Chapter 12

Chapter 12

To the other members of the tour group, Contestant 1, Lv Chao, and Contestant 17, Lu Qian, appeared to be a young couple. In fact, they had registered their marriage only the previous month. They were newlyweds.

Both were just twenty-four or twenty-five. In a major city, where many young people resisted settling down even at thirty, marrying at their age was rare.

Their parents had not pressured them, nor was there any special reason. They were simply drawn to each other, and both believed they had found the right person.

Put simply, they had fallen in love. They dated for three years before marrying, and throughout that time they remained devoted and inseparable. There was no reason they should not spend the rest of their lives together.

The way they met had been rather romantic. One might even call it fate.

Lu Qian was still in college at the time. One weekend, she and three women from her dormitory visited a newly opened sports park. In addition to trees, lawns, and exercise equipment, the park featured many high-altitude climbing attractions.

Lu Qian was not athletic. Quiet by nature, she preferred reading and watching television. She had come merely to stroll around and had no interest in trying any of the thrilling climbing activities.

Two of her friends were drawn to several artificial rock walls that rose dozens of meters, the kind of urban climbing attraction found in many parks and amusement centers. One young woman was something of a tomboy. She immediately became eager to test herself, and Lu Qian followed the group over.

When the four women reached the walls, they found four routes of increasing difficulty: A, B, C, and D. Route A was the easiest. Even children could try it. The wall was vertical and only about ten meters high. Route D, on the far right, was uneven and featured a huge S-shaped overhang near the top. It stood an estimated thirty or forty meters high and looked terrifying even from the ground. Routes B and C offered moderate difficulty. Judging by the crowd, most climbers chose one of those two.

Lu Qian had never climbed before. Even routes B and C intimidated her, let alone D. Route A was filled with children around ten years old. Joining them as an adult would have been embarrassing, so she had no intention of climbing any route at all.

“Hey, let’s have a climbing contest and see who can get the highest,” the tomboy suggested.

The proposal startled Lu Qian. She immediately waved both hands in refusal. “You can compete. I’ll sit this one out.”

“Why not try? Doesn’t it look fun? Whoever climbs the lowest has to buy everyone milk tea!”

“I’ll just buy you the milk tea now.” Lu Qian smiled ruefully. “I’ve never climbed in my life, and I’m a little afraid of heights. I’d be lucky to make it five or six meters.”

“Seriously? Even the kids can climb ten meters. Look, that boy’s almost at the top!”

“I might actually be worse than those little boys…”

“Come on, Qian.” Another friend tugged at Lu Qian’s arm. “Everyone should challenge themselves with something they’ve never tried, or at least try to overcome their fears, don’t you think?”

That made it hard for Lu Qian to refuse. After hesitating, she nodded.

Just then, a tall, powerfully built young man approached the four women. He had a handsome face, bronzed skin, and muscular arms exposed by a sleeveless shirt. Smiling, he asked, “Are you four ladies here to climb? I’m one of the instructors.”

The tomboy nodded and said all four of them wanted to climb.

“Understood. For women, I’d recommend route B or C,” the instructor said.

The suggestion annoyed the tomboy. “What is that supposed to mean? Are you discriminating against us because we’re women?”

“Oh… that’s not what I meant. It was only a recommendation. Route D is meant for experienced climbers. Have any of you climbed before?”

“I have,” the tomboy replied. The other three all shook their heads.

“We should listen to the instructor,” one of them said. “Route D is too hard. There’s no way we could finish it.”

But the tomboy was fiercely competitive and insisted on attempting the hardest route. “How about this? You three take B or C. I’m challenging D!”

“All right. Please scan the code here to pay, then put on your safety equipment,” the instructor said.

The tomboy went first. She was almost the only woman on route D, but she proved every bit as capable as the men, climbing past the halfway point and overtaking many male climbers. Then she reached the S-shaped overhang. To get around it, she had to suspend her entire weight from her arms alone. Her strength was already close to its limit, yet her stubborn nature drove her to attempt the move anyway. Her body began to shake, making the palms of everyone watching below slick with sweat.

At last, her strength failed. Her hands slipped, and she fell.

Her three friends screamed with the rest of the crowd. But the instructor was already gripping the safety rope tightly. The tomboy swung in midair as he slowly paid out the rope and lowered her safely to the ground.

The danger had passed. Lu Qian and the other two women breathed in relief.

“That was impressive. You’re the first woman I’ve seen reach that height,” the instructor said with a smile, giving her a thumbs-up.

Somewhat mollified, the tomboy turned to her three friends. “Your turn.”

The women considered their options. None believed she could finish either B or C. Since their friend had chosen D, they selected the harder C route to keep the difference from becoming too humiliating. No matter how high they climbed, at least they would prove their courage.

The other two women went first. Their results were similar: both gave up or fell shortly before the halfway point.

