Chapter 121

Sophia stepped out of the house, and her waiting family immediately gathered around her.

"Darling, how could Dad hit you so hard?"

The man at the front, seeing the palm print on Sophia's face, frowned slightly.

Sophia signaled him with her eyes not to speak rashly, then gently stroked the heads of the children: "Let's talk when we get back. Father is heartbroken—he's entitled to vent his frustration. I'm used to it."

The servant relayed Sophia's words to Ben, who let out a faint sigh.

Before her marriage, his eldest daughter had been fine—she even cared for her sister Laura. But after marrying and having children, her concern for Laura plummeted, even turning into deep hostility.

He knew exactly why—nothing but messy, tangled affairs within the family business.

He's not even dead yet, and they're already scheming.

"Henry, do you really think Laura is in trouble?"

Ben spoke with a hoarse voice, eyes closed.

The old man standing beside him—Henry—was the most loyal friend of the Kuant family, and Ben's childhood companion.

Henry adjusted his glasses and comforted: "Ben, there's a Chinese saying: good people have heaven's protection. I believe Laura won't come to harm."

"But Sophia dealt with Mia and the others—doesn't that prove something?"

"Sophia is Laura's own sister. I believe she couldn't bring herself to hurt her."

"Sigh… I hope so. Has the team sent to China responded yet?"

"No."

…

After lunch, they packed water and continued on their way.

Qin Yun periodically adjusted their direction to avoid going off course.

They walked for four hours, crossing the Gobi, until the surrounding terrain reverted to dominant yardang formations. Seeing Laura's exhaustion, Qin Yun finally stopped and began selecting a spot to build a shelter.

Yardang terrain stretched as far as the eye could see, littered with sandstone in every shape.

Turtle-back, dome-shaped, columnar—any form you could imagine, you'd find here.

And the wind was strong, relentless.

This time, he avoided building under rocks prone to collapse, instead choosing a naturally enclosed spot with three sides shielded by rough sandstone gullies. He cleared the area and used his umbrella cloth as the main material to cover the top and front.

The interior space was enough for two people to lie down side by side without discomfort.

"Laura, rest first. I'll get a fire—we'll spend the night here."

"Mm, Qin, you've worked hard."

Qin Yun gave a slight nod and went about his tasks.

Laura leaned back inside the shelter, troubled. She hugged her knees, her gaze shifting between sharpness, sorrow, and worry—complex and layered.

"Father knows I'm missing—what will he do? Given his nature, he'll surely suspect Sophia, won't he?"

Lost in thought, the firelight outside brightened. Laura lifted the umbrella cloth and peeked out.

Qin Yun had already set up a rack of wolf meat to roast, and beside it, an oddly shaped stone had appeared, filled with water and now heating over the flames.

Hearing the noise, Qin Yun turned to her: "Almost ready to eat—you're hungry, right?"

Laura shook her head: "I'm fine. Where did you get that stone?"

Seeing Laura notice the water-filled stone, Qin Yun smiled: "I found it not far away—it was naturally hollow inside, and the material was solid. Perfect for boiling water."

Laura stepped out from the shelter, and a cold gust swept past with a 'whoosh,' making her shiver.

Only when she neared the fire did warmth once again wash over her.

To shield the fire from the ever-blowing wind, Qin Yun built a windbreak around it using broken stones.

The two sat before the fire, chatting casually.

"Qin, how old are you?"

"Guess!"

"Twenty-five?"

Qin Yun shook his head: "I'm twenty-eight. How about you?"

"I'm twenty-three. I just graduated from the University of Munich in Germany." Laura exclaimed, "Do Chinese people all look unusually young? You look like you're twenty-four or twenty-five."

"I'll take that as a compliment." Qin Yun smiled, adding another stick to the fire. "What did you study in college? I heard Germans stick to one job for life—is that true?"

"Nonsense!" Laura rolled her eyes. "Only if you join century-old companies like Volkswagen or Siemens. Today's German youth have changed—they play hard after graduation, quit jobs they hate on a whim, and even take odd jobs everywhere."

"Heh." Qin Yun chuckled. "But your German workplace surely doesn't have the 35-year-old age discrimination we have."

"35-year-old age discrimination?" Laura looked puzzled. "What does that mean?"

"In our country, internet companies treat thirty-five as a threshold—if you haven't reached a high enough management level, you're at risk of being laid off. Most companies rigidly cap hiring ages—thirty-five is an invisible rule."

Laura reacted with extreme surprise.

"No way? Isn't thirty-five when someone has the most experience and problem-solving ability?"

"What's Old Qin mumbling about? Why does Laura look terrified?"

"Old Qin must be scaring her."

"Tricking a young girl? Minimum ten years in prison."

Qin Yun glanced over, speechless: "I'm just discussing employment conditions between our countries. I said our companies shut the door at thirty-five, and she didn't believe me."

"Heh, I'm thirty-four—I've been laid off for three years."

"Sorry, I'm thirty-five. Just got my optimization notice today."

