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Psst! We're moving!
Shen Yihuan and Qiu Ruru walked in, chatting.
For some reason, Lu Zhou and Gu Minghui both fell silent, no longer continuing their previous conversation.
The previously tense atmosphere inexplicably eased, like a breath caught in the throat, neither exhaled nor swallowed.
Lu Zhou and Gu Minghui both drove, splitting into two cars, heading towards the hotel one after the other.
As luck would have it, this hotel had an exceptionally large number of tourists, and only three rooms were left.
Qiu Ruru stood at the counter. The front desk lady said there were only two single rooms. Upon hearing this, Qiu Ruru didn’t mind: “Are there any king rooms left?”
“Yes, there are.”
Qiu Ruru: “Then two single rooms and one king room.”
Shen Yihuan: “...”
Gu Minghui: “...”
Lu Zhou merely raised an eyebrow calmly, accepting the arrangement.
The front desk staff said, “Okay, please give me your IDs.”
Lu Zhou took out his ID from his wallet, then took Shen Yihuan’s from her hand.
The man stood at the hotel lobby’s reception desk, calmly pushing over both IDs, explaining that these two IDs were for one king-sized bed room. His voice was deep and hoarse, with a heavy nasal tone, like he had a cold, or was tired.
The king room and standard rooms were not on the same floor. After Gu Minghui and Qiu Ruru exited the elevator, only the two of them remained.
The corridor was carpeted, soft and silent underfoot. Only the sounds of laughter and the TV from rooms, through poorly soundproofed doors, could be heard.
Lu Zhou walked in front, broad-shouldered and narrow-waisted, dressed in white and black, with a belt accentuating his incredibly sexy waist. Part of his shirt was tucked into his waistband.
Meanwhile, Shen Yihuan, in her black dress, though naturally tall, was completely enveloped in his shadow as she followed behind him.
Lu Zhou took out the room card and opened the door. When inserted, the lights came on brightly, much brighter than the dim light of the corridor, dispelling much of the ambiguous atmosphere.
Shen Yihuan breathed a sigh of relief.
Lu Zhou put down his backpack, which contained some essential items, as well as Shen Yihuan’s camera.
“You go shower first?” Lu Zhou asked.
Shen Yihuan didn’t know why she was so nervous.
As a result, all the details of their first time in a hotel room together flooded her mind, piecing together a very alluring image that easily plunged her thoughts into a “lewd” abyss.
However, their first experience wasn’t a pleasant memory for Shen Yihuan.
That time, Lu Zhou... was too fierce.
Shen Yihuan swallowed, and said: “You go first.”
The sound of water in the bathroom quickly started. Shen Yihuan took out the bag containing her change of clothes from his bag.
Then she lifted the quilt and burrowed in, wrapping herself tightly.
But soon she had to reach out again. Her phone rang; it was a message from Qiu Ruru.
Ruru Ball: Baby, hope I didn’t interrupt your romantic time [grinning face], aren’t you grateful for my arrangement?
Cherry: Go die!
Ruru Ball: ???
Ruru Ball: Tomorrow, let’s go to Kumtag Desert. I saw so many beautiful photos of people there.
Ruru Ball: Ask Lu Zhou for directions later.
Cherry: I also wanted to go there after seeing the photos.
Cherry: I’ll ask him later, he should know.
The bathroom door made two sounds, and Lu Zhou walked out.
He had washed his hair too; it was wet. He had changed into a loose T-shirt, but his pants were still the same ones from before, unbelted, hanging low on his hips, revealing a small part of the half-row of letters on his underwear waistband.
A deep line of collarbones, still dripping water.
Damn it...
What kind of criminal temptation is this...
Shen Yihuan coughed twice, averted her gaze, and continued staring at her phone: “Ruru said she wants to go to Kumtag Desert tomorrow. Do you know how to get there?”
Lu Zhou said: “It’s not far from here, about two hours drive.”
Shen Yihuan said: “Then let’s go there tomorrow?”
Lu Zhou “mm-hmm”ed.
He casually ran his hands through his hair twice. His crew cut didn’t even need to be blow-dried; a gust of wind would dry it.
He placed the towel on the table and walked to the other side of the bed.
The bed sagged as Lu Zhou lifted the covers and sat down. The scent of the hotel’s shower gel mixed with Shen Yihuan’s familiar scent, invading her senses aggressively.
“I, I’m going to take a shower,” Shen Yihuan quickly said, getting up from the bed.
