Section 1

He fell silent for a moment, unsure of how to continue the conversation.

After the transfer, more than half of the cabin was empty

She lowered her voice after a moment of thought: "I am not a follower of Tibetan Buddhism; I just worship casually, fearing that the Bodhisattva might think I am insincere."

Indeed, there is only one flight a day, and yet it is delayed. Xiao Yu responded with a wry smile, looking at the blazing sun outside, which hardly resembled the scenery of autumn, but rather seemed more like the recent sweltering summer.

A young man got off the car, estimated to be in his early twenties, and walked straight towards us. Upon reaching the front, he first nodded to Xiao Yu and asked, "Are you Miss Xiao?" She nodded, and the man immediately took hold of the suitcase's handle. He then turned to the person beside him and asked, "Are you Mr. Han?" The handsome man with beautiful features nodded and also took over his luggage.

The sunlight tears apart the clouds, offering a few reluctant glances, boundless as platinum

While transferring in Chengdu, Xiao Yucai went to buy a cup of coffee and a cake, sat down, and quickly connected to the internet to check the emails that had come in this morning. The internet speed was not very good, and it took a full four minutes to receive the emails, just as the waiter brought the coffee and cake.

Finally, it was Xiao Yu who changed the subject: "Our company specifically introduced you, saying that you are quite well-off. Would you like to introduce yourself?"

Xiao Yu smiled lightly, feeling somewhat breathless, likely due to altitude sickness

Xiao Yu nodded: "I studied at university there, Jiaotong University"

The smell of kerosene filled the air, and the sweat of the surrounding tourists made her head feel heavy. Her steps were somewhat unsteady, and due to the crowding, she felt a severe tightness in her chest. He suddenly lowered his voice and said: "This is the downside of self-guided tours; let's just tag along behind other travel groups and listen in."

The ticket counter presents a stark contrast, with a very short line and only a few people, yet he is among them

She did not insist either, smiling as she said thank you. The two of them entered the temple, heading straight for the low entrance. However, a narrow and low corridor was crowded with people coming in and out, and Han Ning stood beside her, almost keeping her separated from the crowd.

Ten minutes later, a car stopped outside Gongga Airport. Gongga is undoubtedly the smallest airport she has ever seen in China. After disembarking from the plane, there is an elevator, and after the elevator, there is a hall the size of a bird. Outside the hall is the parking lot, where only a few cars are present, almost all of which are tour buses from travel agencies, but this car is special

The walls surrounding the altar are adorned with images of the Buddha, and everyone is walking slowly in a clockwise direction, their devotion is truly moving

The man also noticed her, smiled kindly, and said something. Her ears were still recovering, and she felt that the words were very distant and ethereal, as if he had said, "Are you waiting for someone too?"

She felt quite artistic inside, taking out her camera and pressing the shutter a few times. Since the director and producer from the production company needed to prepare in advance, they arrived in Tibet yesterday. Their internal production and creative team had a meeting scheduled for tomorrow's itinerary, so she was the only one on this flight, looking more like a tourist on a public expense trip

Xiao Yu curled his lips and closed the sliding cover

Logically, this person should not be included in their itinerary. The production company has taken on a business deal; how could they possibly bring along an outsider? Once she got into the car, she took out her phone and sent a text message to the producer: "I said, Producer, why is there an outsider joining us for the advertisement shoot? This is a commercial secret, don't blame me for not reminding you."

She followed the flow of people to the top of the temple, a very simple and unadorned platform. From here, one can see the devoted Tibetan people in front of Jokhang Temple, with simple blankets spread beneath them. Each person is absorbed in their own world, continuously performing full-body prostrations.

Xiao Yu looked up and saw a line of people respectfully lined up against the wall, with a half-human tall statue of Buddha made entirely of pure gold

"May I sit here?" Suddenly, someone asked her

After the pleasantries, continue to wait

The milky white foam, with half a heart shape drawn on top using syrup, wobbled slightly when it was just placed on the table

Those in line are Tibetan people; they do not buy tickets to enter the temple. They have traveled a long distance on foot, sometimes waiting for a day and a night just to get in. Han Ning extended a banknote and said to the inside, "Two tickets." The inside quickly tore off two tickets and immediately closed the window. He handed the tickets to Xiao Yu and continued, "You arrived just in time; there is a daily limit on the number of entries here."

Fortunately, before coming here, she specifically went online to do thorough research and prepared clothes for all four seasons: spring, summer, autumn, and winter, which are now all packed into this large suitcase beside her

He was somewhat surprised: "If you can get into Jiaotong University, there are also good schools in Beijing. A child your age, even if you can't get into Tsinghua or Peking University, will likely go abroad. It's rare to hear someone willing to go to Shanghai."

There was also a tour group on the same plane. She squeezed through the crowd and walked to the waiting hall, glancing around. It was a small airport, almost visible in its entirety, and it did not yet have its own sign. It seemed that the reception staff had not yet arrived.

