Chapter 22

Chapter 22

The summit of Laji Mountain, wind and rain lashing, the temperature dropping sharply.

Qu Yi Xian, sitting in the car, could feel the cold biting at her feet outside. She glanced at Fu Xun, cupped her hands to warm them, and lit her cigarette with the tip of another.

Her profile was delicate, head slightly lowered, jawline soft and smooth, looking far cuter than when she was aggressive.

Fu Xun was too lazy to argue. When he quarreled verbally with Qu Yi Xian, there were usually only two outcomes: either he was completely defeated, driven mad by her; or he overpowered her, waiting for her retaliation later.

Neither had a high cost-benefit ratio.

He glanced at the lock control, reached through the window, removed the lock cap, and opened the car door from the outside.

The barrier between them instantly collapsed.

He stood outside, towering above her. The wind at the summit lifted his hat brim, his eyes dark and deep, seeming to pierce the dense mist around the mountain temple, locking directly on her.

Damn it!

Qu Yi Xian bit her cigarette, expression indifferent, holding his gaze for a few seconds.

After a moment, she let out a light laugh, lifting an eyebrow teasingly: “What’s the matter? Got caught in my words, angry and embarrassed?”

Wind mixed with rain poured into the car.

The prayer flags tangled on the temple steps snapped and flapped in the wind.

The car’s heater was quickly dispersed by the cold at the summit; soon, the interior felt like an icebox.

Fu Xun leaned down, one hand on the door, the other on the seatback, his presence even more imposing than hers: “Say that again?”

Having stood outside for so long, his body radiated a biting chill; even his face was cold as ice, terrifying to look at.

Any normal person would have taken the hint and stepped down.

Qu Yi Xian refused.

She feared the fire wasn’t burning high enough and added fuel: “Which line do you want to hear?”

Fu Xun’s shell jacket was soaked with rain. The waterproof material repelled the water, which formed beads on the outside. His body was icy, yet the corners of his mouth lifted slightly in a half-smile, half-smirk: “Which line do you think I want to hear?”

The tattoo on his arm, blocking the door, peeked out, revealing a subtle ferocity.

If Qu Yi Xian didn’t know he was ridiculously wealthy, she would have thought he was here to collect protection fees.

She held her cigarette between her fingers, sliding down a few inches in the seat, long legs crossed and resting on the dashboard. The posture was casual yet defiant.

Not just about showing off—she wasn’t about to lose at this.

Qu Yi Xian flicked the ash, drew the cigarette to her lips, inhaled, then slowly exhaled all the smoke directly at him.

The gesture was practiced, natural; the smirk at her brow made it look wild and arrogant.

Not flirtatious, not seductive, but intoxicating in a way that ensnared the senses.

She curved her lips, eyes locked on him, voice low, like a whisper: “I say—”

“Are you… in love with me?”

She held the cigarette to her lips, deliberately giving Fu Xun a flirtatious glance, teasing him: “Hear that clearly this time?”

“Clear enough,” Fu Xun said lightly, scanning her. “If I said I liked you, how would you handle it?”

Qu Yi Xian hadn’t answered yet when he continued: “Refuse me?”

“I’m used to smooth sailing in life, I don’t accept failure.”

He spoke flatly, without the slightest emotional fluctuation, as if stating a fact—arrogant and domineering.

He reached up, took the cigarette from her mouth, and with no discussion, threw it to the ground, stepping on it to extinguish it.

Qu Yi Xian’s temple throbbed in anger, her expression immediately darkening.

Fu Xun didn’t give her a chance to flare up. He pulled a pack from his pocket and tossed her three or five cigarettes: “Consider it compensation.”

The cigarette case knocked against the zipper of her jacket with a crisp sound.

Qu Yi Xian didn’t take it, not even glancing at it, locking her eyes on Fu Xun with a mix of light mockery and disdain: “Are you trying to bribe a beggar?”

Fu Xun, however, smiled, shamelessly: “Don’t rush.”

“Let’s talk business again.”

His voice was low, and for once, gentle.

For a fleeting moment, Qu Yi Xian even had the illusion that Fu Xun was trying to coax her.

The thought barely passed through her mind before she shivered, every hair on her body standing on end from the nape of her neck to her heels, icy as a midwinter glacier.

Her expression twisted, lips pressed tightly together, silent.

Fu Xun asked, “Last time you said that if I let you ride along, you’d return the favor. Does that still count?”

