When Yang Sisi and I left the hotel, it was already 12:30 a.m. She was still driving the whole way. Driving without a license is no small matter. If I don't get caught, it's fine, but if I do, I might lose the chance to retake my driver's license test. Yang Sisi didn't want me to take that risk.
But she really worked too hard. She started driving at seven in the morning and, excluding the one-hour break in between, she had been driving for more than sixteen hours... Fortunately, the car she was driving was good enough, otherwise, not to mention whether she could have endured it mentally, her lumbar spine probably couldn't have taken it either.
...
Not long after we got on the highway, we passed the viewpoint again. I subconsciously looked out the car window; because it was shrouded in thick darkness, there was no scenery to speak of, and the places illuminated by the car headlights were littered with all kinds of garbage... You can imagine how many cars had parked here during the day.
Yang Sisi slowed down and stopped at the very front of the viewing platform. As soon as she opened the window, a blast of damp, cold air rushed into the car, finally clearing my drowsy mind. I looked at Yang Sisi beside me; she seemed quite awake, but remained silent. I wondered what she was thinking…
Yang Sisi finally picked up the half-empty can of Red Bull, took a sip, and finished it. Unlike most people, she didn't throw the can out of the car. Instead, she got out of the car and found a trash can to throw it in.
I followed her out of the car.
...
This is a place without villages or people. Except for the occasional truck passing by, the whole world is as quiet as a cave, and even breathing seems to echo.
I finally spoke first to Yang Sisi, saying, "I'll drive later, you can rest for a while... As long as it's not a provincial border toll station, they usually won't check the vehicle."
“I’m not sleepy at all, especially standing here… This place looks ordinary, but our fates changed right here… I keep thinking, what would things be like now if I hadn’t kept Ye Zhi’s contact information… But then I feel like I’m just fooling myself… Because this is fate’s arrangement… Many things are beyond our control; back then, I really didn’t think we would have so much entanglement afterward. I thought that once we got to Dali, we would never see each other again… Because before I met you, I always liked sunny guys, guys who played basketball, wore sportswear, always had a bright smile on their faces, and had to be a warm guy who could make me happy…”
I remained silent, then pulled another cigarette from my pocket. I've been having a bit of a smoking habit lately, and I often feel the urge to light one up, especially when I'm feeling emotional.
I often think about this place, and then many hypotheses arise in my mind... If our car had arrived ten minutes earlier than Ye Zhi, things might not be like this now... This is what they call a small mistake that leads to a huge error.
...
In silence, a small
The car stopped in front of us, the driver rolled down the window, and asked us, "Hey guys, did you get a flat tire? Need any help?"
Yang Sisi and I were both stunned for a moment, and then I replied, "Thanks, bro, the car is fine."
The driver looked at us with suspicion, probably unable to understand why we had stopped there, since it was already late at night and there was no scenery to see. He then said to us, "You're driving such a nice car, don't linger here. There are all sorts of people on this road... It's almost Chinese New Year, safety first!"
"Thanks for the reminder, I'll be leaving right away."
The driver gestured that everything was alright and then drove away; but I found myself unconsciously falling into a daze. It really felt like history was repeating itself, except this time, Yang Sisi and I were the ones who needed to be rescued.
I let out a soft sigh and finally said to Yang Sisi, "Let's go, I'll drive."
"I'm fine."
"Don't try to be brave, you're not a robot... Let me drive. Our lives are more important than breaking the rules... I slept for a long time during the day, I'm not sleepy at all right now."
As I spoke, I snatched the car keys from Yang Sisi's hand. I knew it was wrong to drive illegally, but I couldn't care less at that moment.
...
After leaving the viewing platform, I drove towards Guizhou. The moment Yang Sisi sat down in the passenger seat, she fell asleep. She's incredibly resilient! That's her stubborn personality; if it weren't for that, she probably wouldn't have stayed by my side for so long…
I did have some misunderstandings about her. I always thought she was born with a silver spoon in her mouth and therefore spoiled by nature. But in fact, her willpower is much stronger than that of the average woman!
In the boundless darkness, I turned to look at her again. She was curled up in the corner, her face quiet.
My agitated heart calmed down... I am truly a very lucky man. Whether life is ordinary or prosperous, she has always been by my side!
...
Before I knew it, I had driven from night to dawn. Ahead was the border between Hunan and Guizhou. As usual, I would change my toll card at the toll station, and traffic police would often conduct routine checks on passing vehicles.
Before entering the toll station, I drove into the service area. I didn't wake Yang Sisi immediately. I put my coat on her and closed my eyes for a while.
At this moment, I was extremely tired, and if it weren't for the urgency of the matter, I really wouldn't want to travel in this way.
...
It felt like only a breath later, sunlight stung my face. I groggily opened my eyes and was immediately stunned by the scene before me… At that moment, the sky was ablaze with the colors of dawn, like oil paints applied across the heavens. Below, winding, overlapping mountains stretched out, and even though it was winter, there were still countless unnamed…
The plants have turned the mountainside green.
What feels most comfortable is the morning air, which carries a hint of warmth and a touch of sweetness.
...
Yang Sisi woke up a moment later. While avoiding the glaring sunlight, she stretched and asked me, "Where are we?"
"Guizhou is just ahead."
"After Guizhou, we'll be in Yunnan, right?"
"Um."
Looking out the car window, Yang Sisi exclaimed, "I didn't expect the weather to be so nice today! ... I haven't seen a blue sky in Shanghai for a long time! ... Could this be a wonderful omen?"
"Yes, I also have a strong feeling that this will be a wonderful beginning..."
As I spoke, Yang Sisi and I looked in the direction where the sunrise was brightest... This time, I didn't experience my usual dazed state; I did have a strong premonition... All the turmoil would gradually subside after this.
(End of Chapter)
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