Chapter 43

Lin Shu looked at Xu Shijia’s reaction, completely baffled.

What had she done to annoy the prince?

Forget it; she couldn’t be bothered with him.

This guy was always moody and sarcastic; she suspected it was due to a long period without any intimate relationships, causing some sort of imbalance.

Lin Shu turned her head and glanced into the distance. The area Wei Xue had chosen was indeed picturesque, with mountains connected to mountains, lush and green. Unfortunately, such a visual feast couldn’t be enjoyed because the mountain road was too bumpy. Uncle Wang drove the agricultural truck with the vigor of a fighter jet. As they turned a corner, there was a massive bump, and Lin Shu felt herself about to tumble into the chicken coop.

She wouldn’t be seriously hurt, but her clothes would definitely get dirty, and with bad luck, she might even end up covered in chicken droppings.

Just as Lin Shu was mentally preparing herself for the fall and bracing for the smell of chicken droppings, a hand suddenly reached out midway, firmly steadying her swaying body and pulling her back.

The smell of chicken droppings faded as they moved further away.

The air became fresh again.

Lin Shu opened her eyes and realized it was Xu Shijia who had silently pulled her back.

After their earlier unpleasant conversation, he, like Lin Shu, had turned his head to look at the scenery along the roadside, maintaining that posture now, yet his hand was firmly wrapped around Lin Shu’s waist.

Lin Shu wanted to get up, but before she could, another bump jolted them, and instead of creating distance between her and Xu Shijia, she found herself falling directly into his embrace.

This time, Xu Shijia finally stopped looking at the scenery. He turned his head to glance at Lin Shu, having instinctively caught her as she tumbled toward him during the previous jolt. Now it looked as if he had opened his arms to welcome her into his embrace. Xu Shijia clearly realized the ambiguous nature of their position and quickly released his hold, shifting to sit further away from Lin Shu as if to avoid any implications.

Xu Shijia was usually calm and composed, but this time his actions were unexpectedly awkward.

Initially, Lin Shu didn’t think much of it, but his behavior made her feel a bit embarrassed and uncomfortable.

Memories of that night he got drunk suddenly flashed in her mind: his arm wrapped around her waist, gripping more firmly and irresistibly than before, then his face leaning in closer, followed by…

Lin Shu instinctively glanced at Xu Shijia’s lips.

Stop!

She jolted back to reality.

What was she even thinking about in broad daylight?

Lin Shu touched her warm cheeks, feigning irritation and muttering about how hot and sunny it was.

Even though she managed to pull her wandering thoughts back, Xu Shijia didn’t seem to.

He appeared to be remembering that night as well, his gaze now fixed on Lin Shu’s lips.

“I’m highly sensitive to alcohol… that night…”

Why bring it up now?

Hadn’t they tacitly agreed to pretend it never happened by not mentioning it the next day?

Why revisit it now?

Lin Shu tucked her hair back, which had been tousled by the wind, and tried to maintain an air of calm and magnanimity. “Let’s not bring it up. You were drunk, practically a person with limited capacity for self-control.”

She was the boss, after all; she couldn’t afford to be petty. Even if she was acting, she had to act composed.

But instead of being grateful, Xu Shijia gave her a dark, resentful look. After a moment, he drew out a long “Oh.”

Lin Shu was willing to let bygones be bygones, but Xu Shijia somehow got oddly upset instead.

His tone turned sarcastic: “My boss is so generous. She really cares about her employees, going so far as to forgive her male subordinate who, after drinking, claimed he was too drunk to be accountable for his actions. She’s chosen to let him off without so much as a reprimand. Not even a word of reproach. No penalties. This year’s Best Boss Award should definitely go to you.”

Lin Shu: “…”

What was Xu Shijia’s problem?

What did he want?

Did he want her to reprimand him, scold him, dock his pay? Would that make him happy?

What kind of person was he?

After finishing his snide remarks, as if that weren’t enough, he looked straight at her, deadpan, and said, “Thank you, boss, for being so understanding. You’re teaching me to be brave enough to make mistakes without fear.”

Lin Shu: “…”

Lin Shu was very close to losing her cool.

Why couldn’t he think of doing good work instead of obsessing over making mistakes?

Couldn’t he just focus on doing a good job and being a decent person?

At that moment, the truck hit an even bumpier dirt road, where not only was the dusty ground uneven, but small rocks also scattered everywhere, making it feel like they were being tossed on stormy seas. Lin Shu was too dizzy from the dust and sun to keep up her scolding, and Xu Shijia also looked somewhat worse for wear, pressing his lips together in discomfort, too queasy to be cheeky anymore.

After a grueling half-hour ride, the truck finally dropped them off in town.

Xu Shijia got off the farm truck looking pale, still holding his bag of potatoes with a lingering sense of horror on his face.

He grumbled with exhaustion, “What was Wei Xue thinking coming to a place like this? What’s wrong with modern people? Why do they think finding some remote village with terrible transport is ‘therapeutic’? I never want to come back to this godforsaken place again!”

Lin Shu glanced at him and said, “Wait here with the potatoes. I’ll go buy our bus tickets back to Rong City.”

But Lin Shu’s confidence turned to disappointment.

She had assumed that now they were in town, getting back to Rong City would be straightforward. However, with the May Day holiday approaching, travel and family visit plans were in full swing, and the tickets to Rong City had long since sold out.

The ticket clerk was blunt: “The earliest ticket to Rong City is in four days’ time in the morning. Do you want it?”

Four days later!

That meant she would be stuck here for the entire May Day holiday!

This was unacceptable!

