Sunset Rose
Back at the travel agency, Sang Qi went straight to her room to take a shower.
Sang Qi felt uncomfortable even though she was sweating profusely while eating, despite it being autumn and the nights being cool and the broth not being as sticky as in summer.
After taking a shower, Sang Qi felt much more comfortable.
She casually dried her hair and then lay down on the bed to scroll through her phone.
She doesn't have many friends, and whenever she opens her phone, she browses some unimportant web pages.
The room was silent until suddenly there was a knock on the door, which startled Sang Qi.
She must be Lu Min, because no one else would bother her so often.
Sang Qi reluctantly went to open the door, and sure enough, she saw Lu Min, a tall man, standing in front of her like a mountain.
Just as Sang Qi was about to lash out, Lu Min handed her the hair dryer.
Sang Qi was stunned, somewhat puzzled.
"Dry your hair before going to sleep, otherwise you'll get a headache."
"..."
Sang Qi took the hair dryer, her previous irritability instantly subsiding. Before she could even say thank you, Lu Min handed her a bag.
"Xiangyunzhai's flower cakes are very good, you should try them."
"this……"
"I just went out to buy cigarettes, and I bought these on the way here. I'll give them a try."
"Thank you." Sang Qi took the flower cake and said thank you.
Lu Min smiled and said, "You thanked me a lot tonight."
"..."
"Let's go, get some rest."
Lu Min waved his hand and walked away unsteadily.
Sang Qi closed the door and stared blankly at the hairdryer and flower cakes in her hand, feeling somewhat confused.
Lu Min is a really annoying person. He always gives off a malicious vibe, but sometimes he can do things that surprise people.
For example, wontons, hair dryers, flower cakes...
Indeed, human nature is complex, and one cannot judge a person in a single way.
………
The next day was a clear autumn day, with a crisp, refreshing breeze.
Sang Qi got up early and went for a morning run in a nearby park.
She used to go for a morning run when she was in school, but she hasn't done it in a long time. She ran a few laps today and was a little out of breath.
After working up a light sweat, Sang Qi took a shower when she got back, and only went downstairs to have breakfast after showering.
As soon as he came downstairs, he saw A-Yu returning from outside. After greeting Sang Qi, he heard cooking sounds coming from the kitchen and couldn't help but ask, "Didn't Chef Li take leave? When did he come back?"
As they were talking, A-Yu walked toward the kitchen, and Sang Qi couldn't help but follow him with her eyes.
All that was heard from Ayu was, "Holy crap!"
Sang Qi became even more curious.
"Brother Min, you actually went into the kitchen to make breakfast! That's rare!" A-Yu's tone was extremely exaggerated.
"Get out of my way, don't bother me." That was Lu Min's cursing voice.
“Something is definitely amiss…” A-Yu persisted.
Lu Min did not respond.
Just then, Lu Min came out carrying a clay pot. The pot was uncovered, and steam was billowing out.
Lu Min came out of the kitchen carrying a clay pot and saw Sang Qi standing not far away. Their eyes met and their gazes unconsciously locked.
Sang Qi looked at Lu Min and saw him smoothing his sleeve, revealing half of his bulging veins and strong, powerful hands. He was wearing a pink apron with an adorable Hello Kitty pattern on it.
The contrast between the 188cm tall, dark-skinned, rough-looking man and the girlish apron is striking.
Sang Qi had to admit that she couldn't help but laugh.
"What are you laughing at?" Lu Min snapped at Sang Qi. Sang Qi's laughter puzzled Lu Min, but he quickly realized it was his apron.
Lu Min frowned: "Stop laughing, wash your hands and come eat breakfast."
Sang Qi remained unfazed by the scolding, maintaining a relaxed smile and appearing to be in a good mood.
In fact, she was in a really good mood today.
The reason was nothing more than Lu Min's apron.
Lu Min cooked a pot of Cantonese-style congee. The cooked congee was sprinkled with chopped green onions, which not only looked good, but the combination of the aroma of green onions and the taste of the congee made it even more mouthwatering.
"Wow, Min-ge, I didn't know you had some skills!" A-Yu praised Lu Min while scooping porridge from a bowl.
Lu Min nudged A Yu with his elbow: "What's your hurry? Our big client, Miss Sang, hasn't eaten yet."
"Yes, yes, yes." Ayu quickly and respectfully handed the bowl he had scooped out to Sang Qi.
"Thanks."
"Brother Min, why did you suddenly start cooking today?" Ayu still had doubts about Lu Min's behavior this morning.
"I got up early, I'm bored, okay?" Lu Min didn't want to talk to him anymore.
Ah Yu clicked his tongue and shook his head: "There must be a problem."
As he spoke, A-Yu glanced at Sang Qi and suddenly looked as if he had just realized something.
He leaned close to Lu Min's ear and said, "Miss Sang doesn't like takeout food, so you personally cooked for her to take care of her, didn't you?"
Upon hearing Sang Qi choke, Lu Min and A Yu both looked at Sang Qi simultaneously.
Sang Qi looked at them blankly, like an innocent little rabbit.
Although Ayu whispered it, Sang Qi heard it completely, which caused her to choke on her porridge.
