Room allocation

The day before heading to the Gulf resort island.

Everyone's hearts seemed to have already flown to that sunny beach.

Lin Xueyue's computer browser tabs have completely changed from "Project Progress Management" to "Island Vacation Outfit Guide", "Sunscreen Review" and "Must-Bring Items List".

She even created a small group chat.

I had a lively discussion with Shen Xinyi and a few of my girlfriends from the administration department about which swimsuits and dresses to bring.

The first thing Zhao Lei did after getting off work was rush home. He took out all his precious drones, action cameras, lenses, and tripods, checked the batteries, cleared the memory cards, carefully wiped and packed them up, muttering to himself, "This is for sunsets... this is for underwater shots... perfect!"

Gao Yuan quietly collected many pictures of the architecture and landscape art of the "bay resort island," planning to conduct on-site investigations and studies. His suitcase was half-filled with cameras and sketchbooks.

Wu Hao was relatively practical; his shopping cart was filled with new beach shorts, flip-flops, and a large bag of high-SPF waterproof sunscreen. He also shared the link with Xu Rui: "Silly boy, stop grinning like an idiot, hurry up and buy it! The sun is scorching over there!"

Xu Rui was indeed the most excited one. He told almost everyone he met, "I'm going on vacation!" At home, he hummed off-key songs while haphazardly stuffing things into his suitcase. Halfway through, he would jump up and imitate surfing movements, his energy overflowing with energy.

His mother shook her head when she saw it, but couldn't help laughing at the same time.

The two directors, however, have slightly different styles.

Meng Yihe, looking at his open suitcase, showed a rare hint of indecisiveness. His wardrobe was mostly filled with suits and shirts, with very few casual clothes. He frowned and finally picked out a few simple solid-color T-shirts and casual pants.

He hesitated for a moment, then put in a pair of sunglasses and a half-read professional book.

When Cui Yu returned home, as soon as he opened the door, Cui Xuyue pounced on him like a happy puppy.

"Brother! You're back!"

"Mmm." Cui Yu smiled, ruffled her younger brother's hair, changed her shoes, and went inside.

"Brother, you seem to be in a good mood?" Cui Xuyue keenly noticed the unusual ease in her brother's eyes.

"Not bad." Cui Yu sat down on the sofa. "The company project is finished, and I did a good job. The boss granted me seven days off to go to the bay resort island."

"Wow! A vacation! That's great, brother! You should have rested a long time ago!" Cui Xuyue's eyes lit up, genuinely happy for her brother, but then her eyes dimmed again.

"Oh... so you haven't been home these past few days..."

Looking at her younger brother's envious yet pretentious expression, Cui Yu smiled and casually dropped a bombshell: "So, I booked you a plane ticket too, let's go together."

"Really?!" Cui Xuyue jumped up from the sofa instantly, his eyes wide open, the huge surprise making him a little dizzy.

"I...I can go too?! The Gulf Resort Island?!"

"Okay, I'll pay for your money." Cui Yu looked at his younger brother's excited expression, his eyes filled with indulgent smiles.

But after the initial elation, practical problems immediately surfaced in Cui Xuyue's mind: "But... what about the school? If I take seven days off, what will the teachers think...?"

“Don’t worry about the school.” Cui Yu’s tone was calm, clearly having already thought it through. “I will personally call your homeroom teacher to ask for leave. But—” He changed the subject, his eyes now holding a hint of uncompromising intent.

"The premise is that you have to bring all the lessons and content you need to learn for these seven days."

Cui Xuyue's face immediately fell.

"Huh? You have to study even on vacation...?"

"You can play all you want, but you can't fall behind in your studies. You can play as much as you want during the day, but when you come back in the evening, I'll have to make up for your lessons from that day. Can you do that?"

Despite the "harsh" conditions, faced with the immense allure of the bay resort island, Cui Xuyue hesitated for only a second before nodding vigorously and loudly promising, "Yes! Absolutely! Don't worry, brother! I'll definitely study! I'll go pack my books and homework right now!"

