“No, why did we drive into a snowy field? Where is this holiday hotel you mentioned supposed to be?”
On the way to their destination, Mo Ling pressed her face against the car window, watching the scenery shift from streets to suburbs, then from suburbs to forest, and now it had turned into a vast expanse of snow.
“Huh? I think I sent a message last night, right? The place we’re going to is a holiday hotel at the foot of a snowy mountain. I even specifically told everyone to bring some thick clothes.”
Yao Xueyue, sitting in the passenger seat, turned to look at Mo Ling. She was sure she had sent the message to everyone last night. So why hadn’t someone noticed?
Mo Ling guiltily averted her eyes. There was no way she would admit that she had put her phone on Do Not Disturb to play games yesterday and missed the message.
“Speaking of which… having a private driver drive this kind of limousine for Xueyue… her family must be pretty well-off.”
“Oh? Miss Qiu Qiqian didn’t know about Yao Xueyue’s situation?”
Isana countered.
Qiu Qiqian naturally shook her head. It wasn’t like she was a weirdo who would go around snooping into other people’s family backgrounds.
“Yao Xueyue’s family runs a company. They manufacture mid- to high-end household items, and they’re fairly well-known. She’s also their only child, which is why she often calls herself a young lady for no reason.”
“Oh~ I see… Then why did she come to work at the Association?”
“Ha, because… she’s not very good at calculations and interpersonal relationships.”
Mo Ling snickered as she explained to Qiu Qiqian, then suddenly felt an icy glare from the front seat. She shuddered involuntarily and continued staring out the window.
“Ahem… I just don’t like being restrained. Besides, as a Nether Body, if I can’t show off my abilities, wouldn’t that be a waste?”
Yao Xueyue, sitting in the passenger seat, straightened her back and forced an arrogant defense, though the tips of her ears were already turning red.
“Huh? Is that really the case? Mo Ling told me before that you actually fought with your father for three days and three nights, left home covered in wounds, and then the Association picked you up.”
Li Meng blinked as she recalled, marveling back then at how strong Yao Xueyue must have been to fight for three days and three nights.
“?!”
Yao Xueyue instantly crunched the lollipop in her mouth, her silver eyes gleaming with a terrifying coldness as she stared straight at Mo Ling.
“Mo Ling… would you care to explain where this apocryphal story came from?”
“Uh… well… this actually happened in a parallel universe, but you just can’t see it. Ow!”
As Mo Ling tried to quibble, Yao Xueyue crumpled a piece of paper and smacked her hard on the head.
***
A few moments later, Yao Xueyue’s personal driver successfully delivered everyone to their destination.
“Whoa… this really is all gold and splendor. Where did you bring us? Is this actually a normal holiday hotel?”
As soon as she entered, Mo Ling took one look at the reception lobby and thought she had stepped into some kind of… Golden Hall. The overall visual effect was golden—from the crystal chandeliers overhead to the walls and stone pillars around them, everything radiated… luxury.
The walls were adorned with several artistic paintings, and in one corner of the lobby, a piano was placed for anyone to play.
“Wait here for a moment. I’ll go talk to the front desk staff.”
Yao Xueyue instructed the group, then walked gracefully toward the massive front desk, which was carved from a single slab of dark marble.
The rest sat down in the lounge area. The sofas were thick velvet, almost swallowing them whole when they sat down.
Soon, a server in a well-fitted uniform arrived silently, carrying a silver tray with several delicate macarons and steaming black tea. The edges of the bone china cups and saucers were traced with fine gold lines.
About three minutes later, Yao Xueyue came back with five wristbands. She placed two marked K02 in front of Qiu Qiqian and Li Meng, and gave the remaining three to herself, Isana, and Mo Ling.
“Since there are quite a few guests, rooms are tight. We’ve been arranged with one double room and one triple room. I’ll share the triple with Mo Ling and the others. Miss Li Meng and Miss Qiu, you two take the double room… Is that okay?”
“Mm, don’t worry. There won’t be any problems.”
Li Meng nodded happily, clearly pleased to be paired with Qiu Qiqian.
Qiu Qiqian herself had no objections, as she had already been living with Li Meng for a while.
Even though they hadn’t slept in the same room yet… but it should… be fine, right?
Two girls… The only slightly awkward scenario she could think of was accidentally seeing the other’s unclothed body. But in the Mental World, she and Li Meng had already seen each other, so it wasn’t too bad.
It couldn’t possibly lead to… some kind of intimate space, right?
“Alright, let’s leave it at that. Let’s each go to our rooms, put our things away, and then whoever finishes first can come to the other room to call everyone out.”
After Yao Xueyue’s instructions, Qiu Qiqian and Li Meng nodded, then followed the server who was already waiting nearby to the residential area.
