Chapter 24: The Twenty-Fourth Day of Acquaintance

. Wu Yunxi returned to the hotel under...under an umbrella. She put hers back in the stand and waited for Quan Zhilong to finish putting it away before approaching.

The rain had almost stopped outside, and the air felt especially fresh thanks to the water. Even after walking so far, their pants were still a little wet, and since they were already feeling a bit tired, they took the elevator upstairs and went to their respective rooms.

"Take a shower and rest for a while. We'll have dinner together later,"

Quan Zhilong said worriedly. Just as they were about to return, Wu Yunxi had accidentally stepped into a puddle, soaking her shoes. Fearing she might catch a cold, Quan Zhilong kept a careful eye on the way back, ensuring Wu Yunxi didn't miss a beat again.

"Okay, Oppa, you should rest for a while too,"

Wu Yunxi agreed. She closed the door, ran the toilet, and then retrieved her belongings from her suitcase to prepare for a shower.

Despite the rain the previous day, the next morning, the sun was shining brightly. Perfect weather for a trip. Yesterday's trip had been postponed to today, and both Wu Yunxi and Kwon Ji-yong were up early, a rare occurrence. Having rested all day at the hotel, both seemed in high spirits.

Wu Yunxi suddenly felt like going to the gym, and unexpectedly saw Kwon Ji-yong running on the treadmill. It was a truly rare sight. The two lived next door in Seoul, but Wu Yunxi often got up early, even if not exercising, to go for a walk, so she rarely ran into Kwon Ji-yong.

Of course, she knew Kwon Ji-yong didn't really enjoy working out; he preferred to lie down. So, she was a little surprised to see him already working out for a while.

Seeing him so engaged, Wu Yunxi didn't bother him, instead choosing to exercise on her own. After the workout, she noticed the person running on the treadmill had suddenly stopped by.

"Oppa, are you done with your workout?"

Wu Yunxi asked Quan Zhiyong with some confusion, only to see him smile and nod.

"Yeah, are you done? Do you want to have breakfast together?"

Since they were traveling together, it was normal for them to eat together. How could Wu Yunxi refuse?

"Okay, I'm done too. Let's go back and change first, then we'll have dinner together."

Wu Yunxi didn't like eating while drenched in sweat, and always showered and changed after a workout. Quan Zhiyong agreed to this suggestion, as he was waiting for Wu Yunxi; otherwise, he would have showered and changed alone.

After making all the arrangements, the two of them had dinner together and then returned to their room to pack up. They had already agreed during lunch to drive directly to

the Zhaosu Xiate Ancient Trail, which they hadn't visited yesterday.

After parking the car at the nearest point to the Xiate Ancient Trail, they both packed their bags with water and some food and began exploring the area on foot. At first, the two seemed to have walked a short distance, but as they walked, they realized that the path wasn't as simple as they'd imagined. The road became more complex, and in some places, it was incredibly difficult to navigate.

Initially walking at a leisurely pace, they gradually continued forward, hand in hand. They didn't know how long they'd walked, captivated by the natural scenery, neither of them paying attention to the time. Occasionally, they'd encounter other people walking along the path. When they felt truly exhausted, they stopped to rest, rehydrate, and eat. Then, they encountered people walking towards them.

Perhaps it was a rare encounter, so the two people paused for a few minutes to chat. Wu Yunxi took the opportunity to learn about the situation ahead. He was thrilled to learn that a glacier was just a little further on. After

a short rest, the two continued on their way, and soon they could vaguely see the glacier. Although it was summer, some snow still clung to the mountaintop.

Along the way, it felt like they had witnessed all four seasons.

"Next year at sunset, spring will be warm and blossoming, a midsummer night's dream, autumn will be melancholy, winter will be snowy, the seasons will cycle, and warm spring will be

here." For some reason, the lyrics suddenly popped up in Wu Yunxi's mind, and she couldn't help but sing them out loud.

Hearing Wu Yunxi sing his own song, Quan Jiyong felt like the timing was perfect.

"Oppa, what should I do? I can't seem to capture the scenery here."

Wu Yunxi finished humming, looked at the scenery before her, then at Quan Jiyong, and spoke with a hint of distress.

