Fighting Alone

That evening, Sang Qi booked a flight from Shangri-La back to Nanjing, departing in the afternoon.

But Sang Qi still got up early the next morning.

She didn't bring much with her; she quickly packed her things and went downstairs for breakfast.

This is the busiest time at the guesthouse restaurant, as most people come early for breakfast and then go out to explore.

Sang Qi's usual seat was already taken, so she had to find an empty seat to eat breakfast.

When Zaxi passed by the restaurant, he saw Sangqi eating breakfast alone, looking sullen. He frowned and sat down next to her without thinking.

Sang Qi saw a man sitting down in front of her and thought it was Lu Min, but when she looked up, she realized it was Zaxi.

She smiled and said, "Good morning, boss."

"Alone? Where's Lu Min?" Zaxi glanced around.

"You're still not up, are you?" Sang Qi said in a muffled voice.

"Are you having a fight?"

Upon hearing this, Sang Qi coughed a few times unconsciously: "No..."

“Lu Min told me everything last night,” Zaxi said calmly.

"Hmm?" Sang Qi looked up.

Zaxi smiled and said, "He asked me to drink last night, and he drank too much and talked a lot."

“He’s quite serious about you,” Zaxi added.

Sang Qi was taken aback for a moment, then gradually realized: "You're here to act as his intermediary?"

Zaxi laughed and said, "No, I just wanted to say something since I knew."

Sang Qi lowered his eyes and remained silent.

"To be honest, he treats you really differently from everyone else."

Sang Qi stopped drinking her sweet tea, looking completely bewildered.

“I know him, I understand him. He used to be a rich young master, but his family fell on hard times. He dropped out of high school and struggled alone in society to carry his father’s debts, suffering all kinds of cold looks and bullying. Later, he went into the underworld to make a living. He really became a different person during those years. It wasn’t until a few years ago that he quit his criminal activities and started a new life.”

At this point, he sighed softly: "Lu Min is a bit rough and a scoundrel, but he's a decent person. Besides, he's never been that attentive to a woman before, except for you."

Upon hearing Zaxi's words, Sangqi suddenly remembered that day when she asked Lu Min what he used to do, and Lu Min casually replied that he was a hoodlum.

At that time, Sang Qi thought Lu Min was talking nonsense, but it turned out he was telling the truth.

After Zaxi finished rambling on, he grinned and said, "I'm telling you all this so you can understand him better. He's really not a bad person."

"Thank you, I understand." Sang Qi smiled.

Lu Min never mentioned those experiences to himself.

In Sang Qi's eyes, he always had the image of a cynical, rough, and unreliable man, giving people the impression of being unreliable.

Only now has she realized that Lu Min has had a tough time. He fell into the torrent of society at a young age and struggled in the underworld for so many years.

He was just like me, all alone in this world. He had endured far more than I had, yet he still wanted to walk with me through that eternal night.

Despite enduring human suffering, it remains as scorching as the sun.

"Good morning." Lu Min's voice floated lightly from above.

Sang Qi looked up, but Zaxi was nowhere to be seen, and Lu Min appeared in front of her.

Lu Min, acting as if nothing had happened, took a bun from Sang Qi's plate and took a bite: "The bun is cold, it's not good."

Sang Qi lifted her eyelids, glanced at Lu Min a few times, and said nothing.

"By the way..." Lu Min finished a large steamed bun in a few bites, "When did you book your ticket?"

“Oh…it’s three in the afternoon,” Sang Qi replied.

He nodded: "I'll take you there after lunch."

"No need, I can just use a ride-hailing service myself."

"It's alright, it's on the way anyway." After saying that, Lu Min got up and walked towards the door of the inn.

Sang Qi turned to look at him and saw him standing quietly at the door smoking.

Sang Qi suddenly felt sorry for Lu Min. Although she didn't know where Lu Min's pity came from.

...

On the way to Diqing Shangri-La Airport.

Lu Min drove as usual, occasionally humming a tune and whistling, but he didn't talk to Sang Qi.

Sang Qi, sitting in the back, didn't say anything either, absentmindedly scrolling through her phone, making the atmosphere in the car a little awkward.

The car was not going fast, and it was driven very steadily.

