After wandering all night until his legs grew weak, Zhao Ziqiang finally abandoned his carefree thoughts. Despite carrying a large bag filled with various knick-knacks, the total cost barely reached 30 yuan, quite a bargain.

He roamed the streets until the crowd thinned out, and only then did he make his way back to the inn.

The front desk was empty, with only a security guard dozing on a sofa in the hallway, his head bobbing as he slept. Zhao quietly pushed open the glass door and headed upstairs, careful not to disturb anyone.

Although Zhao Ziqiang had never been picky about beds, he was still somewhat surprised at how comfortably he slept on an unfamiliar bed, especially since he wasn’t even that tired.

The next morning, Zhao Ziqiang woke up feeling refreshed. He quickly brushed his teeth, washed his face, and tidied up the bed. For the first time in years, he felt this energized.

He went down to the front desk on the first floor, and by 7 o’clock, the young woman was already there. Today, she had put on light makeup, looking just as full of energy.

Zhao Ziqiang walked up to greet her:

“Good morning.”

The young woman responded in the local dialect, her voice still soft and shy as before,

“Oh…”

Zhao Ziqiang smiled, not really minding, and casually asked:

“Are there any vacant rooms in the row across from mine?”

The girl was startled again, feeling as if this scene was oddly similar to yesterday. Seeing her confusion, Zhao Ziqiang smiled lightly and repeated his question.

The girl quickly responded this time,

“Yes, there’s one—right across from your friend’s room.”

The girl probably assumed that the two of them knew each other since they had both inquired about one another, so she automatically categorized them as friends. Zhao Ziqiang didn’t bother correcting her.

“Take me up, I want to switch to that room.”

The girl didn’t ask any further questions. She just lowered her head, changed the registration, grabbed the room key card, and led Zhao Ziqiang upstairs.

“By the way, if that guy… my ‘friend’ asks about me, just tell him I checked out and left.”

The girl was surprised by his words and glanced back at him. Seeing the calm, indifferent expression on Zhao Ziqiang’s face, she began to wonder if the two were actually enemies. Thoughts of scenes from TV shows flashed through her mind, making her feel a bit nervous. She didn’t even dare to look up at Zhao Ziqiang again.

The new room was significantly better in terms of lighting and view. It was so bright it felt like a glass house, and with a quick glance downward, he could see the parking lot in the back of the hotel. Perfect.

Zhao Ziqiang took out some bread, biscuits, and bottled water from his bag. Leisurely, he sat on the small chair by the window and picked up a copy of Youth Digest that someone had left on the bedside table and began reading.

Qian Wang, after enduring a whole day and night, woke up feeling utterly drained. His body was burning with weakness, and his head throbbed as if it were about to explode. He was relieved that he had taken off his shirt and suit before sleeping; otherwise, they would have ended up wrinkled like a rag.

He stiffly leaned against the wall, rotating his arms and neck, the cracking sounds echoing through the quiet room.

Even though he had a fever and cold with no appetite, his empty stomach was still protesting. Having come with nothing in hand, he grabbed the room key, headed out of the room, intending to buy some medicine or something.

He passed by the room next door and stopped. Noticing that there didn’t seem to be anyone around, he pressed his ear against the door to listen, focusing intently for a while. However, he could hear nothing except for his own tinnitus. He speculated that Zhao Ziqiang either hadn’t gotten out of bed or had gone out for a stroll, so he quickly headed downstairs.

He looked at the girl at the front desk with confusion, not understanding why the shy girl who had smiled at him yesterday now seemed to shrink back into the front desk like she was facing a wolf or a tiger upon seeing him.

However, that wasn’t his concern. He furrowed his brow and asked:

“Did that person from yesterday go out?”

The girl quickly replied,

“No, he checked out and left.”

Qian Wang stood there stunned for a moment before slamming his fist on the table and dashing out the door.

