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Shang Zhitao set off alone.
This was probably the first time in her life that she had embarked on a solo trip. She went to Dali. From making the decision to purchasing the plane ticket, it took her less than an hour. Her otherwise conventional life finally had something that seemed a bit cool.
She bravely decided not to join a tour group, wanting to explore on her own.
Before leaving, Sun Yu repeatedly reminded her, “You really need to be careful, you know? Traveling in Yunnan can be chaotic. Don’t fall for merchants’ tricks, and don’t buy jade.”
Shang Zhitao nodded seriously, even starting to reassure Sun Yu: “What are you worried about? I’m an adult.”
“Do you want to experience the Mosuo walking marriage tradition?” Sun Yu teased her.
“Well, it’s not entirely out of the question,” Shang Zhitao said with mock seriousness.
Her parents, Lao Shang and Da Zhai, were also concerned: “Be careful, alright? Don’t turn off your phone. Are you really going alone?” They couldn’t believe Shang Zhitao had the courage to do this and thought perhaps she had fallen in love but didn’t want to tell them.
Shang Zhitao reassured them as well. By the end of the day before her departure, her voice was nearly hoarse from all the explanations.
And so, she set off.
On the way to the airport, she thought about the romantic landscapes of Dali, giving her journey a sense of anticipation. When she stepped off the plane and saw the surrounding mountains and clouds in the sky, she suddenly felt the vastness of the world. It seemed like nothing was insurmountable.
At that time, Dali didn’t have as many guesthouses as it does now. She stayed in the ancient town, where flowers could be seen just by opening her window. The owners of the guesthouse were a young couple who ran the place themselves. Seeing Shang Zhitao traveling alone, they asked, “Why didn’t you stay in a youth hostel?”
After some thought, Shang Zhitao replied, “I didn’t dare.”
She felt a bit shy. In those years, news reports often featured stories of girls getting into trouble while staying in hostels alone. Although she longed for the lively conversations among strangers from all over, she prioritized safety.
The young couple gave her a map and a travel guide, explaining how to explore Dali. She thanked them: “My plan for today is to sleep.”
She needed a deep, restorative sleep in a foreign land to heal from the complete closure of her relationship the previous night. She returned to her room and slept soundly. Her desire to sleep stemmed from the exhaustion that had been triggered within her—a pressing need to rest. She slept until evening, when the ancient town lit up with lanterns. Many girls with small braids adorned with flowers walked along the streets, and only then did Shang Zhitao step outside.
She went to eat a mushroom hot pot.
Before eating, she messaged Lumi, Sun Yu, and the others in their group chat: “Will I see little people?”
“Damn it, I’m about to explode from this meeting! And here you are, enjoying a mushroom hot pot alone in Dali. Forget about seeing each other again!”
Shang Zhitao laughed, resting her chin on her hand as she watched the small alarm clock tick away. A waiter stood nearby, watching her closely, afraid she might sneak a bite. He even warned her: “Don’t open the pot! Don’t eat yet! You’ll die if you eat too early.”
His words were terrifying, and Shang Zhitao froze in fear, too scared to move.
As she waited, almost falling asleep, a boy at the next table noticed her face nearly touching the table and tapped it: “Are you passing out?”
Shang Zhitao raised her head and smiled at the boy: “I’ve been waiting too long.”
“Me too.” The boy also had a pot of mushrooms boiling in front of him. He sighed helplessly at Shang Zhitao and asked, “Are you alone?”
Remembering the frightening news reports, Shang Zhitao shook her head: “I’m here with friends. They went somewhere else to play.”
“Oh, okay.”
“What about you?”
“I’m alone.”
Shang Zhitao nodded. Finally, her mushrooms were ready. She lifted the lid and scooped a spoonful of broth—it was delicious! How could soup be so flavorful? Her limited culinary appreciation skills were fully awakened, and she quickly rearranged her itinerary in her mind, placing food as the top priority.
