Exiting the elevator, they arrived on the third floor of the hotel.
The room was at the end of a long corridor, with an old carpet on the floor that felt soft under their feet.
Bai Yin followed closely behind Chen Huaixiao, chattering away, "It's not that I'm afraid, it's just that we shouldn't waste resources, you know, living a low-carbon life."
"After all, we're only going to sleep for a few hours."
"And besides, I'm afraid you'll oversleep, so I'll be your alarm clock."
Chen Huaixiao remained silent and handed the room key card to the door. With a "beep," the door opened.
A cold, eerie wind blew out from the room, and Bai Yin quickly hid behind Chen Huaixiao, grabbing onto his clothes tightly. "Oh my god!"
Chen Huaixiao turned around and gave her a puzzled look.
She shuddered and let go, coughing lightly, "I just feel like the room is a bit cold."
Chen Huaixiao turned on the lights and the warm air from the air conditioner.
Bai Yin saw that although the hotel was unremarkable, the room's interior decoration was decent with white walls, a gray carpet, and a modern minimalist style.
It was barely acceptable for one night.
However, there was a two-meter bed with white sheets and towels folded into the shape of two kissing swans on the bed.
"Huh? No twin room?" Bai Yin rubbed her head and was about to leave the room. "I'll go find her and ask for another one!"
Chen Huaixiao had already put down his shoulder bag and opened the sheets. "I'm used to sleeping on a big bed. If you want to change, get your own room."
"..."
Bai Yin hesitated at the door, weighing her options between "sharing a bed with Chen Huaixiao" and "sharing a bed with a ghost." In the end, she chose the former.
She inspected the hygiene in the bathroom, barely passing, and came out to say to Chen Huaixiao, "I didn't bring my pajamas."
"Aren't you wearing clothes?"
"How can I sleep in my outerwear?"
Chen Huaixiao said expressionlessly, "You can also choose to wear nothing."
"..."
He pulled out a clean designer undershirt from his shoulder bag and handed it to Bai Yin. "When you were a poor girl, did I spoil you like this?"
Bai Yin took the undershirt and snorted, "I didn't ask you to spoil me."
"Then don't wear my clothes."
Chen Huaixiao reached for it, but Bai Yin turned and rushed into the bathroom, slamming the door shut.
...
Chen Huaixiao showered quickly, washed his hair, and then came out of the bathroom. He saw Bai Yin lying on the bed like a cat, with her long, fair legs intertwined and her white shirt hugging her tender skin. Her waist was clearly defined, like a vortex of beauty.
Chen Huaixiao had invested in the entertainment industry and had seen many beautiful women over the years, but someone like Bai Yin, with such a unique taste... was rare.
He had watched her grow up from a skinny, malnourished ugly duckling in her adolescence to the now fully transformed, winged, and alluring blue butterfly.
He walked up to her and casually tossed the towel aside.
Bai Yin was calculating the profits from tonight's livestream, completely unaware of the man standing behind her, staring at her with intense eyes.
With a split of 70-30, she could still make tens of thousands of yuan, even if she had to stay in this haunted hotel in the middle of nowhere with Chen Huaixiao.
A happy smile spread across Bai Yin's lips as she felt the bed sink beside her, and caught a whiff of a faint sandalwood scent. "Chen Huaixiao, why do you always smell like me?" she asked.
"Really?" The man sniffed himself but seemed oblivious.
"It's obvious." Bai Yin asked curiously, "Is it because of your unique physique, that whenever you sleep with a woman, you carry her scent? Like a mark."
"..."
Chen Huaixiao lightly kicked her with his foot. "Stop reading erotic novels."
"I didn't!"
Bai Yin turned around, and the man had already lay down, covered by the sheet. But she caught a glimpse of his bare upper body, his arms smooth and muscular.
"Why aren't you wearing anything to sleep?"
Chen Huaixiao glanced at her coldly. "The only clothes I have to change into are on you. If you mind, you can take them off for me."
Bai Yin was speechless, and could only pick up an extra pillow and place it between them. "Don't touch me."
"That's what I should be saying to you."
Bai Yin turned off the light and lay down. The man next to her made no sound, breathing evenly and slowly.
"Chen Huaixiao, are you asleep?"
"Mm."
"You're still answering even though you're asleep."
"I'm too tired to move. If you're too bored and want to do something, you can do it yourself."
"Thanks, but no thanks. I'm too tired."
Bai Yin turned over, facing away from him.
She had never imagined that she and Chen Huaixiao would be so intimate yet so distant. His every move used to stir her heart, leaving an indelible mark...
