Zhuang Rui had often seen reports on TV or in newspapers about famous explorers disappearing in the uninhabited areas of Tibet. He had no intention of performing the heroic feat of crossing the Tibetan Plateau. His real goal was to see the grassland scenery, learn about Tibetan Buddhism, help Liu Chuan buy a good Tibetan Mastiff, and return home safely.
Liu Chuan booked a suite for Lei Lei and the others, which had two rooms. However, Bai Mengyao was not in the suite at the moment, but was having a conversation in Bai Meng'an's room next door.
"Boss, I did a great job just now, right? Sister Xuanxuan definitely won't be interested in my target anymore. I've taken care of your biggest rival for love. When we get back to Hong Kong, you have to give me that limited edition Ferrari, or I'll expose your scandal in front of Sister Xuanxuan. It seems like someone was dating a minor celebrity last year, hehe."
At this moment, Bai Mengyao was like a little witch, sitting on the sofa in the room without any regard for her image, with her two long legs propped up on the coffee table, threatening her older brother with a wicked smile.
Knowing that his younger sister was difficult to deal with, Bai Meng'an scratched his head in distress. He also had a good impression of Zhuang Rui. Although he had heard that Zhuang Rui came from an ordinary family, he had a very convincing or approachable temperament. His attitude towards Qin Xuanbing, Lei Lei and his own siblings was neither overly enthusiastic nor very cold.
Bai Meng'an could tell that Zhuang Rui genuinely considered them all as friends. Of course, it was far from the level of his relationship with Liu Chuan. Friendships deepen through continuous interaction, and those so-called stories of instant rapport and then becoming bosom buddies are just stories.
After realizing the relationship between Zhuang Rui and Qin Xuanbing, Bai Meng'an no longer considered Zhuang Rui a rival in love. Moreover, even if Zhuang Rui was interested in Qin Xuanbing, Bai Meng'an didn't care much. After all, in some large families, children's marriages are not something one can decide at will. Of course, Bai Meng'an did not use family marriage to force Qin Xuanbing.
In Bai Meng'an's view, pursuing Qin Xuanbing was a very interesting thing, and given Qin Xuanbing's own qualities, it was worth the effort. As for the minor celebrity his sister mentioned, he didn't care much. Bai Meng'an's reputation in Hong Kong has always been very good, and it's understandable that he occasionally has some gossip.
However, this younger sister was a real headache for Bai Meng'an. This little devil was always very well-behaved and likable in front of others, but once you got to know her better, you would know her true personality. Those self-proclaimed cunning young men in Hong Kong suffered a lot at Bai Mengyao's hands, and over time, fewer and fewer people pursued her.
Even Qin Xuanbing asked Bai Meng'an why no men were pursuing Bai Mengyao, to which Bai Meng'an could only smile wryly and remain silent.
Chapter 65 Entering Tibet (Part 1)
At 4:30 pm, Zhuang Rui woke up Liu Chuan and the others. After they packed their belongings, they checked out of the room.
The car that Bai Meng'an had borrowed was already waiting at the hotel entrance half an hour earlier. After learning about Bai Meng'an's background, his client, in order to build a good relationship with him, even sent him an experienced driver. The client said on the phone that the driver had been a special forces soldier in the army and could adapt to all kinds of harsh environments.
With someone driving, Bai Meng'an had time to chat with Qin Xuanbing, so she naturally didn't refuse. After thanking her over the phone, she agreed.
Just as they stepped out of the hotel lobby, a young man of about twenty-eight or twenty-nine years old, standing about 1.7 meters tall, approached them. He glanced around casually, then recognized Bai Meng'an. He stepped forward and said, "Are you Mr. Bai? I'm Zhou Rui. Mr. Wang asked me to bring you the car. We spoke on the phone earlier."
Bai Meng'an had just received a call from Zhou Rui. The voice was indeed that of the person on the other end of the line. She said politely, "Brother Zhou, you don't need to be so polite. Just call me by my name. I'm sorry to trouble you these next few days."
