The night was slightly tipsy

It was already past four o'clock in the afternoon when we came down from Spruce Meadow.

It was already early autumn, with short days and long nights. By four o'clock in the afternoon, the sky had already begun to darken.

The wind was a bit strong, so Sang Qi tightened her coat and turned her back to the wind. When she turned around, she saw Lu Min chatting and laughing with a fat man behind her, passing each other cigarettes and lighting them, like old buddies.

"Are you done yet?" Sang Qi was getting impatient.

Hearing the sound, Lu Min looked over, exchanged a few more words with the fat man, and then strode back.

"Let's go eat." Lu Min walked straight past Sang Qi and went ahead.

Sang Qi followed.

"Where should we eat?" Sang Qi asked. "Snow Kitchen Restaurant?"

Lu Min shook his head: "The food over there is expensive and terrible. I'll take you to the ancient town to eat, and we can stay there tonight."

"How far is it?" Sang Qi asked again.

“More than ten kilometers,” Lu Min replied.

As they spoke, the two walked to the parking lot, got into their cars, and drove off towards Baisha Ancient Town.

Baisha Ancient Town is nestled at the foot of a snow-capped mountain. Most of its original inhabitants are Naxi people, and the buildings are mostly characterized by the local ethnic features and styles.

It's only a dozen kilometers from Yulong Snow Mountain Scenic Area to Baisha Ancient Town, and it takes about half an hour to reach the town.

Lu Min parked the car, packed his backpack, and said, "Let's go to the inn we booked to check in, put our things down, and then go eat."

"I'll do whatever you say." With that, Sang Qi slung her travel bag over her shoulder and got off the bus. As soon as she got off, she looked up at the clear, bright moonlit night sky.

Night had fallen completely, and the ancient town of Baisha was brightly lit under the moonlight. The commercial atmosphere overshadowed the lively atmosphere, and it lost some of its rustic charm.

Sang Qi felt a little regretful, because such a culturally rich ancient town would lose its original soul once it was tainted by commercialization.

This is true of Fenghuang Ancient Town in Hunan, Lijiang Ancient Town, and Baisha Ancient Town.

“Although these places have also become commercialized, it’s not as serious as in Lijiang Old Town. Overall, they’re still quite primitive.” Lu Min seemed to be able to see right through Sang Qi.

Sang Qi pursed her lips and didn't say anything, silently following Lu Min's footsteps.

After Baisha Ancient Town became commercialized, many guesthouses, inns and taverns opened around it, and many people came here specifically to stay.

Especially during peak tourist season, rooms usually need to be booked in advance, but Lu Min often leads groups here. The owner of a guesthouse in the ancient town is an old acquaintance of Lu Min's, and even if the rooms are fully booked, Lu Min can get a room with just one phone call.

The Snow Mountain Inn faces the ancient town street and is backed by the snow-capped mountains and forests, boasting an excellent location. Most of the rooms offer views of the snow-capped mountains and forests behind the inn.

Sang Qi's room is a snow mountain view room.

After checking in, Sang Qi went up to her room and immediately opened the window, where she saw the majestic snow-capped mountains standing tall in the forest.

The moon was bright and the stars were few that night. The clear moonlight shone on the snow-capped mountains, making the distant snow-capped mountains even more mysterious and beautiful.

Sang Qi leaned against the window, gazing quietly at the snow-capped mountains under the moonlight, lost in thought.

Lu Min, having finished packing his things, came over and knocked on her door. After knocking several times without getting a response, he pushed the door open and came in.

Sang Qi's room wasn't closed when they entered; it was just slightly ajar. Lu Min pushed it open and came in.

"What are you looking at? It's so beautiful!" Lu Min walked to the window.

Hearing the sound, Sang Qi turned her head and saw that Lu Min had already come to the window, with a cigarette in his mouth that he hadn't lit yet.

"Don't you know how to knock before coming in?"

