chapter 65

Lu looked at her and said seriously, “Babe, your skin looks so flawless. Were you born with that?”

Then, he touched her face.

Ai closed her eyes, saying indifferently, “If you do that again, I’ll force you to leave.”

Lu sighed silently, and he could only take his hand back and turn off the storage battery. “OK. Goodnight. We need to get up early tomorrow morning.”

So, Ai fell asleep, relieved.

Lu hugged her in his arms after she fell asleep. He said to himself, “What an idiot. I really don’t know when you will figure out your feelings.”

The next morning, Ai found herself lying in his arms. She became so pissed that she pulled him by the ear. “Lu Zhanke. Can you stop taking advantage of me?”

She didn’t pull that hard, but Lu still acted as if he were hurt. He tried to justify his actions. “I didn’t do anything. It was you who rolled into my arms.”

“Do you think I am an idiot? How could I roll into your arms?” Ai blushed. She believed that Lu definitely wanted to take advantage of her.

“See, you almost pushed me off the bed.” Lu tried to justify himself.

Ai took a look. She was taking up most of the bed, and there was only a small corner left for him. She couldn’t help loosening her hand, and her face turned burning red.

She snorted and climbed down from the bed, sulking.

Sitting on the bed, Lu stared at her back view. He touched the corner of his mouth and found himself smiling unconsciously.

Ai kept peeking at Lu during breakfast. He wore the suit she had given him, and he looked absolutely fabulous and gorgeous. She couldn’t resist staring at him.

Lu raised his eyebrows complacently. “Do I look handsome?”

Ai looked up. “It can only prove my taste.”

“Taste in husband?”

“No. Taste in fashion.”

“…” Lu was in a good mood, so he didn’t get upset. He just stared at her and smiled until Ai blushed and glared at him.

After breakfast, they set off by car. Du Yucheng had already left yesterday afternoon because he was going to pick his friend up, but they agreed on meeting at the Dadaokou.

Song Shizhang gritted his teeth with grief. Being a bachelor was already miserable. Now he had to help those married men watch those soldiers. How could he accept the cruel reality?

Pei Xiaopang laughed and cheered excitedly. “Uncle Song, I am leaving. Don’t miss me too much.”

Song Shizhang caught his collar. “Then what about staying here with me?”

Pei Xiaopang was so scared that he slipped into the car and grasped the seat tightly. “No. You stay here alone.”

“Naughty boy. Did you forget how I treated you?”

Pei Mu was the one who had always been kind to him. Before he left, Pei Mu asked Song Shizhang what he wanted and promised to bring them to him.

Song held a handkerchief against his mouth. He asked wretchedly, “Can you bring a wife back for me?”

Pei Mu closed the door and refused with a smile. “Sorry, I can’t. I am not a human trafficker.”

Lu laughed. He patted Song’s shoulder and said, “Don’t worry. You are already over thirty. Sooner or later…”

“Sooner or later I will get married?”

“No. Sooner or later you will get used to being alone.” Then, Lu stepped on the gas and left in a hurry.

Song thought Lu was the most scheming and wicked one among them.

Ai also felt that it was funny. She elbowed him. “Why did you tease him like that? You are such a bad guy.”

Lu said cheerfully, “Bad guy? I don’t think so.”

“…” If he could ask this question, then he must have skin thicker than any other. Ai glanced at him. “Bad guy with bad brains.”

Now it was Lu’s turn to be speechless.

Yang Anxin and Pei Mu exchanged a subtle smile in the back seat. It was obvious that they had already made up with each other.

Everyone was pretty delighted with this trip. They joked and chatted cheerfully. Because of Pei Xiaopang’s jokes, all of them were amused and couldn’t stop laughing.

But it only lasted until they arrived at Dadaokou because there were two people waiting there. They were Du Yucheng and Ouyang Zhenzhen.

Both Lu Zhanke and Ai Changhuan’s mood turned sour. Pei Xiaopang, probably tired from his previous shows, now clung listlessly to his father, leaving only Yang Anxin to greet the two.

Du Yucheng got in the car and took a glance at Ai Changhuan before extending his hand to help Ouyang Zhenzhen, appearing quite gentle and caring.

Ouyang Zhenzhen looked excited. She said she hadn’t gone traveling in a long time. Thanks to Du Yucheng, she could finally go on a trip.

Some of them reacted to her with insincere smiles.

After they chatted for a while, the car became quiet. Everyone felt that there was nothing to talk about. The atmosphere became awkward.