It's not that A-Yu's voice wasn't quiet enough; it's just that Sang Qi's ears were too sharp.
"Why are you being so nosy, kid?" Lu Min withdrew his gaze, glanced at A Yu indifferently, his face stern, as if he might give A Yu a good beating at any moment.
“I didn’t say anything wrong. Before, everyone complained that the boxed lunches were too bad, and you just told us to take it or leave it. Yesterday, Miss Sang didn’t eat, and today you personally cooked for her. It’s such obvious discrimination,” Ayu said, feeling wronged.
Sang Qi choked again, her little face turning red.
"This shouldn't have anything to do with me, don't drag me into it."
No sooner had Sang Qi finished speaking than Lu Min said with a grin, "Miss Sang is one of our big clients. Is it wrong for me to cook for her and please our client a little?"
"No problem, no problem. Of course, it's okay to please customers, but it's best to just please customers." Ayu said meaningfully.
Without saying a word, Lu Min slapped A Yu on the head.
Sang Qi saw this and felt both embarrassed and speechless.
At lunchtime, Lu Min was still cooking, wearing a pink apron.
Sang Qi thought Lu Min had only made breakfast, but she didn't expect him to take care of all three of her meals for the day.
Lu Min cooked for two days in a row, and Sang Qi couldn't stand it anymore, so she went to see Lu Min in private.
"Don't do that, it's kind of awkward," Sang Qi said bluntly.
Lu Min chuckled: "You're a big client, I have to please you."
Sang Qi chuckled coldly: "If you want to please me, just do the three things I told you to do."
"Three points? What three points?" Lu Min's brain short-circuited.
"Didn't we agree on this?"
Lu Min thought for a moment, then suddenly said, "I remember now. It's these three things: I can't swear in front of you, I can't smoke in front of you, and I have to be available whenever you call.
Sang Qi nodded in satisfaction: "Not bad, you've already pleased me by doing these three things well."
"Okay, I'll listen to you. You're good-looking, so whatever you say is right."
"..."
"By the way, when will the car be fixed? When will my trip start? They said it would be fixed in two days, but it's been three days already."
Sang Qi had already stayed at the travel agency for three days, and she didn't want to stay any longer; she was feeling suffocated.
Lu Min clicked his tongue: "Well... it should be soon."
"When is 'soon'?" Sang Qi crossed her arms and looked at Lu Min, waiting for him to give her a satisfactory answer.
"We can set off as early as tomorrow morning," Lu Min said.
"Really?" Sang Qi was skeptical.
"I promise, please believe me."
"Okay, I hope we can set off tomorrow," Sang Qi said with a smile.
“There’s one more thing.” Sang Qi, who had just turned to leave, turned back. “Where is Xiangyunzhai? I’d like to buy some flower cakes to eat on the way.”
Lu Min exclaimed, "Xiangyunzhai is a bit far; I'm afraid you'll get lost."
“You…” Sang Qi was speechless with anger.
"Let me go buy it for you."
"..."
Wait a minute, when Lu Min gave her the Xiangyunzhai flower cakes last time, he said he bought them on the way to buy cigarettes. Why would he go all that way to buy cigarettes?
Could it be that Lu Min went out of his way to buy her flower cakes just to please her?
It seems that Lu Min really went to great lengths to gain the approval of his clients.
…………
That night.
It was already late at night, but Sang Qi still couldn't fall asleep.
She rolled over, took out her phone, and glanced at the time; it was past 2 a.m.
Sang Qi was wide awake, so she turned on the bedside lamp and sat up in bed.
I was scrolling through my phone aimlessly, but after just a few minutes my eyes started to feel uncomfortable.
She got out of bed, put on a coat, and decided to go out into the yard for some fresh air.
The night was deep and the dew was heavy. It was chilly outside, ten degrees lower than during the day, and the occasional night breeze felt like a fierce winter wind.
As soon as Sang Qi reached the courtyard gate, he heard voices and then smelled the lingering scent of tobacco.
She frowned, thinking to herself, "Who's up in the middle of the night?"
Just then, I saw Lu Min smoking and making a phone call in the yard.
"You fucking have to stay up all night to fix this car for me."
"I don't have time to wait, hurry up, if you have time to talk nonsense, you should have fixed it already."
"I'll go pick up the car first thing tomorrow morning, it's settled then."
After hanging up the phone, Lu Min continued to smoke the half-burnt cigarette between his fingers.
"Why aren't you asleep yet?" Lu Min suddenly looked over and spoke.
Sang Qi intended to return to her room quietly, but she was still discovered.
"I can't sleep," Sang Qi said.
"Did my phone call disturb you?" Lu Min immediately apologized.
"No, I just can't sleep."
"The journey starts tomorrow, how can you enjoy yourself if you don't get enough sleep?" Lu Min joked.
Sang Qi smiled and said, "I probably won't be able to leave tomorrow. I just heard you on the phone."
"Don't worry, I'll definitely be able to leave tomorrow." Lu Min took his last breath and flicked the cigarette butt into a nearby trash can.
Sang Qi paused for a moment: "If it can't be fixed by tomorrow, I don't mind waiting two more days."
