Chapter 69: Ex-wife White Moonlight 2: Endless Hatred in Her Eyes
The mountain road to Jiangyuan is rugged, but fortunately the driver has solid skills and can drive steadily on the mountain road.
The team leader was a dark-skinned, burly man who stood firmly in the passenger seat, stretching his neck to introduce the scenery along the way to Ali and the others.
Ali had taken motion sickness medicine in advance and was in good spirits. He was listening attentively to the tour leader's introduction, writing something in his notebook from time to time, trying his best to ignore the existence of the people behind him.
"...The source of the river is surrounded by snow-capped mountains and grasslands, making it a world-class water source. During the next ten days of our journey, we will see three natural landscapes: snow-capped mountains, wetlands, and grasslands, and spot many highland wildlife."
As they were talking, the car drove onto a flat road. The team leader signaled the driver to slow down and opened the window. "Look, those are blue sheep over there."
Everyone in the car looked over when they heard the sound. On the endless grassland were rugged and steep rock walls. A group of blue sheep were lying or sprawled among the cliffs. Their fur color was very similar to that of the rocks, and it was easy to miss them if you didn't look carefully.
Above the grass near the rock wall, a few mountain goats were jumping down. The rugged cliff was as flat as flat ground for them.
The college couple in the front seat shouted excitedly and took out their cell phones to take pictures. Ali also picked up the lens that had been adjusted long ago and took the first photo of the trip.
The grassland is vast and boundless, and magical and beautiful animals live freely here. Even if you just sit in the car and watch it from afar, it is enough to make your heart beat faster.
Ali was admiring the scenery outside the window without stopping the shutter, and gradually immersed himself in this vast natural scenery.
Suddenly, a black figure passed by the horizon, and a large bird with black-brown feathers and a gray-white head flew over the roof of their car. It looked much larger than an ordinary bird.
The leader said, "Does anyone know what kind of bird that just flew over? There's a small gift for those who answer correctly."
The boy in the front seat was the first to speak: "Is it a vulture?"
His girlfriend put away her phone and nudged him with her arm: "It doesn't look like a vulture, does it? The patterns are different."
The boy rubbed his girlfriend's cute face and smiled with his big white teeth: "What color? Is this describing our Cai Cai and Lao Lao?"
The team leader was also amused by them: "This guy is right, this is indeed not a vulture."
"Team leader, can we answer the questions with the help of high-tech means?" The girl raised her cell phone and shook it.
She just took a photo with her quick eyes and hands, and she will know everything later when she recognizes the picture.
"Okay," the team leader nodded. "If you can find it on your phone, then you're right."
"Okay!" The girl agreed readily and lowered her head to search with her boyfriend.
There was constant chattering in the front row, but it was completely quiet in the back row.
The tour leader had long noticed the distinct difference between the two people: one was concentrating on taking pictures, and the other had his eyes closed, resting. They hadn't said a word since getting on the bus.
That won't work.
Adhering to good professional ethics and professional qualities, he wanted to ensure that every passenger on the tour could fully experience the fun of this trip. He spoke: "Ms. Xiao? Mr. Sheng? What do you think?"
These words were like a small hammer, breaking the invisible thin ice in the back row.
"What?" Miss Xiao, who had been taking pictures with her camera, looked over with a puzzled look on her face.
Mr. Sheng, who had kept his eyes closed, opened them and immediately looked in the direction of Miss Xiao. With a low pressure all over his body, he slowly uttered three words: "I didn't see it."
Team Leader: ...
It doesn't matter. He has led so many tours and believes that he has seen all kinds of big scenes. He knows very well that the more uncooperative the passengers are at the beginning, the more reluctant they will be to end the trip in the end.
The team leader, still maintaining a professional smile, briefly described the characteristics of the bird. "Based on this, can you two guess what it is?"
Ali reluctantly put down the camera, remembering the homework he had done before coming here, and made a random guess: "Is it a bearded vulture?"
"That's right! It's a bearded vulture!" The team leader's eyes lit up and he took out a small translucent box from behind him. Inside was a silver pendant, which was somewhat similar in shape to a bearded vulture.
He handed the box to Ali: "This is handmade by local residents of Jiangyuan. Each one is unique."
Ali thanked him and took it. Although it was handmade, the pendant was very exquisitely made.
The girl in the front seat also leaned over the seat to look over and exclaimed: "How beautiful."
Seeing that she was very interested, Ali placed the box in front of her and said, "This is for you."