She fled into the bathroom, clutching her clothes.
Having just showered, the bathroom was still steamy, the mirror foggy around the edges, but the center was wiped clean.
Showering, removing makeup.
When the original makeup faded, her clear and clean features were revealed more distinctly.
The mature and sexy black dress was replaced by soft white pajamas, completely transforming her appearance.
Shen Yihuan’s face was extremely malleable. Her natural features were those of an innocent and pure girl, as if untouched by the world, but with makeup and more mature clothes, she instantly became unapproachable.
She lingered in the bathroom for a while before coming out.
The bed in this hotel was larger than usual. Shen Yihuan slept in a corner, leaving enough space in the middle for two people to lie down.
She felt a little awkward.
She began to recall what it was like the last time they slept together in Lu Zhou’s dorm.
It seemed Lu Zhou had taken the initiative to hold her, and it wasn’t as awkward then as it was now.
Shen Yihuan was a little annoyed that Lu Zhou wasn’t coming over to hug her.
Just as she was deep in thought, her phone rang. It was Lu Zhou’s.
He sat up, glanced at the caller ID, then silently picked up his pants, re-buckled his belt, opened the door, and went out into the hallway.
Shen Yihuan: ???
When Lu Zhou returned, he saw the young girl facing away from him, the quilt covering most of her head, leaving only her fluffy crown visible, looking rather unhappy.
He silently curved his lips and moved closer.
When his arms encircled her waist, Shen Yihuan involuntarily trembled.
Lu Zhou straightened her previously curled-up body, resting his chin on her shoulder, his voice lazy.
“Why are you sleeping in the corner like this, hm?”
His hot breath brushed against her neck.
Having just come in from outside, he was still cold, pressing against her, carrying the unique temperature of an autumn night, mixed with the scent of tobacco, completely enveloping Shen Yihuan.
“Are you afraid of me?”
He asked softly, his voice tinged with a faint smile, seeming to be in a very good mood.
Shen Yihuan’s voice was muffled by the quilt, resentfully: “Who’s afraid of you?”
The next second, a searing warmth landed behind her ear. Lu Zhou lightly kissed the thin skin behind her ear, where a faint blue vein and a pale mole were visible.
Shen Yihuan: !!!
Shen Yihuan exploded.
Why randomly kiss such an ambiguous and sensitive spot!
Pervert!
Bastard!
Her entire face instantly flushed crimson.
She felt the chest pressed against her back begin to vibrate, a deep, low, hoarse laugh escaping.
“Aren’t you not afraid?” he said.
Shen Yihuan gritted her teeth: “I’m not afraid at all.”
“Your face is so red.”
“...”
The tables had turned.
It used to be only her who could make Lu Zhou blush.
He moved his arm, asking, “Want to put it down?”
Shen Yihuan lifted her head slightly. Lu Zhou placed his arm under her head as a pillow, and with his other hand, he stroked her soft hair.
His voice was very soft, drawing out a relaxed tone: “Sleep, I won’t touch you.”
Hmmmmmmm????
Had she been overthinking it the whole time?
A mind full of “lewd” thoughts, nervously tense for half a day, only to find the other party had no such intentions at all?
Lu Zhou propped himself up, half his body over her, and turned off the room light.
The room instantly plunged into darkness. In the boundless blackness, all sounds were amplified infinitely, and all pretense of calm and ease was laid bare.
Their heartbeats were deafening.
Thump, thump, thump, thump...
Mingling together.
In the quiet night, it became a captivating percussive symphony.
“Lu Zhou,” Shen Yihuan softly called his name.
“Hm?”
“Will your arm go numb?”
“No.”
Shen Yihuan pursed her lips: “You went out to answer the phone just now, was something going on at the military camp?”
“It was He Min. The person we brought back earlier confessed after interrogation.”
“Who ordered it?” Shen Yihuan asked instinctively.
Lu Zhou chuckled: “You wouldn’t know even if I told you.”
In the darkness, Lu Zhou’s eyes were serious, completely different from his voice.
He Min told him that the mastermind who confessed was named Li Wu.
Lu Zhou had heard this name before, and he had even directly confronted Li Wu.
That time, he shot Li Wu in the right leg, which was why he now walked with a slight limp.
Li Wu was involved in smuggling trade at the border, not just firearms, but firearms yielded high profits, and his primary operations were centered around them.
Border outposts continuously monitored Li Wu’s whereabouts. Due to his limp, they could infer his identity from shoe prints in the mud.