Qu Yi Xian: “……” She had a feeling Fu Xun had dug a trap and was waiting for her to jump into it.

She glared at him fiercely, teeth gritted: “It counts!”

“Before coming, I checked. I heard there’s nowhere on the Northwest Loop you won’t go?”

Qu Yi Xian, mouth playful, replied: “Not exactly. Unless the money’s generous, all at once.” She rubbed her fingertips, miming counting money: “They say money makes the world go round. Give enough, even the King of Hell wouldn’t dare take you.”

Fu Xun’s expression remained unchanged.

If anyone else said that, he wouldn’t have believed it. But Qu Yi Xian? He did.

He furrowed his brows, thought for a few seconds, then said: “I’ll travel the entire loop, enter from Xining, exit from Chengdu. You plan the route.”

At this moment, Qu Yi Xian sensed how steady the man was. Calm under pressure, composed, and dignified—far better than Yuan Ye.

The first time she had said that to Yuan Ye, he laughed holding his stomach for a long time, rolling on the floor while laughing, clearly not believing in her professional ability.

What could she do? Discipline her own subordinate. Once disciplined, he wouldn’t dare laugh anymore.

Qu Yi Xian stared at him for a moment, then suddenly asked: “Are you scouting, or just sightseeing?”

She used the term casually, but Fu Xun was momentarily taken aback.

He looked up, tone complicated: “Do you have some misunderstanding about me?”

“Sorry, that’s just how I am—always guessing the worst about people.” She said “sorry” with no trace of actual apology, brushing it off: “You said you came for treasure hunting, so… what, planning to claim land in the Northwest for mining?”

“I see.” Qu Yi Xian adjusted her posture, becoming serious: “I won’t waste time taking you to sightseeing spots. You mark the locations, and I’ll plan the route. Whether it’s up a mountain mine or down a mineral sea, I’ll take you there.”

Qu Yi Xian could be cruel, but in a way that was oddly endearing, impossible to resent.

Fu Xun smirked helplessly: “How long will it take?”

“I need to finish my current tour first.” Qu Yi Xian nodded toward the stone tablet in front of the temple, adorned with a cow’s head and skulls: “See that girl in the red cloak? She booked my car for seven days around the loop.”

“Too long,” Fu Xun said. “I can’t wait.”

Qu Yi Xian wanted to roll her eyes. Where were you two months ago, then?

“Share the ride.” Fu Xun glanced at her; his gaze left no room for negotiation, no chance to refuse—a final decision: “If you don’t take it, I’ll pull the investment from the rescue team. Want to gamble?”

Damn!

Qu Yi Xian snorted, sneering: “Do I look like someone who can be threatened?”

“No.” Fu Xun said, “So I prepared an incentive.”

Her impulse to hit him finally faded slightly. She raised an eyebrow, lazily asking: “What incentive?”

“In mid-July, you had Yuan Ye apply for a helicopter for me.” His voice was calm, steady, and unmistakably confident: “You take the job, the helicopter is yours.”

Damn it!

She didn’t look like someone who’d bow for a few grains of rice.

Her expression darkened; she stared at Fu Xun for a long while, then angrily said: “Step aside. I’ll take it.”

Fu Xun paused, then laughed, his low, deep voice colliding with her ears. Qu Yi Xian’s last bit of temper completely dissipated.

It wasn’t that her will was weak—it was that her opponent was just too cunning.

How is this even fair? Sending a helicopter as a gift? How could she not sacrifice herself for the bigger picture?

Damn, the world of the rich—apparently they can casually give away helicopters.

No, her mind was seriously unbalanced.

It had to be her growing resentment of the wealthy; otherwise, how could she find Fu Xun more and more annoying the more she looked at him?

She scowled, slammed the car door hard, and muttered to herself as she walked toward Jiang Yun.

Jiang Yun was fiddling with her selfie stick, taking more than a dozen shots from the same angle and pose.

The two girls standing nearby were waiting for her to finish so they could take a photo with the stone tablet, already looking impatient.

Qu Yi Xian’s expression softened slightly. She walked over and tapped Jiang Yun on the shoulder: “I’ll help you.”

Jiang Yun paused, then handed her the phone: “Perfect timing. Squat down to take it, make my legs look longer. Include the cow skull and bones on the stone tablet, and the altitude too…”

Qu Yi Xian interrupted: “Smile.”

