86: Chapter 86 Awakening and Journey

At seven o'clock the next morning, the cell phone alarm rang precisely on time.

Qiao Yichen fumbled around and turned off the alarm.

Liu Yanran was woken up, snuggled groggily into his embrace, and mumbled sleepily, "What time is it?"

Qiao Yichen gently kissed her forehead and lowered his voice, "It's only seven. Sleep a little longer."

He glanced at his phone and pushed back the originally set departure time.

Liu Yanran said nothing more, burying her face into his chest, her breathing gradually evening out again.

Half an hour later, the second alarm sounded.

Qiao Yichen had no choice but to gently shake the person in his arms, "Yanran, it's time to get up. If we sleep any longer, we'll be late."

Liu Yanran frowned and hummed an acknowledgment, not even opening her eyes.

Qiao Yichen picked up his phone and called downstairs.

After several rings, Su Qing finally answered, her voice hoarse from just waking up, "Hello..."

"It's seven-thirty. Time to get up," Qiao Yichen said.

"...Got it." Rustling sounds came from the other end of the line, and Lin Wei's indistinct mumble of "Who is it..." could faintly be heard before the call ended.

Qiao Yichen put down his phone and looked down at the person in his arms.

The two were still naked and embracing, so he simply picked up the half-asleep Liu Yanran and walked toward the bathroom.

Warm water sprayed down from the showerhead. Stimulated by the hot water, Liu Yanran gradually woke up.

Her entire body felt sore and weak, and she was too lazy to move. She leaned against his chest instead, closing her eyes and letting him attend to her.

Qiao Yichen washed her clean, wrapped her in a bath towel, and carried her back to the bed.

Having shared intimacy, Liu Yanran no longer felt shy in front of him.

She walked naked to the suitcase, pulled out her underwear, and put it on piece by piece in front of him.

Qiao Yichen took advantage of this moment to pull on his pants and short-sleeved shirt, then went to the bathroom to brush his teeth and wash his face.

When he quickly finished and came out, Liu Yanran had just entered the bathroom.

He walked behind her and looked at her reflection in the mirror, softly instructing, "I'll go down to get breakfast first."

Liu Yanran, with a toothbrush in her mouth, hummed in reply.

Qiao Yichen came downstairs and immediately saw the bed downstairs—the covers were piled messily, and no one was there.

The bathroom light was on, the door was closed, and the sound of water and Lin Wei's vague muttering could faintly be heard.

He breathed a sigh of relief. Calling Su Qing earlier had been the right move; if he had called Lin Wei, who knew what kind of commotion would have erupted.

He went downstairs, grabbed four servings of breakfast, packed them into bags, and returned to the room.

The bathroom light was still on, and the sound of water hadn't stopped.

He placed the breakfast on the small table by the stairs and called toward the door, "Breakfast is on the table. Remember to eat."

The sound of water paused for a moment, and Su Qing hummed in acknowledgment.

Returning upstairs, Liu Yanran had already changed—a fitted short T-shirt paired with high-waisted jeans, accentuating the curve of her waist and her long legs.

She was sitting at the vanity applying makeup, glancing at him through the mirror.

"Did we wake up late?" she asked.

Qiao Yichen sat on the edge of the bed, picked up the breakfast he brought back, and took a bite, "It's fine. At worst, we'll travel with the rush hour crowd."

Liu Yanran didn't speak again, focusing on lining her eyebrows.

Qiao Yichen watched her as he ate.

After she finished her makeup, he quickly ate a few bites of steamed buns and drank some milk, then stood up and handed her a light shirt from the side, "It's a bit cool this morning, put this on."

Liu Yanran took it and draped it over her shoulders. The two went downstairs together.

Su Qing and Lin Wei had already changed and were waiting by the door.

As soon as Lin Wei saw Liu Yanran, her eyes immediately lit up.

Her gaze swept over Liu Yanran's neck, and the smile on her lips was impossible to suppress.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk..." she deliberately drew out her voice, "Your neck is covered in hickeys. The battle last night was quite fierce, huh?"

Liu Yanran's face instantly flushed red, and she rushed over to pinch Lin Wei's waist.

Lin Wei laughed and dodged, and the two started wrestling around.

Su Qing stood by watching the show, a smile playing on her lips.

After a while of roughhousing, Lin Wei leaned close to Liu Yanran's ear and whispered something.

Liu Yanran's earlobes turned even redder, and she reached out to swat Lin Wei.

The two linked arms and walked toward the parking lot, whispering secrets to each other.

Qiao Yichen followed behind, walking parallel to Su Qing.

Suddenly, Su Qing pulled a small bag out of her purse and dangled it in front of Qiao Yichen's eyes.

Qiao Yichen glanced at it, "What is it?"

"Earplugs," Su Qing said flatly, stuffing the bag back into her purse.