Then it was Lu Qian’s turn. Her nerves surged. As the instructor helped her put on the safety equipment, he discovered that anxiety had made her palms sweat.

The instructor asked,
“Are you scared?”

“Yes. I’m a little afraid of heights…”

The instructor grinned, revealing two rows of white teeth.

“Don’t be afraid. Just don’t look down. If you run out of strength, let go. Don’t worry. I promise I’ll keep you safe.”

As he spoke, a ray of sunlight fell across his face, bathing him in a golden glow. His warm smile and powerful arms dispelled Lu Qian’s fear, filling her with courage and strength.

He’s so handsome.

Lu Qian’s heart raced, and heat rose into her cheeks. Was this feeling…?

All at once, she was no longer afraid. Boldly gripping a hold on the wall, she began to climb.

Following the instructor’s advice, she never looked down. She focused entirely on gripping the holds, placing her feet securely, and keeping her balance. She steadily forced herself upward with all her strength. When she was still more than ten meters from the top, that strength finally ran out.

Climbing down step by step would also require energy, and she knew she had none left. Then the instructor’s words echoed in her ears.

I promise I’ll keep you safe.

All right. I trust you.

Lu Qian released both hands.

She dropped only a short distance before the rope caught her firmly. Her back was to the instructor, but she could picture him gripping the safety rope, could even imagine the bulging muscles in his shoulders and arms. Her life was in his hands, yet she had never felt safer.

Lu Qian descended slowly to the ground. Her three friends ran over excitedly and told her she had climbed well past the halfway point, higher than either of the other two women who had taken route C.

She looked gratefully at the instructor. Without his support and encouragement, without his bright smile, she knew she could never have done it.

The four women went to a milk-tea shop afterward. As they sat drinking, the other three quickly noticed that Lu Qian seemed lost in a dream and that a happy flush had never left her cheeks.

“Hey, don’t tell me you fell for that instructor,” the tomboy teased. “You’ve been swooning ever since we left the sports park!” She burst out laughing.

“What…? Have I?” Lu Qian’s face grew even hotter.

“So it’s true?”

Lu Qian did not want to hide her feelings from her closest friends. Shyly, she nodded.

“Wow! Is this the legendary love at first sight?”

The three women erupted with excitement, chattering like sparrows. Their laughter made everyone else in the shop turn to look.

At last, encouraged by her friends, Lu Qian returned to the sports park. The instructor was still beside the rock walls, concentrating on his work. His job demanded his full attention. Every rope in his hands held a living person’s life.

During a quiet moment, Lu Qian summoned her courage and approached him. Blushing, she asked if they could add each other on WeChat. The instructor looked startled, then understood at once. His face reddened too. He nodded and opened his WeChat QR code. Once they had connected, Lu Qian ran off in embarrassment.

That night, they talked until one in the morning, discussing everything from their interests to their education. Lu Qian learned that his name was Lv Chao. He was one year older than her and had just graduated from a sports university. Most importantly, he was single and had no girlfriend.

Lv Chao was not oblivious. A young woman he had just met asking for his WeChat could mean only one thing. Lu Qian was beautiful, and her petite figure stirred his protective instincts. He was quite taken with her too.

Their relationship unfolded much like those of other young couples: dates, shopping, meals, movies. More than four months passed between first holding hands and their first intimate contact. During that time, they came to know each other more deeply and grew steadily more attracted to one another. Their personalities and interests complemented each other, and because each loved the other, they learned to love what the other loved too. Lv Chao was a soccer fan. Under his influence, Lu Qian began watching the Champions League and the Premier League. Lu Qian loved books and films, so Lv Chao accompanied her to bookstores and movie theaters. By exploring each other’s passions, they also entered more deeply into each other’s lives.

Perhaps this was the ideal kind of love.

Even more remarkably, in three years together, they never once lost their tempers or had an argument. Lu Qian always considered Lv Chao’s needs, while he treated her with unfailing care. Respect, compromise, and tolerance were the principles of their relationship.

Everyone who knew them believed they were made for each other.

They knew it too. How fortunate to find the right person in the prime of youth. Some people searched their entire lives without ever finding true love.

Lv Chao proposed after they had been together for three years. On a bustling pedestrian shopping street, he dropped to one knee and held out a diamond ring. Lu Qian covered her mouth as tears streamed down her face. Surrounded by cheers and applause, she drowned in a sea of happiness.

Both families approved of the marriage. They held a lively wedding, invited relatives and friends, and received everyone’s blessings. Afterward, the newlyweds discussed where to spend their honeymoon. Lu Qian suggested beautiful Xiangji Island, and Lv Chao agreed immediately.

And so they boarded a flight to Xiangji Island in Country T together.

From strangers to lovers, from their first meeting to marriage, they had never even endured a temporary separation. Now they faced being parted by death.