However, there had been no news of Li Wu’s whereabouts for a long time recently.
Lu Zhou was the one who injured Li Wu’s leg, so they had a feud.
But Lu Zhou still felt something was off, a feeling he couldn’t quite place.
Shen Yihuan turned over to face him, interrupting his thoughts.
Lu Zhou lowered his gaze. The young girl’s nose was quite prominent, with a small, slightly reddish tip.
He lowered his chin slightly, asking, “Can’t sleep?”
Shen Yihuan thought, Who can sleep this early? Just as she was about to speak, a “thud” suddenly came from the next room. Immediately after, a series of strange, intermittent sounds began.
Sticky, soft, delicate sounds.
After distinguishing them, Shen Yihuan almost wanted to die.
What time is it?! What are they doing?!
The world is truly falling into depravity!
What kind of conduct is this!
The bed in the next room kept hitting the wall, creating “thump-thump-thump” sounds, mixed with a woman’s voice that made one blush and heart race, all transmitting through the poorly soundproofed wall.
Their room was pitch black, secretive and ambiguous.
Shen Yihuan: “...”
She felt Lu Zhou’s arm around her waist tense, his hand clenching, wrist resting on her side.
“Can’t sleep? Want to go for a walk outside?” Lu Zhou asked, “This is the city, you probably haven’t seen the night view here.”
Shen Yihuan quickly nodded.
________________________________________
The city was brightly lit, full of lively energy, and not as cold as the desert night in the suburbs.
Coming out of the hotel, following Lu Zhou, they turned a few corners, crossed a few roads, and arrived at a night market.
There were many small stalls, with simple small lights hanging inside the shops, decorating the entire street to look bright and warm. There were snacks, clothes, and small trinkets.
Lu Zhou bought two cups of watermelon juice. When he turned back after paying, Shen Yihuan was no longer beside him.
He frowned slightly, looked around, and finally found her back by a stall covered in colorful small ornaments.
Running off again.
Lu Zhou walked over.
The young girl had her head down, looking intently. A simple light bulb hung above her head, dividing her face into distinct light and shadow. Her black hair was spread over her shoulders, tucked behind her ear by her hand.
Lu Zhou handed the watermelon juice to Shen Yihuan.
She took a sip, her eyes still fixed on the ornaments.
Only then did Lu Zhou realize they were all keychains, small dolls made of colorful cloth and various colored buttons. There were many tourists here, the craftsmanship wasn’t exquisite, but they had a charmingly ugly cuteness that was unique.
Lu Zhou asked: “Which one do you like?”
Shen Yihuan was a little troubled: “I can’t pick the best-looking one.”
“Then buy a few more.”
Shen Yihuan didn’t even look up: “Captain Lu, I’m no longer that little rich woman.”
Having escaped from such an awkward situation, Shen Yihuan felt refreshed and delighted. Even the awkwardness and unease from their recent reunion completely disappeared, and she casually joked with him.
Lu Zhou paused, then lowered his eyes to look at her expression.
Finding no other emotion in Shen Yihuan’s words, he curved his lips and chuckled softly.
Shen Yihuan had already picked up a keychain, a doll made of pink and white floral fabric, with big red buttons for eyes and a nose, strangely ugly yet unexpectedly charmingly innocent.
Lu Zhou took a step forward, standing beside her.
He was tall, blocking half the light source.
Lu Zhou leaned against the small stall. The small toys hanging above would brush his head, forcing him to lower his head slightly. He was unusually languid and relaxed, arms crossed, eyes lowered, watching Shen Yihuan’s movements, appearing with a rare tenderness in the light.
“If you like it, buy it,” he said. “My salary card is yours. Buy anything you want.”
Upon hearing this, Shen Yihuan’s hand paused. She tilted her head.
Lu Zhou was looking directly at her, his gaze also lazy, calmly raising an eyebrow.
As if he hadn’t said those words just now.
Shen Yihuan casually asked: “What about yourself then?”
Lu Zhou said: “I don’t have much to spend money on.”
He spent all his time in the military camp, had no expensive hobbies, and as an officer, plus the bonuses from various military merits, the money he had accumulated over the years was not small.
Finally, Shen Yihuan bought two keychains, one a pink and white doll, the other a blue doll.
Lu Zhou initially wanted to pay, but Shen Yihuan refused. Since they were cheap little things, Lu Zhou didn’t insist.
“Where’s my camera?” Shen Yihuan asked.
