"In thе рast, maуbе bесаuse the internеt wаsn't as devеlopеd, thеrе wеrеn't mаny reрorts about him, but in recent уеars, hе's beсоmе quitе pорulаr. Lоgiсallу, if a child goеs missing, уou shоuld search in rеmote mоuntainous аrеаs whilе аlsо sеeking attеntiоn in big citiеs. Вut lоoking аt his cусling routes оvеr the уears, theу're all trails thаt оrdinаry оutdoor enthusiаsts tаkе. For ехаmрlе, оut of thе 12 rоutes intо Tibеt, he's cоmplеtеd 10—whаt's he thinking? Is hе lооking fоr his child?"
"Therе are many waуs to raise уour prоfile. Is суcling 10 rоutes into Tibet illegal?" Diao Zhuo didn't seem to care. "The fact is, he illegally crossed Qiangtang and ended up missing."
"I'm just responsible for guiding. Whether we find him or not, I have nothing to lose." Bayunye sat cross-legged in a corner of the bed. "But while you're volunteering to search, don't you want to know more?"
"The truth doesn't need your insistence. When it's time for you to know, it will reveal itself."
She stroked her chin, deep in thought. "That's philosophical. The truth is always winding and then suddenly clear. By the way, have you heard this song..."
Diao Zhuo raised an eyebrow, waiting for her to continue.
"The philosophical mountain road has eighteen bends, the philosophical waterway has nine interlocking rings..."
"Are you a comedian?" He rubbed his forehead.
"I'm a comedian delayed by making a living."
He seemed not to hear clearly. "...Family planning?"
"Making a living!" She glared. "...And car loans!"
He reminded her, "What's the problem with Ye Xun?"
"He's not simple."
"Who is simple?"
"Me."
Diao Zhuo looked away as if he hadn't heard.
"Ah! Where was I?"
"Don't know."
She thought for a moment, deliberately going back to the start of the conversation: "Oh, we were talking about you... ordering takeout? Go ahead, order it, louder."
"I'm not blind. I can see Ye Xun isn't simple." Diao Zhuo was stern, uninterested in her silly jokes. "But we're only responsible for searching, scouting routes, and ensuring everyone's safety. As for whether others are simple or not, it has nothing to do with our duty..."
Bayunye asked with interest, "How could you tell?"
"He knew what was in the oxygen bag you gave him." Diao Zhuo stared straight at her because, compared to Ye Xun, she really was simple.
A simple female rogue.
"Is that so..." She shrugged regretfully and jumped off the bed. "I'm heading back. Aren't you going to see me off?"
"It's just a few steps. Do you need an escort?" Lesson two on how a steel-straight man stays single through sheer skill.
She turned back, shamelessly saying, "If you won't see me off, does that mean you want me to stay?"
Diao Zhuo stood up, forcefully stuffing the cigarette back into the pack. "I'll see you off."
Clearly eager to avoid her.
Bayunye snorted heavily through her nose and strode out. Diao Zhuo followed a few steps, politely opening the door for her first—making his hurry to send her off obvious.
"Thanks for the gum."
"Goodnight, Master Ba." His voice was rich and low.
Bayunye lifted her chin slightly, showing a hint of arrogance, her hand subtly moving back as she gritted out a few words, "Goodnight, Captain Diao."
With that, she suddenly gave him a hard pinch.
Diao Zhuo froze completely.
Walking back to her room, Bayunye flexed her left hand. The sensation from earlier still lingered in her palm—he looked tough all over, but his butt really had some bounce.
"Fuck!" Diao Zhuo's furious roar echoed through the hallway.Damn Bayunye had already reached her room door, half her body hidden in the doorway, reaching out a hand with her index finger beckoning.
Come on if you dare.
Diao Zhuo practically wanted to strangle her.
Early the next morning, breakfast should have been the usual Tibetan fare of steamed buns, soy milk, and noodles. Surprisingly, Master Ba found a breakfast shop run by Shaanxi locals, where lotus root powder-like thick and sweet eight-treasure porridge dispelled the drowsiness of waking early. Strangely enough, the Shaanxi people, who should have been as bold and rugged as spicy soup and Qin opera, made porridge even softer, stickier, and sweeter than those from the Jiangnan region.
The men all ate with extra vigor. Amid the chatter, Bayunye learned that Diao Zhuo was from Xi’an.
"Hey, if I ever get a chance to visit Xi’an, take me to eat roujiamo," Bayunye said shamelessly. "I can eat eight in one meal."