"Our company only hires people under thirty."

"That's nothing—our company's average age is twenty-five. Where's the fairness? I'm already twenty-six—I feel like I'll be fired any day."

Laura added: "If you can't find a job, what do you do? Take odd jobs? Start a business?"

"Nope." Qin Yun shrugged. "We've got the Three Lucky Treasures, the Iron Man Triathlon—there are still plenty of capable people here; you won't starve to death."

"The Three Lucky Treasures? The Iron Man Triathlon?"

After learning what the Three Lucky Treasures and the Iron Man Triathlon were, Laura remarked that every country's youth had their own troubles.

"I majored in business administration in college. When I go back this time, my dad will probably force me to intern at his company."

Netizens, seeing Laura's reluctant expression, egged Qin Yun on.

"Brother Qin, ask Laura what her family does—she looks like she's loaded."

"Could she be from some old German aristocratic family?"

"Aura doesn't lie—Laura's definitely from a wealthy family."

Qin Yun ignored them and chatted casually with Laura, occasionally translating for the netizens. Before long, the wolf meat was cooked.

Eating the wolf meat with distaste, Laura said, "Who would've thought that before graduation, I was dining on Michelin three-star cuisine in Germany, and now I'm stranded in China's desert, gnawing on stinking, gamey wolf meat?"

"Hahaha, when you get back, it'll be a funny memory."

Laura smiled, held her breath, and swallowed the wolf meat in one gulp.

"Qin, do you have any regrets?"

"Regrets?" Qin Yun paused. The girl was feeling sentimental. He shook his head. "How could anyone not have regrets?"

As he spoke, he suddenly recalled a line he'd seen online, thought for a moment, then translated it into German:

"Flowers bloom and eventually fall; heroes grow old; beauties fade; life is full of missed chances. Even in the glorious, endless streets of Chang'an, every corner is written with regret. So how could anyone not have regrets?"

Listening to this poetic passage, Laura's eyes widened. "Qin, you're a poet? That's so profound."

Seeing Laura's admiring expression, the livestream chat filled with disdain.

"Damn, who even knows what Brother Qin just said? Why does Laura's look at him feel different now?"

"To be fair, Brother Qin has a way with women. Last time it was the Korean beauty, now it's the German tall blonde."

"Player, pfft!"

"Cousin, what did you say? Can you translate it?"

Watching these comments, Su Huan on her phone burst into laughter.

On the other side, Han Wei couldn't help but smile.

Luring? Not luring—it's innate charm, the kind that draws people in.

What's the greatest charm a man can offer a woman? Nothing else—security.

Glancing at the livestream comments, Qin Yun coughed. The one calling him "cousin" was his cousin Shen Jia—the girl wasn't paying attention in class and was playing on her phone. He'd have to tell Aunt Xiao about this when he got back.

"Don't guess wildly—I just said a couple of random things, showed off a bit of literary flair, nothing worth mentioning, nothing worth mentioning."

He still had some pride. Stuff he'd copied from the internet was fine to tell foreigners, but saying it to his own people would be shameless.

After eating his fill, Qin Yun used stones to dig a trench from the shelter to the fire pit. This way, even a little heat could flow through the trench—better than nothing.

Night deepened.

"Friends, it's time to say goodbye again. Today went unusually smoothly—probably because we're getting closer to Lenghu Town, so the dangers have naturally decreased. I didn't sleep last night. Though my body feels fine, my mind is tired. Tomorrow at eight, we'll meet again. Goodnight."

"Damn, I just saw the size of that shelter—it barely fits two people lying side by side. Tonight, this bastard's gonna cuddle Laura."

"Asshole, even in the desert he's living it up like this—he's literally an animal."

"You don't have to livestream—just record the banned clips. I'll pay to watch."

Seeing these comments, Qin Yun's hand froze above the "end stream" button. He groaned. "Come on, you've gone too far. I, Qin, am a man of integrity—you've known me for days, not hours. How can you slander me like this? Besides, no matter how beautiful a woman is, if she hasn't bathed for days and eats stinking, gamey wolf meat, she reeks ten miles away. Would you want to touch her? Calling me an animal—you're the animals."

"Hey, you're getting flustered."

"Explanation is concealment."

Qin Yun sighed and shook his head—he knew arguing with them was pointless. He waved his hand and tapped the "end stream" button.

He returned to the shelter. It wasn't nearly as tiny as the netizens claimed—there was still plenty of space between them.

Before sleep, after wishing each other goodnight, Qin Yun's breathing quickly became even.

But Laura, lying at the other end, remained awake for a long time, despite her body's exhaustion.

Whether speaking to herself or to Qin Yun, Laura's voice softly echoed inside the shelter.

"When I called out to my god, he didn't appear. When I gave up, it was you—not my god—who showed up. Qin, can I still believe in my god?"

Half-asleep, Qin Yun didn't think—he answered instinctively:

"If your god still won't help you, maybe it's because he still believes in you…"