I’d willingly remain single for five years just for these amazing foods!
She thought to herself as she ate.
After dinner, she went to listen to music. How could one visit Dali without going to a bar? The bars in Dali were filled with beautiful songs. She found a shabby bar that seemed on the verge of closing down, where a folk singer sat on a tiny stage singing.
The songs were all about love.
“Time has changed much, yet nothing at all, Let me embrace you again, Zhengzhou.”
How beautiful. Sitting under the stage, Shang Zhitao’s eyes welled up with tears. It hadn’t been that long, so why did it feel like an eternity?
The singer looked down at his only audience member and said, “Come up and sing with me.”
“Me?” Shang Zhitao wiped the moisture from the corner of her eye with her fingertip, then pointed to herself: “Me?”
“Yes, you.”
Many things she had forgotten came back to her that day—I used to sing songs when I was in school too! So she went up on stage and sat beside him. The singer looked at her, strummed his guitar, and asked, “What do you want to sing?”
“How about ‘Three Inches of Sunlight’?”
“That works.”
Shang Zhitao sang softly along with the guitar. The bar door opened, and someone walked in. The boy saw Shang Zhitao sitting there and his expression brightened.
Her voice was gentle and clear, singing of small wishes. The scene was deeply moving.
After singing, Shang Zhitao thanked the singer and placed 50 yuan into a small box: “I heard this is the custom.”
The singer smiled and handed the money back to her: “Buy me a bottle of water instead. I’ve eaten enough today—I don’t need the money.”
“What about breakfast tomorrow?”
“My wife will cook me rice noodles for breakfast tomorrow,” the singer joked.
“Then I’ll buy a drink from you.”
Shang Zhitao grabbed two cans of beer, opened one for the singer, and handed the other to the boy: “This one’s on me.” She was determined to spend the money somehow.
People came and went in the bar, and eventually, as night deepened, it was time to disperse. Shang Zhitao stood up and said to the singer, “I’ll come back tomorrow.”
“Then come earlier—tomorrow we’re making dumplings.”
“Wow.”
As she stepped out of the bar, Shang Zhitao thought to herself that this day had actually been wonderful. Suddenly, a realization dawned on her: love wasn’t everything in life. Though having love might make life more fulfilling, even without it, one should still live well.
The next day, she climbed Cang Mountain. Her hands seemed to touch the clouds, and the world below felt so small. The wind on the mountain was strong, blowing her off balance, but it didn’t stop her from feeling free amidst the vastness of heaven and earth. She paid for a quick photo, the wind distorting her face, yet her smile radiated pure joy.
“Be careful not to catch a chill.”
That voice sounded so gentle, reminiscent of Sun Yuanzhu. Shang Zhitao turned around with pleasant surprise—but it wasn’t Sun Yuanzhu; it was the boy from yesterday. What was his name again? After thinking for a moment, she remembered: Wan Jun, as in “thundering force.”
“Hello,” Shang Zhitao greeted him.
“So, are you really alone?”
“No.”
Wan Jun smiled. He saw through her attempt to cover up the truth—this girl was protecting herself.
“Want to come eat dumplings tonight?” Wan Jun asked her.
“Yes.”
“Alone?”
“…” Shang Zhitao realized she had fallen into Wan Jun’s clever trap and stopped talking. The girl was bright and adorable, and Wan Jun felt this trip was truly worthwhile.
They descended the mountain together, and Wan Jun formally introduced himself. It turned out he was a year older than Shang Zhitao and worked as an ice hockey coach.
“Fancy!” Shang Zhitao gave him a thumbs-up.
“And what about you?” Wan Jun asked.
“I’m just an ordinary employee at a company.”
“That’s fine too—self-sufficient.”
After exchanging a few more words, Shang Zhitao fell silent. They chatted intermittently as they made their way down the mountain, then returned to their respective inns to rest. By evening, Shang Zhitao left for the bar. In the bar’s backyard, a group of young people gathered around a wooden table, laughing and chatting while wrapping dumplings.
