louisehourcade Chapter 456 No Refund!
Chapter 456 No Refund!
The hotel lobby was deserted.
"You've booked the entire building." Nie Qingcheng stood at the front desk, looking around.
It's not a question.
"You don't like having someone next door." Zhang Yan took the room key from behind the counter.
"How much does it cost to rent an entire building?"
"Not expensive."
"How much is yours?"
Zhang Yan didn't answer, and carried the two people's suitcases toward the elevator. Nie Qingcheng followed slowly in her high heels.
Before leaving, she went to a beauty salon, had her hair treated, and her makeup was exquisite. She wore a white coat over a black turtleneck sweater dress, and looked nothing like the person who had almost bled to death three days ago.
The suite is on the top floor. When you open the door, the entire floor-to-ceiling window reveals a sea of white.
A thin layer of ice had formed on the lake surface, and the outlines of the distant snow-capped mountains were faintly visible beneath the low-hanging clouds.
Nie Qingcheng walked to the window and stood there for a few seconds.
"It looks better than in the photos."
"Um."
"It looks much better."
She began unpacking her luggage, hanging her clothes one by one into the closet, placing her skincare products on the sink, and putting her travel guide tablet on the bedside table.
She moved swiftly and decisively, but occasionally she would stop, glance at the snow outside the window, and then at Zhang Yan sitting on the sofa flipping through the menu.
It seems like they're confirming something.
The two went out in the afternoon; he drove, and she sat in the passenger seat looking at travel guides.
A furry little creature chased Nie Qingcheng around the ranch three times. She picked one up and held it in her arms without expression. When they took a photo together, the little guy bit her scarf.
"Let go." Nie Qingcheng looked at it coldly.
It wasn't released.
Zhang Yan took a picture with his phone, and she turned around and glared at him. He then put his phone away.
The handmade noodles took an hour and a half to arrive. Nie Qingcheng leaned on his shoulder the whole time, scrolling through her phone, occasionally muttering, "There are still eight groups ahead of us."
When the noodles were served, she only ate half a bowl; Zhang Yan finished the rest.
"It doesn't taste good?"
"The broth isn't as good as yours." She put down her chopsticks, wiped her mouth, and said, "You can make it tonight."
evening.
Since the hotel kitchen was only catering to the two of them, the head chef was on holiday. The stove was spotless, and the freezer contained ingredients that Zhang Yan had prepared three days in advance.
He spent two and a half hours preparing eight dishes.
The appetizer was thinly sliced raw fish with yuzu sauce; the fish was flown in that day.
The dish is stewed beef tendon with white radish, simmered over low heat until it melts in your mouth.
The grilled dish was salt-grilled silver cod, with a crispy skin that cracked at the slightest touch of chopsticks.
Steamed dishes, pickled dishes, a small chawanmushi (steamed egg custard), and a bowl of rice seasoned with kelp broth.
The last dish was strawberry daifuku, with a dough he made himself that was so soft you could see the outline of the red fruit inside.
Nie Qingcheng sat by the window, where snow was falling heavily outside and the indoor lights were warm and yellow.
She ate slowly, savoring each dish carefully, glancing at him every now and then as she put down her chopsticks.
"The salt-grilled fish was cooked to perfection."
"Um."
"The beef tendon is stewed until tender."
"I simmered it for an extra half hour."
"The strawberries in the daifuku are very sweet."
"Selected."
She picked up a piece of fish, put it in her mouth, chewed it a couple of times, and then suddenly put down her chopsticks.
"Zhang Yan".
"What's wrong?"
"It's nothing," she said, picking up her chopsticks again. "I just think it tastes really good."
After dinner, we went out the back door and went to the open-air hot spring.
The pool is built on the hillside behind the hotel, surrounded by bamboo fences on three sides, with the side facing the snow-capped mountain open. The steam rising from the water collides with the snowflakes falling from the sky and turns into white mist.
Nie Qingcheng was soaking in the water, with only her collarbone and above exposed. The hot water finally brought color back to her face, which had been pale for several days. With her eyes closed, she leaned against the stone wall of the pool, looking like a cat that had become sleepy from being warmed up.
Zhang Yan leaned against the opposite side, the two of them less than two meters apart.
"Give me your hand," he said.
Nie Qingcheng opened one eye and glanced at him, then stretched out her left hand. The wound on her wrist had scabbed over, and the gauze had been replaced with a waterproof bandage.
Zhang Yan didn't look at the wound.
He held her left hand, his thumb touching the ring on her ring finger. Dark red marks remained on the metal surface, and dried bloodstains seeped into the engravings on the inner ring.
He rubbed it little by little with his thumb. The hot spring water was very hot, and the bloodstains slowly dissolved under the friction of the water and his fingertips.
Nie Qingcheng didn't speak, just watched his actions.
After about a minute, the surface of the ring regained its original metallic luster, and the character "衍" engraved on the inner circle became clear again.
Zhang Yan took the ring off her hand.
Nie Qingcheng slightly raised her eyes.
He dipped the ring in the water again, then lifted her left hand, pushed the ring past her knuckles, and slid it into the base of her ring finger.
Slowly, solemnly.
This time, she didn't put it on herself.
Nie Qingcheng watched the ring return to its original position and remained silent for a few seconds.
"Aren't you going to get one for yourself?"
"I booked it before I came, and I'll arrive the day after tomorrow."
She paused for a moment, then smiled.
It wasn't an aggressive smile, nor was it the calculated smile used in business; it was just a very natural, very light smile.
"The specifications cannot be inferior to mine."
Same style.
What words should be engraved?
"You decide."
Nie Qingcheng thought for two seconds.
"pour."
Zhang Yan nodded.
The air was thick with heat, and the snowflakes that fell onto the pond melted faster than their shapes could be discerned.
The two of them soaked Nie Qingcheng until she started to feel sleepy.
Zhang Yan got up first, wrapped himself in a bath towel, and waited for her to step onto the stone. She slipped, and he reached out to steady her. She didn't push him away, but leaned against him, resting her forehead on his shoulder.
"Zhang Yan".
"Um."
"You are not allowed to look at the system panel for the next few days."
"it is good."
"Even cell phones aren't allowed."
"it is good."
"You are only allowed to look at me."
"I've been watching it."
She looked up and glared at him.
Back in her room, Nie Qingcheng dried her hair, climbed into bed, and pulled the blanket over herself, wrapping herself up like a cocoon.
Zhang Yan turned off the light and lay down on the other side.
She reached her hand out from under the covers, touched his arm, and tugged at it.
He turned to the side, and she buried her head in his chest.
"Let's go to that glass museum tomorrow."
"OK."
"I want to drink sake tonight."
"I prepared two bottles."
She stopped talking, her breathing deepened within half a minute, and her fingers loosely gripped his wrist.
Zhang Yan didn't move.
The snow was still falling outside the window, and the moonlight, filtered into a grayish-blue hue by the clouds, peeked in through the gaps in the curtains.
It's very quiet.
There were no system alarms, no countdown, and no knocking from deep space.
Only the sound of two people breathing mingled.
The system panel on the coffee table lit up silently for a moment, the golden light was extremely faint and lasted for less than half a second before disappearing into the darkness.
Zhang Yan did not wake up.
Nie Qingcheng tightened her grip on his wrist slightly.
Everything returned to tranquility.