Chapter 74 - 62: Plan B
Before dinner, Xiao Wanqing called to say they were out having fun in the city and wouldn’t be coming over to eat.
She also added... over the phone, "Don’t go back to the Intercontinental Hotel. We already checked out. We used the rental money to get a really beautiful guesthouse instead. We’re staying there tonight."
That was fine. No matter how luxurious a hotel is, it gets old after a while. A guesthouse was different; it offered a sense of novelty. And novelty was the whole point of a trip, after all.
After dinner, Liu Jinyu told her parents she was staying with her friends for the night, then left with Su Ran in a taxi.
Mr. and Mrs. Liu didn’t say much. Their daughter was a grown woman, after all.
In the taxi.
Liu Jinyu draped her long, fair legs over Su Ran’s, hooked an arm around his neck, and gave his shoulder a playful bite. "Don’t you go tricking me into doing things like that again," she said boldly. "I’m meant to be cherished, not bullied, you know?"
Su Ran’s thumb brushed against her red lips. "Mm, okay," he said. "I won’t force you from now on. It’ll be all up to you."
Liu Jinyu pinched his arm and scoffed, "Pfft, as if I’d ever want to. What are you smiling at? Hey, what’s that supposed to mean? You really think I wanted to? There won’t be a next time."
With that, she slumped against Su Ran’s shoulder.
Su Ran couldn’t see her expression.
But then again, women usually mean the opposite of what they say.
’Doesn’t want to’ means ’wants to’.
DING—
Just then, a system notification appeared: [Liu Jinyu’s safe period has begun]
Su Ran gazed out the window. ’Time to get the red buff and take their crystal!’
"Jinyu, be with me tonight," the ever-blunt Su Ran said directly.
Liu Jinyu’s body stiffened slightly, then she shook her head. "No~"
"I’ll take that as a yes."
"You!"
Liu Jinyu lifted her head, biting her lip slightly as she glared at him.
"Then let me ask you, why did you leave last time?"
Since they were on the topic anyway, Liu Jinyu shamelessly asked the question.
"It was your fertile window last time."
PFFT—
Liu Jinyu died of embarrassment on the spot.
’Now that I think about it, I guess that’s right.’
"How did you know?"
"I calculated it."
I... uh...
’The more I think about it, the creepier it gets.’
"I couldn’t possibly let you take the pill, right?"
"...So I’m supposed to thank you for that?"
"That won’t be necessary."
"...Then why are you... now...?"
"Because today is your safe period. Oh, and not just today. The next few days are, too."
PFFT—
Liu Jinyu froze, completely petrified.
’The next few days?’
A little panic set in for Liu Jinyu.
’He’s really something else, my dear Ranran. So considerate of me, huh? The next few days? Tsk, tsk, tsk.’ The thought alone was terrifying to Liu Jinyu.
Honestly, Liu Jinyu had fallen head over heels for Su Ran recently. Once a woman becomes infatuated with a man, she’s willing to give him everything.
She remembered her mother’s advice: ’Don’t give yourself away to a man so easily. It’s the best dowry a woman has.’
But even so, how many people in this day and age really listened to that kind of advice?
She looked into Su Ran’s eyes. For a modern couple, taking the next step was actually a natural part of their progression.
Liu Jinyu had been pursued by many handsome, rich, and powerful men, and Su Ran wasn’t the wealthiest among them, but he was the one she loved most.
She and Su Ran... Women tend to believe in fate, and she felt their meeting at Jiuxi Lake was the most wonderful twist of fate.
As for giving herself to him...
Liu Jinyu was willing, but she was also a little afraid of being hurt.
She hesitated for a moment before saying, "Su Ran, do you understand what this saying means?"
"What saying?"
Liu Jinyu murmured, "Once, a girl had no money for rouge; her cheeks flushed only for her beloved. Later... her beloved broke her heart, and from then on, the girl fell in love with rouge and a life of wantonness..."
’I get it! Of course I get it!’
Su Ran had even read Lao She’s *Camel Xiangzi*, where the theme originated.
By asking this now, Liu Jinyu was clearly showing her fear of being hurt. After all, it was her most precious gift, and she wasn’t a casual woman.
Su Ran wasn’t some player who just tricked girls into bed, so naturally, he took this very seriously.
Su Ran raised a hand to stroke her cheek and said, "I, Su Ran, am not the kind of person who loves them and leaves them."
"Mm."
Liu Jinyu nodded. Su Ran’s words were just sweet nothings, but in the end, a woman had to take a gamble. She decided to bet a lifetime of luck on Su Ran tonight!
If she won the bet, her cheeks would flush only for her beloved.
If she lost, she would fall in love with rouge and a life of wantonness.
Of course, Su Ran wasn’t lying. He really wasn’t the type to love and leave someone, nor was he a scumbag. He was a very devoted man.
Yes, very devoted.
...
The taxi stopped at the entrance of a small alley.
"Is this the place?"
"I think so. This is the address Xiao Wanqing sent."
Puzzled, the two walked deep into the alley and stopped outside a Chinese-style courtyard guesthouse named Hua Banli.
"This must be it."
Liu Jinyu stepped onto the stoop to knock, but she saw the door was ajar, so she pushed it open.
CREAK—
The large door swung open slowly, revealing a courtyard with a modern Chinese artistic flair. A rockery and a pond sat in the center, looking breathtakingly beautiful under the ambient lighting.
"Wow, it’s so beautiful! Su Ran, look..."
Liu Jinyu turned around and noticed Su Ran’s expression was off.
"Huh? What’s wrong?"
"How about we find another place?"
Su Ran hadn’t stepped onto the stoop. He didn’t want to go in.
There was no other reason than this: the courtyard was uncannily similar to the one in his dream about the four brides from yesterday.
’An omen.’
’Is the dream a sign of what’s to come in reality?’
’In the dream, it was a quadra kill.’
’I do not want a quadra kill in real life.’
"Su Ran! Jinyu..."
Just then, Aina and the others’ voices came from behind them. They rushed up to hug Liu Jinyu. "Do you like this place?"
Liu Jinyu nodded. "It’s gorgeous! But Su Ran doesn’t like it."
Aina said, "Hey, are you trying to be a killjoy? Didn’t you say you wanted to find a romantic place? We picked this out especially for you and Jinyu."
Xie Yiren added, "Exactly! We even went out and bought alcohol. No one’s going home sober tonight!"
Xiao Wanqing said, "Su Ran, don’t be a wet blanket! Do you have any idea how many brain cells we sacrificed for you two and your little affair?"
Su Ran asked, "So this is what you’ve all been so secretive about for the past two days?"
Xiao Wanqing replied, "That’s right. This is Plan B. Aren’t you going to thank us?"
Su Ran didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. "Thanks. I really should thank you. But this courtyard is no good. Let’s find another place. A more expensive one, a better one—tens of thousands, even hundreds of thousands a night is fine. Just not this courtyard!"
"Su Ran, I think you’re just being a contrarian," Xiao Wanqing said. "You say no, so we’re definitely staying here. You have to come in. Let’s go!"
Xiao Wanqing grabbed Su Ran and dragged him into the courtyard.
CREAK—
The gate to Hua Banli closed...