Chapter 23: Very Well, I Will Remember

Six people, five tents.

Xing Lin did not have the habit of sharing a bed with others, Zhou Bie did not want to share a tent with Shen Que, and Yuren You was not familiar enough with the three of them, so the four men simply each took their own tent.

Qiao Ruyi and Tao Jiang did not have so much fuss; one tent and two sleeping bags made everyone happy.

The tents were pitched on the leeward side of the sand mountain. Regarding the setup, Qiao Ruyi found Xing Lin to be exceptionally methodical. No, "methodical" was an understatement—he was more than experienced.

It was not that the other five did not know how to pitch tents. Qiao Ruyi did not know about the situations of Shen Que and Zhou Bie, but she and Tao Jiang were seasoned campers; setting up a tent was a breeze for them. She had also watched Yuren You set up his tent with crisp, efficient movements, so he was clearly no novice.

However, Xing Lin had taken their tents down and rebuilt them himself. Qiao Ruyi saw clearly that when Xing Lin built them, he was particular about the positioning and distance between the tents and the ease of access in case of danger.

Xing Lin used mounds of sand to replace the snow skirts of the tents, and because of the weight of the sand, it reinforced the tents, providing twice the security of wind ropes.

By the time he finished, the sky had darkened.

From the first glimmer of light at dawn to finally sitting down to rest, it had been a full day. Xing Lin’s leadership was steady and experienced; otherwise, let alone getting out of the Black Gobi, they might have lost their way in the desert and wasted a great deal of time.

Zhou Bie started a campfire, and Yuren You worked well with him, taking out and arranging the six people's dinner.

Xing Lin had previously instructed Zhou Bie to ensure everyone replenished their carbohydrates and protein. Thus, Zhou Bie cooked noodles and set up a grill over the campfire, taking out fresh, vacuum-sealed mutton. Before long, the mouth-watering aroma of grilled meat wafted through the air.

Qiao Ruyi and Tao Jiang were happy to sit back and enjoy the fruits of others' labor. Despite his young age, Zhou Bie was smooth with his words: "Girls should be taken care of when they’re out and about."

Qiao Ruyi was delighted to hear this and reached out to ruffle Zhou Bie’s hair. "You’re such a gentleman."

Zhou Bie raised an eyebrow and tilted his head slightly. "You aren't much older than me, you know. Watch your tone and the way you speak."

Qiao Ruyi laughed, "This kid is actually getting annoyed."

The temperature difference between day and night in the desert was significant; it began to cool down as night fell. Tao Jiang sat by the fire with Qiao Ruyi, and in turn, helped Qiao Ruyi tease Zhou Bie.

"Even if it’s just one year older, it’s still older."

Zhou Bie pouted.

"Hey, how old are you this year?" Tao Jiang asked curiously.

Zhou Bie glanced at her. "Eighteen."

Tao Jiang was stunned and exchanged a look with Qiao Ruyi. Qiao Ruyi was also quite curious and said something very straightforward: "You were already working at 'Wish Come True' last year. Did Xing Lin hire a minor illegally?"

Zhou Bie turned the grill to start cooking the other side of the mutton. "My situation is complicated. I stayed at 'Wish Come True' of my own volition."

Qiao Ruyi used the orange light of the campfire to glance at Xing Lin, who was not far away. After thinking for a moment, she asked Zhou Bie, "You’ve always called Xing Lin 'brother.' How old is he?"

Zhou Bie didn't even think about it; he shook his head.

This shake left Qiao Ruyi puzzled. Tao Jiang laughed, "Is there something about his age that can't be said?"

"I really don't know." Zhou Bie was quite sincere. "I've never asked him his age, and he never told me. But he looks older than me, and he didn't deny it when I called him brother."

And so, it had just stayed that way.

Qiao Ruyi said "Oh" and didn't take it to heart. This question was just something she had asked in passing; knowing Xing Lin's age wasn't important anyway.

Tao Jiang, however, became interested. "Then does your Boss Xing have a girlfriend?"

Qiao Ruyi turned to look at Tao Jiang, wondering why she was prying into someone's privacy for no reason.

Zhou Bie answered bluntly, "No."

"Does he have an ex-girlfriend?" Tao Jiang pursued.

Zhou Bie picked up a small portable pair of scissors and trimmed the charred edges of the mutton one by one. "Probably not. I've never heard him mention it."

Hearing this, Tao Jiang found it even more curious. "Does your boss not like women?"

The scissors slipped in Zhou Bie's hand, nearly poking his foot. He looked up at Tao Jiang with an expression that said, "You really have quite the imagination."

But when he saw Qiao Ruyi also looking at him with curious eyes, Zhou Bie cleared his throat. "I didn't say that."

Especially since Yuren You was also leaning in, watching him.

