Chapter 23 A Sincere Promise [Romance]
The following day, they drove away from Kashgar and headed towards the higher and farther Pamir Plateau.
Along the way, they saw the Red Valley, which resembled a fiery mountain, and the hollows in the mountain gave them the feeling of being on another planet.
Through the drone, they saw the tranquil Muji crater, which looked like a scar on the earth that had just cooled down.
They stopped at White Sand Lake and admired from the viewing platform the calm blue lake gently embraced by the soft, silvery-white sand dunes.
During the long drive, Fang Qihang held his phone and began reading aloud the comments from netizens on the Yinlang platform following Xu Nianyi's vlog featuring photos of a Uyghur princess posted the previous night:
"Wow! This girl is so beautiful! This red outfit is amazing! Which store is it from? I want to bookmark it!"
"Are the girl in the red dress and the guy in the black a couple? They look so good together!"
"The three of them together look so good! It's like a poster for a movie set in the Western Regions!"
Fang Qihang was engrossed in reading, until he saw a comment that instantly made him furious. He pointed angrily at the screen, "What do you mean by 'the prince and princess's silly younger brother'? Is this 'silly younger brother' talking about me???" He looked at Xu Nianyi and Tan Chen with a pitiful expression.
Xu Nian laughed until tears welled up in her eyes, and Tan Chen's lips also curved into a smile.
Amidst laughter and conversation, they arrived at an important landmark of their trip: the foot of Muztagh Ata.
This mountain is known as the "Father of Icebergs," crowned with ice and snow, and covered with millennia-old glaciers, silent and majestic.
However, for safety reasons, the Muztagh Ata Glacier is currently closed.
"Seriously? We came all this way, and it's not even open to the public?" Fang Qihang said with a disappointed look. "I had already planned to go to that glacier and take shirtless photos!"
Xu Nianyi also felt it was a great pity and suggested, "If we can't climb the glacier, let's get closer and take a picture at the foot of the glacier."
So the three of them got out of the car with oxygen tanks and started walking from the parking lot toward the glacier.
The altitude here exceeds 4,000 meters, and the air is thin. Because the surrounding area is all withered, vast grassland with no shelter, the wind blows like a knife, and even fully armed, it is difficult to resist the biting cold.
Due to severe altitude sickness, Xu Nianyi felt headache, chest tightness and shortness of breath after walking for only ten minutes, and was so uncomfortable that she did not want to go any further.
"I can't go on," she said, her face pale and panting. "Tan Chen, give me the car keys. I need to go back to the car and warm up."
Tan Chen frowned, wanting to go back with her.
"Hey Tan-ge, let Nianyi go back and rest first, let's explore the road ahead a bit more!" Fang Qihang grabbed Tan Chen's arm, looking very excited.
"Could you go up ahead and take some photos for me to use as video footage?" Xu Nianyi didn't want to spoil their fun, so she made an excuse to have Tan Chen accompany Fang Qihang.
Looking at the open outdoor space, Tan Chen could clearly see the path Xu Nianyi took back to the parking lot. After hesitating for a moment, he handed her the keys and instructed her, "Walk slowly. If you feel unwell, stop and rest. We'll be back soon."
"Okay." Xu Nian took the keys, wrapped her coat tighter, and turned to walk back alone.
The wind on the plateau grew stronger, making it almost impossible for her to stand.
She lowered her head and moved forward with difficulty, step by step.
Before she knew it, an old shepherd wearing a worn-out cotton-padded coat had come to her side. What frightened her even more was that two large, black wolfhounds without leashes began to run in circles around her and the old man, emitting low whimpers.
Xu Nianyi's mind, which had been blank due to lack of oxygen, was instantly filled with fear, and her heart pounded wildly.
She had no idea what the old man was trying to do.
His eyes looked very bad; they were lifeless, like a blind man's, with thick, red eye sockets that constantly overflowed with tears. Against the backdrop of the desolate plateau, his appearance was particularly eerie and terrifying.
Countless thoughts flashed through her mind.
The old man was speaking Uyghur in a garbled voice, which Xu Nianyi couldn't understand at all. Fear made her body stiff.
She considered robbing someone, but all she had on her was her phone and an oxygen tank. What should she do?
She truly regretted her decision to return alone; at this moment, she felt utterly helpless.
Suddenly, a large hand grabbed her arm and pulled her backward!
Xu Nianyi was so frightened that she almost screamed, but she couldn't make a sound due to lack of oxygen.
Thinking he was an accomplice, she turned around abruptly, only to be met with Tan Chen's worried eyes.
His face was also somewhat pale from walking quickly at high altitude, but his eyes were unusually calm. He firmly supported her slightly trembling body and protected her behind him.