Xiao Yu repeatedly expressed his gratitude and hurried to take out his wallet, but he was stopped with a hand gesture and smiled, saying: "It's fine, it's not expensive"

In this crowded Buddhist hall, the location is not prominent, yet it is the focal point for everyone

Xiao Yu sighed half in truth and half in jest: "In order to pursue someone, I followed them to Shanghai, and then returned to Beijing with them."

"What a coincidence," Xiao Yu ran over and patted him on the shoulder, "There are so many people in line, let's come back another day."

When Xiao Yu threw her luggage up, she saw that the person sitting on the other side was the same one from earlier, with seven empty seats between them. Just as she sat down, that person happened to look up, and she could only smile politely.

The surroundings were very noisy, as the tour guide from the travel agency and the local guide were handing over responsibilities and counting the number of people. While she was contemplating stepping aside, a dark-complexioned man draped a hada around her neck. It was only after the tour group had left in a flurry that she noticed there was still someone standing beside her, with a snow-white hada hanging around his neck.

It was only when we were nearing Tibet that the alert sound rang out, and the flight attendant gently reminded everyone to look out the window. Everyone took out their cameras of various sizes and leaned against the window to gaze at the continuous snow-capped mountains

Xiao Yu looked at the watch on his wrist, which was exactly the same as Xu Nanzheng's: "Where did you live before? Directly under the command, or in the military district?"

It turns out that it is a continuous journey

The endless snow-capped mountains, with no end in sight, this was her first time seeing such a landscape in her home country

After two minutes, a reply came in: I asked, and it is just a casual invitation. It is a friend of the company owner, who happens to be traveling to Tibet. I heard he is quite well-off. What do you think? Why not take the opportunity to get to know him? You two are quite a match.

He spoke these words with a slight curve in his eyes

The person sat down and quickly took out a laptop.

With a persistent yet calm demeanor, she leaned against the earthen wall, gazing somewhat absentmindedly.

Han Ning was momentarily taken aback before realizing what she meant: "I am not from the north."

She smiled in realization: "Listening to you speak is truly reminiscent of a person from the North. I thought you, like me, had been assimilated by the magic city."

Xiao Yu nodded: "It seems you are quite experienced, is this not your first time here?"

Because it is a two-person seat, the table is very small and is completely occupied by her, leaving no space for him to place his computer

Shanghai

Since the shooting day is the next day, after checking into the hotel, she grabbed her camera and rushed out of the hotel straight to Jokhang Temple. To be honest, she does not have a bohemian literary tone, but since she is in Tibet, not visiting Barkhor Street and not paying homage to Jokhang Temple would truly be a waste of the altitude sickness that comes as a bonus.

"I went once last year, it was a road trip. This year, I couldn't gather enough people, so I got lazy." Road trip? Synonyms for romantic encounters flooded her mind, and she couldn't help but raise an eyebrow, casting him a very ambiguous glance

At that time, there was only one flight per day from Beijing to Tibet

Han Ning was both amused and perplexed, and immediately changed the subject: "Shall we go pay a visit to that small golden Buddha?"

However, he seemed rather indifferent, simply placing the computer on his lap and typing with his head down, which made her feel somewhat embarrassed. She quickly finished her coffee and called the waiter to clear the table. Just as she closed the computer, she said: "I am leaving now, you can put the computer on the table and use it."

Han Ning held up the camera, having nearly captured every corner, before turning the lens towards her: "The lighting here is great, would you like to take a picture?" Xiao Yu turned her head back, not hesitating at all, and casually replied: "Just take one at random, thank you."

The so-called "Da Zhao Temple" is merely a two-story wooden structure. Yet, despite being such a small temple, it has a long queue extending from the entrance into the distance, seemingly endless.

Han Ning put down the camera and examined her seriously: "Don't tell me that you and I once passed each other by; I would regret not having known you earlier." She chuckled a few times: "I also feel regret, but unfortunately, there were only 9 people in my elementary school class, and after six years, we all knew each other very well, so it shouldn't have been you, right?"

Han Ning lowered her head and said to her, "With you saying that, I am too afraid to pay my respects."

Unexpectedly, he also closed the laptop with ease: "I have to board the plane too"

Xiao Yu looked up, directly facing the smiling face of the man, his clear eyes seemed to have captured the entirety of summer's light

The reception staff were extremely enthusiastic, continuously introducing the attractions along the journey

She also opened the blackout curtain and looked down from the window

She tapped the keyboard with some impatience, feeling an inexplicable annoyance over such a heart shape

In the brief conversation, she learned that this man's name was Han Ning

She paused for a moment, then glanced around, and indeed, it was already full: "Please take a seat, after all, I am here all alone."

In this day and age, having wealth is no longer valuable; the key is how much wealth is enough to be shocking

He pressed the shutter as instructed and brought it to her to see the effect. As Xiao Yu leaned in to take a look, she caught a faint scent of fragrance from him and smiled as she looked up, saying: "It is rare to see Northern men using perfume"

He raised the camera and continued to take pictures: "Telecommunications technician, moonlight clan, parents are military personnel, no family background."