52: Chapter 52 No classes in the morning

The car merged back into the flow of traffic.

This time, the distance between the two of them went from a fist's width to zero.

Lin Wan's hand was held in his palm, fingers interlaced, palm to palm.

She could feel the distinct outline of his knuckles and the texture of the thin callus on his thumb web.

She didn't look out the window.

Instead, she tilted her head to look at their intertwined hands and suddenly let out a soft laugh.

"What are you laughing at?" Jiang Chen asked.

"Laughing at my performance tonight," she said. "If my mentor knew that I lost all my composure in front of a man, took the initiative, and even made the first move..."

She paused.

"He would probably revoke my law license."

"Made the first move?" Jiang Chen turned his head to look at her. "You mean?"

"Don't ask," Lin Wan quickly interrupted him, turning her head toward the window.

Jiang Chen gave a low chuckle and tightened his grip on her hand.

The car drove across a bridge; the river below reflected the lights from both banks, shattering into a shimmering expanse of flowing gold.

Lin Wan leaned back against the seat, looking at the night view outside the window, suddenly feeling that the city looked exceptionally gentle tonight.

She didn't want tonight to end just like this.

The thought came suddenly, yet it felt as if the seed had been planted the moment that question was asked in the quiet bar.

"Jiang Chen," she spoke.

"Hmm?"

"Do you have classes tomorrow?"

"None in the morning."

Lin Wan was silent for two seconds.

"Neither do I," she said.

The words were spoken very softly, but both understood the underlying meaning.

Jiang Chen didn't answer immediately.

The car came to a steady stop downstairs at Lin Wan's dormitory.

The designated driver had learned his lesson this time; he turned off the engine, silently pulled out his phone to scroll through short videos, and plugged his earphones in tightly.

The car interior was quiet for a moment.

"Lin Wan."

Jiang Chen's voice came from beside her, deep and steady. "Are you sure?"

He didn't look at her, his gaze fixed on the night scene outside the front windshield.

But his thumb lightly rubbed the back of her hand, a subtle movement that revealed he wasn't as calm as he appeared on the surface.

Lin Wan knew what he was asking.

He was asking: Are you sure you want to temporarily set aside your rational and restrained self?

Lin Wan turned her head to look at him.

The light from the streetlamps slanted in through the car window, cutting a line between light and shadow across his profile.

His jawline was sharp, his Adam's apple bobbed slightly, and his eyelashes cast a small shadow under his eyes.

This man was very good-looking.

But Lin Wan decided to get closer to him not because of his looks.

It was because when he said, "the entire system will reboot," her heart felt as if it had been struck hard by something.

"I'm not sure," she said honestly.

Jiang Chen turned to look at her.

"But I've already done too many uncertain things tonight."

The corners of her mouth curled up, her smile carrying a hint of indulgence she hadn't even noticed herself. "One more won't hurt."

Jiang Chen looked at her for a long time.

So long that Lin Wan thought he was going to refuse.

Then he let go of her hand, took out his phone, and dialed a number.

The car was very quiet, so quiet that Lin Wan could faintly hear the sound of the call connecting.

"Hello, this is Yinlu," came the professional and gentle voice of a receptionist from the receiver.

Jiang Chen leaned back against the seat and spoke in a flat tone, "Hello, please book a suite for me."

Lin Wan's eyebrows twitched slightly.

Yinlu.

One of the best hotels in Jiang City.

Located in the heart of Binjiang Road, its top-floor suites offered a night view of the entire river surface.

She had been there once while accompanying a law firm partner to receive a client; the afternoon tea in the executive lounge alone cost as much as her monthly salary.

"Certainly, sir. What type of room would you like?" the receptionist's voice drifted over.

Jiang Chen glanced at Lin Wan, his gaze lingering on her face for a moment before he said into the phone, "The presidential suite."

Lin Wan's eyebrows rose even higher.

