sky, creating a blurred, misty landscape where the slender woman stood. He noticed her clear, captivating eyes, delicate nose, and when she smiled, her full red lips held a natural sensuality. It had been a long time since he'd been with a woman, and after a couple of glances, he felt an inexplicable restlessness stir within him. When her gaze met his, he averted his inappropriate masculine stare.
He drove an ordinary sedan and said, "The trunk is full of luggage," before helping You Mingxu secure her bicycle to the roof rack.
The storm arrived with sudden fury.
Dark, oppressive clouds loomed over the mountain peaks. The world had turned gloomy, with only the roar of rain outside the vehicle. The previously vibrant Tibetan scenery seemed to have lost its color in an instant, leaving only a darkness that appeared capable of swallowing everything, visibility becoming extremely poor.
He drove cautiously, occasionally passing other vehicles. With the car's heater on, You Mingxu removed her jacket, remaining in just her fitted long-sleeved shirt. After sitting for a while, she began to feel warmth returning to her body.
She stole glances at him - he seemed completely focused on driving. Having gotten wet earlier, he had also removed his jacket, revealing a dark gray long-sleeved shirt that suited him well.
After a while, he asked, "Mind if I smoke? I'm a bit tired."
You Mingxu replied, "Not at all. Could I have one too?"
This made him look at her with some surprise, a hint of laughter in his eyes. He reached toward the center console, fumbling around before producing a half-empty pack of cigarettes. You Mingxu, always perceptive, directly took the pack, extracted one cigarette and offered it to him first.
He accepted it, saying, "Thanks."
You Mingxu placed one between her lips herself. He then produced a lighter, lit his own cigarette, and handed the lighter to her. You Mingxu held the cigarette with practiced ease, smoking slowly. Though they still didn't speak much, the atmosphere felt more intimate and familiar than when she first got in the car.
He said, "Gu Tiancheng. My name is Gu Tiancheng."
"You Mingxu." She glanced again at the rain outside. "If I hadn't met you, I don't know how drenched I'd be by now."
The corner of his mouth lifted. "No problem."
You Mingxu asked, "What do you do?"
Gu Tiancheng replied, "IT. And you?"You Mingxu: "Clothing. I'm a fashion designer."
Gu Tiancheng smiled softly and said, "No wonder it looks so good."
You Mingxu heard him clearly but remained silent. She wasn't sure what he meant by "so good." He stayed quiet too, as if he hadn't said anything at all. After they finished their cigarettes, the rain had lightened up. Glancing at the darkening sky, she asked, "How much longer until we find a place to rest?"
He said, "I'm not sure either. But I remember from my visit two years ago, if we drive for about another hour, we should come across some Tibetan homes."
You Mingxu replied, "Okay." She hugged her arms tightly and leaned back in the car seat. After a while, she reached up to wipe her face, then pressed her fingers to her forehead.
Gu Tiancheng noticed and asked, "What's wrong? Are you alright?"
Then he heard her muffled voice as she buried her face in her arms, "I'm fine. It's just... thinking about what happened earlier, I'm still a little scared."
Her tone was calm, carrying a hint of self-mocking laughter and a touch of barely concealed grievance. Earlier, Gu Tiancheng had thought this woman was remarkably bold and composed. After getting in the car, she hadn't cried or lost her composure, instead smoking and chatting with him as if nothing had happened. He hadn't expected that only now, after some time had passed, would she finally feel the delayed fear, revealing a trace of feminine vulnerability and helplessness.
Glancing sideways, he saw her long hair had come loose, slightly wavy and thick, jet-black. Her small face was hidden behind her arms, below which were her slender waist and long legs. The curves of her chest were delicate yet full. When she peeked out from behind her arms, her eyes were clear and bright, stubborn yet vivid.
Gu Tiancheng felt a slight pang in his chest. He looked up ahead—this was the Wilderness at the border of Sichuan and Tibet, where the sky was the canopy and the earth the mat. There was no one else around, far from the city, far from all the ordinary, crowded, scheming, and pretentious aspects of life. Yet here he was with this woman, meeting like drifting duckweed, sharing the same car, sheltering from the storm and moving forward together in warmth.
You Mingxu met his gaze. His expression remained calm, but his voice softened slightly as he said, "Don't be afraid. I'll definitely get you to a safe place."
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