82: Chapter 82 Afternoon at the B&B

After sitting for a while, Qiao Yichen glanced out the window. The sun was just right, and the breeze was gentle.

"Let's go. Get up and walk around to aid digestion."

The group got up and left the dining room. There was a wooden boardwalk by the lake, extending out for dozens of meters. They walked to the end and stopped.

The afternoon wind blew over, carrying the dampness of the lake and the faint scent of green grass.

Liu Yanran stood by the railing. The wind lifted her hair, and she reached up to tuck it behind her ear.

Lin Wei took out her phone and snapped a few pictures of the lake. Su Qing stood beside her, occasionally rubbing her neck.

After spacing out for about ten minutes, Qiao Yichen checked his phone—it was almost two o'clock.

"Let's go. We can head over now."

The four returned to the car. A few minutes later, they pulled into the homestay's parking lot. This time, Qiao Yichen got out, placed his backpack on Liu Yanran's suitcase, pulled the suitcase with his left hand, and naturally took Liu Yanran's hand with his right.

The two walked in front, with Lin Wei and Su Qing following behind.

Lin Wei looked at the two figures close together ahead of them, couldn't help but purse her lips, and deliberately drawled out, "Hey—Yanran! You've forgotten your best friend now that you have a man!"

Liu Yanran stopped abruptly, her face instantly flushing red. She let go of Qiao Yichen's hand, turned around, and walked back toward Lin Wei, pretending to hit her. Lin Wei laughed and dodged, and the two started playfully wrestling near the parking lot.

Su Qing stood to the side, watching them with a helpless expression.

Qiao Yichen ignored them and continued toward the lobby, pulling the suitcase.

The four arrived at the front desk. This time, the person receiving them was a dark-skinned man who looked to be around fifty years old.

Qiao Yichen stepped forward and stated their reservation information. The man smiled and nodded, "That's correct. My surname is Yang; I'm the owner here."

As he spoke, he started walking outside, leading the group across the courtyard.

The yard was larger than he had imagined. The white-walled, black-tiled buildings were arranged beautifully. Underfoot were round bluestone slabs embedded in a lush green lawn.

Beside the lawn, a blue mosaic swimming pool shimmered under the sunlight, its water crystal clear.

The owner pointed toward the pool, "This is fed by mountain spring water. A swim here in the summer is incredibly refreshing. The open space next to it is for barbecues. Whatever you want to eat, just let the kitchen know in advance, and we'll prepare the ingredients."

Lin Wei's eyes lit up. She leaned over and whispered something into Su Qing's ear.

As they walked toward the building, the owner pointed to the other side of the yard, "Over there, we have a KTV room and a card room. You can use them in the evening if you have nothing else to do. If you young people want to sing, just ask the front desk to open it anytime."

Going up to the second floor, the owner pushed open the door at the end of the hallway and stepped aside, "This is the one—the Mountain View LOFT. There's a large bed on each of the two floors. Take a look."

He stood at the doorway and gave a brief introduction, "Both the upstairs and downstairs have floor-to-ceiling windows, and the balcony faces the back mountain. Rest up first, and call me if you need anything."

After saying that, he nodded and turned to go downstairs.

Lin Wei had already lunged onto the bed downstairs, throwing herself down, burying her face in the duvet, and letting out a contented sigh, "So comfortable—"

Su Qing walked around the room, opened the balcony door, and glanced outside—the bamboo forest on the back mountain was layered densely, shining with green.

She walked back, her gaze sweeping over the downstairs and upstairs, then turned to Qiao Yichen:

"Lin Wei and I will stay downstairs. You two lovebirds take the upstairs. Let's rest for a while before heading out later."

Qiao Yichen made an OK gesture.

He picked up the suitcase and walked up the wooden stairs. Liu Yanran followed behind him.

Upstairs there was also a large bed, and near the window, there was a small tea table and two chairs. Looking out from this window, one could see an even more expansive mountain view.

Qiao Yichen put the suitcase down and turned around.

Liu Yanran was still standing at the top of the stairs, sizing up the small space. She was wearing those thin high heels today, and she had been walking quite a bit since morning.

Qiao Yichen walked over, took her hand, and led her toward the bedside.

"Tired?" He looked down at her feet. "Walking around in high heels for so long."

Liu Yanran followed his gaze to look at her own feet and shook her head, "Not really."

Qiao Yichen didn't say anything more. He sat down on the edge of the bed, then pulled her down to sit beside him. He leaned back against the headboard and casually drew her into his embrace.

Liu Yanran leaned against his shoulder naturally, letting her whole body relax.

The room was very quiet. The faint sound of Lin Wei and Su Qing talking drifted up from downstairs, but separated by a floor, the content was unclear; only an occasional phrase floated up.

The afternoon sun shone through the glass, falling onto the floor and the foot of the bed.

The two leaned against each other like that, neither speaking, resting with their eyes half-closed.

Qiao Yichen's phone suddenly rang, the notification sound dinging several times in a row.

Liu Yanran was woken up and gently nudged him with her elbow. He slowly opened his eyes, his voice still thick with sleep, "What's wrong?"

Liu Yanran didn't speak, just lifted her chin and pointed toward the phone on the nightstand.

Qiao Yichen reached over and looked—several messages popped up on the screen. It was the person who had inquired about the digital/automotive ad slot before.

After a full day, the other party had finally replied. They had conceded a bit on the price; it was slightly higher than the first offer but still a stretch from Qiao Yichen's expectation.

He stared at the screen for a few seconds.

It was only a few days left anyway; it was better to earn something than nothing, even if it was less. He typed back "Okay," then sent over the electronic contract, noted the amount, and asked the other party to prepare the materials. After finishing, he placed the phone beside him.

Liu Yanran was still leaning in his embrace. After watching him finish, she asked softly, "Did that deal go through?"

Qiao Yichen lowered his head and gently touched her hair, smiling, "Waiting for the deposit."

"How much can you earn?"

"This person is quite knowledgeable; they kept the price low. Probably only a few thousand yuan." He paused, "Before, I encountered someone who didn't know the business, and a single slot earned ten thousand."

Liu Yanran suddenly remembered something and looked up at him, "What about those four slots Wang Xiao gave you before? How are they doing now?"

Qiao Yichen counted on his fingers for her, "The one for general entertainment has had no inquiries, so I gave up on it. The women's clothing one was given to Lin Wei at cost price. The digital/automotive one is the one we just closed. The beauty/fashion one was launched the day before yesterday."' He paused and laughed at himself, "Only two out of the four slots actually made money."

Liu Yanran leaned on his shoulder, her voice soft, "Wang Xiao was already marking up the price for you. Being able to move them is your own skill."

Qiao Yichen didn't reply, only tightened his arm around her, pulling her closer into his embrace.

He glanced at his phone—it was almost four o'clock.

Apparently, they had rested for over an hour.

He sat up straight and looked out the window, "This time is perfect. Want to go out for a bit?"

Liu Yanran nodded, got up from his embrace, walked to the suitcase, squatted down, pulled out her pair of white sneakers, and shook them at him, "These are better for walking."

After changing her shoes, the two went downstairs, one after the other.

Lin Wei was curled up on the bed, completely sunk into the duvet, holding up her phone to scroll through something.

Su Qing, meanwhile, was sitting leisurely in the rattan hanging chair beneath the stairs, flipping through a book.