Once on the plane, Ling Ruoke noticed that Xu An was to her left and Zhuang Yuqi was to her right.
Without a second thought, Zhuang Yuqi asked her mother to switch seats with her. Her gaze towards Xu An was extremely unfriendly.
Because the airplane was so noisy, there wasn't much conversation along the way. It was just Zhuang Yuqi and Xu An who were exchanging sharp glances, each disliking the other.
By the time they arrived in Guilin, it was already past midnight. One by one, they got off the plane, yawning.
Ling Ruoke and Zhuang Yuqi walked hand in hand in front, with Mei Yanting following behind, and Xu An behind her.
Ling Ruoke was chatting with Zhuang Yuqi when she suddenly heard someone call her name. She instinctively turned around but didn't see anyone. Only Xu An looked at her and gave an awkward smile.
Ling Ruoke wasn't sure if she had misheard, and felt a little uneasy. However, after settling into the hotel, she didn't find anyone suspicious. Gradually, she relaxed.
Upon arriving at the hotel, rooms were quickly assigned, with Ling Ruoke and her son sharing one.
While Ruoke was taking a bath, little Zhuang Yuqi quickly took out his phone and dialed the commander. "Commander, I've discovered an annoying man who's after Mommy..."
Over there, Zhuang Yicheng was woken up in the middle of the night by his son's incessant chatter, and he felt a headache coming on. This kid has absolutely no sense of time when he's traveling. And besides, he seems to find men making advances towards his mother almost every day—he really seems to enjoy it!
...
After all that commotion until midnight, everyone was exhausted. After showering and climbing into bed, they fell asleep almost immediately.
Little Zhuang Yuqi didn't want to sleep alone and insisted on squeezing into her bed. Ruoke was too tired to argue with him, so she had to let him be. And so, little Zhuang Yuqi nestled in his mother's arms and slept soundly.
The itinerary for the second day was a cruise on the Li River in the morning and a bicycle tour in the afternoon.
Y City is a place with beautiful mountains and clear waters. However, the mountains in Guilin are truly unique in shape, unlike anything you can see elsewhere, so everyone discussed them with great interest and took one photo after another.
Mei Yanting and Xu An were mostly with Ling Ruoke and her son, so the photos only showed the three of them. Zhuang Yuqi was very unhappy about this, but since his mother had already told him off, he couldn't show it.
"No wonder everyone says Guilin's scenery is the best under heaven, it really lives up to its name!" Mei Yanting held a 20-yuan banknote in her hand, comparing the picture on it with the mountain peaks in front of her, marveling at the wonders of nature.
Some people heard the tour guide say that the place was where the shepherdess appeared in the movie "Shaolin Temple." Teacher Tong, with her exceptionally beautiful voice, then sang a shepherdess song, stunning everyone. Tourists from other groups stopped to listen, and afterwards, they kept applauding and asking for an encore.
"Xu An, what's wrong?" Mei Yanting stopped and pinched Xu An's face. She had always felt that he seemed a little strange, as if he was in a bad mood. "We're on vacation, and you're still in a bad mood?"
Xu An smiled, took her hand, and held it in his. "No, I just feel like I've seen Sister Ximeng somewhere before. I think and think, but I just can't remember."
"You're crazy!" Mei Yanting smacked him. "You can still manage a miserable face over something like this? I'm truly impressed!"
"No, I really feel like I know her. Sister Ximeng, is her name really Hua Ximeng?" Xu An looked at the mother and son playing in the distance and narrowed his eyes slightly.
Mei Yanting abruptly turned his head back. "Comrade Xu An, don't tell me you used to have a crush on Sister Xi Meng?"
"You're crazy!" Xu An grabbed her hand, both amused and exasperated. "She looks so much like my classmate, so I always felt that her name shouldn't be Hua Ximeng."
"What else could she be called but Hua Ximeng? It's clearly written on her ID card. Besides, Sister Ximeng is just an ordinary person. Could she be so capable as to change her identity?" Changing a name isn't difficult, but changing one's identity is something that not everyone can do.
"That's hard to say. Look at her, she's from out of town, and she got a teaching position at your school so easily. Maybe she has some powerful connections." Xu An put his arm around her waist.
Mei Yanting pouted. "That's because she's well-educated. She's a graduate of a top university; she's more than qualified to be a primary school teacher. How could the principal refuse?"
Xu An tightened his grip on Mei Yanting's waist and hurriedly asked, "So impressive, which university do you attend?"
"University A, isn't that amazing?"
Xu An froze, staring at the figure in the distance, a flicker of something passing through his eyes. "Truly impressive, even the principal would beg for that."
"That's right. Let's go find Sister Ximeng to play!"
"..."
In the following period, Xu An seemed to return to normal all at once, becoming a lively young man who always brought joy to everyone with his humorous words.
In the afternoon, Ling Ruoke was worried about the little one riding a bicycle, so she asked for a tandem bicycle.
