Chapter 181: Our Hotel's Son‑in‑Law

Before departure, Xu Yanfeng hadn't told Xia Xi that after leaving the high-speed rail station, he took a taxi to the pre-booked hotel to drop off his belongings. The suite he booked came with a shuttle service the hotel offered to guests.

Xu Yanfeng declined the hotel's arranged business car and hailed a taxi himself.

The driver asked where he was going, speaking with a regional accent.

It was Saturday, and Xu Yanfeng wasn't sure whether Xia Xi was at her family's hotel; it was purely a matter of luck, so he told the driver "Peishan Grand Hotel," the name he had looked up on his phone's navigation before arriving at the high-speed rail station.

The driver chuckled, looking understanding: "You're from out of town, right? Also came to check in after seeing the news? That girl has become an internet celebrity in our Qianlin, she's been really hot lately."

Xu Yanfeng didn't know how to respond to the driver's words; he had indeed come for that girl, but not because of the news. That girl was his girlfriend.

He gave a light smile in response.

The driver knew the route well, didn't need navigation, and took a shortcut to Peishan Grand Hotel: "That hotel's food is good, service attitude is not bad either; it's been open for decades and has a good reputation locally—it's worth a trip just to taste the dishes. Since the news made it popular, it's hard for us to get a bite now; we can't even get a seat."

The driver was talkative, sharing many rumors about Peishan Grand Hotel along the way.

"The hotel's staff are all veteran employees who've worked there for ten or twenty years, with an average age around forty; many of them support their families working there. The boss's family has many women, they treat people kindly, and lots of people scramble to get a job at the hotel. I saw online someone claiming that girl is a waitress, pure guesswork—she's actually the boss's second daughter, probably helping out that day, and just happened to be caught on camera by a TV reporter..."

Xu Yanfeng listened quietly, occasionally giving a response, so as not to embarrass the driver.

Upon arrival, Xu Yanfeng paid the fare, and the driver reminded him: "Since you came on short notice, you might not get a table—Peishan Grand Hotel's business has been booming lately, you need to book ahead. Qianlin still has many other well-reputed old establishments you could try."

Xu Yanfeng thanked him politely and got out of the car.

The sun was blazing; he walked into the shade and looked toward the not‑far‑away Peishan Grand Hotel. It was about eleven o'clock, with a steady stream of customers coming and going—indeed, just as the driver said, business was booming.

Xu Yanfeng didn't go in; after a moment's thought, he called Xia Xi.

Xia Xi was inside the store; even on a big weekend she couldn't escape her duty as a mascot. She had just seen a group of guests upstairs to their reserved private room when her phone in her pocket rang. She didn't rush downstairs, leaning against the wall beside the elevator, she saw the caller ID and the corners of her mouth lifted.

She held the phone with both hands, eagerly pressing it to her ear, still gripping the back with both hands, and said in a raised voice: "Why are you calling me at this time? Did you miss me?"

Xu Yanfeng didn't say whether he missed her, but first asked: "Where are you?"

Xia Xi crossed her legs, lightly shaking her toes, her mouth silently pursed, as if Xu Yanfeng were right before her, she complained to him: "Where else could I be? I'm working as a waitress at the hotel. I actually had two online classes today, but I skipped them."

Xu Yanfeng paused, his usually calm and steady tone revealing a hint of pleasure: "I don't know if this waitress can serve me."

Xia Xi blinked lightly, not quite grasping his meaning, and asked: "What do you mean?"

Xu Yanfeng stopped beating around the bush and said bluntly: "Come out."

Xia Xi was stunned: "Huh?"

"Come out, then what? Where to go..."

The expression on Xia Xi's face suddenly froze; could it be what she was thinking?

Before she could finish asking, the call had already been hung up. Xia Xi turned and pressed the elevator's down button; the elevator on the first floor climbed up floor by floor, and for the first time she felt the elevator's movement was agonizingly slow—her heart raced, wishing she could fly down.

"Ding."

The elevator finally arrived; Xia Xi stepped in with both hands and feet, pressed the first‑floor button, then the close‑door key, and as the elevator carried her down floor by floor, her heart kept rising, almost jumping into her throat.

