Chapter 20

Chapter 20

July, the Northwest Loop fully entered the peak tourist season of the year.

Qu Yi Xian spent her days leading tours and taking orders, so busy she barely touched the ground.

For a whole month, Yuan Ye didn’t even see her shadow. When he called, she was either driving or about to sleep, unwilling to say more than a word to him.

Yuan Ye complained to Sheng Zi, who replied, “Maybe she’s heartbroken. You need to give her space, be tolerant, understand her, and support her.”

Yuan Ye: “…” His Little Qu Ye was notorious on the loop; who would dare provoke her if they had nothing to do?

Sheng Zi clicked his tongue and reminded him, “Fu Boss has been gone for a whole month and hasn’t come back. If that’s not heartbreak, what is?”

Damn it.

Yuan Ye thought he was the only one who noticed the cat-and-mouse between them. But there are always bigger fish—Sheng Zi looked simple but was surprisingly sharp when it mattered.

He asked, “How did you figure it out?”

“Isn’t it simple?” Sheng Zi replied. “The day Fu Boss left, Little Qu Ye’s worry was written all over her face. That day I went with her to Shuoliang to fix the shock absorbers, and she was asking me about what kind of person Fu Boss is.”

“Think about it. A woman asking about a man like that—she’s interested. Combine that with the current symptoms, and it fits the heartbreak syndrome perfectly.”

Yuan Ye felt his intelligence had been insulted by Sheng Zi.

He licked his lips resentfully and didn’t respond further.

——

At the beginning of August, another issue arose.

During the peak tourist season, from the Wild Camel Reserve to Yumen Pass, bridges and roads were under construction.

The swirling dust, scorching sun, and steep, bumpy gravel roads made it extremely inconvenient for tourists entering the Yumen Pass area.

After making several trips to Yumen Pass, Qu Yi Xian realized that the time wasted in traffic alone severely impacted itinerary planning, not to mention vehicle wear and tear.

During traffic jams, the heat inside the cars, the flying sand, and the lack of facilities for physiological needs frustrated not only the tourists but also her as the tour leader.

After discussing with Peng Shen, Qu Yi Xian canceled the Yumen Pass site from this year’s loop, along with the Yadan Devil City, which had to be passed through Yumen Pass.

She developed a new route.

Entering the Shui Shang Yadan Scenic Area via National Highway 315, then returning the same way, reaching the Nan Baxian Yadan cluster.

In fact, the inspiration for this route came from Fu Xun.

After implementing the new route, Yuan the Big Lackey immediately called Fu Xun warmly to report.

Fu Xun was at a private dinner and took the call in a quiet guest room.

Yuan Ye, as a double agent, fully leveraged his position, dramatically explaining the entire situation, and concluded, “In short, thank you very much, Fu Boss, for providing the new route.”

Fu Xun knew Yuan Ye’s character inside out; it was obvious which words were true and which were exaggerated.

He sank into the sofa, pinched his brow, and reminded, “Don’t say those things in front of her. She’s hostile toward me. When it comes to me, she never shows grace.”

Yuan Ye listened and avoided bumping into Qu Yi Xian’s temper.

In fact, he recently had little chance to offend the revered Little Qu Ye.

——

Xinghui had always been the trendsetter for many Northwest tour teams. One week after the new route launched, except for a few travel agencies still keeping Yumen Pass and Yadan Devil City, most teams followed Xinghui’s new route, going along Highway 315 to Shui Shang Yadan and Nan Baxian Yadan clusters.

In a short time, the previously niche Shui Shang Yadan Scenic Area saw a sudden surge in tourists.

Moreover, travel blogs and promotional articles coincidentally highlighted this little-known Shui Shang Yadan. After exposure with large photos, “Shui Shang Yadan” quickly became a sensational hotspot.

As expected, once attention on Shui Shang Yadan crossed the alert line, investors smelling opportunity immediately arrived.

Yuan Ye got first-hand information and eagerly called Qu Yi Xian: “…Shui Shang Yadan will be developed next year. The developers plan to create a ‘West Lake Yadan,’ with custom tour boats, allowing tourists to travel through the water among the Yadan formations.”