The girl's mouth opened into a big O shape, and she waved her hands repeatedly: "No, no, no! This is what you got by answering the questions, how can I take it!"
Ali relaxed his brows and whispered, "I already have a necklace around my neck, and I can't get used to wearing anything else. It would be a waste to keep it."
As she spoke, she pointed to her slightly open neckline, where a very thin necklace could be vaguely seen.
"Okay," the girl accepted it embarrassedly, turned around and took out all the snacks in her bag, "Sister Xiao, you can eat as much as you want of these, they are delicious."
Ali smiled and just took a bag of potato chips: "Thank you."
The girl was a very talkative person and soon started chatting with Ali, leaving her boyfriend who was staring at her eagerly aside.
During the conversation, Ali learned that the girl's name was Song Yuqing and the boy's name was Chen Pei. They were both junior students in the Chinese Department and were classmates.
Because they had similar interests, they got together shortly after school started.
They worked part-time jobs to save money while studying, and traveled around the country during holidays.
This trip to Jiangyuan was their eighth trip together.
It is said that traveling together is the fastest way to test a couple's relationship, and many couples break up after traveling.
Song Yuqing felt very lucky. She said that their relationship actually grew better and better during the trip.
Ali listened quietly: "I really envy you guys."
Song Yuqing opened her eyes wide: "Sister Xiao, we should envy you, you are so gentle and beautiful, successful in your career, can travel around the world anytime and anywhere, and do everything with ease..."
She sighed: "When will I be able to be like you?"
Ali was amused by her appearance.
She was not a gentle person before. When she was in school, her teachers and classmates called her a thorny person. Whenever she encountered injustice, she would always argue with others, and she would often argue with them until they were red in the face.
Friends all say that she is very unyielding even when she is right.
Even...
Even her last words to him were the most vicious curse.
I wish I had never met you.
I hope you die now.
Ali felt a pang in his heart and tilted his head to look out the window. His voice trembled as softly as a whisper, "If I could, I really want to go back to the past, back to... that time."
*
With Song Yuqing and Chen Pei chatting together, the morning's journey was over in the blink of an eye.
They finally arrived at their destination: Jiangyuan.
The group's accommodation was arranged in a herdsman's home. Under the arrangement of the team leader, each of them was given a clean, spacious and well-equipped tent.
They will also eat with the herdsmen during these days and experience local life in depth.
A large plate of hand-pulled yak meat and fragrant butter tea were quickly served. The main dishes were tsampa made from roasted and ground barley flour and ginseng fruit rice, which filled the table in no time.
The herdsman aunt warmly invited them to sit down, and only then did Ali realize that Sheng Yu was not there.
She found the team leader who was reminiscing with the herdsmen, and learned that Sheng Yu had told the team leader when he got off the bus that he had no appetite and went straight back to the tent to rest.
Ali couldn't help but frown and looked in the direction of his tent. It took a long time before he left.
Seeing that she had been out for so long, Song Yuqing asked, "Sister Xiao, where have you been?"
Ali sat down and briefly explained what had just happened.
Song Yuqing took a sip of butter tea and smacked her lips. "Mr. Sheng didn't have breakfast with us this morning, and it seems he didn't have dinner yesterday either?"
She looked at her boyfriend, and Chen Pei nodded: "I didn't see him in the restaurant last night. We ate at that large table of food, and he just sat in the lobby, occasionally glancing at the stairs. I don't know what he was doing."
"Mr. Sheng is weird. He looks like a business elite, but he signed up for our tour group. However, he didn't talk to us after signing up." Song Yuqing concluded.
Chen Pei quietly pulled her clothes under the table, signaling her to stop talking: "I heard from the tour leader that our group's budget was originally medium, and it was only after Mr. Sheng joined that it was changed to a luxury group."
Song Yuqing quickly clapped her hands and said, "I'm sorry for not recognizing the great man. This is our big brother, we have to hold him."
Ali found the whole meal tasteless, so she quietly found the herdsman lady and asked her to borrow the pot and rice.
Half an hour later, she found the team leader and handed him the thermos box. "I saw that Mr. Sheng hadn't eaten anything, so I made some porridge. Could you please send it to him?"
The team leader took it and asked her doubtfully, "Why doesn't Miss Xiao go in person? You should leave your name behind when doing good deeds."
Ali shook his head: "It's not a big deal. We are all in the same industry, so I'll help if I can."
