Zuo Si'an ignored him and continued speaking on her own, "All of this is my fault. If I had stayed home that day instead of wanting to go see a movie, I wouldn't have been... grabbed into the car, and none of this would have happened. Who else can I blame besides myself?"
She choked up, gasping for air. Gao Xiang also felt suffocated, almost blurting out to stop her from continuing.
"I want to see my dad, to let him see me. I'm just like before now, there's nothing to worry about. I want him to stop talking about divorcing Mom. I'll promise him that what happened doesn't matter, I don't even remember it clearly anymore, and I'll definitely forget it completely. They don't need to keep it on their minds either. I'll study hard at my new school, and our family can live like we used to."
She lowered her head, her voice growing increasingly faint, as if knowing that once this wish was spoken aloud, it already seemed unrealistic, making her even more despairing. When she spoke again, she wasn't crying: "Whether my mother agrees or not, I'm going to my father's place."
After an unknown period of silence, Gao Xiang suddenly said, "If your mother agrees, my girlfriend and I can take you to Tibet together."
Her head snapped up, unable to believe her ears, while Yu Jia, who had just walked out with Aunt Mei, also stopped in surprise.
5_
Sun Ruodi asked Gao Xiang, "You've seemed preoccupied lately. Are you worried about Bao Bao?"
"Bao Bao's condition is stable. We've more or less figured out his patterns now, so he's much easier to take care of than at the beginning." Gao Xiang looked at his girlfriend. "Haven't you always wanted to go to Tibet? I'll go with you."
Sun Ruodi was quite surprised: "You mean now?" Gao Xiang nodded. Sun Ruodi looked at him puzzled and asked, "How is that possible? Bao Bao still needs to prepare for surgery. How can you get away?"
"His pneumonia just cleared up. We discussed it with the doctor, and we'll schedule his surgery for May. Going to Tibet would take about half a month, so we can be back in time."
Sun Ruodi remained hesitant: "Summer and autumn are the best seasons to visit Tibet. It must be very cold there now."
"You'll start working right after graduation, and you don't have many classes now anyway. Besides, a friend happens to be working in Ngari, Tibet, and I need to help bring his daughter there."
"Ngari? I've always wanted to go to Ngari to see the sacred mountains and lakes there, not just make a quick trip around Lhasa and come back. That's perfect!"
Sun Ruodi immediately became excited, jumping up to hug Gao Xiang and giving him a kiss. Then she opened her computer to show him the travel guides she had collected, pointing out all the places she wanted to visit. Gao Xiang listened distractedly, feeling somewhat guilty. If not for wanting to take Zuo Si'an to Ngari, he certainly wouldn't have the leisure to accompany his girlfriend to Tibet right now. Even though he considered himself aboveboard, traveling alone with Zuo Si'an would be highly inappropriate. It was hard to predict how a girl in such a sensitive state as Zuo Si'an would react, and Yu Jia would never agree to it in the first place. Bringing his girlfriend along seemed like a perfect arrangement, though it didn't feel entirely fair to Sun Ruodi, who was completely unaware of the situation.
"...Hey, are you even listening?"
"I'm listening. What did you say?"
"Where in Ngari does your friend work?"
"Shiquanhe Town."Sun Ruodi traced her finger along the map: "That's the location of the Ngari Prefecture Administrative Office. How do you have a friend working in such a remote place?"
"He went there as part of the Aid Tibet program."
"Oh, how old is his daughter? She shouldn't go to high-altitude areas if she's too young."
"Fourteen."
"Doesn't she need to attend school?"
"She's taken a year off from school due to health reasons."
"If she's not in good health, she shouldn't go to Ngari either."
"She has already recovered. I'll arrange for us to meet her and her mother tomorrow. By the way, she's quite introverted, so please don't ask her about the reason for her leave from school."
