The last thousand kilometers, two thousand li of road. Golmud River, Kunlun River, Tuotuo River, Nagqu, high mountains, meadows, snow plains, herds of yaks, sheep, horses, wolves, wild dogs, sky burials, where heaven meets earth, clouds as curtains—it was like an ink-wash painting of the mortal world. On Shang Zhitao’s wish list before turning thirty, one item was to visit Tibet.

She achieved it, together with Luan Nian.

From now on, Tibet would no longer be just text and pictures in books, but something she had truly seen and experienced.

As the altitude gradually increased, Shang Zhitao still felt uncomfortable, but she could endure it. Luan Nian took care of her the whole time and hardly lost his temper, though his mouth was still not pleasant. For instance, when Shang Zhitao said, “Can we bring some butter tea back?”

Luan Nian replied, “Don’t you know how to shop online?”

And many similar exchanges that cannot all be listed.

The two bickered and argued until they finally reached Lhasa.

The place names previously seen only in books and online finally unfolded before their eyes: Barkhor Street, Potala Palace, milk tea, yak meat, pilgrims, black-red faces, Tibetan girls with eyes as clean and clear as young animals, young men with snow-white teeth revealed when they smiled. The people here spoke of their faith with utmost devotion; when the spirit is satisfied, the heart becomes rich.

They stayed at an inn on Barkhor Street, with a bookstore below and a folk music bar next door. The Tibetan dogs here were all particularly imposing. Luke put his front paws on the low window, wanting to go out and play with his companions.

“Are you stupid?” Luan Nian finally couldn’t help scolding him. “You don’t even know how to fight, yet you want to play with Tibetan dogs. They’ll kill you with one bite.”

Luke tilted his head, taking a while to react, and barked twice: “You’re lying! They’re all my friends!” He looked exactly like a foolish son arguing with his parents.

The two found a tea shop to drink milk tea, found a spot on the flat roof, and, looking down, they could see half of Lhasa. Shang Zhitao wore a wide-brimmed hat, and Luan Nian wore a baseball cap, yet they still felt the intense ultraviolet rays despite these precautions.

Shang Zhitao’s skin was somewhat sunburned. She felt she didn’t look good anymore, and Luan Nian said, “Your advantage was never your beauty, was it?”

“Then what is my advantage?” Shang Zhitao was unconvinced.

“Good in bed?” Luan Nian glanced at her. Everything about Tibet was good—the scenery was good, the people were good, except for the nights. He couldn’t do anything while holding such a person, afraid she would feel unwell.

Shang Zhitao’s face instantly turned red, and Luan Nian’s gaze fell on her, burning through her clothes onto her skin.

“Luan Nian.”

“?”

“Can you stop looking at me? Look over there.” Shang Zhitao pointed down where someone was photographing Tibetans. “Isn’t it beautiful?”

Luan Nian pouted.

Shang Zhitao wanted to take photos and also wanted Luan Nian to take photos with her. She rested her chin on her hand, watching for a long time, then quietly asked Luan Nian, “Luan Nian, is this your third time in Lhasa?”

“The third time.”

“You’ve been to Lhasa three times and never taken photos like this? Then what did you come here for?”

“…” Luan Nian was stunned by Shang Zhitao’s question. He had never thought that one day he would be stumped by such a mindless question.

“Do I have to take that kind of photo when I come to Lhasa?” he asked her back.

“Yes, what else?”

Luan Nian waved his hand dismissively, “Go ahead, I’m not taking photos.”

“Then you won’t accompany me either?”

“I can accompany you.”

“Then let’s go now!”

Shang Zhitao pulled Luan Nian out the door and found a portrait studio. She went in to choose clothes, while Luan Nian waited outside with Luke.

While selecting costumes, Shang Zhitao asked the shop owner, “Do you have models? Male models who can take photos with me.”

“Yes, for an extra fee. They’re all handsome Tibetan men.”

“I want one who’s especially handsome!”

“With my dog! For a couple of photos!”

Shang Zhitao raised her voice, looking outside. Sure enough, Luan Nian walked in. He glared at Shang Zhitao, pinched a few clothes between his index and middle fingers, his expression disdainful. The shop owner looked at Shang Zhitao, who winked at her.

“Which one did you choose?” Luan Nian asked her.

Shang Zhitao showed him the clothes on her arm, “This one, this one, and this one.”

Luan Nian glanced at them and picked out several sets of clothes.

“Is Luke taking photos too? Didn’t you say it was tacky? Didn’t you say you never take tourist photos?” Shang Zhitao deliberately annoyed him.

Luan Nian gave her a cold glare and took the clothes to the changing room. Shang Zhitao followed behind him, standing outside the door, telling him, “You don’t have to force yourself! The boss says the models are very handsome, I can look good in photos with them too!”

“And I don’t think we would necessarily look good together in photos!”

“I think I’d be better off with a model.”

