Wang Yue was quite skilled when it came to fiddling with cameras. In his previous life, he had also bought a DSLR and studied it for a while, finding many models and offering free photography services. Although his technical skills were not yet up to professional standards, he had become proficient in composition and the play of light and shadow.
With a few clicks of the camera, Wang Yue had finished taking photos. "Take a look," he said with a smile. In the photos, Qiao Zixuan was smiling beautifully, with the vast scenery of Zheduo Mountain behind her. It was stunning.
Qiao Zixuan leaned in, her perfume a pleasant scent. "Wow, not bad, Da Yueyue, better than me." Qiao Zixuan praised after looking at the photos. "It's alright," Wang Yue replied, a little proud. "You stand there, I'll take one of you too." Qiao Zixuan said again. "Okay." Wang Yue walked over and started posing. Qiao Zixuan quickly finished taking the photos, and Wang Yue leaned over to look. They were taken very well, capturing his good looks.
The two of them took photos there for a while. Passing travelers would look at the couple with admiration. "Handsome guy, beautiful girl, want to buy some *lung-da*?" a Tibetan local said as they walked by. "How much?" Wang Yue asked. "Five yuan a bunch," the Tibetan replied with a smile. "Get me a lot." Wang Yue gave him a hundred yuan and bought a large bunch of *lung-da*.
*Lung-da* are colorful paper prayers. Wang Yue grabbed a large handful and handed it to Qiao Zixuan. "Wow, so much," Qiao Zixuan exclaimed. "You throw them, I'll take pictures," Wang Yue said with a smile. "Okay!" Qiao Zixuan held a large handful of *lung-da*, facing the wind. First, she clasped her hands together, closed her eyes, and made a wish. Then, she opened her hands, and the *lung-da* fluttered away into the distance with the wind.
Qiao Zixuan had a smile on her face, and her eyes sparkled like stars. Wang Yue captured this breathtaking scene. Looking at the photos, he couldn't tell if he had taken them well or if Qiao Zixuan was simply too beautiful. Qiao Zixuan came skipping over, and seeing the photos, she became even happier. "You take great pictures!" Wang Yue also threw some *lung-da*. He wished for his family and friends to be happy and healthy, and to have no regrets in this life. *Tashi delek*.
After taking photos, the two didn't continue further up. There was still more than half the journey to reach the pass, and the altitude would increase accordingly. However, Qiao Zixuan was out of energy and daunted by the long trek. So, they headed back down. With beautiful photos taken, Qiao Zixuan felt wonderful and skipped along. Wang Yue reminded her to be careful and watch out for altitude sickness.
When they went down, they saw Wang Rongxiao sitting there, gulping oxygen, which looked quite funny. "Actually, people should exercise more, otherwise they tend to be weak. When one is weak, they are prone to altitude sickness," Wang Yue said deliberately loudly as he passed Wang Rongxiao. "Mm-hmm," Qiao Zixuan chimed in beside him. Wang Rongxiao felt he was being subtly criticized. He wanted to get up and curse them out, but he was too weak. He regretted not having gone up that infernal staircase.
Wang Yue and Qiao Zixuan returned to the bus. Some travelers who didn't want to visit Zheduo Mountain stayed on the bus to eat and chat. Qiao Zixuan felt a bit hungry, so she rummaged through her bag and pulled out a lot of snacks. These were all expensive snacks, some of which Wang Yue had never seen before. "Da Yueyue, try this jelly, it's delicious." Qiao Zixuan tore open a packet of jelly and offered it to Wang Yue. Wang Yue opened his mouth, and she put the jelly in. After taking a bite, Wang Yue nodded. "Not bad." It tasted very similar to the *konjac* jellies that came later.
The two of them turned into foodies and started devouring snacks. The snacks Wang Yue brought were also his favorites, but he didn't buy any spicy chips. Snacks with strong odors like spicy chips were not suitable for eating on a travel bus, as they might make people who were already feeling carsick even more nauseous. If one person vomited, it could trigger a chain reaction, leading to everyone on the bus vomiting, which would be a sight to behold.
Wang Rongxiao finally regained his strength and returned to the bus, panting. Seeing Wang Yue and Qiao Zixuan happily eating snacks, his chest hurt even more. An hour later, the bus set off again. The scenery along the way to Zheduo Mountain was beautiful. Qiao Zixuan kept taking photos with her camera. Seeing the expensive DSLR camera in Qiao Zixuan's hand, Wang Rongxiao suddenly realized something. This couple was probably not from ordinary families. He couldn't even afford a DSLR, and judging by the model and lens, it must have cost tens of thousands of yuan. No wonder they were unfazed by his money. However, he wasn't sure if the girl or the boy was the wealthy one. From their clothing, he couldn't tell anything. Wang Rongxiao's devious thoughts started again. If the woman was rich, he would try to latch onto her. If he could marry Qiao Zixuan, wouldn't that save him decades of struggle? Thinking this, Wang Rongxiao began racking his brain for ways to approach Qiao Zixuan.
The bus arrived at a small town for lunch. The tour group had arranged meals. However, before coming, it was made clear that conditions in the Tibetan region were harsh, and the food might not suit everyone's taste, so it was recommended to bring some snacks. Li Fangfang led everyone into the restaurant and said, "These three tables are ours, please sit wherever you like." Wang Yue and Qiao Zixuan sat at a window table. Each table could accommodate eight people. As soon as they sat down, Wang Rongxiao shamelessly followed and sat on Qiao Zixuan's other side. "So fragrant," Wang Rongxiao said from the other side, smelling Qiao Zixuan's perfume with a look of intoxication. Qiao Zixuan, looking disgusted, moved closer to Wang Yue. She had never encountered such a repulsive person. "Hello, nice to meet you, my name is Wang Rongxiao," Wang Rongxiao said to Qiao Zixuan with a smile. After Wang Rongxiao sat down, no one else wanted to sit at that table. In everyone's eyes, he was a lunatic. They looked at Wang Yue and Qiao Zixuan with pity, thinking it was unfortunate to be troubled by such a lunatic. "Let's sit at another table," Qiao Zixuan whispered to Wang Yue. "Okay." Wang Yue took Qiao Zixuan to another table. This table had exactly two empty seats. Wang Rongxiao's expression turned extremely unpleasant. "You're avoiding me, aren't you? I'll see how long you can avoid me!" Wang Rongxiao thought fiercely. "Sister, that lunatic is really off-putting. You guys should be careful," a round-faced girl next to Qiao Zixuan said proactively. "Thank you, we will be careful," Qiao Zixuan replied with a smile.