Chapter 190: Getting a Room at the Hotel

Cheng Manyi's secret joy hidden in her heart hadn't even spread to her face before Xu Yanfeng's words strangled it; she turned white, nervous to the point of sweating palms, stammering: "I……I……I……"

She uttered "I" for a long time, yet couldn't get out a complete sentence.

Xu Yanfeng wasn't done; usually poised and cultivated, he now gave no face, his thin lips parting, voice not heavy, saying word by word: "Please take it off right away."

He used the word "please," but it lacked much politeness.

That was the coat Xia Xi bought for him, a gift she gave him.

Having observed this far, Zhou Xiaoyu shook her head in disappointment; Cheng Manyi was still too naive, simply unable to withstand a single blow. But the next instant, a slow dull ache spread across her heart—how could Xia Xi be so lucky, with Xu Yanfeng actually being serious about her?

Cheng Manyi felt embarrassed, her hands shaking as she took off her clothes; even though there was still another layer underneath, she felt as if she were naked.

She handed the coat to Xu Yanfeng, but he didn't take it, so she reluctantly placed it on the chair, her face flushing from pale to crimson; before fleeing, she didn't forget to give herself a sufficient excuse: "I'll go see if there's anything I can help with."

Xia Xi set down her orange juice, and after the matter passed, she calmly asked Xu Yanfeng: "How did your thing go?"

"Already taken care of."

Xu Yanfeng picked up the coat from the chair, gave it a few shakes; the unfamiliar perfume scent clinging to it wouldn't dissipate from his movements, his brows furrowed deeply, an urge to throw it away rising.

But this was a gift from Xia Xi.

Xia Xi licked her lips, noticing his expression was off: "Are you alright?"

Seeing him stare blankly at the coat in his hand, she felt puzzled; she hadn't paid much attention to it, yet he seemed angry and hurt.

"It got dirty, I want to throw it away." He spoke his mind.

Xia Xi narrowed her eyes, her gaze dangerous: "This is what I gave you!" After waiting a whole month, the courier finally delivered it to her hands!

"I know, so I endured it; I'll have it dry‑cleaned and wear it again later." Xu Yanfeng then finished the second half.

Xia Xi: "……"

Who did you learn that from? Not finishing a sentence in one go deserves a beating!

After resting a while, the two proceeded to set up the tent.

Just moments ago the sky was cloudless and bright sunshine, with no sign of change; then the heavens shifted instantly, dark clouds rolling and merging into a sheet, as if someone had draped a dark‑gray cloth over our heads.

"Holy shit, am I blind?"

"It's not that you're blind, the weather changed, you idiot."

"It won't rain, will it? The forecast said no rain."

Skeptical, someone pulled out a phone to check the latest weather forecast, but the signal was too poor, the refresh spinner kept turning, the interface never appeared, so they gave up.

The worried feeling didn't last long; the sun pierced through the thick clouds and shone again on everyone's faces.

Everyone let out a breath, spread a picnic blanket on the ground, and laid out the brought fruits, snacks, and cake. Soon a new problem arose.

"Lao Qin, where's the grill you brought? Get it going, what are we waiting for?"

Lao Qin looked bewildered, pointing at his own nose: "Are you talking to me? You had me ask the innkeeper if there was a grill; I went and asked, and sure enough there was, so I assumed you'd brought it when we set out."

"I didn't bring it."

"Neither did I."

"What about the barbecue ingredients?"

"They seem to be in the fridge."

"……"

Asking the others, they all stared blankly and shook their heads; not a single person remembered to bring anything, so their long‑imagined BBQ turned to nothing.

Everyone wore mournful faces; for a moment, wails filled the ground.

As the leader, Xu Yanfeng calmly rose to find a spot with good signal; having just spoken on the phone and being experienced, he knew which place wouldn't drop the line. He called the innkeeper, asking him to arrange someone to bring it up, offering to cover any extra labor cost.

The innkeeper apologetically said: "It's not a matter of cost; the grills are limited and have been borrowed by other guests."

Besides our team‑building group, the inn also housed two other waves: one was a family of seven or eight, another a group of young friends numbering over ten, currently having a barbecue in the backyard.

Xu Yanfeng hung up, walked back with his phone, and heard a group complaining, "With such a great atmosphere, not having barbecue is a real pity."

He pondered a moment, then spoke calmly: "The inn's barbecue equipment has been borrowed by other guests; I plan to go down the mountain to buy some, which might take a while—are you all okay with that?"

The scene fell silent at once, everyone feeling a bit embarrassed.

The secretary department head spoke first: "If we need to buy, I should go; how could I trouble you?" There's no logic in both spending money and exerting effort, which makes us look clueless.

The others reacted, all declaring: "I'll go, I'll go."

Xu Yanfeng casually offered a reason to shut them down: "I happen to have some errands down the mountain, so I'll go myself."

