Chapter 164: Talking About Feelings… Laughing (Please Follow for More)

"Pfft—!"

Su Huan burst out laughing.

"I was just joking, no need to get so tense."

"I… I'm not tense." Qin Yun had faced the barrel of a poacher's gun without a flutter in his heartbeat, but now Su Huan's simple "I missed you" shattered his composure instantly.

Hearing she'd only been teasing, he didn't know whether he felt disappointed or relieved.

"I'm staying overnight in Shiquanhe Town today, then flying to Shanghai from Ali Kunsha Airport tomorrow morning."

Su Huan nodded: "There probably isn't a direct flight, right?"

"Yeah, need to transfer." Qin Yun had already checked the flight schedule and bought the ticket—he knew every detail: "From Ali to Lhasa, then Lhasa to Shanghai. You'll likely arrive in Shanghai around eight or nine at night. I'll probably stay another night there, then drive back to Hangzhou the next day."

"Mm, okay, I'll wait for you."

After hanging up, Qin Yun stared at the roaring Shiquanhe River, momentarily lost in thought.

After a long while, he shook his head, scrubbed his face vigorously with the icy river water, and finally regained his composure.

He could naturally sense the ambiguous, half-present tension between him and Su Huan. He wasn't an idiot—he knew their distance was steadily shrinking.

He just kept hesitating.

It was impossible not to have feelings for Su Huan, but jumping into a new relationship so quickly always made him hesitate.

So he did his best not to think about it, and whenever Su Huan tested the waters, he pretended not to notice.

But today, her "I missed you" made his heart thunder—more intense than when he'd first fallen for Song Ya.

"Qin Yun, Qin Yun, you're at the top of the food chain now. How can you let romantic distractions stall your career? While you're young, travel the world, conquer nature—that's what you should be doing."

…

Along the Shiquanhe River, at 6: 0 p. ., Qin Yun arrived at Shiquanhe Town and checked into the Hanjin Boya Hotel. The hotel looked exactly like those in coastal cities from the 2000s—plain and simple.

Whether the exterior or interior, it screamed early 2000s aesthetic.

Though it seemed outdated and the facilities weren't great, the hygiene was excellent and the service warm. Most importantly, it cost less than two hundred yuan—making the value proposition unbeatable.

After showering and lying on the bed, he noticed two missed calls on his phone.

Both from Xia Xiaoxing.

Qin Yun called back; she answered instantly: "Hey, Boss Qin, when are you coming to Shanghai? I've fully serviced and cleaned your car—it's parked in my garage now."

"Haha," Qin Yun laughed. "Thanks. I'm still in Shiquanhe Town. My flight lands in Shanghai tomorrow night around eight."

At that moment, Xia Xiaoxing was lying on her bed, the room warmly heated. She wore simple clothes, her legs swinging back and forth.

Hearing this, her eyes lit up. She flipped over immediately: "Then I'll pick you up tomorrow? I'll treat you to a big dinner—I've got nothing else to do."

"Hasn't your family pressured you into getting a job yet?" He remembered the siblings had mentioned this last time—still lounging at home after a full week.

"Don't wanna go," Xia Xiaoxing pouted. "Work's boring, just wastes time. I just want to travel, like you—trot all over the world, see everything."

"Heh, you're never gonna make it," Qin Yun mocked. "After what happened, did your mom really let you off the hook?"

"Waaah—" Xia Xiaoxing nearly cried. "Mom cut off all my cards. I'm broke now."

"Then how are you going to treat me to dinner? Are you gonna make me pay?"

"… " Xia Xiaoxing looked embarrassed. "Ugh, don't be mean—I've got my brother."

After chatting and laughing, they settled on the pickup plan. Qin Yun then called his mother.

His mother knew his situation inside out—calm and composed, clearly Su Huan had already filled her in.

Before hanging up, Hu Fen warned: "You're heading overseas for the show soon, right? Don't wander around during this time. Stay in Hangzhou, rest up, don't overstrain yourself."

"Mom, don't worry. I'll stay in Hangzhou this week—nowhere else."

"Good. Xiao Su said you've been exhausted these past few days—five hundred kilometers in less than a week, farther than I've driven in days."

Qin Yun smiled, changing the subject: "Not that extreme. But Mom, are you driving to work now?"

"Drive? No way," Hu Fen grumbled. "I drove once, then ran into my manager. The look on his face—I still get weird thinking about it. It was… something else."

"The next day, everyone in the office knew. They even came to take photos by my car. So now I only drive at night. I refuse to drive to work."

"Hahaha," Qin Yun laughed. The car was indeed luxurious—no wonder the head-turning rate was sky-high. "It's just transportation. Let them be jealous."

"You don't fear gentlemen, but you must fear scoundrels, understand?"

After chatting a while longer, Hu Fen hung up, opened WeChat, and sent Su Huan a thumbs-up: "Done!"

Su Huan replied with a cute emoji: "Thank you, Auntie."

Qin Yun naturally had no idea his mother had already sold him out completely. After finishing the call, he replied to a few WeChat messages and went to bed.

The hotel room had oxygen supply. As soon as he fell asleep, his body plunged into full recovery mode—completely motionless.

When he opened his eyes again, it was already seven a. .

He got out of bed, pulled back the curtains, stretched lazily—and every joint in his body cracked loudly. He felt utterly relaxed, as if every tendon and bone had been fully extended.

His abundant blood and qi, his boundless energy, left him with zero fatigue typical of a thirty-year-old man waking up.

