Chapter 7

By this day, our field research and data collection were nearly complete. After discussing it together, we decided to stay two more days, buy some local specialties, and then head back to school.

Wen Lingyu and Qiu Lu were eager to explore and left early. Oh, and they brought along our porter, Xu Zirong.

　　Yesterday, I saw Qiu Lu compiling a list—a full page crammed with gifts for relatives, friends, classmates, and roommates. I even wondered if our little SUV might collapse under the weight of her purchases.

　　I took my time eating lunch before finally leaving the inn.

There wasn’t much to tie me to home. My parents divorced long ago and both remarried. My mother followed her new husband to New Zealand. I didn’t want to disturb her life, so our mother-son connection was barely hanging on. I only sent her greetings during major holidays. My father needed even less of my concern. Teaching at a university, he devoted himself entirely to nurturing talent in his research lab—where would he find time for me? A few years ago, he married his female assistant, so at least someone was looking after him now.

I’d intended to bring gifts for close friends, but after circling the specialty shops again and again, I realized everything inside could be bought anytime online—often cheaper too.

　　I refuse to be a sucker, and I certainly don’t want to drive all those miles, wasting time and effort hauling these “specialties” back home. So I gave up, settling for a few hastily bought bags of dried meat.

I found a cozy bar, planning to kill the afternoon there. But lo and behold, all the prime cliffside seats were taken. Settling for second best, I grabbed a table facing the street.

The sidewalk remained bustling with pedestrians, a constant stream of tourists snapping photos. It seemed this place was perpetually filled with fresh faces, each arriving with distant hopes. Several waves of girls in Miao costumes passed by, yet the photographers remained diligently at work.

　　I sipped my oil tea, propping my head up as I watched the street scene.

Perhaps it was the bar’s overpowering air conditioning, but suddenly a chill ran down my spine. That eerie sensation returned. An involuntary shiver shook me, my scalp prickling… An uncomfortable feeling of being watched coursed through my body like an electric current.

　　My gaze drifted to the window, only to lock eyes with a figure clad in navy blue!

It was a youth with shoulder-length hair, standing tall and graceful in the shadows between two stilt houses. He seemed taken aback by my sudden attention, his expression still holding something I couldn’t quite read, his gaze dark and brooding.

　　To put it bluntly, his gaze reminded me of a slimy snake lurking in a dark corner.

The moment I recognized his face, I jumped to my feet in shock, wanting to call out to him—but I didn’t know his name.

That boy was the one in the photo I’d accidentally snapped!

　　Seeing me move, whether amused by my flustered haste or not, he actually curved his lips into a faint, gentle smile. In that instant, the menacing aura around him vanished completely, like golden rays piercing through clouds to reveal the sky’s true face.

It sent a heavy jolt through my heart.

“Wait…”

　　I sprang to my feet, though I hadn’t a clue what I intended to do upon finding him. Perhaps… perhaps some peculiar bond connected us. I desperately wanted to give him that photograph. 

　I dashed out of the lounge in two or three strides, chasing after the youth to the gap between the two stilt houses where I’d last seen him. But where was anyone now? I slipped through the narrow space between the buildings to the side facing the mountain, scanning left and right. All I caught was the hem of a dark navy robe, fluttering in the wind before vanishing completely around the corner as it fell. I hurried after him again, but the figure vanished without a trace.

A sudden wave of disappointment washed over me.

I couldn’t explain why I felt so invested in a fleeting stranger. Perhaps it was that photograph—truly well-taken—that had inexplicably drawn me to this youth.

Sighing, I returned to the bar.

　　Back at my booth, I noticed the oil tea I’d barely sipped had been cleared away by the owner.

“Oh dear, sir! I saw you rush out and thought you might not return, so I tidied up!” The waitress bowed repeatedly with sincere apology. “Let me order you another one—no charge!”

　　I waved it off. It was partly my fault for not being clear, leading to the misunderstanding.

Stepping out of the bar, I drifted aimlessly once more. Not entirely aimlessly—I hoped to chance upon that youth again.

But what would I do if I saw him? I couldn’t say. Maybe exchange contact info? Send him the photo?

Yes, that was it.

　　But right up until the day I had to leave, I never saw that fleetingly glimpsed youth again.

On the morning of my departure, I’d just finished packing when I got a call from Anpu.

“Hey, Brother Li!”

“Yeah, it’s me.”

“Something came up suddenly. I won’t be able to see you off. You’ve been here before, so you should know the way, right? It’s easy to find.”

I figured even if I didn’t know the way, I could use my phone’s navigation, so I replied, “I know it.”

