ebookland Chapter 170 The Next Stage of Love
Chapter 170 The Next Stage of Love
After a hearty meal, Ye Yixian used the money he had just earned to buy some daily necessities and snacks for Ye Yizhu.
Ye Yizhu kept waving his hands in refusal, but his sister stubbornly forced herself into his arms.
"Brother, if you don't accept it, I'll really get angry." Ye Yixian deliberately put on a stern face, pretending to be unhappy.
Left with no other choice, Ye Yizhu had to compromise and accept it.
However, being cared for by his younger sister, whom he had doted on since childhood, filled him with sweetness. It was as if a ray of light had pierced through his gloomy life, making him feel that the days ahead were full of hope again.
As they were parting, Ye Yizhu asked curiously, "By the way, Yixian, where are you staying tonight?"
"Uh...we..." Ye Yixian was speechless.
She couldn't very well tell her brother directly that she was going to stay in a hotel with a boy as soon as she turned 18, could she?
Unable to answer, she instinctively turned to Lu Yuan for help, throwing the difficult question of explanation to him.
Lu Yuan naturally understood what Ye Yixian was worried about, so he smiled calmly and said, "Brother-in-law, don't worry, I have relatives here. We'll stay at their house for the night."
"Oh, I see." Ye Yizhu didn't suspect anything.
At least for now, Lu Yuan is a thorough and reliable person, and no matter what, he wouldn't betray Ye Yixian.
In fact, Ye Yixian did not want to deceive her brother, but if she told him everything, it would inevitably cause unnecessary trouble and worry.
After weighing the options, she had no choice but to keep it a secret for the time being.
Anyway, she has the right to choose.
Afterwards, the two waved goodbye to Ye Yizhu.
After a day of sightseeing, the two were both quite tired, so they decided to find a hotel nearby to rest.
Lu Yuan had certain requirements for the accommodation environment and did not want to make things difficult for Ye Yixian, nor did he want to make things difficult for himself.
This is Ye Yixian's first time staying in a hotel, so at the very least, the environment must be clean and hygienic to ensure she has a good experience.
Throughout the journey, Ye Yixian appeared extremely unnatural, as if something shameful was about to happen.
Her mind raced, trying to remind Lu Yuan to be gentle later, or ask him if he needed to make any preparations so it wouldn't be too sudden...
But these words were too difficult to say, and the words stuck in my throat.
She subconsciously touched her bag; the security measures Wang Qingyu had given her were inside.
When would be a good time to give it to Lu Yuan?
Also, how exactly is that thing used?
Scenes from various romance novels that made one's blood boil played out in his mind, and Ye Yixian felt his cheeks burning and his breathing becoming rapid.
The hotel Lu Yuan chose had a nice environment and cost over 400 yuan a night, which was definitely considered mid-to-high-end in this day and age. You get what you pay for, and the experience was guaranteed.
Ye Yixian had no concept of hotels. When Lu Yuan mentioned that they had booked a "double room," she naturally assumed that it was a room specifically prepared for two people and that the bed must be very large.
If it's a "single room," then it's a small bed for one person.
Following this logic, she became even more convinced that Lu Yuan intended to have something happen between them.
Thinking of this, Ye Yixian felt terrible. A blush spread all the way to the base of her neck. She kept her head down and didn't say a word the whole time.
When the receptionist was registering their ID cards, she glanced at the young couple who had just turned eighteen, and a meaningful look flashed in her eyes.
Ye Yixian keenly caught that look in his eyes, and was so embarrassed that he wished he could disappear into the ground.
After checking in, Lu Yuan pulled Ye Yixian upstairs in the elevator.
At this moment, Ye Yixian's mind was blank, and he was as sluggish as a puppet without any independent consciousness, completely at Lu Yuan's mercy.
Lu Yuan, however, remained calm.
Although he noticed Ye Yixian's stiffness, he assumed it was because it was her first time staying in a hotel and she was a little shy and uncomfortable.
As they reached the room door, Lu Yuan was about to swipe his card when Ye Yixian suddenly grabbed his hand tightly, her voice barely audible, and asked shyly, "Are we... really going to share a room?"
Lu Yuan was taken aback and asked, puzzled, "What, you want to have a room by yourself?"