Lu Min smiled but didn't say anything.
Sang Qi emphasized, "Did you hear me?"
"I understand." Lu Min raised his chin. "Stop talking nonsense and go back to sleep."
"..."
………
Sang Qi was woken up early in the morning by the noise from downstairs.
Sang Qi gradually fell into a deep sleep around 4 a.m., but was woken up by noise around 7 a.m.
"Has the car been repaired?" This was Sang Qi's immediate reaction.
Without thinking too much, she got out of bed and ran to brush her teeth and wash her face, taking quite a while to get herself ready.
As soon as I went downstairs, I saw a car parked in front of the travel agency. Ayu was talking to two girls, and they were talking very loudly. It was they who woke up Sang Qi.
When Ayu saw Sang Qi, he greeted her very warmly, and Sang Qi responded with a smile.
Ayu pointed to the dark black ORV parked at the entrance and said, "Miss Sang, the car has been repaired."
Sang Qi walked up to the car and glanced at it. The car looked brand new in the sun, probably because it had been repaired and washed.
"You're up?"
Sang Qi heard Lu Min's voice from behind. She turned around and saw Lu Min carrying a whole case of mineral water.
He held his arms up with both hands, his arm muscles tense and taut, showing that his muscles were very strong and powerful.
Lu Min effortlessly carried the entire case of water to the trunk and patted the dust off his hands.
Sang Qi looked at him: "The car is fixed, so we can leave today?"
“That’s right.” He said with a smug look on his face.
"Then why didn't you wake me up?" Sang Qi said. "If I hadn't been woken up, I could have slept until the afternoon."
Lu Min smiled and said, "You had insomnia last night, so you'll be tired even if you get up early. Why don't you sleep until you wake up naturally and get some rest before you set off?"
Sang Qi wanted to refute him, but couldn't find a reason. After thinking about it carefully, she realized that what Lu Min said made a lot of sense.
Seeing that Sang Qi had nothing to say, Lu Min couldn't help but smile and then said, "Since you're up, go have some breakfast and get ready to leave."
"oh."
As soon as Sang Qi responded, A Yu said with a grin, "Brother Min made noodle soup for breakfast today. It's so delicious. Miss Sang, you should eat more. Once you leave, we'll never have the chance to eat Brother Min's cooking again."
As soon as Ayu finished speaking, he let out a loud howl.
Lu Min bumped A Yu's chest with his elbow.
Sang Qi ignored them and went straight into the house.
………
After a quick breakfast, Sang Qi went back to her room to bring her luggage down.
She entered the room, leaving the door half-open. Just as she bent down to get her backpack, Lu Min walked in without knocking.
Before Sang Qi could finish speaking, Lu Min lifted her heavy suitcase with one hand.
"Besides this, is there anything else?" Lu Min asked.
Sang Qi paused for a moment, then silently shook his head.
Lu Min hummed in agreement, picked up his suitcase, and walked out.
………
After placing all the necessary items in the trunk, Lu Min finally put on a large suitcase and closed the trunk door once everything was in place.
After closing the door, I turned around and saw Sang Qi standing to one side with a travel bag slung over one shoulder.
Lu Min stepped off the stage and said, "Get in the car."
After saying that, Lu Min opened the back door himself and casually tossed the travel bag from Sang Qi's shoulder into the second row.
Sang Qi said thank you and sat down in the back row.
The interior is spacious and flexible, with seating and reclining options, featuring genuine leather upholstery and soft, comfortable seats.
After Sang Qi settled down, Lu Min also sat in the driver's seat. He briefly said goodbye to his colleagues from the travel agency and drove onto the highway, following the flow of traffic.
The autumn air was cool, and the car's air conditioning wasn't on, but a window was slightly open for ventilation.
A chilly autumn wind drifted in through the window, making Sang Qi feel comfortably drowsy.
I was already sleep-deprived, and this breeze almost made me fall asleep.
The journey from Lijiang Old Town to Jade Dragon Snow Mountain takes less than half an hour, and the two places are about 20 kilometers apart. If you fall asleep, you have to get up again in a little while, which is too torturous. So Sang Qi kept pushing himself.
Because the two places are close and there is plenty of time, Lu Min drove relatively slowly, as if leisurely enjoying the scenery along the way.
"What do you do for a living?" Lu Min suddenly struck up a conversation.
Sang Qi, feeling sleepy, didn't want to answer him, but then he said, "Sang Qi, we have a long way to go together. If you keep ignoring me like this and we don't talk to each other, it'll be so boring."
Lu Min was telling the truth.
"I just graduated this year and I don't have a job yet," Sang Qi replied perfunctorily.
"University?"
"……postgraduate."
Which school?
"University of Zurich..."
"Never heard of it, is it from China?"
Sang Qi was a little impatient, but he held back and said calmly, "Switzerland."
Where is Switzerland?
"...Nordic Europe".
"Studied abroad?"
"Otherwise what..."
"..."
The conversation was stiff and uninteresting.
Finally, Lu Min gave an embarrassed smile and said, "I'm not well-educated, please don't take offense."
"..."
Sang Qi didn't say anything more.
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