Chapter 153 Contact

Just back at the hotel, Lin Chen threw himself onto the soft, large bed and let out a long sigh of relief.

After a day of running around in Hong Kong—shopping, eating, and even teaching an arrogant rich kid a lesson—it would be a lie to say he wasn't tired.

But just as his body relaxed, his phone vibrated slightly.

The screen lit up, and a WeChat notification popped up with a familiar avatar—Qin Shu.

Qin Shu: "What are you busy with?"

Lin Chen's fingertips paused, and his lips curled up unconsciously. This Flight Attendant really knew how to pick her timing.

He replied leisurely: "Not busy, just got back to the hotel and lay down. I sent you some Hong Kong attractions and good food spots yesterday, didn't you look at them?"

Qin Shu replied almost instantly: "I saw them, I saw them! So, which places did you go to today?"

Lin Chen stared at her avatar for two seconds, her bright and slightly playful face from the plane flashing through his mind. He typed with his fingertips:

"I went to a three-star Michelin restaurant."

"Had a super big meal."

Qin Shu: "Really?"

After a few seconds, she sent a long string of messages, her tone full of gossip:

"I just saw some news someone uploaded online today, about that Michelin restaurant."

"They said a super Handsome Guy took two beautiful women out to eat."

"Then a local rich kid came up to hit on the girls, acting like a total show-off."

"Who knew that Handsome Guy would just pay for the whole place on the spot? A total slap in the face, it was so satisfying!"

"Just think how happy and shocked those two beauties must have been at that moment."

"Too bad, they only caught a photo of the guy's back, not his face."

"Otherwise, I'd really want to see what he looks like. He's so capable, spending one or two million on a single meal!"

She even added a starry-eyed emoji at the end.

Lin Chen looked at the string of messages,

then clicked on the blurry photo of the back she attached.

Wasn't that exactly him?

He stared at the screen, secretly blooming with joy, almost unable to hold back a laugh.

He felt a bit smug and wanted to tease her a little.

Lin Chen's fingertips quickly typed a line, testing her intentionally:

"If that Handsome Guy was me, what would you think?"

The other side was quiet for a few seconds, as if she was considering it.

Then Qin Shu's message popped back,

her tone serious yet somewhat unbelieving:

"No way... You are handsome, I'll admit that."

"But you don't look like the kind of Second-generation rich who would just throw away one or two million to slap someone's face!"

Lin Chen looked at this sentence;

instead of being annoyed, he found it even more amusing.

As expected, she was still judging by appearances.

He replied leisurely, but with an unquestionable confidence:

"Does being rich have to be written on one's face or hung on one's clothes?"

"Then you don't know the rich people here in Guangdong."

"It's famous for them wearing flip-flops, big shorts, and a T-shirt worth a few dozen bucks."

"Behind the scenes, they might be bosses with tens of millions or even hundreds of millions in assets."

Qin Shu: "I've heard that saying too. It's true... one shouldn't judge by appearances."

She seemed to want to say more,

but the tone of her message suddenly changed:

"Alright, I have to board the plane. Let's chat another day. Flying to Singapore now."

"The next trip back is the day after tomorrow, flying to Macau."

"I can rest for two days after that flight."

Lin Chen's eyes lit up slightly.

What a coincidence.

He immediately replied:

"Really?"

"Just right, I have a ferry ticket for this afternoon to go play in Macau for a few days."

"When you get to Macau the day after tomorrow, send me a message."

Qin Shu was clearly stunned for a moment on the other end,

immediately replying with surprise evident between the lines:

"Really?"

"That's great!"

"When I arrive, I'll treat you to dinner!"

"Consider it thanks for helping me out before!"

The corners of Lin Chen's lips curled up as he dropped a crisp final line:

"Fine, I'll come pick you up then."

