The group walked along a shady path paved with pebbles, the wheels of their suitcases making a loud noise as they rolled.
Grandpa introduced himself as the owner of the place, and then introduced Chai Qianning as his granddaughter, saying that they could come to him or his granddaughter if they needed anything.
Chai Qianning and Sheng Muxi lagged behind. Chai Qianning, ever the chatterbox, leaned close to Sheng Muxi and said, "Teacher Sheng, it's been a while. Did you miss your neighbor?"
Sheng Muxi glared at her, then turned her face away. Seeing her like this, Chai Qianning couldn't help but smile slightly.
Just then, Qiu Jie turned around and overheard them. She greeted Chai Qian Ning warmly, "Hello, my name is Qiu Jie. You must be Teacher Sheng's girlfriend?"
She had a loud voice, and everyone in the group heard her.
Chai Qianning's eyelashes trembled.
Look, this is the "retribution" for a restless mouth.
Shi Manwen hurriedly tugged at Qiu Jie's arm and lowered her voice, "What nonsense are you talking about?"
"Ah, aren't they a couple?" Qiu Jie asked, her face full of confusion.
"What couple? They haven't even defined that kind of relationship yet," Shi Manwen whispered in her ear.
Qiu Jie covered her mouth, realizing she had said the wrong thing.
The scene became quite awkward, especially for Chai Qianning's grandfather, who stared wide-eyed incredulously upon hearing Qiu Jie's words: "Girl, what girlfriend? You and this girl...?"
Sheng Muxi's temples throbbed several times.
The instigator, Chai Qianning, tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and glanced at Sheng Muxi with a smile.
At that moment, Sheng Muxi thought to herself, "You can still laugh."
She was truly afraid that Chai Qianning's mouth might utter some shocking and outrageous remarks.
Therefore, her heart was in her throat.
Chai Qianning said calmly, "Grandpa, she's a female friend. I knew Teacher Sheng before."
Sheng Muxi breathed a sigh of relief.
"Oh, oh." Grandpa stroked his beard and laughed: "Female friends are female friends. You young people, you really scare this old man to death with your words. I knew it. My girl isn't a boy, so where would she get a girlfriend, haha."
Qiu Jie and Shi Manwen fell silent. Sheng Muxi pursed her lips and glanced at Chai Qianning.
Chai Qianning added, "It's also okay to have a girlfriend."
Grandpa patted her arm: "You're always so irresponsible. Go and help the guests check in."
Chai Qianning smiled and, after completing the check-in procedures for the three, first led Shi Manwen and Qiu Jie to their rooms, and then led Sheng Muxi to her room.
"This room has the best location, and I reserved it especially for you."
Chai Qianning opened the door, and Sheng Muxi walked in. She looked around at the surroundings and thought it was indeed very nice.
"I had it cleaned yesterday, the blankets were freshly washed, and everything else that could be replaced with new was replaced with new. What do you think?"
Chai Qianning drew the curtains wide: "The view from this spot is excellent."
Sheng Muxi ran her fingers along the edge of the solid wood table, her gaze sweeping over the clean and tidy room, and couldn't help but ask, "Isn't this the room you live in?"
"I'm the one living here, but we've had a lot of guests lately, so I'll have to vacate my room."
"So where do you live?"
"I live with my sister."
Chai Qianning walked up to Sheng Muxi and placed one hand on the table: "Teacher Sheng, I'm in business, I would never cheat my neighbor."
She raised an eyebrow slightly: "I'll let you stay for free, see? I didn't rip you off, did I? Isn't that generous?"
"Um."
"Just...?"
“Actually…” Sheng Muxi paused for a moment.
A refreshing breeze blew in from the terrace, ruffling a few strands of hair in front of Sheng Muxi. Chai Qianning blinked: "Actually what?"
Sheng Muxi swallowed hard. She thought that Chai Qianning really wanted her to live with her.
This person's linguistic talent is so flashy, it's definitely not something to be taken seriously.
She raised the hand holding the phone: "How about I pay you? I feel like I'm taking advantage of you by letting you stay in such a nice room for free."
Chai Qianning curled her lips slightly: "No need."
Sheng Muxi stood in front of a large floor-to-ceiling window, gazing at the scenery outside, and casually chatted with Chai Qianning: "Did your grandfather run this guesthouse himself?"
“Yes.” Chai Qianning leaned against the windowsill.
"What do your parents do?"
"Start a company."
Sheng Muxi looked at her and said, "So you're a rich second-generation heir. No wonder you're so generous."
"Even rich kids aren't generous to everyone."
