The blue ice of the Tasman Glacier not only possesses the profound depth of Lake Baikal's blue ice but also the majestic grandeur of the Laigu Glacier.
Being there feels like stepping into a dreamlike fantasy.
For girls, it's absolutely a paradise for taking photos and checking in.
Li Xingying pinned on an action camera to explore the blue ice caves, capturing video footage.
Wu Keqing, on the other hand, shed her jacket and immediately started posing for photos. For women who are determined to shine, no environment can stop them from taking stunning pictures.
Jiang Beicheng naturally became Wu Keqing's go-to photographer.
She and Chen Qilian didn't vibe together, the guide George was busy scouting the route, and Li Xingying was occupied with filming material, leaving Jiang Beicheng as the only one available to take her photos.
This girl had a sweet tongue, calling him "Brother Jiang" with a warm and polite tone.
Jiang Beicheng had started photography as a hobby by shooting portraits of beautiful women. For an amateur, the camera in hand was often dedicated to capturing beauty.
Wu Keqing exuded a strong youthful vibe, striking all sorts of playful and cute poses that made Jiang Beicheng reminisce about the taste of youth.
**[Smile +1]**
**[Smile Count: 8/10]**
Jiang Beicheng was happy to play the role of her free photographer for once.
"So cold, so cold!" Wu Keqing hurriedly put her jacket back on after the shoot and ran to Jiang Beicheng's side, shivering as she said, "Brother Jiang, let me see the photos."
Jiang Beicheng handed her the camera, letting her take her time to admire them.
"Wow~ Brother Jiang, you're really good at this!"
"Brother Jiang, doesn't this one look especially great?"
"Brother Jiang, are you a professional or what?"
"…"
She narcissistically admired her own photos while chattering nonstop.
Jiang Beicheng shook his head with a smile.
This was exactly the kind of energy he had at her age.
"Go through them slowly when we get back. Keep up," Jiang Beicheng reminded her.
"Got it, Brother Jiang! Hehe," Wu Keqing grinned and quickly caught up.
The group followed their guide, George, weaving through large and small blue ice caves until they reached the breathtaking blue ice layer, as if stepping into a fantastical world.
The two girls were instantly dumbfounded.
"It's so beautiful, like living in a dream!"
The cold couldn't freeze a free spirit.
Wu Keqing lay down on an ice bed, spreading her limbs, exhaling misty breaths, and staring unblinkingly at the deep blue sky.
It felt like her soul had taken flight with that freedom, leaving her body behind as insignificant, immune even to the chill of the ice bed.
Jiang Beicheng walked over to the guide, pulled a Coca-Cola from his backpack, and clinked it with George's. "Buddy, great work."
He had immense respect for nature. Every time he climbed a snowy mountain and reached the summit, he would thank the mountain for welcoming him.
When hiking and reaching the destination, he would thank his guide, often sharing a cigarette.
After safely returning, he'd tip the guide as well.
In outdoor activities like mountaineering and hiking, an experienced and reliable guide is your lifeline.
Smoking wasn't allowed at the Tasman Glacier, so George took a swig of cola, clinked fists with Jiang Beicheng, and said, "Buddy, you're awesome."
After a short break, letting the girls take enough photos, George organized the group to head back.
In the Southern Hemisphere's autumn, daylight hours were getting shorter. They had to leave the Tasman Glacier before 6 p.m. to avoid extreme weather that could cause hypothermia.
The descent was relatively quick.
The girls took far fewer photos on the way down.
When they reached the base camp to wait for the helicopter, Li Xingying pulled out her DJI Inspire 3 drone, worth over a hundred thousand yuan.
Time to fly.
To capture the overall outline and scenery of the Tasman Glacier.
Perhaps this was a once-in-a-lifetime visit to this place.
Recording it made it deeply meaningful.
"Big Sis Li plays with drones!" Wu Keqing came over, watching curiously.
Chen Qilian, who hadn't spoken all afternoon, suddenly piped up, "Is this young lady a professional drone pilot? The "Inspire" 3's cinematic lens is tough to handle."
Li Xingying smiled and shook her head. She assembled the drone, kept a safe distance, and controlled it to take off.
"Brother Jiang, is Big Sis Li an internet celebrity?" Wu Keqing asked curiously.
Jiang Beicheng replied, "What makes you think that?"
Wu Keqing said, "With such high-end equipment, if she's not a professional pilot, she must be shooting short videos. And…"
She paused, glanced at Li Xingying to make sure she wasn't looking their way, then lowered her voice. "You and Big Sis Li aren't a couple, but you're traveling abroad together, so it's easy to speculate. Just now, when I said something wrong, you stepped in to defend her, which shows your relationship is pretty… If Big Sis Li is an internet celebrity, it all makes sense. You're so impressive, you're probably her top fan, right?"
Jiang Beicheng laughed after hearing her analysis.
It was logical and well-reasoned, almost convincing.
"Are you studying criminal investigation or something?" Jiang Beicheng teased.
"No, no, I just have an active mind and like to guess," Wu Keqing said with a smile.
Jiang Beicheng didn't directly answer her question.
But he didn't immediately deny it either, so Wu Keqing felt she'd guessed correctly.
She walked up to Li Xingying and asked, "Big Sis Li, what's your Douyin account? I'll follow you."
Li Xingying had noticed Wu Keqing chatting with Jiang Beicheng out of the corner of her eye and assumed he'd told her about her internet celebrity status.
One more follower made her happy.
She shared her Douyin ID with Wu Keqing.
Wu Keqing searched it up and exclaimed, "Big Sis Li, you're really an internet celebrity! 780,000 followers! A travel vlogger! That's my favorite category. I'm following you, and I'll check out your videos tonight."
"Thanks for the follow," Li Xingying said with a smile. After filming the glacier, she switched to auto-return mode.
She wasn't very skilled at piloting the Inspire 3 yet and wanted to avoid crashing or other mishaps, so she played it safe.
The Inspire 3 began its automatic cruise back as programmed.
Wu Keqing looked up, waving at the returning drone with a smile.
"Big Sis Li, can you film me when the drone comes back?" Wu Keqing requested.
Li Xingying nodded.
Her eyes were fixed on the control panel.
The panel showed the drone preparing to land. Li Xingying pushed the left joystick upward to slow the descent speed.
This would prevent any landing errors that could harm someone.
But during the descent, the screen suddenly showed a signal interruption.
Li Xingying instantly tensed up, trying several times to reconnect, but there was no response. Jiang Beicheng noticed her expression, rushed over, took the control panel, and moved forward to troubleshoot.
Still no signal.
The seven- or eight-pound Inspire 3 was now in a forced descent, dropping rapidly.
It was heading straight for where Wu Keqing was standing.
She wanted to capture more aerial footage and was dancing for the camera.
Unaware of the severity of the situation, Wu Keqing thought Li Xingying was hovering the drone to film her.
By the time she realized something was wrong, the drone was already plummeting toward her face.
Jiang Beicheng reacted swiftly, raising his trekking pole and swinging it hard, knocking the drone onto the ice.
It skidded several meters away.
Both Wu Keqing and Li Xingying were stunned.
The guide, George, ran over to check the situation. "What happened?"
Li Xingying, still shaken, said, "The drone suddenly lost its signal."
George explained, "It was probably the helicopter coming to pick us up interfering with the GPS signal, causing the drone to lose connection."
He glanced at his watch. "They're half an hour earlier than I expected. The weather station must have sent word to the base—there's extreme weather tonight, so they're picking us up early."
"You okay?" Jiang Beicheng asked Wu Keqing, who was still in shock.