Chapter 239 - 217: Dare to Ask Where the Road Is (Part 2)

Chapter 239: Chapter 217: Dare to Ask Where the Road Is (Part 2)

"Ah! Hahahaha... Stop! You jerk, Lin Fan... GIGGLE GIGGLE!"

A giant lump of blankets on the bed twisted and rolled, like a big-headed carp flopping wildly on dry land.

In a flurry, two slender, shapely legs kicked out from under the blankets and onto Lin Fan. He casually grabbed them and tickled the soles of her feet, making her yank them back into her "cocoon" as if she’d been zapped by electricity.

The two of them continued their chaotic horseplay on the bed for a while longer. It wasn’t until the big lump of blankets went completely still that the only sound was heavy panting from within.

After a good while, the blankets squirmed, and a messy head slowly emerged from within.

Ye Qingniao’s face was as red as blood and covered in sweat, with a few strands of damp hair plastered to her forehead.

"Stop! Truce! Uncle Lin, Uncle Lin, Brother Lin Fan... I was wrong, I was really wrong! I surrender, alright?"

Seeing her pitiful, red-faced expression, Lin Fan clapped his hands in satisfaction. He gave her messy short hair a good ruffle, as if petting a cat. "Hurry up and get up. Look at the time."

They had quickly rinsed their clothes in the rain yesterday. And even though Lin Fan had wrung them out with a force far greater than any washing machine, flinging off most of the water, they still hadn’t dried after hanging all night.

Lin Fan pinched the damp corner of his clothes and frowned, annoyed. But then he saw it was still raining outside and figured they would just get soaked again anyway.

He sighed. When he turned his head, he saw Ye Qingniao leaning against the headboard with half her face buried in the blankets, her big eyes twinkling as she watched him.

"Were you drunk last night?"

Seeing her shy demeanor now, then recalling how boldly she’d cornered him on the rooftop last night, Lin Fan felt a bit of cognitive dissonance. He asked in confusion,

"Did the milk tea go to your head?"

"I... Night is night, and day is day... During the day... I’m not used to this!"

Ye Qingniao mumbled from under the covers.

"The clothes are still wet, and they’re cold."

Lin Fan tossed her entire outfit onto the bed behind him and turned to get dressed himself.

The damp clothes felt sticky against his skin. A rustling sound came from behind him, followed by a faint CRACKLE. It sounded like winter static, only much louder.

Lin Fan quickly turned to look and saw that Ye Qingniao was already dressed, sitting cross-legged on the bed with her eyes shut and her expression focused.

All over her body, countless hair-thin blue arcs of electricity danced through the fibers of her clothing. Small sparks occasionally flared up between the buttons and zippers.

Heated by the high-frequency current, the damp fabric rapidly steamed, releasing wisps of white vapor. She looked like a human-shaped clothes dryer undergoing a divine ascension, radiating a dry, warm aura.

Lin Fan walked over curiously and waved a hand over her head, and a wave of heat washed over his face.

"Whoa! You can use your ability like that?!"

Lin Fan exclaimed, his eyes wide with amazement.

"Heh! I just thought I’d give it a try..."

Ye Qingniao opened her eyes; her clothes were now perfectly dry and crisp. She lifted her chin smugly and held a hand out to Lin Fan, a tiny arc of electricity still dancing on her fingertip.

"It really works! How about you take yours off? I can give you a zap, too. It’ll only take a few seconds."

"No thanks. I’m afraid you’d cook me well-done."

Lin Fan declined with a smile, reaching out to smooth down a few stray hairs sticking up from the static. Then, he gave her warm cheek a gentle pinch.

"Besides, I’m riding on the roof of the car again today. I’ll be rained on no matter what, so I might as well stay damp."

Once their clothes were sorted out, Lin Fan glanced toward the door.

"I’m going to go check on things. Isn’t Cheng Qi in the special forces? It’s not like him to still be asleep. Did something happen?"

He said, starting to head out in his hotel slippers.

The moment he turned, he heard the THUMP, THUMP of small feet landing on the carpet behind him. Ye Qingniao stood at his side and gave him a thumbs-up, saying with a mix of sheepishness and pride,

"Um... don’t worry about it. I made sure to ’instruct’ him yesterday. I told him that Colonel Lin and I were exhausted and that he absolutely, positively should not wake us up."

"..."

Lin Fan looked at her "Aren’t I thoughtful? Praise me!" expression and was rendered speechless.

A few minutes later, the door CLICKED open. Lin Fan emerged, looking refreshed. Following behind him was Ye Qingniao, her hair now completely disheveled after another round of roughhousing from Lin Fan.

The moment they stepped out, the rich aroma of braised beef noodles—an incredible luxury at a time like this—wafted into their nostrils.

At the end of the hall, Cheng Qi was leaning halfway out of his room, holding a bowl of steaming instant noodles. He stared their way with a doleful expression.

"Ahem... Colonel Lin. Good morn—I mean, good afternoon."

He greeted them dryly, his tone thick with the palpable resentment of a single man.

"I saw that you two hadn’t come out yet, so I didn’t feel right about calling for you..."

Then, as if by magic, he produced two more bowls of freshly prepared noodles from his room and gestured with them toward the pair.

"Care for some noodles? The water was just boiled, so they’re nice and hot..."

Cheng Qi hadn’t been idle all morning. He had searched all of the dozen or so rooms they had cleared, gathering a good amount of food and water in the process.

He’d even found a case of butane canisters and a portable stove in one of the storage closets.

He had boiled water for noodles and enjoyed a hot meal.

...

"Colonel Lin, since it’s just us, I’ll call you Brother Lin..."

Ye Qingniao had taken her noodles back to their room to "add some fixings." Cheng Qi stood in the doorway, his gaze falling on the flimsy hotel slippers Lin Fan was wearing. He suddenly turned, grabbed a pair of sturdy-looking, steel-toed green work boots from a shoebox behind the door, and set them down at the feet of Lin Fan, who was leaning against the doorframe slurping his noodles.