457. Inn
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When they left the subway station, it was already around four in the afternoon.
At the start, the sun was blazing, and people were practically melting! But now, the four of them stood at the subway exit, looking as clueless as the other passengers who were preparing to leave, staring bewilderedly at the downpour that had seemingly appeared out of nowhere.
Lin Nan had dozed off for a good fifteen minutes on the train and was still feeling drowsy. Clinging to Chen Yao’s arm, she hung off him like a koala, half-asleep.
Fortunately, Lin Nan had brought a sunshade in her tiny shoulder bag, which was now doubling as an umbrella. But it was a bit on the small side, so Xiong Da and Tu Junhui had to put up with it.
“What if it keeps raining and we can’t go out tonight?” Chen Yao frowned as he opened the umbrella, glancing down at Lin Nan, who was now practically curled up against him like a cat.
Tu Junhui shrugged it off, “No worries! Summer rain comes quick and goes quick—might cool us down a bit!”
“Yeah, good point. Lin Nan and I will head to the inn first,” Chen Yao said, taking a step and marching right into the rain.
Tu Junhui froze for a moment, looked up at the gloomy sky and the relentless downpour, gritted his teeth, and charged out after him.
He should’ve brought an extra change of clothes!
Suddenly, he noticed that Xiong Da hadn’t followed him outside. Turning back to the subway entrance, he saw Xiong Da casually unfolding a folding umbrella he must’ve pulled from some magical place, giving Tu in a look that screamed “Are you crazy?”
“What the heck?”
The inn wasn’t far from the subway—only about a hundred meters away. A narrow staircase hugged the side where the inn’s sign was posted.
Once they climbed up to the second floor, they finally reached the actual inn.
Tu Junhui wanted to rent a fancy hotel room for them, but it was way too expensive. They were still students after all! And while this inn was small and hidden away, making it seem a bit sketchy, it turned out to be the most cost-effective option in the area.
Lin Nan, still half-asleep from her earlier snooze on the train, was waking up more as they stepped into the rain. However, the thought of napping in a hotel room soon kept her eyes narrowed, fighting against her drowsiness.
After waiting a few minutes at the front desk, Tu Junhui and Xiong Da eventually joined them.
Only Tu Junhui was soaked to the bone, looking utterly pathetic as he pulled out his phone and held it up to the counter: “Booked a room on Meituan!”
Lin Nan stifled a yawn and glanced down at the questionable-looking carpet beneath her, feeling uneasy about the inn’s reliability.
Does this carpet really resist fires?
And those little ads…
Her gaze landed on a tattered card stuck to a dustpan in the corner that looked oddly familiar.
She’d seen those kinds of cards the last time she’d dressed as a girl and stayed in a small inn for the first time.
“ID, please.” Tu Junhui turned back to the group, demanding their IDs while mumbling, “Hurry up! I need to take a shower; I’m soaking wet!”
He glanced out the window and grumbled darker at the sight of the rain that had stopped just like that after only ten minutes.
If only they’d waited at the subway entrance for it to stop!
But summer rain—who knows how long you have to wait for it to disappear?
Once they checked in, they picked up two key cards and headed to their respective rooms.
Their two rooms were directly opposite each other, making nighttime visits convenient. These double rooms were actually larger than the typical inn rooms and reasonably well-decorated, with even a bathtub in the bathroom!
Lin Nan had packed quite a bit for this trip.
She had two thin sheets and blankets for temporary use, clothes for herself and Chen Yao, and two rolls of disposable towels.
After reading news about inns doing surface-level cleaning, she developed a slight psychological shadow, especially after seeing some of the revealed photos. But hey, all her stuff was in Chen Yao’s bag anyway.
Lin Nan yawned again, tossed her little shoulder bag aside, and plopped down onto the couch, half-dazed, yawning like a bear coming out of hibernation.
Chen Yao was unpacking the sheets he prepared when a thought struck him, “I heard inns might have hidden cameras.”
“Huh?”
“If we start doing… you know… tonight, we might end up streaming ourselves in some domestic streaming zone.”
“What domestic zone?”
Sleeping for just fifteen minutes on the train had left Lin Nan feeling even more groggy. Now her mind was filled with thoughts of finding a cozy spot to nap some more.
“I read it on Douyin. If we shut everything off and close the curtains, we can find the cameras,” Chen Yao said, moving to the window and pulling the curtains, plunging the room into darkness.
He was about to pull out his phone to check for red lights like some internet expert when he turned and noticed Lin Nan, still slumped on the couch, already softly snoring.
Is she really that tired?
I wasn’t even that wild last night, right?
Maybe she’s just been pushed to the edge lately?
Chen Yao scratched his head, carefully took out a thin blanket from his backpack, and gently draped it over Lin Nan before turning on the air conditioning. He didn’t want to wake her up with the heat from the blanket.
Next, he tossed the inn’s provided blanket onto the TV stand and spread out the sheets on the bed.
He tiptoed through the whole process as quietly as possible, finally returning to the couch, where he hooked his hand around Lin Nan’s small leg and gently lifted her.
“Every time I hold you, it feels like I’m cradling a little kid…” he murmured softly. Lin Nan felt so petite, adorable, like a fragile porcelain doll, making him want to tease and spoil her.
He forced himself to suppress those impulses and carefully laid Lin Nan down on the neatly made bed.
“Chen Yao…” Even in her sleep, Lin Nan stirred slightly at the motion, sleepily mumbling.
Chen Yao crouched beside her bed, meeting her delicate face, and gently asked, “What’s up?”
“Stop moving around… I don’t want to…you know,” she mumbled back, turning to lie on her side, her brow slightly furrowed, her tone heavy with sleepiness, like she was pouting, “So sleepy, not now.”
“…”
Didn’t I just have my mind on other things?
Chen Yao rolled his eyes, stood up and re-covered her with the blanket she had abandoned on the couch. “I’m going next door to play with Junhui. You just sleep.”
He had meant to leave immediately, but as he lifted his foot, he couldn’t resist the urge to gently pinch Lin Nan’s chubby cheek.
So soft!
What a steal!
Usually, Lin Nan wouldn’t stand for such antics, such a shame to waste those adorable cheeks.
Lin Nan didn’t open her eyes; she just irritably swatted away his hand and then pulled the blanket over her head.
Chen Yao smiled indulgently, waited a moment until Lin Nan’s breathing evened out, before finally leaving the room.
