Chapter 84

"Not very fun to play with—just okay to look at; there are traces of later eras everywhere." Qin Yun complained to Su Huan.

Su Huan laughed happily: "One of my coworkers is from Longyou. She says the locals there never go—it's not fun at all. But she says some of Longyou's snacks are delicious, like Three Heads One Palm, malatang…"

"Malatang?" Qin Yun bit into the steamed cake in his hand, puzzled. "Is malatang a specialty of Longyou? Isn't malatang from Sichuan?"

"I was confused too at first, but my coworker says Longyou's malatang is different from other places—it separates the staple food from the vegetables and meat, each served in small iron basins, every dish soaked through with the rich flavor of the broth. You should try it."

Qin Yun nodded: "That's worth a taste."

After chatting idly for a while, Su Huan brought up the real matter: "Anta reached out again. They said if we do more livestreams, they're open to negotiation."

Qin Yun smiled—he had no grudge against money, but he naturally had his own scale.

"Hmm, we'll talk about it later. You mentioned on WeChat that Casio has a collaboration? What's going on?"

Qin Yun had listed Su Huan's contact info on his Douyin account, so aside from backend private messages, all business matters flowed to Su Huan. Though Su Huan didn't want money, Qin Yun wouldn't truly let her work for free—he quietly set aside a 10% commission for her.

I'll crush Su Huan with a year-end bonus!

"Casio's quote is 150,000 for a livestream, 100,000 per video—no ad script needed, just wear the watch, and a subtitle appears at the end. They want a one-year partnership. If you agree, we can sign the contract directly."

Qin Yun felt the steamed cake in his mouth had turned hard—he nodded without hesitation: "Agreed, of course I agree. If I don't take this free money, I'm an idiot."

Su Huan wasn't surprised by this result. She got off the bed and pulled back the curtains; sunlight flooded in.

She squinted, then slowly stretched, her beautiful figure fully revealed.

"Alright, I know. Also, I'm negotiating with DJI on a contract too. If it goes through, I'll have a guaranteed minimum income for future video sponsorships, and I'll have energy to develop other collaborations."

"You've worked hard." Qin Yun's gratitude was sincere. "Did you just wake up?"

"Yeah, I stayed late working yesterday, so I'm not going to the office today. Oh, I forgot to tell you—Mom sent me some dried shrimp and dried squid."

Qin Yun's head popped up with several question marks: "Why did my mom send you these?"

"She's thanking me for taking care of you in Harbin," Su Huan giggled. "Said you're out playing alone and told me to call you more often and remind you to eat properly."

Su Huan knew exactly what Hu Fen meant—but some things couldn't be rushed; she had her own idea.

"Fine, my mom really is something."

"Alright, I'm done chatting. I'm going to freshen up. Keep playing—I'll tell you once the DJI contract is settled."

"Alright, leave it to you. I'll give you a big red envelope for the New Year."

"Then I'll wait."

After ending the call with Su Huan, Qin Yun continued eating and drinking, utterly at ease.

He was someone who could handle spice, and Quzhou's San Tou Yi Zhang happened to be intensely spicy—he thoroughly satisfied his craving.

San Tou Yi Zhang refers to duck head, rabbit head, fish head, and duck feet. The shop he found was called Hua Hua Zhou Dian. He asked the owner, who said the shop had been open for over thirty years—the flavor was indeed excellent.

Many people might struggle to accept rabbit head or duck head, but once you get past the psychological barrier, you'll quickly fall in love with the taste.

He bought a pile of food and set off again toward Quzhou. Taking the national highway, he drove slowly for about an hour and a half before arriving at Kecheng District, Quzhou.

After strolling around Tongshan Yuan Reservoir and checking the time, he drove toward his destination—the wild beach outside Lingyu Island, Miaoyuanxi, Jiuhua Township.

He planned to camp here tonight, then head to Jingdezhen, Jiangxi tomorrow.

The car quickly entered Miaoyuanxi, then avoided the scenic area's toll zone—the road condition grew bumpy.

Along the vast pebble beach, Qin Yun soon found a suitable spot to pitch camp. He parked, turned off the engine, stepped out, and looked around—immediately feeling refreshed and serene.

Clear stream water, vast stands of willow trees, the rustling of wind through leaves, the fresh, cool air carried a unique scent—invigorating and soothing.

He chose a spot close to the stream, only five meters away in a straight line—easy access to water.

While daylight still lingered, he wandered around, adjusted the car's orientation, unloaded the canopy, table, and chairs, and began setting up camp—he decided to connect the canopy to the car.

If the night sky is clear, sleeping directly under the canopy is a fine experience.

Too bad his car was gasoline-powered—if it were electric, 24-hour power supply wouldn't be an issue. In this regard, electric cars truly offer a much better experience.

Next time, Qin Yun considered bringing a portable power source into the car.

…

The stream beside him flowed gently, its rustling sound like white noise, calming the mind.

No one passed by here; as far as he could see, he was alone—he cherished this peace.

At this moment, he sat under the canopy, leaning back against a folding chair, doing nothing, quietly gazing into the distance. Beside him lay prepped lettuce and meat, meant for dinner.

Not long after, the last glow of sunset vanished. Qin Yun turned on the camping lamp hanging under the canopy and began preparing food.

