Chapter 24 "You're really free?"
Before Yu Xin could react, Hao Qisi pulled him to sit down in the living room and bombarded him with questions, such as where in Beicheng was fun, what young people liked to do on weekends, and which internet cafe had the fastest internet speed.
Yu Xin's head was spinning from the questions. He gave Shen Mengqing, the culprit, a cold look. Shen Mengqing quickly told him to get a glass of water to help him get away.
She took out the cup and rinsed it under the tap. Yu Xin, leaning casually against the table beside her, said, "Tour guide?"
Shen Mengqing gave a dry laugh and said, "It's just that I couldn't think of a way to introduce you right now."
To cover their voices, Shen Mengqing deliberately poured the water very slowly. She whispered, "So you came to find me?"
Yu Xin didn't answer her question, which had an obvious answer, but instead asked her, "Then how will you explain it when I leave?"
"Just say the deal fell through. I was planning to rent a car and take him around later anyway."
She had just finished pouring two glasses of water when she looked at Yu Xin and said, "You'd better leave now, or my brother will really kidnap you and make you a tour guide."
Yu Xin stood still and looked at her for a while, then left the kitchen and went out the door without looking to either side.
When Shen Mengqing came out with the water, Hao Qisi asked her in confusion, "Sister, why did the tour guide leave?"
“There are a lot of tourists lately, and someone offered him more money to leave. He’s not doing business with us anymore.” Shen Mengqing handed Hao Qisi a glass of water and said, “Let’s have a few sips of water and then head out.”
Hao Qisi clicked his tongue twice and said, "This guy is quite handsome, but I didn't expect him to be so greedy for money."
The two quickly packed their things and went out. As soon as they stepped out of the building, Hao Qisi keenly spotted Yu Xin leaning against the car, scrolling through her phone.
He quickly tugged at Shen Mengqing, winked at Yu Xin a few times, and whispered, "Sister, wait for me to go ask him."
Hao Qisi was like a black whirlwind; Shen Mengqing couldn't hold him back. He dashed over to Yu Xin's side in a flash, crossed his arms, and said, "Brother, did someone also ditch you?"
Yu Xin looked up: "?"
"Your fees are too high, so people probably don't want you anymore. That's why you shouldn't be looking for someone else for such a small amount. It's much better to do business with us." Hao Qisi sighed regretfully and said, "How about this, we'll stick to the price we agreed on, and you can continue being our tour guide, okay?"
Shen Mengqing pulled him away and whispered, "No need to look for him anymore. I've already arranged to rent a car. I'll show you around."
Hao Qisi replied, "Renting a car is expensive, and you'll have to drive for several days, which is exhausting! Besides, you're so busy with work, how would you know where the fun places are in Beicheng? I can tell from this guy's face that he must know a lot about having fun."
Shen Mengqing was speechless and was about to say a few more words of advice when a voice floated from behind him: "Okay."
"Brother, I knew you were good at business."
Hao Qisi clenched his fist and punched his chest, then quickly got into the back seat of Yu Xin's car.
Shen Mengqing thought Yu Xin was out of his mind. She walked up to him and said through gritted teeth in a low voice, "Are you bored?"
"Okay." Yu Xin put her phone back in her pocket and got into the car.
Hao Qisi rolled down the car window, pointed at the car at Shen Mengqing, and shouted loudly without any attempt to hide it from the owner, "Sis, holy crap, a Rolls-Royce!"
Shen Mengqing: "..."
She suddenly had a headache.
After getting into the car, Hao Qisi's head was pressed against the logo as he took selfies, the sound of which echoed five or six times per second. Shen Mengqing turned her head and glared at him, suppressing her anger as she said, "Stop taking pictures."
Hao Qisi scratched his head, put his phone on silent, and secretly took a few more photos in the background before posting one on his WeChat Moments.
He looked at the photos with satisfaction, put his phone down, grabbed the back of his seat and moved forward, saying to Yu Xin, "Brother, you're so rich, why are you working as a tour guide?"
Yu Xin didn't say anything, but Shen Mengqing could tell from his expression that he must have regretted saying "okay".
Hao Qisi didn't care about Yu Xin's indifferent attitude at all, and said to himself, "I understand. I've seen a lot of posts. You must be one of those local people who received compensation for their demolished houses. You have several houses that you rent out, and you come out to do some part-time jobs when you get bored."
"Sigh." Hao Qisi leaned back. "It's practically my ideal job after graduation."
Shen Mengqing's lips twitched slightly, and he said, "You should focus on your studies first. Our family doesn't have any houses to give you in compensation for demolishing."
Hao Qisi was right. Shen Mengqing really didn't know where to have fun in Beicheng. She searched for a bunch of travel guides online last night, but they were all about famous historical sites and snack streets. She just randomly arranged them and put them into her itinerary for the next few days.
It offers daytime attractions, nighttime night markets, and all kinds of entertainment.
That day, she had planned to visit an ancient palace ruin. The crowds at the end of August had not diminished, with tour groups coming and going shoulder to shoulder, interspersed with these three individual travelers.
After checking his ticket and entering, Hao Qisi excitedly began to explore. At first, he was looking forward to Yu Xin's explanation, but when he realized that Yu Xin was acting like a spoiled young master and completely ignoring him, he had no choice but to sneak off to the back of other tour groups and listen in on their guides' explanations.
Shen Mengqing was left behind by him, following closely behind Yu Xin.
"Hey." She walked up to him and stood beside him. "Are you any good tour guides? You don't give any explanations at all."
Yu Xin glanced at her sideways and said, "You really think I'm your tour guide?"
This is his first time here.