"Ms. Xiao is truly a considerate and kind person," the team leader praised, but then his expression froze. "Hey, you're up?"
Sheng Yu came behind the two of them at some point. Ali had his back to him with a stiff expression.
"Just right," the team leader strode over and shoved the thermos behind him. "Miss Xiao saw that you hadn't eaten all day, so she made some porridge for you. Come and try it, don't starve yourself."
Sheng Yu's deep gaze shifted from the insulated box to Ali, his voice flat and emotionless: "Really? Thank you so much, Miss Xiao."
The team leader agreed: "Yes." But the thermal box in his hand was not taken away for a long time.
Sheng Yu walked forward slowly for a few steps, and after many years, he saw clearly what Ali looked like at this moment.
She lost weight and her hair grew longer.
But I can't hide the emotions in my heart: guilt, guilty conscience, and uneasiness.
His jaw was set tight, and there was endless hatred in his eyes.
Could it be that she, who cruelly left him to go abroad and completely cut off all contact between them, would feel guilty?
Six years of love is not worth a plane ticket to a foreign country.
Sheng Yu pulled the corners of his lips indifferently, revealing a very sarcastic smile: "Miss Xiao, thank you."
Ali slowly raised his head, trying his best to maintain a faint smile on his face: "...You're welcome."
Sheng Yu stared at her with his sharp eyes, not missing any change on her face.
Having been alone for many years, Ali has encountered countless emergencies. Her job also requires her to always be at the forefront, and sometimes, being at the forefront also means being the most dangerous.
Dangerous people, dangerous things.
Faced with these situations, she has long learned how to calm herself down as quickly as possible and then think of solutions.
This can at least maintain superficial calm before a crisis and prevent oneself from falling into a disadvantage.
Ali looked at him quietly, and there was no extra emotion in her eyes as clear as autumn water.
She took the insulated box from the leader again and handed it to him: "Your stomach is not in good condition."
The woman's voice was so low that the team leader didn't notice it, but Sheng Yu heard it clearly.
In an instant, his face became terribly gloomy, and there seemed to be dark clouds rolling in his eyes. He approached her step by step.
The team leader felt that the atmosphere between the two was a little strange and was about to speak.
The thermos box had been suddenly overturned by Sheng Yu, and most of the scalding hot porridge spilled onto Ali's hand. The steam suddenly licked the back of his hand, and it became red and swollen in an instant.
Ali sucked in a breath of cold air as a burning pain quickly penetrated into his skin, and his hands felt like they were being pricked by countless red-hot needles at the same time.
Song Yuqing happened to pass by at this moment and exclaimed: "Sister Xiao, your hand!"
The pain in his body was not even one ten-thousandth of the pain in his heart. Ali was hugged by Song Yuqing and saw Sheng Yu leave without looking back.
Song Yuqing couldn't care less at this moment and shouted at Sheng Yu's back, "What a psycho! I made porridge for you out of kindness, but instead of saying thank you profusely, why are you repaying kindness with hatred?"
Ali held her, who was filled with righteous indignation, and said in an almost inaudible voice: "Do you have any ointment for burns?" She returned to China in such a hurry this time that she forgot to bring many things with her.
Song Yuqing nodded quickly and took her back to her tent.
The milky white ointment gradually covered the red and swollen wound. Ali endured the pain and a layer of fine sweat seeped out of his forehead.
Song Yuqing's hands were shaking so badly that she was afraid of hurting her.
Seeing how nervous she was, Ali comforted her, "I'm fine, don't worry about applying it."
Song Yuqing pouted, feeling sorry for Ali: "Sister Xiao, you are so gentle, I will cry."
Ali changed her posture and sighed: "Crying won't solve the problem." Her hand was injured, and she didn't know if it would affect tomorrow's observation and filming.
Song Yuqing helped her apply the medicine and carefully put down her rolled-up sleeves. She couldn't help but move closer: "Honestly, if I were a man, I would definitely pursue you."
"And once I get you, I will definitely protect you like a baby."
Ali blinked, seeing that she was particularly serious: "There is a big age gap between us."
Song Yuqing blushed: "I'm not talking about this. I'm saying that as long as a man sees your face, no matter how angry he is, he will have to hold it back."
Ali knew that she was speaking up for him and secretly mocking Sheng Yu, then lowered his head and smiled.
Song Yuqing leaned on the soft sofa and suddenly asked her: "Sister, have you ever been in love?"
Ali was stunned for a moment and nodded.