Jiang Yun immediately closed her mouth and smiled.

Her smile revealed small dimples on her cheeks, her eyes curved like crescent moons, dark and bright. Freed from her usual coldness, her face looked a lot more likable.

——

Qu Yi Xian, wanting to properly serve this “deity” and prompt requests, led her into the temple.

They walked across stone-paved steps. At the highest peak, prayer flags fluttered wildly in the wind. The world was vast and gray; the flags were the only bright color atop the mountain.

Jiang Yun exclaimed in awe, then felt a little regretful: “It must be especially beautiful when it’s sunny, right?”

Qu Yi Xian recalled and said, “Usually at this time, the sunlight hits there.” She pointed to the temple wall near the cliff: “There’s a golden top on the wall.”

“The sky is blue, sunlight hits the golden top, creating a halo of rainbow light. The flags face the wind, rising and falling repeatedly, like kites that cannot fly away.”

Jiang Yun looked forward to it: “Will I still see it later on the trip?”

Qu Yi Xian answered: “If you want to see the flags, they’re everywhere along the route. Some scenic spots even set up flags for visitors to photograph. You’ll see them in the afternoon at Qinghai Lake.”

Jiang Yun nodded obediently.

After a while, she was frozen, tears and snot from the cold, unable to linger. She hadn’t taken a photo and grabbed Qu Yi Xian to head back.

Qu Yi Xian thought about how to speak, but Jiang Yun pulled her to the temple entrance, where Fu Xun stood by the car smoking. She exclaimed, calling Jiang Yun’s attention: “Do you see the man standing by our car?”

Jiang Yun followed her finger, eyes lighting up: “I see him.”

Qu Yi Xian exposed Fu Xun without hesitation: “He wants to invite you to share a ride around the loop.”

Jiang Yun paused, then brightened with excitement: “Really?”

Qu Yi Xian suddenly felt a twinge of guilt and lightly cleared her throat.

Jiang Yun’s mind was already elsewhere. She thought for a moment: “He doesn’t need to invite me. We’ll each pay half; neither of us will take advantage of the other.”

Qu Yi Xian swallowed the words she was about to say, touching the tip of her nose.

——

Jiang Yun got into the car.

As she passed Fu Xun, she lifted her chin proudly, looking straight ahead like an arrogant peacock.

Fu Xun watched all the way until the car door closed, then turned his gaze toward Qu Yi Xian a few steps away, silently asking: “Was it settled or not?”

Qu Yi Xian waved him over, signaling for him to step aside and speak.

Fu Xun followed, waiting for her to speak first.

“Agreed.” Qu Yi Xian put her hands in her pockets and gestured toward the Cruiser: “The girl has no objections, but she’s here to travel. If you want to share a ride, you’ll have to follow her route.”

Fu Xun had no objections: “Any other requirements?” As he spoke, he seemed to remember something and added, “I won’t skimp on the car fee, fuel, or tolls.”

Qu Yi Xian curved her lips slightly, thinking Fu Xun was fairly straightforward.

She considered for a moment and said: “Jiang Yun’s route is the standard seven-day loop. I’ll send you the itinerary when we return to the hotel at night. If there are places you want to visit, mark them for me in advance; the sights are mostly far apart, so I need to plan ahead.”

“Meals and hotels along the way are all arranged by me.” She lifted her eyelids, not forgetting to tease him: “It definitely won’t meet your usual standards, so bear with it.”

Fu Xun made a sound of acknowledgment and asked, “Anything else?”

Qu Yi Xian thought for a moment: “One last thing.”

He acknowledged again, this time with a slightly rising tone, both alluring and teasing.

Qu Yi Xian touched her ear, slightly awkward, and cleared her throat: “Can I ask, what exactly do you intend to do?”

Fu Xun’s intentions were hidden too deeply for her to guess.

The lines she had previously sorted out were tangled into a mess again with his appearance and inscrutable way of acting.

If he just wanted to sightsee, anyone in the team could have taken him on a five-star luxury tour. But no, he deliberately picked her.

Try to trick him, he doesn’t fall for it.

Try to provoke him, still no reaction.

His mouth was like it was locked in shackles—couldn’t pry it open.

Might as well ask directly, she said: “Taking care of your business, do I trust you?”

Qu Yi Xian scoffed, enunciating each word: “No.”

“Compared to liking me or chasing me, you still wouldn’t trust that.”