"You're welcome……"
Zhou Rui didn't say much, and didn't seem to have much interest in the beautiful women around him. After exchanging a few polite words, he walked towards the Desert Prince SUV parked at the hotel entrance, opened the door, and waited for everyone to get in.
It's clear that the owner of this Desert Prince is an off-road enthusiast. Several large bumpers are welded onto the front of the vehicle, and the wheels are specially designed puncture-proof and anti-skid tires with steel wires embedded in them. They are also higher than ordinary tires, making them more suitable for driving on mountain slopes and other terrains. The four jet pipes on the rear of the vehicle, which look like missile launchers, further demonstrate the powerful performance of this four-wheel drive off-road vehicle.
For vehicles like these, the cost of modifications is often several times higher than the purchase price. This is true for Hummers, and the engine of this Desert Prince has obviously been modified as well, meaning the owner must have spent a considerable amount of money.
“Zhou Rui was introduced by a friend. He’s supposedly a retired special forces soldier and has pretty good driving skills. Xuan Bing, Lei Lei, you two get in this car. It looks like it’s been modified, so it should have good shock absorption. We need to get to Litang County, which borders northern Sichuan and Tibet, today. The roads aren’t very good. You ladies can sit in the back, and I’ll sit in the passenger seat so I can switch with Zhou Rui tonight.”
There were three ladies traveling with him this time, and the back seat of the Desert Prince was spacious enough to seat three people, so he could sit in the front passenger seat. As for what kind of car Zhuang Rui and his friends would drive, Bai Meng'an hadn't given it much thought. On the phone, his client had confidently assured him that his modified off-road vehicle was definitely one of the best in the country.
While at the restaurant, Bai Meng'an discussed the route into Tibet with Liu Chuan. It was clear that he had done some research after returning home, otherwise, although Hong Kong people knew about Tibet, they would never know that there was a Litang County on the border between Tibet and Sichuan.
Qin Xuanbing remained silent after hearing this, looking noncommittal. Lei Lei glanced at Liu Chuan and said, "Da Chuan and the others also drove here. Why don't we let Yao Yao ride in the same car as us? Da Chuan said his car has more space inside."
As Lei Lei spoke, she nudged Liu Chuan, signaling him to bring the car out. Liu Chuan had boasted about it to her several times on the phone, and Lei Lei vowed that if the car he brought didn't meet her expectations, she would teach him a lesson.
Liu Chuan grinned, handed a travel bag that was at least a meter long to Zhuang Rui, and scurried off to the parking lot. He was happy to show off like this. He figured he'd drive his car over later, and that desert prince would be nothing more than a country bumpkin next to the Hummer.
Bai Meng'an's words just now made Liu Chuan very unhappy. Lei Lei is his girlfriend. Even if he rides a bicycle to Tibet, he will tie Lei Lei to the back seat. Why should he ride on someone else's bike? However, he can only think about it in his heart. If Lei Lei knew what Liu Chuan was thinking, she would definitely make him regret why he has so much soft flesh around his waist.
In just three to five minutes, Liu Chuan drove the Hummer to the hotel entrance, and with a showy drift, parked the car next to the Desert Prince, attracting the attention of the guests coming in and out of the hotel. You have to understand, in 2003, Hummers were extremely rare in China, especially this six-wheeled Hummer, which looked like a tank. Now, the Desert Prince looks extremely ordinary, and there is no comparison between the two.
Standing beside the Desert Prince vehicle, Zhou Rui, who had remained expressionless until he saw Liu Chuan driving the Hummer, couldn't help but light up. Even Bai Meng'an, who had over a dozen world-famous cars in his Hong Kong garage, was stunned by this behemoth. Compared to his BMWs and Ferraris, this car was the kind of vehicle a man should drive. At this moment, Bai Meng'an had already made up his mind to buy the latest Hummer as soon as he returned to Hong Kong.