“That’s great!” Anpu let out a long sigh of relief, his delight palpable even over the phone. “I’m really sorry I can’t see you off today. It feels like I started strong but ended weakly…”

　　His Mandarin had improved remarkably lately—he was even using idioms now.

“Thank you for your company and help these past days,” I said sincerely. “Teacher Ye asked me to invite you to visit Yancheng sometime.”

Hearing this, he immediately agreed, his voice brimming with laughter that seemed to leap through the phone line.

　　Little did I know then that Amp’s absence—this seemingly trivial matter—would completely alter the course of my life.

We packed our bags, settled the bill, and departed. Unexpectedly, Qiu Lu had bought far too much. The two suitcases she’d brought were woefully inadequate, and Xu Zirong’s luggage—the designated helper’s—was stuffed to bursting, the nylon fabric bulging at the seams.

　　Since our car couldn’t enter the Miao village, we parked at the public lot outside the gate. This meant lugging all our bags for nearly twenty minutes… Fortunately, the innkeeper saw our predicament and generously lent us a handcart, even sending an employee to help carry our luggage.

　　“We’re so grateful!” Qiu Lu said apologetically, shrinking her neck in embarrassment. “I never imagined I’d buy so much without realizing it…”

　　What good did that do? It wasn’t like the luggage could fly itself into the car.

After much effort, we finally located the small SUV. I watched Xu Zirong, one suitcase in his left hand, another in his right, and a massive hiking backpack slung over his shoulder. His face flushed crimson as he practically held his breath to toss everything into the trunk.

　　“Phew—” Xu Zirong collapsed, nearly exhausted after stowing everything.

Qiu Lu stood nearby, massaging his shoulders and back with an air of devotion, their heads pressed close as they whispered secrets.

I slid into the driver’s seat, buckled up, and asked, “Did we pack everything?”

　　Qiu Lu replied confidently, “Everything! I double-checked all three rooms after you left. Nothing important left behind!”

Good.

I started the car and soon headed back toward campus.

The scenery remained breathtaking. The highway wound through towering mountains, resembling tunnels carved beneath the ocean. Except while tunnels offer a 360-degree view of the ocean depths, we enjoyed a 360-degree panorama of the forest’s verdant hues.

Before long, perhaps missing Amp’s jokes and explanations of Miao customs, or maybe simply exhausted from the past few days of “travel,” the three of them began nodding off in their seats.

　　I turned down the car stereo volume and focused diligently on my driving duties.

But the terrifying thing was, sleepiness truly is contagious. Its grip began to pull at me too. Yawns escaped uncontrollably, and physiological tears momentarily blurred my vision.

No, this couldn’t go on! An accident was inevitable!

　　After barely making it through a sharp curve, I broke out in a cold sweat. Mountain roads were treacherous; one wrong move could send the car tumbling down the cliff.

I pulled into a temporary parking spot, leaned over the steering wheel, and pinched the bridge of my nose, trying to shake off the drowsiness.

　　“What’s wrong, Aze?” Xu Zirong in the passenger seat opened his bleary eyes, rubbing them. “Why did we stop?”

“I’m feeling tired. I don’t dare drive like this,” I replied.

Xu Zirong sat up immediately. “Let me take over! You go rest!”

　　The dangers of fatigued driving were obvious, so I didn’t refuse. We switched seats.

“Do you know the way?” I still felt uneasy.

“Relax!” Xu Zirong turned on the navigation and grinned. “Even if I don’t know it, doesn’t my phone know?”

　　I smiled, closed my eyes in relief, and soon fell into a deep sleep.

That was my second mistake—overestimating Xu Zirong’s abilities.

When I awoke again, the sky had grown faintly dark. I checked my phone—the screen showed it was already six o’clock.

We set out at noon and drove the entire afternoon… Yet when I sat up straight, the scenery outside the window remained unchanged—still dense, deep forests. The only difference was that beneath the car, the asphalt road had turned into a bumpy cement path.

Based on the time it took us to arrive earlier, we should have entered the city long ago.

　　My heart skipped a beat as a bad feeling washed over me.

“Where are we?” Before I could ask, Qiu Lu’s drowsy voice drifted from the backseat.

Xu Zirong, gripping the steering wheel, wiped sweat from his brow with trembling hands and offered a wry smile.

　　“I don’t know, guys. Can you believe it?”

Qiu Lu froze. “Huh?”

My voice turned cold. “What exactly happened?”

Xu Zirong explained, “I was driving along, then suddenly lost signal. The GPS stopped responding… I… I have no idea where we are.”

　　In short, we were lost.