Chapter 243: The Earth Shakes and the Mountains Tremble

That night, Liu Yongheng lay in bed, hands clasped behind his head, staring silently at the ceiling and lost in thought.

Lai Yi, dressed in her pajamas, slipped off her slippers and sprawled across Liu Yongheng’s chest. "Honey," she cooed, "are you still thinking about starting a business?"

Liu Yongheng snapped out of his daze and wrapped his arms around Lai Yi’s slender waist. "Honey, what do you think? Should I just be a landlord, or should I risk it all and try to become a CEO?"

Liu Yongheng was torn. Part of him wanted to just relax and have fun, but seeing the massive enterprise Wu Yun had built made him envious.

It was hard to blame Liu Yongheng. He still had a youthful spirit, and even thinking about entrepreneurship at his age was a step ahead of the curve.

Lai Yi’s eyes lit up after a moment of thought. "Well, why not be both a landlord and a boss?"

"It’s not like you have to spend the whole twelve million at once! You could buy a few properties first, then use the other half of the money to establish a company. I’m sure that between security deposits and initial revenue, the company won’t be short on cash for a while!"

"If money gets tight down the road, we could sell one of the properties. Or, once the company has something to show for it, you could even ask your dad for a bit more funding!"

Overjoyed, Liu Yongheng cupped Lai Yi’s face in his hands and gave her a kiss. "Honey, you’re truly the woman behind the man! As soon as we get back, we’ll start preparing on both fronts!"

Lai Yi flipped over and climbed on top of Liu Yongheng, grinning. "Nope! I want to be the woman on top!"

...

The next day, everyone slept in, only getting up to pack their belongings when they woke naturally.

After breakfast at the hotel, the group set out on foot, planning to explore downtown Kangding by strolling along the river.

Kangding is nestled in a valley of cascading mountains, hemmed in by towering peaks on both sides. The Zeduo and Yala Rivers, fed by snowmelt from the high peaks, rush through the city. Following the river’s course with their eyes, Wu Yun and the others could see the famous Pao Ma Mountain just outside the city.

Constrained by the valley’s terrain, downtown Kangding is long and narrow, and its footprint isn’t very large.

The riverbanks were lined with gift shops full of local specialties, and the group ambled along, browsing from one store to the next.

It didn’t take them long to realize that the merchandise in most shops was largely the same—mostly ethnic trinkets and things one couldn’t buy in Han cities.

Wu Yun only bought a few small trinkets, while Wen Meng bought a ton of things: unique bags, specialty silk scarves, and even wide-brimmed cowboy hats for both Wu Yun and her dad.

After lunch and a half-hour rest, the group followed their GPS to the final destination of their weekend getaway: the Ta Gong Grassland.

The Ta Gong Grassland is located in Takong Town, Kangding, 113 kilometers from the city center. Situated on a high-altitude plateau at an elevation of 3,730 meters, it is easily accessible and is the most famous grassland in the Garze Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture.

When Wu Yun’s group reached the Zeduo Mountain pass, they paid a small fee to park near the stone monument. Surrounded by the snow-covered scenery, they took a few more tourist photos.

Fortunately, no one in either car experienced altitude sickness while crossing Zeduo Mountain.

The primary attractions on the Shu Xi Plateau are the unique local culture, the snow-capped mountains, the blue skies and white clouds, and the alpine meadows.

However, they hadn’t come at the best time.

As soon as they reached the grassland, they saw that the vast, open plain was covered only in withered, yellow grass.

Of course, the distant snow-capped mountains and the nearby Ta Gong Temple complemented each other, creating a unique, stark beauty.

Touring the Ta Gong Temple took an hour. Afterward, they rode horses for a while on the grassland, stopping here and there to take pictures of one another until the afternoon was nearly over.

Their exhaustion on the way back matched the level of fun they’d had.

Everyone except Wu Yun was dragging their feet as they headed back to the parking lot.

Just as they reached the car, a massive boom echoed through the sky!

BOOM—it sounded like an explosion.

Wu Yun was still puzzled when he suddenly felt the ground begin to shake violently.

The experienced Sichuan natives in the group immediately started shouting, "Earthquake!"

Wu Yun gripped the car door, fighting down the primal fear of being at nature’s mercy. He watched as the distant grassland undulated, rolling like ocean waves.

As the ground trembled, the perennial snowpack on the mountains began to collapse. The roar of the avalanche combined with the rumbling of the earth, making it impossible for anyone to hear what the people around them were shouting.

They could only see some out-of-town tourists running around like headless chickens.

After several tens of seconds, the ground gradually grew still. All that remained was a cacophony of the distant avalanche, the blaring alarms of half the cars in the parking lot, and the terrified sobs of the people nearby.

"Is everyone okay!?"

Wu Yun hurried around to the passenger side to support Wen Meng, whose legs had gone soft, and shouted toward Liu Yongheng’s car.

"Boss! Help me! I can’t control my legs!"

Hearing Liu Yongheng’s voice, Wu Yun helped Wen Meng walk over to them.

A closer look revealed Liu Yongheng sitting on the ground, his legs trembling uncontrollably.

After checking that everyone else was unharmed, Wu Yun managed a smile. "It’s nothing! You’ll be fine after a little rest. We were the same way the first time we went through one!"

Seeing how pale Liu Yongheng was, Wu Yun felt for his pulse and found his heart racing.

Worried he might be suffering from altitude sickness, Wu Yun shouted to Pang Guang by the rear door of the car, "Pang Guang, grab the oxygen tank from the trunk! Get Yongheng on it!"

Seeing everyone gathering around, Wu Yun said, "Is everyone else okay!? Don’t crowd in! Give Yongheng some space."

"Anyone else dizzy or weak in the knees? Don’t try to act tough! If you need oxygen, use it!"

As soon as Wu Yun finished speaking, Chang Yuanyuan said, "Get one for me, too. I feel a little panicked!"