It seemed that Qin Xuanbing and the others no longer needed to consider whose car to ride in. Not to mention that Bai Mengyao had already opened the Hummer door and climbed in immediately, even Bai Meng'an wished she could get in the car herself. Compared to the Desert Prince, the Hummer was undoubtedly several levels better in terms of space, stability, and shock absorption.
However, Bai Meng'an had spoken rather confidently earlier, and now she couldn't go back on her word, so she could only reluctantly board the Desert Prince.
Liu Chuan drove the Hummer ahead, found a Sichuan restaurant specializing in Sichuan cuisine, had a meal, and then, at Zhou Rui's suggestion, bought several bottles of high-proof Luzhou Laojiao liquor. According to Zhou Rui, liquor is a very important item in the wild, and can often play an unexpected role. Out of respect for the professionals, Liu Chuan bought a whole case of 12 bottles. However, according to Zhuang Rui, this guy was purely buying it for himself to drink.
When they set off again, the SUV was in the lead. Zhou Rui was very familiar with the route into Tibet, so the task of leading the way was naturally given to him. In contrast to the two men in the Desert Prince who were relatively silent, the Hummer was filled with fragrant breezes and the sounds of birdsong, making it lively and bustling. This caused Zhuang Rui, who was driving, to glance at the rearview mirror from time to time. Not to mention Liu Chuan, who was sitting in the passenger seat and preparing to drive the second half of the night, he wished that his parents had not given him a girl so that he could join in.
After leaving Chengdu city, the car turned onto the Chengya Expressway. The SUV in front maintained a speed of around 100 kilometers per hour. After more than an hour, it entered National Highway 218 from the Xikang Bridge. This section of the road was easy to drive, so Liu Chuan let Zhuang Rui drive for the first half of the night. In the second half of the night, it was mostly mountain roads. On those roads, even if Zhuang Rui dared to drive, the people in the car probably wouldn't dare to ride.
"Liu Chuan, what's in this box?"
The bamboo and rattan box that Zhuang Rui bought in Hefei was exquisitely woven and attracted the attention of several girls.
"Those are treasures Zhuang Rui found, hehe, I got one too, you guys can pick whichever you like,"
Liu Chuan didn't stand on ceremony and used the things Zhuang Rui bought to do him a favor, although he did pay for the things himself.
Chapter 66 Entering Tibet (Part 2)
After hearing Liu Chuan's words, Lei Lei and the others opened the box and took out all the root carvings. The hand-carved root carvings were much more lifelike than those carved by machines. The girls were immediately attracted by them. Even Qin Xuanbing, who had been watching a movie on the car DVD player, came over and picked up a root carving to play with.
However, they had all heard Liu Chuan's words and knew that these items belonged to Zhuang Rui. Lei Lei and Bai Mengyao only admired them for a while before putting the root carvings back in the box. Qin Xuanbing, on the other hand, was quite fond of the galloping horse root carving in her hand and looked at it for a long time without putting it down.
Qin Xuanbing, who had been looking down at the root carving, seemed to have made a decision. She looked up at Zhuang Rui, who was driving, and said, "Zhuang Rui, I really like this galloping horse root carving. Could you transfer it to me?"
Upon hearing this, everyone present was shocked. No one in the car expected that Qin Xuanbing would actually ask someone for something. Only Lei Lei knew that Qin Xuanbing's zodiac sign was the horse, and that she had always had a deep affection for horses, and that her horseback riding skills were also quite good.
Zhuang Rui was also taken aback, and almost swerved the steering wheel. It wasn't because Qin Xuanbing asked him for the root carving, but because Qin Xuanbing didn't call him Mr. Zhuang but called him Zhuang Rui by his given name. This was the first time she had called him by his given name, and Zhuang Rui was a little uncomfortable for a moment.
Zhuang Rui glanced behind him in the rearview mirror. After Qin Xuanbing said those words, her expression remained unchanged. She met Zhuang Rui's gaze in the rearview mirror without flinching, and waited for his reply with composure.