He didn't actually have a strong desire to live with Ye Yixian; he just felt that it would be more convenient for them to take care of each other if they stayed together.
If Ye Yixian feels too burdened and insists on booking another room, he can completely accept it.
"No, no!" Ye Yixian quickly shook her head, lowered her head, and stammered with a flushed face, "I... I'm just a little nervous."
"Hey, what's there to be nervous about?" Lu Yuan chuckled. "It's just sleeping in a different place. The hotel mattress is soft and comfortable."
As he spoke, he swiped his card and pushed open the door.
The room was originally dark until he inserted the card to turn on the power, and the lights came on.
Upon entering, there is a corridor with a faint smell of disinfectant in the air. To the right of the corridor is a spacious toilet and bathroom, fully equipped with all necessary facilities.
Ye Yixian did not follow in; he remained frozen at the doorway, his hands tightly clasped together.
Lu Yuan put his luggage away and turned around to find her still standing there. He asked, puzzled, "What's wrong with you?"
"I...I'm fine, wait, let me catch my breath first."
Ye Yixian felt that as long as she stepped through this door, she and Lu Yuan would officially enter the next stage of their relationship.
This was a sacred and solemn matter. She didn't know what Lu Yuan was thinking, but at least for her, she had to be fully prepared mentally.
"Hmm." Lu Yuan nodded, assuming that she was just not used to the smell of disinfectant in the room, so he turned around and turned on the air conditioner to air it out.
Ye Yixian took two deep breaths, gently patted his wildly beating chest, and then mustered up the courage to slowly walk into the room.
She was both nervous and excited, curious about what the room where she and Lu Yuan would be spending the night would look like.
But when she saw the furnishings inside the room, she was completely stunned.
"Huh?" She tilted her head, a big question mark appearing on her face. "Why... are there two beds?"
"A double room just has two beds," Lu Yuan explained with a smile, then sprawled out on one of the beds, comfortably enjoying the softness of the mattress. "Which one do you want to sleep in? Mine is by the window, and if you like, you can open the curtains and see the night view of the provincial capital."
As he spoke, he got up and drew back the curtains.
Outside the huge glass windows, colorful neon lights shone brightly and spectacularly, a stark contrast to the night view of Jiangcheng, a backward small town.
Ye Yixian gazed at the captivating scenery outside the window, momentarily lost in thought.
When she came to her senses, she broke down again, feeling so ashamed she wanted to disappear.
It turns out that the double room has two beds, so each person sleeps in their own bed!
For a moment, she couldn't tell whether she felt disappointed or relieved; she just felt that reality was very different from her imagination, and there was an indescribable awkwardness in it.
Despite having mentally prepared myself for so long, the plot didn't unfold as I had imagined at all.
"I'll sleep here," Ye Yixian said calmly, placing his backpack on the bed furthest from the window, pretending that he had no emotional change.
"Okay." Lu Yuan nodded, took out his phone and sent a message to his parents to let them know that they were all settled. His parents replied quickly, expressing their relief.
Then, he sent another message to Gao Zhe.
Gao Zhe immediately called: "Hey, Yuan-ge, are you and Ye Yixian at the hotel?"
His tone sounded unusually excited. Ye Yixian, who was standing next to him, felt embarrassed upon hearing this.
Lu Yuan could hear the noise coming from the other end of the phone and asked, "Ah Zhe, where are you? Why is it so noisy?"
"Oh, they're having a late-night snack outside with my brother."
"Wang Di" naturally refers to Wang Qingyu.
"Lu Yuan, Yi Xian! Good evening. Did you have a good time tonight?" Wang Qingyu greeted him happily on the other end of the phone.
Ye Yixian grasped the key point in Wang Qingyu's words: they asked "tonight" instead of "today," clearly misunderstanding that they had made a qualitative leap.
So, Wang Qingyu deliberately made Gao Zhe wait outside for her and Lu Yuan's "victories"!
No wonder Gao Zhe was so eager to call; it turns out Wang Qingyu wanted to hear firsthand feedback.
But looking at Lu Yuan's nonchalant expression, Ye Yixian didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
After all that fuss, it turns out that Lu Yuan had no such thoughts at all; it was just that he had imagined a whole drama.