At six in the evening, Xu Wanqiu left the scenic area just seconds before it closed.
She had always considered herself a punctual person, but the moment she stood on Yongtong Bridge, she seemed to completely forget about time, immersing herself entirely in the surrounding emotions.
It wasn’t until the closing announcement echoed over the scenic area’s PA system that she reluctantly snapped out of that wonderful atmosphere, looking back repeatedly as she left West City Street.
Walking out the main gate, she saw the young man sitting at the ticket window again. He was leaning over the desk, scribbling something. Sensing her gaze, he looked up and smiled, giving her a polite nod.
Returning the smile out of politeness, Xu Wanqiu glanced at the slim women’s watch on her wrist and immediately quickened her pace toward the bus stop.
Her original plan had been to take a relaxing stroll through Ning’an Ancient City and take an overnight bus back to the provincial capital. That was why she had only brought a small leather bag with her. But now, she had changed her mind. She planned to stay in Ning’an County for the night and visit the bridge again tomorrow. Since she was staying over, she needed to hurry back to the county town to sort out her accommodation for the night.
Walking with a light step, Xu Wanqiu felt as if a heavy burden had been lifted from her shoulders after leaving the Ancient City. Her mood brightened significantly; even the wildflowers by the roadside seemed far more vibrant.
By the time she returned to Ning’an County Town and settled her dinner and accommodation, it was already past nine o’clock. Not feeling the least bit sleepy, Xu Wanqiu lay on the hotel’s rock-hard bed and scrolled through the photos she had taken earlier at Yongtong Bridge.
As an aside, she truly hadn’t expected that something as simple as finding a place to sleep would become quite a hassle in this small county. She knew the county’s economy consistently ranked dead last in the province, but she hadn’t realized just how backward the infrastructure of a bottom-tier county in an inland province could be.
She had wandered around the county town with her phone in hand for a long time, only managing to find this hotel right as the sky turned dark. It had no star rating, no standard amenities, and even the hot water was only supplied during specific hours.
This realization left her exasperated, but it also made her understand one thing. While the Ancient City’s current predicament was certainly due to its own inherent flaws, the county town’s outdated surrounding facilities likely played a significant role in its dwindling tourist traffic.
Putting aside those trivial thoughts, she focused on the selfies she had taken with Yongtong Bridge. The further she swiped, the brighter her smile became in the photos. Seeing this made Xu Wanqiu feel even happier.
Suddenly, an idea struck her. She quickly exited the gallery and opened the Notes app. After carefully selecting her shots, she compiled her favorite photos into a simple video, setting it to a soothing yet slightly melancholic instrumental track.
She typed out a caption: "In a desolate ancient city, I found a bridge perfect for daydreaming."
After editing the text, she hesitated for a moment before trying to tag the official Notes account of Ning’an Ancient City. To her surprise, they actually had one, so she decisively added the tag.
Click. Post.
As the video finished uploading, Xu Wanqiu felt as though she had accomplished something major. She stood up, stretched her slender arms with a satisfying yawn, and then went to wash up before bed.
What she didn’t know was that less than an hour after she fell asleep, her casually posted short video began to gain traction. Thanks to its unique emotional atmosphere, the rustic texture of the stone bridge, and especially the striking contrast of the "desolate ancient city" tag, the algorithm silently started pushing it to local users interested in "niche scenic spots" and "moody photography."
When she woke up, she habitually grabbed the phone next to her pillow and unlocked the screen. Seeing a cluster of red notification dots on the normally quiet Notes app, she was instantly dumbfounded.
"This bridge... It really has a unique feel to it. It doesn’t look machine-polished."
"The lighting and shadows on the bridge look so lonely, yet strangely beautiful. Where did you take this, pretty lady?"
"Didn’t she tag it? Ning’an Ancient City. I just looked it up. The scenic area seems to be on the verge of bankruptcy. Their official account barely has any engagement."
"The caption is perfect. ’A bridge perfect for daydreaming.’ I totally get that vibe!"
"Is this place really deserted? Kind of makes me want to go check it out..."
Staring at the dozen or so comments that had popped up overnight beneath her video, Xu Wanqiu felt a mix of astonishment and mild panic. It was the first time she had ever received so much engagement on a post.
Equally bewildered was Chen Yan, who was currently eating breakfast in his office.
He had stayed up until midnight the night before, finally managing to scrape together a rough draft of a promotional campaign centered on Yongtong Bridge as the scenic area’s new selling point. Yet, when he woke up today, intending to refine the draft after breakfast, he opened Notes to find a video to watch while eating—only to discover that his account had been tagged.
The tag came from a female user with a cartoon avatar. This instinctively made him think of yesterday’s sole female tourist. And he was exactly right. After going back, the female tourist had uploaded a short video. Not only did it showcase various details of Yongtong Bridge from multiple angles, but it was also accompanied by a rather heartfelt caption.
But that wasn’t the most important part. What truly mattered was that there were actually over a dozen comments under the video.
A dozen comments wasn’t a massive amount. He himself had posted several videos of the Ancient City’s scenery in an attempt to drive traffic to the site, and his most popular one had nearly a hundred comments. However, those comments had accumulated slowly over time. He remembered it clearly—his best day had only yielded five new comments on a single video.
But this tourist had done it effortlessly. In just one night—and not even during peak daytime traffic hours—her single video had instantly garnered nearly twenty comments.
Chen Yan couldn’t help but feel a little hurt by this.
Putting his bruised ego aside, they had both posted videos of the Ancient City. Yet, his had been largely ignored, while hers had quickly attracted a small wave of traffic. The difference between the two lay in the person posting—and the specific scenery they chose to highlight!
This was evident from the comments under her video. The vast majority of people were discussing the bridge. While there were occasional compliments about the tourist’s beauty, the conversation was always quickly steered back to the bridge by new commenters.
In other words, the bridge was a major reason why this video had attracted such an audience.
He wondered, "What is this? A blessing from heaven?"
Just last night, he had been wracking his brain to draft a proposal. Now, he woke up to find that a video posted by a tourist had actually gained some traction. Well, maybe not gone viral—just mildly popular for now.
However, Chen Yan knew he had to seize this opportunity and prepare in advance for any potential changes the scenic area might soon experience.