"You should tidy up." Chai Qianning walked towards the door, then suddenly turned back: "If you feel bad about taking advantage of me, you don't mind letting me take advantage of you back."
Sheng Muxi's eyelashes fluttered slightly: "Shall I treat you to dinner later?"
“That’s not what I meant.” Chai Qianning released the doorknob and walked closer to her.
Sheng Muxi sensed the approaching aura of the other party, but instead of retreating, she was momentarily caught off guard.
The next second, Chai Qianning's lips precisely covered hers.
Sheng Muxi's pupils widened. Caught off guard by the other party's sudden action, she stumbled and leaned against the edge of the table, her fair neck tilted slightly upwards.
Outside.
The wooden staircase echoed with the sound of guests' footsteps.
Chai Qianning didn't kiss her for long before quickly letting go.
Sheng Muxi gasped for breath, her heart pounding so hard that her face flushed crimson.
Chapter 26 gives an example
Most of the guest rooms at Tuya B&B are two stories high, with a large courtyard in the middle for guests to rest and relax.
Nestled amidst mountains and water, the constant chirping of birds amplified Sheng Muxi's senses, causing a certain defense in her heart to crumble at the very moment Chai Qianning kissed her.
She pressed her hands to her burning cheeks, realizing that she had just naturally kissed him!
ah--
She leaned back on the sofa, feeling a mix of emotions she couldn't quite describe. Her turbulent emotions were mixed with a touch of shyness, especially when she thought about how they had been doing this kind of thing inside without even closing the door. Her ears felt like they were on fire.
She calmed herself down in her room for a while until Shi Manwen knocked on the door and called her down for dinner, which brought her back to her senses.
Shi Manwen walked into her room and her first words were, "Your room is really nice."
He walked to the glass window again: "You can even see the lake, the view is superb! No wonder she's related to the boss's granddaughter."
"Cough." Sheng Muxi coughed a few times.
At the moment, she didn't show anything unusual in her expression, but when Shi Manwen saw her unpacked suitcase, she couldn't help but ask, "Why didn't you take your things out?"
"I'll get it later."
Shi Manwen looked at her suspiciously: "What were you doing just now? It's been so long and you still haven't finished cleaning up."
Sheng Muxi put down her crossed legs and stood up, feigning composure: "Come on, didn't we say we were going to eat? What are you doing standing here? My room is so beautiful?"
"It looks good." Shi Manwen nodded blankly, "But..."
She looked around the room and, finding no one else's belongings, said, "Didn't you live with the boss's granddaughter? Why haven't I seen her things?"
“They were just joking, and you took it seriously,” Sheng Muxi said, pushing her away.
"What do you mean I take this seriously... What does this have to do with me..." Shi Manwen turned around, watched Sheng Muxi close the door, and said leisurely, "Is it because you didn't want to live with them that they gave up their place?"
"How could I say that? Besides, they had already prepared the room a day in advance."
The two stepped onto the wooden stairs, where potted flowers were displayed on the handrail.
A pleasant floral fragrance wafts through the air, mingled with the lingering warmth of a summer evening, permeating the entire body, only to be soothed by a gentle breeze.
Shi Manwen stood on a step, gazing at the distant scenery, while Sheng Muxi leaned against the railing, enjoying the view as well.
"As someone who's been through this, I can tell you with absolute certainty..."
Sheng Muxi scoffed, "Teacher Shi, this rhetoric sounds like the prelude to giving students a pep talk."
Shi Manwen glanced at her: "Do you want to listen?"
"Go ahead," Sheng Muxi said, resting one hand on the railing.
"To be honest, there's no joke here; it's just an attempt to cover up the truth."
In the distance, thin clouds hung above the mountain peaks, tinged with a dark hue.
A gentle breeze rustles through the treetops, flows across people's faces, and bathes them in a soft, soothing sensation.
Shi Manwen continued, "This shows that they really have this idea, but they're worried you'll mind, so they're testing you with a joke. That way, even if they realize you really mind, it won't make things awkward between you."
The setting sun illuminated Sheng Muxi's eyes, reflecting a warm orange light.
She looked at Shi Manwen with a relaxed expression: "How do you know so much?"
"Let me give you an example. Take my girlfriend and me, for instance. Once I made her angry, and she said she was going to kill me..."
"I thought she was joking."
Sheng Muxi opened her mouth. Was the way these two got along really this "brutal"?
"Are you kidding me? You're perfectly fine..."
As if thinking of something, Shi Manwen swallowed, her throat bobbing: "Then that night, I really experienced that half-dead feeling, and I couldn't even get out of bed the next day."
Sheng Muxi: "..."
Is this something she can hear?