Shang Zhitao stood at the door being annoying. The changing room door opened, and there stood Luan Nian in Tibetan clothing. Shang Zhitao cursed inwardly and felt another explosion in her heart. The heavens were truly unfair, giving him a body that looked good in anything.

The shop owner walked over and gave a thumbs up, “I’ve never seen such a handsome young Tibetan man.”

Luan Nian was indifferent to the compliment and gave Shang Zhitao a sidelong look, “Not putting on makeup?”

She would!

Shang Zhitao put on makeup like a Tibetan girl, with red cheeks, two thick braids, and exaggerated Tibetan ornaments on her head. She wore Tibetan silver bracelets on her wrists. Smiling, she asked Luan Nian, “How do I look?” Her white teeth looked even whiter, truly resembling a Tibetan girl. Rustic and unrefined.

Luan Nian raised his eyebrows, took her braids in his hand, and weighed them—quite heavy. He put them down.

When Shang Zhitao was taking individual photos, Luan Nian stood to the side watching. He didn’t understand why women had such enthusiasm for taking photos. Shang Zhitao let the photographer direct her, bowing one moment, kneeling the next—it was quite amusing.

He stood to the side and told Luke, “See that? Your mom has gone crazy.” He claimed to be Luke’s father and said Shang Zhitao was Luke’s mother, completely unaware of how intimate the terms “dad” and “mom” were.

The makeup artist patted powder on his face, and he frowned, clearly displeased. Before he could protest, Shang Zhitao spoke up, “Wow! With the powder, he looks even more like a tough guy!”

During the joint photo session, he didn’t need the photographer’s direction—he looked good just standing casually. The photographer found his job so easy today that he was in a good mood. He said to them, “Husband, lean a bit closer to your wife.”

“Wife, smile a bit.”

“Husband and wife, pray together…”

“Let the dog sit down and smile together.”

He kept saying “husband” and “wife,” a professional habit somehow formed. Shang Zhitao felt awkward and finally waved to clarify when the photographer asked the husband to carry his wife: “We’re not husband and wife…” She was afraid Luan Nian would refuse too directly and everyone would lose face.

“We’re not…”

Before the word “not” could fully sound, she was already in the air. She looked at Luan Nian in surprise; his eyes met her alarmed ones, showing no impatience but rather amusement. The photographer was good at capturing moments, quickly taking several shots, then reminding Shang Zhitao, “Don’t be stiff, be softer.”

Shang Zhitao felt uncomfortable, not knowing what “be softer” meant. Luan Nian teased her quietly, “Aren’t you usually quite soft?”

After saying this, he kissed her on the corner of her lips and gently put her down.

Altitude sickness, handle with care!

Was this what being in love felt like?

Shang Zhitao secretly messaged Sun Yu: “I think I’m experiencing first love, my heart flutters whenever he looks at me.”

“I’ve been looking at him for so many years, yet I haven’t grown tired. I’ve slept with him for so many years, yet I’m not bored. Why is that?”

“And also, why is he so gentle? So gentle that he doesn’t seem like himself?”

Shang Zhitao seemed to return to her teenage years, secretly confiding her feelings to a good friend. Sun Yu saw one message after another and finally couldn’t help telling her, “Taotao, you are truly in love.”

________________________________________

Shang Zhitao put away her phone and ran to the computer, feeling that every photo looked good, standing there selecting for a few minutes. Luan Nian couldn’t stand her wasting time like this and asked the shop owner, “We’ll take all the photos, how much extra?”

“No need for extra payment, but can we display one in our shop?”

The shop owner had been running a photography studio in Lhasa for many years but had rarely taken such good photos. The look in the two people’s eyes contained an indescribable, subtle intimacy. The man was incredibly handsome, and the girl had an inexplicable, enduring charm. Such a good match.

“Then you should pay me,” Luan Nian glanced at the shop owner. You know how to do business, calculating quite quickly. But after a few seconds, he changed his mind: “You can choose one, but it must be hung in the center of the shop. Use the best quality photo paper, and I’ll inspect it when it’s done.” He spoke precisely, without compromise. But the shop owner was already very happy—one was enough. She happily gave all the negatives to Shang Zhitao and told her, “Don’t worry, young lady, such good photos will be excellently retouched. Just wait to receive them. You can wash them and put them at home later, they can even be used as wedding photos. Tibetans all use these for wedding photos.”

Shang Zhitao didn’t know how to respond to the owner’s excessive enthusiasm, just making vague sounds of agreement. She put the digital versions in her bag and walked out with Luan Nian. At the door, Luan Nian turned back to ask the owner, “Will it be hung there?”

He pointed to the most prominent place in the shop, and the owner nodded, “Yes, it can hang there for many years. It’s hard to take better photos than these.”

They walked out of the photography studio, crossed to the other side of the street, and both looked back. From now on, in the bustling Barkhor Street, passersby who paused here would see the large photo hanging in the studio.