Lu Zhou took it out of his bag and handed it to her.
Shen Yihuan hung the camera strap around her neck, then held the two dolls for a long time. Finally, she put the pink doll into her pocket and hung the blue doll on her camera.
She held the camera and swung it, very satisfied.
She took the pink doll out of her pocket again and held it out to Lu Zhou.
Lu Zhou raised an eyebrow: “What’s wrong?”
“It’s for you,” Shen Yihuan said.
Lu Zhou lowered his eyes.
Girly pink.
“Trade this for your salary card,” Shen Yihuan looked at him, “Trade?”
Lu Zhou was stunned for two seconds, then the corners of his mouth turned up little by little.
“Trade.”
He said.
He reached out to take it. Shen Yihuan pulled the doll back, her fair palm open towards him: “Give me your keys.”
Shen Yihuan hung the pink doll on Lu Zhou’s key ring. The doll was a bit large, bigger than the key ring itself, making it look like a key ring hanging from a doll.
Lu Zhou put his keys back in his pocket. The doll wouldn’t fit, so it hung outside his pants.
His shirt covered half of it, and as he walked, the doll’s legs would occasionally peek out. Lu Zhou, being tall and large, looked a bit comical.
Shen Yihuan stared for a moment, unable to hold back a laugh, and deliberately asked: “Do you like it?”
Lu Zhou answered seriously: “I like it.”
“...”
Walking a few more steps, Shen Yihuan heard her phone ringing. She fumbled through all her pockets but couldn’t find it. Lu Zhou, beside her, took it out of his backpack and handed it to her.
“You forgot to take it when we left earlier.”
Shen Yihuan’s outstretched hand paused when she saw the caller ID.
Lu Zhou also noticed her gaze.
—Mom.
She had been in Xinjiang for so long, and ever since their last unpleasant parting, her mother hadn’t called her.
She felt the nagging sense of annoyance that had been inseparable from her in Beijing once again traverse a long and distant space and time, engulfing her. Her heart felt leaky, and all sorts of family trivialities and grievances enveloped her.
“Hello, Mom.”
“Are you still in Xinjiang?”
Shen Yihuan lowered her head and hummed in affirmation.
“When are you coming back?”
“Not sure yet.”
“Shen Yihuan, can’t you be a bit more promising now that you’re grown up? Your mom wouldn’t harm you, would she? Sometimes face isn’t that important. When your uncle’s company is fully in Shijin’s hands, you’ll cry too late! Your dad then...”
People were coming and going around them.
Shen Yihuan stopped at the crosswalk, her gaze lowered, looking at her fingernails reflected by the red light. The wind blew, and she sneezed.
She listened absentmindedly to the lecture. A different voice came from above her head, deep: “Raise your hand.”
She looked up.
Lu Zhou had already taken off his jacket and draped it over her back, his face devoid of emotion.
Shen Yihuan raised her hand and slipped it into the sleeve.
Lu Zhou bent down, straightened the clothes, zipped up the zipper, and pulled the collar up to the top, so it could cover her chin.
His fingers brushed her earlobe as he adjusted her clothes.
The green light came on.
Lu Zhou took Shen Yihuan’s hand and led her across the street.
Her mother’s nagging continued in her ear. Pedestrians moved quickly across the intersection, like fast-forwarded movie scenes. Lu Zhou led her slowly.
The traffic lights illuminated that small square of ground with intricate patterns.
She didn’t hang up the phone until they reached the door of their room.
Lu Zhou didn’t speak. He silently raised his hand and placed it on Shen Yihuan’s head, not moving.
Shen Yihuan looked up in confusion.
Lu Zhou looked directly at her and said, “Don’t be sad.”
She sniffled. There was no sour feeling, just annoyance.
Humans are truly strange creatures. They build a wall of steel from where they’ve been hurt, and then, encountering the same pain later, they feel nothing.
She was a bit deflated: “I’m not sad.”
“Good girl.”
Lu Zhou hugged her, kissed her on the forehead, and asked, “Time to sleep?”
Shen Yihuan felt like she must be crazy.
She heard herself say.
“Just sleeping? You, towards me,”
She glanced at Lu Zhou, seeing his Adam’s apple move sharply up and down, a dark light in his eyes.
“Don’t you have any other thoughts?”
Lu Zhou’s voice was hoarse, as if rasped over sandpaper, a warning: “Shen Yihuan.”
Shen Yihuan spoke, clear and crisp.
“Gege.”
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