Qiao Yichen paused his steps.

A hint of amusement flashed in Su Qing's eyes. Without looking at him, she added one more sentence, "You guys upstairs were quite noisy last night."

Qiao Yichen dared not respond.

Lin Wei and Liu Yanran were walking ahead, linked arm in arm, their laughter drifting over with the wind.

Su Qing glanced at him and said nothing more.

When they reached the car, Lin Wei let go of Liu Yanran's hand, pulled open the rear door, and slid in, not forgetting to turn back and wink at Liu Yanran.

Liu Yanran shot her a glare, pulled open the door, and got into the front passenger seat.

Su Qing walked around to the other side and got in.

Qiao Yichen started the car and checked the navigation—the road toward Yu Village was starting to get congested, but it wasn't a major issue.

"It's eight forty," Su Qing reported the time from the back seat.

"We have time," Qiao Yichen signaled and turned, "We'll head to the distribution center first to switch to the shuttle bus up the mountain."

The car pulled out of the guesthouse and drove down the mountain road.

Ten minutes later, Yu Village appeared before them.

The distribution center's parking lot already had quite a few cars, but it wasn't completely full yet.

Qiao Yichen found a spot and parked. The four of them got out and walked toward the transfer point.

Not long after walking toward the transfer point, Lin Wei gasped, "There are so many people!"

The line outside the ticket hall snaked out for dozens of meters, a massive crowd of heads packed together under the sun.

Several security guards were shouting through megaphones, but their voices were drowned out by the crowd, making nothing clear.

Su Qing glanced at her phone, "It's nine o'clock."

"Let's queue up," Qiao Yichen took Liu Yanran's hand and walked toward the end of the line.

Lin Wei let out a mournful cry, but Su Qing grabbed her arm and dragged her along to follow.

Forty minutes later, they finally bought the tickets.

After waiting another twenty minutes, they managed to squeeze onto the shuttle bus going up the mountain.

The winding mountain road had hairpin turns, and the entire bus lurched with every turn.

Lin Wei leaned entirely against Su Qing's shoulder, her face pale.

Liu Yanran held Qiao Yichen's hand, watching the bamboo forest flash by outside the window.

The first stop was Xuguang Terrace.

The viewing platform was packed with people; finding a spot to take photos required squeezing in wherever there was a gap.

Lin Wei pulled Su Qing inward, and Qiao Yichen shielded Liu Yanran as they followed behind.

"Over there!" Lin Wei, sharp-eyed, spotted a gap that had just opened up by the railing and pulled Su Qing through.

The wind blew, revealing a surging sea of bamboo, layers upon layers of green stretching to the horizon.

Despite the crowd, the scenery was truly worth it.

"Worth it, worth it," Lin Wei pulled out her phone and started snapping pictures furiously, then dragged Su Qing for a selfie, "Quick, quick, take one for me! Make sure the bamboo forest in the back is in the shot!"

Su Qing took the phone and pressed the shutter a few times expressionlessly, "Done."

"Can't you be a little more serious?"

"Whatever you look like, that's what I'll capture."

Lin Wei shot her a look and snatched the phone back to look at the picture herself.

Liu Yanran stood by the railing, the wind blowing her hair strands.

Qiao Yichen took out his phone and secretly snapped a picture.

Lin Wei leaned over, "Ooh, taking pictures of your girlfriend? Let me see."

Liu Yanran blocked him slightly, but a smile surfaced in her eyes, "Not showing you."

"So stingy!"

The group stayed at Xuguang Terrace for twenty minutes before moving on.

The second stop was Wuling Village, the cluster of Republic of China villas.

There were relatively fewer people here.

Songyuelu, the Empress Hotel—the old villas were nestled among green trees, with yellow walls and red tiles, exuding the flavor of a bygone era.

Lin Wei pressed her face against the window, almost sticking her nose to the glass, "These are where the big shots of the Republic of China lived? They really have a certain atmosphere."

Su Qing pointed to the nearby informational plaque, "Read it yourself."

"You read it to me."

"I'm too lazy for you."

Lin Wei chuckled, leaned closer, and started reading herself.

Liu Yanran and Qiao Yichen walked slowly along the small path, the plane trees on both sides casting dappled shadows.

She suddenly spoke, "This place is quite suitable for taking wedding photos."

Qiao Yichen glanced at her, the corners of his lips lifting slightly, "Do you want to take some?"

Liu Yanran didn't reply, just pursed her lips into a smile and continued walking forward.

Lin Wei chased up from behind, "What are you two secretly whispering about now?"

"Saying how beautiful you are," Qiao Yichen replied casually.

Lin Wei froze for a moment, then let out a disdainful 'Pah,' though the corners of her mouth couldn't help but curve upward, "Who believes that!"