This startled Xiang An. "You can eat that much?"
She flashed a mischievous grin again, with a double meaning, "Is there anything I can’t do?"
Diao Zhuo deliberately pretended not to hear her the whole time, though the urge to strangle her resurfaced in his mind. Stirring his noodles a few more times in the broth, the familiar aroma of chili oil wafted into his nostrils. He thought, with her wild, untamed nature, forget roujiamo—even a living person who ended up at her mercy would likely never return.
Ye Xun continued sipping his rhodiola tea hypocritically and casually asked Bayunye, "Traditional Chinese medicine works rather slowly. Since you’re always running around on the plateau, can you recommend any fast-acting medicine?"
"Everyone reacts differently to medication. What works for others might not work for you, Mr. Ye. You’d better stick with the rhodiola," Bayunye replied. "Once we enter Qiangtang, the altitude won’t drop below 4,500 meters. We’ll be driving and searching for people all day, probably not sleeping well at night either. It’ll take a huge toll on our stamina and put a lot of strain on our hearts and lungs. It won’t be too late to take some heart and lung protective medicine then."
"4,500 meters, oh dear, oh dear..." Ye Xun covered his head, pretending the thought alone gave him a headache.
"You’ll get used to it. In the past, I’ve led several groups of guests who were overly cautious when they first arrived in Tibet—they wouldn’t even take a shower. Later, when climbing a Glacier at 4,900 meters, they were so fast it was like a hundred-meter sprint. I couldn’t even keep up."
"Exaggeration, pure exaggeration!" Ye Xun patted her shoulder.
Bayunye thought to herself, Old man, you didn’t even skip that last night, so why are you acting so weak this morning?
After breakfast, everyone got into the vehicles and set off. They had at least ten hours of driving ahead today, aiming to reach Coqên by evening. The scenery along the way from Lhatse to Coqên was breathtaking—wide roads, open vistas, vast clouds floating above mountain ranges, and lakes stretching along the road, known as "tso" in Tibetan. It was hard to imagine why, amidst vast stretches of wilderness and earthy-colored peaks, the lake water could be so flawlessly blue. Mirror-like surfaces reflected the mountains, creating symmetrical patterns that were a delight to behold.
Spring arrived late in western Tibet, with vast grasslands still retaining their dark brown hue. Black yaks lowered their heads to graze and drink water, while low stone enclosures dotted the landscape. One or two women in Tibetan robes swayed as they carried fodder, walking slowly. Occasionally, they encountered groups of cycling travelers and Tibetan pilgrims prostrating all the way to Lhasa.Even if you've seen this scene many times in movies and pictures, witnessing it firsthand is still awe-inspiring. Ye Xun stopped the car, recorded a short video with his phone, and asked Xiao Zi to give them some money.
Everyone got out of the car, standing by the roadside to rest or smoke. "It's so hard..." Ye Xun muttered as he watched the Tibetan pilgrims crawl forward, "What do they hope to gain by prostrating all the way to Lhasa? Health? Safety?"
Bayunye stood with her hands in her pockets, her gaze unusually profound. "Tibetans cultivate the afterlife, not this life."
Everyone seemed to half-understand and could only nod. Diao Zhuo stubbed out his cigarette and stomped on it a few more times, the bitter taste of tobacco lingering on his tongue—so what does this enchantress cultivate?
As they approached the Kaga checkpoint, Bayunye heard a voice over the walkie-talkie saying Ye Xun's car had a flat tire. She pulled over and walked back to help, but the Rescue Team members had already started changing the spare tire.
"It's better for car problems to surface early. Once we enter the Uninhabited Area, even getting stuck would be a nightmare," Bayunye reminded them. "Tonight, everyone should thoroughly check their own vehicles."
As she spoke, she craned her neck to look inside Ye Xun's car. "The tire pressure is too high. Remember to let some air out later."
Xiao Zi looked curious. "Why?"
Bayunye smiled, deliberately keeping her in suspense. "You'll find out when the time comes."
The convoy entered Coqen. At this pace, they would reach Zou Kaigui's starting point for crossing Qiangtang tomorrow. The living conditions in Coqen were incomparable to the previous stops—finding a hotel with a private bathroom was difficult. Due to the shortage of rooms, half the convoy stayed at Coqen Hotel, while Hippo took the other half to stay at Plateau Impression.
Tan Lin asked, "Why do I get the feeling Master Ba is quite interested in Diao Zhuo?"
