FQ chapter 5

No one spoke in the café. No one passed by outside either—it was quiet.

Fan Qing stared at Luan Ye.

Luan Ye looked back at him.

Laifu panted excitedly between them.

The surprise on Fan Qing’s face faded, and his brow slowly furrowed. “You—”

Luan Ye cut him off: “Phone.”

Fan Qing was confused. “What?”

“Take out your phone. Open WeChat. Pull up your payment code,” Luan Ye said. “Sixty round trip, right?”

Fan Qing didn’t move, frowning at him with a cold tone: “It’s not about the money.”

“I know.” Luan Ye tapped his phone twice on the table, calmly. “If it were about the money, you wouldn’t have walked off that night—phone.”

Fan Qing was silent for a few seconds, then pulled out his phone.

Luan Ye scanned the code. Fan Qing glanced down and noticed a handmade bracelet on his left wrist—blue and black, with a complex woven pattern. No gold or jade charm, just clean lines—looked almost Nepali.

After the payment, Luan Ye looked up at him; Fan Qing’s brow still hadn’t relaxed.

Luan Ye smiled: “Feeling tricked?”

Fan Qing said nothing.

“I really couldn’t speak that night—was sick, lost my voice.” Luan Ye explained. “Drank loquat syrup for three days. If you don’t believe me, ask Granny Mu.”

Fan Qing stared at him for a while. Luan Ye’s expression was calm—he didn’t seem to be lying.

When Fan Qing had first seen him just now, he’d felt more than just awkwardness—there’d been a flicker of happiness.

That night, the guy had been walking alone on the highway. When Fan Qing honked, he turned around with a frown. Aside from some impatience, he looked… cold.

The kind of cold that said: Don’t bother me, world.

Normally, when someone arrives in a new place, they don’t try to walk ten kilometers to find a supermarket. Either they’re in a great mood—or a terrible one. This guy clearly wasn’t the former.

So when he didn’t speak in the car, Fan Qing assumed it was just a bad mood—and he had no reason to keep accommodating a stranger’s attitude, especially when his own schedule was affected.

But when he realized the guy couldn’t talk, the guilt hit him hard—and stuck around for days.

That was why he approached him today.

But the guy had started talking like nothing happened.

I’ve been played—that was Fan Qing’s first reaction.

But the other man stayed much calmer than he did—whether explaining or paying.

Fan Qing’s emotions had gone on a rollercoaster in a short time. Now he didn’t know what to say.

“Oh,” he said.

Luan Ye could see his awkwardness.

“Thanks,” he said.

Fan Qing blinked.

“If it hadn’t been for you that night, I’d have had to walk ten kilometers in the rain,” Luan Ye said. “With a dead phone.”

“…You’re welcome.” Fan Qing’s tone softened.

Just then, the owner came out from behind the counter after putting away the beans. He looked surprised to see them chatting. “You guys know each other?”

“I rode in his car once,” Luan Ye said.

The owner nodded knowingly. “Into the mountains, right?”

Luan Ye raised an eyebrow. The owner continued, “Don’t be fooled by how young he looks—he’s the most reliable guide around here.”

Guide?

Now Luan Ye was truly surprised. He glanced at Fan Qing.

The owner kept pitching: “Wherever you want to go, just call him.”

Luan Ye nodded. “Alright. Got any recommendations?”

The customers from earlier were calling the owner, so he turned to help them. Before leaving, he patted Fan Qing on the shoulder: “Make a good recommendation!”

“…”

Fan Qing looked at Luan Ye, who was still watching him.

“Guide?” Luan Ye asked. “What do you usually do?”

“Hiking, mountain routes, scenic spots. I also do airport pickups if clients need it,” Fan Qing replied.

“That’s a lot.” Luan Ye smiled. “A tour guide?”

Fan Qing glanced at him. “No license. No shopping stops. No small talk.”

Pretty cool.

“Got any suggestions?” Luan Ye took a sip of coffee.

“North Snow Mountain Route, Rhododendron Flat, the Grand Canyon, Mount Dacuo,” Fan Qing said. “Those are the basic routes for beginners. If you’re not into hiking, you can visit ancient towns—or go further, like Tiger Leaping Gorge, Dali, things like that.”

“What’s the price?”

“Depends where you go and how many days. Joining a group is cheaper.”

Talking about something familiar, Fan Qing relaxed a bit.

“Joining a group?” Luan Ye repeated.

“Yeah. People from different places, if they all want to take the same route, they find a guide and split the cost.”

