Chapter 86: The Rich Girl Xia Xiaoxing

The rain had stopped, though no one knew when.

By dawn, the sky was already a boundless expanse of clear blue.

Qin Yun stepped out of the car, stretched his stiff body, ran two laps around the parking lot, and felt refreshed once more.

He took the stove, stool, and table out of the trunk again and immediately prepared breakfast.

Xia Xiaoxing opened her eyes drawn by the aroma, half-asleep she pushed aside the blanket, opened the car door, and stepped out—but she forgot she was wearing Qin Yun's T-shirt, and nothing else.

A morning breeze blew, and she instantly felt a chilly sensation on her backside.

Qin Yun looked up at her; she looked back, and their eyes met. Xia Xiaoxing's cheeks slowly flushed warm, then she let out a scream on the spot and dashed back into the car.

He rubbed his nose, thinking to himself: quite pale and soft.

Xia Xiaoxing hid back in the car, dazed—had this been an animated film, she'd have been steaming.

"So embarrassing, Xia Xiaoxing!" She rubbed her cheeks hard, her hands clearly feeling the heat on her face.

After a long while, seeing no movement from the car, Qin Yun couldn't help calling out: "Xia Xiaoxing, come eat breakfast."

"Mm, got it, I'll be right down."

Had Qin Yun's hearing not been sharp, he might not have heard her voice, as faint as a mosquito's hum.

Xia Xiaoxing touched her clothes and pants at the vent—they were already dry, since they hadn't been fully soaked. She quickly slipped off the T-shirt and changed back into her own clothes.

When she stepped out of the car, Xia Xiaoxing dared not meet Qin Yun's eyes.

"Come eat first, then we can leave soon."

"Oh."

Xia Xiaoxing sat down on the chair opposite Qin Yun, and immediately a pancake and a bottle of milk appeared before her.

"Eat."

"Thank you!"

Qin Yun nodded, eating as he spoke: "Are you from here?"

Xia Xiaoxing took a bite of the pancake in her bowl; the scent of scallions flooded her mouth, making her eyes light up. She shook her head, biting twice more: "No, I'm here visiting my grandfather. My family is in Shanghai."

"Then why did you come all this way without spare clothes? Your other gear seems complete," Qin Yun said, puzzled.

Xia Xiaoxing blushed slightly: "Yesterday's weather forecast looked good, so I left all my luggage at my grandfather's. I never expected a downpour."

So that was it. Qin Yun had thought she simply didn't bother bringing such basics.

At this hour, the scenic area showed not a single soul—not even a staff member. The two sitting in the parking lot formed a peculiar scene in themselves.

When they had finished eating, Qin Yun said: "I'm planning to leave..."

Before he could finish, the system panel suddenly dropped, and a voice echoed in his ear.

【Publishing check-in task: Host must attend the October 18 Poetry Conference at the Lanke Mountain World Go Park; completing the finals qualifies as check-in accomplished】

"Big Brother Qin, what did you say?"

Qin Yun snapped back to reality, shook his head: "Nothing. By the way, do you know about the Lanke Mountain Poetry Conference?"

Xia Xiaoxing blinked, delighted: "Big Brother Qin, you like poetry too? Tomorrow's the semifinals and finals of the Lanke Mountain Poetry Conference."

She tilted her head slightly, eyes smiling: "I already passed the preliminary round."

Qin Yun wanted to laugh but held it in, giving her a thumbs-up: "Impressive. Didn't realize you were a literary type. Admirable, admirable."

Complimented like that, Xia Xiaoxing could barely suppress a grin.

"Big Brother Qin, want to join? This year's format changed: anyone who passed the preliminaries can bring a partner for the semifinals and finals. If you're interested, you can come with me?"

"Sure. I don't understand poetry, but I've always been very interested in our country's poetic culture."

Qin Yun had no reason to refuse—he immediately agreed. That meant he'd have to stay in Quzhou two more days; he couldn't leave tomorrow at the earliest, not until the day after.

Indeed, once the system issued a check-in task, he had no control over his schedule.

"Hehe, I'm confident I'll make the finals. Big Brother Qin, just wait—I'll take you flying."

"That good?"

Seeing Qin Yun's astonished, admiring gaze, Xia Xiaoxing couldn't hold back: "I'm a second-prize winner of the National Poetry Competition."

This time, Qin Yun was genuinely surprised.

He'd heard of the National Poetry Competition—it was a CCTV program. Winning second prize there meant serious talent.

He bowed slightly: "I didn't realize I was facing a literary prodigy. My apologies."

Xia Xiaoxing feigned indifference, but her grin was barely contained: "Not a big deal, not a big deal."

Watching her clearly relish the praise, Qin Yun showered her with even more flattery, until he compared her to Li Qingzhao.

"Big Brother Qin, are you traveling across the country by car?"

Qin Yun nodded: "Mm. I wander around, experience local customs, taste regional cuisines."

"I'm so envious," Xia Xiaoxing said, her eyes full of longing. "I love this kind of life, but my mom always interferes."

"If you like it, just do it," Qin Yun said casually, then suddenly remembered something: "By the way, how old are you? In college?"

"I just graduated from Jiaotong University," Xia Xiaoxing giggled. "Big Brother Qin, do I look like a middle schooler?"

Qin Yun was speechless. Was that something to be proud of?

"I want to do it too," Xia Xiaoxing returned to the topic, her face now troubled. "But my mom always says I'm not grown up—she won't let me do this or that. This trip to Quzhou? I begged and begged until she finally agreed."