"Hey, don't get distracted, drive carefully. If you can't, I'll drive for a bit."
Liu Chuan's voice rang out at an inopportune moment because he noticed that Zhuang Rui's eyes hadn't been on the road for seven or eight seconds. For the sake of his own life, Liu Chuan had to remind him.
Zhuang Rui blushed and turned his eyes back to the road ahead, only to be noticed by Qin Xuanbing in the rearview mirror. Qin Xuanbing found this quite interesting; she hadn't expected Zhuang Rui, who had always appeared calm in front of her, to blush. A smile appeared on Qin Xuanbing's face.
"Ahem, Miss Qin, that thing isn't worth much. If you like it, just take it. There's no need to talk about transferring it. I haven't thanked you for what happened a while ago."
Zhuang Rui was referring to the time when Qin Xuanbing embarrassed Xu Wei during the treasure appraisal. Everyone could see that Xu Wei was intentionally targeting Zhuang Rui, but Qin Xuanbing's subsequent actions unintentionally taught Xu Wei a lesson on behalf of Zhuang Rui.
Qin Xuanbing frowned slightly upon hearing this. In all her life, apart from gifts from her elders, she had never accepted gifts from other men. Zhuang Rui's words put her in a difficult position. Although the gift might not be very valuable, as Zhuang Rui said, Qin Xuanbing did not want to accept it for no reason.
After thinking for a moment, Qin Xuanbing took out her backpack, rummaged through it for a while, and took out a box. She said, "How about this, Zhuang Rui, I happened to bring an extra cell phone with me when I came to the mainland this time. How about I use it to exchange for this root carving?"
Zhuang Rui was stunned for a moment. He had been thinking of buying a cell phone a few days ago, but he hadn't used it since arriving in Chengdu and had forgotten about it. How did it end up being delivered to his door? However, when he saw Liu Chuan take the box from Qin Xuanbing, Zhuang Rui quickly said, "Miss Qin, this is inappropriate, really inappropriate. I only bought this root carving for 200 yuan. You're losing out big time by exchanging it for a cell phone. Liu Chuan, please return it to Miss Qin immediately."
Zhuang Rui glanced at the box out of the corner of his eye. The box was covered in English and had a Motorola logo. Zhuang Rui knew that given Qin Xuanbing's status, the phone she brought out would definitely be high-end. This phone probably cost at least five thousand yuan. If he really traded it for his 200-yuan thing, he would be clearly taking advantage of her.
Zhuang Rui would never stoop to such a thing. Not to mention that the cost of a cell phone is nothing to him now, even when he's broke, he wouldn't take advantage of a girl.
Liu Chuan ignored Zhuang Rui. After realizing it was an unopened phone, he tore open the box and skillfully installed the battery, asking, "Qin Xuanbing, I've never seen this phone before. It's not sold in China, is it?"
He always addressed Qin Xuanbing by her given name and never used any polite words.
Liu Chuan changes his phone very quickly. He buys almost every new phone that comes to mind. He's quite familiar with some domestic phone brands. As he puts it, "If we can't afford to change cars, and we can't even afford to play with phones, then what kind of man are we?" This made Zhuang Rui so angry that he never wanted Liu Chuan's old phones, because he couldn't afford either of those things before.
“That’s Motorola’s latest model. It might not be available in mainland China yet. Zhuang Rui, this phone is designed for men. I don’t like it either. Let’s make the best use of it. We won’t lose out if we replace it with someone else.”
Qin Xuanbing explained to Liu Chuan, but still insisted on exchanging the phone for the root carving.
"I'm not going to suffer a loss, but I don't want to take advantage of you either."
Zhuang Rui felt a little helpless. Seeing that Liu Chuan had already unpacked the phone, it wouldn't be appropriate to return it. So he said, "How about this, Miss Qin, how much is this phone? I'll give it to you later. Consider it a purchase."
