Chapter 27

　

Lin Qin sensed some gossip and perked up, “Familiar! Why, have you taken a liking to him?”

Yun Xin looked at Lin Qin and earnestly declared, “I have someone in my heart.”

“Oh…” Lin Qin immediately deflated, “Then why are you asking about Lu Lei?”

“How did you meet him?” Yun Xin was curious.

“He applied for a designer position at the company. I liked him, so I hired him,” Lin Qin replied.

“Do you think there’s anything different about him compared to others?” Yun Xin asked again.

Lin Qin thought for a moment, “Does being strong count?”

Seeing Yun Xin’s puzzled look, he explained, “I thought someone like Lu Lei, a homebody, would be out of shape. But once during a lunch break, I saw him lifting a barbell! I don’t know how heavy it was, but it looked very heavy, and he lifted it effortlessly.”

At this moment, Brother Zhao suddenly asked, “And you got close to Lu Lei…”

“To ask him for fitness tips!” Lin Qin’s eyes were full of anticipation, “I also want to lift such heavy barbells.”

Brother Zhao’s forehead veins bulged.

Yun Xin could sense that he wanted to hit someone but restrained himself.

Initially, Yun Xin thought Brother Zhao was a tough guy.

After spending more time together, she felt Brother Zhao was more like a ‘male mother,’ responsible for taking care of troublesome children.

The troublesome Lin Qin was oblivious and argued confidently, “Of course! Others have to train their muscles before lifting barbells, but Lu Lei is so thin yet so strong; he must have some secret. Once I get closer to him, he won’t keep it from me.”

“If I were strong enough to protect myself, I wouldn’t need to take a bodyguard everywhere!”

He glanced at Brother Zhao, his dissatisfaction evident.

Brother Zhao turned his head away, out of sight, out of mind.

Traveling by chartered car indeed avoided any further incidents.

Lin Qin was excited, “This time, for sure, no problems!”

They set off in the morning and arrived at the countryside in the afternoon. The driver suggested stopping for the night, as the next rest stop would require driving until midnight.

“Okay, let’s stay here tonight,” Lin Qin agreed.

They had a good night’s sleep.

The next day, the group continued their journey.

After three days on the road, Lin Qin visibly wilted.

On the first day, he was lively.

By the second day, he was visibly worn out.

On the third day, he was barely hanging on.

“Are we there yet?” On the afternoon of the third day, Lin Qin lay in the car, his voice full of exhaustion.

“Almost there,” the driver reassured him, “we’re halfway there.”

“What? Only halfway?” Lin Qin was shocked.

He realized that while chartering a car was safe, it was exhausting and troublesome.

Compared to planes and trains that reach the destination in a few hours, driving was too slow!

And driving meant sitting for seven to eight hours at a stretch. If the rest stops were far apart, it could take an extra two to three hours.

After days of sitting, he felt so uncomfortable he wanted to jump out of the car.

“Hang in there. Once we pass the tunnel, we only have one more day of driving,” the driver confidently promised.

Lin Qin was not comforted at all.

He wished someone would knock him out so he could be unconscious for the rest of the trip. How nice would it be to close his eyes and wake up at the destination?

Lin Qin looked around and saw that Brother Zhao looked unbothered, not feeling any discomfort.

Yun Xin was calmly enjoying the scenery.

The driver, used to long drives, was accustomed to spending more than ten hours a day in the car.

By comparison, only Lin Qin was suffering, only he couldn’t take it.

Ironically, it was his idea to go to the concert and charter a car, so he felt embarrassed to complain now.

Lin Qin swallowed his grievances.

After another twenty minutes, the car entered the tunnel the driver mentioned.

Lin Qin felt a glimmer of hope and perked up a bit.

But soon, they saw a car in the middle of the road on fire.

“Why is it an empty car? Where’s the driver? Where are the firefighters? Why isn’t anyone putting out the fire?”

The road was blocked, so the cars behind had to line up in a queue.

The driver opened the car door and, like the other drivers, leaned out to check the situation. He estimated, “We might have to wait a while. Once the firefighters come, put out the fire, and tow the car, we can continue.”

At that moment, Yun Xin suddenly said, “No waiting, turn around and go back.”

“Huh?” The driver hesitated, “But we paid the toll before entering the tunnel. If we go out now and come back in later, we’ll have to pay again. It’s just one car on fire. Once it’s put out, it’ll be fine. We might only need to wait ten or twenty minutes.”

Sensing something, Lin Qin unexpectedly took a firm stance, “Listen to me, turn back!”

Before the train incident, he couldn’t understand why the first car was safe while the third wasn’t, even though they were so close. But after the accident, it turned out that only the first car was the safest.

So, if you don’t understand, just follow directions. The same applies to the tunnel.

No need to know why. If Yun Xin says to turn back, then turn back.

“But there are so many cars waiting in the tunnel. It should be fine…” The driver tried to argue.

“I’m paying for the car, so listen to me,” Lin Qin rudely interrupted. “I don’t like this tunnel, so let’s take the long way around. Got it?”

With that said, what else could the driver say? He obediently started to turn back.

The tunnel was open to two-way traffic. While the forward route was blocked, there was no problem going back.

Before leaving, Yun Xin opened the window, raised her voice, and deliberately said loudly, “The fire is so fierce. What if it explodes? Let’s get out of the tunnel quickly and take another route. Is money more important than our lives?”

Her words were cleverly phrased.

People in the car knew they had agreed to turn back, so these words were obviously meant for those outside.

People outside who heard it would think the people in the car were discussing among themselves. Fearing an explosion, they decided to turn back instead of waiting.

Some drivers who heard this became frightened and also started to leave.

However, not many heeded the warning.

The tunnel was built because taking the longer route was inconvenient. Since they had already paid the toll, they didn’t want to waste it. Turning back would mean the money was spent for nothing.

So, most drivers stayed and waited.

Yun Xin could only watch regretfully as the countdown to disaster continued for them.