Song Yuqing calmed down now, and she was a little shy for once: "So how did you get along with your previous boyfriends?"
Ali understood that this person came to him for emotional consultation.
Previous boyfriends?
She thought for a moment and said, "A sharp clash of swords."
*
Today is our first night staying in Jiangyuan. The team leader specially asked the herdsmen to light a bonfire in front of the tent and organized a small bonfire party.
The group of five sat down in front of the campfire, and the surrounding herdsmen soon joined in.
The wound on Ali's hand was still aching slightly. She hesitated for a long time, waiting until everyone was seated before she slowly moved over, but she did not dare to get too close to the fire.
The herdsmen sang and danced in front of the bonfire, laughing and talking happily.
This is their way of life. Regardless of whether they know how to do it or not, everyone takes the initiative to show themselves and release their emotions through singing and dancing.
Ali hugged his legs, rested his chin on his knees, and watched them play with interest.
Seeing that everyone in the group was in a bad mood, the team leader came up with an ice-breaking game: let everyone sitting together introduce themselves to each other.
The smile on Ali's lips gradually disappeared, and he fell silent. After so many years of being abroad, it had been a long time since he heard the words "ice-breaking game".
The first ones to stand up and introduce themselves were of course Song Yuqing and Chen Pei. They finished speaking quickly, and the team leader turned his attention to her.
Ali was not at all stage-frightened. She stood up and said calmly, "My name is Xiao Li, Xiao as in Xiao He, Li as in Liming. We'll be traveling together for the next few days, so please take care of each other."
Song Yuqing immediately clapped her hands in support. Ali looked at her, smiled faintly, and sat down.
There is only one person left.
Sheng Yu was far away from her, and through the flickering flames, the emotions in his eyes flickered.
Ali felt that he must be very impatient at this moment.
"Shengyu."
Clean and neat, even one more word would be stingy.
Everyone was a little embarrassed, and it was only after Ali clapped his hands twice that everyone finished this part.
The team leader raised his glass of highland barley wine and said, "We have all come from all corners of the world. It is a great fate that we are all here together. We must cherish this bond."
"The mountainous region has a changeable climate, and the journey over the next few days may be tiring and difficult. But I hope everyone will not give up easily. As long as you persevere, you will definitely see what you want to see. Your wish will come true!"
Ali also raised his glass, a genuine smile on his face.
This is a project she has been preparing for for a long time, and she will finally be able to realize it bit by bit tomorrow.
The team leader proudly drank the wine in his glass, causing Song Yuqing to laugh loudly: "The team leader is awesome! We will definitely follow him!"
The team leader, already immune to her occasional jokes, said, "If you have anything else to know, feel free to ask me. Or if you want to know more about others, you can ask them as well."
"Don't be shy. We're all going to be together for so many days, and making new friends is an essential part of the journey."
Ah Li smiled and lowered his head. Seeing Song Yuqing beside him constantly pushing Chen Pei, Chen Pei had no choice but to stand up with a red face: "Leader, we want to know, do you have a girlfriend?"
This question stumped the leader. He picked up a stick from somewhere and swung it in his hand: "Do you see what this is?"
Chen Pei quickly replied: "I see! Bachelor!"
Everyone burst into laughter.
Song Yuqing, extremely happy, put down her things and pulled Chen Pei up to dance with her.
Ali, who didn't want to move, drank the wine slowly, and felt his body and mind relax.
Across the dancing crowd and the blazing bonfire, she saw Sheng Yu stand up.
He was wearing a white windbreaker, had handsome features and extraordinary manners.
From the first day she met him, he could easily become the focus of attention in the crowd.
He was clearly holding a glass of barley wine and talking with the herdsmen, but he looked so relaxed as if he was attending a cocktail party of the upper class. Everything was under his control.
Ali looked away. The highland barley wine was so mellow that one couldn't help drinking more. But after swallowing it, a belated bitter taste emerged in his throat.
Times have changed, things have changed, and he is no longer the young and impulsive boy.
見大家都沒有什麽想問的，領隊準備說結束語了，盛嶼卻突然回身看來。
阿離心下一緊。
“我還能問一個問題嗎？”他說。
領隊愣了一下：“當然可以。”
盛嶼飲完最後一點酒，醉意朦胧的眼睛此刻直直鎖住遠處的阿離，唇邊勾起一絲若有若無的弧度：
“蕭小姐這麽優秀，身邊一定不乏追求者吧，不知浪跡花叢的感覺如何？”
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