Qian Wang rushed into the backyard in a frenzy. When he opened the car door, he found that two cars were parked closely in front and behind him, making it impossible to back out. Frustrated and anxious, he pressed the horn repeatedly, then angrily got out of the car and kicked the door closed.

Zhao Ziqiang was enjoying his book when he suddenly heard the horn blaring from the parking lot, followed by several car alarms going off. He stood up and looked down to see what was happening.

He stays on the second floor but during this time, Zhao Ziqiang could clearly hear the familiar curse words floating up to him, buzzing in his ears, stirring a bit of excitement in his emotions.

Qian Wang, enraged by the series of cars honking around him in response to his actions, felt even more frustrated. He knew all too well that once his temper flared, it was nearly impossible to control.

He spotted a brick in the corner of the wall, squinting his eyes as he prepared to lift his leg and go pick it up. Just then, a light-hearted voice came from behind him.

“Yo… what a coincidence to run into you here.”

That voice instantly extinguished all of Qian Wang’s anger, and he felt a cool sense of grievance welling up within him.

He turned around, his face stiff, unable to muster even a smile. Zhao Ziqiang, however, didn’t mind at all; he simply observed the once-dapper professor now looking disheveled and out of breath, his eyes wide and red.

As he watched, a flicker of regret slowly began to surface. No matter how many repulsive things this person had done, he couldn’t continue to harbor resentment.

Even though he had only vaguely suspected that Qian Wang was following him and only confirmed it upon arriving at the inn, he could imagine that this man had driven for several days without eating or sleeping just to avoid losing track of him.

Perhaps it was because he had left that unpleasant city behind, but his thoughts had become much simpler.

He just wanted to take this scruffy old man upstairs, freshen him up, and feed him a good meal.

“Let’s go, let’s head upstairs first.”

After taking a couple of steps, he didn’t hear any footsteps behind him. Turning around, he found that the man hadn’t followed and was just standing there in a daze. Amused and exasperated, he sighed, rubbed his nose, and walked over to grab the man’s arm.

Upon touching him, he noticed that the man’s body temperature felt unusually high. He quickly turned to face him and placed his hand on the man’s forehead, finding it to be quite hot as well.

Zhao Ziqiang was so frustrated that he almost wanted to stamp his foot. He didn’t have time to think about where his anxious feelings were coming from; he genuinely felt both heartache and the urge to scold him.

Yet the man stood there, dazed as if he hadn’t woken up properly, just blinking innocently at him with wide eyes.

Zhao Ziqiang suddenly found himself at a loss for words. Under the curious and startled gaze of the girl at the front desk, he pulled the man back upstairs, settled him into bed, and then went down to buy some fever-reducing and cold medicine, along with some essential items like underwear, socks, and towels.

It was unclear whether Qian Wang felt reassured upon seeing Zhao Ziqiang, but once he returned to the room, he seemed like a wounded child who had finally found his mother, falling into a deep and stable sleep.

When Zhao Ziqiang returned to the room, he found the man soundly asleep. After hesitating for a moment, he couldn’t bring himself to wake him and decided to first remove the sweat-soaked and dirty clothes from his body.

He changed the man into a fresh pair of underwear and wiped him down with a towel before finally resting his hands. He packed up the dirty suit and went downstairs to ask for the location of a dry cleaner, dropping off the clothes before picking up some congee and light dishes to bring back up.

After Zhao Ziqiang finished his tasks, he returned to the room and sat by the bed, keeping watch over Qian Wang.

To his surprise, after sleeping for a while, Qian Wang began to stir restlessly, opening his eyes but not fully waking up. He mumbled incoherently, making low sounds that almost made Zhao Ziqiang’s temples throb. However, there was little he could do for the confused patient; all he could do was give him some medicine and repeatedly use a damp towel to help lower his temperature.