Now, Bai Yin's mindset was much more stable and she was no longer as naive and childish as she was in her youth.
Half an hour later, Bai Yin heard Chen Huaixiao's breathing gradually become calm, and she closed her eyes too.
"Crack."
A strange, brittle sound woke Bai Yin up.
"!!!"
She quickly turned over and whispered to the man's back, "Chen Huaixiao, are you asleep?"
Chen Huaixiao didn't respond, seeming to be really asleep.
Trembling, Bai Yin removed the pillow between them and squeezed up to him, hugging his waist from behind and resting her cheek against his hot skin, her eyes tightly shut.
Tick-tock...
She thought she could hear the sound of water dripping from the bathroom.
Ah, ah, ah!
She couldn't take it anymore!
Bai Yin crawled into the covers and snuggled up to Chen Huaixiao, wrapping her arms around his strong and muscular arm, and burying herself in his fiery embrace.
Chen Huaixiao woke up slightly, "What are you doing?"
"Th-there's really a ghost."
"What ghost?"
Bai Yin's cold hand covered Chen Huaixiao's mouth as she trembled and said, "Brother, for the sake of the last two times, please protect me. I'm scared..."
"...," Chen Huaixiao closed his eyes again and then tightly embraced the young girl. "Go to sleep."
I'll protect you.
*
The next morning, Bai Yin was awakened by her alarm clock. She groggily reached out, feeling the spot next to her already empty, but still with a hint of warmth.
As she gradually regained consciousness and opened her eyes, she saw Chen Huaixiao standing by the window, already dressed in a maple red racing suit. The contours of his arms were very graceful, with a hint of wildness that was absent when he wore a suit.
The morning light shone in through the window, illuminating his profile, handsome and powerful.
"Get up when you wake up," Chen Huaixiao put on his gloves.
Bai Yin was still drowsy and fell back onto the bed. "Why did I come with you to this terrible place to suffer? I had nightmares from the ghost last night."
Chen Huaixiao turned around and walked to the bed.
The woman's long hair was scattered like a black lotus, and her fair skin and delicate muscles were as beautiful as a butterfly. She was so stunning that he couldn't help but be attracted to her at times.
She was so enchanting that she was almost like a demon.
"Little girl, if you don't get up, I'll leave you in the mountains."
His voice was gentle and magnetic, making her heart skip a beat.
"Get up! Don't nag!" Bai Yin kicked off the blanket in frustration.
Chen Huaixiao lowered his gaze and pointed meaningfully to the collar of her shirt.
Bai Yin looked down and realized that her collar had been open for a long time, and he had seen everything inside.
She quickly turned around, buttoned up her shirt, and then grabbed her coat like a rabbit and rushed into the bathroom to wash up as quickly as possible. Then she appeared in front of Chen Huaixiao full of energy and vigor.
"Are you ready? Let's go!"
...
The faint light of dawn was appearing in the east.
As Chen Huaixiao had said, the second half of the mountain road was extremely steep, with some narrow turns that could only fit one car at a time.
And with the rain last night, the tires were easy to slip.
Despite the bumpy and narrow mountain road, Chen Huaixiao drove very steadily, maintaining a stable speed.
Bai Yin's competitive spirit was ignited again. "I think we can go faster."
"Teach me how to drive?" Chen Huaixiao looked ahead with a calm expression.
"Since it's a race, of course we have to win!" Bai Yin said.
Chen Huaixiao's expression remained unchanged. "You can open the car window and take a look outside."
Bai Yin stubbornly opened the car window and saw the towering cliffs, the lush trees in the canyon, and a river that looked like a thin worm in the distance.
The car was driving on the edge of the cliff, only a few steps away, breathtaking!
Bai Yin closed the car window, her heart racing. This was the first time she experienced acrophobia.
Because Chen Huaixiao always drove steadily and calmly, it gave her a false sense of safety.
"It's really an illusion, racing in a place like this is like playing with your life!"
But Chen Huaixiao seems to enjoy the thrill of being on the edge of death.
She no longer urges him to speed up and quiets down, taking out a dark foundation and opening the mirror on the top of the car to apply makeup and make herself look ugly.
Chen Huaixiao glances at her and says, "Is it fun to make yourself look ugly?"
Bai Yin evenly pats her face with a powder puff and says, "I'm afraid Qin Jue will fall in love with me if he sees my true face."
"He's your fiancé."
Bai Yin rolls her eyes and says, "Thanks, no need to remind me."
She's worried about this.
She inquired and discovered that Qin Jue is really a pervert and marrying him might not lead to a happy life.