"Damn it, how many times have I knocked? Did you hear me?" Lu Min's tone was neither too loud nor too soft, but the profanity made Sang Qi feel that his tone was extremely unpleasant.

Sang Qi ignored him and continued to admire the scenery.

"Still watching? Dinner's ready. I'll wait for you downstairs." Lu Min said and went out.

Sang Qi slammed the door shut in annoyance, pulled a jacket out of her travel bag, put it on, zipped it up all the way, tied her long hair into a ponytail, and then went downstairs.

Upon arriving at the first floor of the inn, Sang Qi could see Lu Min and the innkeeper's wife smoking and chatting and laughing from afar.

The innkeeper looked to be in her early thirties, with thick, black, wavy hair cascading down her shoulders. Her clothes were sexy and alluring, exuding the sexiness and charm of a mature and beautiful woman.

She sat next to Lu Min, who had a masculine and rugged appearance. The visual impact of the scene was strong, like a couple who were evenly matched.

"So, you're only bringing one person?" The proprietress smiled, her eyes narrowing, a lit cigarette dangling between her slender fingers, wisps of smoke rising gently.

"Yeah, this is my first time being a private tour leader," Lu Min said with a smile.

"Oh? How private is it?" the landlady asked seductively, her tone suggestive.

Lu Min laughed out loud, took a deep drag on his cigarette, and exhaled smoke from his mouth and nose: "I would like to be that private, but I am a person with professional ethics."

The proprietress raised an eyebrow and asked, "Why do I feel like you're treating this girl differently..."

At this point, Lu Min suddenly smiled, his features relaxed, and the hard lines of his face softened.

“She does seem a bit different,” he said meaningfully.

The proprietress smoothed her curly hair that fell to her chest and chuckled, "Now that you mention it, I'd like to meet this girl."

"Look, isn't she right there?" Lu Min raised his chin and pointed towards the stairwell.

He had already noticed Sang Qi standing at the bottom of the stairs watching him.

The proprietress looked in the direction and saw Sang Qi standing there quietly, calm and composed.

"Oh my, you're quite good-looking." The proprietress sized up Sang Qi for a moment, then slowly looked away.

"It's alright." Lu Min looked smug, as if the person being praised, Sang Qi, was his girlfriend.

Sang Qi walked over and looked at Lu Min expressionlessly.

"Have you been waiting long?" Lu Min asked.

"fine."

"Are you starving?" Lu Min asked again.

"fine."

The proprietress chuckled as she answered mechanically.

"Come on, let's go eat." With that, Lu Min stood up and raised an eyebrow at the proprietress. "Let's go eat, and then we'll have a drink together later."

"Okay." The proprietress smiled brightly and readily agreed.

After leaving the inn, Lu Min led Sang Qi deeper into the ancient town.

Sang Qi followed behind Lu Min and said in a sullen voice, "We're going to Pudacuo tomorrow. Do you want to drink tonight?"

Lu Min twitched the corner of his mouth: "Having a little wine won't hurt."

"That would be best."

"..."

Baisha Ancient Town is the birthplace of the Naxi people. Most of the tourism resources developed in this area are based on ethnic characteristics, and the food in the town is mostly Naxi cuisine.

The town wasn't big, but there were plenty of places to eat. Lu Min led Sang Qi to a restaurant serving Naxi specialties.

It was lunchtime, but the restaurant wasn't too crowded, with some seats still available for dine-in. Sang Qi sat down in a quiet corner.

Lu Min ordered his food and sat down: "Why are you sitting in the corner?"

"Quiet down." Sang Qi rested her chin on her hand, looking out at the street.

Across from the restaurant was a small tavern, and sitting at the entrance was a man dressed as a traveler, holding a guitar and singing an unknown folk song with deep emotion.

Lu Min glanced at it and said, "There are wandering singers everywhere in Lijiang."

Sang Qi knows this. Many people yearn for poetry and distant places. One person, carrying a guitar, with the lightest luggage and the richest soul, embarks alone on the Sichuan-Yunnan-Tibet route.