The old shepherd continued to look at them with his swollen, red eyes. He stretched out his hand, pointed to his watery eyes, then to the sun in the sky, and finally to the sunglasses hanging around Xu Nianyi's neck and tucked into his collar.
Tan Chen seemed to understand something in an instant.
He immediately took out his sunglasses from his coat pocket, handed them to the old man, and tentatively asked, "Do you want sunglasses?"
Although the old man couldn't understand Mandarin, he immediately reached out and took the sunglasses when he saw them, putting them on to block out the glaring sunlight and sandstorm.
His expression seemed to relax a bit. He mumbled a few unintelligible words, then beckoned to the two large dogs that were still lingering nearby, and slowly trudged toward his flock of sheep.
At this moment, Fang Qihang also walked over, panting. He took a few deep breaths of oxygen and looked at Tan Chen with admiration, "Brother Tan, you're really in good shape. You can walk so fast without any problems!"
He then looked at Xu Nianyi, who was still in shock, and asked, "Nianyi, are you alright? We saw that old man and the dog approaching you from afar, and Brother Tan's expression changed immediately. He rushed over without saying a word!"
After hearing Tan Chen's brief description, Fang Qihang's eyes widened in shock. "Huh? So he came to rob sunglasses??"
The three returned to the car and continued their journey to Taxkorgan County.
Xu Nianyi remained silent throughout the entire journey, simply sitting quietly in the back seat, gazing at the vast, distant mountains rushing past the window, her expression quite unpleasant.
Once they arrived at the hotel, after their room was upgraded to an oxygen-equipped room, Xu Nianyi said in a low voice, "I'm feeling unwell due to altitude sickness, so I'm going to take a nap. You guys go play in Stone City." After saying that, she went into her room.
Tan Chen returned to his room, but was restless.
He didn't know if Xu Nianyi was really suffering from altitude sickness or was frightened by what had just happened. He wanted to go see her immediately, but he was afraid of disturbing her rest, and even more afraid that his concern would seem abrupt.
After hesitating for a long time, he went to the front desk to ask for a cup of hot water, then walked to Xu Nianyi's room and gently knocked on the door.
The door opened, and her face was still somewhat pale.
"I was worried you might have a headache from being out in the wind. Drink some hot water." Tan Chen handed over the cup, her voice carrying a barely perceptible gentleness. "Catching a cold at high altitude can be very uncomfortable."
As soon as he finished speaking, he noticed that Xu Nianyi's eyes were red, as if she was trying hard to hold back something.
Suddenly, Xu Nianyi's carefully maintained strength crumbled instantly.
She took a sudden step forward, grabbed Tan Chen's waist, buried her face in his chest, and burst into tears, soaking his thin hoodie.
Tan Chen's body stiffened slightly, then relaxed.
He carefully placed the cup in his hand on the luggage rack next to him, gently closed the door behind him, and then gently patted her back with one hand and stroked her hair with the other. His movements were awkward but full of tenderness.
"Don't be afraid anymore, it's alright." His voice was deep and gentle.
But this simple comfort was like opening the floodgates of Xu Nianyi's tears, and she could no longer control herself and burst into tears.
"I'm so scared, waaaaah... I'm afraid those big dogs will bite me, waaaah... I'm afraid he'll kidnap me and take me to the mountains to be a submissive wife so I won't be able to escape... I'm afraid he'll do bad things to me, waaaah... I'm afraid I'll never see you again... waaaah..."
"It's all your fault! You promised to be my protector, but what kind of protector are you? Waaaaah... Waaaah... I'm so scared..."
She sobbed incoherently, each word piercing Tan Chen's heart like a needle.
Every possibility she mentioned filled him with dread, and he dared not think about it further.
"It's my fault, it's all my fault." He hugged her tighter, his chin resting lightly on the top of her head. "Don't be afraid, Niannianbao, everything's alright now. I promise I'll never put you in any danger again."
Overwhelmed with emotion, he couldn't help but kiss the crown of her head with utmost gentleness, as if making a devout vow.
Xu Nianyi cried for a long time, as if she wanted to vent all her fear and grievances.
Only when the crying gradually turned into soft sobs did she raise her head in embarrassment, looking at the large patch of Tan Chen's chest soaked with her tears and snot, and blushed with shame.
But then she belatedly recalled Tan Chen's promises and affectionate terms of address, and her heart skipped a beat.
She sobbed, her voice thick with tears and choked sobs, deliberately saying, "I...I'm going to date and get married in the future, who wants a knight in shining armor like you...My future husband will be jealous..."
Looking at her red eyes and the tip of her nose, Tan Chen felt incredibly soft-hearted, yet her words also stirred a bittersweet emotion within him.