Yu Jia had initially been skeptical and couldn't bring herself to agree to this matter, but Zuo Si'an's stubbornness left her completely helpless. Just as Gao Xiang had predicted, she felt reassured after meeting Sun Ruodi. Sun Ruodi was elegant in appearance and refined in speech, clearly a girl from a well-bred family. She was very close to Gao Xiang, spoke of Tibet with great anticipation, and readily promised Yu Jia that she would take good care of the younger girl, safely deliver her to her father, and bring her back safely.
Sun Ruodi immediately began contacting other potential companions to plan the trip. Gao Xiang returned home and told Chen Zihui and Gao Ming about the travel plan. As expected, Chen Zihui was taken aback at first, then erupted in anger.
"Why are you still in contact with them? Didn't they say firmly that there would be no contact after the child was born? I've always said we should settle this with money, but neither you nor your father would listen to me. Now we're stuck with them."
"Mom, there's no need to put it so harshly. They haven't been pestering me at all. I feel I have a responsibility to make amends to them."
"Ridiculous. What does this have to do with you? What responsibility do you have?"
"She's just a child. Any adult involved in this matter, in whatever capacity, bears responsibility."
Gao Ming, who had been sitting to the side, spoke up: "Let him go. This is something we owe the Zuo family."
Chen Zihui glared at him furiously: "Stop talking nonsense. Ziyu already paid with his life for what we owed them. Instead of stopping your son, you're encouraging him. Are you deliberately opposing me?"
Gao Xiang had to step between them: "Mom, be reasonable. Going to Tibet is entirely my own idea; it has nothing to do with Dad. Besides, Ruodi has always wanted to travel there, so it's perfect to bring her along."
"You even dragged Ruodi into this? How are you going to explain her background to your girlfriend?"
"You've already told Ruodi such a touching story—what is there left for me to explain?"
Chen Zihui pointed at him angrily: "You're even better at upsetting me than your father now. Let me tell you, Xiao Xiang, Bao Bao is still young. For his future, you shouldn't have any further contact with the Zuo family."
"That's exactly why I want to settle this matter now." Gao Xiang knew it was futile and exhausting to argue further with his mother, but he had always known how to handle her. He said soothingly, "Mom, I've made up my mind. Otherwise, I won't be able to rest easy. I'll arrange my work properly, and Dad will also arrange his work to come stay with you and take care of Bao Bao for a while. Don't worry, I'll definitely come back as soon as possible."No matter how furious Chen Zi Hui was, she couldn't keep arguing with her calm son. Besides, hearing that her long-absent husband was coming over still made her happy, so she could only glare at him resentfully: "Anyway, you completely disregard me as your mother."
Traveling to Tibet was a distant and unfamiliar journey, and the preparations turned out to be far more complicated than Gao Xiang had anticipated. He carefully studied the materials on Sun Ruo Di's phone and then consulted friends with experience traveling to Tibet. Their advice was that transportation there was extremely inconvenient, with vast uninhabited areas and no regular bus services. To reach their desired destinations, they would have to rent a vehicle and drive themselves. Currently, the "National Lion Highway" was the only main road from Lhasa to Shiquanhe Town in Ali, spanning nearly 1,800 kilometers with extremely poor road conditions and sparse population along the way. National Highway 219 was undergoing major renovations, making several hundred kilometers difficult to traverse. Venturing deeper required ample supplies and thorough preparation for emergencies. It was safest to have at least two off-road vehicles traveling together for mutual assistance when needed.
With the help of that friend, Gao Xiang contacted Lao Zhang in Beijing, who had been to Tibet once before and had extensive experience in off-road driving and hiking. Lao Zhang was planning to drive to Tibet with seven other travel enthusiasts in two vehicles to cross the Ali region. After repeated discussions, they finally finalized their itinerary. Lao Zhang's group would drive via the Qinghai-Tibet route, while Gao Xiang's side would rent a vehicle locally after arriving in Lhasa.
One day in late April, Gao Xiang flew to Chengdu with Sun Ruo Di and Zuo Si'an. They stayed there overnight before taking an early morning flight to Lhasa.