It was a memorial to the love of a man and a woman.

In the prime of life, mutually in love.

After staying in Lhasa for two days, they headed for Nyingchi. Luan Nian had booked a hotel in Nyingchi, saying: This hotel is suitable for someone with altitude sickness like Shang Zhitao, because there’s nothing she needs to do—just lie in bed, open the curtains, and she can see snow-capped mountains, lakes, and forests. They planned to rest well in the hotel for two days before starting their journey back.

Shang Zhitao listened to Luan Nian.

He hadn’t lost his temper during the trip, let alone abandoned her alone in Lhasa. He had already become the most trustworthy person in Shang Zhitao’s heart.

It was in the hotel in Nyingchi, while Shang Zhitao was sitting on the couch sunbathing, that Old Shang and Da Zhai called her, asking about her trip. She answered one by one: “Very good, the scenery is beautiful, the food is good, the altitude sickness isn’t severe, and Luke is having a great time.”

“So who did you go with exactly? Boyfriend?” Shang Zhitao looked at Luan Nian sprawled on the sofa opposite her. The Nyingchi sunlight fell on half of his face, making him look unusually calm and even serene.

After thinking for a moment, she said, “Yes, boyfriend.”

Da Zhai’s exclamation nearly burst her eardrum: “You’re dating? Since when? What does your boyfriend do? Is his family well-off? Is he healthy? What’s he like?”

Shang Zhitao was overwhelmed by so many questions and didn’t know where to begin answering. Luan Nian stood up from the sofa, walked to her side, took the phone, and said with perfect composure, “Hello, Auntie, I’m Luan Nian.”

He answered all of Da Zhai’s questions—age, height, income. When it came to income, he heard Da Zhai quietly asking Old Shang, “Isn’t it suspicious if it’s too high, from unknown sources…”

So he thought for a moment: “Less than two million a year.” He understated it quite a bit.

This round of back-and-forth laid bare his background completely. Shang Zhitao pursed her lips, watching the light dancing on the lake surface outside, feeling her eyes heat up, as if tears might fall at any moment.

In Sun Yu’s words: Patience brings reward.

By evening, she was intoxicated by the moonlight, nestling into Luan Nian’s arms, feeling that with such beautiful scenery, they should do something. Luan Nian firmly pressed her hands to the side of her head, his legs locking hers, fiercely threatening her: “Behave yourself! Otherwise, I’ll throw you out to feed the wolves!”

“I want to.”

“You should first catch your breath properly before speaking!” Luan Nian pinched her face. “Don’t touch me, if anything goes wrong, I’ll have to deal with your corpse.”

“I’m fine today.” Shang Zhitao clung to him again, only to be locked in place by Luan Nian. “Get lost!”

He told her to get lost, yet he was hard against her, as if he wanted to crush her. He gritted his teeth by her ear: “I want to kill you!”

He pushed her away and went to sleep on the sofa.

When he left, Shang Zhitao felt empty. So she teased him: “Let me help you.”

“No need.”

“Then can we talk for a while?”

“Mm.”

“Let’s start from Pangu creating the world…” After Shang Zhitao said this, she heard Luan Nian snort. “Don’t laugh.” Shang Zhitao protested, “I mean, let’s start from the first time I saw you…”

It was the summer of 2010. She was sitting in the lobby of Lingmei’s first floor when Luan Nian pushed open the back door of that coffee shop and walked out, like a gentleman full of mannerisms. At that time, Shang Zhitao thought, Is this the most handsome person I’ve ever seen in my life?

She rambled on, and Luan Nian listened to her all along. Later, she became a bit sleepy but still couldn’t resist asking Luan Nian: “What about you? What did you think of me when you first saw me?”

Luan Nian thought for a long time and said four words: “Like an idiot.”

A big idiot.

The Tibet journey ended. With such a trip, all the remaining days of the year would be easier to bear. Shang Zhitao printed a few of their photos together and placed them in her books, occasionally looking at them, feeling content.

And so, another year passed like this.

In the same year, Shang Zhitao returned to the Ice City, Luan Nian went to America, with two or three months before they would see each other again.

That year, fireworks were banned in Ice City, with few firecrackers to be heard. Luke sat by the window, quite puzzled—where had all the colorful lights gone? Shang Zhitao comforted him: “The era of fireworks is over, but maybe in a few years, they’ll be allowed again. At least you have your favorite snow here.”

Luke barked once. Shang Zhitao understood, but his favorite Luke wasn’t here.

Across the ocean, Luan Nian seemed to hear Luke calling and unexpectedly sent Shang Zhitao a New Year’s message: “Happy New Year. Want to see the aurora together next year?”

Shang Zhitao looked at it for a long time and chuckled.

Happy New Year. As long as I’m with you, I’ll go anywhere in the world.

2015 passed, and they would always cherish it.