His second brother didn't retreat until over ten minutes later—proof of just how monstrous his physical condition had become.

Compared to his state four months ago, Qin Yun now was an entirely different person.

One punch, and he could kill his former self.

After breakfast at the hotel, amid warm farewells from the staff, Qin Yun hopped into a taxi bound for Ali Kunsha Airport.

Compared to other airports Qin Yun had visited, Ali Kunsha Airport was tiny. No comparison to Xiaoshan Airport, let alone Beijing Daxing Airport—vastly different in passenger volume.

Daxing Airport handled over fifty million passengers annually; Ali Kunsha handled only one hundred thousand—a five-hundred-fold difference, worlds apart.

It made the airport feel like a county bus terminal.

…

At eight p. ., China Eastern Airlines flight MU2336 from Lhasa landed punctually at Hongqiao Airport.

Qin Yun had no checked luggage—just a backpack on his back as he headed toward the arrivals exit.

"Big Brother Qin."

As he reached the exit, a cheerful voice called out. He looked up to see a girl in a light beige down jacket waving and grinning at him.

Who else but Xia Xiaoxing.

Beside her stood Xia Xiaochuan.

The siblings—one tall, one short—clearly mismatched in height.

Qin Yun waved and strode over.

"Waited long?"

Xia Xiaochuan first greeted him as "Big Brother Qin," then replied: "Not long at all."

"Let's go, let's go—get in the car. I've already booked a restaurant. Tonight's my treat. Mom gave me ten grand as emergency cash."

Xia Xiaoxing rushed forward and grabbed Qin Yun's arm, pulling him along.

The familiarity made it seem like they were old friends—but in reality, counting this visit, they'd only met three times total.

The car was a domestic minivan. Xia Xiaochuan drove; Xia Xiaoxing and Qin Yun sat in the back.

"Boss Qin, let's go to Huang Gongzi Restaurant. Their food's amazing—never gets boring, and it's not expensive. Only under four thousand per person."

Qin Yun leaned back in his seat, thinking: Four thousand per person? Way beyond what ordinary people could afford. But remembering Xia Xiaoxing's family background, four thousand seemed cheap indeed.

"I'll follow your lead—you're paying." He chuckled.

Shanghai's roads were predictable—traffic jammed the moment they left the airport, let alone within the city.

The three chatted casually, not in any hurry.

"By the way, Big Brother Qin, are you free tomorrow noon? My parents want to invite you over for lunch?"

"Invite me?" Qin Yun looked startled. "No need for that."

Xia Xiaoxing rubbed her nose, embarrassed: "Mom scolded me to pieces after what happened. She heard from A Li-jie about how you helped me. So… you get it."

Qin Yun felt troubled, even resistant.

"To me, it was just a small thing. I was going to take the New Tibet Highway anyway—it was nothing. No need to go out of your way to thank me."

"But Mom already went shopping today. She's probably bought everything already."

Qin Yun sighed. "Fine. Then I'll come tomorrow noon. It's too much trouble for Auntie."

Even if invited, he'd have to bring a gift—just thinking about it gave him a headache.

The car turned onto Tianping Road. As they entered the Huang Gongzi Restaurant parking lot, Han Wei called.

"Boss Qin, you're in Shanghai?"

"Yeah, just arrived. Heading out to dinner with friends."

"You didn't even call me? I could've picked you up."

"Haha, same thing. There'll be next time."

"Alright." Han Wei got to the point. "I still haven't properly thanked you for what happened. Since you're in Shanghai, how about dinner at my place tomorrow night? My family wants to thank you in person."

Damn it!

Qin Yun glanced at Xia Xiaoxing—his head throbbed again.

He wanted to refuse, but couldn't bring himself to.

In the end, he gritted his teeth and agreed.

Luckily, one was at noon, the other at night—no conflict. Otherwise, he'd have had to turn one down.

"Big Brother Qin, you've got plans tomorrow night too?" Xia Xiaoxing asked curiously.

Qin Yun nodded: "Yeah. Han Wei's. The one who climbed Yamei Peak with me."

Hearing this, Xia Xiaochuan turned around and glanced back. The siblings exchanged a look.

Qin Yun frowned: "What? You know her?"

"Mm," Xia Xiaoxing said. "Weiwei sister lives in the same villa district as us, in Zi Garden—just a ten-minute walk away. We know about her family's situation; we don't interact much, but we occasionally run into each other."

"That's quite a coincidence."

The three got out of the car and entered the restaurant, where attendants immediately greeted them.

Setting aside the food, the interior decor was indeed highly private—blending French romance with Chinese subtlety, even incorporating cyberpunk and natural wilderness elements. The paintings adorning the walls were clearly of artistic collection value.

"You need to book three days in advance here, but luckily my dad knows Master Huang. Hehe."

"Then I won't be polite."

At this moment, in a villa in Shanghai's Zi Garden, Han Wei informed Fang Yi and Han Shichu about her arrangement with Qin Yun.

Upon hearing this, Fang Yi smiled: "That's wonderful—I'll have someone prepare right away. We must thank this young man properly in person."

A smile also appeared on Han Shichu's stern face: "Yes, that's only right—if it weren't for him…"

He fell silent, but Fang Yi showed no offense: "If it weren't for him, Xiao Xue's belongings would never have been recovered, and Wei Wei's emotional wound would never have healed. We definitely must show him proper gratitude."

Han Wei smiled: "So, Dad and Mom—should we invite Uncle and Third Uncle too?"

Han Shichu thought for a moment, then shook his head: "No need. Just our family will do—better not make him uncomfortable."