I lit a cigarette and looked away, but Yang Sisi kept staring at the woman and said to me, "She drives such a nice car and is so pretty. What do you think she does? Do you think she's prettier than me?"

I would naturally refuse to answer such a question. "How would I know? I'm face-blind and wouldn't know how to compare them."

Yang Sisi looked at me with a half-smile and replied, "It's okay. You can take the opportunity to look at her a few more times. After all, you might only encounter such a wonderful thing as having such a beautiful view and such a captivating beauty all in front of you a few times in your life."

I wasn't in the mood for this pointless chatter with Yang Sisi, and the woman didn't give me another chance to look at her. She got into her car, entered the lane, and drove off to some unknown exit.

At the same time, facing this exquisite little county town, a faint sense of reluctance welled up in my heart. It seemed to be the first peaceful place I encountered on my way to Dali, giving me a pleasant evening. If every sorrow needs a way to be mourned, I hope to bury all the pessimism I brought from Shanghai in this landscape before me, and then return to my confident and optimistic self.

I finally remembered to use my phone to capture the scene before me. Yang Sisi also came over, waving her phone back and forth in front of me, and said with a knowing smile, "I've been in Shanghai for so long and have seen all kinds of women, but I've never seen one with such a good temperament!"

I glanced at her and saw that she had secretly taken a picture of that woman. Although it was just a side profile, and the photo was taken against the backdrop of the setting sun, the woman's aloof and proud demeanor blended into the beautiful scenery, creating a truly stunning effect.

Before I could even speak, Yang Sisi insisted that I take a picture in the same spot. I reluctantly took one for her, and the result was just as good, but it lacked a bit of competence. When a woman intentionally compares herself to another woman, she has already lost.

She looked at the photo taken against the light again and again, then held up her phone with an incredibly confident smile and said, "It's so much more beautiful now! Sound the charge, let's go!"

...

As night fell, we encountered a massive traffic jam at the ancient city's toll station. We were then struck by the realization that it was peak tourist season, and a nationally renowned ancient city like Fenghuang was undoubtedly operating at overcapacity.

I told her, "We've been stuck in traffic for almost an hour just a few kilometers before the tollbooth. I bet cars can't even get into the ancient city. Besides, the ancient city is so commercialized now, they even charge an entrance fee. There's really no need to go."

Before she could finish speaking, the cars behind her started honking their horns in a frenzy, the ear-piercing sound spreading like a virus, completely ruining her mood. Yang Sisi finally broke down in this situation: "Was it really necessary to be so dramatic! Let's go."

It took me half an hour to slowly squeeze through the traffic heading to the toll station and turn into the driving lane. I hadn't driven far when I could faintly hear thunder, and soon a torrential downpour began. I didn't dare to drive fast, so I turned on my hazard lights and kept my speed at around 40 km/h. There were already cars ahead that had rear-ended each other because they couldn't brake in time.

Yang Sisi kept complaining about being hungry, while I, having run out of cigarettes in the traffic jam, was starting to get anxious. At the current rate, we wouldn't be able to get anywhere until almost 10 pm. The highways in western Hunan were a series of tunnels, and I felt increasingly exhausted. Worried about driving in such terrible weather, I handed the steering wheel to the somewhat irritable Yang Sisi, drank a Red Bull, and forced myself to keep driving forward.

Yang Sisi suddenly shouted, "Stop the car, stop the car... Look, isn't that the G-Wagon we saw in Luxi?"

I instinctively slammed on the brakes, and since the car wasn't going very fast to begin with, I quickly pulled over and stopped behind the G-Wagon. Looking ahead, I noticed that the G-Wagon's right rear tire was completely flat; it must have been punctured by something.

Yang Sisi looked at me and said, "Can you change a tire? You're a hero saving a damsel in distress!"

I ignored her, put on my raincoat, and got out of the car at a safe time. I knocked on the window of the G-Wagon, and the woman inside opened the window.

"I'll help you change the tire. Open the toolbox in the back."

My straightforward approach surprised her for a moment, then she said, "Thank you, I've called roadside assistance, it'll be done in a bit."

“There’s a huge traffic jam behind us, they definitely won’t be here anytime soon. It’s just a small thing like changing a tire, don’t waste public resources. Besides, it’s not safe for you to stop in the emergency lane in this heavy rain!”

She hesitated for a moment before replying, "Thank you."

"Don't be shy. Get out of the car now and stand outside the guardrail to prevent a secondary accident."

After I finished speaking, I ran over to Yang Sisi's Land Cruiser, called Yang Sisi out of the car, and placed a tripod 200 meters behind the car.

...

I removed the spare tire from the back of the G-Class as quickly as possible. This is definitely not something a woman can do. The spare tire of the G-Class is much heavier than that of a regular car.

I removed the spare tire and then used the jack to lift the car. Because of the poor lighting, I tried several times but couldn't get the spare tire back on. Just then, a large truck, accompanied by Yang Sisi's scream, sped up and splashed water. My raincoat couldn't protect me, and I was soaked to the bone—it was like adding insult to injury.

She wanted to come and help, but I sent her back. The tire-changing area was right next to the driveway, and the visibility was too low, making it very dangerous.

I finally got the spare tire onto the rim and quickly tightened the lug nuts with tools. Once I was done, I wasted no time and shouted to the woman standing by the guardrail, "Get in the car and drive away! It's too dangerous here!"

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