Chapter 400: Your Proposal to Sleep Together Has Been Rejected
As night fell and the lights illuminated, I found myself in front of a high-end hotel, a stark contrast to the impoverished area I had just left behind. The atmosphere here gave me a sense of intoxication, as though I were surrounded by opulence.
I had originally planned to visit a hotel named after Lanas Island, as it hinted at a certain level of prestige. However, I learned that there was no normal way for me to enter, not even if I had money, which surprised me. To avoid further complications, I decided not to force my way in but made sure to remember the hotel’s name.
It’s rare to hear about a service industry that has entry barriers for guests; usually, these barriers are financial, aren’t they? To not be allowed entry even with money… that must mean it caters to the elite.
But… with such a unique hotel, wouldn’t it attract the attention of excavators even more? I had a feeling that reckless excavators might one day blow this place up.
Even I felt a bit tempted.
Under the night lights, the hotel appeared even more dazzling. Perhaps due to differing perceptions, it did not strike me as very upscale, but rather appeared somewhat gaudy. Do people in this world really enjoy such flashy gold?
But then again, considering that gold is also the most sought-after precious metal here, it shouldn’t have surprised me.
As the doors swung open, welcoming staff greeted us with professional smiles, and the sweet-scented air mixed with soft background music made me a bit uncomfortable, confirming that this was not a place I liked.
Moreover… it reminded me of an invitation I once received from senior Renata, an esteemed member of the Witch Secret Realm Association. That meal wasn’t very enjoyable for me.
I wondered whether this hotel would meet my expectations.
To judge the adequacy of a hotel’s service, you naturally need to observe the staff and see if they can treat someone like me—an awkward bumpkin—without disdain and allow us to enjoy our meal.
However, right off the bat, we faced the first hurdle.
That was the reservation. Without one, it was quite troublesome, as they cited issues like table placements, ingredient preparations, and service arrangements as necessary for maintaining high standards.
Though, in the end, all of this was easily bypassed with a little extra money. Their reasons and principles meant nothing when faced with cash—this was a joke to the wealthy.
Following a waiter who guided us through the lobby, the floor, reminiscent of marble, shimmered under the lights. We stepped into something akin to an elevator and watched the ground and buildings slowly recede below us through the all-glass enclosure. It seemed we were being taken to a higher floor. During this time, the waiter enthusiastically introduced us to the hotel’s services, before finally leading us to our temporarily decided seating.
This was a room slightly more luxurious in decoration. Upon sitting down, I turned and saw the floor-to-ceiling windows, offering a breathtaking view of the nightscape. I had to admit that the night scene here was beautiful.
“To be honest, do you like this place?” I asked, glancing at the freshly laid tableware and something like pre-meal bread, before reaching out to tear a piece and taste it.
“I don’t like it…” Qiu Ruxin shook her head.
“To be honest, I don’t like it either. This is my second time in such a place, but I hope you enjoy it; after all, we paid for it.”
“True…”
“Don’t feel too inferior; those disdainful gazes we faced earlier aren’t your fault. The service here really isn’t great.”
I sighed, reflecting on how I could be met with disdain even after forking over money. I wondered if complaints to this hotel were even effective—they probably just served as a decoration.
“Um… Sister Xiao Han, can we not come here next time?”
“If they invite me, I wouldn’t want to come either. The decoration seems like a self-indulgent aesthetic, but what it presents is quite tacky, like it’s specially designed to fleece the newly wealthy and upstarts.” I instinctively pulled out my phone, checking the time. It had taken so long just to get from the entrance to the dining table—what a waste of time.
The device in my hand was a cellphone from this world. It wasn’t even a touchscreen. Its primary function was making calls—no wonder electronic payments hadn’t caught on here; there was no foundation for development.
I had originally thought I would conveniently search for information on my phone, but it seemed I would just have to use a computer. Thankfully, I spent a bit of money on a decent setup; I hoped those shops hadn’t ripped me off.
I was well aware of the issues in the tech community, and if I found I had been cheated, I might just pay that place a visit next time with a few “gifts.”