Surprisingly, Xu Shijia remained unfazed by her report. He seemed to have recovered from the bumpy ride and regained his calm demeanor. “Watch my potatoes for a bit. I’ll take care of it. We’ll definitely get back to Rong City tonight.”

A few minutes later, Xu Shijia strolled back, hands in his pockets, looking thoroughly pleased with himself.

“All sorted.”

Lin Shu looked at him, puzzled. “Where are the tickets?”

“No tickets needed.” Xu Shijia grinned, “My face is my ticket.”

Lin Shu: “…”

This guy really was back to his usual cocky self now that the skies had cleared and the sun was shining…

But thankfully, Xu Shijia wasn’t lying. He grabbed his bag of potatoes, brought Lin Shu over to a bus, and after a brief chat with the lady at the door, got them both on board without any tickets.

Lin Shu looked at the huge banner on the side of the bus: “Qin Travel Tours—One-Day Deluxe Tour of Rong City?”

Xu Shijia was quite pleased with himself. “The regular bus tickets back to Rong City were sold out, but there were still spots available in a one-day tour group. I signed us up, and once we reach Rong City, we’ll just get off.”

No wonder they didn’t need tickets—it was a tour group.

Xu Shijia beamed, “See, I’m quick on my feet. Sure, regular tickets were gone, but we found a tour bus with extra seats. We’re still getting back, just by thinking outside the box. Pretty clever, right?”

It was indeed a clever solution, but…

“By the way, which rental company did you use for the private driver? How did the driver end up abandoning us halfway? That’s unprofessional; we should file a complaint. If it’s not properly resolved, we’ll just sue when we’re back.”

Hearing this, Xu Shijia seemed a bit evasive. “Let’s just leave it…”

Leave it? No way!

There was no reason for a lawyer to be treated like this; Lin Shu was outraged at the driver’s lack of professionalism and was determined to take matters into her own hands.

“If it’s too much trouble, I’ll handle it. Which company was it? Just give me the name.”

“I didn’t book with the company.” Xu Shijia cleared his throat, his voice a bit uneasy. “I found someone private.”

A private driver?

Lin Shu’s anger was barely contained. Skipping over established platforms and big companies to hire a private driver just increases the likelihood of running into issues.

“A private driver?!”

Xu Shijia said nothing. Finally, perhaps unable to withstand Lin Shu’s glare, he squeezed out two words:

“Cheap.”

“What?”

Xu Shijia awkwardly replied, “That private driver’s rate was only half of the company’s, the cheapest, so I went with it…”

Lin Shu could already guess what happened next, even without Xu Shijia elaborating—

“So, this private driver you hired seemed fine on the way over but then decided not to honor the quoted price as soon as you got off, claiming that was for a one-way trip only and demanding more for the return. When you refused, he just drove off?”

As expected, Xu Shijia stared at Lin Shu in shock. “How did you know?! You weren’t even around when I took the call!”

How could she not know?

This was just the classic cheap rate scam! Not surprisingly, once you factor in the extra charges, the round-trip would end up costing way more than a reputable platform or company.

Lin Shu’s guess had hit the mark.

Xu Shijia looked frustrated. “It’s not like I wouldn’t pay extra, but with his added charges, the total was way more than a regular trip! I argued that I’m a lawyer and would sue him, but he just sped off, claiming he had a new job in a nearby town, leaving us to find our own way back!”

“This is the usual tactic of a rogue private driver!” Lin Shu was speechless. “Xu Shijia, you’ve been out of touch with reality for way too long.”

“Forget the saying ‘you get what you pay for.’ Just think about it: major companies have operating costs to cover, and even their quotes are double his. A quote that low wouldn’t even cover gas—what private driver would be doing charity work to transport you back and forth?”

“Where Wei Xue lives is far from anywhere, so he knew that after dropping us off, it would be nearly impossible to find another driver out here, which gave him the confidence to hike up the price. And then you threatened to sue him! So when he got a new job, he bolted without a second thought!”

Xu Shijia fell silent, his face turning sour.

After a moment, he reluctantly said, “I just wanted to find a cost-effective option. Legal aid barely covers expenses, and I don’t earn much. I’m strapped for cash, so I’m used to comparing prices for everything these days.”

Lin Shu had nothing to say to that.

Is there such a thing as “cost-effective” in this world?

It’s the poor who talk about “cost-effectiveness”; the wealthy only care if it’s worth it.

Xu Shijia was truly broke. Poverty eats away at people quickly, and in his case, poverty had eroded his mind, turning his thinking to that of the poor.

Unfortunately, although he now thought like the poor, he didn’t have the survival smarts of someone used to it, like Lin Shu. So, this recently impoverished “naïve optimist” had walked right into a trap designed to exploit people like him.

“Everyone, please take your seats! Our exciting journey is about to begin!”

With a loud voice, a tour guide—a large woman with an air of shrewdness—climbed onto the bus, a glint of calculation in her eyes. Behind her was a lively group of elderly men and women.

Lin Shu had a bad feeling.

She looked at Xu Shijia. “How much did you pay for this tour?”

That was all it took; Xu Shijia couldn’t hide his pride any longer. “Not much!”

He obviously hadn’t expected any issues. With a smug expression, he boasted, “Not only was it cheap, but it’s even less than a bus ticket back to Rong City. You just have to think things through to find a new way forward. I compared multiple options and chose this tour because it was the cheapest, and it includes three meals too.”

Lin Shu couldn’t listen anymore.

The tour bus began to move.

Too late. It was over.

Lin Shu muttered weakly, “Xu Shijia, have you ever heard of a ‘cheap tour’?”

Xu Shijia: “?”