Lin Chen and Chen Qian's Macau Invitation

Closing the chat with Qin Shu, Lin Chen's fingertips instinctively paused for two seconds. A trace of the perfunctoriness from dealing with Qin Shu remained as he switched over to open the chat with Chen Qian—compared to the constant testing and hidden agendas with Qin Shu, Chen Qian's directness and vibrancy were like a pressure-release valve for him. The secret expectation in his heart couldn't be hidden, and even his typing speed on the screen quickened a bit.

His fingertips flew across the keys, his tone as casual as daily banter: "Where are you playing?"

Before half a minute had passed, Chen Qian's message popped up, carrying a hint of just-woken-up laziness: "I'm taking the 4 PM ferry from Hong Kong to Macau."

Lin Chen raised an eyebrow, his heart instantly brightening. He thought to himself how perfectly timed this was; he was just about to be in Macau himself. He had been wondering how to find an excuse to ask her out, and this saved him the trouble. Just as he typed the word 'Okay,' Chen Qian's messages started popping up like a string of pearls—not very logical, but every word reflected her personality, showing an unguarded authenticity that made Lin Chen's heart soften.

"Grand Lisboa"—just two words, crisp and direct.

"I'm here with my parents to play for three days."

"We wandered around nearby until midnight last night. I was dead tired and only crawled out of bed at noon."

"Just finished lunch, planning to lie down and rest for a bit."

"My dad said we'll go join the fun at the casino later and play a few rounds."

Lin Chen stared at the screen, unable to suppress the smile on his lips.

His mind automatically conjured an image of Chen Qian holding her phone,

with messy hair, yawning while tilting her head to type,

looking so soft it made his heart itch.

Without hesitation, his fingertips quickly typed out a line:

"Mhm,"

"Then I'll go stay at the Grand Lisboa later too, just in time to join you guys."

He paused, then remembered something,

adding another line,

his tone carrying a casual reminder:

"But, don't your dad and the others need to report their travel here?"

Chen Qian quickly replied with a helpless yet amused emoji,

followed by text:

"It's not like we're going abroad, what's there to report? You're overthinking it~"

Lin Chen scratched his head, his ears secretly burning,

a bit annoyed at himself for asking a useless question. He quickly replied with an "Oh,"

and fearing Chen Qian might find him stiff, he hurriedly added another line,

his tone carrying a subtle hint of trying to please her:

"Then you rest for now, I'll head over to find you tonight.

If your dad doesn't mind, I'll treat you all to a good meal."

Not even two seconds after the message was sent,

Chen Qian's reply came. First, she threw out a

"Heh..."

with the last sound dragged out long, clearly teasing him,

making Lin Chen's heart skip a beat.

"Why does it feel like you're acting as if you're going to meet a blind date's parents?"

"Even specifically offering to treat us to dinner, so attentive?"

His heart thumped; his thoughts had been hit right on the mark.

He wanted to be stubborn but didn't know how to refute it, so he could only stare at the screen in a daze.

Before he could think of a response, Chen Qian's message came again,

her tone softening with a bit of playful coquetry:

"Just come, just come, I won't tease you anymore."

"I'm getting ready to go downstairs for a stroll with my mom now."

"Your ferry is at four; the boat ride should take an hour, right?"

"Getting to the hotel will probably take another twenty minutes, don't rush too much."

"I'll wait to eat with you then, I'll let my parents know."

"I'll just say my classmate is here too. They're very nice people, no need to be nervous~"

Looking at that last sentence, the little bit of nervousness in Lin Chen's heart vanished instantly,

leaving only excitement as he quickly replied with two words:

"Alright."

Putting down his phone, the smile on the corners of Lin Chen's lips was about to overflow,

the previous nervousness completely washed away by excitement.

It was originally just a casual question, but he didn't expect to not only meet her,

but also have dinner with her parents. This was a complete pleasant surprise.

He got up and quickly packed his things, calculating in his heart,

that he must perform well tonight and not mess up.

Perhaps,

this was his great chance to get closer to Chen Qian.