That was a bit new to Luan Ye.

He’d traveled a lot—but always solo. On rare occasions he’d hired a guide, but it was always one-on-one.

Fan Qing noticed and paused. “There are four people going hiking Friday to see sunrise over the golden mountains. Two days, one night. If you want—”

He looked at Luan Ye, who didn’t seem like someone short on cash, but he still added, “You can join them.”

Luan Ye took a sip of coffee, not answering right away.

Sunrise over the golden peaks.

He’d shot that in Nepal before—breathtaking. A dream for landscape photographers.

You’re not cut out for this. You don’t even love photography.

“Is it fun?” Luan Ye asked.

“Depends how you define it,” Fan Qing said thoughtfully. “Some people find hiking from dawn to dusk tiring and boring.”

Luan Ye, don’t waste time on meaningless things.

Luan Ye nodded. “Sounds good. When do we leave?”

He made the decision so quickly that it caught Fan Qing off guard. “…Usually in the morning. I’ll let you know the day before.”

He hadn’t saved his number yet.

“Let’s exchange WeChat then. Send me the guide fee through it too,” Luan Ye said, looking down and tapping on his phone.

“…”

Fan Qing quietly picked up his phone. After adding him on WeChat, he also sent his number.

“My WeChat name is my real name,” Fan Qing said. “You can save my number. I’ll call before we leave.”

Luan Ye glanced at it. The avatar was a lone tree in green hills. The name card said: Fan Qing.

He casually sent over his name and put away his phone. “Alright.”

A two-day, one-night hiking group—actually, the route was quite simple, basically a beginner’s trip. But for someone who decided to go into the mountains in under three minutes, Fan Qing was a little hesitant.

“Have you ever…”

“I have a lot of hiking experience,” Luan Ye said. “But I didn’t bring any gear.”

Fan Qing let out a breath of relief. “You can buy it, or rent.”

“Buy,” Luan Ye replied immediately.

Fan Qing glanced at him. “Then you’ll have to go into the city. There are professional shops there with everything you need.”

Luan Ye looked at him.

“The round trip to the city is a hundred,” Fan Qing said.

Luan Ye smiled. “Are we going now?”

Fan Qing nodded. “Sure.”

……

The city was a bit far from the village, but there were several specialty hiking gear stores on the main commercial street downtown. Fan Qing was very familiar and took Luan Ye straight to one of them.

The salesperson talked endlessly, trying to promote the latest seasonal gear. Luan Ye glanced around casually and asked Fan Qing to pick out two sets that he thought would be suitable for the hike.

After leaving the store, Luan Ye checked the time. “Let’s look around more, I want to buy a few other things.”

“Like what?” Fan Qing didn’t quite follow.

“Everyday clothes, pants, shoes. I only bought three pieces the other day—it’s not even enough to rotate. And I didn’t have time to get face wash, moisturizer, sunscreen, slippers, pajamas…”

“Didn’t you come here to travel?” Fan Qing finally couldn’t hold back. “You didn’t bring anything?”

“No,” Luan Ye smiled and turned to walk into another store. “I came here to escape.”

Fan Qing looked at him upon hearing that. The other man was smiling, as if it was just a casual remark.

Fan Qing dropped the topic and didn’t ask further.

This time, with plenty of time, Luan Ye shopped for over an hour and bought everything he thought he might need. He even had time to stop by a pharmacy to buy cold medicine and basic supplies.

He had taken loquat tea from Qiao Feibai for his sore throat, so he bought another pack to return to him, and also got some calcium tablets and red dates for Granny Mu.

Fan Qing didn’t say a word the whole way, at most helping to carry half the stuff once it became too much.

He realized this guy liked shopping. He’d only seen him twice, and both times were for shopping trips.

Or maybe it was just because the guy hadn’t brought anything at all.

Thinking of that, Fan Qing glanced at the person walking ahead.

Escaping?

What did he mean?

Although he didn’t engage in small talk, Fan Qing was still quite responsible—knowing now that Luan Ye wasn’t mute, he still helped carry the bags to the door.

The trip, combined with walking around shopping, was actually pretty tiring. Luan Ye didn’t even unpack his stuff when he got back—he took a shower and went straight to bed.

……

After a good sleep, the next morning, Luan Ye stepped out of the bathroom and immediately saw the pile of shopping bags in the living room.

He stared for a moment, then suddenly felt a bit confused.