Was it really that juicy?

Tao Jiang exchanged a very suggestive look with Qiao Ruyi and tilted her chin slightly toward the distance, the implication clear.

She was gesturing toward Xing Lin.

Standing not far away with Xing Lin was Shen Que.

The two were smoking, seemingly chatting casually, but there was an air of solemnity between them.

Qiao Ruyi had a premonition that Shen Que was definitely bad-mouthing her.

Xing Lin was facing away from the campfire, so Qiao Ruyi could not see his expression. His broad shoulders looked even more robust when he stood with one hand on his hip. Standing in this sea of sand under the dim sky, he looked like an eagle.

It seemed that just looking at his back provided a sense of security.

***

Tao Jiang noticed her looking over and leaned in to whisper, "Shen Que is not someone worth befriending. After you killed the Black Sand with your fingertip blood, you didn't even know—Shen Que looked at you like you were his enemy, and it was the same in the car afterward."

As she spoke, she opened her mouth to continue, but Qiao Ruyi softly interrupted her question: "Don't ask me; I don't know how I offended that ghost either."

Tao Jiang pondered for a moment, then sneered, "Next time I'll give him a good beating. Let's see how tough his mouth is; I don't believe he won't spill."

"It's useless," Qiao Ruyi said lightly. "Do you think I went easy on him?"

Tao Jiang suddenly remembered when she first met him. It was true, she hadn't gone easy on him. Of course, Qiao Ruyi could be considered to have shown mercy; if it weren't for his usefulness, breaking his arms and legs would have been child's play for her.

"He would rather be beaten to death than say a word. This matter is one hundred percent related to Xing Lin," Qiao Ruyi concluded.

Tao Jiang stared at Shen Que. His face was buried in the darkness, and although she couldn't see it clearly, she could feel his cold, sinister attitude.

"See? He's definitely instigating Xing Lin on how to deal with us. He's just a blabbermouth."

-

There was no entertainment in the desert at night. Zhou Bie wanted to organize something, but was stopped by Xing Lin. They had to travel early tomorrow morning, and he wanted everyone to conserve as much energy as possible.

He added more fuel to the campfire to keep it burning.

The five tents were arranged in a circle, with only one campfire in the middle, which was enough to save the need for the tent lights Zhou Bie had prepared. Because of this, Shen Que sneered at Zhou Bie, "Are you holding that tent light to mock Xing Lin? Does he need that thing?"

Zhou Bie kept the big picture in mind and did not bicker with Shen Que, naturally not taking his words to heart.

Qiao Ruyi, however, took note.

Shen Que's remark sounded like nonsense, but she felt it wasn't that simple. Especially since Shen Que didn't like to bother with Zhou Bie, he wouldn't waste time saying something irrelevant to him.

When it was almost time to rest in the tents, Qiao Ruyi specifically observed the layout of the tents again. Perhaps because of the campfire, she suddenly found the key.

When she first watched Xing Lin set up the tents, she only thought it was meticulous; he must have had his reasons for putting in so much effort. Now, she realized in a flash: all of Xing Lin's requirements for the tent setup revolved around personal safety and mobility.

The tents were arranged in a ring, so the light from a single campfire reached every tent, allowing people in all of them to observe their surroundings using the firelight. This was far more practical than the tent lights meant for ambiance.

It created a sense of "the enemy is exposed while we are hidden."

More importantly, in the event of danger, the people in the tents could gather by the campfire immediately, and the tents themselves would become natural barriers, temporarily buying time for those inside to respond to the threat.

This... was very much like a desert military march.

She remembered watching a documentary about the habits of the Han army marching deep into the desert interior. Soldiers did not just camp wherever they pleased; the military camp was extremely strict, and the arrangement, direction, and distance between tents were quite specific.

Don't look at the tent just as a place to rest; it could also be a tool to avoid or even repel danger.

Qiao Ruyi was surprised that she could think of these things.

Xing Lin finished washing up and saw her sitting by the campfire, deep in thought, holding a water bottle. He walked over and leaned down to take the bottle from her hands, which finally snapped Qiao Ruyi out of her trance.

"Drink less water at night; it's not very convenient here."

Qiao Ruyi immediately understood what he meant.

She stood up. "Will there be danger after we go to sleep? Are there wolves here?"

Xing Lin tightened the cap of the water bottle and handed it back to her. "There are wolves in the no-man's-land, but generally, they won't show themselves unless we invade their territory."

Hearing this, Qiao Ruyi felt her heart sink; it seemed there were wolves after all.

"It's fine here. There aren't many wild animals, though there may be quite a few insects. Besides, the temperature will be very low in the middle of the night, so make sure to keep warm," Xing Lin whispered.

Qiao Ruyi nodded.

"How is the wound on your finger?" Xing Lin's gaze fell on her fingertip.