Saying that, others couldn't press further and had to respect his decision.

Before leaving, Xu Yanfeng reminded the secretary department head: "Look after everyone."

Xia Xi rose from the chair, let down her rolled‑up sleeve, lifted one leg, smoothed the rolled‑up pant leg, switched to the other side, tidied herself up, and followed Xu Yanfeng: "I'll come with you."

The rest watched nose to nose, heart to heart, not stopping her—after all, she's his girlfriend; accompanying him is perfectly normal.

Xu Yanfeng smiled, his gaze sweeping over her face: "Not tired?"

Xia Xi shook her head, her expression showing no trace of deceit, and indeed it was true: "Not at all." She had slept all the way on the bus, then after arriving at the inn slept a full night, her energy abundant.

Xu Yanfeng didn't refuse; after moving out of their sight, he took Xia Xi's hand and they walked slowly down the mountain together.

Cheng Manyi watched the direction the two had gone, unable to see any figures; she couldn't bear to look away, her fingers gripping the chair armrest tightened, nails scraping against the stiff oxford cloth, producing a faint rustle.

Zhou Xiaoyu glanced at her, the corner of her mouth holding a mocking smile, tilted her head slightly, and whispered: "What, feeling unbalanced inside?"

Cheng Manyi came to, brows slightly furrowed, studied her for a moment: "I don't understand what you're saying."

"You don't like Xu Yanfeng, do you?" Zhou Xiaoyu still smiled narrowly, but her words weren't friendly, hitting the nail on the head.

Cheng Manyi's expression was uneasy, she propped her chin, fingers covering half her face: "Don't talk nonsense."

Her words indirectly confirmed Zhou Xiaoyu's guess—she actually knew Xu Yanfeng and Xia Xi were a couple.

Zhou Xiaoyu provoked her with words: "You can't compete with Xia Xi, so don't waste your effort; her tactics aren't something ordinary people can match. You think she got Xu Yanfeng by sheer persistence? She wore him down until he had no choice but to agree. As the group's heir, he could never be serious with Xia Xi—it's just a fling."

Cheng Manyi: "Don't tell me this."

Zhou Xiaoyu played with a blade of wild grass, no longer boring herself. She believed that as long as Cheng Manyi's thoughts were a bit more open, she would listen.

Xu Yanfeng borrowed the car from the innkeeper, took another road down the mountain, and went to a large supermarket to buy barbecue equipment and fresh pre-skewered ingredients.

Xu Yanfeng pushed the shopping cart, while Xia Xi walked beside him, holding her phone and asking in the group if anyone wanted to buy anything, and offering to pick it up for them.

A group of hungry people found the snacks they brought insufficient, demanding a resupply—things like cola, shrimp chips, seaweed, squid strips, spicy strips—and the group chat felt like a little convenience store.

Xia Xi noted each item, grabbed a pack of shrimp chips from the shelf and tossed it into the cart, when a sudden rumbling sound exploded in her ears; she had just wondered if it was thunder when another noise came from outside.

Xu Yanfeng said: "Looks like it's raining."

Leaving the supermarket, a torrential downpour began, the sound of rain hitting the concrete astonishing. Just moments ago, inside the supermarket, the sound was muffled, so it seemed like only a light rain.

Someone in the group was complaining.

"No preparation at all, it drenched me from head to toe."

"The forecast just updated— a downpour, seriously? It wasn't supposed to rain before."

"Ahhhh, what do we do?!"

"How unlucky."

Xia Xi looked at Xu Yanfeng, summarizing the group's messages for him. He hesitated not, bent down to put things down, and called the secretary department head.

After several attempts the call went through; the other side was noisy, like rain hammering on a plastic sheet.

Xu Yanfeng calmly arranged: "Take everyone back to the inn, look out for each other on the way down the mountain, stay safe. Don't worry about the tents for now—just gather your personal belongings."

"Okay, okay." The department head took shelter from the rain in the tent, wiping the rain droplets that had just hit his face, and asked, "What about you?"

"We'll see how things go."

Xu Yanfeng gazed at the rain curtain like a waterfall cave, seeing that it wouldn't let up soon. The mountain road was rugged; driving down had already been difficult, and now with the downpour, the road was slick, the light as dim as seven or eight at night, the danger factor rising sharply—unsuitable for going up the mountain.

Making eye contact with Xia Xi, he tentatively suggested: "How about we get a room at a nearby hotel?"

Xia Xi froze, lips pressed, a faint smile barely perceptible, her voice soft, drowned in the downpour: "That's what you said."

Xu Yanfeng's hearing was good; he caught her muttering and chuckled softly: "What are you thinking?"

"No, I wasn't thinking of anything." Xia Xi lifted her face, her eyes clear and pure, finding no stray thoughts, feigning innocence: "Let's hurry; if we're late, it'll be hard to book a room. During the National Day holiday, the place will surely be packed."