He had just randomly run into the unlicensed young driver, found out he was actually a guide, then randomly decided to follow him into the mountains—and for that, he randomly made a long trip to buy gear and a bunch of other stuff…

Seven or eight shopping bags, stacked on the coffee table in a grand display. Luan Ye stared at them for a while, unsure of how much he had actually bought.

After sleeping it off, now that he was calm again, he didn’t open any of the bags. He stood by the windowsill and smoked a cigarette, slowly pulling himself out of that irrational mood—and vaguely started to regret it.

In a strange place, going on a hike with a group of complete strangers…

Every word of that made him want to flake on Fan Qing.

Why had he agreed to it?

Maybe it was because of Bai Mingchuan’s words echoing in his mind—sometimes sparking a fleeting sense of resistance.

But whether he went hiking or stayed in the room for two days, it wouldn’t make much difference—to himself or others.

That sudden burst of excitement followed by an equally strong desire to escape—it all clashed inside him like a split personality.

Luan Ye sighed and picked up his phone, opening the chat with Fan Qing. The screen was still stuck on the name he’d sent.

How should he refuse? Say he was sick? Busy? Or just admit that after enthusiastically buying all this stuff, he suddenly didn’t feel like going anymore?

The other guy would probably think he was insane.

He hesitated for a moment and decided to check Fan Qing’s Moments first.

He was prepared to see an empty page—but instead, he was met with a flood of photos.

For someone young enough to be in his moody, brooding phase, Fan Qing’s Moments weren’t even set to “visible for 3 days only.” They were surprisingly full. The captions were sparse, but the photos were abundant. Every two or three days there were several—mostly mountains, wildflowers, lakes, squirrels, and beautiful birds he didn’t know the names of.

They were likely taken during hikes. Each post had the date and location.

1.20 Yubeng.
2.01 Abujicuo.
2.05 Cangshan.
…

Luan Ye scrolled through them one by one. From a professional viewpoint, some photos weren’t perfect in composition or lighting, but they radiated raw natural vitality.

Halfway through, a message popped up from Fan Qing and startled Luan Ye. For a second, he thought he had accidentally liked a post and been caught red-handed.

Peeking at someone’s Moments early in the morning.

But the message was simple:

Fan Qing: [Departure at 7 AM the day after tomorrow.]
Fan Qing: [It’s best to break in your new hiking boots these next two days.]

Luan Ye stared at the messages for three minutes, then finally replied: [Okay.]

……

The day they headed into the mountains was a clear day. They had settled on a 7 AM departure, and Luan Ye arrived ten minutes early to wait by the road.

Besides the gear he had bought in the city, he also brought his camera. After finishing a cigarette, in the dim morning light, Fan Qing’s white van appeared at the end of the road.

Luan Ye checked the time—7:00 on the dot. Very punctual.

The car stopped beside him. He glanced inside and saw the back seats already filled with a lively group chatting away. The atmosphere seemed pretty good.

He opened the passenger door and got in.

They drove to the base camp. From there on, the road wasn’t accessible by car—they’d have to hike up the mountain and spend the night in a mountain guesthouse. The guesthouse faced the snowy mountain, and the next day they’d watch the golden sunrise on the peak before hiking down on a different trail.

Fan Qing went over some safety instructions, and the group began following him into the mountains.

The sun had just come up. The light was soft, a faint mist lingered in the mountains, wrapping the lush greenery in a dreamy haze. The scenery was beautiful, and the path was easy—clearly a beginner-friendly route.

Luan Ye zipped up his jacket. Behind him, the four others chatted excitedly about the scenery.

Three girls and one guy, all quite young. Judging by their conversation, they were college students on vacation, curious about everything. They frequently stopped to take pictures and asked Fan Qing lots of questions about the mountains:

Unfamiliar animals and plants, the meanings of trail markings, when they’d see the sunrise over the snowy mountain, what to do if they got lost…

Luan Ye admired their youthful thirst for knowledge.

But what impressed him more was that, despite being quiet, Fan Qing could actually answer every question.

Just like when he helped pick out hiking gear in the city—very professional.

Toward the end, one of the girls, finding the guide both knowledgeable and youthful, asked how old he was.

Fan Qing replied, “Turning nineteen soon.”

Luan Ye glanced at him.

Turning nineteen meant he was eighteen—Luan Ye almost laughed.

Maybe he said it that way to sound more mature.

The girl gasped, clearly still thinking he was young.

“I started guiding at sixteen,” Fan Qing added without turning back. “My home’s in the mountains.”

He was dressed in a black outdoor outfit, sleeves and pant legs neatly cinched. He looked tall and well-built, more mature than usual.

