Chapter 1: Collision

Wen Xian, if the world isn't kind, can I give it a try, let me be your world. ——Lu Xiao.

The journey had been tough for Wen Xian.

A modified black Mercedes-Benz G-Class sped down the highway.

Heading south on the Qinghai-Tibet Highway from Golmud, she passed through the Kunlun Pass and entered the Kekexili region.

On either side of the highway were the swiftly passing Gobi Desert, the twisted but resilient poplar trees, and the scattered wild yaks.

As the altitude climbed, her altitude sickness worsened, and she felt a heavy sensation in her chest, unable to catch her breath.

Inside the off-road vehicle.

Wen Xian took an oxygen canister to breathe in some oxygen, listening without much patience to the voice coming from the Bluetooth earpiece:

"Oh my goodness, where have you run off to? The movie you're supposed to shoot next month is about to start production, and there are several high-profile endorsements we've signed contracts for!"

The daylight highway blazed under the fierce sun.

In the distance were the iconic split camel grass belts, fragmented into plates.

Wen Xian found her manager's voice increasingly irritating. Supporting the steering wheel with one hand, she unscrewed the cap of the oxygen canister, took a deep breath from the mask, and then managed to say, more calmly, "Push everything back, I've already made it to Tibet."

"What—!"

A howl came through the phone, but it wasn't her manager's voice anymore; it was a man's voice.

Hearing the man's voice, Wen Xian's eyes twitched slightly.

She knew all too well that this man was Huo Qi.

Huo Qi was an extremely wealthy second-generation rich kid who had always been pursuing her.

He was the second son in his family.

So people in the circle called him Huo the Second.

"Wen Xian! You ran off to that godforsaken place to avoid me, didn't you? Impressive!" Huo the Second cursed.

The car windows were not shut tight, and the strong wind whistled in, echoing inside the car.

Wen Xian casually brushed her slightly disheveled fringe and retorted lazily, "You're really on my tail, aren't you, Second Master Huo, even running to my manager. Tell me, as a grown man, can't you like something more manly? What's the deal with following me around all day?"

Huo the Second: "What the fuck counts as manly?"

Wen Xian paused: "For instance, men."

"Pfft...!"

Huo the Second nearly choked on her words, "Men, men...!? You crazy woman, are you looking to die, daring to play me like that? Do you think I'm your backup, there for the taking when you want and to be clear-cut rejected when you don't?"

Wen Xian: "So, would you like to be my backup?"

Full of dignity, Huo the Second: "I would!"

When a man reaches the pinnacle of sycophancy, it leaves other dogs no place to lick.

Wen Xian: "..."

Huo the Second's voice continued from the phone, indicating he wanted to come find her, but Wen Xian was hardly paying attention anymore. The moment she glanced at the rearview mirror, her whole body jolted.

Three lines of sweat slid down her forehead.

She saw on the Black Gobi beside the highway that a herd of wild yaks was chasing after her Mercedes-Benz G-Class.

"Damn, it's like seeing a ghost!"

She thought about why it felt like there had been a major earthquake just now.

This journey indeed had every kind of harsh environment one could experience: the hard crusts of salt flats, the rolling dust storms of the Gobi, the various forms of the Devil City Yardang, and now even being chased by a herd of wild yaks!

What luck.

She floored the accelerator, speeding up to 200.

Meanwhile, elsewhere.

...

...

A Jeep wrangler descended from the undulating Gobi, heading toward the road.

The man responded into a walkie-talkie with a voice that carried a rough, sandy quality: "Understood."

[Brother Jiu: Wow! New book making a heavy-hitting entrance! The male and female leads are super charming, super sweet, and super therapeutic. The veteran driver is back online, thrilling and exciting, and I hope you guys will love it!] PS: The male lead, Lu Xiao, has the same pronunciation as the hero in 'a generation of heroes'; the female lead tends toward anti-social personality traits but is gradually reformed by the male lead!