Qian Wang had always been healthy; he hadn’t been sick in many years. Fortunately, even though he had worn himself out this time, his body still had strong resistance. After enduring a day, he was left with just a mild fever and a slight cough

When the sick man woke up, he was even more docile than before, sitting up in bed and obediently eating when it was time for meals and taking his medicine on time. This made Zhao Ziqiang feel even less inclined to leave him to manage on his own.

However, since he had originally been on vacation, after a two-day delay, and seeing Qian Wang was no longer in any serious trouble, he naturally came over to inform him of his plan.

“I’m planning to go to Shapotou today. Since you’re not fully recovered yet, just take it easy and rest in bed,” he said.

He intended to leave right after saying that, but noticing Qian Wang’s frowning expression, as if he wanted to say something but held back, he found himself adding another comment.

“I’ll just take a quick look and will be back by tonight at the latest.”

Qian Wang felt a wave of relief wash over him upon hearing this, as if a weight had been lifted from his chest. He nodded absentmindedly in agreement.

Once Zhao Ziqiang left, Qian Wang began to feel he were completely fine. His arms were functioning, his legs were strong; he couldn’t just sit around waiting anymore. By noon, he found it increasingly difficult to stay still.

He didn’t know why Zhao Ziqiang had chosen to come to this city, but he remembered the trip to Shapotou. It was organized by Qian Wang’s university for a tiered professor tour, which initially allowed family members to join. However, he had blurted out some nonsense about budget constraints, claiming that family members couldn’t come along, even though he knew Zhao Ziqiang had been excited about the trip for a long time after hearing about it.

Thinking of this, Qian Wang’s expression darkened again. How could he have always been so self-righteous? Zhao Ziqiang had mediocre grades in school not because he lacked intelligence, but because he wasn’t particularly studious. In reality, he was thoughtful and smart. Over the years, Qian Wang had told countless clumsy lies that had worn down Zhao Ziqiang’s feelings for him.

It was truly a case of self-inflicted suffering.

Thinking of this, Qian Wang became even more restless and impatient. He decided not to wait any longer, quickly dressed, grabbed his wallet, and headed straight for the parking lot.

The navigation system indicated that there was only one main road leading to the desert from the city, so he felt at ease driving along it.

As he neared his destination, he came across a gas station. Checking the fuel gauge, he realized it was almost empty, so he pulled in to refuel and take a quick bathroom break.

Qian Wang had just unzipped his pants when a boy suddenly popped out from the next stall, startling him. The boy had a dark complexion and looked innocently at him, showing no signs of shyness at the presence of a stranger. Instead, he greeted Qian Wang with a cheerful smile and started chatting with him.

Seeing that the newcomer was just a kid, Qian Wang relaxed his guard and engaged in light conversation. After finishing up, he got back into his car, ready to start the engine, when the same boy suddenly ran over again.

Qian Wang rolled down the window to look at him. The boy scratched his head in embarrassment, and behind him, a woman wrapped in a pink scarf quickly approached. She bent down slightly and whispered,

“We know there’s a shortcut from the back that leads to Shapotou, and it’s faster too. The scenery there is different from the man-made stuff over on the main route.”

Seeing that Qian Wang remained unresponsive and didn’t reply, the two exchanged disappointed glances and began to turn away. The woman, noticing Qian Wang’s private car and his neatly dressed appearance, figured he was unlikely to be someone looking to evade a ticket, so she decided against bringing up the topic again.

The boy, however, wasn’t ready to give up. He quickly added,

“Uncle, there are so many people lately. The entrance ticket to Shapotou is over five hundred, but if you go in through here with us, you just need to pay a fifty for the guiding fee!”

Qian Wang certainly didn’t care about saving such a small amount of money, but for some reason, he glanced at the dirt road behind the restroom and felt a fleeting thought cross his mind. Although he couldn’t quite grasp it, he decided to follow the mother and son. They only seemed to be looking for a guiding fee and didn’t strike him as bad people at all.

“Alright then,” he said.