The girl was reassured, gave him a thumbs-up, and sincerely said, “That’s really impressive.”

At first, probably because they’d just met, the group hadn’t spoken much to Luan Ye. But after hiking for a while and the mood improved, they started chatting with him too.

“We thought we wouldn’t find anyone to join our group,” said a girl in glasses, smiling. “Didn’t expect to meet a handsome guy. So lucky.”

“Where are you from, handsome?”

“…Just call me Luan Ye,” he replied, then answered the earlier question, “Hangzhou.”

“We went to Hangzhou last year!” she said excitedly. “It was beautiful.”

Luan Ye smiled without saying anything.

Last year—better than him.

He hadn’t been back to Hangzhou in years.

The only guy in the group pointed at his camera. “Dude, you a pro?”

“Just for fun,” Luan Ye said.

“Can you take some pictures of us along the way?” one girl asked. “We didn’t bring a camera.”

“Not really,” Luan Ye replied.

His refusal was so quick that Fan Qing couldn’t help but glance back.

But Luan Ye was still smiling, his tone casual and polite.

“This one’s a landscape camera. It doesn’t do portraits well. Your own pictures will look better.”

Since he said that, they didn’t press further. The girl just gave an “oh” and moved on to another topic.

……

Halfway through the hike, the mountain mist had completely cleared. The high altitude and long walk made everyone quiet, leaving only the sounds of breathing and footsteps.

Luan Ye looked ahead at Fan Qing.

Compared to them, Fan Qing’s breathing was clearly more steady. He didn’t seem tired at all. He even paced himself intentionally, slowing down when others fell behind to let them catch up.

The sun climbed higher. After passing through the forest and into the meadow, the trail began to descend. Turning a corner into a mountain valley, an expanse of blue and green surged forward, washing over them.

The surrounding mountains were lush, with wild rhododendrons blooming in full. Below the hillside lay a small lake, its water as piercingly blue as the sky. At the lake’s edge stood a mani stone pile, draped with colorful prayer flags fluttering in the wind.

“Caodian Lake,” Fan Qing briefly introduced, looking back. “We can rest here for a while and grab something to eat.”

The scenery was so invigorating it felt like a full recharge. No one cared about food—they shrieked and ran toward the lake, darting about to take photos and capture memories.

The view was too stunning. Luan Ye took out his camera too.

After just a few shots, Fan Qing could already tell—he hadn’t been truthful when he said he was just “snapping for fun.”

The way Luan Ye took pictures was extremely professional. After two shots, he would lower his head to adjust the camera settings, moving with practiced ease. Sometimes, if he wasn’t satisfied, he’d frown slightly and make changes.

Still, Luan Ye didn’t take photos for long. After five or six minutes, he lowered the camera and turned to look at Fan Qing.

Once their eyes met, Luan Ye asked, “How many times have you taken this route?”

“Twenty or thirty times, probably,” Fan Qing recalled. “I usually bring beginners along this trail—it’s safer.”

“Then you must be numb to this kind of scenery by now,” Luan Ye said. “Don’t you think people taking pictures are kind of silly?”

When he used to travel to shoot in various places, locals often joked that they’d seen those sights so much they felt nauseated, and couldn’t understand the point of traveling so far just to photograph them.

There’s no meaning.

Luan Ye, don’t waste your time on meaningless things.

But to his surprise, Fan Qing shook his head, his expression and tone as gentle as the breeze on the meadow.

Fan Qing pointed to the college students running and screaming around the lake. “They’re very happy.”

Luan Ye smiled slightly.

“Some people proposed here, others argued. There were people who started crying as soon as they arrived because they’d broken up right before the trip,” Fan Qing continued.

“Every second, every person—they feel differently, so the scenery is different too.”

“Any kind of emotion has meaning. No one thinks it’s silly,” Fan Qing said.

The vegetation in the mountains gently embraced the lakeshore, and the wind carried the scent of damp earth and fresh grass. Luan Ye watched Fan Qing for a moment, then smiled softly.

He handed his camera to him. “Want to take a look?”

Fan Qing hesitated for just a second before taking it.

Luan Ye hadn’t taken many—just five or six shots—but each photo was beautifully composed, with stunning framing and lighting.

“What do you think?” Luan Ye asked.

“They’re beautiful,” Fan Qing replied.

He paused, then asked, “Does this camera really take bad pictures of people?”

He asked it as a question, but he already more or less knew the answer.

“No,” Luan Ye laughed.

“I just don’t like taking portraits.”