He took a deep breath, as if he had made up his mind.
"Can you wait for me?" He looked at her, his eyes filled with complex and earnest emotions. "Wait for me... to let go of my inner turmoil."
Xu Nian raised her tear-filled face, wanting to hear him continue.
“Let me tell you my story,” Tan Chen said in a low voice. “When I was little, my parents were long-haul truck drivers, and I traveled all over the country with them. But one day, my mother suddenly abandoned me, divorced my father, and disappeared. From then on, I was seen as a child without a mother.”
“My father abandoned me and raised me with my grandfather, but without my parents to support me, I was ridiculed and bullied by my classmates. They said I was dirty, that I had no parents and no one wanted me, and they threw mud at me. At that time, it was you who came to our school to participate in an arts performance and saved me.”
"You were wearing a beautiful yellow dress that looked like a sunflower, and you weren't afraid of getting it dirty. You grabbed some mud and chased it away for me."
Xu Nianyi vaguely remembered this incident. It was in the third grade of elementary school. Her memory was already blurry, but she remembered being scolded by her teacher for getting her performance costume dirty.
She never imagined that the skinny little boy who helped the bullied boy back then was Tan Chen standing right in front of her.
"So," Tan Chen looked at her, his eyes filled with unwavering affection and determination, "from that moment on, I knew that you were my sunflower. I wanted to protect you."
"Then what does this have to do with you not dating?" Xu Nianyi asked softly.
"Because I feel I don't deserve happiness. My family is broken, even my own mother doesn't want me..." His voice was filled with unbearable pain.
"Then why doesn't your mother want you? Did your father say anything?"
No... he simply doesn't want to talk about it.
"Where is your mother now?" Xu Nianyi asked softly.
"My aunt told me that she shaved her head and became a nun at a temple in Xining," Tan Chen said, seemingly recalling something.
Xu Nianyi grasped his hand, her eyes resolute. "So, if you see your mother and learn the reasons why she abandoned you, will you be able to let go of your resentment?"
"Maybe," Tan Chen said uncertainly, as if he both longed for an answer and was afraid to face it.
"Then we'll go find her during our trip to Northwest China!" Xu Nian said resolutely.
Tan Chen instinctively wanted to refuse; he wasn't ready.
"I have to go!" Xu Nianyi said forcefully, her voice trembling with tears but unusually stubborn. "Otherwise, I'll stay in Xining and refuse to leave. Let's see when you're willing to take me there! Once you meet your mother and find out why she doesn't want you, if you can let go of your resentment, won't you be my boyfriend?"
Before Tan Chen could react, Xu Nianyi suddenly leaned in and quickly kissed him on the cheek. Then, blushing and with a flickering eye, she muttered softly, "Let me pre-appreciate my future boyfriend's kiss."
The air seemed to freeze instantly.
Tan Chen stood there, stunned. The soft, moist touch on his cheek felt like an electric current, shattering all his defenses.
Looking at the brave girl with red and swollen eyes before him, he felt as if the frozen snowfield in his heart had finally been pierced by the scorching sun, the snow melting and everything coming back to life.
He slowly raised his hand, gently touching the spot where she had just kissed him, a thousand words condensed into a single, soft yet incredibly solemn promise:
"good."
Seeing that Tan Chen no longer refused and agreed to go find his mother, Xu Nian became even bolder.
She rubbed her still slightly swollen temples and spoke softly, with a hint of coquetry in her voice.
"I was already short of oxygen, and after crying so much, my head hurts even more and I feel dizzy. I want to take an afternoon nap to calm down."
She glanced up at Tan Chen's expression and, seeing that he was just listening quietly, she took advantage of the situation and whispered, "Then, future boyfriend, can you sleep in my room with me? I'm a little scared to be alone."
She deliberately spoke in a pitiful tone, her eyes red and wet from crying, like a little animal seeking shelter.
Looking at her like this and hearing her soft "future boyfriend," Tan Chen decided to temporarily let go of those heavy shackles and follow his heart this once.
He nodded. "Okay. Go to bed, I'll draw the curtains for you." He walked to the window and drew the heavy curtains tightly shut, instantly darkening the room, perfect for sleeping. "I'll sit here in this chair and keep you company."
Xu Nianyi felt a sweet warmth in her heart, as if a honey pot had been spilled.
She obediently hummed in agreement, snuggled into bed, closed her eyes, and her inner voice was ecstatic, "Great! I'm going to have a sweet romance too!"
Enveloped in the comforting atmosphere of the room, Tan Chen smiled faintly, her breathing gradually becoming even and long, and she soon drifted off to sleep.
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