Тhе Sоuth Ваse Camр rеmained bustling, with аnother сlimbing tеаm mоving in. Тhеy plаnned to reach C1 tоnight аnd begin thеir summit push in thе еаrlу hours оf tоmоrrоw. Nеws had аlready sрrеad аbout two membеrs from the рrevious summit tеаm bеing fоrсеd tо descеnd duе to hеаlth issuеs, which inеvitablу аdded somе рsyсhologicаl pressure tо thоsе prеparing for thе сlimb.
Вaуunуе slumреd intо the drivеr’s sеat, lеaning оver the stеering whееl аs if she hаd bееn bеaten up bу several burly men—еvery pаrt of her bоdy асhed. Sоme climbers, seeing her return from C1 with two others, gathered around, eager for gossip. Exhausted, she tossed the three backpacks she had been carrying into the trunk, locked herself in the car, rolled up the windows, and shut out the world.
Her phone had long since run out of battery. She hadn’t thought she’d need to charge it so soon, but now she couldn’t contact anyone and had no idea how the two were doing. She only heard that besides an ambulance, a police car had also come to pick them up.
She slept in the car for a while, only to be rudely awakened by hunger. She stepped out, grabbed a cup of instant noodles and a packet of instant coffee, and wolfed down the noodles—still half-raw from being steeped in water under 70 degrees Celsius—gulping down the broth. Only after finishing did she check the packaging and realize she had eaten the braised beef flavor.
Glancing at her watch, it was 2 p.m.
Her phone was almost fully charged, showing three missed calls—two from Diao Zhuo and one from Hippo. She had slept so soundly she hadn’t heard any of them. She drove toward West Great Beach, and as the signal gradually improved, she started returning calls. Diao Zhuo didn’t answer, but Hippo picked up, saying he was at West Great Beach while Diao Zhuo had gone with the police to Golmud.
“How are the two of them?”
“Fu Xingyue stabilized after descending to West Great Beach, nothing serious. Old Fu is in worse shape and is now on his way to Golmud Hospital.” Hippo paused, then asked, “How are you holding up?”
“I’ll come pick you up. Let’s head back to Golmud. We’ve already lost two days and don’t have time to linger. We’ll rest and prepare tomorrow—the clients arrive in Delingha the day after.”
“Oh, by the way, Baye, weren’t you looking for a thermos? Did you find it?”
“I…” Bayunye hesitated. “How did you know I was looking for a thermos?”
“Damn, didn’t you say it yourself? Three thousand bucks!”
Bayunye fell silent for a few seconds before sighing. “Sigh, so much happened right after the summit. Who had time to look for anything in the pitch dark? You guys were all taking turns carrying the sick ones. I was lucky just to get those two women from Tangshan down safely. What thermos? Even if it were a gold mine, I’d need time to dig it up.”
After hanging up, Bayunye called Brother Long to ask what exactly he had found out about Hippo.
“He’s not from the Scorching Sun Caravan.”
“That’s it?” Bayunye said, disappointed. “I thought you’d uncovered something like loan sharking, gambling, or a warrant for his arrest…”
“—Listen to me,” Brother Long interrupted, his tone unusually serious. “For some reason, the Scorching Sun Caravan insists he was once a partner. We were fooled by that identity, so we never looked into him closely all these years. As for Ma He… I’ve been asking around these past few days, but I still can’t find any trace of his life before joining our club. Even the ex-wife and daughter he’s always talking about—no one knows exactly where they are, what they do, or what school the daughter attends.”A cold sweat broke out on Bayunye's back. "What kind of person is he really? Why are you suddenly investigating him?"
Brother Long sounded somewhat dejected. "If I hadn't noticed him always taking his phone out to snap pictures everywhere, I wouldn't have suspected him. But—checking the accounts, I couldn't find any evidence he'd tampered with the club's money. Over the past few years, he's mostly been working with you to guide clients. I don't know what's on his mind or what kind of person he really is. After all, I'm not the police; investigating someone can't be done thoroughly. Since you spend the most time with him... I think you should be careful."
