After finishing their meal, the two of them didn’t rush back.
Instead, they stayed to chat for a while with Auntie Ping and Uncle Ming, who had finally finished his work.
The conversation soon turned to their upcoming trip, with their primary destination being Quancheng.
Lin Xinyuan didn’t understand why they were going there, but when she remembered it was likely Qin Nanfeng’s homeland, she felt at ease.
This was quickly replaced by a sense of anticipation.
Come to think of it, aside from Yangcheng and Tianbei City, she had never been anywhere else. She was naturally very curious.
“You’re going to Quancheng?”
Qin Nanfeng responded with a smile, “Yeah, I’m taking Xinyuan back to have a look.”
Upon hearing this, the couple was surprised, and their expressions became complicated. Nevertheless, they nodded.
“That’s good. It is time you took Xinyuan back.” Uncle Ming’s tone was inevitably filled with emotion and a hint of nostalgia. “It is the place where we were born, after all…”
In contrast to Uncle Ming, Auntie Ping remained silent, seemingly deep in thought.
Sensing that the atmosphere wasn’t quite right, Qin Nanfeng changed the subject.
The rest of their conversation was relatively harmonious, as if the previous silence had been nothing more than an illusion.
They stayed until the sky was completely dark and the last few tables of guests had departed.
Only then did they bid Uncle Ming and Auntie Ping farewell to return to the Rental Apartment.
After returning and showering, the two seemed to have returned to the days of the New Year’s Holiday, once again sharing the same bed.
The night passed without a word, and nothing unusual happened.
…
Before the sun had even risen, the girl was suddenly jolted awake.
“Wake up, little lazybones. Pack your things; we’re ready to go.”
A large hand slapped the girl’s small bottom, but Lin Xinyuan was still a little sleepy. She slept soundly, grumbling as she reached out to swat away the other party’s salty pig hand.
“No… I’m sleepy…”
The girl’s soft, sweet voice unconsciously carried a hint of acting spoiled. However, despite this, he didn’t let her have her way.
Qin Nanfeng actually gave her a gentle squeeze, causing Lin Xinyuan’s exhausted body to shudder instantly.
This was followed by a low, mischievous voice: “If you don’t get up, I’m going to…”
Before he could finish his sentence, Lin Xinyuan’s sluggish spirit was mostly jolted awake. She didn’t dare linger in bed any longer.
“I’m awake!”
She opened her eyes indignantly, wanting to give Qin Nanfeng a dirty look. But when she turned around and saw him looking at her with a half-smile, she immediately lost her nerve.
She could only lower her head submissively, her small face flushing slightly. She shook her head to clear the fog and got out of bed, slowly heading to wash up.
Once everything was packed, Lin Xinyuan smoothed out her clothes and put on a straw sun hat.
She then pulled her suitcase and left the Rental Apartment with Qin Nanfeng, who was also fully prepared.
On the way, they stopped at the usual breakfast shop for Breakfast before driving straight to the airport.
Upon arriving at the airport, Qin Nanfeng called for a designated driver to help drive the car back to the parking space below the Company.
The process was the same as last time, but because the girl’s experience on her first flight had been so poor, she couldn’t help but feel a sense of resistance in the depths of her heart.
From the moment they boarded, even before the plane took off, Lin Xinyuan became apprehensive.
Her small face turned inexplicably pale, and her legs couldn’t stop trembling slightly.
Seeing this, Qin Nanfeng simply gripped her soft, delicate hand tightly. “Don’t be afraid…”
“I’m not afraid! How could I possibly be afraid… You’re joking…”
Hearing this, Lin Xinyuan felt as if she was being looked down upon by this Yellow-Haired Brat. She immediately became stubborn and started muttering to herself.
However, as the plane neared takeoff, the unease and cowardice in her bright, watery eyes were obvious. She looked around nervously, making her words incredibly unconvincing.
“Heh…” Qin Nanfeng simply shook his head and let out a light laugh, neither confirming nor denying her claim.
“Just you watch! It’s… it’s impossible for me to be scared!”