“I don’t even dare to imagine next year’s peak tourist season. With our population density, Shui Shang Yadan will probably be overcrowded with boats. No movement possible, how could anyone enjoy the scenery…”

Qu Yi Xian sat in the car, blowing on a handheld mini fan. The fan was small, but the airflow was strong, whooshing over her face.

She lazily switched hands to answer the phone, her eyelids drooping, her voice soft as if she were about to fall asleep: “Isn’t that good? Developing it is what drives the economy.”

Yuan Ye was silent.

He was unhappy.

The Shui Shang Yadan’s ecosystem was fragile; reckless development would only accelerate its destruction. In a few years, the once-stunning formations could collapse, losing their current grandeur.

Qu Yi Xian was so comfortable she was almost asleep. She brought the mini fan closer and said casually, “Whether Shui Shang Yadan is developed or not, it’s a shared human treasure. You can’t hide it, and you shouldn’t hide it. With funding, you can protect it—it’s not necessarily a disaster.”

“Look at the Mogao Caves, how well they’re maintained.”

Yuan Ye, stuck on a point like a child, needed guidance.

At times like this, Qu Yi Xian was exceptionally patient: “No wonder you’re so sycophantic toward Fu Xun. He has money in hand, and he’s not thinking about changing the world, not wasting it on debauchery, not self-indulging—he’s devoted to protecting the world. That’s pretty remarkable.”

Over the years, Xinghui had done rescue work and touched on environmental protection.

But nothing major—at most, the team reminded tourists not to litter, protected the environment, and for those doing environmental volunteer work in the Northwest or Qinghai-Tibet, the service was free with transportation provided.

All these costs were covered by Fu Xun.

But no matter how idealistic Fu Xun was, it didn’t stop Qu Yi Xian from continuing to dislike him.

After hearing this, Yuan Ye felt much better.

He said, “Little Qu Ye, you’re finally willing to recognize my idol’s merits.”

Qu Yi Xian responded bluntly: “Pfft!”

——

There was a follow-up.

In late August, as the Northwest Loop’s peak tourist season was ending, an off-road vehicle with a local Qinghai license plate illegally traversed the Wild Camel Reserve—and was caught.

It even made the news.

When Qu Yi Xian saw the news, she was in Dunhuang, at the Xinghui Rescue Team headquarters.

After sending tourists to play in the sand at Mingsha Mountain that afternoon, she gave herself a break.

The news reported that four university juniors from a prestigious school were involved. They had come to the Northwest Loop before returning to school, hoping to cleanse their souls.

But instead of cleansing, they caused trouble.

At first, Qu Yi Xian didn’t take the news seriously, until that night, when several reporters appeared at the rescue team’s gate.

The team had dealt with reporters before, but being blocked at the gate was a first.

Seeing things going wrong, Qu Yi Xian called Old Zha, a reporter who had done a feature on the Xinghui Rescue Team last year.

Almost simultaneously, Yuan Ye returned to the team.

That flashy Wrangler hadn’t even entered the garage when reporters blocked it at the gate.

Over the radio, Yuan Ye asked excitedly, “Little Qu Ye, did someone in the team owe money to a loan shark?”

Qu Yi Xian cursed loudly: “Idiot! Which loan shark sends reporters to block the door?”

Yuan Ye’s excitement didn’t wane: “Then did someone leak a scandalous photo?”

Qu Yi Xian: “…”

Damn it, she wanted to poke him to death.

The reporters were determined to get someone for an interview, and Yuan Ye refused to get out of the car.

After a half-hour standoff at the gate, the Xinghui Rescue Team’s main door opened.

Qu Yi Xian stood at the entrance, hands in her pockets, clearly ready to receive guests.

But when a reporter shoved a camera in her face, she raised her hand, loosely grasped the lens, completely blocking the shot.

The atmosphere immediately stiffened; the reporters looked at each other.

Qu Yi Xian had just learned the full story from Old Zha, and now she showed no hesitation. Clearing her throat, she said, “Since you have questions, why not come inside?”