“Really? Sister Xiao Han’s description is quite… apt,” Qiu Ruxin remarked with a slight chuckle, especially since, in a sense, we were also the nouveau riche.
Such individuals suddenly possessed money beyond their understanding; even the act of spending became a challenge, resulting in amusing disasters.
The table was set with snow-white napkins, and exquisite cutlery was arranged neatly, presenting some unusual dining etiquette.
“Qiu Ruxin, do you drink?”
“No, I’m still underage.”
“Underage… then let’s go for juice. Conveniently, I don’t like drinking either.” I sized up Qiu Ruxin, surprised to find she was still underage. But thinking further, it made the rascals even more despicable.
As we engaged in simple conversation, a nearby waiter kindly placed the expensive alcohol aside and poured us some exquisitely packaged juice, which wasn’t cheap either.
As dishes were presented one by one, the waiter softly introduced the evening’s specialties, each dish appearing like a work of art before us.
However, no matter how they praised it, the taste was indeed quite average, even lacking the flavors of certain dishes from the Witch Academy cafeteria.
After all… the embarrassment should rest with the waiter and the chef for presenting such mediocre dishes with such high praise.
When the waiter also displayed a dissatisfied expression after my critique, I could no longer be bothered with small talk.
The view outside the window was really the only thing worth appreciating during this dinner.
Now that dinner was over, my main expectation was for the accommodations tonight; it shouldn’t be too bad.
After finishing our meal, I wandered around with Qiu Ruxin; this hotel had a lot of services, but next time I’d rather not choose the expensive a la carte dining. The self-service area would be better; it would spare us the hassle of dealing with others’ faces or needing reservations.
After not finding anything entertaining, I hurried to our room, though Qiu Ruxin and I had separate suites, meticulously arranged to keep us apart.
I was very pleased with the arranged accommodation; it was fully equipped, and the luxuriousness surpassed that of the Witch Academy villa.
However, if I had to compare, the villa dormitory had a more humane atmosphere, while this place felt purely upscale in luxury.
I flopped onto the soft king-sized bed, relishing the pleasure of having it all to myself—what a joyous feeling!
After clearing my mind, I slowly opened my eyes and gazed at the crystal lighting overhead, feeling the surroundings a bit surreal.
I remembered when checking in that this hotel offered more than just accommodations; there seemed to be spa services as well, which was tempting since I had never experienced them before. Yet after much contemplation, I still decided against trying it, unless the masseuse was Sister Bai.
Anyway, there was a private bathroom here, complete with a sizable bathtub that could fit several people.
As I felt the pleasantly warm temperature of the water, I sank into it, the even pressure of the water enveloping me was incredibly relaxing; it was so comfortable that I almost didn’t want to get up.
Indeed, this method was much better than showering.
Too bad I didn’t have the opportunity or the time to enjoy it daily… maybe I could carve out some time to relax and indulge more often.
Time passed slowly, but the water remained pleasantly warm.
“Hmm~ I’ve soaked long enough; I should get up.”
I emerged from the bathtub, the water cascading off my body, some droplets lingering reluctantly.
After wrapping myself in a towel, I snapped my fingers, and the excess moisture in my damp hair quickly evaporated.
However, I didn’t dry off completely; the water on my body was mainly blotted by the towel.
After all, while magic is convenient, some things don’t need to be done to perfection; otherwise, if my body and hair weren’t a bit wet, it would feel as though my bath had been in vain.
“Hmm~ so comfortable.”
At this moment, I stood before the mirror, admiring my pale, exposed arms, slightly rosy and warm from the bath, and still giving off a hint of steam.
Yet, just being in the towel felt overly suggestive. Looking at my reflection, I momentarily lost focus—I rarely took time to examine myself in the mirror.
My silvery hair hung down my back, slightly damp, while my crimson eyes appeared lazily tired.
Although I felt less of a need for rest, that didn’t mean I didn’t need sleep. Having gone a night without it, I certainly needed a good sleep tonight.
Just as I was about to trade my towel for the nightgown I had bought today, my phone, tossed aside, suddenly rang.
