My Weekend Lover Turned Out To Be My Boss - Chapter 33

Chapter 33: Daocheng Yading. “You Wait for Me at the End”

Early in the morning, I dragged You Feifan, who was still grumpy from being woken up, out the door. The journey from the guesthouse in Yading Village to Longtongba, the natural mountain entrance of the scenic area, didn’t take long. Above the plateau, the blue sky was near, and the white clouds hung low. The sun on our shoulders carried an intoxicatingly fresh scent.

Long ago, Qin Yun had casually mentioned this place, saying she would eventually find time to visit. Back then, Yading was still an unknown sanctuary. I don’t know which magazine she saw it in, but in the end, I was the only one who made it here. No one could share this sense of regret and desolation with me.

“Oh my! The horse caravan!”

Facing the blessing of nature’s bounty, You Feifan came back to life. As soon as I parked the car, she jumped out with her backpack and started haggling with the locals over the price of a horse ride.

“Why are you so impatient? Did you even buy a ticket?”

“What do you know? You have to get familiar with the locals when you first arrive! I’ve already negotiated the price. Horseback riding plus the entrance ticket won’t cost much. I’m taking a horse, you go take the battery car!”

Seeing her determined expression, she looked nothing like someone who had been heartbroken. I’ve confirmed it repeatedly: she’s just a little kid, and digging deeper, she’s the kind of giant baby who weighs over a hundred pounds!

I walked over to her, pulling the oxygen cylinder out of my bag and handing it to her, repeatedly instructing: “Your cold just got better, and the altitude here is high. Take the oxygen cylinder, and don’t run or jump, okay?”

“Oh, I know, you’re so nagging!”

“You know nothing, you old smoker! Look how much you’re panting. Walk slower!”

“They said the return shuttle stops before 7 p.m. There are several places to visit, and one day isn’t enough time. Hurry up, get on the horse!”

“Who was it that couldn’t get up this morning and delayed us? And you have the nerve to complain! Besides, did I say we only have one day? Fool!”

She imitated me, shaking her head, then rolled her eyes. She leaned on the hand of the horse handler to hop onto the horse, bouncing for ages but failing to swing her leg over. Her clumsy movements were quite comical. I smoothly got onto my horse and laughed at her strenuous efforts: “Are you even capable?”

“It’s all your fault! You insisted I wear so many layers! My legs can’t spread apart! And you still laugh at me!”

“You are so adorable!”

“Shut up!”

“Keep jumping! Don’t stop… I’ll record a little video for you. It’ll definitely go viral online~”

“You… just you wait…”

After another long session of bouncing, she was unbelievably clumsy. Finally, another Tibetan strong man ran over. With the help of both men, You Feifan was finally pushed onto the horse. She collapsed onto the horseback, gasping for breath. Once she recovered, she patted the horse’s back and looked at me smugly. I don’t know what she was so proud of.

The horse caravan gathered a team of travelers before setting off. You Feifan sat on her horse, staring straight ahead. She was finally quiet. The excitement on her face faded, and she lost her previous vitality. I didn’t know what she was thinking. When I waved at her, she didn’t react at all.

Upon arriving at Chonggu Monastery, people instantly transformed into devout believers. I don’t know what enlightenment they could gain from such a brief, fleeting visit, but it looked somewhat funny. It’s like your daily life involves eating meat, drinking, and pursuing beauty, but when you reach the temple, you bow to the Bodhisattvas and Buddhas, light incense and candles, and perform three bows—the whole process seamless and extraordinarily skilled, full of ritualistic feeling. You think doing this will grant you peace and prosperity, yet as soon as you step outside the temple threshold, you go back to eating meat, drinking, and pursuing beauty, utterly ignoring the meaning of having knelt and bowed. That is the ridiculous part.

However, having a sincere heart at any given moment is good enough; at least the expected blessings are benevolent. Dismounting, You Feifan didn’t follow the crowd toward Chonggu Monastery. She walked halfway around the wall outside the temple, mumbled something, and finally squatted down, picking up a stone from the ground and tucking it into her pocket.

This behavior was baffling. Seeing my puzzled look, she happily picked up another stone, quickly put it in her pocket like a thief, and muttered, “A flower, a blade of grass, a world. I can’t take them away, so I’ll pick up a stone as a souvenir. Stones near the temple must have spiritual energy. I picked one up for you too. It won’t cause any trouble, will it?”

I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. I reached out and helped her up. You Feifan’s kindness was a little silly, but it easily moved people. Such a good person, yet her soul was utterly scarred. I felt she deserved better. At this moment, I truly felt for her, especially when she secretly took out the stone and wiped the dust off it with her sleeve.

I pointed to Chonggu Monastery: “Do you want to go inside and look around?”

She shook her head, rejecting my suggestion: “I’m not devout and have no faith. If I went in, I feel like I would defile this sacred place. Besides, there are so many people inside. I don’t like joining crowds, and even a quick look would be a desecration.”