The hallway leading to the guest rooms was wide and quiet. Underfoot was a thick, sound-absorbing carpet with intricate patterns.
The walls on both sides were also decorated with art and sconces. The air held a refreshing yet warm blend of scents, like cedarwood and white musk.
Along the way, the server introduced the hotel’s internal facilities: the gym, buffet, dance floor, and even an indoor hot spring.
“Xiao Qian, they have an indoor hot spring.”
Li Meng gently tugged at Qiu Qiqian’s sleeve, seeming interested.
“Indoor hot spring, huh…”
Qiu Qiqian had been to an indoor hot spring before… but compared to the open-air Japanese style, this felt more like… a big bathhouse kind of atmosphere?
It wasn’t that she particularly disliked it, but it felt… well… relatively less comfortable.
“Mm… let’s check it out later.”
She answered ambiguously, clearly not very interested.
Afterwards, they were led to their resting room. As soon as the door opened, a high-end aromatherapy scent wafted out.
The room was decorated in warm tones, with a great view—pulling back the curtains revealed the snowy mountain scenery. It had a computer, a bathtub, and various high-end toiletries. For a normal stay, this would probably cost a pretty penny.
“Wow~ Such a soft big bed~ It’s even better than the one at home.”
After the server left, Li Meng immediately pounced onto the plush bed, rubbing her face against the duvet.
But… Qiu Qiqian quickly noticed a problem.
“Hey… isn’t this a double room? Why is there only one big bed…”
Qiu Qiqian rubbed her temples with a bit of a headache.
“Huh? I think it’s great. I’ve never slept with Xiao Qian before.”
Li Meng lifted her face from the soft duvet, her eyes clear as she looked at Qiu Qiqian.
“Don’t say it in such an ambiguous way!”
Qiu Qiqian corrected, her face slightly flushed.
Li Meng blinked at that, then let out a light laugh and playfully pressed further.
“Then… what did Xiao Qian think I meant?”
“Guh…”
Qiu Qiqian choked on the question, momentarily at a loss for words.
This girl… she has definitely learned to be mischievous! She never used to pick up on the implications of my words.
Seeing Qiu Qiqian’s flustered expression, Li Meng let out another “pfft” laugh. Then she sat up, looking at her with her legs dangling off the edge of the bed, gently swinging.
“Sleeping in the same bed will definitely help us grow closer~”
“Grow closer… I’m not really that important…”
Qiu Qiqian muttered under her breath, but Li Meng caught it. Her cheerful face puffed up in anger, and then Qiu Qiqian felt her wrist being grabbed with an inescapable strength, and with a whoosh, she was pulled away.
By the time she came to her senses, she was lying on her back on the bed. What fell from above was not the light of the chandelier, but a girl’s shadow and silky gray hair.
A faint fragrance drifted from the strands to Qiu Qiqian’s nose, but it was hard to clear her mind, which was almost blank at the moment.
Li Meng pinned Qiu Qiqian’s arms down, her gray eyes fixed on her. In those eyes were anger at being underestimated, undisguised affection, heartfelt gratitude, and… tenderness that almost overflowed.
Qiu Qiqian had never seen such a complex look in her life. Her hands instinctively wanted to move, but… how could she resist the youngest Youxun in front of her?
“Hey, Xiao Qian, you know? Ever since my parents disappeared in that Operation Cradle Snuff, a lot of things have been missing from my home.”
Li Meng’s voice was so soft that Qiu Qiqian could barely hear it.
The content, however, was so heavy that Qiu Qiqian… didn’t want to struggle anymore.
“Warmth, family, atmosphere, laughter… none of these things could be seen at home anymore.”
“Sometimes when I was little, I would think, why did I have to go through this? Why could others have happy, reunited families? Why?”
“Even with Sister Nan and friends like Yao Xueyue around, I still felt… like something was missing from home.”
“Until Xiao Qian came. That long-lost feeling… finally started to come back a little.”
“That feeling… of what it means to be home.”
The corners of Li Meng’s mouth curved gently, and her eyes seemed to scatter stars.
“So, I’m really grateful to Xiao Qian. You are a very important existence to me. I won’t allow Xiao Qian to look down on herself—not even a little bit.”
“I… I get it! Geez, get off me already!”
Qiu Qiqian felt her own heart getting warm, her mind going blank. She said the words instinctively, but her body didn’t struggle.
She turned her head away, trying to preserve some dignity and face, but the flushed side of her cheek only left two words behind: tsundere.
Li Meng let out a sweet laugh, and the slightly sorrowful atmosphere from those words gradually faded.
She leaned down, brought her face close to Qiu Qiqian’s cheek, and then gently pecked her with her soft, warm lips.
Chu~