“This time, I’ve truly let go.”
Qin Fengzhou swirled the wine in his cup and laughed bitterly.
“You should work hard and see if you can make your way into her heart. As for me… I’ve never really gotten close to her.”
He shook his head, his smile full of self-mockery.
“Isn’t it ridiculous? We dated for six months, and we only held hands twice, both times while crossing the street.”
He lowered his gaze.
“I thought that if I was persistent enough, I’d eventually warm her heart.”
A self-deprecating chuckle escaped him.
“But now I understand. If someone doesn’t like you, then they don’t like you. No matter how hard you try, it won’t change anything.”
As Danzeng listened, an inexplicable sense of satisfaction rose inside him.
Sometimes the rivalry between men was laughably childish.
But at least in this regard, he had won.
He still remembered the softness of Lin Mo’s body when she had fallen into his arms.
He remembered the shy way she had wrapped her arms around his waist.
They had never held hands.
Yet somehow, what existed between them felt far more intimate.
Looking at the drunken young man before him, lost in disappointment and heartbreak, Danzeng suddenly felt a trace of sympathy.
At the very least, he still had a chance.
The day after Qin Fengzhou left, Danzeng departed as well.
He needed to return to Chengdu to take care of some business matters.
Before leaving, he took Lin Mo horseback riding into the mountains one last time.
Along the way, he told her that tourists referred to this place as the “Zeba Hidden Paradise.”
To him, however, it wasn’t much different from anywhere else.
Lin Mo felt differently.
She loved it.
Wildflowers spread across the grasslands, while layers of rolling meadows and distant snow-capped mountains stretched into the horizon, creating a landscape rich with depth and texture.
It was completely different from the overwhelming grandeur she had seen elsewhere.
This place felt like something out of a dream.
A secluded paradise untouched by the world.
After taking photographs for a while, Lin Mo sat down with her sketchbook.
Yet when she remembered that Danzeng would be leaving soon, an inexplicable emptiness settled inside her.
Even her inspiration began to fade.
“So… are you coming back?”
She no longer felt like drawing.
Setting her pencil aside, she crouched down and gently played with the wildflowers at her feet.
Her voice sounded absent-minded, tinged with both melancholy and faint anticipation.
Danzeng lowered his head and looked at her.
A teasing smile curved his lips.
“What? Can’t bear to see me leave?”
Lin Mo looked up.
Immediately, she met his eyes.
Every time Danzeng looked at her, his gaze seemed filled with endless affection.
So much so that it often gave her the illusion of a love that would never change.
“I’ll come back as soon as I can.”
Seeing that she remained silent, he stopped teasing her.
“There are still plenty of places I haven’t shown you yet.”
The moment she heard that, Lin Mo’s mood brightened instantly.
Her brows relaxed as a gentle smile appeared on her face.
“Then I’ll wait for you.”
Danzeng gazed at her deeply.
He didn’t answer out loud.
But inside, he was already plotting how to win her heart as quickly as possible.
With such a beautiful woman by his side every day, his patience was running thin.
Of course, Lin Mo had no idea about Danzeng’s increasingly dangerous thoughts.
Just as she hadn’t realized that the faint stirrings in her own heart were quietly taking root.
She had always been slow when it came to matters of love.
That day, Lin Mo went to school as usual.
At first, she had taken the teaching position out of a sense of responsibility.
Now, she genuinely loved it.
The children here were innocent and adorable.
Simple.
Kind.
Curious about everything.
They were eager to learn and sincerely liked her.
They often stuffed homemade snacks into her hands, insisting she take them.
Whenever she was with them, Lin Mo felt a sense of healing she had never experienced before.
Recently, she had even begun considering teaching them English alongside art lessons.
Just as she was brainstorming ways to combine painting and language learning, a new visitor arrived at the guesthouse.
At least, he was new to her.
The staff all gathered around him enthusiastically, clearly delighted by his arrival.
Everyone called him Gyatso.
And he happened to be the guesthouse’s other owner.
As Lin Mo stepped inside beneath the glow of the evening sunset, Gyatso happened to glance up.
The moment he saw her, a flicker of astonishment flashed across his eyes.
An old cliché immediately surfaced in his mind.
A beauty untouched by the mortal world.
Unlike Danzeng’s deep and commanding presence, Gyatso felt like a gentle spring breeze.
Warm.
Comforting.
Naturally approachable.