Yu Jia saw them off at the airport, her eyes slightly red as she struggled to maintain composure. Zuo Si'an habitually lowered her head, refusing to look at her. Yu Jia pulled Gao Xiang aside and whispered, "I finally managed to call her father ten days ago. As soon as I mentioned Xiao An wanted to see him, he flew into a rage, scolded me for being irresponsible, and had a big argument with me over the phone, completely unwilling to listen to my explanation. I'm afraid if he finds out Xiao An is really going, he'll hide. How could we find him in a place like that? If she doesn't get to see him, Xiao An will be heartbroken, so I haven't called him again."
"He'll surely be happy to see his daughter."
"That's not necessarily true. I just hope this trip will help Xiao An let go of this burden and come back to focus on her studies. I'm counting on you, Gao Xiang."
Gao Xiang nodded. She walked over, took Sun Ruo Di's hand, and said earnestly, "Ruodi, please make sure to take good care of Xiao An."
Sun Ruo Di also nodded repeatedly: "I will, Teacher Yu."
On the flight from Chengdu to Tibet, Sun Ruo Di was filled with excitement, showing Zuo Si'an the materials she had collected and trying to engage her in conversation. Zuo Si'an appeared to listen attentively, staring intently at the map, but offered little response. The plane landed on time at Lhasa Gonggar Airport. After disembarking and seeing the clear blue skies and white clouds, Sun Ruo Di grew even more excited. Ignoring Gao Xiang's warnings, she dropped their luggage at the hotel and immediately dragged him and Zuo Si'an to see the Potala Palace she had long dreamed of visiting, then wandered around the city.A few hours later, all three of them began experiencing altitude sickness to varying degrees. Zuo Si'an and Gao Xiang only had headaches, but the overly excited Sun Ruodi also developed symptoms of chest tightness and shortness of breath, forcing her to return to the hotel to lie down. Gao Xiang knew that while flying to Lhasa saved time, it didn't allow for gradual adaptation to the high altitude like driving would. He went out to buy medicine for them, administered it, and urged them to rest early.
By the next afternoon, Sun Ruodi had recovered enough to say to Zuo Si'an, who was pouring water for her, "Your mother asked me to take care of you, but I'm so useless. I'm really ashamed."
Although they had spent three days together, Zuo Si'an remained reserved and distant, not warming up to Sun Ruodi. She merely curved her lips in a faint smile and said nothing.
Lao Zhang's group had set out from Xining, driving a Toyota SUV via the Qinghai-Tibet route into Tibet, arriving in Lhasa one day later than Gao Xiang. After checking into their hotel, they called Gao Xiang, and the two teams met up. Gao Xiang noticed they had only one vehicle with two men and two women. Lao Zhang explained that the other car had skidded and overturned while crossing the Kunlun Mountains due to icy roads. Fortunately, the speed was low, and the occupants sustained only minor injuries. The vehicle was towed for repairs and could no longer continue the journey. Despite this incident and six arduous days of driving through the Kunlun Mountains, Hoh Xil uninhabited zone, and Tanggula Mountains, the group appeared travel-worn but in high spirits, forming a stark contrast to the two frail girls on Gao Xiang's side.
Lao Zhang, who worked for a foreign company, was only three years older than Gao Xiang but looked more mature. Everyone respectfully called him Brother Zhang. Witty and talkative, he first suggested that Gao Xiang shave his head like him and the other man for convenience on the road. Before Gao Xiang could respond, Sun Ruodi objected, "No need, his hair is already short enough."
Lao Zhang rubbed the short stubble on his head and grinned, "In a few days, you'll see how practical my advice is. Sisters, if you can't handle it, just speak up. There's no shame in backing out here."
Zuo Si'an clearly couldn't handle such familiarity and retreated to the side without a word. Sun Ruodi smiled and shook her head, "I've adapted now. I won't hold everyone back."
Lao Zhang possessed strong organizational and execution skills, with extensive connections. He had already asked a local friend to help Gao Xiang rent a Toyota and hired a Tibetan driver named Duo Ji to share driving shifts. Born in Ngari, Duo Ji was familiar with local roads and could also serve as their guide. After taking over the vehicle, they spent the day stocking up on supplies and set off early the next morning.
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