Just then, several children playing nearby were running around in the crowd and were about to bump into Shen Mengqing. Yu Xin reached out and grabbed her arm, pulling her to his side. Shen Mengqing's back pressed against his strong arm, avoiding the children's collision.
He quickly let go of her hand, letting Shen Mengqing walk to the side against the wall, and continued, "I have things to do for the next few days, so you'll still have to rent a car yourself."
"OK."
Shen Mengqing said.
After changing positions, Yu Xin separated them from the crowded people outside. Once outside, a cool breeze blew, and his fragrance wafted over. Shen Mengqing fell a few steps behind and looked at the back of his head.
The wound inflicted by his father had healed, leaving only a dark scar. Shen Mengqing subconsciously touched it with her index finger. After Yu Xin turned her head in confusion, she said:
"You can apply some scar medication."
Yu Xin said nonchalantly, "No need."
"Besides, I can't wipe it myself."
Since his parents divorced, he never told his family about any bumps or bruises he got as a child, let alone cried. To him, tears were the most useless thing. In front of Yu Mochen, he was always stubbornly trying to be strong. Back home, if Aunt Chen found any injuries on his body, she would grab him and force him to treat the wounds. Most of the time, he would just quietly wait for the blood to dry and the scabs to fall off.
Everything will be alright in the end.
Since he didn't care, Shen Mengqing didn't say anything more. She turned her head and saw that the exhibit in the glass case was a clay figurine that looked strange, with small eyes and thick lips.
She stopped, bent down to take a closer look, and said, suppressing a laugh, "Look, it looks exactly like you."
Yu Xin glanced at her, then leaned down and whispered in her ear, "If I looked like this, would you ask for my contact information at a convenience store?"
Shen Mengqing choked and said seriously, "I did that to pay you back. It's not good to owe money to a stranger."
"Yes, to pay off the debt."
Yu Xin, with a knowing look on his face, walked forward with his hands in his pockets.
Shen Mengqing sensed that he was being ungrateful again, so she followed him a few steps and deliberately argued, "So what if I want his contact information? You'll delete him as a friend anyway."
This remark successfully retaliated against him. Yu Xin remained silent for a moment before saying, "I deleted Zhu Shaoming's cousin."
His tone was exceptionally serious, which made Shen Mengqing feel elated. Standing in this ancient palace, he had the illusion that he had become the emperor and that Yu Xin had come to show his loyalty.
"Oh." Shen Mengqing suppressed a smile.
Walking into a relatively quiet corridor, Hao Qisi had long since disappeared. Shen Mengqing wasn't too worried, since there was a phone, and the young man could go have fun on his own.
The corridor was cool and comfortable, much more so than other places. Shen Mengqing leaned against a vermilion pillar, rubbing her slightly sore calves. Yu Xin stood opposite her, leaning against the railing, looking down at her phone screen, her finger occasionally swiping.
She made conversation by asking him, "What are you doing in a few days?"
Yu Xin gave an ambiguous answer: "It's a family matter."
She then asked, "How is your father's health?"
"I'm feeling much better."
The two exchanged a few questions and answers, but Shen Mengqing couldn't think of any new topics, and the atmosphere quickly became quiet.
From the day they agreed to this relationship, they seemed to have reached a tacit understanding that they would not overly interfere in each other's real lives.
When we met, we did what we were supposed to do. On days when we didn't meet, we never sent each other any inappropriate messages. Now that I think about it, it seems we weren't even friends. At least friends would often ask how I was doing and share happy or troublesome things in life.
However, in some ways, they went beyond friends and became much closer, driven by a subconscious sense of familiarity.
She knew that when Yu Xin was feeling down, she would unconsciously rub the second knuckle of her index finger. Yu Xin could always sense her moments of despair and catch her as she fell without saying a word.
Even in those fleeting moments of attraction, she could comfort herself by telling herself that their relationship naturally generated a lot of hormones, and it was just hormones working their magic.
As long as she doesn't think about the ending, and as long as no one breaks the balance, she can happily spend every day maintaining this relationship.
However, Shen Mengqing suddenly remembered Yu Xin's excessive concern for Li Qinghe, and she seemed a little unsure about some of Yu Xin's actions lately.
Hao Qisi's sudden appearance brought her thoughts of running away back to reality. He held up a handful of pendants and said, "Sis, I bought some souvenirs to give to my roommates when school starts. I bought some for you two too."
He spread out what he was holding: various sachets and pendants with auspicious blessings written on them. Shen Mengqing casually picked one with a refreshing color. When she turned her head and saw that Yu Xin didn't seem to want to choose one, she picked a pendant with the words "Peace and Health" written on it and stuffed it straight into his hand.
Hao Qisi noticed his sister's little actions and was surprised that the two of them had become so familiar after only one morning of shopping.
He took out his phone and said to Yu Xin, "Hey bro, let's add each other on WeChat. I'll call you next time I need a tour guide job."
Shen Mengqing's face darkened, and she spoke up to refuse on Yu Xin's behalf, saying, "No need to add him, just tell me and I'll help you find him..."
Before she could finish her sentence, Yu Xin casually pulled out her phone.
With a beep, Hao Qisi said, "It's being scanned."
Shen Mengqing looked at Yu Xin with questioning eyes, wondering what he was up to.
She was still a little annoyed, though she didn't know where the annoyance came from. She had gone to great lengths to get his contact information at the convenience store, but Hao Qisi had just casually added her as a friend. Was he so casual about adding people as friends these days?!
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Author's note: This family would fall apart without my cousin (x)
Let's wait and see how valuable this statement really is. [shy]
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