“Lu Min…” Sang Qi broke the silence.

"Um?"

"……sorry."

Why apologize?

“I often misunderstood you along the way, but you are actually a good person,” Sang Qi said sincerely.

Lu Min chuckled: "Are you playing the 'nice guy' card?"

“No…” she gritted her teeth, “I’m serious.”

"I understand," he said with a smile.

"I had a pretty good time along the way," Sang Qi said, offering some polite words.

Lu Min just smiled and didn't say anything.

He didn't speak, and Sang Qi felt inexplicably uncomfortable and guilty, always feeling that she had disrupted the balance of their relationship.

In fact, there were moments when Sang Qi's heartstrings trembled.

He would respond to her every call.

She would feel upset and unhappy if she saw him sharing a room with the innkeeper.

Recalling all this, Sang Qi knew she had fallen for him and was doomed.

Despite this, Sang Qi still tried her best to remain rational.

No matter what, she and Lu Min were from two different worlds. No matter how much she was attracted to him, it was only for a moment, like fireworks in full bloom, with countless streaks of light falling, eventually returning to the endless night and silence.

Forget it, let this inexplicable feeling be buried beneath the snow-capped mountains of the southwest.

……………

Dukezong Ancient Town is only a few kilometers away from Diqing Shangri-La Airport.

While Sang Qi and Lu Min were talking, they had already covered most of the distance.

The car was driving smoothly on the road when suddenly the rear of the car was hit violently.

The car jolted violently, and before Sang Qi could react, it had already pulled over. Lu Min cursed, "Damn it, do you even know how to drive?"

As Lu Min was about to get out of the car, it was suddenly struck violently again with a loud bang, causing the interior to tremble as if an earthquake had struck. The front of the car was slammed against the roadside guardrail, its front end caved in.

Sang Qi was so frightened that she quickly grabbed the handlebars. After the second impact, Lu Min saw through the left side mirror that the car behind him was reversing, and then suddenly rushed up and crashed into it.

At this moment, Lu Min finally realized that this was not an accident at all; someone had deliberately bumped into them.

"Damn it!" Lu Min quickly turned the steering wheel, stepped on the gas, and drove off.

The cars behind him immediately followed closely, relentlessly chasing after Lu Min.

Lu Min floored the accelerator, driving at top speed, speeding along the highway like the wind.

Sang Qi nervously glanced back a few times and anxiously asked, "Are these people coming for me?"

"It seems so." Lu Min focused intently on driving, without being distracted at all.

Sang Qi gritted his teeth, his mind suddenly overwhelmed by the sudden attack and fear.

"Don't worry, I'm here, they can't take you away," Lu Min reassured her.

Sang Qi knew, of course, that with Lu Min around, those people couldn't hurt him. However, the fact that these people dared to blatantly crash their car in broad daylight showed their recklessness, and he feared they might commit murder or arson.

The car following closely behind sped up, its front end suddenly colliding with Lu Min's car. Another violent impact sent the car swerving to one side, nearly flying off the road.

"Damn it." Lu Min's gaze gradually turned fierce, revealing a murderous aura.

There were three vehicles chasing Lu Min, all all-black SUVs, making it impossible to see the people inside. They were driving very fast, relentlessly pursuing Lu Min, and would try to ram his car whenever they had the chance, displaying extreme aggression.

With many vehicles on the highway, it was inconvenient to drive fast and drift, so Lu Min had to find an intersection and drive onto a wide, less congested road.

We left the highway and entered a secluded suburban forest road. Dense forests lined both sides of the road, which wound its way forward with no end in sight.

Once on the forest road, Lu Min dared to slow down. He glanced in his left side mirror and, seeing no vehicles following behind, slowly breathed a sigh of relief.

"not good."

Lu Min, who had just relaxed, suddenly tensed up again and cried out in alarm. Sang Qi looked up and saw a car approaching from the road ahead.

At the same time, another car came chasing from behind, and Lu Min was instantly caught in a pincer attack. Seeing this, Sang Qi's heart pounded and his palms sweated.

Lu Min angrily slammed his fist on the steering wheel.

The car behind sped up and crashed into them. Lu Min and Sang Qi were jolted forward by the impact. Then, the car in front came rushing in and hit them hard on the front again.

