Leisurely Traveler with Check-in System

They set off early in the morning. Although they spent over two hours finding the hot spring and having Liu Li tag along, it was still quite early, not even noon.

In April, Batang’s climate isn’t very warm yet. Despite its altitude being much lower than places deep within Tibet—about 2500 meters—it’s still significantly higher compared to plains.

However, the cooler climate actually makes soaking in the hot spring more comfortable.

This altitude isn’t considered very high, well within the range most people can endure.

The surroundings here are extremely tranquil, with the hot spring being somewhat hidden away and challenging to reach. Even local natives who frequent the area seldom find it here, giving it a sense of wild, primal nature from inside out.

The warm spring waters are rich in minerals and trace elements; soaking for a while, Li Younan feels extremely comfortable, although sweat beads are still forming on his forehead.

He gets out of the water, grabs two bottles of electrolyte water from his backpack, takes a sip, and looks toward Liu Li.

Liu Li is comfortably soaking in the spring, with everything below her chest submerged, and steam rises from the water surface.

Her face is flushed, wet either from sweat or spring water, strands of her hair stick to her cheeks, giving her an enticing allure.

Li Younan tries to keep a calm expression, steps back into the water, walks over to Liu Li, and hands her the bottle, saying, "Have some water."

Liu Li nods, just about to get up when her legs go weak, probably from soaking too long, her body dehydrated and electrolytes imbalanced, feeling light-headed, she collapses forward.

Quickly reacting, Li Younan abandons the drink in hand and catches Liu Li.

Now Liu Li ends up completely leaning against his chest.

Her wet nightgown clings to her body, making it feel no different than holding someone unclothed.

Liu Li initially struggles in panic but unable to steady herself at first, she keeps her head buried low, avoiding meeting Li Younan’s gaze.

Li Younan quietly holds her for a while.

He doesn’t think about anything; in this kind of situation, any thought is reasonable... but none really matters. Emptying his mind, simply holding her quietly feels very nice.

After some time like this, Liu Li regains herself, gently pushes Li Younan away, and murmurs with her head down, "I’m not dizzy anymore, you, you can let go now..."

Li Younan lets her go with some reluctance, then straightforwardly retrieves the drink, opens it, and hands it to her, his gaze as pure as... submitting party fees to the organization.

...

Because soaking in the spring here was so comforting, Li Younan and Liu Li returned to the RV afterwards still feeling somewhat unfulfilled.

Seeing Liu Li also looking unsated, Li Younan suggested, "How about we stay here for another couple of days? We can soak in the spring and take walks daily."

Liu Li’s performance today was better than before; she stayed outside longer, and could let go of Li Younan’s hand for short periods, giving Li Younan the impression that she was almost entirely recovered.

Liu Li accepted Li Younan’s suggestion.

So they planned to stay here longer.

The entrance to this mountain valley is less frequented, with few people passing by to disturb. Occasionally, some Tibetans passing by curiously glance at their RV before heading into the mountains, probably to gather fungi or similar.

Since this trip was without a time limit, staying a few more days wherever they felt comfortable and relaxed posed no problem.

By day, they’d spend about forty minutes walking to the hot spring, and after soaking, return to the RV, shower, and clean up.

Otherwise, there was little to do.

Playing video games for too long isn’t ideal, and with Liu Li’s condition improving, they expanded their explorations a bit, venturing further into the valley.

Li Younan found some mushrooms in the mountains, skillfully processing them, and made a stir-fry with pork belly, green peppers, and chili, creating a delicious mountain delicacy.

In terms of work, from previously-shot footage, Li Younan edited two quality videos during this time and sent them to Liu Li’s brother to negotiate advertising deals.

In these videos, the scenery along the way is somewhat secondary. There’s an abundance online of footage along route 318; what audiences really enjoy are the travel experiences.

Even simple acts like using a GoPro to film in local markets, buying two or three pounds of fresh beef while shooting the butchering process, or casually cooking with RV kitchenware, captivate viewers.

The view counts for these videos remain consistently high.

Among the numerous 318-themed content, viewers distinctly prefer Li Younan’s videos.

In the following two days, the pair continued soaking in the spring, enjoying wonderful times.

Since Liu Li didn’t have swimwear, she alternated between two nightgowns.

The nightgown worn on the second day was floral with ruffles, almost opaque, thus revealing nothing, which in a sense was a relief for Li Younan.

The first day had been quite a challenge for him to keep his thoughts in check, though it wasn’t extremely revealing, the outlines of Liu Li’s body faintly showing through were gripping. Nonetheless, for Li Younan, it was a substantial impact.