The girl grumbled out a weak vow, but the moment she finished, she felt the plane begin to move. She was so startled that she instantly hugged Qin Nanfeng’s arm tightly.
This duplicitous behavior not only made Qin Nanfeng want to laugh, but even a few nearby passengers who had inadvertently noticed them couldn’t help but chuckle. They found the shy girl quite amusing.
An older woman seated just across the aisle from Qin Nanfeng looked at the shrinking girl and then turned to Qin Nanfeng with a look of admiration.
She began to strike up a conversation. “Young man, you look so energetic, and you’re quite lucky! This girl is so beautiful and has a lovely personality. You two look so well-matched.”
“Thank you,” Qin Nanfeng replied with a polite nod of gratitude.
But the cowering Lin Xinyuan was in no mood to listen to what they were saying. She just kept her small head buried, and as she felt the vibrations increase, her anxiety grew.
She didn’t know how long it had been—to her, every second felt like a year—before the plane finally leveled out.
Although she felt slightly better than the first time after the initial turbulence, Lin Xinyuan still felt nauseous. Fortunately, she was still able to endure it.
Seeing her exaggerated reaction, Qin Nanfeng said no more. He simply held her gently and massaged her temples from time to time to relieve her dizziness.
There were no direct flights from Tianbei City to Quancheng, so they had to transfer once in the middle. This caused the already uncomfortable girl even more trouble and suffering.
By the time they got off the plane, the girl was already exhausted. However, perhaps because of a certain someone’s presence, Lin Xinyuan’s discomfort was nowhere near as severe as it had been the last time, despite the two-part ordeal.
It was only a little past 11:00 AM when they arrived in Quancheng, but Lin Xinyuan already wanted to rest. The ordeal just now had caused her to lose her appetite instantly; she didn’t even want to eat lunch. She only wanted to lie down and never get up again.
Observing the situation, Qin Nanfeng felt quite helpless, but a strange look soon flashed through his eyes as if he had thought of something.
‘This reaction… is just like that woman’s…’
While he was lost in thought, his expression remained impassive. He decided that in the future, if it could be avoided, he wouldn’t let the girl fly.
He hailed a ride-hailing car, and the two of them headed straight for the hotel they had booked earlier.
After checking in, they were led to their room by a dedicated staff member.
The moment they entered the room, Lin Xinyuan collapsed onto the large hotel bed like a corpse. Her small head was buried, and she didn’t move an inch.
She had woken up too early that morning and stayed up a bit late last night.
Combined with the two sessions of torment on the planes, Lin Xinyuan was truly exhausted—most importantly, she was mentally drained.
Qin Nanfeng closed the door and saw the girl’s sleeping posture as soon as he walked in.
“Xinyuan?”
He walked over and called her name softly, but seeing that there was no response, he had to pull her up.
“What…” Lin Xinyuan lifted her eyelids, her spirit withered.
“Sleep properly. Don’t sleep like that.”
“Oh…”
The girl nodded diddily. With a soft thud, she rolled over and lay sprawled out like a salted fish. Then, her eyelids drooped heavily, and before long, she had fallen completely into a deep sleep.
“This girl…”
Qin Nanfeng chuckled. He watched as Lin Xinyuan, who had only just fallen asleep, began to toss and turn restlessly like a caterpillar, making a mess of the neatly made bedding.
Feeling helpless, Qin Nanfeng first picked up the remote on the nightstand, turned on the air conditioner, and set it to a comfortable temperature.
Then, he gently lifted the girl. After pulling the blanket aside, he laid Lin Xinyuan back down on the bed, adjusted her sleeping position, and helped her cover up.
After doing all this, he tidied up their luggage before lying down on the bed himself.
Holding the fragrant, soft, and restless person in his arms, he didn’t feel sleepy at first.
But as he listened to Lin Xinyuan’s light breathing, his eyelids gradually grew heavy.
In her sleep, the girl seemed to feel his warmth and pressed herself against him with all her might.
The man and woman fell asleep in each other’s arms.