Chapter Forty-Nine

It's that time of year again when it's coldest.

The research and development of the HFC-300 hydrogen fuel cell is progressing very smoothly. At the current pace, the company expects to conduct low-temperature vehicle tests in Hunhe City next winter to verify the battery performance under extreme cold conditions, including achieving a cold start within 30 seconds without external heat source assistance at -30℃ and road driving tests at -35℃.

Due to temperature limitations, extreme cold tests can only be conducted during the coldest weeks each year, with a very short window. Therefore, resources at the Hunhe Cold Region Testing Base are extremely scarce. Moreover, this is the company's first time conducting tests there, and there may be many uncertainties.

There is only one opportunity per year, and if you miss it, you have to wait another year. Therefore, in order to ensure the successful completion of the testing task next year, Zuo Xutong applied for a week-long business trip, taking two test engineers to Hunhe to conduct an on-site survey of the winter cold-region test site there.

Although Zuo Xutong has extensive experience in laboratory testing, she has never participated in field testing in extremely cold regions before. Therefore, she felt it was necessary to take advantage of the winter to come and see for herself in order to fully understand the preparations for the test.

Hunhe is a border city in northern China, separated from Russia by only a river. Winter temperatures often drop to minus 20 or 30 degrees Celsius. As soon as she got out of the car, she felt the biting cold; the north wind blowing from Siberia felt like a knife cutting into her face.

The day before Lunar New Year's Eve, the survey work concluded as planned, and all the engineers who had accompanied her went home for the holiday, but Zuo Xutong remained. A few days earlier, she had received a call from Xiao Ping, inviting her to spend the Spring Festival at her sister's house this year. She didn't want to go; as an outsider, she felt uncomfortable with everyone there. She told Xiao Ping that she was on a business trip out of town and wouldn't be returning for the Spring Festival. To make her excuse convincing, she extended her hotel stay, preparing to spend the holiday alone in this unfamiliar city.

On the third day of the Lunar New Year, most people stayed at home. Only three rooms on the second floor where Zuo Xutong was staying were booked. Because she was staying for a longer period, the hotel upgraded her to a business king room free of charge.

The other two rooms were occupied by Russians. One room belonged to a family of three, likely tourists from across the river. The other room's guests had just arrived the night before. Zuo Xutong brushed past him in the corridor; he was incredibly handsome, surpassing even the most handsome Hollywood stars. Perfect facial features, fair skin, a high-bridged nose, brown hair, and eyes as clear and blue as a lake. Even she, someone indifferent to looks, couldn't help but glance at him twice.

The restaurant is located at the end of the second-floor corridor, right next to the elevator lobby. This hotel only has six floors, and guests don't all eat at the same time, so the restaurant space is quite small. Breakfast is a buffet; due to fewer guests during the Spring Festival, the food selection wasn't extensive, but it was clear that everything was carefully prepared.

Zuo Xutong was standing in front of the food counter with a plate in her hand, hesitating about which main dish to choose, when she suddenly heard a voice behind her: "Hey sis, is this good?"

She turned around and saw the handsome, charming Russian man standing behind her. At that moment, she understood why the word "stunning" existed; it was a kind of beauty that made one's heart skip a beat.

Zuo Xutong felt very impolite for staring at the foreigner's face, so she quickly turned her head away and continued picking up food.

"Hey sis, what are you doing? I'm asking you, is this stuff tasty?" the voice rang out again.

Zuo Xutong glanced back at the foreigner again, then looked behind him. There was no one there. So who was making that Northeastern accent?

She looked at him incredulously: "You're the one talking?"

“Yeah, it’s just the two of us in this room,” the foreigner said, speaking fluent Northeastern dialect with a strong local accent.

"You...you speak Chinese so well?" Zuo Xutong exclaimed in surprise.

"I am Chinese."

Zuo Xutong's eyes widened: "You're Chinese?"

"What? You don't believe me? Why would I lie to you?" As he spoke, he reached for his ID card, but Zuo Xutong quickly stopped him: "I believe you. You can't reach this level of authentic dialect without decades of practice."