'Click'

The pale blue flame of the cartridge stove rose. He placed the grill pan on it, sprayed a little olive oil, then added a portion of beef.

With the sizzling sound of grilling meat, the aroma of beef began to spread.

As dusk fell, you'd notice how quickly darkness descended—within just minutes, the sky in Qin Yun's view had lost all sunlight, replaced entirely by the glow of the camping lamp.

At that moment, the sound of an engine suddenly came from afar, making Qin Yun turn his head.

First came headlights, then a flash of green, then the engine's roar intensified. By the time Qin Yun recognized the vehicle, it was already within a hundred meters.

Qin Yun squinted—it was unmistakably a green-painted G-Wagon.

The Mercedes drove down the main road, turned a corner, and headed straight toward him. Soon, the car stopped about ten meters away, and a small dog and a little girl jumped out.

He used the word "jumped" because, in Qin Yun's eyes, this was clearly a girl about 1.5 meters tall, with a loli face, paired with the massive G-Wagon—creating an extreme contrast.

She could drive, so she must be an adult—but from appearance alone, it was impossible to tell.

Someone might believe she was fourteen or fifteen—a porcelain doll's face, dressed in cartoon clothes, giving him an overall impression of fragility.

After stepping out, she first looked toward him, then smiled and waved.

"Hello!"

Qin Yun waved back: "Hello."

Though domestic safety was unbeatable, a little girl—especially a rich one—coming alone to such a remote place… was she reckless or clueless?

After greeting him, the little girl began huffing and puffing as she set up her camping tent, making trip after trip from the car, like a diligent little bee, never stopping.

Qin Yun didn't go to help; he sat there eating beef and drinking his beverage, treating the whole scene like a show.

Xia Xiaoxing was an experienced camper; though small, setting up a tent was no trouble for her—of course, her tent didn't need to be assembled; she just unrolled it and activated the electronic inflation. In no time, a massive tent appeared before them.

Then came the clatter of hammering stakes, securing the tent, followed by moving item after item inside.

By the time darkness fully settled, lights glowed steadily inside her tent, and soon, wisps of smoke drifted out from the vent.

Whether by sight or feeling, Qin Yun felt she was far more professional than he was.

After finishing his meal, he walked to the stream to clean his utensils, then boiled a pot of hot water and steeped tea, leisurely enjoying the gentle cool breeze as he gazed at that night's sky.

The night sky held no stars—somewhat disappointing—but it was still clear, though the clouds moved unusually fast.

"Oh no—!"

Suddenly, a cry rang out from the nearby tent, followed by a rapid series of Wang Wang sounds.

From the sound, it was clear the dog had stepped on its tail; then a figure burst out of the tent, clutching the whimpering puppy, racing toward the stream.

As she ran, she shouted: "Keke, it's okay, just rinse it with cool water."

Her tone betrayed clear panic.

Qin Yun frowned—he suddenly smelled a stench, the odor of burning plastic. He looked up toward the tent and immediately saw black smoke drifting from the vent.

Damn it!

"Miss! Your tent's on fire!"

Qin Yun shouted, then rushed to his car for the fire extinguisher.

Xia Xiaoxing had just placed the puppy's leg in the stream when she heard Qin Yun's shout. She turned—and turned pale.

Then she saw the man sprinting toward her tent with the fire extinguisher.

Qin Yun rushed into the tent and instantly spotted the fallen firewood, blazing fiercely; the tent's floor mat had caught fire—but thankfully, the tent fabric hadn't burned through yet, or the air would've leaked and the whole tent would've collapsed.

Beside it, a kettle had tipped over—clearly the real culprit behind the puppy's scream.

He immediately opened the fire extinguisher and sprayed the burning wood; within a few bursts, the flames were out.

But as soon as the fire was extinguished, he heard a hiss—"ssss!"—and the entire tent began to warp.

"Shit!"

Qin Yun's face darkened. He yanked off the chimney, grabbed the fire stove, and bolted outside. By the time he reached open air, the tent collapsed with a thunderous crash.

His heart pounded—he'd have been engulfed in flames if the tent had fallen on him while still burning; he wouldn't even have known how he died.

He set the stove down and turned to the girl. She stood frozen, utterly lost, her big eyes wide with terror, still shaken.

"Th-thank you!"

Qin Yun's expression was stern. He shook his head. "Miss, you didn't even check if the stove was properly shut off? If you'd been inside when the tent caught fire, the consequences would've been unthinkable."

"I'm sorry."

Seeing her on the verge of tears, Qin Yun held up the fire extinguisher and said: "Your tent's ruined. Want to come to mine for dinner?"

"Will it trouble you?"

Qin Yun turned and walked off. Soon after, Xia Xiaoxing arrived carrying ingredient after ingredient. Qin Yun glanced at the packaging and couldn't help but whistle—holy hell, not a single item was supermarket frozen fare; every one was premium.

He looked at the girl's frail frame and decided to help her dispose of some of it, to prevent spoilage—absolutely not because he was hungry for these foods.

Yes, that's it!

"I'm Qin Yun. What's your name, Miss?"

"I'm Xia Xiaoxing."

"Sit down. I'll handle it." Qin Yun could tell with his third eye that the girl's cooking skills were definitely average.

"Oh!" Xia Xiaoxing sat down beside him, hugging the puppy, perfectly compliant.

……