Chapter 13

Departure, Senyuan

“Huh? You just arrived in the Western Regions for a trip yesterday. Why are you in such a hurry to go back?”

Lin Senmu was a bit stunned by this news.

Jiang Yuan’s face fell. “I’m not happy. What happened earlier ruined my mood for traveling.”

Lin Senmu comforted her, “Just start over and enjoy the trip again.”

“No, I don’t want to.”

After a moment of thought, Jiang Yuan shook her head. “These two tour guides were actually very nice to everyone on the first day. Who knew people could be so deceitful!”

“Don’t let them affect your mood. How about you join me for a self-driving RV trip?”

Lin Senmu tried to persuade the girl to stay.

Jiang Yuan looked at Lin Senmu with a half-smile. “I’m not well-behaved when I sleep. If I go on a self-driving trip with you, like on the train, I might end up sharing a room with you again. What if I end up in the wrong bed?”

“There are two beds, one on the roof and one in the back. You wouldn’t come up to the roof to sleep with me, would you?”

The RV Lin Senmu rented had a double bed in the back and a small bed on the roof at the front.

“What do you mean by ‘sleep with you’? A man and a woman alone, I’m afraid you might have ulterior motives!!!”

Jiang Yuan glared at him, her expression full of embarrassment and anger.

“I wouldn’t do that, Jiang Yuan. Do you believe I’m a bad person?”

Lin Senmu’s eyes were clear and sincere.

Jiang Yuan scrutinized Lin Senmu carefully. Although their interaction had been brief, she was certain of the boy’s character.

However, seeing Lin Senmu’s anxious expression, Jiang Yuan teased, “But what if you are a bad person?”

To prove his character, Lin Senmu instinctively brought up an old incident. “If I were a bad person, when the lock on your bathroom door broke on the train, I could have just barged in, and I would have known everything about you!”

“Lin Senmu, don’t bring up that again!”

Jiang Yuan’s smile froze, and she said angrily, “What nonsense, I didn’t even…”

She stopped herself just in time, almost revealing a certain secret.

“You didn’t what?”

Lin Senmu was a bit confused. After all, he had never been in a relationship and didn’t think too deeply about some things.

“I mean, I don’t have any under my armpits!!!”

Jiang Yuan’s ears and neck turned red with embarrassment.

“What?!”

Lin Senmu was puzzled. How did the conversation turn to this?

“Lin Senmu, you must forget everything I said in the past minute, or I’ll really never talk to you again!”

Jiang Yuan was only focused on explaining.

“Forgotten, forgotten!”

Seeing Jiang Yuan on the verge of losing her temper, Lin Senmu, though still confused, knew he should go along with the girl’s words and agree.

Once the girl’s emotions stabilized, he asked hopefully again, “So, will you agree to travel with me?”

“Hmph, I’m hungry.”

Jiang Yuan looked out the car window, neither agreeing nor refusing.

Lin Senmu looked delighted. “Let’s go, let’s go. I’ve read the guide. This small town has a super special lamb pilaf.”

Lamb pilaf is a specialty dish of the Western Regions.

For those who don’t eat lamb, the taste might be just so-so.

But for those who do, authentic lamb pilaf is truly delicious.

Lin Senmu and Jiang Yuan had bought a group deal online for a two-person set at the most popular local ‘Lamb Workshop.’

They enjoyed their lunch with lamb rib pilaf and original lamb soup.

“Jiang Yuan, can’t you eat spicy food?”

While eating the pilaf, Lin Senmu scooped two small spoonfuls from the chili bottle.

He was from the Xiangchu region, the kind of person who couldn’t enjoy a meal without chili.

But Jiang Yuan preferred the original flavors.

“I’m from Jiangnan, where the taste leans a bit sweet. On the train, I ate lion’s head and Braised Dough Drops, neither of which had any chili!” Jiang Yuan looked up and replied.

This little girl was mischievous when she slept.

She was also a bit scatterbrained when eating.

A grain of rice clung to the corner of her lips, and another stuck to her cheek.

Lin Senmu’s obsessive-compulsive tendencies kicked in. He reached out and touched the girl’s dewy face, removing the grain of rice from her cheek.