“Hmm?”
I picked up the phone; this simple call-only device wasn’t held in high regard by me, and since it was new, no one I knew had my number.
To my surprise, the call was from Qiu Ruxin; how predictable—I had thought it might be a telemarketer.
“Hello? Qiu Ruxin, you didn’t really need to call when you’re just across the hallway, did you?” I said. Immediately, I heard a stream of words in a language I couldn’t understand.
Hearing that familiar voice speaking an unfamiliar tongue, I rubbed my forehead helplessly—okay, this phone wouldn’t allow us to communicate through our consciousness directly.
So, this call was essentially futile.
I quickly put on a loose nightgown and opened the door.
As the door swung open, I found Qiu Ruxin poised to knock.
“I’m sorry, Sister Xiao Han, I forgot about this,” she said, phone in hand.
“It’s fine; I should’ve considered it. Did you come over for something?”
“Um… Sister Xiao Han… may I sleep with you? I feel a bit scared sleeping alone…”
“Sleep together?” I looked at Qiu Ruxin, instinctively tilting my head back slightly. “Maybe not; if you’re scared, I can help set up some spells so that no bad people would dare come at night.”
Most importantly, Qiu Ruxin was still underage! I shouted inwardly.
Plus, I already had a girlfriend; how could I sleep with another girl?
“Hmm? But… didn’t you say you needed me to help you learn the language? And with the computer terminal… it would be quite hard to operate without reading skills.”
“That’s true, but it’s already very late; let’s discuss this tomorrow.” I patted Qiu Ruxin’s head, and seeing her persistence, I didn’t know how to refuse outright.
I couldn’t just decline her clearly.
“Okay… Sister Xiao Han, did you just take a bath? You smell nice…” Qiu Ruxin said, sniffing a little.
“Yes, I recommend you try it too; it’s really comfortable,” I said, instinctively gripping the collar of my nightgown, feeling something was slightly off about Qiu Ruxin’s attitude.
Could it be that this world promotes relationships between girls? Why did it seem like Qiu Ruxin might have some issues with her orientation?
Maybe I was overthinking it; after all, she was just a lonely girl with a reserved personality, not wanting to sleep alone was quite understandable.
Perhaps I was too sensitive; after all, with my girlfriend and my sense of boundaries, I tended to think a lot.
After helping Qiu Ruxin set up various protective measures in her room, I left only after she reluctantly watched me go.
Back in my room, looking around the empty space, I felt a bit bored. I had already checked this room when I entered; thankfully, there were no hidden devices, as girls needed to protect themselves when away from home.
I had no desire to come to this world only to find suspicious videos of me recorded without my knowledge. If that were to happen… I would think the destruction of this world would be a fitting end.
Earlier, when I had set up those measures in Qiu Ruxin’s room, I was also checking for such devices; since I found none, at least I felt relieved.
After finishing all this, I set up similar measures in my room, emphasizing more on the warning systems, as I trusted in my own strength over the lethality of these setups.
The night passed without incident, and I had the most restful sleep; when I woke up, I felt revitalized. However… glancing at the time, it seemed it was still early morning.
With my enhanced physical condition, my resting efficiency had increased, thus reducing the required sleep time.
Although this was unexpected, I accepted the reality.
I could always meditate in the morning; as for my physical training, I recalled there seemed to be a gym here, though I wondered if there were independent spaces like yoga rooms for practicing ritual dances.
After completing my meditation, morning had arrived. I drew back the curtains just in time to see the rising sun.
I wondered if Qiu Ruxin had woken up by now.
But since she had slept until noon yesterday and with tonight’s rest, it should be enough for her to recharge completely. I was quite looking forward to what we were going to do today.
After washing up, I opened the door intending to call for Qiu Ruxin, but unexpectedly, her door “just happened” to open at the same time.
“Sister Xiao Han… such a coincidence…”
“Yeah, quite the coincidence,” I replied with a smile, not mentioning that even without Spirit Vision, my Mental Power was enough to know she had been waiting right by the door.
“Let’s go see what this breakfast is like.”