She was afraid she had misunderstood, and would run out to find no trace of Xu Yanfeng.

Upon reaching the first floor, as Xia Xi exited the elevator she nearly collided with an incoming customer; she apologized, but the customer happily stopped her: "It's you! Can we take a photo together?"

Normally she would have agreed without hesitation, but at this moment nothing was more important than Xu Yanfeng.

She apologized again: "Sorry, I have something urgent to attend to right now, it's not convenient—maybe next time."

Xia Xi didn't want to say more; she turned sideways, squeezed past the customer, bolted out, flung open the glass door, and a wave of heat hit her. Her face flushed from the surge of emotion, she looked left and right, and her gaze suddenly locked.

Xu Yanfeng stood on the right, beside a colorful billboard; he was so handsome and clean‑cut, like a glimpse of blue sky and white clouds, which softened the billboard's garish colors yet made him stand out all the more.

It was like a dream—Xia Xi's gaze shifted from clear to dazed, then back to clear.

Xu Yanfeng seemed to smile slightly and stepped toward her.

He had taken only one step when Xia Xi, unable to hold back, rushed toward him, so he stopped. In the span of three or four seconds, she crashed into his arms with such force that he could barely keep his balance, his body leaning backward.

Xu Yanfeng wrapped his arms around her waist, feeling as if she had become a little thinner—was it from exhaustion?

Shock and excitement flickered in Xia Xi's eyes, like she'd won the grand prize; the corners of her mouth stretched to the limit, her emotions surging so much that her words came out with noticeable breathlessness: "You… you… how… did you come?"

His appearance here was completely beyond her expectation—too delightful.

Xu Yanfeng's emotions weren't as outwardly expressive as hers, but his relaxed brows and eyes said it best: "You said you really missed me."

Xia Xi looped her arms around his neck, laughing softly: "You're so aloof—only I miss you; don't you miss me too?"

Xu Yanfeng gazed at her for a long time, his eyes tracing her from head to toe. She had her hair loosely braided into a puffy plait, her makeup fresh, those eyes full of the liveliness from memory, her nose delicate and straight, her lips rosy, wearing a light‑purple off‑shoulder long‑sleeve top, the exposed shoulder bound with a thin white cord‑like strap, and a off‑white floral knee‑length skirt with several vertical pleats.

Xia Xi suddenly shoved him; Xu Yanfeng was caught off guard, his back hitting the billboard, and the next second she opened her mouth and bit his lip.

Xu Yanfeng, a person accustomed to composure and restraint, whose inner cultivation forbade such behavior in public. The first time was in the underground parking lot of a mall, where there was still some dim light to provide cover; but now it was broad daylight, sunlight shining everywhere, pedestrians coming and going on the roadside—he really couldn't bring himself to do it, even though he longed for her so much.

Indeed, passersby cast glances, dragging their companions away hurriedly, accompanied by murmurs.

Fortunately, Xia Xi knew when to stop; after a few seconds she stepped back, her eyes half‑scolding, half‑affectionate as they fixed on him.

He swallowed, his hand covering her eyes, "Don't look at me like that, my heart will be overloaded."

When Xia Xi led him into the hotel, Xu Yanfeng's lips were very red, a mark on his lower lip from where she had just bitten him.

The hotel's veteran staff, who had watched Xia Xi grow up, saw her bring over a handsome, outstanding young man of her age, and they all stopped what they were doing, their eyes filled with curious scrutiny.

Aunt Lin still held a tray, having just finished serving a customer, the tray speckled with water droplets, she smiled and asked Xia Xi: "This is your classmate, Xi Xi, right? Won't you introduce him to us?"

When Xia Xi entered, she initially appeared reserved, like a demure young lady, but in an instant she forgot how to write "reserved," she hopped forward, clung to Xu Yanfeng's arm, lifted her chin, and declared: "What classmate? This is the son‑in‑law of our Peishan Grand Hotel!"

All the staff: "……"

Xu Yanfeng's body froze, but his expression was the opposite—he stared at Xia Xi, full of astonishment.

He had always known she was bold as brass, yet each time he was still shocked anew.