Smiling, he walked toward her.
His tone was friendly without being overly familiar.
“So you’re the girl Danzeng picked up?”
He chuckled.
“I’ve seen the photos you’ve taken. They’re excellent.”
“If you gather a bit more material, we should be ready to officially start promoting the guesthouse.”
At that moment, Lin Mo was still preoccupied with her lesson plans.
It took her a second to process what he had said.
When she finally did, her face instantly turned red.
Gyatso couldn’t help laughing.
A girl who blushed this easily was practically a rare species nowadays.
He extended his hand and formally introduced himself.
“Hello. My name is Dawa Gyatso.”
“You can just call me Gyatso.”
“I’m Danzeng’s business partner.”
Lin Mo reached out and shook his hand lightly.
Another phrase popped into Gyatso’s mind.
Soft as boneless silk.
“Hello. I’m Lin Mo.”
The guesthouse wasn’t particularly small.
But it wasn’t large enough that she had expected it to have two owners.
Suddenly, Lin Mo became even more worried about Danzeng’s profits.
Gyatso smiled brightly, revealing a row of white teeth.
Unlike Danzeng’s sun-kissed complexion, Gyatso’s skin was remarkably fair.
He hardly looked like someone who spent his life on the plateau.
If anything, he resembled a handsome Korean actor.
Looking at the man standing before her, easily a head taller than herself, Lin Mo couldn’t help wondering whether the local environment had some magical effect.
Why was everyone here so tall?
Still, Gyatso was very different from Danzeng.
He lacked that overwhelming sense of pressure.
Perhaps it was because he always wore such a warm and welcoming smile.
Suddenly, a thought occurred to Lin Mo.
“You have the same name as Tsangyang Gyatso!”
Gyatso burst out laughing.
“Actually, Tibetans rarely have surnames.”
“Gyatso isn’t a family name.”
“It means ‘ocean.'”
“Oh.”
Lin Mo nodded.
She had learned something new today.
At the time, Dawa Gyatso had just finished work in Yading.
Since it wasn’t far away, he decided to stop by and check on the guesthouse.
Many years later, he would often think back to that decision.
If he hadn’t arrived while Danzeng happened to be away…
Or if Danzeng had told him about his feelings beforehand…
Would things have turned out differently?
Unfortunately, there were no “what ifs” in life.
Even so, Gyatso never regretted this encounter.
No matter how bittersweet it was destined to become.
When she heard that he had come from Yading, Lin Mo’s curiosity was immediately piqued.
“Daocheng Yading?”
“The place where Deng Chao filmed that movie?”
“I watched it before. The scenery was absolutely beautiful.”
Her eyes lit up.
Gyatso smiled.
“It is beautiful.”
“But autumn is even better.”
“If you ever get the chance, you should visit then.”
Autumn…
Lin Mo silently calculated the time.
That was still a long way off.
By then, she would probably have already left this place.
For some reason, the thought made her feel a little down.
Over the next two days, Lin Mo barely left the guesthouse.
She had accumulated far too many creative ideas recently.
Her social media account hadn’t been updated in a while either, and her followers were constantly urging her to post.
Since she was already staying indoors, she decided to give herself a short break.
Her follower count had already reached tens of thousands.
Although that was still far from the level of major influencers, she had only uploaded a handful of works, and her niche audience was relatively small.
Lin Mo was more than satisfied with the results.
When Wednesday arrived and she went to school to teach, Gyatso happened to find time to visit Principal Ciren.
He also brought gifts for the children.
As fate would have it, the first thing he saw upon arriving was Lin Mo teaching her class.
She stood surrounded by a circle of children.
Her eyebrows danced with expression as she spoke animatedly.
Every now and then, she exaggerated her gestures to make the lesson more engaging.
Behind her, her ponytail swayed from side to side.
The cold and distant impression she had given during their first meeting had completely vanished.
Now she looked lively.
Bright.
Adorable.
She already looked younger than her actual age.
Among the children, she seemed even more youthful, overflowing with innocence and vitality.
Without realizing it, Gyatso found himself staring.
Slowly.
Completely captivated.
Until a child spotted him outside the classroom window and excitedly ran over.
Only then did he snap back to reality.
The children clearly adored him as well.
Pointing toward Principal Ciren’s office, he smiled.
“I brought gifts for everyone.”
“But class comes first.”
“So be good and focus on your lessons.”