Chapter 29

"Shao Yan and Chen Ziyi are together?" Qin Yun rubbed his nose. "What does that have to do with me?"

Su Huan said: "They're engaged, so they're planning to take a few classmates in Hangzhou out for dinner. I want you to come with me."

Qin Yun hesitated: "When?"

"This Saturday."

"That's tomorrow!" Qin Yun thought for a moment, then agreed. "Fine. Do I need to buy them a gift?"

"No need. It's not a holiday—just classmates getting together."

"Alright." Qin Yun could take it or leave it; anyone who'd been to college knew that if you stopped contacting someone after graduation, they became practically a stranger—no need to keep up the connection.

Life is simply a process of meeting new people and letting old ones drift away.

Those who get along well naturally stay in touch; those who don't, naturally grow distant. Everyone's the same.

On the other end of the line, Su Huan's tone suddenly grew hesitant: "Uh… I need one more favor."

"What favor? Speak up," Qin Yun said, surprised. "That's not like you. You, Su the class president, always act decisively."

"Shut up," Su Huan laughed and scolded.

Then she spoke slowly: "Last time we had dinner together, Fei Kai brought a friend. We introduced ourselves, and he's been chasing me ever since."

Qin Yun wasn't surprised. Su Huan's looks, figure, and charm—no one chasing her would be strange.

"And then?"

"And then I don't like him," Su Huan said. "But he's being persistent—really annoying."

"Just block him. You're perfectly capable of it."

Su Huan was speechless: "If I could block him, would I be asking you? His company has a partnership with ours, and we're directly working together."

"So what do you want me to do?" Qin Yun replied, then suddenly let out a long "Oh—" with a sly smile. "You're not asking me to pretend to be your boyfriend, are you?"

"…."

Su Huan fell silent—but Qin Yun was stunned.

"Holy shit, you're not seriously going for this cliché plot, are you? Readers will flee."

Su Huan snapped: "Just tell me if you'll do it or not!"

Qin Yun moved the phone away, waited for her to pause, then said: "Fine, fine, whatever you say. But Fei Kai and the others know I'm married—how could I possibly… oh, wait, I get it. You're using me as an excuse to reject him, so he'll give up without you offending him."

"Enough talking. Come pick me up tomorrow. I'll send you the location."

The call ended. Qin Yun shook his head and resumed buying outdoor gear.

Folding chairs and tables, a canister stove, cookware, a canopy—things he could use anytime he drove out for a trip. He even bought an inflatable tent designed to match his Land Rover Defender, so he could sleep outside whenever he wanted.

After finishing his shopping and returning to the car, he discovered he'd been added to a group called 【Beijing University of Information Science and Technology 2018 in Hangzhou】. Only a few people were in it—the ones Su Huan mentioned.

When he joined, Shao Yan was messaging him.

"It's rare to see you, Qin the handsome guy, in Hangzhou. Don't flake tomorrow, okay?"

Qin Yun smiled and replied: "No one's handsomer than your boyfriend. The #1 campus hunk of Beijing University of Information Science and Technology's Computer Engineering department isn't just talk."

Chen Ziyi popped up: "Keep it low-key. Don't say it out loud."

Everyone fell silent, sending vomiting emoji packs.

Qin Yun watched them chat for a while, then put his phone away, drove out of the mall, and headed to a nearby gas station.

"Sir, full tank?" the gas station attendant asked, leaning in.

Qin Yun glanced at the fuel gauge, then turned off the engine: "Fill it with 98 octane."

"Got it!"

As the car filled, Qin Yun watched the numbers climb: from 500 to 600, then higher still—until a sharp *click* sounded, and the meter stopped at 824.5.

The attendant asked: "Round it up?"

Qin Yun stared at the number and felt another punch to the gut. Since leaving Beijing, he'd filled up again and again—each time hearing mocking laughter.

You don't know how expensive rice and oil are until you manage a household; you don't know how costly gasoline is until you drive a luxury car. Damn it—this 90-liter tank costs eight or nine hundred to fill.

Qin Yun said: "Round it up."

The attendant filled the tank completely. Qin Yun paid via Alipay, then started the car.

Listening to the engine's satisfied roar, he sighed and patted the steering wheel: "Can't afford it, can't afford it. No wonder people say even giving someone a luxury car doesn't mean they can afford to run it."

Feeling the crushing weight of expenses, Qin Yun once again felt the urge to make money—otherwise, with only outflows and no inflows, this was unsustainable.

…

The next day, Qin Yun arrived at Su Huan's apartment complex before eight.

He glanced at the complex—it was old, with parking spots on the ground.

He called Su Huan, but the phone rang until the voicemail prompt played—still no answer.

"Sleeping that hard?"

Qin Yun didn't believe it. He called again. After six attempts, the line finally connected.

"What do you want? It's barely morning, bro."

From her voice, Qin Yun could hear heavy fatigue. "It's almost nine," he said. "Sis, didn't you say yesterday you'd come with me to Xixi Wetland? How could you forget after one nap?"

Su Huan: "…."

After a pause, she snapped: "I'm coming down right now," and hung up.

That "right now" turned into a full hour. Only when it was nearly nine did Su Huan emerge from the building, dressed casually.

Seeing Qin Yun's wounded expression, she opened the car door and got in. "Sorry. Yesterday was packed with work—I lost track of time."

What could Qin Yun say? He forgave her.

But today, Su Huan looked different—less gentle, more lively. Even her makeup was altered, giving her a fresh, striking appearance.

