Chapter 24 The Ambiguous Relationship Between a Potential Couple [Romance]
In a field full of sunflowers, the warm sunlight shone on Xu Nianyi, and she saw Tan Chen in the distance carrying a small bucket to water the sunflowers.
She pounced on Tan Chen like a butterfly, hugged him, and said coquettishly, "Why didn't you wake me up? Did you go out alone?"
Tan Chen lowered his head, said nothing, but gently kissed her. The kiss was lingering and deep, carrying the scent of plants and sunshine, making her feel so intoxicated that she almost suffocated...
The feeling of suffocation is getting stronger and stronger...
"Ugh..." Xu Nianyi suddenly woke up from her dream, her chest heaving slightly due to lack of oxygen.
She blinked blankly, staring at the dimly lit ceiling, and it took her several seconds to realize that she had just been sleeping, and that the blush-inducing kiss was just a dream.
In the instant she regained consciousness, she suddenly remembered that Tan Chen was still in the room!
Feeling guilty, she quietly pulled the blanket down, revealing her eyes, and stealthily glanced at the spot where Tan Chen had been sitting.
He was looking down at his phone when he seemed to notice her movement. He looked up and his eyes accurately caught her sneaking glances.
"Awake?" Tan Chen's voice was a little hoarse because he hadn't spoken for a long time.
Xu Nianyi's face flushed red instantly. She quickly pulled the blanket up again and shrank into the covers, as if that would hide the beautiful dream she had just had and her racing heartbeat.
A muffled voice came from under the covers after a while, with a hint of deliberate coquettishness, "The Uyghur princess is still asleep and needs a kiss from the prince to wake her up~"
She heard the sound of a chair being moved slightly, followed by approaching footsteps.
Her heart pounded faster and faster with each footstep.
Tan Chen walked to the bedside and looked at her, who had wrapped herself up like a silkworm. A helpless yet indulgent smile appeared in his eyes.
He reached out and gently pulled the blanket down until her blushing face and closed eyes were revealed.
Then, he leaned down and, as she wished, yet with restraint, placed a gentle and warm kiss on her forehead.
"Get up," his breath brushed against her ear, bringing a slight tickle. "Fang Qihang is still tagging you in the group, urging you to get up and go to Jinshitan and Stone City."
The real touch on her forehead made fireworks explode in Xu Nianyi's heart.
She opened her eyes, which were bright and sparkling, full of triumphant smiles and sweetness.
"The princess is awake~" she drawled, then stretched out a small hand in a coquettish manner and offered it to him, "Please help me up."
Tan Chen stretched out his large hand and gently enveloped it.
But he didn't dare to use too much force, afraid of hurting her, so he only used a symbolic amount of force, trying to guide her to sit up on her own.
To everyone's surprise, Xu Nianyi didn't intend to use any leverage at all. Instead, when he pulled her, she used even more force to pull him in the opposite direction!
Tan Chen was completely unprepared. With that pull, he instantly lost his balance and fell straight onto the bed!
"!"
Tan Chen was startled and reacted quickly by bracing himself on the mattress next to Xu Nian's head with his other hand, thus avoiding falling on top of her.
He hovered above her, and the distance between them instantly became so close that they could hear each other's breaths. He could clearly see the sly smile and a hint of shyness in her eyes.
Xu Nian released his hand, wrapped her arms around his waist, buried her face in his chest, and rubbed against him like a spoiled kitten, saying in a muffled voice, "Let me hug my future boyfriend one more time~"
He held her soft, fragrant body in his arms, enveloped in a gentle warmth.
Tan Chen's ears turned red rapidly, and her heart pounded like a drum.
He had never been so close to anyone before. Xu Nianyi's initiative and boldness left him both bewildered and yearning.
"You're even more cuddly than a plush toy, so warm and cozy~" Xu Nianyi commented in his arms, her tone full of satisfaction.
These words made Tan Chen even more embarrassed.
