After hurriedly changing positions, the first thing I did was turn on the vehicle's four-wheel drive system, because my intuition told me that there would likely be snow on the road when we reached the top of the mountain.

At this point, I, the unlicensed driver, was clearly more reliable than Yang Sisi, the licensed driver.

I breathed warm air on my hands and started the car again, driving deeper into the mountains. Yang Sisi kept pointing at the center console, and then, as if discovering a new continent, she turned on the seat heating function... She wasn't selfish; after fixing her own side, she also turned on the heating function for me.

I was driving, and she seemed to feel very safe and less agitated. She took off her shoes, nestled in her seat, and looked at the mountains and trees receding into the distance with a peaceful gaze.

There weren't many cars on the road, and my attention was a bit scattered, especially after the seat was heated. Once I felt comfortable, I was more inclined to appreciate the scenery on both sides of the road.

It's actually quite beautiful, especially when you see those snow-capped mountains shrouded in clouds. You can't help but wonder if there's a vibrant world behind those white mountains... If I lived in that world, would it be cold or warm?

As I was lost in thought, Yang Sisi said to me nervously, "Michael, there's no cell phone signal, and the navigation isn't updating... What should we do?"

"It's okay, there are no other forks in this road, just drive straight to the end."

"Then drive faster, I don't want to be on this road until dark."

“I also want to go fast, but we really have to be careful of big trucks… Why don’t you take a nap first? By the time you wake up, the truck will probably be outside.”

"I'm not sleeping. The passenger seat has a better view than yours, so I'll keep an eye on things for you."

I smiled and didn't say anything more, but suddenly I felt that this scene seemed familiar...

Without much effort, I recalled a scene from about two years ago when I was driving Ye Zhi from Dali back to Chengdu... What were my feelings at that time?

I haven't forgotten. All the way here, I've been imagining what life would be like with her as my wife. My heart is filled with anticipation, and I especially love the feeling of having her by my side. I hope that highway has no end, and that we can keep driving like this forever, seeing all the beautiful scenery together.

The people in the car had changed, but I couldn't tell if my feelings had changed.

All I knew was that I was afraid Yang Sisi would suffer. I wanted to take off a piece of clothing and put it on her, but I was only wearing a short-sleeved t-shirt. If I gave it to Yang Sisi, I'd have to expose my chest and abs for the rest of the journey. That seemed really indecent and rather suggestive. I couldn't do that again!

...

The car gradually drove to the top of the mountain despite the lack of oxygen... It was snowing at the top, flakes upon flakes, like pure white petals, or like an inescapable trouble.

I have never encountered such treacherous road conditions before. One side of the road is against the mountain, and the other side is against a bottomless cliff. The only thing that can give you a little peace of mind is a guardrail that is less than half a person high. The ground is covered with a thick layer of snow, and there are several skid marks left on the snow.

I kept my hands firmly on the steering wheel and said to Yang Sisi, "Don't be afraid, this car has four-wheel drive, it can handle this kind of road condition perfectly."

"What if the car suddenly loses power and starts to roll downhill?"

"Shut your mouth and stop jinxing it... You'd be struck by lightning ten times over, but this would never happen to you."

Yang Sisi wouldn't stop, and said nervously, "If we fall off such a high cliff, we'll both be smashed to pieces, right?"

"Big sister... can you please stop creating a scary atmosphere? I was quite confident, but now that you've said that, I'm almost losing my grip on the steering wheel!"

"Hold on tight, hold on tight, I won't say anything more!"

Yang Sisi covered her mouth, then leaned down to look at the cliff below, and then scared herself so much that her face turned pale. I, on the other hand, calmed myself down, focused all my attention, and gripped the steering wheel firmly to prevent the car from skidding.

During this time, I only dared to move on the snow at a speed of ten kilometers per hour.

I knew that there was basically no hope of getting out of these mountain ranges before dark.

...

The snow fell heavier and heavier, and the road became narrower and narrower. In some sections, it was even impossible to comfortably pass oncoming vehicles. I was scared, afraid that a truck might suddenly turn around the bend, because I was driving close to the cliff. You can imagine the pressure of passing oncoming vehicles on the snow.

"Michael, let's stop driving. Let's find a place to park for a while and wait for the snow to subside before we continue."

I nodded and then drove the car to a rest area.

It's finally a bit safer here, because one side of the road is no longer a vertical 90-degree cliff, but a slightly lower hillside below, so even if the car slides down, there's room for cushioning.

...

The wait was incredibly boring because there was no signal in the mountains, so there was no way to pass the time with a mobile phone. What was even more terrifying was that the gas tank was almost empty! Since it seemed like it was less than 300 kilometers away, I didn't choose to refuel when there was still more than half a tank left. However, I had been running the air conditioning the whole way, and the road conditions were bad, so the fuel consumption was almost twice as high as usual. At this point, I was only one bar of fuel left before reaching the warning line.

I let out a sigh of relief, and with a strong sense of urgency, I said to Yang Sisi, "I estimate we still have about 70 or 80 kilometers of mountain road ahead. We need to turn off the car to save gas."

"No, you'll freeze to death... Look at the thermometer, it's already minus three degrees Celsius outside!"

"We really can't keep the air conditioning on... Imagine how terrible it would be if we ran out of gas in the mountains and couldn't make phone calls!"

Yang Sisi waved her hand and replied, "Then you can keep driving. It's better to die from a crash than to freeze to death!"

"Don't talk nonsense. There's no rest area like this up ahead. We can only wait here for the snow to subside a bit... Hang in there, the temperature inside the car can still be maintained for a while."

As I spoke, I turned off the car… and suddenly the world fell silent, save for the howling wind outside the window. Want to chat with more like-minded people about "My Tenant Miss"? Follow "Youdu Literature" on WeChat to read the novel, discuss life, and find kindred spirits!