Chapter 15: Staying at a Hotel  

By the time the concert ended, it was already very late. None of the five had eaten yet, so Tao Qiye suggested going for barbecue. The others had no objections—they were genuinely quite hungry.  

They found a snack street near the concert venue, where a barbecue joint called “Night Owl Grill” caught their attention. Guan Shuang burst into laughter at the name, saying it was too fitting.  

“Don’t we look like night owls right now? Haha~”  

*  

Tao Qiye ordered two bottles of beer and poured a glass for everyone. Yin Siyu initially didn’t plan to drink, but Guan Shuang insisted on challenging her to a drinking contest. That turned out to be a mistake—once they started, there was no stopping them.  

The three guys beside them tried to intervene, but the two girls acted as if they didn’t hear, even complaining that the boys were ruining their fun.  

Neither of them had a particularly high alcohol tolerance. Before they could finish their third glass, Yin Siyu was already drunk and passed out. Seeing this, Guan Shuang mumbled to herself,  

“You lost, haha~ I won.”  

No sooner had she said this than Guan Shuang also collapsed, leaving the three men staring at each other in bewilderment.  

Nan Feng and Su Shaonian had been relatively restrained and hadn’t drunk much. Tao Qiye, with no one to drink with, didn’t get to enjoy himself either, so all three of them were still clear-headed.  

Tao Qiye checked the time on his phone and frowned slightly. “What do we do? The dorms are definitely locked by now.”  

“Let’s find a hotel. They can share a room,” Nan Feng said calmly.  

Su Shaonian nodded. “Looks like we’ll have to stay the night too. It’s not easy to get a taxi around here.”  

The three of them wobbled as they helped the two girls into the hotel and booked a twin room for them.  

“Please book me a single room,” Nan Feng told the front desk before turning to the other two. “I don’t like sharing a room. Do you two want singles or a twin?”  

Su Shaonian smiled gently. “We’ll take a twin.”  

Tao Qiye awkwardly rubbed the back of his head and said nothing.  

*  

Early morning sunlight filtered in, carrying the fresh scent of dew in the air.  

Yin Siyu woke up with a slight headache, as if someone had been hammering on her skull. She opened her eyes to an unfamiliar ceiling and jolted upright, checking under the covers.  

Hmm, still wearing yesterday’s clothes. She glanced around and saw Guan Shuang lying on the other bed.  

Yin Siyu rubbed her hair, trying to recall. Wait, we went to the concert yesterday, then had barbecue afterward.  

Images of her and Guan Shuang drunkenly fooling around flashed in her mind. Yin Siyu smacked her own head in disgust. How embarrassing! She wanted to crawl into a hole, especially knowing the three guys had to carry them back.  

She checked her phone—it was just past seven in the morning. Stretching, she got out of bed and headed to the bathroom to freshen up.  

When she came out, Guan Shuang was lying in bed, bleary-eyed, staring at her. Yin Siyu waved a hand in front of her face and said slowly, enunciating each word,  

“Guan Shuang… Little Shuang… time… to… wake… up…”  

Hearing her name, Guan Shuang jerked her head up and saw Yin Siyu smiling at her warmly.

When Guan Shuang finally recognized the person before her, she turned her head and immediately fell back into deep slumber. No matter how much Yin Siyu called out to her, she couldn’t be roused in the slightest.  

“That girl, who knew you had this effect? She was almost awake, but the moment I called your name, she just passed out again.”  

*  

“Hey, Yin Siyu, are you awake yet?”  

A deep, magnetic male voice came through the phone.  

It was Nan… Nan Feng…  

Yin Siyu pulled the phone away and checked the number. She didn’t remember ever saving Nan Feng’s contact.  

“Silly girl, wake up properly. I’ve got breakfast for you all—hurry and get ready to head back to campus.”  

“Senior Nan, when did I ever save your number?”  

“I added it for you last night.”  

What did that mean…  

Before Yin Siyu could figure it out, he continued, “Sometimes I want to reach you but can’t find you, so I saved my number in your phone last night.”  

Yin Siyu mumbled an “Mm” in her dazed state, still a little confused. This early in the morning, Senior Nan’s tone was way too gentle—so unlike his usual aloof demeanor.  

Unable to make sense of it, she stopped overthinking and sent a text to her brother.  

“Bro, when you finish work, can I borrow your driver and car?”  

About a minute later, her phone rang. “Yin Siyu, explain yourself. Did you stay out late last night and skip dorm curfew?”  

Yin Siyu rubbed her nose. “Bro, if I’d gone back, the dorm would’ve been locked, and your dear little sister would’ve had nowhere to sleep. I shared a room with Guan Shuang last night.”  

Hearing this, Yin Baiyu didn’t press further. With work piling up at the company, he gave a few instructions before hanging up.  

*  

After freshening up and finishing breakfast, the five of them gathered outside the hotel entrance.  

A short while later, Nan Feng drove up in a Mercedes from the parking lot. Seeing the group waiting, he said, “I’ve got the car. Let’s go—hop in.”  

Tao Qiye immediately climbed inside without a word, pulling Guan Shuang along. Su Shaonian also opened the door to get in.  

Noticing Yin Siyu hadn’t moved, Nan Feng frowned. “What’s wrong? Get in.”  

“Um, I just told my brother, and his driver’s coming to pick me up. I won’t be joining you.”  

Guan Shuang stuck her head out the window. “What? You’re not coming? Then I’m not either—I’ll wait with you.”  

Tao Qiye, already seated, patted Guan Shuang’s shoulder in annoyance. “She’s got a private chauffeur. Why are you butting in?”  

Guan Shuang stubbornly pushed the door open. “I just want to stay with Siyu, okay? Besides, three guys in one car and us girls in another—what’s the problem?”  

Unable to win the argument, Tao Qiye sighed. “Fine, fine, whatever you say. If you don’t want to ride, don’t ride.”  

Su Shaonian, concerned for the girls’ safety, suggested, “Then we’ll wait until your driver arrives before leaving.”  

Yin Siyu nodded.  

Nan Feng, seated in the driver’s seat, remained silent the entire time. His hands rested on the steering wheel, his gaze fixed intently on Yin Siyu, tracking her every move with an unreadable expression.  

When Yin Siyu noticed Nan Feng’s stare, his fingers drumming rhythmically against the wheel, the sound seemed to reverberate straight into her heart.

Yin Siyu subtly shifted her gaze away, not looking into the car, silently waiting for her brother’s driver to arrive. Because of Nan Feng’s stare, those few minutes of waiting became exceptionally difficult.

(End of Chapter)