199: Chapter 193 Further Inquiry

He Mengyao pushed the menu back and tapped her fingers on the tabletop. "He's got plenty of issues. Ask him yourself."

Yu Heng looked up at Shen Yueling, then glanced at He Mengyao, picking up the pencil to continue ticking off items. "What issues could I possibly have? Just order."

Shen Yueling didn't say anything else, picking up her teacup to take a sip of water.

The soup base and dishes arrived one after another. Yu Heng picked up a piece of tripe to swish in the spicy pot when his phone vibrated.

He took a look; it was a WeChat message from Zhou Wanyi.

Since they had hired a nanny recently, their WeChat conversations had become much more frequent.

Zhou Wanyi: This nanny is quite meticulous, and Xiao Hui has taken a liking to her.

Yu Heng typed a reply: That's good.

Zhou Wanyi: Have you eaten?

Yu Heng took a photo of the hotpot and sent it over.

Zhou Wanyi: Go ahead and eat first.

Yu Heng put down his phone, and Shen Yueling looked over. "Who is it?"

"My sister-in-law," Yu Heng said. "Asking about the nanny."

"Oh," Shen Yueling responded, picking up another piece of tripe.

When He Mengyao heard the words 'sister-in-law,' her ears perked up. A nanny?

"Should've hired a nanny sooner," He Mengyao pouted. "It would've saved so much trouble."

"Where would the money come from? Are the two of us going to..." Yu Heng glanced at her, realizing he had almost said too much, and quickly added, "You, talk less!"

He Mengyao clicked her tongue but didn't press the matter.

After finishing the hotpot, Yu Heng scanned the code to pay the bill.

"Where to next?" Zhou Mengqi asked.

"Let's get a room to drop off our things first," Yu Heng said. "Then we'll wander around and head straight to the KTV tonight."

He Mengyao set down her chopsticks. "Why get a hotel? Just leave your things in my car."

Yu Heng looked up. "We're not going back to University Town tonight; we're staying over here."

"You're staying overnight?" He Mengyao's voice rose slightly.

"Yeah," Yu Heng said, starting to swipe on his phone. "We're continuing tomorrow. After shopping all day, why bother commuting back and forth?"

He opened a booking app without looking up. "I'll just book one family room. You can drive back yourself later."

He Mengyao stared at him. "Why should I? I want to stay overnight too."

Yu Heng finally glanced at her. "Then book a hotel yourself. No one's stopping you."

"I want to be with you guys," He Mengyao said.

"Together?" Yu Heng's finger paused on the screen, and he quirked his lips. "Shopping and eating together is fine, but do you want to join us for our exercise tonight too?"

"Who wants to exercise with you?" He Mengyao huffed. "I mean staying together, not sleeping together."

Yu Heng chuckled and continued looking at his phone. "Family rooms usually have two double beds, and we can make do with a sofa bed, but with five of us, it'll be a bit of a squeeze."

This was his tacit consent, but Shen Yueling felt uncomfortable.

She felt He Mengyao had no sense of boundaries, actually wanting to stay in the same suite as them.

"I go to bed early," Shen Yueling said. "Just don't stay up too late making noise."

These words were meant for Yu Heng, but also for He Mengyao.

She had to state her position without appearing too petty.

Yu Heng glanced at her and said nothing, tapping the screen a few more times. "Done. The Atour in the city center, a family suite. We can check in at 2 PM."

He put his phone away and stood up. "Let's go. Drop the stuff off first."

He Mengyao stood up as well and went to the front desk to get her car keys.

She felt a bit smug inside; Yu Heng had agreed in the end. This showed he still cared about her, even if he wouldn't admit it.

The five of them walked out of the hotpot restaurant. He Mengyao went to get the car while the other four stood by the roadside waiting.

Zhou Mengqi leaned toward Yu Heng and whispered, "Are you really letting her stay with us?"

"What else?" Yu Heng glanced at her. "Am I supposed to leave her on the street?"

"That's not what I meant..." Zhou Mengqi pursed her lips. "It's just..."

Although she wanted to watch the drama unfold, it would be too awkward if they actually started fighting. She didn't want to make things difficult for Yu Heng either.

"It's fine," Yu Heng said casually, knowing what she meant. "It's just one more person. Don't you trust your master?"

—

"Family suite, booked under Mr. Yu, correct?"

The receptionist took Yu Heng's ID card and glanced at the four girls behind him.

"Correct." Yu Heng handed over his phone showing the order interface.

"How many guests will be checking in?" The receptionist maintained a professional smile.

"Five," Yu Heng said.

"Alright." The receptionist looked down to process it, swiped Yu Heng's ID, and looked up again. "The identification for the other four guests also needs to be registered."

Shen Yueling was the first to hand over her ID card.

He Mengyao fished her ID out of her bag, and Zhou Mengqi and Bai Xinran handed theirs over in turn.

While registering them, the receptionist sized up the girls out of the corner of her eye.

Young, beautiful, each with a different style, following one man to book a family suite.

Having worked at this hotel for two years, she had seen groups with more women than men or vice versa before, but every time she saw it, she thought it was... quite interesting.

"Your room is on the eighteenth floor, room 186. Here are your room cards, two in total." The receptionist handed back the IDs and cards. "The elevators are on the left."

"Thank you." Yu Heng took the room cards and turned toward the elevators.

Zhou Mengqi quickened her pace to keep up with Yu Heng and whispered, "The way that receptionist looked at us just now was so weird."

Yu Heng pressed the elevator button. "Who cares about her?"

—

Once they entered the room and set their things down, Shen Yueling gave Yu Heng a meaningful look.

Then they went into one of the rooms together and closed the door.

"What is with that woman?" Once the door was closed, Shen Yueling lowered her voice, her tone sharp.

Yu Heng walked over to the bed and sat down, the mattress sinking softly. "What do you mean?"

"Stop playing dumb." Shen Yueling didn't sit; she stood looking at him. "She hasn't stopped since we got in the car. Why does she get to stay in the same room as us?"

"She insisted on coming along. Could I have kicked her out?" Yu Heng pulled out a cigarette case and took one out, putting it in his mouth. "You saw how hard it is to get a taxi in University Town."

"Couldn't you have booked two rooms? Why do we have to squeeze into one?" Shen Yueling frowned.

"Doesn't booking two rooms cost money?" Yu Heng lit his cigarette. "A suite is over eight hundred a night."

"I'll pay for it," Shen Yueling said.

Yu Heng looked up at her. "Do you have too much money to burn?"

"I just don't want to sleep in the same room as her." Shen Yueling turned her head away. "It's awkward."

Yu Heng smiled. "Are you jealous?"

"Jealous my foot." Shen Yueling rolled her eyes. "I just think she lacks a sense of propriety. Look at how she acted today in the car, at the mall, and at the hotpot restaurant..."

"If she wants to nag, let her," Yu Heng said indifferently. "It's not like it's hurting me."

"You," Shen Yueling glared at him. "Don't you like this type? You even told me to be 'good' before."

"Haha, that's because I have to spend every day with you," Yu Heng laughed. "I don't want to do anything with her."

"Really?" Shen Yueling arched an eyebrow. "She knows so much about you—I didn't even know you had a bad stomach. It doesn't look like you two haven't 'interacted deeply' before."

"Really," Yu Heng said with a serious expression. "She's just a schoolmate I know. I just happened to ask her to teach some dance."

He couldn't exactly say she was the one he was originally supposed to marry, could he?