I smiled and shook my head: “With such a Zen-like speech, I really can’t force you. Then let’s go. With such fine weather, viewing Xiannairi Peak from afar sounds wonderful~”

So, for the rest of the way, we chose to hike. To be precise, this was You Feifan’s idea. I really don’t know what she had stuffed into her head—definitely not normal human thought—but I indulged her. After all, she was still a ‘child.’ We slowed down our pace, walking leisurely, as if we could walk forever.

“Going to a city or a village, Seeing a winding stream and a stretch of green meadow. Countless times in the midnight dreams or fantasies, Hoping for the sun in the East or the scenery in the North. The concrete underfoot blossoms with flowers of beautiful wilderness, The fish overhead soar, the birds in the water swim. The road stretches endlessly, the light in the distance has no end, The traveler who refused to accompany me on this journey, She is there, at that unreachable end. From now on, we will never look back.”

In the face of this setting, the impromptu poem flowed from my lips. You Feifan probably understood the deep meaning. She smiled sadly, then silently looked and walked forward, not stopping again.

…

Beneath the azure sky, eagles cried out, and on the meadow, rabbits and mice watched for their opportunity. We walked and stopped along the way. You Feifan held up her phone, trying to capture all the beautiful scenery, but eventually, she put the phone down in frustration, complaining loudly: “Oh! It’s such beautiful scenery, why can’t I take a good picture of it?”

Suddenly remembering something, I took sunscreen out of my backpack and called out to her: “You S-Sui (3-year-old You), come here.”

Although her steps weren’t fast, her eager waddle was quite amusing. She approached me and made a funny face: “What?”

“Hands up.”

She obediently raised her hands. I applied sunscreen to the back of her hands, explaining, “The UV rays are very strong. You’ll get sunburnt if you’re not careful. Put some on your face too.”

As I rubbed her face, she lowered her head shyly: “Heh heh, I usually don’t bother with skincare or anything. It feels uncomfortable on my face!”

“You must put it on!”

“I let you help me rub it on, didn’t I?”

“You’re behaving so well, here’s a chocolate as a reward. Are you feeling dizzy?”

“No.”

“That’s good. Tell me if you feel unwell.”

“Got it!”

We walked for almost an hour before finally reaching Pearl Lake. The crystal-clear emerald green made you reluctant to approach, afraid that the dust we carried would taint its purity. Xiannairi Peak in the distance stood solemn and quiet, covered with year-round snow. People couldn’t help but look up; this was its sacred, untouchable pride. The sky was azure, the mountain was snowy white, accompanied by the translucent green of the water. Only nature could bestow such marvelous craftsmanship.

“Xiannairi is not lonely; it has the company of Pearl Lake, just as the deep forest is surrounded by meadows. Nothing here is lonely.”

“Don’t tell me you’re lonely. I’ve been with you all along.”

You Feifan stood there blankly, gazing at the sacred mountain. She pressed her palms together and bowed. I looked at her back, planning to secretly take a photo. Just then, she turned back and looked at me. The click of the camera captured the moment perfectly.

“Hey! You took a sneaky photo of me!”

“I took a really beautiful photo of you!”

“Let me see… Oh, it’s pretty good… Send it to me! Remember to send the original file. I need to edit it with Meitu Xiuxiu.”

I was at a loss for words to describe her. In short, one word: silly!

Due to the lack of time, I suggested we head back now and enter the Yading scenic area again tomorrow. You Feifan didn’t insist on continuing, obediently following me. When we reached Chonggu Meadow, we both exclaimed that we had come at the perfect time. Autumn had turned Chonggu Meadow golden yellow. You Feifan excitedly pulled my arm forward: “This, this, this… this is where Mao Shiba proposed to Lizzie, and where Chen Mo and Yao Ji reunited!”

I pondered for a long time what this person was talking about before finally realizing: “Oh, oh, oh… I Belonged to You… Don’t tell me you decided to come to Yading with me because of this movie? Are you that trendy?”

“More than just the movie! I’ve read the book several times! But I didn’t expect to come here either. It must be fate.”

I couldn’t help but reach out and ruffle her hair: “Since you were quite obedient today, here’s a little perk for you.”

Hearing the word ‘perk,’ she looked at me even more endearingly, blinking repeatedly: “What perk?”

I found a place where we could sit down, took off my backpack, and pulled out my sketchbook and pen: “Pick a pose and a spot, and I’ll draw a portrait for you for free.”

She was like someone who had discovered a new continent, asking loudly again, “You can draw!!!”

“Mhm, I majored in fine arts. If you don’t move, I can be less realistic. If you move around, I’ll draw you as a Q-version.”

“Oh my gosh, you’re an artist… No, no, no, I want the super beautiful kind! You wait for me, let me find a spot to sit down! Wait for me! If you don’t draw it well, I’m not leaving today!!!”