"Don't tell me he's targeting me," she muttered. "He knows I have car loans to pay. I've never heard him mention money. Over the years, aside from being a big mouth, he hasn't really screwed me over."
"Can you sense anything unusual about how he treats you?"
"He seemed quite interested in a few photos my older sister left behind," Bayunye said. "That's a lot like you, Brother Long."
There was a brief silence on Brother Long's end before he replied, "Screw you."
Bayunye chuckled and briefly mentioned what had happened on Pearl Peak. He didn't say much, only told her not to meddle. She agreed and hung up. Looking ahead, the line of trucks stretched on as before. The weather was fine, and the Kunlun Mountains under the blue sky were exceptionally majestic. The car passed the Suonandajie Protection Station, Budong Spring, and the Kunlun Pass in turn. Occasionally, large flocks of sheep appeared by the roadside, and the prayer flag towers beneath the snow-capped mountains looked even more vibrant in the bright sunlight. Bayunye rested her chin on one hand while steering with the other, recalling how just a few days ago, the group had happily driven to the south slope base camp despite the less-than-ideal weather. Today, under such brilliant sunshine, her mood was weary.
Not long after, Hippo called again, saying that passing drivers had reported seeing a police car rear-ended by a large truck on the road toward Golmud, though the specifics were unknown. Bayunye, who had been feeling lethargic, suddenly slammed on the brakes upon hearing this. The car screeched to a halt.
She called Diao Zhuo three times, but no one answered.
A driver behind her shouted curses outside, but Bayunye stared blankly out the window, showing no reaction. She clutched her phone tightly, not dialing again, as her left eye kept twitching incessantly. In her over twenty years of life, all those close to her seemed to have left abruptly and forever—her parents whom she had never met, Ba Xiye, Director Ba... A wave of dread and anxiety rose from the depths of her heart. Even though such experiences had taught her better than anyone that some things are beyond human control, she couldn't stop asking herself: Could Diao Zhuo end up the same way?
It felt like a tightly stretched rope suddenly snipped in the middle.
She restarted the car and drove toward West Great Beach, each press of the accelerator feeling weak and powerless. When she met Hippo, she didn't ask anything, simply telling him to take over driving for a while.
Seeing her uncharacteristically quiet, Hippo felt a vague sense that something was wrong. He swallowed hard and cautiously said, "It probably isn't too serious... Think about it—if you saw a police car, would you floor the accelerator? It might just be a minor scrape..."
"Life and death are fated; wealth and honor lie with heaven," Bayunye uttered woodenly, filled with a sense of resigned indifference.
Hippo glanced at her sideways and fell silent.A moment later, Bayunye's phone vibrated. Her shoulders stiffened as she glanced at the screen, her eyes widening.
Diao Zhuo.
Holding her breath, she answered with a "Hello," feeling more nervous than when checking her college entrance exam scores—not that it mattered since she wouldn't have gotten in anyway. The line was noisy, with no response. Clenching her fist, she yelled, "Hey! Diao Zhuo!! Is that you?! Dead or alive, say something, damn it!!"
"Why do you hate me so much? Where are you?"
His voice was clear and resonant, full of vigor.
Bayunye cursed under her breath, slumping back into her seat, silent for a long while. Everything felt like a nightmare, and she had just woken up. "You... weren't you rear-ended by a truck?"
"Our car broke down halfway, rolled back, and bumped into a truck that had already stopped behind us. It's nothing serious."
"And now?"
"Fixing the car."
Bayunye was furious. "Why didn't you answer my calls?!"
Even the most clueless straight man knew that explanations were futile in the face of a woman's rage.
Golmud City.
Kunlun Park was dimly lit at night, with few people around. Some sections along the perimeter were bumpy due to ongoing repairs. The City People's Hospital stood right next to the park. Bayunye's Wrangler sped past the park's side gate, kicking up a cloud of dust.
