With a “beep,” the bar lifted, and the Luxury Car smoothly and lightly passed through the ETC lane.
“Nice car.” The male driver behind tapped the steering wheel, his eyes full of admiration.
“Wife, let’s buy one in a few years too.”
“Focus on your driving.” The woman next to him rolled up a magazine and tapped him on the head.
***
Inside the Luxury Car, Lin Yiren gripped the steering wheel. The scenery outside the window retreated rapidly.
“Mama, eat some bread.” A small hand reached toward her mouth, feeding her a torn piece of bread.
“Mhm, thank you.”
Chew, chew, chew.
“Mama, eat a cookie.”
“Mhm.”
Crunch, crunch, crunch.
“Mama…”
“Alright, alright, you eat now.” Lin Yiren swallowed the cookie in her mouth and said with a smile.
Xing Yao sat back in her seat. Chen Zhaoyue reached out and let her daughter lean into her arms. While she smoothed the girl’s fine, soft hair, she looked at the young woman in the front.
Dark, long hair blocked her face, so she could only see a pair of fair hands resting on the steering wheel. The sunlight streaming through the glass revealed the light blue veins beneath the skin.
Chen Zhaoyue’s gaze moved down. The upper part of those rounded thighs was wrapped in Jeans, and the exposed portion was dazzlingly white under the light, looking full of elasticity.
She kind of wanted to lie on them.
Chen Zhaoyue, oh Chen Zhaoyue, what are you thinking?
She despised herself in her heart, yet her eyes never wavered.
Lin Yiren glanced at the rearview mirror and happened to catch Chen Zhaoyue’s burning gaze. Her legs couldn’t help but tremble slightly.
What was wrong with Chen Zhaoyue? Was there something strange about her?
She scrutinized her outfit for today; surely a white T-shirt and Jeans hadn’t failed to meet the Eldest Miss’s expectations.
At this thought, a faint cherry-pink hue rose on Lin Yiren’s face. She had actually picked out clothes for this trip, but she hadn’t shown them to the Eldest Miss yet.
When the time comes… she would see.
“Mummy, I want to listen to music.” Xing Yao burrowed into Chen Zhaoyue’s arms to act spoiled.
Chen Zhaoyue pulled her gaze back and took out her Smartphone.
“Connect it to the car’s Bluetooth.” Lin Yiren suggested from the front. Chen Zhaoyue then turned on the Bluetooth and switched to the children’s song interface.
Cheerful sounds rang out in the car, and Lin Xingyao clapped along to the beat. This luxury car, which looked like a cold, crouching beast on the outside, had turned into a “Baby Bus.”
A smile rippled across Lin Yiren’s lips as she stepped on the gas. The car continued forward toward that coastal city.
***
A few hours later, the car drove into Xicheng.
“Something is flying up there!”
A silver-white giant descended from the clouds, flying over the vast blue sea beside them.
“That’s a plane, a plane.” Chen Zhaoyue pointed.
“Speaking of which, the airport is in that direction.” Lin Yiren turned the wheel, catching a tail-end of a distant memory.
The car drove onto the cross-sea bridge, feeling as if they had entered another world entirely. The blue and white sky seemed lower, joining the sea at the end of the horizon into a single line.
Lin Xingyao pressed her face against the window, her eyes wide.
“That’s the ocean,” Lin Yiren’s voice was soft. “Inside, mhm… is all water.”
“Pfft.” Chen Zhaoyue covered her laugh.
Lin Yiren scratched her head, unsure of how to give her daughter a better explanation for the moment, so she just kept driving.
Oh well, as long as she could enjoy the view.
Passing through rows of coconut trees and a road woven with green and blue glass facades, they arrived at the Hotel where they were staying.
***
“Heigh-ho!” Lin Yiren sent the suitcase toward the corner and threw herself backward onto the soft, large Bed. She turned her head; outside the massive floor-to-ceiling window was the deep blue sea.
Awesome!
She felt like a loser again for wanting to cling to the Eldest Miss’s thigh.
No, no. Lin Yiren buried her head in the bedding and rubbed it back and forth.
“Want to see the bathroom? The bathtub faces the sea too.” Chen Zhaoyue walked to her side with a smile.
Bathtub, sea view. Lin Yiren looked up, her throat bobbing, before she eventually gave in and walked toward the bathroom.
“How come this suite only has one bedroom and one bathroom?” Lin Yiren walked around only to find it had fewer rooms than their last stay at Qingling Mountain.
“Isn’t this Bed big enough?” Chen Zhaoyue sat at the head of the bed and plugged her Smartphone into the charger.
“That’s not the issue.”
“Oh—”
Lin Yiren looked at her with watery eyes.
“The bathtub is big enough too.”
Lin Yiren’s face turned beet red.
“Alright, alright.” Even though she knew Yiren would eventually accept it with a red face, the Eldest Miss still gave a token explanation. “We’ve slept together for so long at home. Even at a Hotel, Xing Yao will definitely want to sleep together—and it’s not like we’re showering together.”
“Or do you really want to shower together?” Chen Zhaoyue slowly tossed out another line.
“No, no! It’s just… it’s just a bit strange because it’s different from last time.” Lin Yiren hurried out like a cat that had its tail stepped on.
Hook, line, and sinker.
Chen Zhaoyue’s elegant eyes curved as she stretched her body, hugging her daughter beside her.
“Your Mama is such a pushover~”
***
In the evening, the sky grew dark.
Lin Yiren and Chen Zhaoyue took their daughter out to find food.
Lantern Alley was very close to them. Lin Yiren looked at the navigation, leading them through various twists and turns.
The tourists on the road gradually increased, bustling about in groups of twos and threes.
“This should be it.” Lin Yiren looked at her Smartphone. Although Lantern Alley was called an “Alley,” it had been expanded into several streets. The entrance was a traditional archway building where the path split into two; both ways were brightly lit once you went inside.
“There aren’t that many lanterns here.” Lin Yiren looked at the roads on both sides. The streetlights and shop lights were the main sources of illumination.
“After all, there are more people now.” Chen Zhaoyue held her daughter’s hand and followed beside Lin Yiren.
They arrived at a Restaurant with two floors; many people were waiting in line outside.
“Luckily I got a number in advance.”
“Wonderful.”
The praise, which felt like comforting a child, caused a smile to bloom on Lin Yiren’s face.
Passing through the crowd of people killing time on their phones, they went to the second floor. Not long after ordering, the dishes were served.
Steaming Shacha Noodles, Oyster Omelet drizzled with sweet and spicy sauce, and a kids’ meal ordered specifically for Xing Yao.
Chen Zhaoyue tossed the noodles in the rich soup base, lifted them up to blow on them, and slurped them into her mouth. The mellow base flavor mixed with the salty freshness of the seafood.
“How is it?” Lin Yiren looked at her, the tip of her nose sparkling with water droplets condensed from the steam.
So eager. Chen Zhaoyue couldn’t help but smile.
“Very good.”
“Try this too.” Lin Yiren’s chopsticks pointed toward the curled, fried edges of the eggs.
Chen Zhaoyue picked up a piece and tasted it; it was crispy on the outside and tender on the inside.
“It’s also delicious.”
“That’s good then.” Lin Yiren nodded, continuing to eat her noodles with peace of mind. Her hair was simply tied up with a Gum Band, though the strands around her forehead were still a bit messy.
The girl had driven for quite a while today. Chen Zhaoyue chewed her noodles slowly.
She was happy that Lin Yiren cared so much, but she hoped she could relax more and enjoy the trip.
After finishing dinner, they began to wander around Lantern Alley.