052. It’s Not a Legitimate Hotel!
“It’s already eight o’clock at night…”
Ning Chu wearily sat on the roadside flowerbed, her head hanging low in despair. “Why is no one paying attention to me?”
Street promotion wasn’t as easy as she imagined. It seemed all she had to do was get pedestrians to download an app, but in reality, no one wanted to bother with her.
Today’s tasks were mostly completed by Wen Yang.
Not that Wen Yang was particularly charming or had loads of experience, but as the male protagonist, he stood out like a glorious beacon. Just his presence drew several young and pretty girls like moths to a flame.
After a few minutes of ignoring Wen Yang, when Ning Chu turned to look at him again, she noticed he had two more girls around him.
She sighed heavily and trudged over, just in time to hear one of the girls excitedly ask, “If I register and download it, will you add me as a friend?”
“Yeah, yeah! If you add us, we’ll download it too!”
Wen Yang shook his head repeatedly, unable to withstand the enthusiastic girls, until Ning Chu’s voice rang out from behind: “No!”
“Hurry up and scan the code to download it, or just leave! You’re blocking the view!”
Not only did she want to finish the street promotion, but she also needed to make sure Wen Yang’s heart wasn’t stolen by some overly eager girls…
Why hadn’t she thought of this sooner?
“So you have a girlfriend?”
“Oh, so you like ‘airports’!”
From the conversation of the two girls as they left, Wen Yang looked a bit flustered.
He nervously glanced at Ning Chu, fearing another lecture, but she merely yawned, seemingly unfazed by what the girls had said.
“Shouldn’t we be a bit nicer?” Wen Yang tentatively asked. “It’s just adding a friend, I don’t think it’s a loss…”
“It’s been so long already, we’ve only done a little over half of our tasks.”
Wen Yang’s voice steadily grew quieter, his eyes avoiding Ning Chu’s gaze.
Sure, he had a hidden agenda of finding a girl he could chat with to date, but wasn’t this all for work?
Ning Chu shot him a glance and sighed heavily, “Let’s just head back.”
“So early?”
“It’s past eight. By the time we get back to the dorm, it’ll be ten.” Ning Chu pulled out her mobile phone to show him the time. “The tasks count under your name anyway; I didn’t do much.”
Wen Yang then remembered that Ning Chu rarely went out at night.
Maybe it was due to strict parenting, or perhaps she just had a genuine fear of the dark, but on regular days, Ning Chu wouldn’t usually leave the dorm after eight or nine.
“Well, we’re almost there…” Wen Yang frowned. “If it gets too late, we can find a youth hostel to stay in. It’s only fifty to sixty bucks a person.”
“In that case, we can at least explore tomorrow morning. It’s way better than taking a four-hour bus ride every day.”
“Youth hostel…” After a moment of hesitation, Ning Chu shook her head, “No.”
“Then are you heading back first?”
It was clear he felt a bit rejected.
Ning Chu pressed her lips together, worried about leaving Wen Yang out alone.
She knew that if she asserted her opinion, he would probably comply, but her controlling nature felt too much like a parent figure, which could easily push him away.
If she really ended up being disliked, stopping the progress of the story would be nothing but a dream.
After thinking, she recalled there was no mention of a youth hostel in the novel.
No wonder people here liked to play in the wild; it turned out there weren’t any hotel-related plots in the story at all!
“Fine.”
Ning Chu conceded, grabbing the flyers again and heading toward pedestrians.
The city’s buses stopped running promptly at ten, and when they finished their work and rushed to the bus station, they saw the last bus’s taillights disappearing into the distance.
“Alright, looks like we’ll have to stay at a hotel,” Wen Yang didn’t seem upset; in fact, he looked quite pleased. He instinctively threw an arm around Ning Chu’s shoulders and cheerfully asked, “Shall we check out a snack street? We made over six hundred today!”
Ning Chu stiffened, casting a quick glance at the arm on her shoulder, and mildly squirmed away.
“Sure, since you did most of the work, I’m just here holding you back.”
“Perfect, I hadn’t properly thanked you for last night, so I’ll pay for everything tonight!”
Feeling rich, Wen Yang instantly transformed into a splurge-prone tycoon. He was working part-time to improve his life, so now that he had some cash, thoughts of how to spend it danced in his head.
Ning Chu walked stiffly, Wen Yang leading her toward the nearby night market.
She wasn’t keen on being overly intimate with Wen Yang, but at this point, if she pushed him away for something as small as shoulder contact, it would be a bit too sensitive.
This guy’s hand is so hot…
Unlike before, Wen Yang today was clearly much more enthusiastic, his gaze softer than usual.
Could it be he can’t wait to see her as a girl?
The thought sent a chill down her spine.
Past ten at night was the height of the snack street’s activity. Wen Yang’s face radiated joy as he bought one local delicacy after another, all of which he eagerly shoved into Ning Chu’s hands.
But Ning Chu felt like she was serving a prison sentence, each bite tasting like cardboard.
Why is he so excitable about hanging out with a dude?!
“Ning Chu, let me take a bite of that lamb skewer.”
“I’ve already had a piece…”
“I don’t mind.”
I DO mind!
Have they accidentally gotten too close too quickly?!
But if she switched perspectives, if Ning Chu had a roommate who always ruined dates, she’d wish for that person to go off the deep end!
Maybe Wen Yang had too many choices available, so he didn’t care?
With a face full of disdain, Ning Chu passed him the skewer, but Wen Yang didn’t reach for it; instead, he bent down and took a bite directly off it.
“…”
Such behavior between bros wouldn’t necessarily raise eyebrows, but come on, they’ve only known each other for a month!
Seeing Wen Yang happy, she suppressed her irritation, forcing a smile on her face.
For now, she had to maintain a good relationship with Wen Yang—enduring humiliation for better days ahead!
Once the plot ends…
Wen Yang chewed on the lamb skewer, his gaze fixed ahead as he pointed at a sign in the distance. “There’s a hotel up ahead; let me ask about the price.”
Weren’t they supposed to save money at the youth hostel?
“A small hotel double room is only a little over a hundred bucks, it works out the same.” He quickened his pace, heading forward. “I’m treating tonight, what’s the fuss?”
True…
Ning Chu sighed softly, slowly trailing behind and watching Wen Yang step into the hotel.
Her eyelid suddenly twitched, sensing something was off.
Just as she was about to pick up the pace and follow him inside, she saw Wen Yang rush out with a panicked expression.
“Run!”
Ning Chu didn’t even have time to ask what was going on. As she turned to glance back at the hotel’s glass door, she noticed several girls inside looking regretfully at Wen Yang.
After running for more than ten meters and stopping under a tree, Ning Chu finally had time to ask, “What happened?”
“It’s not a legitimate hotel!”
“??? Didn’t see that one coming!”
——————
Congratulations to LGD for winning the Oil Cup Championship! Boom boom boom!
Time to go ten whole days without staying up late!
