I wake to discover that I am stranded more than a thousand meters above the ground, standing on the top of a stone pillar that rises through the clouds. I have no memory of how I reached it, no obvious route down, and no idea whether anyone else is nearby. The impossible location turns a simple question—how do I get home?—into a test of observation and survival. As I search the pillar for clues, I begin to suspect that arriving here was not an accident and that the sky around me is hiding an even larger mystery.
Chapter 47: Sunshine
“Is there something you need?” Li Teng walked up to the woman in sunglasses and asked her. “Stand still,” the woman in sunglasses replied to Li Teng. She then reached out and gently tapped his forehead three times with her finger before turning to leave. “Weren’t you going to tell me something? What does tapping my forehead three times mean?” Li Teng was completely baffled. “You’re a smart guy—figure it out yourself,” the woman in sunglasses said as she walked back to the coffee table. “How am I supposed to figure this out? You’ve got to give me a hint, right?” “No hints. You’re so smart—you’ll figure it out on your own. Also, if you do figure it out, don’t ever ask me to confirm it.” The woman in sunglasses paused to say a few words to Li Teng, then walked away quickly. The bus to the airport had already arrived. Urged on by the staff, everyone quickly boarded the bus, and Li Teng had no chance to ask any more questions. “Three knocks—does that mean you want to go on a date with me at three in the morning?” “It’s already one or two in the morning, isn’t it?” “The problem is, once I get back to Shizhu, where am I supposed to find her?” “What the heck?” “Do you expect me to figure this out with my smarts?” “You haven’t given me a single clue—no matter how smart I am, there’s no way I’d figure this out!” “Are you messing with me?” Security at the airport is very strict; aside from your clothes, you’re not even allowed to take a single plastic bag with you. Of course, anything you can’t take with you can be stored for free at the airport; you can retrieve it the next time you visit by scanning your face. We left late at night. When I got back to Shizhu, it wasn’t even dawn yet. Every time this happens, I feel especially miserable. It’s as if I’ve suddenly fallen from a warm world into the depths of hell. Of course, the film studio isn’t exactly a warm and welcoming place either. There are always people out to kill Li Teng. But there, at least, there was food and drink—and that alone made it far better than the top of the stone pillar. This time back is a little different from last time. The last time he returned, it had snowed all day on Shizhutop, burying even the beds there. Li Teng was nearly frozen to death and barely survived by hiding in a snow cave he’d dug himself. This time around, at least the night was fairly normal—there were no extreme weather conditions. The first thing Li Teng did upon returning to his rickety bed was to check if his bottle of mineral water was still there. It was still there. Li Teng breathed a sigh of relief. That bottle of mineral water was his lifeline. If the drought at Shizhutop continued, this bottle of mineral water would keep him alive; without it, he’d struggle to survive even three days. You have to be alive to do anything else; if you’re dead, it’s all over. He really ate his fill today. He ate a full twelve steamed buns, plus an entire roasted chicken. When you’re full, you don’t feel the cold. Besides, chicken isn’t like steamed buns—the buns are completely digested as soon as they hit your stomach. Roast chicken contains protein and fat, so it digests slowly and keeps you full longer. Thinking of the roast chicken, Li Teng thought of the girl in sunglasses again. Just before they parted, she tapped him on the head three times—what on earth did that mean? Come to think of it, did it represent a phrase? What could a three-character phrase possibly mean? “I love you?” “Hahahahahaha…” “Because I’m so handsome, she fell for me at first sight?” “She bought me a roast chicken and wants to go on a date with me.” “I figured it out—I’m a genius.” “But I’m not about to get into a relationship here.” “It’s just asking for trouble.” “So, the next time I go to the film studio, I’ll flat-out reject her.” “Even though flatly rejecting a woman’s advances might hurt her pride—or even make her hate me—there’s nothing I can do about it.” “Why am I so lovable?” “High IQ, good-looking, honest, trustworthy, cheerful, optimistic, strong, brave, responsible, mature, steady, sincere, generous, witty, resolute, calm, shameless…” “I embody all the virtues of Chinese men.” “That’s why I’m so lovable.” Li Teng drifted off to sleep while pondering this question. When he woke up the next morning, Li Teng lay in bed, reluctant to get up. He’d had a very long dream last night—the kind with a very harmonious plot. Maybe it was because he’d eaten too much the day before—you know, when you’re well-fed and warm, you start thinking about “that sort of thing.” “Although I’ll turn down her advances, if she wants to do things we both enjoy, I can consider doing them with her—without any emotional attachment.” Li Teng reconsidered the decision he’d made the night before. “If I just do those things without any emotional involvement, wouldn’t that make me a total jerk?” “Forget it. I’ll just reject her outright and keep my distance.” “I’m an upright, sunny guy—I don’t want to be a jerk.” Speaking of sunshine… that morning, after the sun came out, Li Teng realized something wasn’t quite right. As noon drew near, the temperature at the top of Shizhu Peak kept rising, gradually shifting from hot to scorching. “This doesn’t make sense! How can it be this hot at such a high altitude? Besides, it just snowed a few days ago!” Li Teng’s clothes were completely soaked through with sweat, so he simply took them all off and lay motionless beneath the bed frame. Soon, Li Teng could no longer bear to lie there. The rocks at the top of the stone pillar were getting hotter and hotter—so hot they were starting to burn his skin. If he stayed lying there any longer, he’d be roasted alive. With no other choice, Li Teng had no option but to lie back down on the wooden bed. The intense heat quickly dried out every drop of moisture from Li Teng’s body, and he hadn’t dared to touch his only bottle of mineral water yet. The hardest part hadn’t even begun yet. In this heat, Li Teng began to understand why that elegant elderly woman hadn’t made it through last time. If this weather continued, Li Teng felt that even with a bottle of mineral water, he probably wouldn’t last much longer. All he could do now was lie completely still. To minimize fluid loss from his body. The afternoon became increasingly grueling and unbearable. Although it had only been one day, Li Teng was now just as parched as he had been over the previous few days. With the temperature much higher, the body loses water even more quickly. Li Teng finally couldn’t hold back any longer and opened the bottle of mineral water, taking a couple of small sips. He really wanted to drain the entire bottle in one go, but he didn’t dare. He hoped the weather would cool down tomorrow; otherwise, he wouldn’t last much longer. Finally, the sun set. The sunset didn’t lower the temperature much; the weather remained stifling—unreasonably, unusually stifling. Li Teng hadn’t passed more than a few drops of urine all day; he felt as if he were about to be baked into a mummy by the sun. Before falling asleep, he couldn’t resist taking a few more sips of water. The 600-milliliter bottle of mineral water was soon down to less than 200 milliliters. It absolutely has to rain tomorrow! Otherwise, he’ll die. That night, Li Teng still had many dreams. But none of them had that sense of harmony anymore. All his dreams had just one theme. That was searching everywhere for water to drink. I dreamed that I found a faucet, turned it on, and drank water in big gulps with my mouth right under the stream. But no matter how much I drank, my thirst wouldn’t go away. Finally, I woke up, feeling completely exhausted. It was already beginning to get light outside. In just one day, Li Teng found that his body had become extremely weak. He tried to sit up, but the world began to spin. This was not a good sign. It was a sign that his body was on the verge of total collapse. He hoped it wouldn’t get as hot today as it had been yesterday. Li Teng didn’t want to die here. He had to make it back to the film studio alive, and then firmly reject the woman in sunglasses’ advances. One must see things through to the end.