Watching his younger brother cheer and rush back to his room to pack his luggage and textbooks, Cui Yu shook his head with a helpless smile.

Airport on the day of departure.

The group booked a unified flight.

In the waiting room, the project team members arrived early, all looking radiant and dressed completely differently from their office attire, exuding a relaxed vacation vibe.

When Xu Rui saw Wu Hao, he immediately rushed over and gestured to his new floral shirt: "Haozi! Look! Vacation style! Isn't it handsome!"

Wu Hao pushed his face away in disgust: "Handsome, handsome, handsome, stay away from me, you're blinding me."

Lin Xueyue and Shen Xinyi smiled as they looked each other up and down at their straw hats and long skirts, while Zhao Lei nervously protected his precious equipment bag.

Cui Yu arrived a little later, dressed casually, looking exceptionally handsome and tall. He greeted everyone with a smile, his gaze sweeping across the crowd as if searching for someone.

Just then, a head popped out from behind him. It was Cui Xuyue, who was full of excitement and curiosity. It was his first time participating in his brother's company's group activity, and everything seemed new and exciting to him.

Meng Yihe arrived last. He was still dressed in a slightly serious dark casual outfit, dragging a suitcase that didn't look like it was packed with much stuff. His expression was as calm as ever, but the taut lines of his face had softened considerably.

"Wow, Director Meng actually came!" Xu Rui whispered to Wu Hao.

Wu Hao elbowed him.

Cui Yu's gaze immediately fell upon him, and the corners of her mouth unconsciously curved upwards.

Cui Xuyue, who was next to him, immediately noticed the change in his brother's eyes. Following his gaze, he saw the handsome man with a cold demeanor who seemed out of place in the relaxed vacation atmosphere. He tugged at Cui Yu's sleeve and asked in a low voice, "Brother, is that the Meng brother you mentioned who's particularly fierce?"

Although his voice was soft, amidst the cheerful noise, one could still vaguely make out the words "fierce" and "Brother Meng".

Cui Yu almost burst out laughing, but quickly coughed lightly to cover it up, and replied in a low voice, "You brat, don't talk nonsense."

Meng Yihe seemed to notice the stares and whispers from this side, and turned her gaze over, which met Cui Xuyue's big eyes, which were full of curiosity and scrutiny.

Caught red-handed, Cui Xuyue immediately shrank behind her brother, a little embarrassed, but still couldn't help but secretly peek at Meng Yihe.

When Meng Yihe saw that there was a teenager next to Cui Yu, a faint look of surprise flashed across his face. Then, his gaze swept over the similar face of Cui Yu and the boy, and he understood what was going on. He nodded to Cui Yu as a greeting, but did not say anything more, and his expression remained indifferent.

Cui Yu smiled and introduced him to Meng Yihe: "This is my younger brother, Cui Xuyue. I brought him out to play during the holiday."

Then he gently nudged Cui Xuyue: "Call someone."

Cui Xuyue then stepped out from behind her brother, a little nervous but still obediently saying, "Hello, Brother Meng."

Looking at the boy in front of her with clear yet slightly timid eyes, Meng Yihe finally nodded slightly in response, uttering a single syllable: "Mm."

Although the response was lukewarm, it wasn't as "fierce" as Cui Xuyue had imagined.

An announcement came over the loudspeaker: boarding has begun.

“Let’s go,” Cui Yu clapped his hands naturally and smiled at everyone.

"The 'North Star Light' Team, let's go!"

Cui Xuyue quickly followed her brother's footsteps, but couldn't help turning back to steal another glance at the aloof Brother Meng.

The plane flew smoothly at an altitude of 10,000 meters, with a vast sea of ​​clouds stretching out outside the window. Inside the cabin, the project team members couldn't hide their excitement, chatting quietly and looking forward to the upcoming holiday.

Xu Rui even tried to pull Wu Hao to look at the scenery outside the window, but Wu Hao ruthlessly refused, saying he was "going to sleep."