The other end of the line was silent for two seconds, likely checking the system.

"Sir, you're in luck. We happen to have the last presidential suite available tonight."

"Alright, I'll take it," Jiang Chen said, his tone as casual as if he were buying groceries.

He hung up the phone and met Lin Wan's half-smiling gaze.

"What is it?"

"Jiang Chen," Lin Wan said slowly, "the way you make calls is like you're buying groceries."

"Do I?"

"You do."

The designated driver started the car and drove toward Binjiang Road according to the address Jiang Chen provided.

Leaning against the seat, Lin Wan suddenly remembered something.

"By the way, I didn't bring my ID card."

She had only brought a phone and a lipstick when she went out.

The lipstick was something she had conveniently snatched from Chen Xue's makeup bag while touching up in the quiet bar's restroom.

Jiang Chen glanced at her, his expression calm.

"Hotels can use facial recognition now," he said.

Lin Wan was stunned for a moment.

"Oh," she said, then realized what she had exposed.

As a law school graduate, not knowing that hotel check-ins could use facial recognition would probably get her laughed at if word got out.

"It's fine."

Jiang Chen said, his tone carrying a hint of reassurance. "Most hotels support it now."

Lin Wan nodded and didn't say anything more.

The car arrived at the hotel entrance.

The designated driver was very attentive, and Jiang Chen scanned an extra two hundred yuan tip for him.

The doorman stepped forward to open the car door. Jiang Chen got out first and walked around to the other side to open the door for Lin Wan.

When Lin Wan got out of the car, she realized that this hotel's standards were even higher than she remembered.

The hotel's exterior was a low-key modern minimalist style, with dark gray stone facades shimmering with a restrained luster in the night.

Only a full wall of copper grilles at the entrance emitted a warm yellow light, like a lit-up screen.

The doorman wore a well-tailored deep blue uniform with a small golden badge on the collar—the hotel's logo, said to be designed by a certain Italian designer.

The lobby was on another dimension entirely.

The dome was so high it was almost impossible to see the top, and a massive water wall cascaded down from a height of three stories, the water sliding slowly along the entire black granite surface—no roar of a waterfall, only a silent, silk-like flow.

In front of the water wall stood a Steinway grand piano, its lid reflecting the light from the crystal chandelier above like a shattered starry sky.

The floor was a vast expanse of gray marble, its texture as fine as if it had been washed by river water for a thousand years.

Lin Wan looked down and could clearly see the reflection of her high heels, and in that reflection, the sharp profile of Jiang Chen standing beside her.

The air was filled with a cool fragrance—not floral or fruity, but more like a woody scent from a forest after rain, mixed with a hint of sea salt.

The scent wasn't strong, yet it was everywhere, like an invisible barrier that completely shut out the hustle and bustle of Binjiang Road outside.

The front desk was a long counter crafted from a single piece of walnut wood, with no clutter on the surface, only a smart terminal embedded into it.

The receptionist wore a well-fitted dark suit, bowing slightly when speaking, with their volume controlled so that only the two of them could hear.

Jiang Chen handed the car keys to the valet and walked to the front desk to check in.

Lin Wan stood beside him, watching him hand over his ID card.

The receptionist skillfully operated the system, looked up at Lin Wan, and said with a smile, "Ma'am, please look at the camera."

Lin Wan tilted her head slightly and glanced at the facial recognition device on the side of the front desk.

A green checkmark lit up on the screen; the verification passed.

The receptionist handed over the room card.

It wasn't an ordinary room card, but a matte black card with the room number engraved in very fine gold foil on the front and the hotel logo on the back.

"Mr. Jiang, Ms. Lin, the presidential suite is on the top floor."

The receptionist's voice was neither loud nor soft.

"The elevator requires a card swipe to select the floor, and the room card has been bound to both of your identity information. Late-night snacks and champagne have been prepared in the room. If you have any other needs, please contact your dedicated butler at any time."