Sometimes Sang Qi admires people like this, who have the perseverance and courage to do such a thing.

“I think they are very courageous, daring to pursue poetry and distant places,” Sang Qi exclaimed.

"To hell with poetry and distant places. At the end of poetry and distant places, all you get is the mundane necessities of life," Lu Min said softly, withdrawing his gaze.

Sang Qi was speechless; Lu Min was really ruining the atmosphere.

"You wouldn't have such a stupid idea, would you?" Lu Min asked.

"..."

"Honestly, I've seen too many of these. Don't try it lightly. It's all a scam. I've seen girls read a few books written by idiots and yearn for this kind of nomadic life, and then, oh no."

Sang Qi wanted to refute Lu Min, but seeing that Lu Min was talking about this matter so seriously, she kept quiet.

As they were talking, the dishes were served one after another: Naxi roasted pork and a vegetable called "water hyacinth". The roasted pork was crispy and not greasy, and the vegetables were tender and refreshing. It was both delicious and filling.

After spending most of the day traveling and playing, Sang Qi was starving and started eating as soon as the food was served.

Lu Min stopped eating halfway through his meal, crossed his arms, and looked at Sang Qi.

Sang Qi caught a glimpse of Lu Min staring intently at her out of the corner of her eye, and unconsciously stopped picking up food with her chopsticks.

"What are you doing?" Sang Qi felt a little uncomfortable being stared at.

Just as Lu Min was about to speak, Sang Qi immediately realized what was happening and quickly grabbed a tissue to wipe her mouth.

She figured it must be because there was rice on the corner of her mouth, otherwise Lu Min wouldn't be looking at her like that. If he hadn't noticed in time, knowing Lu Min's personality, he would definitely have wiped it off for her himself. She didn't want too much physical contact with Lu Min.

"Your reaction is quite quick," Lu Min said with a smile.

“I’ll take that as a compliment,” Sang Qi said, raising her head.

"Whatever makes you happy."

After paying the bill, Lu Min went to the door to smoke by himself.

Sang Qi packed her things and walked towards the door, stopping beside Lu Min as she said, "I want to wander around by myself. You can go back and have a drink with the landlady."

Lu Min narrowed his eyes, a half-smile on his face, and said, "You seem quite concerned about me drinking with the landlady?"

Sang Qi chuckled, "What are you talking about? That's hilarious!"

"real?"

"..." Sang Qi really didn't want to talk to him anymore, so she walked forward and waved her hand.

Lu Min stared at Sang Qi's retreating figure and laughed.

...

After leaving the restaurant, Sang Qi walked alone in the opposite direction from Lu Min.

The area is mostly bars and cafes, and while there are quite a few people coming and going on the streets, it's not crowded.

Sang Qi walked around, stopping and looking at the shops, and within ten minutes he had browsed through all the surrounding shops.

It was still early, and she didn't want to go back. Just as she was wondering where to go, she happened to pass by a small tavern.

She stopped at the tavern entrance, glancing around briefly. The tavern's decor was different from other artsy and stylish establishments; it was relatively simple, lacking the typical artsy vibes and romanticized notions of poetry and distant lands. Overall, the tavern looked quite nice, so Sang Qi decided to go in for a couple of drinks.

The people in the tavern were mostly men, few and far between, drinking alone and feeling quite lonely.

Sang Qi withdrew his gaze, found a seat by the window where he could enjoy the view, ordered some wine, and began to drink alone in silence.

She doesn't particularly enjoy drinking, but if the atmosphere is right and she's alone, she might consider having a small drink by herself.

And so, Sang Qi drank half a bottle of wine, and her face became flushed and hot, and she was already slightly tipsy.

She unconsciously touched her cheek, realizing she couldn't drink anymore.

She set the wine glass aside, propped her head up with one hand, and stared blankly out the window, lost in thought.

The wind blowing from the snow-capped mountain at night was biting cold, but it felt cool and refreshing on Sang Qi's burning face.