Zhuang Yuqi wholeheartedly supported her decision, cheering her on. He requested to sit in the back seat, just like he used to see his mother taking him to school on a bicycle. He thoroughly enjoyed this game of being carried around on a bicycle by his mother.
Since her injury, Ling Ruoke's health had been poor. Coupled with her heavy heart, her body was rather weak. She had to stop and rest after only a short while.
"Sister Ximeng, are you alright?" Xu An, who had caught up from behind, stopped and asked with concern.
Ling Ruoke shook her head, slightly out of breath. "I'm fine. Isn't Yanting with you?"
"I pedaled a bit, then realized there was something wrong with the bike, so I went back to change it. Tingting had already pedaled ahead; she always goes crazy when she's playing." Xu An spread his hands, looking quite helpless.
Ling Ruoke smiled. "Then you should hurry up and catch up with the main group. I'll be fine after a rest." She was still a little out of breath; her health was indeed too poor.
Xu An remained standing to the side, waiting for them. "I'll wait for you. Although the security here should be pretty good, it's always better to be cautious."
"Thank you." Ling Ruoke didn't know what else to say. She walked around gently in place, stretching her slightly sore legs.
"By the way, I heard from Tingting that Sister Ximeng is a top student at A University," Xu An said, taking a sip of water with an admiring look on his face.
Ling Ruoke smiled slightly. Zhuang Yicheng had only changed her identity; her academic background remained the same. After all, A University was a prestigious institution with a large student body, so it wasn't surprising that she was from A University.
"Mom, can we go now?" Zhuang Yuqi pouted and urged his mother to leave. No matter what, he just didn't like this person.
Ling Ruoke had no choice but to get on the bicycle. "Let's go, hurry up and get on."
For the rest of the journey, Xu An stayed by their side, asking questions from time to time. They weren't particularly personal; they were just chatting.
Zhuang Yuqi sat in the back, fuming the whole way. His big eyes glared at Xu An, as if he wanted to pierce him with their fury. He secretly resolved that when they got back, he would definitely get the commander to execute this guy!
Xu An, however, didn't care about his gaze at all and continued chatting happily with Ruo Ke. He was already quite knowledgeable, so the topics he discussed were not boring.
"Sister Ximeng, do you read novels? My Tingting is obsessed with novels, and she often cries her eyes out while reading them. If you tell her not to read them, she won't listen. I don't know what to say to her." Xu An thought of another headache, and her brows furrowed.
Because the latter half of the road was downhill, Ling Ruoke finally had the strength to reply. "Actually, having a hobby is good. You can read novels in your spare time, at least you won't be bored. I read them occasionally, but not many. Online novels are popular now, but there aren't many good ones, so I don't read them much."
Now she spends all her free time writing novels and reads even less. But she is often moved to tears by her own emotions and her own words, which is not far from Mei Yanting's situation.
"That's true. I told her, 'You've read so much, you should at least learn something and write a book for me to see.' She actually tried, and the result was just like that skit by Zhao Benshan—she managed to squeeze out six words in a month!" Xu An seemed to recall the scene at the time, and laughed heartily.
Zhuang Yuqi curled his lip and muttered under his breath, "Hypocritical!"
I don't know if Xu An heard it or not, but he didn't react at all and still smiled, showing off his white teeth.
Ling Ruoke turned around and glared at the little guy. Although she didn't particularly like Xu An either, the little guy was being too obvious, making things difficult for him at every turn.
They cycled back in the afternoon, and there were no activities planned for the evening; they were on their own. Even if the tour guide had made arrangements, they wouldn't have had the energy to participate.
Since we were staying in Yangshuo, our evening activities naturally included going to bars. The bars on West Street were quite famous.
Everyone agreed without question that they would go to a bar that night. The bar they chose was called "Base Bar," recommended by many friends who had visited Guilin.
The Base Bar has a retro feel, with walls covered in propaganda posters from the 1960s and 70s, and the windows displaying the owner's collection of quotations and badges. It's a great bar, currently the only one on West Street that retains its original character. Inside, you can enjoy live music, and outside, you can soak up the bustling nightlife of West Street – very comfortable.
Ling Ruoke had to give up the opportunity because she was traveling with a child. Besides, she genuinely didn't like that kind of place. She rarely even drank beer, so she naturally had no interest in drinking alcohol.
After dinner and showers, everyone noisily and in groups went out to the bar.
The mother and son held hands and went for a stroll. The streets of Yangshuo mainly sell so-called "local specialties," but upon closer inspection, it becomes clear that many of these items can also be found in other tourist areas. So they simply looked around, not intending to buy anything, just enjoying the atmosphere.
The mother and son lingered for a while at a place where they could create artwork on t-shirts. Little Zhuang Yuqi had asked for a t-shirt with Ling Ruoke's portrait drawn on it. The head was drawn realistically, while the body was cartoonish, which was quite cute.
"I'm going to give this to the leader as a gift; he'll definitely like it!" Zhuang Yuqi said smugly as he squeezed through the crowd.