It was Cui Xuyue's first time traveling far from home with her brother, and she looked around curiously.

Meng Yihe spends most of her time resting with her eyes closed.

Cui Yu occasionally whispered a few words to her younger brother.

...

As the plane landed at the warm and humid southern airport, a wave of heat, carrying the salty scent of the sea, swept over us, instantly enveloping us. The tall coconut trees, brightly colored tropical flowers, and the smiling faces of the tourists all proclaimed the leisurely atmosphere here, so different from the fast-paced city.

The bus took them to their booked beachfront hotel.

The hotel lobby is spacious and bright, with a huge crystal chandelier reflecting the sunlight, and the air is filled with a faint fragrance and the scent of the sea.

However, there was a rather long queue at the front desk.

The place was bustling with tourists checking in or asking questions, and when it was finally their turn, the front desk manager looked a little embarrassed as he checked the reservations.

"I'm very sorry, distinguished guests." The manager smiled apologetically.

"Due to the large number of guests staying recently, we were unable to adjust some of the originally reserved room types in time, and we can only make room for four twin rooms at the moment."

Everyone was stunned.

There were eleven of them, and no matter how you calculate it, there weren't enough to go around.

Xu Rui reacted the fastest, immediately jumping out and grabbing Wu Hao's neck: "What's the big deal! Haozi and I share a room! No problem!"

Wu Hao's eyes rolled back as he was being squeezed, but he still nodded.

Lin Xueyue and Shen Xinyi exchanged a smile and said naturally, "We'll share a room."

Zhao Lei looked at Gao Yuan, who adjusted his glasses and said, "Sure."

The manager breathed a sigh of relief and quickly said, "Great, that means the three twin rooms are booked. But..."

He looked at the remaining three with a troubled expression—Meng Yihe, Cui Yu, and Cui Xuyue, who was clearly underage, beside him.

"The only room left... is a twin room."

The manager's voice was full of apology.

The air fell silent for a second.

Xu Rui, always eager for a good show, chuckled and interjected, "Oh dear, then we'll just have to make do with Director Cui, Director Meng, and Xiao Yueyue squeezing in! It's a twin room anyway, so Director Cui and Xiao Yueyue can sleep in one bed, and Director Meng can sleep in the other, which is just right!" He thought his arrangement was absolutely perfect.

As soon as the words were spoken, everyone instinctively looked at the three parties involved.

Cui Xuyue blinked, looking up at her brother with a slightly bewildered expression, then at the aloof Meng brother beside her.

Meng Yihe's brows furrowed almost imperceptibly, her expression instantly stiffening, her lips pressed tightly together, as if she wanted to say something but couldn't directly refute him due to the occasion.

Cui Yu's usual smile froze.

He glanced at Meng Yihe beside him, whose expression was blank but whose aura had clearly cooled down, and then at Xu Rui, who looked like he was thinking, "Did I say something wrong?" He was both amused and exasperated.

The air seemed to freeze for a few seconds.

Cui Yu took a deep breath and broke the silence first. He turned to look at Meng Yihe, his tone tinged with helplessness and inquiry: "Director Meng, what do you think of this..."

Meng Yihe's expression remained cold and hard.

But since things had come to this, there seemed to be no better way. He glanced at Xu Rui, whose face clearly said, "I've messed up," then at Cui Xuyue, who looked completely innocent, before finally looking back at Cui Yu.

He uttered a few words devoid of emotion: "What else can we do?"

He turned to the waiting front desk manager and said in a flat tone, "Let's settle on this, one twin room."

"Okay, okay! Thank you so much for your understanding!" The manager breathed a sigh of relief and quickly completed the formalities, handing them the three room keys.

The group each took their room keys and went back to their own rooms to put their belongings away.

At this moment, in room 666.

As soon as the door closed, Xu Rui threw his backpack onto the bed by the window like a wild horse and loudly announced, "Haha! This bed is mine! I'm going to fall asleep to the sound of the waves!"