Jeans, a white T-shirt, a ponytail—this look was one he'd only seen during college.

"Hey, are your seatbelts fastened? If they are, we can go..."

As Xiao Tuantuan's voice rang out, the car smoothly entered the elevated road, and he pointed beneath the dashboard: "I brought you baozi and soy milk—just eat what you've got."

Su Huan took it and saw it was still pan-fried baozi, but unfortunately already somewhat cold.

"Thanks."

Following the navigation's directions, the car ascended and descended the elevated road, soon arriving at the North Gate of Xixi Wetland, where they were surprised to find a hot air balloon still there.

Qin Yun asked curiously: "Can you actually ride that hot air balloon?"

Su Huan leaned forward to look, then shook her head: "I don't know. I haven't been here much."

Following the road, they drove deeper in, soon reaching Jiangcun Slow Life District. He parked the car and placed a canopy and two chairs into the cart. After a moment's thought, he added the camera as well.

"Let's go!"

No sooner had Qin Yun spoken than the system's voice sounded again.

【Task Posted: Host, visit Xixi Wetland and photograph ten species of birds to complete check-in.】

Ten species of birds?

Qin Yun frowned. This wasn't easy. Ten bird species in an ecosystem weren't rare, but actually photographing them was another matter. Worse, neither of his lenses was suited for bird photography—capturing birds in flight would be truly difficult.

The two walked along the stone path; soon the shops on either side faded away, replaced by rivers and forests. The air changed dramatically, becoming much fresher with every breath.

Not long after, they heard the sound of water. Several black-canopied rowboats glided past, ripples spreading across the surface, the wind carrying the fresh scent of grass and trees, lifting their spirits.

At that moment, several white egrets flew in and landed among the reeds. Seeing this, Qin Yun handed the cart to Su Huan and stepped forward with his camera. The instant he pressed the shutter, a prompt appeared on the system panel.

"Not bad—you already got one so fast."

As they continued forward to the Deep Pool Entrance, Qin Yun noticed a sign identifying it as a filming location for "If You Are the One."

"Want to take a look?"

Su Huan nodded: "Sure, let's go in."

They paid 160 yuan, grabbed the cart, and walked inside.

Inside, they saw a vast square shaded by trees—ancient camphor trees, over a thousand years old. A stage stood beneath them, but no performance was taking place.

…

Shao Yan tapped Chen Ziyi beside her and suddenly said: "Honey, do you think Su Huan's rekindling her feelings for Qin Yun?"

Chen Ziyi, still buried under the covers, mumbled: "Rekindling? Did they ever even date? I didn't know that."

"No," Shao Yan said, her eyes gleaming with gossip. "You didn't know, but half the girls in our class did. Su Huan used to like Qin Yun, but back then he was completely obsessed with Song Ya, so it just fizzled out."

"I thought they actually dated. It's just unrequited love—what's so special about that?"

"Hmph. You say that—did you secretly like someone else in college?"

Chen Ziyi, half-asleep moments ago, snapped awake, threw off the covers, and declared solemnly: "No, absolutely not. I've only ever had feelings for you, Shao Yan."

"Hmph, you're such a charmer," Shao Yan scolded, then added, "Now that Qin Yun's divorced, I wonder if Su Huan's never dated anyone—not even that rich, handsome guy Fei Kai introduced—is because she still has feelings for him."

"Whether real or pretend, if they end up together, it wouldn't be bad. But Su Huan's high-income, beautiful, and has high standards—I doubt she'd be interested in Qin Yun, a twice-married man."

"That's true," Shao Yan nodded. "I still don't get why Qin Yun divorced. I remember Song Ya's family was pretty well-off."

"Marriage isn't just about conditions. Maybe they just clashed emotionally, or one cheated—anything's possible."

"Honey, would you ever cheat?"

"Of course—" Chen Ziyi, still half-drowsy, suddenly jolted upright. "Of course not! All other women are just pretty skeletons to me. Only you, Shao Yan, are truly breathtaking."

"Hmph, you smooth talker."

…

"Let's set up the canopy here," Qin Yun and Su Huan reached the outer edge of the Lotus Beach Birdwatching Zone, where a wide waterside lawn offered no obstructions and several other tourists had already pitched tents and canopies.

The two quickly set up the canopy. No sooner had they sat down than a cry rang out—Qin Yun, quick as lightning, grabbed a running child before he could fall.

A man in his forties or fifties rushed over: "Sorry, sorry, my kid ran off."

Qin Yun smiled: "It's fine."

The man glanced at Qin Yun and Su Huan, then pointed to two canopies nearby: "Brother, sister, I see you didn't bring food—why not come over and join us for a bite?"

Qin Yun and Su Huan turned to look; beneath the other canopies, a group of people were gathered, clearly lively and cheerful.

"No thanks."

The man didn't press, chatted a little more, then took his child and left.

Qin Yun unfolded the folding chair and placed one behind Su Huan's butt. "Sit down, Miss Su, you gorgeous woman."

Su Huan's gaze flickered across Qin Yun's face, then settled on the lake.

She was about to say something when Qin Yun suddenly grabbed his camera and dashed off, snapping furiously at the birds flying over the water: "Click-click-click!"

Qin Yun finally returned and sat down, but before Su Huan could speak, he stood up again and ran off.

This left Su Huan thoroughly frustrated.

When Qin Yun came back and moved to leave again, Su Huan grabbed his shirt firmly: "Sit down. Right now."