The next day, Jiang Linyuan and Shen Wanyu packed some simple luggage and drove northwest.
They traveled west all the way.
The scenery by the roadside gradually shifted from lush dawn redwoods to poplars, then to distant, pale-yellow mountains almost entirely devoid of vegetation.
By evening, they saw the honeycomb-dense caves of Mount Maiji, with plank walkways suspended in the air.
They stood side by side before the Buddha statues, both of them, along with the mountains, dyed golden by the setting sun.
They ventured into an endless sea of rapeseed flowers, where gold and emerald green intertwined.
Beneath the azure sky, Jiang Linyuan wove Shen Wanyu a flower crown.
Her words were full of disdain, but there was a smile at the corner of her lips.
They arrived at the Hexi Corridor and saw the Rainbow Mountains—red, yellow, orange, and white rock layers, as though someone had crushed a rainbow and spread it layer by layer over the rolling hills.
At dusk, the sunlight slanted down upon them, and those colors seemed to flow. The entire earth appeared to be burning, glowing.
The two held hands. Shen Wanyu said the scenery was beautiful.
Jiang Linyuan said the scenery in her eyes was even more beautiful.
Shen Wanyu kicked him lightly, but never let go of his hand.
They drove and stopped along the way, taking turns at the wheel and occasionally taking photos to share their journey.
Every night, Jiang Linyuan was interrogated over video call by Su Muzhi.
She had declared that once the trip was over, she would lock herself away.
Lin Yilin called from time to time as well, voicing her slight dissatisfaction.
Yu Songsong, meanwhile, asked when she would be able to travel with her senior like this too.
Zhang Juntang merely said that the