It wasn’t any special holiday—so why were they making dumplings? Shang Zhitao wondered. But making dumplings was inherently fun! She washed her hands and joined the lively group.
These people were nothing like Luan Nian. Luan Nian rarely spoke, and when he did, his words were often direct and sharp. These young people, however, kept talking, sharing warm and uplifting words. Shang Zhitao enjoyed being with them—they were all in their early twenties, some not even graduated from university yet, brimming with vitality.
It was truly wonderful.
She messaged Lumi: “This is the best part of my trip. Today, I’ve come to understand freedom and self-worth.”
I love myself more now.
This was just an impromptu journey, yet it was incredibly beautiful.
Every morning, Shang Zhitao would eat the rice noodles prepared by the innkeepers before heading out to explore—Cang Mountain, Erhai Lake, Xizhou Ancient Town, Shuanglang—all visited one by one.
On the fourth night of her trip, Sun Yuanzhu called her and said, “I’ve found evidence. You can submit it to your internal audit team.”
“What kind of evidence?”
Sun Yuanzhu sent her a screenshot of chat records: “I hope this helps clear your name.”
In the chat, Manager Wang told Kitty: “The matter is settled.”
Kitty replied: “Regarding our company’s supplier registration this time—you’re good.”
The details of “the matter” remained unclear, but the vague phrasing was enough to raise suspicion.
“As for the rest of the messages, I’ll dig deeper. If you’re not in a rush, wait a few more days.” Sun Yuanzhu had taken Shang Zhitao’s situation to heart, and she knew it.
“Sun Yuanzhu, don’t bother. I’ve already thought of a solution,” Shang Zhitao said.
“What solution?”
“It’s something Lumi will help me with—a completely above-board way.” The idea had suddenly struck her while eating Xizhou Baba (a local snack) in Xizhou Ancient Town.
Only one thought sustained her: I can’t keep letting myself be bullied. I need to fight back and show the bad guys that I’m not someone to be trifled with.
But she would deal with this after returning—it was her happy vacation, and she didn’t want to ruin it.
“Sun Yuanzhu, I sent you a postcard from the foot of Cang Mountain!” Shang Zhitao said.
“Can I know what’s written on it now?”
“Yes!” Shang Zhitao laughed happily. “I wrote: ‘May your eyes only see smiles.’ My writing skills aren’t great, so I borrowed a line from a song to send to you. But I truly hope you stay happy forever.”
On the other end of the phone, Sun Yuanzhu’s eyes reddened. After a long silence, he said to Shang Zhitao: “Then I wish you too—that none of your dreams will end in vain.”
Sun Yuanzhu never asked Shang Zhitao what had happened, but knowing that she canceled her plans on Friday and set off on a solo trip, someone as perceptive as him understood that she was going through emotional turmoil. Turmoil wasn’t unusual—most people could endure it, though some couldn’t.
“Well, here’s wishing us both long lives!” Shang Zhitao joked, finding auspicious phrases amusing.
“Then I can only wish us smooth sailing in everything,” Sun Yuanzhu chuckled.
“And I’ll bring back delicious treats for you all.”
“Then we’ll buy something nice and wait for you to return so we can have dinner together.”
“Deal.”
As Shang Zhitao hung up the phone, she thought to herself: At least I still have a few friends I can trust. I’m already luckier than most people. She felt completely healed. Even if the person named “Luan Nian” were to vanish entirely from her life, she probably wouldn’t feel particularly heartbroken anymore.
But Luan Nian hadn’t vanished entirely. He called Shang Zhitao and said: “From now on, do not answer any calls from that supplier. If you must, record the conversation.”
“Why?”
“Because the investigation results are out.”
“What results? I haven’t proven my innocence yet.”
“Save it for next time.”
Luan Nian hung up.
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