"Yes, I just look like a foreigner. My grandparents and maternal grandmother are all Russian, my maternal grandfather is Han Chinese, and I am also Russian."

Zuo Xutong was almost confused by his words and subconsciously asked, "Then you can speak Russian too, right?"

He shook his head: "No."

Only then did she remember his question, and pointing to the steamed rice cake under the glass cover, she said to him, "This is filled with red bean paste. If you like sweet things, you can try it."

After saying that, she picked up her plate, left the counter, and found a seat at the very back.

The handsome guy finished getting his food and walked over. Zuo Xutong prayed that he wouldn't sit near her, as she wanted to have a proper breakfast. But he walked over quickly and stood next to her, asking, "Hey sis, can I sit across from you?"

He was about 1.9 meters tall, standing like a pillar in front of her. Zuo Xutong felt embarrassed to refuse, so she could only nod in agreement.

"Did you come here alone too? What are you doing here?" Optimus Prime spoke again. It would have been better if he hadn't spoken, because as soon as he did, Zuo Xutong couldn't help but laugh. It was like hearing Zhao Benshan's line from Beckham's mouth: "Take a few steps, take a few steps if you're not sick!"

"Hey, you really have to admit, this stuff is actually pretty good." Optimus Prime took a bite of the steamed rice cake and continued, "What are some fun places around here? Can you give me directions? It's my first time here."

"This is my first time here too." Zuo Xutong had to admit that he was the most handsome human she had ever seen.

"So this is your first time here too? You probably don't know as much as I do." Then, Optimus Prime, as if he'd been given a tap, launched into a long-winded explanation of the local customs and culture. Zuo Xutong found this guy to be incredibly outgoing, and his honesty bordered on naiveté. It wasn't long before they were practically exchanging information about each other's ancestors.

After finishing the last bite of food on her plate, Zuo Xutong looked up at his almost perfect face and couldn't help but think maliciously, "If only he were mute. If he couldn't speak, he could probably charm 90% of the women in the world."

“I’ve finished eating, please enjoy your meal,” she said to him as she stood up.

"Don't go, wait a minute," Optimus Prime called out to her, "Hey... how about we add each other on WeChat? You're alone anyway, and so am I. How about we hang out together?"

Zuo Xutong froze, unsure how to react, when a voice suddenly came from nearby: "Who said she's alone?"

Zuo Xutong turned around and saw Peng Kun standing at the restaurant entrance. She asked in surprise, "What brings you here?"

Peng Kun walked over with a stern face, pulled her out of the restaurant, and said irritably, "If I hadn't come, you would have been kidnapped and taken abroad."

“He is Chinese, but he looks like a foreigner. His village is on the Sino-Russian border, and many people in the village are of Russian ethnicity.”

"You two are already that close? You know everything about each other?"

That sounds...awful, doesn't it? But Zuo Xutong didn't have time to think about it too much and asked in return, "When did you arrive?"

“I just checked in, and I haven’t even asked you yet. Why didn’t you go home after work?” Peng Kun said angrily.

"I'd like to take a trip while I'm at it, and this is perfect timing since it's the Spring Festival holiday."

"Tourism? With that Russian?"

“Ethnic Russian, but not Russian,” Zuo Xutong corrected him.

“Whether he’s ethnic Russian or Russian, he’s a stranger of unknown origin. Don’t you understand the principle of ‘don’t talk to strangers’?” His tone was like a homeroom teacher scolding a student who had made a mistake.

"He spoke to me first, I can't just pretend I'm mute," Zuo Xutong muttered to herself.

"In short, from now on, you are not allowed to talk to strangers anymore. Lust is a dangerous thing. How do you know that behind a romantic encounter isn't a scam, a pig butchering scam, or a honey trap? How do you know that he's not after your organs?"

Just then, Optimus Prime came out of the restaurant and overheard the second half of Peng Kun's sentence. He yelled at the top of his lungs, "Big brother, what are you talking about that scares me so much? What did I do? I didn't do anything!"

After saying that, he glared resentfully at Peng Kun, then turned and left.

Zuo Xutong laughed so hard she could barely stand up straight, almost squatting on the ground, but Peng Kun pulled her up: "Come on, let's go for a walk by the river."