He hurriedly broke free from her embrace, quickly straightened up, awkwardly tugged at his wrinkled clothes, stood by the bed, looked at Xu Nianyi who was still lying in bed with a smug smile, and said irritably, "Get up and get ready! Tell Fang Qihang in the group what time we're leaving, I'm going to fill up the car with gas."
After saying that, he turned and quickly left the room, almost as if fleeing.
Watching his almost fleeing figure, Xu Nianyi hugged the blanket and happily rolled around on the bed.
She sent a message in the group.
"Meet in the hotel lobby in 20 minutes!"
Only then would I get up, satisfied, and start washing my face, putting on makeup, and carefully grooming myself.
She had finally understood Tan Chen's feelings for her. Since he was hesitant and timid because of his childhood trauma and unresolved issues, she would take the initiative to go to him and use her enthusiasm and determination to warm him little by little and melt the ice around him.
In the evening, the three of them visited Stone City and Golden Grassland.
The ruins of Stone City under the setting sun tell tales of a thousand years of vicissitudes; the Golden Grassland truly gleams with golden light under the afterglow of the setting sun.
In the evening, they enjoyed a local specialty, yak hot pot. In the cold night on the plateau, they feasted around the steaming pot, instantly dispelling the discomfort caused by altitude sickness.
The next day, they drove to Panlong Ancient Road.
Unfortunately, the area was closed due to the remaining snow, so they couldn't experience the thrill of the 608 bends. They could only take a photo with the famous stone plaque at the foot of the mountain.
"Having traversed all the detours today, from now on, life will be a smooth road."
Next, they went to the Wakhan Corridor, where four countries border each other: Afghanistan to the west, China to the east, Tajikistan to the north, and Pakistan to the south.
In this place, the roosters crow in the morning, enough to wake people from four countries.
They not only checked off the road signs leading to Afghanistan and Pakistan, but also took photos at the stone tablet marking the place where the Tang Dynasty monk Xuanzang traveled.
After concluding their journey on the Pamir Plateau, they returned to Kashgar.
That evening, Xu Nianyi secretly arranged to meet Fang Qihang alone at a quiet bar.
After downing two cocktails, Xu Nianyi took a deep breath and honestly told Fang Qihang about how she and Tan Chen had confirmed their feelings for each other.
She had several considerations in doing this:
Firstly, she wasn't sure if Fang Qihang had feelings for her. Since she had clarified her relationship with Tan Chen, she naturally wanted to tell him, as it was a sign of respect for him.
Secondly, she also wanted to confirm whether Fang Qihang was still willing to travel with a "soon-to-be couple" to avoid an awkward situation for the three of them.
Thirdly, if possible, she really hoped that Fang Qihang could take more photos of the two of them together.
After listening, Fang Qihang did not show much surprise or discomfort on his face, but rather a sense of "I knew it".
He raised his glass magnanimously, clinked it with Xu Nianyi's, and said with a smile, "I've always felt that you two are a perfect match, but I just don't know why it always felt a little off before. Now congratulations, Nianyi, your wish has come true! Taking photos is a piece of cake, leave it to me!"
He paused for a moment, then resumed his goofy demeanor, winking and saying, "As for you saying you're afraid I'll be a third wheel? Hey, who's the third wheel for whom is still unknown! Didn't you see how Tan and I were inseparable all the way here, chatting happily, our relationship is great! You, sometimes, are the third wheel for us brothers!"
Hearing him say that, Xu Nianyi's worries vanished.
Having such an open-minded, cheerful friend who is good at creating a lively atmosphere is their good fortune.
Now that she had no more worries, Xu Nianyi could finally be more open and affectionate with Tan Chen.
In her heart, the two of them were already boyfriend and girlfriend, but Tan Chen's entanglements still needed time to be resolved.
But it doesn't matter. She feels that this stage of confirming each other's feelings and having a little bit of ambiguity is also incredibly sweet.
