Chapter 8

"Hmph, if the paperwork isn't finished, it's not late yet—who knows what tricks might pop up in these thirty days?" Song Mu snorted after hearing Song Ya's words. "In a few days, I'll introduce someone to you. You might as well start getting to know them."

"Mom." Song Ya frowned. "I just got divorced—I'm not in the mood."

"I'm not asking you to do anything drastic," Song Mu glared at her. "Do you remember Zhang Tao? Old Zhang from Hengyuan Tech's son? He just came back from abroad and's already taking over the family business. Young and accomplished—he's incomparably better than that Qin Yun."

"Zhang Tao?" Song Ya's mind conjured a childish face, and she frowned. "Mom, I'm five years older than him—isn't that inappropriate?"

"Inappropriate? What's inappropriate?" Song Mu tapped her daughter's smooth forehead with a finger. "You're wasting that beautiful face. A woman three years older brings gold bricks—your willingness doesn't guarantee his. Just meet him first. After all, you're a second-time bride."

Hearing the words "second-time bride," Song Ya's lips twitched. She felt even more relieved to have ended her first marriage.

She could already imagine how pitiful Qin Yun would be after the divorce—without her, a twice-married man nearing thirty? His life would surely be destitute and miserable.

What a pity, though—a good wallet was lost.

"Do you have any money on you?"

Song Mu asked.

"Yeah, still got over three hundred thousand."

"Then I won't give you any," Song Mu said, surprised. "Didn't expect you to be so frugal." She knew her daughter's nature better than anyone.

"Mom…"

…

Checking the seat number on his ticket, Qin Yun found a girl with her hand resting on her forehead sitting in his seat—she looked exhausted.

Qin Yun gently tapped the table. "Miss, aren't you in the wrong seat?"

Xia Qingqing was motion-sick; the long bus ride had made her feel like vomiting. Only when she reached the high-speed rail station did she finally breathe easy. Just as she was about to rest, a bothersome voice came from beside her—how annoying.

She opened her eyes, brows furrowed, strands of hair clinging to her pale forehead.

"Miss, aren't you in the wrong seat?"

Seeing her open her eyes, Qin Yun asked again.

Xia Qingqing glanced at her ticket and realized her seat wasn't by the window—it was by the aisle.

She gave an apologetic look. "Sorry, I'm feeling dizzy and just wanted to lean. Could we switch? My seat is right here." She patted the seat beside her.

Seeing she truly looked unwell, Qin Yun nodded and sat down immediately.

"Alright, go ahead and sit."

Xia Qingqing nodded slightly in thanks, then closed her eyes again.

Qin Yun's gaze swept over her face again, surprised—though she looked worn now, she was extremely beautiful, with flawless features, save for a tear mole beneath her left eye.

Her exposed arms were very bai xi, with extremely fine pores; she looked no older than twenty-three or twenty-four—possibly a college student.

After all, schools were still on summer break at this time.

He didn't stare too long—watching a girl too intently was truly impolite. With over ten minutes until departure, Qin Yun closed his eyes and rested.

Just as he closed his eyes, a commotion came from across the aisle. He opened his eyes to see a young couple, both looking like students.

The boy was excited: "If we come to Beijing, we absolutely have to climb the Badaling Great Wall's Good Han Slope—otherwise, how can you say you've been to the Great Wall? That's so uncool."

The girl beside him looked weary. "So not having climbed the Great Wall means you haven't been to Beijing? It's just one attraction—it's not that impressive."

The boy immediately retorted: "You don't get it—you'll understand once you go. He who hasn't climbed the Great Wall isn't a true man."

Qin Yun found it amusing. To judge someone's sophistication by whether they've visited a place already strayed from the point. He never believed visiting a place could make someone refined—especially those online who claimed to be spiritually purified after a trip to Tibet.

He'd once seen a comment online: That feeling arises because the high altitude causes oxygen deprivation and brain fog—when you forget things, you feel happy.

When he read that comment, he nearly laughed out loud.

Soon, the train started, but the girl beside him still rested with her eyes closed. Qin Yun noticed the boy across the aisle staring at him with an envious look—he didn't understand why.

Only when the train arrived and the boy stood up, passing by Qin Yun, did he lean down and say: "Bro, your girlfriend's really beautiful."

Only then did Qin Yun realize—the boy had mistaken Xia Qingqing for his girlfriend. He couldn't help but laugh and sigh.

Shaking his head, he stood, slung his backpack over his shoulder, and joined the crowd to leave—but he noticed the girl beside him still leaned against the window, not moving at all.

He thought for a moment, then tapped the table again.

"Miss, miss—the station's here."

Xia Qingqing was fast asleep when she suddenly heard that annoying voice again—she was instantly irritated. I finally fell asleep—why wake me? Don't you know how rude that is?

She snapped open her eyes and saw the entire carriage was empty—only a man stood before her. An attractive man, calling to her.

"Miss, the station's here." Qin Yun reminded her once more, then turned and got off the train.

Xia Qingqing was still dazed. It took her a while to remember why she'd come, then she hurriedly got off the train.

After walking about five minutes, she came upon an ancient-style pedestrian street, lined with bas-reliefs, wall carvings, and every kind of shop imaginable. Beyond the street, she quickly spotted the gate to Guancheng Square leading up to the wall.

Crowds were thick, many foreigners among them, carrying large and small bags without complaint—mostly families on group outings.