Then, moving downward, he also wiped away the grain of rice from the corner of her lips.

Whoosh.

Jiang Yuan’s face flushed red. She moved her stool, creating a one-centimeter gap, and said indignantly, “Lin Senmu, you’re already getting handsy with me. What will happen if we travel together?”

“There was rice on your face.”

Lin Senmu opened his palm to show her the grains he had wiped off.

“Oh! ⊙⊙!”

“As long as you weren’t intentionally taking advantage of me!”

Jiang Yuan decided not to make a big deal out of it and asked, “By the way, where should we go first after this?”

“The Poplar Forest,” Lin Senmu replied.

After lunch, Lin Senmu and Jiang Yuan returned to the car.

After setting the navigation destination, Lin Senmu was about to step on the gas and set off.

Suddenly, a whimsical idea flashed through his mind. He turned to the girl and said, “Jiang Yuan, I have an idea.”

“What idea?” Jiang Yuan was drinking Annmuxi, her rosy lips leaving a milky white ring.

“I want to name this RV!” Lin Senmu swallowed, really wanting to taste the girl’s milk-flavored lips.

“The car needs a name?” Jiang Yuan tilted her head in confusion, looking utterly adorable.

Lin Senmu nodded emphatically. “I’m naming this RV the ‘Sen Yuan’!”

“What? ‘Abyss’ doesn’t sound good at all. Why not call it ‘Youth’ or ‘Straw Hat’? Those are better!” Jiang Yuan didn’t immediately catch the meaning behind the name, even suggesting names from pirate crews.

“You don’t get it!” Lin Senmu was almost fuming, sulking as he shifted gears, ready to start the car.

Jiang Yuan, noticing the boy’s expression, chewed on the name he had given the RV. “‘Abyss’? ‘Abyss’? ‘Sen’? ‘Yuan’?”

Lin Senmu’s ‘Sen.’

Jiang Yuan’s ‘Yuan.’

A blush gradually spread across Jiang Yuan’s cheeks, and she whispered, “I get it now!”

Instantly, Lin Senmu’s face lit up with joy, and he shouted, “If you agree to this name, then the ‘Sen Yuan’ officially sets off!”

“Fine, if you like it,” Jiang Yuan said, fidgeting with her fingers.

Lin Senmu, of course, liked it and yelled again, “Let’s go, ‘Sen Yuan’!”

Jiang Yuan rolled her eyes at him but silently echoed in her heart, “Let’s go, ‘Sen Yuan’!”

The Poplar Forest scenic area was located in the outskirts of the city, a vast expanse of golden poplar trees.

Lin Senmu and Jiang Yuan bought tickets and entered the forest.

The Poplar Forest had eight wooden bridges. Walking along the bridges, one could admire the entire poplar grove.

“Lin Senmu, take a photo of me here!” Jiang Yuan handed her DSLR camera to Lin Senmu. The spot she wanted to photograph had a clear lake.

The lake reflected the images of the poplar trees.

“Click!”

Lin Senmu captured the girl’s image there.

“Lin Senmu, stand where I was just now. I’ll take a photo of you too.”

The first seven wooden bridges of the Poplar Forest were all about the poplar tree scenery.

At the end of the seventh wooden bridge, after boarding the sightseeing bus, we arrived at the final destination of the scenic area.

It was a completely new landscape, with yellow sand filling the sky and scorching heat waves.

According to the introduction, this place is the third-largest desert in our country.

This desert resembles a futuristic car world, with concept car models displayed everywhere, showcasing technological advancements.

Activities available for experience include camel riding, drinking camel milk, and off-road vehicle surfing on the sand dunes.

“Lin Senmu, I’m taller than you now!”

Jiang Yuan, sitting atop a camel, extended her slender hand, measuring the height difference between herself and Lin Senmu.

“How childish!”

When Lin Senmu first met the girl, he thought she would be an aloof goddess.

But as they spent more time together, he discovered that Jiang Yuan had a humorous side.

Hmm, sometimes she was even cute and adorably silly!

“Hmph, hurry up and take my picture!”

Jiang Yuan placed her hands on her hips, pouting as she gave orders.

“Alright, my beautiful little princess.”