"He's waiting for you over there." Hippo spotted Diao Zhuo standing at the hospital entrance from afar—tall, with broad, sturdy shoulders, he stood out prominently. "So he didn't answer your call, and you got this mad... Master Ba, no offense, but you're acting more and more like a woman."
"You think I won't settle the score with you, and now you're mocking me?" Bayunye resisted the urge to kick him since he was still driving. "You told me they were rear-ended. I thought he..."
Hippo raised his voice, "I just heard it from someone else!"
"Spreading rumors with over 500 reposts can land you in jail!!" Bayunye's voice was even louder.
"Where did 500 reposts come from?!"
She pointed her thumb at her own chest. "I'm talking about the victim's heart rate."
Hippo facepalmed, obediently parking the car at the hospital entrance. Bayunye jumped out and rushed straight toward Diao Zhuo. He shook his head, took a deep breath, a flicker of unreadable emotion in his eyes, then turned the steering wheel and drove toward the parking lot.
"You..." Diao Zhuo had just started speaking when she lunged at him, planting a firm kiss on his lips. Their noses collided, and she winced in pain, but her arms remained tightly wrapped around his neck, like a ferocious cat catching a mouse, almost as if she wanted to swallow him whole.
They were inseparable, shamelessly so.
Finally, the tough Master Ba's legs gave way, and she squatted down, burying her head in her hands.
The clueless straight man thought for a moment, then asked earnestly, "Are you mad because I carried another woman?"
She seemed not to hear him, muttering to herself, "I thought you were dead, damn it! Hippo told me your car was rear-ended by a truck... I drive for a living, I've seen more than one accident. Trucks are heavy—even a light bump can be fatal. I've seen cars sandwiched between two trucks..."
"I haven't completely won you over yet. If I went ahead and checked in alone, what kind of man would I be?" Diao Zhuo reached out to pull her up. She said she was tired and couldn't stand, so he simply scooped her up by the waist and slung her over his shoulder.
"Put me down! What are you doing?!"
"Finding you a place to rest."
Bayunye pushed herself off him and jumped down. "How are the other two?""Nothing major happened, it's just Fu Xingyue..." Diao Zhuo paused for a few seconds. "After the doctor completed a thorough examination, he said her physical condition isn't suitable for high altitudes, let alone summiting Pearl Peak—she has minor congenital defects in some aspects of her heart and lungs. While various activities are basically unaffected in low-altitude areas, the probability of sudden complications in high-altitude regions is extremely high, making her a high-risk candidate for high-altitude pulmonary edema. After descending, I received a call from a friend I had previously asked to inquire about their workplace situation. Jiang Aohang is actually part of the gay community in their city and has an extramarital relationship with a man, reportedly a doctor. Before coming to Pearl Peak this time, he had inquired with real estate agents about the selling prices of Old Fu's apartment and other second-hand units of the same layout in their marital home's residential complex, showing an intention to sell. One with pulmonary edema, the other with allergic suffocation—Fu Xingyue's original plans were disrupted. Everything seemed sudden, but upon deeper reflection, it's not just a case of 'the mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind.' These incidents likely also involved Jiang Aohang's behind-the-scenes manipulations."
"This family... the one who seemed the most troublesome, Old Fu, turned out to be the most naive?" Bayunye listened, her eyes wide with shock.
"I've already explained the situation clearly to the police. They'll handle the investigation from here."
"Then let's leave it to the police. After all, they have more means to investigate than we do." Bayunye raised an eyebrow. "Guess what I found? Heh, come on, I'll show you..."
Diao Zhuo was taken aback. "Could it be..."
Bayunye was feeling quite smug and ready to boast when she heard—"Excuse me, are you... Bayunye?" A middle-aged woman approached, holding her car keys. "Your friend asked me to return these to you."
She took them, her mind suddenly going blank. Realizing what had happened, she immediately called Hippo while sprinting toward the hospital parking area.
Hippo's phone was switched off.
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