【You have entered a check-in location. Proceed from the ascent gate to North Tower 12 to complete the check-in task.】

Qin Yun looked at the system prompt—no surprise. He'd been to the Great Wall before, more than once—both southern and northern sections. But he'd never gone this far; he usually stopped at North Tower 8, reached the Good Han Slope, and turned back.

This time, because of the check-in task, he could finally go this far.

Following the crowd, Qin Yun climbed the ascent steps toward North Tower 1. From the gate to North Tower 4, the path was easy—suitable for elders and children. The distant rolling mountains were clearly visible, the Great Wall coiled like a dragon along the ridgeline, magnificent.

Gazing at the scenery, walking on the grayish stone bricks, Qin Yun's mood felt subtly different this time.

After marriage, his pressure had been immense—even when he went out with Song Ya, he was always drowned in complaints. The fun vanished before it began. Now, alone, with no extra noise in his ears and no work pressure, he finally appreciated how breathtaking this view truly was.

Soon, he reached North Tower 4—the slope suddenly steepened. The stone steps changed from flat to steep, their height increased, requiring effort to climb.

Many elderly people here had stopped, refusing to push themselves.

At North Tower 5, Qin Yun leaned on the wall and looked outward—the outside was a sheer valley, the view wide open—but he was already breathing heavily. Glancing up at North Tower 6, he saw a sea of bobbing heads. He sat down against the wall.

He was busy with work daily—no time to exercise, and too lazy to move. Though his body wasn't weak, years of neglect had taken their toll—he was far from his college shape.

In college, he could climb straight to North Tower 8 without trouble. Now, halfway up, he was gasping for breath.

Eating the bread in his hand, a pair of legs, pale and tuber-like, passed before him. He couldn't help but look up—and when he saw the side of her face, he froze. It was the girl who'd sat beside him on the train.

At this moment the girl had her backpack strapped to her chest, her forehead was covered in sweat, the back of her shirt was visibly soaked through, and every step she took looked like an effort.

When Qin Yun's gaze turned over, Xia Qingqing also looked over — she had spotted Qin Yun from below.

Xia Qingqing smiled at him, then kept climbing upward; she planned to push all the way to North Seventh Tower before taking a break.

Qin Yun gave a small smile in acknowledgment, watched the girl pass him and continue upward, and didn't look any further.

After resting for about five minutes, Qin Yun stuffed his food back into his backpack and resumed his check-in mission. But before he'd taken two steps, a voice came from beside him.

"Hello, could you please take a photo for us?"

Qin Yun turned his head and saw a few foreigners; the one speaking was a man, holding a camera in his hand — likely a family of four.

He nodded: "Sure!"

He took the camera from the man, waited until they had struck their poses, glanced at the viewfinder, and pressed the shutter. To make it easier for them to pick, he kindly took a few extra shots.

After finishing, he handed the camera back to them.

The man first said thanks, then looked at the photos on the camera; his expression instantly stiffened, and he exchanged a knowing glance with the woman beside him.

Just as he was about to leave, the daughter behind him leaned over, then immediately pouted: "This uncle took a really ugly picture of me."

The man quickly patted the girl on the head and said to Qin Yun: "Good, very good!"

Qin Yun's smile stiffened a little: "I'm fine, thank you, and you!"

After a self-deprecating quip, he silently turned around, let out a small sigh, and before he'd taken two steps he heard the man behind him asking someone else: "Hello, could you please take a photo for us?"

"…………"

He couldn't help but quicken his pace, and soon this little interlude was pushed to the back of his mind, because his calves were so sore and swollen that he could barely lift his legs.

Watching the tourists posing for photos in front of the Hero Stele, Qin Yun's gaze shifted toward North Ninth Tower through North Twelfth Tower.

Standing at this spot, one could already take in the full panorama of the Badaling Great Wall — which is also one of the reasons many people climb to here and then turn back. So starting from here, the most obvious thing Qin Yun felt was the sudden drop in foot traffic.

Going down from North Eighth Tower there was a short stretch of steeply descending steps, followed immediately by North Ninth Tower; this section of wall was built along the edge of a cliff, with no barrier on the outer side — a hundred-meter-deep gorge lay right beneath his feet. The bricks and stones of the wall had weathered over the years, some even loose, and the surface had changed from flat flagstones to an irregular rubble path, requiring constant attention to where one stepped.

Reaching North Tenth Tower, the slope eased a little, and there were even fewer people here. Passing through the tower, the mottled wall bricks and the wind whistling through the lookout openings were clearly audible; bird calls drifted up from the valley now and then, and the view was filled entirely with the Great Wall's untouched, natural scenery.

Pressing on to North Eleventh Tower, the wall here became extremely narrow — some stretches only wide enough for one person. Many of the merlons on the outer side were damaged or missing, and along the way there were even quite a few bullet marks, brimming with a sense of historical vicissitudes.

After walking another hundred meters, the outline of North Twelfth Tower was already visible — that was the end of the northern section of the Great Wall. Qin Yun was already exhausted; his legs felt as if they no longer belonged to him, and he was moving forward purely on a thread of willpower.

When he walked past the sign reading 【North Twelfth Tower — End of the Northern Section of the Great Wall】, the system's prompt arrived quietly.

【Check-in mission complete. Random reward obtained: Photography Skill +1】

【Photography Skill LV1: Light and shadow in hand, beauty left uncaptured by none; the eye holds a ruler, the heart holds light】