Ai always felt uncomfortable in such embarrassing situations. If she only talked to Yang Anxin, it would make Ouyang Zhenzhen feel left out. But if she talked to Ouyang Zhenzhen…She would rather say nothing.

She coughed to conceal her thoughts and turned on the radio. “Let’s get some music in here.”

Then, she randomly switched to a military channel. This piqued the three men’s interest. They threw out their own opinions while listening to the host. All they talked about were political issues such as current wars, the governments’ reactions, US and Russian methods, and the future situation. The more they talked, the more excited they became, but Ai grew sleepier, and then she fell asleep without knowing it.

She was woken up by a resonant song. Narrowing her eyes, Ai tried to figure out what it was, and then she found that the one who was singing enthusiastically was Lu Zhanke.

He looked solemn while he sang the marching song, but he also looked optimistic and vigorous. Looking at his sharp side profile, Ai felt as if he were 20, bathed with the sunlight of the summer morning. Young. Handsome. Dynamic. Confident. Unrestricted. Persistent. Ambitious. Powerful.

She tried to imagine. If she had met Lu when he was 20, would she have fallen in love with him at first sight?

The song came to an end, and Lu stopped singing. He smiled out of happiness.

He was gorgeous. When he didn’t smile, he had an air of frostiness and dominance. But when he did smile, he could even capture your soul. At that moment, Ai seemed to be bewitched. Without any hesitation, she leaned forward and kissed the corner of his mouth.

Lu was startled. After he realized that Ai was kissing him, he almost swerved the car off the road. Fortunately, he quickly got back on track.

Yang Anxin screamed in the back seat, “Don’t show affection while driving!”

Pei Mu burst into laughter. “I thought I’d never see Lu lose control in this lifetime. This trip is definitely worth it.”

Pei Xiaopang covered his eyes with hands, mumbling, “Ah! Uncle Lu and Changhuan are kissing. I am still a kid. I shouldn’t see it.”

“…” If you shouldn’t see it, then why do you say it so loudly?

Just now, Ai was half-asleep. Pei Xiaopang completely brought her back to her senses, and her cheeks immediately turned extremely red. “OMG. What did I just do? I kissed Lu Zhanke?”

“That’s impossible. I was definitely dreaming. Absolutely!”

Although she thought this, her face still burned as if someone had poured gas on it.

Lu was not doing well either. He always considered himself to be the most thick-skinned person in the world, but now his handsome face also burned bashfully as he grinned from ear to ear with pleasure.

Pei Mu teased him when he saw it. “Look. What’s wrong with your mouth? You almost showed all your teeth.”

“…” Ai really wanted to die. “Please stop,” she thought. “All of it was an illusion!”

As the saying goes, “A couple always follows one other.” Yang Anxin didn’t stay silent. “You two are so passionate, kissing in front of all of us.”

Pei Xiaopang said, “I didn’t see anything!”

Ai Changhuan played with her fingers and muttered to herself, “I haven’t woken up. I haven’t woken up. I haven’t woken up.”

But both Yu Yucheng and Ouyang Zhenzhen’s expressions were terribly bad.

Lu felt that he was the one who was in a dream. Otherwise, why would Ai kiss him in front of them?

He turned his head to take a look, and Ai was peeking at him at the same time. They turned their heads away quickly when their eyes met, and then their faces grew even hotter.

It was so embarrassing…

Ai and Lu spent the trip in the midst of the others’ mockery.

They arrived at their destination at 11 AM. There were more tourists coming every year because of its reputation, so tourism was gradually growing.

They arrived so late that all the rooms were already booked. Eventually, they checked into a home-stay. It was not as good as a hotel room, but they were totally free, and they could cook for themselves.

The house-owner prepared the first meal. It was sumptuous, and it was a local specialty. They didn’t rest before they set off for the fair after the meal.

They thought the small town in the barracks was secluded, but the environment here was more closed and more primitive. All the houses had features of the ethnic Achang, and they seemed to be free from any city influence. The air was fresh and clean. The stalls were set not in a large supermarket but on the streets, and there were local handcrafts placed in the stalls. Ai was fond of these trinkets. If she could carry all of them, she probably would have bought all of them.

In the end, they went into a clothing store. Ethnic Achang costumes could be rented there, and this piqued Yang and Ai’s interest, so they rushed into the store to have a look. Even Ouyang Zhenzhen couldn’t help praising the costumes and taking a lot of pictures.