"You're a girl, and a cute one at that," Qin Yun laughed. "If I were your mom, I wouldn't let you roam around either—what if you ran into bad people?"

Xia Xiaoxing's cheeks flushed red; she thought Big Brother Qin's words were sweet—and utterly truthful.

Qin Yun's peripheral vision caught staff members entering and exiting the scenic area's gate. He stood up to pack up.

"We should head out. I'll find a hotel first. Today I'll explore Quzhou—how about we meet at Lanke Mountain tomorrow?"

"Big Brother Qin hasn't booked a hotel yet? Let me book one for you. My grandfather owns a few hotels—he'll give you a free room."

"Won't that be too much trouble?"

"No trouble, just a phone call."

Saying this, Xia Xiaoxing immediately pulled out her phone and dialed; soon, a voice came through: "Xiaoxing?"

"Sister Li, please prepare a room for me—my friend will be checking in soon."

"Alright, what's your friend's surname?"

"Surname Qin. Don't worry, I'll be coming over too."

"Oh!" The voice on the phone sounded surprised. "Xiaoxing, is he male or female? Are you dating someone? You're being so warm—this isn't like you at all."

Seeing Qin Yun quietly packing his things, Xia Xiaoxing immediately lowered her voice: "Sister Li, don't say that—it's just a regular friend."

"Oh, a regular friend, huh?" The voice on the line was clearly teasing. "Alright, noted. Call me when you arrive."

"Mm-hmm, I'll hang up now."

After hanging up, Xia Xiaoxing turned to Qin Yun: "Brother Qin, the hotel room is booked. Let's go."

Qin Yun arranged the chairs and table, closed the trunk, and nodded: "Thank you—I won't be polite then."

"It's nothing—the room would just sit empty otherwise."

This time, Xia Xiaoxing's car led the way, with Qin Yun following behind. After driving about fifteen minutes, the city came into Qin Yun's view.

How to put it—the urban layout of Quzhou was quite similar to Zhoushan: a fourth- or fifth-tier city.

Along the way, he'd heard fighter jets fly overhead at least four times; no wonder there were almost no skyscrapers along the route.

Just driving, driving, they passed several hotels—then Xia Xiaoxing's car suddenly turned into the internal entrance of the Hilton Hotel.

They parked outside, and Qin Yun stared at the hotel, realizing for the first time that Xia Xiaoxing might be a huge heiress. According to her, this hotel was her grandfather's property—but Hilton was an international chain, wasn't it?

"DoubleTreeBYHILTON"

The characters outside the hotel entrance were still in English; the overall layout was one word: big.

"You're sure this is your grandfather's property?" Qin Yun's lip twitched as he looked at Xia Xiaoxing beside him.

Xia Xiaoxing nodded: "Mm, this Hilton in Quzhou is operated by my grandfather's company, and they hold shares—it naturally counts as his property."

Alright, he was just ignorant.

Through the revolving door, a vast, gilded lobby met his eyes—the floor tiles were so polished they could serve as mirrors.

"Xiaoxing."

At that moment, a woman in a business suit approached them.

"Sister!"

Qin Yun looked over—she was at least 1.7 meters tall, with exquisite features, a slender figure, not a single flaw, exuding refinement.

Zhong Li, seeing two figures—a tall one and a short one—enter through the revolving door, immediately locked her scrutinizing gaze onto the man.

She knew Xia Xiaoxing's family background, so she viewed anyone approaching Xia Xiaoxing with suspicion.

But as the two drew closer and she saw the man's face, her mouth opened in shock.

"Qin… Qin Ye!"

Hearing the woman speak, Qin Yun immediately realized she was one of his Douyin fans, and he smiled.

Xia Xiaoxing was about to speak when she heard Zhong Li fix her gaze on Qin Yun and utter a title she didn't understand.

"Sister Li, do you know Brother Qin?"

Zhong Li's expression turned strange: "Xiaoxing, you don't know Qin Ye?"

You, who love outdoor adventures, don't know the current Douyin outdoor god—Qin Ye? But you brought him here yourself.

Xia Xiaoxing was utterly confused.

Qin Yun chuckled beside her: "Xia Xiaoxing, I'm also a Douyin streamer. Miss Zhong must have watched my livestreams—my fans all call me Qin Ye."

Xia Xiaoxing's eyes widened in surprise: "Brother Qin, you're a streamer too? What kind of streamer are you?"

Zhong Li extended her hand: "Hello, Qin Ye. I'm Zhong Li, the manager of this hotel. Let me take you to your room."

Qin Yun gave a light handshake and released it immediately: "Miss Zhong, hello. I didn't expect someone so young to manage such a large hotel."

"You flatter me—it's just family business," Zhong Li said with casual ease.

"..."

Damn, another rich kid—so Xia Xiaoxing and Zhong Li are cousins.

Following Zhong Li, Qin Yun soon reached the top floor.

He tugged at Xia Xiaoxing's sleeve: "You didn't book me a presidential suite, did you?"

Xia Xiaoxing blinked: "This room's been empty all along—why not use it? Sister, you agree, right?"

Zhong Li opened the door and gestured inward: "Qin Ye, no need to be formal. As Xiaoxing said, it's empty anyway—might as well use it."

Alright, two spoiled rich young ladies—truly extravagant.

Only when he stepped inside did he truly feel how utterly incomparable the presidential suite was compared to ordinary rooms.

"Qin Ye, the room is 305 square meters total, with separate living, dining, and bedroom areas..."