Midsummer: Scenery Along the Road

"Brother Jiang, what trick was that just now? I’ve never heard of it," Xiao Bai asked.

"Do you know why you’ve never heard of it?" Jiang Bei replied.

Mao Xiaobai shook her head, her expression innocent. "No idea, that's why I'm asking you."

"You haven’t heard of it because you don’t read enough."

Mao Xiaobai was speechless.

"Brother Jiang, I got into Huaqing too! I’ve read plenty of books—I'm very cultured."

"Oh? Then have you ever heard of the Blade-on-Credit Man?"

Mao Xiaobai was silent.

Thanks to the convenience of the internet, Mao Xiaobai quickly searched on her phone, since she truly hadn’t heard of it before. With her quick comprehension, she soon grasped the principle behind Jiang Bei’s maneuver earlier.

But...

"Brother Jiang, what if Tang Ran had really succeeded just now but refused to admit she owed you money and steadfastly refused to pay?"

"Debts should be repaid—it's only natural. I trust she’ll pay me back. And if I’m wrong, there are always ways to make her pay."

Mao Xiaobai fell silent.

She realized she’d briefly forgotten who the young man beside her really was.

So, yes—who in this world could possibly get away with owing Jiang Bei?

Thinking of debts, Mao Xiaobai suddenly remembered something.

'Apparently, the Feline Royal Court still owes him a lot of money too…'

Walking beside Jiang Bei, Mao Xiaobai let her thoughts wander as they strolled.

Only after a long while did she speak again.

"Brother Jiang, why don't you invest in me? I can actually sing very well. Let me sing for you—"

Before Jiang Bei could refuse—though he likely wouldn’t over such a small matter—Mao Xiaobai began to sing cheerfully.

"Let’s learn to meow like cats together, meow meow meow meow meow..."

Jiang Bei listened, bewildered.

This girl was truly amusing.

---

After leaving the small town, they visited Jiuzhaigou, then gazed upon Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, journeyed onward to Daocheng Yading, and took a tour around the area.

Jiang Bei strolled around, while Mao Xiaobai, as usual, ate as she walked, completely content.

By now, she wholeheartedly agreed with Jiang Bei’s words in the small town days before.

"Xiaobai, I won’t invest in you, because no matter how much I give you, you’ll spend it all on food and never have any left to pay me back."

"Not only would investing in you be destined for loss, but I also worry..."

"Worry about what?" Mao Xiaobai asked.

"I worry that, unable to repay me, you’ll just give up and offer yourself as collateral."

Mao Xiaobai was speechless.

Jiang Bei! If only I could beat you up, I’d scratch your face to ribbons!

The Mercedes SUV rolled on.

It was the end of July—they’d been on the road for a month already; time truly flew.

Not long ago, he’d been struggling through driving school. Yang Xue, the once fair-skinned girl who’d tanned considerably, had called to say her acceptance letter had arrived.

She, too, had been admitted to Huaqing and would be registering in September.

Then she started complaining about his heartlessness.

"It’s all your fault. You talked me into getting a driver’s license."

"Now look at me—I’m so tanned! How are you going to make it up to me?"

She was only grumbling. They weren’t lovers but had grown up together, remaining close friends.

"By the way, I take my last driving test at the end of the month. Once I get my license, my girlfriends and I are heading to Lijiang. Where are you now?"

Jiang Bei glanced at a sign for a nearby scenic spot. "Namtso Lake."

"You really get around," Yang Xue rolled her eyes. "Are you going to Lijiang, too?"

"I can, but it'll probably be another week or so."

"That works for me too. Let me know when you set a date, so we can book flights."

---

On a road stretching endlessly ahead, with vast grasslands flanking both sides, a herd of yaks ambled lazily along.

Having eaten her fill, Mao Xiaobai had dozed off. Now she rubbed her eyes, staring at the yaks blocking the road.

"Brother Jiang, I heard yak meat is delicious."

"No, you heard wrong."

"Really?" Mao Xiaobai thought Jiang Bei was fooling her—when it came to food, she never made mistakes.

The yak herder soon drove the animals off the road.

Jiang Bei smiled in thanks, and the car moved on.

The sky was brilliantly blue, clouds hung low, the air was crisp and clear, and the food here had a unique flavor. It was indeed a wonderful place.

Through the rearview mirror, Jiang Bei gazed at the receding scenery, momentarily lost in thought.

So was Mao Xiaobai in the passenger seat—but for a different reason.

All she could think of was the yak meat she’d eaten yesterday.

"Why didn’t it taste that good?"

"Was it the chef’s fault?"

"It should have been delicious…"

As the yak herd faded in the mirror, Mao Xiaobai, feeling nostalgic, leaned over and took out two packets of yak jerky from her backpack.

"Brother Jiang, would you like some?"

Jiang Bei shook his head, smiling.

"Well then, don’t mind if I do."

The jerky was delicious.

So why was the yak meat itself so disappointing, while the jerky was so tasty?

It must have been the chef’s fault.

Chewing as she pondered, Mao Xiaobai resolved that next time, she’d buy a yak to take home and have the palace chefs prepare it.

'It’s sure to be delicious.'

---

Saint Martin’s College of Art. Fang Yuan had been studying here for over a month.

As if by fate, shortly after her arrival, her presence became sensational news throughout the college.

Almost everyone at Saint Martin’s soon knew of the ethereal beauty from the Summer Kingdom, with eyes as brilliant as the stars.

It turned out that being too beautiful could sometimes be quite a hassle.

For instance, after class today, on her way back to the hotel, Fang Yuan was stopped by a man with an overblown sense of self, driving a Lamborghini.

He looked a bit like Depp—a rather amusing face.

"Miss, may I buy you a coffee?" the blond, blue-eyed, strikingly handsome young man asked with a smile.

"Thank you, but no. I don’t care for coffee."

"What do you like to drink? I can get you anything."

"I like to drink the northwest wind."

The young man was baffled. "What’s that? Some new drink?"

Fang Yuan smiled and nodded. "Yes, you might want to look into it."

"Alright, I will. Such a beautiful lady—may I have your phone number?"

Fang Yuan kept smiling. "But I don't have a phone."

At these words, the young man’s smile faltered.

After all, if she didn’t have a phone, what was that in her hand?

A brick?