The car in front slammed into them with the accelerator floored, and Sang Qi inside the car felt as if his internal organs had been shattered.

The impact was so strong that Lu Min's head was buzzing and his vision was blurry.

The car in front, which had just hit them, reversed and prepared to crash down again. Lu Min gritted his teeth, gripped the steering wheel tightly, and slammed on the gas pedal, the engine roaring to life.

"Fuck you, I'll take you down with me!" Lu Min drove straight ahead at top speed, colliding head-on with the oncoming vehicle.

The two cars sped forward like wild horses, recklessly abandoning all restraint. Sang Qi was so frightened that he closed his eyes tightly, covered his head with his hands, and hunched his neck, bracing himself for the impact.

A deafening roar shook my ears, and the car seemed to be thrown into the air. Then, due to inertia, I was thrown forward uncontrollably.

The sound around him suddenly disappeared, followed by a sharp, piercing ringing in his ears. Sang Qi covered his ears in pain and slumped in the back seat.

Lu Min didn't care about Sang Qi at all. The impact had shattered the windshield and deployed the airbags. Lu Min plunged headfirst into the airbag.

At this moment, the two cars that had collided were completely mangled and stopped on the side of the road, with thick smoke billowing from their front ends.

Lu Min regained consciousness and activated the airbag. His forehead was cut by shards of glass and bleeding. He hastily wiped the blood from his eyes, then turned the steering wheel to drive away.

Seeing that Lu Min was trying to escape, the car behind him rushed up and rammed him again. Lu Min was almost injured internally from the impact, but he still insisted on driving away.

The car was wrecked, and many of its parts were destroyed. The car was constantly shaking and vibrating while driving, as if it would stall and break down at any moment.

Even so, Lu Min still drove the car away. He drove it deeper into the forest, onto a secluded valley road.

"Are you alright?" Lu Min turned around and glanced at Sang Qi, his attention diverted.

Sang Qi propped his head up with one hand, panting heavily, his brows furrowed in pain: "I'm alright."

Lu Min was relieved to see that Sang Qi was alright.

Then a series of sharp, piercing sounds came from under the engine, and the vehicle began to shake violently.

Lu Min was terrified. Just as he was about to stop the car, he discovered that the brakes had failed and he couldn't stop the car no matter how hard he pressed the brake pedal.

The car drove straight ahead, but there was a sharp bend in the road. Below the road was a steep, rocky slope, and below the slope was a deep valley.

Since the brakes couldn't be applied, the car had no choice but to continue driving forward. The car was about to enter a curve, and when Lu Min tried to turn the steering wheel, it also failed.

In that instant, Lu Min's expression changed drastically. The car went out of control and rushed towards the slope at the bend, sliding down the slope.

Because the slope is full of loose rocks and boulders, the car will shake and jolt when it hits the rocks, and then slide down again.

The car, which was sliding downhill, hit several large rocks, overturned, rolled around, and finally got stuck between the cliff edge and the rocks as it slid down the mountain.

At that time, the car was stopped at the edge of a cliff, with most of the car body hanging over the edge. If it lost its balance even slightly, the car would fall due to the force, which was extremely dangerous.

When Sang Qi was sliding down the slope and crashing into the rocks, he felt dizzy and his forehead slammed hard against the car door, breaking a corner and causing it to bleed slightly.

Sang Qi was completely dazed throughout, keeping her eyes closed, and had no idea what was going on.

When she opened her eyes, she gasped.

Lu Min raised his head, his face covered in blood. The car had overturned, and shards of glass had cut his cheeks and forehead, causing him to bleed profusely. Sang Qi was terrified when she saw him.

To prevent the front of the car from sag due to its weight, Lu Min leaned back in his seat and his body to maintain the car's balance.

Seeing Lu Min injured and bleeding, and the car on the cliff edge that could crash and kill them at any moment, Sang Qi was so terrified that tears streamed down her face, her lips and pupils trembling like a faucet turned on.

"Damn it, why the hell are you crying!" Lu Min gasped for breath, his voice hoarse and filled with frustration.

"What should I do, what should I do..." Sang Qi's voice trembled. She was tense all over, afraid to move, lest the car plunge off the cliff if she moved even slightly.