Although she said she was worried about not being able to capture the scenery, her hands kept moving, snapping numerous photos, intending to review them after returning.

The two of them admired the glacier for a while longer before turning back together. By the time they got back to the car, their feet felt like they weren't their own. Although they'd been traveling a lot recently, they'd never walked for so long in a single day.

Once in the car, Wu Yunxi sat down immediately, wanting to rest for a while. Quan Ji-yong, on the other hand, reached into the glove compartment and took two bottles of water. He opened one and handed it to Wu Yunxi before opening the other and drinking from it himself.

Since they hadn't packed enough water before leaving, neither of them drank much during the rest of the trip. Wu Yunxi was thirsty, of course, but her feet were so sore that she decided to sit down for a while before getting some water.

Unexpectedly, Quan Ji-yong remembered and thoughtfully opened the bottle for her.

"Thank you, Oppa, please sit down for a while too. We'll eat

later," Wu Yunxi thanked Quan Ji-yong and told him to sit down and rest for a while before dinner.

That night, the two of them chose to rest in the car. The next morning, they woke up feeling a bit less exhausted from the day's journey, and they continued their journey.

The next two days were not rushed, and after arriving at Bayinbuluke Grassland, they finally finished their car stay and booked a room in town.

During the day, they visited Swan Lake and walked around the area. Near sunset, they went to see the Nine Bends and Eighteen Turns again. The guidebook says that with luck, you can see nine suns. Once they reached the Nine Bends and Eighteen Turns, they waited a while before the sun began to set. Their

luck was truly exceptional today; Wu Yunxi saw all nine suns as she had hoped. Quan Jiyong took a picture of the scene with his phone and sent it to his childhood friend, who was still at work.

[Image file attached - By Quan Jiyong]

While sending these nine suns to Taeyang was a bit of a hassle, Quan Jiyong couldn't resist the urge to show off. Ever since he started traveling with Wu Yunxi, he'd regularly send photos to Taeyang or Joo Hyuk, chatting about the scenery he'd seen and the photos Wu Yunxi had taken of him.

Both of them had been getting irritated by Quan Jiyong lately, especially since they were both so busy working that they had no time to rest. Seeing Quan Jiyong's carefree lifestyle and showing off to him made him want to take a picture of him, but it was a shame they were so far away.

Quan Jiyong had no idea his friends were thinking this way, and even if he did, he'd think they were just jealous.

Wu Yunxi, observing this kind of friendship between men, couldn't understand it. They were all just a bunch of childish people.

After two days on the Bayinbuluke Grassland, the two checked out and prepared to drive back to Urumqi. They took the Duku Highway, rarely stopping along the way, simply admiring the scenery. Since the nonstop drive would take over eleven or twelve hours, they stopped at places where they could rest and recharge, refuel the car, buy some water and food, and then switch driving positions and continue on.

Rest breaks were rare, and they even considered driving through the night. Fortunately, while one person drove, the other could sleep in the back, and at night, they would occasionally take turns driving to avoid excessive fatigue.

Originally, they hadn't planned to rush, but the considerable delays along the way, coupled with other concerns, led them both to continue driving.

"It's like we're eloping,"

Wu Yunxi joked at the two men's reckless driving style, earning Quan Zhilong's cooperation.

"Are we eloping? I can take you anywhere in the world."

"Then go, go, go!"

Wu Yunxi became excited, but despite the "go, go, go" talk, the car's speed remained about the same as before. After the joke, both of them felt much more energetic. Wu Yunxi also deliberately played some music from Kwon Ji-yong's group since their debut. It was incredibly loud on such a quiet night. Fortunately, they weren't in a residential area, otherwise they would definitely be accused of disturbing the public.

The two of them were very lively. Whenever Wu Yunxi stopped singing, Kwon Ji-yong would tacitly take over, resolutely preventing the music from dropping. It was really fun. After driving for over an hour, even though there were no dance moves, singing non-stop for an hour was a bit tiring.

Wu Yunxi stopped singing and opened a bottle of water to drink some. At the traffic light, she handed Kwon Ji-yong another bottle of water, asking him to take a sip. After the excitement subsided, Wu Yunxi was filled with admiration.

"Sure enough, singing isn't an easy thing."