She was enjoying the night and the mountain breeze when she suddenly felt someone gently pat her back, followed by a voice saying, "Beautiful lady, beautiful lady..."

Sang Qi turned around, lifted her lowered eyelashes, and saw a man standing in front of her with a smile, holding a wine glass in his hand.

Sang Qi suddenly snapped out of her daze and straightened up: "You are..."

The man chuckled softly, "Like the beautiful woman, I am a lonely traveler."

A lone traveler?

Sang Qi wanted to laugh when she heard this; it was truly both childish and unconventional.

"How about we have a drink together?" The man raised his glass.

Sang Qi is not unfamiliar with this kind of approach to flirting.

"I have a sensitive stomach, so I probably can't drink anymore," Sang Qi politely declined.

“It’s alright, let’s chat together.” The man sat down. “Let’s enjoy the moon and chat together, that’s the best way to appreciate such a beautiful night.”

Sang Qi blinked, smiled politely, and didn't say anything.

"Why are you traveling in Yunnan alone?" the man asked.

"I don't have any friends," Sang Qi said lazily.

She has been living abroad for years and has only been back in China for less than six months. She doesn't have any friends there.

"Beautiful women are always lonely."

Sang Qi chuckled.

"Traveling alone?"

"I guess so." Sang Qi didn't mention that she had a team leader.

"I'm also traveling alone. I think we're destined to meet, so why don't we travel together?"

"Get married my ass, she has a partner, I'm her team leader."

An angry voice came from beside them. Both of them turned around and saw Lu Min walking towards them with a stern face. He had an imposing aura and was very masculine.

Lu Min walked up to Sang Qi, grabbed her hand, and said, "It's so late, why aren't you back yet?"

Sang Qi tried to break free from Lu Min's hand, but Lu Min tightened his grip on her wrist slightly. She winced in pain and gave up struggling completely.

The man stood up: "You two know each other."

“Nonsense,” Lu Min said.

Seeing that Sang Qi didn't speak and Lu Min's domineering demeanor, the man had no choice but to leave in defeat.

"Come on, come back with me."

Lu Min pulled Sang Qi away, and when they reached the entrance of the tavern, Sang Qi yelled at him, "Let go of me first."

Lu Min let go and released her.

Lu Min used too much force just now, and Sang Qi has a red mark around her wrist.

"What are you doing?" Sang Qi said irritably as she walked forward.

Lu Min strode after Sang Qi: "I was just asking you what you were doing, going to a bar alone to drink late at night. You're really something else."

"I'm not a three-year-old anymore." Sang Qi felt embarrassed by Lu Min's words. After all, she was an adult, and his words made her feel like a kindergarten child.

"..."

Sang Qi didn't say anything more.

"Lijiang is very chaotic. It's called the city of romantic encounters because everyone wants to have one. But do you know what a romantic encounter is here? It's when someone tricks you into going there and takes advantage of you."

"...You're trying to trick me into taking advantage of you, aren't you?" Sang Qi muttered softly.

Lu Min's eyes flashed, and he said as if he was extremely angry, "You're right, I really do want to."

"..."

"It's better to give it to me than to give it to a stranger."

He started talking nonsense again.

Sang Qi was furious and stopped to glare at him.

Seeing that Sang Qi hadn't followed, Lu Min turned around and asked, "What are you doing now?"

“You are very disrespectful.” Sang Qi found this kind of man disgusting, as if he only thought with his lower body, and asked.

Lu Min sighed: "Okay, okay, okay, I apologize, alright? I'm sorry."

"..."

"Let's go, what are you standing there for?" Lu Min shouted at her.

Sang Qi reluctantly followed.

"Don't go drinking with random people. I'm responsible for you throughout the entire trip, and I can't let anything happen to you," Lu Min said seriously.

"Understood," Sang Qi replied in a barely audible voice.

Under the moonlight, the two walked side by side through the quiet ancient town in the dead of night.