"Your crying is driving me crazy," Lu Min cursed.

Sang Qi gasped for breath, trying to control her tears and calm herself down: "I won't cry, I won't cry... What should we do now?"

Lu Min stared intently at the car window, seeing the car dangling precariously over the cliff edge. He thought to himself that if he didn't get out of the car quickly, he would be doomed sooner or later.

He tightened his chin and pursed his lips, as if deep in thought. After a while, he glanced at Sang Qi and said, "Don't move. Use your weight to stabilize the back of the car. I'm coming over here now."

Lu Min was sitting in the driver's seat at the front of the car, which was also the part that was suspended in the air. He now had to climb from the suspended part to the back seat. Only in this way would the front of the car not bear the weight, and all the weight would be concentrated at the rear of the car. With the center of gravity at the rear of the car, the probability of the car falling would be much lower.

Sang Qi understood what Lu Min meant, so she nodded to Lu Min: "I won't move, you come here."

Lu Min loosened his seatbelt and moved his hands and feet as quietly as possible, but he dared not move any more quietly lest he disturb the car.

Just as Lu Min leaned halfway into the back seat, the car shook and then lurched downwards, causing the car to sway slightly.

The sudden sway had startled Lu Min so much that he was terrified. He broke out in a cold sweat and dared not make a move.

Once the car stopped shaking, Lu Min dared to continue forward. Sang Qi held her breath, her eyes fixed on Lu Min.

Lu Min's heart was pounding, his nerves were on edge, and his palms were sweating, but his face remained calm and composed.

He had already moved most of his body over, and then with a final tug of his long legs, he moved himself to the back seat.

Once settled in the back seat, Lu Min finally breathed a sigh of relief and relaxed. This was the first time in his life he had experienced such a thrilling life-or-death moment.

Sang Qi gently touched the car door handle and said, "Are we going to jump out of the car?"

"Okay." Lu Min looked at his car door. "Open the door carefully, and don't hesitate when you jump out."

“Okay.” Sang Qi nodded a little timidly. She was afraid that she wasn’t quick enough and would slow Lu Min down.

Lu Min looked at Sang Qi and suddenly comforted her: "Don't worry, you can do it. I believe in you. Don't be afraid."

“…Yes.” Sang Qi gritted her teeth and nodded firmly.

"Let's go," Lu Min said in a deep voice. As soon as he finished speaking, Lu Min pressed the door handle and opened the car door halfway. At the same time, Sang Qi also opened the door.

"Jump!" At Lu Min's command, Sang Qi closed his eyes and leaped out of the car.

Outside was a slope. After jumping out of the car, Sang Qi didn't have time to grab onto any climbing stones before sliding down the slope.

Just as Sang Qi thought he was about to fall off the cliff, a large, warm hand suddenly grabbed his wrist from behind.

She was startled, realizing she had stopped falling, and then opened her eyes. She saw Lu Min gripping the rock with one hand and pulling her with all his might with the other.

Sang Qi bent down and carefully climbed onto the boulder beside her. Once she was steady, Lu Min released her hand.

"Thank you," Sang Qi said slowly.

Lu Min glanced at the bottomless abyss below the slope and said coldly, "Stop talking nonsense and hurry up."

Sang Qi immediately shut up.

"You go up first." Lu Min gestured with his chin towards the slope.

“Okay.” Sang Qi did not refuse and carefully climbed up the higher rock, but there was nowhere to put his feet and grab onto.

Lu Min moved closer to Sang Qi: "Step on my shoulders to get up."

"ah?"

"Hurry!" he whispered.

Sang Qi was stunned, dared not say anything, and obediently did as instructed.

The slope was steep and climbing it was really strenuous. Fortunately, Sang Qi was not delicate and had experience with outdoor rock climbing before. Although he was not agile, he was not flustered.

Lu Min climbed up the slope only after seeing Sang Qi successfully ascend it.

Compared to Sang Qi, Lu Min had it much easier. With his long arms and legs, he quickly made his way up the slope. When his feet touched the ground, Lu Min felt a thrill of surviving a disaster.

"That was fucking close," Lu Min sighed softly, looking at the car still stuck at the bottom of the slope.