She was pulled along by him and laughed all the way, and passersby thought she was possessed.

The hotel was only two or three hundred meters from the river, less than a five-minute walk. After walking down the street, Zuo Xutong was still laughing when Peng Kun released her arm, turned around, and asked, "Are you ever going to stop?"

Having lost her footing, Zuo Xutong immediately squatted down, clutching her stomach and continuing to laugh, saying between laughs, "Now you believe he's not a foreigner, right?"

Peng Kun remained silent and began operating his phone.

Seeing this, Zuo Xutong forced herself to stop smiling: "What are you doing? Aren't you leaving?"

“Let me check which hotels are nearby. We’ll go back and find another one right away. If you stay a few more days, I’ll have to send you to a mental hospital,” Peng Kun said without looking up.

"He'll be leaving Hunhe first thing tomorrow morning." Her smile completely vanished.

"You knew that?"

"Yes, he said his next stop is the Northeast Hogwarts."

Peng Kun put down his phone and said coldly, "It seems you two are getting along quite well. Did you find out how many acres of land his family owns?"

"No, not really. Should I go back and add him on WeChat? Ask him how many acres of land he owns..." Zuo Xutong said, turning to walk back.

"Stop!" Peng Kun shouted angrily. She immediately stopped, turned around, and muttered to herself, "Which road leads to the river again?"

Hunhesee is a city built along the river. The frozen river glistens dazzlingly in the sunlight, and the Russian buildings on the opposite bank stand out starkly against the white snow. Along the riverbank is a narrow park named after a street, its lush trees covered in thick snow and adorned with glistening icicles. A straight path runs through the middle, stretching into the distance, seemingly without end.

The two strolled along the riverbank, bundled up in heavy down jackets and hats, their hands tucked into their pockets, slowly making their way through the snow in the frigid winter temperatures of minus thirty degrees Celsius.

Zuo Xutong's face was deathly pale from the cold, her nose was bright red, and her breath instantly condensed into white mist. It was so cold that she didn't even want to speak, afraid of frostbite to her trachea.

The two walked forward in silence when suddenly a fierce gust of cold wind swept in, swirling up the snowflakes on the ground and causing the snow on the branches to fall and dance in the air. Peng Kun turned to the side, supporting her shoulders and shielding her to his chest. He stood in the direction the wind was blowing, using his own body to build a wall between her and the cold wind.

The north wind raged, like an angry beast, emitting a deep roar. Tree branches were torn apart by the gale and snapped. Everything in the world trembled in the harsh winter, yet a warm current surged in her heart. She had once thought that even the alchemy furnace of Laozi (the Supreme Lord Lao) could not melt her heart. However, this strange wind seemed to carry some special mission, blowing open her heart, which had been closed for many years, until it was no longer hard and cold, and only then did it gradually stop.

Zuo Xutong took a step back, creating distance between herself and the "wall," and the two continued walking. She remained silent, but her heartbeat became erratic.

After walking for a few more minutes, they saw a rather old-fashioned gray building and walked over to it without prior arrangement. Looking up, they saw a historical exhibition hall called "Chamber of Commerce." After passing through a magnificent stone archway and a square pavilion, they finally entered the exhibition hall.

The first thing that catches the eye is a dimly lit staircase suspended in the center of the hall. They ascended to the second floor, where many trade artifacts and old photographs showcased the city's historical role as a border trading port. Since it was the first day of opening during the Spring Festival, there were very few visitors.

Zuo Xutong marveled at the various household items on the display stand—candlesticks, abacuses, steelyards… and even dragon horn powder! Peng Kun, however, was more interested in the photos and written materials. Their focuses differed, and soon they each went off to look at their own things.

After touring the second floor, Zuo Xutong went down to the first floor. As she came out of the business meeting hall, she looked up and bumped into Peng Kun coming downstairs. He saw her and stopped in his tracks.

They stood one upstairs and the other downstairs, separated by a flight of stairs. He gazed at her silently, his eyes filled with deep love. Their gazes seemed to traverse a thousand years of history and countless lifetimes, colliding here and now.