Qin Xuanbing frowned slightly upon hearing this. In her heart, Zhuang Rui could now be considered her friend, just like Bai Meng'an. However, judging from Zhuang Rui's words, he didn't treat her as a friend and was reluctant to accept her things. This made her a little unhappy. However, Qin Xuanbing didn't think too much about it. If you are unwilling to accept other people's things, why would others be willing to accept them without doing so?
"We're all young people, so I'll call you Zhuang Rui. You don't need to call me Miss Qin anymore, just call me Xuan Bing. As for this galloping horse root carving, consider it a gift from you. But please accept this phone as a return gift from me."
Qin Xuanbing didn't think much when she said those words, and only realized something was wrong after she finished speaking. Bai Mengyao and Lei Lei both stared at her in surprise. They had known Qin Xuanbing for quite some time, but they had never seen her speak to a man in such a tone.
Young people in Hong Kong circles who consider themselves to have some status usually call Qin Xuanbing by her full name, but few of them actually respond. It's unexpected that the usually arrogant Miss Qin would one day let men call her by her name.
Qin Xuanbing realized she had misspoke, and a blush rose on her jade-like white face. Under the car's interior lights, she looked stunningly beautiful. Even Lei Lei and Bai Mengyao, who were also women, were stunned. Fortunately, Zhuang Rui's eyes were on the road at that moment; otherwise, there would probably be another Hummer car accident report on the Sichuan news tomorrow.
However, Qin Xuanbing's words made Zhuang Rui somewhat unable to resist. As the saying goes, it is hardest to accept the kindness of a beautiful woman. Zhuang Rui also realized that Qin Xuanbing was not just being polite. If he refused Qin Xuanbing again, he would lose face. So he said, "Okay, I'll call you Xuanbing from now on. I'll accept this phone."
Hearing Zhuang Rui address her as Xuanbing, the blush that had just faded from Qin Xuanbing's face returned. For some reason, hearing Zhuang Rui address her that way gave her a strange feeling, and the car fell silent.
"Sister Xuanxuan, why do you like this root carving of a galloping horse so much? I thought the monkey one from earlier was also very nice."
After Bai Mengyao's big eyes darted around, she broke the silence in the car with her words. Qin Xuanbing breathed a sigh of relief and started chatting with Leilei and Bai Mengyao, but she didn't speak to Zhuang Rui anymore.
As the night wore on, the Hummer fell silent. The girls had lost their initial excitement, and Lei Lei went a bit too far by lowering the electric partition and talking to Liu Chuan intermittently through the intercom. After a while, the conversation went silent, presumably because she had fallen asleep.
Chapter 67 Entering Tibet (Part 2)
In the 18th century, the wandering poet Tsangyang Gyatso, with his beautiful words, likened Litang to a place that white cranes yearn for and are fascinated by: "White cranes, lend me your wings. I won't fly far away, just to Litang for a short while, and then I'll fly back..."
From then on, this captivating love song pierced through the boundless years, transcended seasons, and traversed time and space.
Litang is one of the highest-altitude counties in the world, known as the "World's Highest City." The county seat is 4,200 meters above sea level, which is more than 300 meters higher than Lhasa in Tibet. This city, known as "the city suspended in the sky," has been an important town for the tea-horse trade since ancient times, a place where merchants gather, resources abound, and people are outstanding.
Although Chengdu is only about 700 kilometers away from Litang County, the two cars took more than 10 hours to reach the border of Litang. It was already past 8 a.m. the next day. Because they had rested several times along the way, everyone did not seem very tired.
Having slept through the night, the three girls were even more energetic, chattering incessantly in the back. Only then did Zhuang Rui realize that Qin Xuanbing, who appeared aloof and glamorous in public, was actually quite normal in front of other women. However, a thought immediately popped into Zhuang Rui's mind: Could Qin Xuanbing be a lesbian? The more he thought about it, the more likely it seemed. He planned to find a time to tell Liu Chuan to be careful of Lei Lei's potential infidelity, since Qin Xuanbing's beauty was irresistible to both men and women.