She exerted a little force, pressing down the camera, smiling warmly: “The rescue team’s members are spread across various professions. To avoid harming innocents, please do not film anyone.”

Her attitude was assertive, as if she naturally carried an authority that compelled respect.

No one refused.

No one felt offended.

Qu Yi Xian invited them into the team headquarters, served tea with proper courtesy, and then accepted questions.

The incident started because the four university students who had illegally driven through the reserve pointed the blame at the Xinghui Team, claiming the team refused to take them to Yumen Pass, so they decided to drive in themselves.

Additionally, the new Shui Shang Yadan route was developed by the Xinghui team leader, leading to growing rumors of collusion between the team and developers.

Qu Yi Xian had never handled crisis PR before. She paused for a few seconds, then asked, “Did you ask them why the team refused to carry them?”

The reporters were stunned.

Qu Yi Xian continued: “The road from the Wild Camel Reserve to Yumen Pass has been under construction, heavily congested. The gravel roads can’t handle the weight and are repaired almost daily. Considering safety, we advised the team leaders not to take tourists into Yumen Pass. If any tourists insisted, we would provide a support vehicle to ensure their safety. Do you see a problem here?”

The reporters shook their heads.

Qu Yi Xian nodded, satisfied with their response: “As for collusion with developers, the recruitment has nothing to do with us. How could we collude?”

Once she entered this combative stance, she wanted to smoke, but smoking wouldn’t look good for the rescue team. She forced down the urge and sipped her tea.

Yuan Ye, seeing the fighting spirit in her eyes and brow, couldn’t help but feel sympathy for the reporters she had let in—they were young and about to face a nightmare in their careers.

Sure enough.

After moistening her throat with a sip of tea, Qu Yi Xian began to strike back: “Do you know about the early July incident, where a tourist tried to cross the desert on foot to evade the ticket fee and died?”

“Our rescue team, together with the police, searched the desert for nearly three days and found the victim. During the rescue, we encountered a sandstorm and had to withdraw, but the next day we immediately formed a vanguard rescue team and continued through the wind and sand. Why didn’t you report on this? Isn’t this positive enough? Or is it just not newsworthy?”

“……”

……

……

Yuan Ye watched the reporters flee as if escaping danger, finished recording the video, and clicked send.

The next second, thousands of miles away, Fu Xun received a video email.

After watching, he curved his lips and replied, “Well done.”

——

This little episode was talked about in the team for a few days before fading away.

Qu Yi Xian remained busy and unseen.

After August, by mid-September, tourists on the loop had grown fewer.

The peaks of the Altun Mountains had two snowfalls, and from a distance, the snow looked like a cream layer flowing down the ridges, covering the slopes with ice and snow.

Qu Yi Xian finally had some downtime.

She rested in Golmud for two days, and on the third day, at dawn, she set off alone for the Sonandajie Reserve in Hoh Xil.

Entering the Kunlun Mountains.

Crossing the towering salt bridges.

At a Hoh Xil viewpoint, she stopped the car, habitually opening a bottle of glucose injection.

In the past two months, Fu Xun’s business card had been handled so much that it was worn out.

She bit the plastic bottle of glucose and picked up his business card again. His phone number was already memorized, and the card itself was almost irrelevant.

She casually flicked the business card into a roadside trash can.

Isn’t this a contest of who loses patience first?

She wanted to see who would cave first.

——

Late September.

Fu Xun received a call from an unknown number.

The other party spoke Mandarin with a slight accent and asked him, “When are you coming to pick up the car? It’s been parked for a week. If it stays longer, it’s fifty a day.”

Fu Xun raised an eyebrow. “Car?”

“The black Land Cruiser G, modified, license plate from Nanjiang.”

“A week ago, your girlfriend handled the card, but the payment isn’t done yet… She left the car and keys at my shop and didn’t care.”

“Do you think this is a parking lot or a charity?”

…

Fu Xun took a few seconds to fully process that Qu Yi Xian had played him.

After a brief silence, he let out a wry laugh: “Give me the address, I’ll pick up the car.”

“Xining.”

“No. 31, Kaleidoscope Street, Xiao Qiang’s Luxury Car Life Studio.”