14: Return trip to Changbai Mountain

"It's fine, we're friends, aren't we?"

Jiang Yuan looked at her flustered appearance and comforted her.

He chuckled, patted Gu Xinyu on the head, then reached out again, naturally putting his arm around her waist, and softly reassured her, "Come on, let me support you."

Gu Xinyu's body stiffened once again, and a searing sensation instantly spread from her waist throughout her entire body.

She had grown up never having such intimate physical contact, especially not in front of a man.

Her entire face was burning hot right now, a crimson flush spreading all the way to the roots of her ears, and even her neck was stained with an alluring pink hue.

Her heart accelerated like a beating drum; she didn't even know how to take a step, just kept her head down, silent, letting Jiang Yuan hold her.

Deep down, she thought about resisting, about breaking free, but some inexplicable feeling made her reluctant to do so.

In fact, she had long since developed a very strong affection for Jiang Yuan: young and wealthy, approachable, and so handsome—he was almost entirely comprised of merits.

On top of that, the fact that he had lavishly spent hundreds of thousands on clothes and watches for her today meant that she had already grown fond of Jiang Yuan in her heart. It was just that, hindered by the gap in their status and reality, she always felt she wasn't good enough for him and dared not face the budding feelings deep within her heart.

As for Jiang Yuan, the situation was slightly better, but his slightly trembling left hand, which was holding a cigarette, inadvertently betrayed the nervousness and agitation in his heart at this moment.

After all, this was his first time having such intimate contact with such a beautiful woman. His previous two partners were only girls on Ya Ya's level; at most, they had only held hands, let alone embraced or put an arm around their waist.

This series of bold actions was something he had learned from reading novels.

Trying it out today, he found the effect was actually quite good, which made him feel a bit smug.

Actually, he was also clear that most of this effect was due to the charm brought by his money, and only secondarily due to his handsome appearance after the system's transformation.

If either were missing, perhaps it wouldn't have been so easy to make Gu Xinyu let down her guard.

Because he could also see that Gu Xinyu was a very proud woman; her temperament was cold and ethereal, like a white lotus rising from the mud without being stained, noble and untouchable.

The designated driver drove the brabus g900 steadily forward, but the atmosphere inside the cabin became subtle because Gu Xinyu had fallen asleep.

"Thank you, Brother Jiang..."

Jiang Yuan just quietly held her, feeling her breathing, which was as soft as a mosquito's buzzing, and the soft sensation in his arms, with the faint fragrance of her hair lingering at the tip of his nose, and softly replied, "You're welcome."

They didn't engage in any further intimate actions because Gu Xinyu had already fallen into a deep sleep in his arms.

Jiang Yuan carefully carried her to her own room, gently placed her on the bed, considerately covered her with the quilt, and then silently backed out and closed the door.

When it wasn't a matter of mutual consent while both parties were conscious, Jiang Yuan would never take advantage of the situation.

That wasn't his style, even if the sleeping Gu Xinyu was breathtakingly beautiful.

After Jiang Yuan left, Gu Xinyu's eyelashes on the bed fluttered, and she slowly opened her eyes. Where was there any sign of drunkenness left?

She slowly sat up, leaned against the soft headboard, and stared blankly.

Her mind was filled with a thousand thoughts; she didn't sleep all night, repeatedly recalling the interactions along the way, right up until he sent her back to her room, her heart filled with a mix of confusion and complex emotions.

She thought about it all night but couldn't figure it out. She had been so proactive, yet Jiang Yuan had simply placed her on the bed and then turned and left.

For her, this was an unprecedented experience; she felt both a bit disappointed and inexplicably touched.

On the other side, after Jiang Yuan finished washing up, he crawled directly into bed and comfortably started scrolling through TikTok.

He watched the wonderful daily life shared by those travel bloggers again, and a strange sense of comparison arose in his heart.

Subsequently, he did some simple editing of his trip to Mount Tai and the photos he took of his ride, the brabus g900, added some fitting music, and posted it.

At the same time, he also changed his TikTok nickname to "Brother Jiang's Travel Diaries."

He decided that from now on, he would be a laid-back travel blogger, sharing his happiness and the beautiful scenery he saw along the way as he pleased.

It was already past eleven o'clock at night. For most people, it wasn't too late, but Jiang Yuan was an orphan and didn't have many close friends, so his TikTok video was slow to receive any likes or comments.

However, Jiang Yuan didn't really care; anyway, this was just a way for him to share his daily life, not for traffic or followers.

At the same time, he was also searching for his next travel destination on TikTok, because he planned to leave first thing tomorrow morning.

Several videos in a row showed Changbai Mountain. In the footage, Changbai Mountain at the end of June was still pleasant to look at; the snow had melted, and although it wasn't lush and green, it wasn't very cold either, making it perfect for traveling.

"Then let's go to Changbai Mountain, leaving tomorrow morning. I wonder if Xinyu would be willing to go with me."

Jiang Yuan made his decision. He felt that having a beautiful woman to accompany him on his travels and share the beautiful scenery would be a pretty good feeling.

Sleeping until dawn, Jiang Yuan slept exceptionally soundly that night, as if all his previous exhaustion had been swept away.

Meanwhile, Gu Xinyu next door barely slept all night, her mind filled with Jiang Yuan's shadow, repeatedly mulling over his gentlemanly behavior from the night before, her heart full of conflict and confusion.

"Xinyu, I'm going to Changbai Mountain today. Do you want to come along?"

Jiang Yuan woke up early, opened his phone, and immediately sent a WeChat message to Gu Xinyu.

Gu Xinyu replied almost instantly: "Brother Jiang, I won't be going. I need to return to the company today to handle your assets and plan them out properly. When I have time later, I will definitely accompany you."

Her reply was quick, both clarifying her stance on work and leaving room to accompany him next time.

"Alright then, I can give you a ride back on the way. I have plenty of time anyway, and we can travel and have fun at the same time."

Jiang Yuan typed his reply again, his tone carrying a hint of consideration.

"Then thank you, Brother Jiang."

Gu Xinyu replied.

"It's nothing."

Jiang Yuan responded briefly. Once they were packed and ready, they drove directly away from the hotel.

At the same time, Jiang Yuan also sent a message to Ya Ya: "Leaving now, see you if there's a chance."

Ya Ya didn't reply for a long time this time; she was likely still in a deep sleep, not yet sober from last night's drinking.

The brabus g900 SUV drove straight toward the highway entrance but stopped abruptly in front of the height restriction bar.

Hindered by the height of the vehicle after its modifications, the height restriction bar seemed a bit too low. Jiang Yuan had almost forgotten about this; he had no choice but to helplessly reverse and change to a different entrance to get onto the highway.

The road conditions on the Beijing-Hong Kong Expressway were excellent, wide and flat.

Relying on his enhanced body and superhuman reaction speed, Jiang Yuan pushed the car speed to over two hundred kilometers per hour all the way.

Many cars along the way hadn't even clearly seen what kind of vehicle had whizzed past them before they were left with only the rapidly receding taillights, leaving behind only a gust of air and astonishment.

A luxury car is indeed a luxury car; even at such high speeds, the brabus g900's wide off-road tires were able to isolate most of the road noise, and the cabin remained relatively quiet.

Its handling was even more invincible—it went exactly where it was pointed, with incredible precision. Even when weaving through traffic like a blade, it appeared effortless.

At first, Gu Xinyu was a bit scared sitting in the passenger seat, but as time went on, she gradually adapted to this extreme speed.

She discovered that although Jiang Yuan drove fast, every lane change and every overtake appeared exceptionally smooth, without the slightest impatience or danger.