"That's just how she is—she doesn't know her limits. Just treat her like one of the guys," Hippo said with a laugh. "I don't think Captain Diao has any interest in her."
Da Qin, who worked in Xi'an and knew Diao Zhuo the earliest, chimed in, "Diao Zhuo likes the delicate, fragile type of woman—the kind who needs to be carried across a puddle. When holding a cup, her pinky has to be like this..." He stiffly mimicked a delicate hand gesture, looking awkward and comical. "That kind of woman stirs a man's protective instinct, making him feel capable. Master Ba doesn't seem like she needs protection—in fact, she could protect a man."
"Would you dare say that to Master Ba's face?" Hippo challenged him.
Da Qin raised his hands in surrender.
"I actually think Master Ba is great—down-to-earth and not fussy. It's easy to get along and talk with her; you don't have to overthink things. Some women, sigh... they get angry over nothing and always make you guess why. You guess for ages and still get it wrong, only to find out the real reason was an extra comma in your text message, which showed you weren't taking her seriously..." Xiang An smiled bitterly, clearly scarred by past experiences. "As for Master Ba, unless you knock her down, she definitely won't pick a fight with you."
"Knock her down?" Hippo was shocked. "Go ask around—who dares? Even with a Green Dragon Crescent Blade, you might not be able to take her!"
Xiang An burst out laughing.
Hippo turned and pointed at him. "Young man, I can tell you're going to be a 'henpecked husband' in the future."
"Depends on who's doing the henpecking. If it's Master Ba, I'd gladly submit." Xiang An's eyes sparkled, clearly showing his admiration.Hippo clutched his chest, looking thoroughly disgusted by him.
Later, Diao Zhuo lay on a board, half his body hidden beneath the vehicle as he inspected the chassis. A pile of tools lay scattered to his right, occasionally clinking with the sound of metal. Before long, another person slid under the vehicle. Without even turning his head, he knew it was Bayunye.
He instinctively shifted aside.
Sensing his avoidance, Bayunye chuckled, deliberately putting on a coy voice. "Master Tang, why do you keep avoiding me?"
"What act are you putting on now?" he asked, focused on inspecting the chassis without glancing sideways.
"The Kingdom of Women."
"I thought it was more like Water Margin."
"...Pan Jinlian?"
"Sun Erniang."
Bayunye played dumb. "I'm illiterate, never read the book you mentioned."
"If you haven't read it, how do you know Pan Jinlian?"
"The Plum in the Golden Vase has her too."
Diao Zhuo didn't take the bait, concentrating on wiping down the chassis.
For once, Bayunye remained quiet. After a while, she picked up a tool and handed it to him. He happened to be checking the chassis screws and took it without a second thought. Soon, she passed him something else, which turned out to be exactly what he needed next.
"During the day, I felt a strange noise from the right rear wheel," Diao Zhuo said, pointing to the chassis suspension. "Check if there's an issue here."
Bayunye glanced at it and tinkered for a moment. "It's fine. Is this your car?"
"It belongs to the Lhasa team."
"Probably overloaded during the break-in period and driven on rough roads. The suspension system can't handle that kind of abuse," Bayunye remarked. "The connections are still intact, so it won't affect driving from here on."
"Hah, Master Ba, is there anything you can't do?" he asked.
Bayunye thought seriously for a moment. "Probably humility."
Diao Zhuo crawled out from under the vehicle, smelling of a mix of oil and tobacco. His black wool sweater clung tightly to his body, outlining the contours of his muscles—very masculine.
"Why did you end up doing this after leaving the army?"
The question sounded odd. Bayunye frowned. "Doing what? The way you ask makes it sound like a cop interrogating a fallen woman."
"Don't worry, you're not the falling type."
"Why do you say that?"
"No business."
She shot him a glare. "If I don't do this, what else would I do? Work a nine-to-five office job?"
Diao Zhuo lit a cigarette, holding it between his index and middle fingers as thin wisps of smoke curled upward. "If I were the boss, I'd fire you on the first day."
Without a hint of modesty, Bayunye replied, "Maybe I'd be your boss instead?"
Her sheer audacity made him concede defeat.
"I've worked office jobs too. Right after leaving the army, I helped guard a place, but that place... let's not talk about it. There was also a rich guy who hired me as his head bodyguard," she said. "But within a few days, his hand started wandering toward my leg..."
Diao Zhuo paused and looked at Bayunye. "Is he still alive?"
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