Wu Hao was a step too slow. Looking at Xu Rui's smug expression, he snorted irritably, "Why should it belong to you? Does it mean whoever throws the bag first gets to keep it? How childish!"

"Hey, this is called first come, first served! Haozi, don't you know the rules?" Xu Rui said smugly, hands on his hips.

"Rules?" Wu Hao raised an eyebrow. "Okay, then let's follow the rules: rock-paper-scissors, best of three, the winner gets to choose the bed. Fair, just, and transparent." He remembered the last time Xu Rui lost five rounds in a row in a bet during the project review.

Upon hearing about rock-paper-scissors, Xu Rui's momentum immediately weakened by three points, but he still refused to admit defeat: "Rock-paper-scissors...what kind of rock-paper-scissors is this! How old are you, still playing this! I don't care, I've already thrown my bag up there!"

“Throwing it up isn’t enough, I can also throw it down for you.” Wu Hao pretended to reach for his bag.

"Hey! Don't move! Don't move!" Xu Rui quickly rushed over to protect his bag, his eyes darting around as he started to act spoiled.

"Haozi~ Brother Hao~ Good Brother Hao~ Look how hard I worked on the construction site before, please let me sleep by the window, I promise I won't snore!"

"You made the same promise last time, and it ended up being so noisy that it sounded like I was listening to a tractor all night long," Wu Hao bluntly exposed.

"That was an accident! Absolutely an accident! This time I slept on my side! I swear!" Xu Rui raised three fingers, looking sincere.

Seeing his expression, Wu Hao finally gave in and put his luggage next to the other bed: "Fine, fine, I'll let you have your way. Look at you, so pathetic. If you snore again tonight, I'll push you and your mattress to the balcony."

"Yay! Haozi, you're the best!" Xu Rui cheered immediately, his expression changing faster than flipping through a book. "Don't worry! I promise to be quiet!"

Meng Yihe, Cui Yu, and Cui Xuyue found their room and swiped their cards to enter. It was a standard resort hotel twin room, clean and tidy, with two single beds on either side of the wall, separated by a narrow aisle and a bedside table.

Cui Xuyue put down her small suitcase, curiously looked around the room layout, and then, as if she had suddenly thought of something important, turned around and said to Meng Yihe with a very serious expression, "Brother Meng, I have a question."

Cui Xuyue pointed to her brother Cui Yu, then to herself, and explained in a serious tone, "I'm an Omega, and my brother is an Alpha. Although we're brothers, it seems a little inappropriate for us to sleep in the same bed, doesn't it?"

As he spoke, his eyes held a mixture of expectation and caution as he tentatively asked.

"How about... Brother Meng, you and my brother share a bed? I'll sleep in a separate bed by myself?"

The room fell silent for a moment after he said that.

Upon hearing this, Cui Yu was taken aback for a moment, then chuckled. He reached out and ruffled his younger brother's hair: "You little rascal, what are you thinking about all day? Already arranging your brother's bed spot?"

He was relaxed and natural, completely taking it as his younger brother's naive and nonsensical suggestion.

Meng Yihe was taken aback by this straightforward and somewhat childish suggestion. He looked into Cui Xuyue's clear eyes and remained silent for a moment.

Ignoring other factors.

The child's argument about the "AO distinction" is indeed a reason that cannot be ignored. Although they are brothers, social conventions and the need to avoid suspicion do exist.

However, sharing a bed with Cui Yu?

Meng Yihe almost immediately rejected this option in his mind. The awkwardness and uncontrollable close contact it would bring made his heart race just thinking about it.

His face remained expressionless as he scanned the room, finally settling on the rather large single sofa against the wall.

"Need not."

Meng Yihe's voice regained its usual calm as she made her decision.

"You sleep in one bed, I'll sleep in this one."

He pointed to the bed by the window where he had put his luggage, then turned his gaze to Cui Yu, his tone leaving no room for negotiation.

"Director Cui, I'm sorry to trouble you, but you'll have to sleep on the sofa."