"Chen Huaixiao, do you want to consider a marriage alliance with the Su family?" She turns to him with a negotiating tone and says, "After all, now the Su and Qin families are forming an alliance to deal with you."
Chen Huaixiao doesn't look away and says calmly, "Do you want to marry me?"
Bai Yin sighs, "There's no better choice, only you can stop this alliance."
"If you don't want to marry, you don't have to come to North City and wade into this muddy water, no one can force you."
Bai Yin's face darkens, "I don't want to be trapped in that isolated town in Jiangnan for the rest of my life."
Chen Huaixiao knows that she has high aspirations, and all her efforts over the years have been for this moment.
"Okay," he says lightly, "kneel down and propose to me, and I'll consider it."
"..."
"Who wants to propose to you!"
Chen Huaixiao's lips curve up, "Up to you."
Bai Yin looks at the man's indifferent profile and lazily falls back into her chair.
She was just asking casually, not really expecting anything.
...
Above, a hovering drone emits a whistling noise, broadcasting the live race footage throughout.
The trendy people who want to track the race have already arrived nearby.
Soon, the steep mountain road comes to an end, and the winding forest path leading to the mountaintop is too difficult for the race cars to drive on, so they have to climb on foot.
According to the rules of the race, Bai Yin should walk this part of the route.
At the same time, Qin Jue's black race car rushes up and stops in front of them.
Confidently, he opens the passenger door, and Kitty, dressed in sports gear, gets out of the car looking fresh.
Bai Yin remembers that she was in a nightclub outfit last night, with high heels and an arrogant attitude, and today she has transformed into a sporty outfit.
It seems that this race is not just a spur-of-the-moment decision by Qin Jue, but a well-planned and well-prepared effort to win over Chen Huaixiao.
Kitty looks at the high heels on Bai Yin's feet and smiles.
Last night, Bai Yin came dressed in nightclub attire and was caught off guard, so her outfit was not suitable for this climbing project.
The conditions in the mountains are limited, and she can't find suitable footwear for climbing.
Qin Jue calculated this and made the bet with Chen Huaixiao using actual shares as collateral.
Chen Huaixiao glanced at Bai Yin's high heels and asked, "Can you manage it?"
Bai Yin didn't answer, but took the maple leaf red flag from Chen Huaixiao's hand without hesitation, knocked her high heels against the ground, and strode towards the mountain path.
Kitty followed her leisurely, as if waiting to see a good show.
It wouldn't take long for her heels to break walking on this mountain path. She was sure to lose.
...
Bai Yin struggled to climb up to the halfway point in her high heels, which sank into the muddy path several times. Kitty was always behind her, clearly having the opportunity to overtake her but choosing not to.
Bai Yin glanced back at Kitty, who was about ten meters behind her on the slope, looking down at her struggling ascent with contemptuous amusement.
But what Kitty didn't expect was for Bai Yin to simply take off her high heels and walk barefoot on the mountain path.
Kitty was shocked and watched as Bai Yin, who had discarded her shoes, quickly climbed up the path with nimble steps.
She was willing to go all out to win, even with all the broken wood and branches on the ground!
Kitty quickly caught up, but because she had fallen far behind, and Bai Yin's leg strength was honed over time, Kitty couldn't catch up with her. She could only watch as Bai Yin disappeared into the jungle.
When Bai Yin looked back again, she could no longer see Kitty.
This was nothing. She had faced difficult situations since childhood and had endured all kinds of hardships.
If you want to win, you have to be more daring than others.
...
A drone hovered over the mountain path, and it was obvious that Kitty was far behind and couldn't catch up to Bai Yin.
Qin Jue angrily looked at Chen Huaixiao, leaning against his red racing car with a calm and cool expression, his black eyes fixed on the dirty bare feet of the girl.
He lowered his voice and asked, "What is your relationship with Miss Su from the Su family? She's really going all out to help you win!"
Chen Huaixiao gave him a meaningful glance and uttered two words, "Guess what?"
"Did you sleep with her?"
Chen Huaixiao smiled lightly.
Qin Jue was so angry that he gritted his teeth and went to a secluded place alone, taking out his phone.
Just before reaching the finish line, Bai Yin received a call from an unfamiliar number.
The man on the phone got straight to the point, "I'm Qin Jue."
"Fiancé, hello."
"You're working so hard to help Chen Huaixiao win. What did he promise you in return?"
"What, does Mr. Qin want to buy me off?"
Qin Jue said in a deep voice, "If I win, I can get 10% of Cangxing Group's shares, which we can split 50-50. You can easily have a fortune worth billions."
Bai Yin stopped in her tracks at his words.
Qin Jue had indeed offered her an irresistible proposition.