Ling Ruoke raised her hand and gave him a flick on the forehead. "Give this to me, and we'll buy something else better for the commander."
"No, I want this!" He wanted the commander to look at his mother's photo every day; that way, he'd like her more and more, and become more and more anxious, and then he'd find a way to marry her. The commander was moving too slowly; he couldn't stand it anymore!
Ling Ruoke tried to talk to him for a long time, but still couldn't persuade the child. In front of her, the child folded his t-shirt and put it into his crossbody bag, patted it with his hand, and glanced at her.
"Disobedient brat!" I bent down and gave him a slap on the bottom.
The little boy covered his bottom and ran forward. After running a short distance, he turned back and waved to her, calling out, "Mommy, hurry up!"
Later, the two of them held hands and went to the riverbank. There were quite a few people strolling along the river, mostly couples, holding hands or embracing. A gentle river breeze blew, slightly cool but very comfortable.
"Mommy, let's come again with the commander next time, okay?" Little Zhuang Yuqi asked, her big eyes sparkling with hope as she watched a family of three pass by.
Ling Ruoke saw through the child's thoughts, but she didn't want to explain the issue of feelings to the child, so she asked, "We've already come once, it's not interesting to come again."
"Then let's go somewhere else, just the three of us, not with a lot of people, okay?" He had no objection as long as the three of them went on a trip, even if it was just to the suburbs of Y City.
Ling Ruoke ruffled his hair. "We haven't even gone back yet, and you're already thinking about the next trip."
"Of course, the commander said that we must have a plan when doing things!" Zhuang Yuqi proudly raised his chin, pursed his lips and glanced at his eyes.
Ling Ruoke was amused by his serious expression and gave him a light tap on the forehead. "If the commander knew you were so obedient, he would be very happy."
Zhuang Yuqi chuckled foolishly and raised his other hand to rub her. He took it as his mother agreeing, and planned to go back and tell his superior so that the superior could quickly take his mother on a trip.
The two of them played until about nine o'clock, then went home. They were quite tired after playing all day.
Back at the hotel, she saw Xu An leaning against the door of the next room, smoking. "Sister Ximeng, you're back."
"You're back so early too?" Ling Ruoke nodded with a smile.
They had just entered the room when Xu An and Mei Yanting came in. Mei Yanting plopped down on the bed. Xu An looked around the room, then pulled up a stool and sat down at the table.
"Why are you sitting so far away?" Mei Yanting asked him, looking at him with some curiosity.
Xu An smiled. "That bed is too soft, and you can't lean against it. A chair is more comfortable."
Mei Yanting pouted. "You're so demanding."
"So, how was the bar?" Ling Ruoke washed a few apples and gave one to each person. She sat down next to Zhuang Yuqi, but the little boy's hostility towards Xu An hadn't diminished.
Mei Yanting shook her head. "It's alright. But it's nothing special, I didn't find it particularly fun. In the end, it's just a place with a good atmosphere for drinking."
"Bars are places for drinking, after all," Ling Ruoke chuckled. Did she expect flowers to grow in bars?
Xu An quickly replied, "That's right. A bar, as the name suggests, is a place to drink. As long as the atmosphere is good and the drinks are good, it's not bad."
Mei Yanting stuck out her tongue, made a face, and crunched on her apple. "Sister Ximeng, where did you guys go?"
"Just stroll around the streets and take a walk along the river."
The group chatted casually. On the way, Xu An went out and bought a pack of cigarettes. He also bought a deck of cards. However, they only played a few rounds before getting tired and going back to sleep.
Zhuang Yuqi took a bath early as usual and claimed his mother's bed. He was so tired that he fell asleep as soon as he lay down.
When Ling Ruoke came out of the bathroom, she saw him sprawled out, fast asleep. She smiled helplessly and covered him with the blanket. The little boy seemed annoyed by her interruption, smacked his lips, and pulled the blanket over his head.
The hotel bed was really small, so since the child was asleep, Ling Ruoke went to sleep on another bed.
I closed my eyes and soon drifted off to sleep. I usually have a hard time falling asleep, but I was so tired today that I fell asleep very quickly.
In her dream, Ling Ruoke felt something disturbing her sleep. Subconsciously, she sensed something was wrong and tried to open her eyes. But in the dream world, it seemed as if a large hand was tightly gripping her, preventing her from returning to reality.
Ling Ruoke struggled, struggled, and then realized something was wrong—someone was on top of her! She screamed in fright, but found that she could only make muffled sounds because her mouth was stuffed with cloth. She struggled and found that her hands were tied, and her legs were spread apart and tied to the bed rails on both sides.
Ling Ruoke was terrified. She shook her head from side to side, trying to make a sound, but the man held her down tightly, his hands groping her.
When Ling Ruoke realized that her pajama bottoms had been taken off and her underwear was hanging on one leg, she was terrified and tears streamed down her face. No, she didn't want that! She cried out silently, in despair.
Help!
...
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