Beyond this, Li Younan wasn’t sure if Liu Li realized the issue herself.

Regardless if she detected it or not, Li Younan certainly couldn’t show it.

Such matters, even if both parties are aware, remain unspoken to avoid awkwardness; mentioning it recklessly would definitely make things difficult.

The next day, Liu Li naturally wore that pretty nightgown again.

Having had the experience twice before, Liu Li seemed noticeably more relaxed and natural this time. Perhaps in her mind, fundamentally, soaking in a hot spring while dressed isn’t much different from mixed-gender swimming in a pool, at least that’s what Li Younan thought while soaking.

Soaking in hot springs indeed can significantly relax one’s mind and is definitely beneficial for psychological relief. Every time Liu Li soaked, her eyes would gently close, and her expression would grow more relaxed.

That’s nice.

This kind of trip was what Li Younan pursued, leisurely stopping along the way, with no bothersome matters.

Most of the time, Li Younan looked at Liu Li with an appreciative gaze.

It’s impossible to say he had no other thoughts about this lovely girl... you could even say that after this hot spring experience, such thoughts became even stronger.

But Li Younan had no intention of taking any further action.

On one hand, maintaining this current state of subtle attraction, in a way, is a more beautiful experience than breaking through that invisible barrier; on the other hand, there was a subconscious concern.

Li Younan had never actively pursued a girl, and in his few past relationships, it was always the other party who broke the ice.

In a sense, he was something of a novice.

Of course, this wasn’t much related to emotional intelligence. For Li Younan, emotional intelligence was more about understanding others’ feelings, yet this emotional empathy ability... did not include the emotions between men and women.

Understanding a girl relied more on experience rather than emotional intelligence.

Especially when facing a classy girl.

When it comes to romantic relationships, they’re complex, wonderful, and full of surprises. If you truly have feelings, no matter how high your emotional intelligence is, you’re likely to be plagued with indecision.

And this uncertainty might just be the charming aspect of ambiguity.

Everything was nice now, but if he tried to break that barrier and failed—it’s not impossible—it might frighten Liu Li, and then the journey ahead would likely be awkward, leaving a knot in both their hearts that would be difficult to unravel.

Even with a 0.1% chance, Li Younan was unwilling to take that risk.

In this regard, Li Younan’s thoughts were somewhat selfish. If things could naturally and smoothly develop into a certain relationship... perhaps it would be better for Liu Li to take the initiative.

As for Liu Li’s brother, Liu Yu, and his previous blatant or subtle hints of "don’t have any thoughts about my sister," Li Younan naturally ignored them outright.

If something were really to happen with Liu Li... her brother might end up being the outsider first.

Haha, poor outsider.

And for the time being, maintaining this relationship was actually quite good.

Li Younan wasn’t in a rush, not at all.

Of course, perhaps at times... more intense attempts could be made.

...

Having stayed near this hot spring valley for three days in a row, it was finally time to leave.

At this moment, Li Younan felt a bit reluctant.

Liu Li noticed his emotion and teased, "Isn’t it just a hot spring? I’ve heard there are many similar hot springs if we continue westward!"

Li Younan glanced at her lightly and said with deep meaning, "Who told you that I’m reluctant to leave the hot spring?"

Liu Li was taken aback for a moment and subconsciously asked, "Then what are you reluctant to leave?"

Suddenly realizing something, she gave Li Younan an odd look, her expression evasive as she looked elsewhere, "What nonsense are you thinking about?"

Noticing this, Li Younan replied leisurely, "The mushrooms around here are quite tasty. As we continue westward, the altitude will keep rising, and we might not find such good mushrooms again."

Liu Li turned her gaze back to Li Younan, "Oh, so that’s what you’re reluctant about!"

"What else did you think?"

"Didn’t I say? I... I thought you were reluctant to leave the hot spring... What else could you think I meant?" Liu Li retorted seriously with a furrowed brow.

After packing their things, Li Younan once again checked the car’s condition thoroughly, ensuring everything was fine before having Liu Li sit in the passenger seat. He then started the engine and headed to their next destination.

Liu Li sat obediently in the passenger seat, fastened her seatbelt, thinking about the way Li Younan had carefully checked the car before getting in.

She looked out the window, at the snowy mountains and endless Hengduan Mountains outside, which didn’t seem like an easy journey.

But Li Younan was indeed very meticulous, so meticulous that it made one feel at ease.

She stretched comfortably and said with a playful smile to Li Younan, "Then drive well, I’m going to sleep!"

"Go ahead and sleep," Li Younan smiled, "When you wake up, we should reach the Jinsha River Bridge."