For example, right now, on the way to the westernmost point of China.
Once Xu Nian was in the back seat, she could naturally hold the snacks in her hand and lean over to feed them to Tan Chen in the passenger seat.
He was a little embarrassed at first, but under Xu Nianyi's insistence and Fang Qihang's teasing gaze, he still turned his head slightly and ate it from her hand, his ears still turning slightly red.
These intimate little interactions filled the entire carriage with a sweet atmosphere.
China's westernmost point is located in Wuqia County, Kizilsu Kyrgyz Autonomous Prefecture, and is the westernmost point of mainland China.
While researching travel guides on Xiaohongshu, Xu Nianyi discovered this place and also learned that China has Antarctica (Xuwen County, Zhanjiang), Arctic (Mohe), and East Pole (Heixiazi Island, Heilongjiang).
She secretly made up her mind that she would visit every pole in the future and collect all four poles of the motherland!
On the way to the border, it felt noticeably more remote and desolate, and the text on the road signs changed from familiar Chinese characters to incomprehensible Uyghur and Kyrgyz languages.
The occasional large truck you encounter even has license plates from both countries, giving you the feeling that you've already crossed national borders.
Upon entering G581, Fang Qihang spotted a traffic policeman standing by the roadside, and his heart skipped a beat as if by reflex.
The traffic police signaled them to roll down their window and handed them a note.
The note read, "Wuqia traffic police remind you that the speed limit is 60 km/h throughout the entire route," and listed five locations below.
The traffic police wrote down the current time below the first checkpoint: 13:42.
It turns out that this border highway has no speed cameras or drones; it relies entirely on this primitive method—traffic police recording the time at various points to calculate whether vehicles are speeding.
This unique experience made them feel very novel.
After driving straight for a long time, the vehicle turned left, and the red "Western Frontier Gate" appeared in the distance.
To the right is a small hill that needs to be climbed. At the top of the hill is the Xiji Stone Monument, which they have been longing to reach after driving 900 kilometers round trip.
Climbing the mountain became extremely strenuous in the biting wind that felt like a sharp knife scraping your face.
This time, however, Xu Nianyi could rightfully reach out to Tan Chen.
"Pull me up." Her voice was slightly breathless, but her eyes were bright.
Without the slightest hesitation, Tan Chen turned around and firmly grasped her hand.
His palms were warm and strong, providing a steady stream of support.
With his help, Xu Nianyi climbed upwards step by step, and even the howling cold wind seemed less unbearable.
Fang Qihang followed behind, dutifully using his camera to record the scene of the two supporting each other as they climbed.
After climbing for nearly twenty minutes, they finally reached the top of the mountain.
The five-star red flags planted around the mountain fluttered in the strong wind. Looking down from a high point, you could see a huge rooster pattern outlined in red at the foot of the mountain, with striking red characters below.
"I will do only one thing in my life: guard the border for my motherland."
Upon seeing these words, Xu Nianyi was overwhelmed with an indescribable sense of shock and emotion.
Beneath our feet lies a vast land, and before us stand slogans symbolizing loyalty and perseverance.
A direct feeling of the vastness of the motherland, a unique atmosphere of being in the western border region, and a surging sense of patriotism stirred within her heart.
They lingered at the Last Ray of Sunshine viewing platform, around 8 p.m. Beijing time, waiting for the last rays of sunlight to set over mainland China.
It is said that in the summer, the sunlight here lingers until 11 p.m. Beijing time.
The journey through southern Xinjiang gradually drew to a close as the sun set in the far west.
Next, they plan to drive through Hotan to Turpan, experiencing the heat of the Flaming Mountains and the sweetness of Grape Valley, before leaving Xinjiang and entering Gansu Province to begin the next exciting leg of their Northwest Grand Loop journey.
I hope that there, we can resolve Tan Chen's inner conflict and completely unveil the unspoken truth.
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