The finger was still wrapped in a bandage. Qiao Ruyi tested it. "It's fine. The wound wasn't big to begin with."

Xing Lin looked at her, the campfire reflecting the hesitation in his eyes, as if he had something more to say. But in the end, he didn't say anything and nodded. "Get some rest early. We have to travel tomorrow morning."

"Boss Xing." Just as Xing Lin turned to head back to his tent, Qiao Ruyi called out to him.

Xing Lin paused and turned to look at her.

Qiao Ruyi walked to him and looked him in the eye. "You've dealt with the Black Sand before. Tell me, is it afraid of blood, or is it just afraid of *my* blood?"

Xing Lin's eyes flickered.

"Shen Que talked to you privately for so long; it couldn't have just been small talk," Qiao Ruyi said directly, without beating around the bush.

Xing Lin was silent for a moment before saying quietly, "There are some things Shen Que and I can't figure out either."

At this point, she understood.

They were discussing her, but they couldn't reach a clear conclusion.

Thinking of this, Qiao Ruyi smiled.

Xing Lin asked what she was laughing at.

"I don't like being talked about behind my back," Qiao Ruyi's voice was crisp and her expression direct. "I prefer to solve problems face-to-face."

***

Xing Lin lowered his gaze. "Alright, I'll keep that in mind."

This personality was indeed very familiar.

But there were also differences.

Very different.

This was the first question Shen Que had asked him.

Xing Lin had known before they set up camp that Shen Que would eventually talk to him about Qiao Ruyi. Before dinner, across the campfire, he had seen Qiao Ruyi laughing and playing with Zhou Bie, her eyes bright and beautiful, like a wild rose growing wantonly.

Shen Que had asked him, "Hasn't she changed?"

He had looked away and turned his back to the campfire. He had said yes, she had changed a lot.

So much that he felt hesitant.

Shen Que was stunned and asked him, "But weren't the previous times different too?"

Xing Lin nodded. Although there were differences in the past, the changes were very small, almost negligible.

"And what about that scene on the Black Gobi? Has that happened before?" Shen Que pursued.

Xing Lin shook his head. "This is the first time."

Shen Que was silent for a long time. "Is it the same as my situation? Haven't I also changed compared to before?"

"It's different," Xing Lin said calmly. "You remember everything, but she doesn't."

Xing Lin paused and added, "She doesn't remember any of the times."

"Do you find her strange like this?" Shen Que asked a key question.

This question made Xing Lin remain silent for a long time—so long that Shen Que thought he wouldn't answer. But Xing Lin did reply, "Strange, but I always feel..."

"Always feel what?"

"Always feel that this is the real her." Xing Lin frowned tightly as he said this. "Something must be wrong, or there's a reason we don't know yet, and that reason must be the key to changing her."

Shen Que pondered for a long time before suddenly saying, "Jiang Cheng'an?"

Xing Lin's frown deepened, and when he spoke again, he was clearly displeased. "Why bring him up?"

Shen Que sighed lightly. "Isn't he her fiancé? Isn't he a key figure?"

"Him? A key figure?" Xing Lin sneered. "Ha."

The conversation effectively ended with Jiang Cheng'an; one could say Xing Lin forced it to end. In front of Shen Que, he never hid his disgust for Jiang Cheng'an.

But before leaving, Shen Que asked him one more question, quite cheekily.

"Hey, did you try to snatch her away back then but failed?"

Xing Lin gave Shen Que one word: "Get lost."

-

Xing Lin lay in his tent, suffering from insomnia.

He was truly tired, exhausted to the bone, but the scene on the Black Gobi kept flashing before his eyes, and he couldn't fall asleep as he tossed and turned.

How could such a situation happen?

Xing Lin's head was buzzing, and he inadvertently thought of Shen Que's extremely annoying question.

He felt even more irritable.

Xing Lin simply sat up; the more he thought, the more stifled his chest felt.

*Damn it! Do I, Laozi, need to snatch a woman away to get her?*

His chest felt like it was burning with a fire, and an impulse was crashing wildly inside him. Several times, Xing Lin wanted to rush into the tent opposite and tell her, "Come out, I want to talk to you."

But talk about what?

Talk about how she had changed? Talk about how she suddenly had a fiancé?

Xing Lin sneered.

Was it really *not* a failed attempt to snatch her away back then?

In fact, he knew clearly in his heart that, long ago, he had never been her first choice.

"Who?" Suddenly, Xing Lin's thoughts were pulled back to reality, his body on high alert.

Outside the tent, in the faint firelight, a figure stood elegantly. The shadow was cast onto the tent by the flickering fire, looking as if it had been standing there for a long time, or as if it had just suddenly appeared.

Xing Lin recognized the silhouette. "Qiao Ruyi?"