As the car entered Litang County, the vast and magnificent Maoya Grassland stretched as far as the eye could see on both sides of the road. In early spring, the grasses, in varying shades, turned a vibrant green, undulating across the grassland. Small wildflowers, scattered across the grassland, were brightly colored. Sunlight, filtering through the clouds, constantly shifted and changed among the large patches of color, creating a dazzling and beautiful scene that painted a colorful picture on the grassland of Litang County.
"Sister Xuanxuan, Sister Leilei, it's so beautiful! I've never seen such a beautiful view before..."
That was Bai Mengyao's voice. Ever since Lei Lei raised the automatic barrier in the morning, Bai Mengyao's mouth hadn't stopped for a moment. She was either excitedly screaming at the yaks on the grassland or gesturing at the eagles flying in the sky. If Zhuang Rui hadn't practiced driving on the highway from Hefei to Chengdu, he probably would have been scared into driving the car into a ditch by Bai Mengyao's sudden screams.
However, the scenery before him truly caught Zhuang Rui's eye. He couldn't believe there was such a beautiful and magical place in the world. Zhuang Rui couldn't help but feel a little tired of life in the big city. He wasn't the only one who felt this way. Bai Meng'an, who was in the Desert Prince car in front of him, was also looking on with great delight and wished she could live there.
At this moment, Lei Lei and the others were holding a map introducing the Litang tourist routes and discussing where to visit first. Meanwhile, Liu Chuan had suddenly become a friend of the women and had somehow sneaked into the back of the train. He wholeheartedly agreed with the women's suggestions and even offered advice from time to time.
Zhuang Rui couldn't help but feel sorry for Song Jun, his employer. Why did he think of sending Liu Chuan to help him buy Tibetan mastiffs? Judging from Liu Chuan's appearance, he was clearly just here for a vacation.
By this time, the two cars had entered Litang County one after the other. Litang is more like a town than a county, because it is too small. The streets are straight and grid-like, with a small square and a small street garden in the middle. Shops and restaurants are lined up one after another. Most of the people coming and going on the streets are local Tibetans. However, the streets are wide and the whole city is very clean.
Looking out from the car, the people in the Hummer felt a sense of novelty, because everyone here, regardless of gender, wore a fur Tibetan robe with a large collar, wide waist, and a right-fastening front that was smaller on the right and larger on the left. The rugged Khampa men had long, black hair, distinct features, and wore large sunglasses, looking masculine and handsome. A sheathed Tibetan knife hung from their right hip, and some even had two or three Tibetan knives hanging from their hips, making them look very heroic and dashing.
Tibetan women wear large and beautiful ornaments on their bodies and heads, such as egg-sized red coral or green turquoise. Some have their hair braided into a dense braid and then adorned with colorful beads, making them exceptionally beautiful and charming.
The Tibetans on the street, both men and women, all had rosy cheeks.
Zhuang Rui knew this was caused by altitude sickness, so he explained it to Qin Xuanbing and the others while driving. They didn't know what "altitude redness" meant. Fortunately, the people in the car usually paid attention to exercise, so although they felt a little tightness in their chests, they didn't have any particularly uncomfortable reactions.
At this moment, the Desert Prince in front stopped by the side of the road. After Bai Meng'an jumped out of the car, she waved her hand weakly, signaling Zhuang Rui to stop the car.
Zhuang Rui stopped the car and rolled down the window, and a gust of cold wind rushed into the warm car.
"Let's grab something to eat and get out of here quickly. There isn't even a decent hotel around here."
At this moment, Bai Meng'an's face also showed signs of fatigue, clearly suffering from altitude sickness. His breathing was much more rapid than usual. This young master from Hong Kong, who had not experienced much hardship, had underestimated the difficulty of this journey.
"No, we want to go to Litang Temple and watch the horse racing festival..."