Chapter 149 - 148: A Stroll through the Manor - Sweeter Than Strawberries

Words : 1182 Updated : Sep 23rd, 2025

Chapter 149: 148: A Stroll through the Manor - Sweeter Than Strawberries "What?" The man’s voice was a bit low, not even giving her a chance to hear clearly before he was already done speaking. Shi Weiqing leaned down, his fingertip gently caressing her lips, and laughed softly with an ambiguous tone, "You’ll find out tonight." The girl tightly pressed her lips together, feeling a tinge of foreboding under the man’s intense gaze, yet she couldn’t pinpoint exactly what the source of that feeling was. She turned her head and focused on the scenery outside the window, choosing not to overthink things. Yingjing Manor is located at the junction of the Imperial City and Lin City, occupying an expansive area. It maintains the natural environment while adding many European-style buildings, capturing elegance amidst its allure. The helicopter landed beside a sea of flowers, and at the moment the cabin door opened, a refreshing fragrance rushed into their noses, making them feel as if they were in a paradise. About a dozen waiters had been waiting for a long time, and under the lead of the head manager, they approached the group one after another, taking the backpacks from their hands. "President Shi, please." The manager was exceptionally cautious in his every move, with a friendly smile on his face, afraid of displeasing the honored guest. On the way to the hotel, he didn’t forget to briefly introduce the place to the people behind. Yingjing Manor has a flower viewing area, where all the flowers and plants placed are rare species. A charity auction is held every month, and the auction prices from those distinguished guests are donated to children in impoverished areas. Behind the flower viewing area, the ever-clear Ziyan Lake is also an unmissable sight here. Especially during sunrise and sunset, layers of mist swirl around the lake, creating a breathtakingly beautiful scene. In addition, there is a horse ranch, a shooting range, and hot springs at the foot of the rear mountains, all being great places for entertainment. The manager escorted them to the hotel’s exclusive VIP floor, handed out the room keys one by one, and chose to leave first. "Brother Wei, is this manor yours?" Jin Yunzhi, hugging his Little Strawberry pillow, followed the man curiously. "Mm." Shi Wei responded lightly, holding the little girl’s hand as he opened the door on the left of the corridor. Before entering the room, he turned to the others and said, "See you downstairs in a bit." Jin Yunzhi: "..." He looked at the tightly closed door, pouting with a hint of grudging in his eyes. Clearly, he hadn’t finished asking his questions, yet he was left outside the door; it was so obviously caring more for romance than friendship. "What’s wrong?" Xu Fan walked up to the boy, flicked lightly on his forehead, and placed a hand on his not-so-broad shoulder. Jin Yunzhi shook his head while covering his forehead, glanced at the remaining rooms on this floor, and said somewhat troubled, "I don’t want to sleep alone." For some reason, he always felt a little scared staying in a strange hotel room by himself. In the past, when going out with his team partners, they seldom stayed out overnight. "Do you want to share a room with me?" Xu Fan subconsciously asked this question. When he noticed there was still one person beside him, he added, "Or you could stay with Xu Linchuan." "No!" "No way." The two voices came out in perfect harmony, and Jin Yunzhi glared at Xu Linchuan, complaining, "What are you saying ’no way’ for? I didn’t even want to stay with you." "Tch, do you think I want to?" Xu Linchuan didn’t want to get up at midnight to appease a child; it was exhausting. Ignoring the boy’s little glare, Xu Linchuan picked up his travel bag and swiftly went to the door on the right, scanning his card at lightning speed. "Brother Fan, aren’t you going to say something to him!" Jin Yunzhi found no way with him, and only turned to complain to the man. The watery grape-like eyes were full of grievance, seemingly about to burst into tears the next second. Xu Fan ruffled his soft short hair, palmed his shoulder, and walked forward with him, "Don’t be mad, let’s check out our room first?" The man’s gentle tone easily soothed his restless emotions, and he no longer persisted in competing with Xu Linchuan. Within the hotel’s exclusive VIP floor, there were only six rooms, and each one was a suite with two bedrooms, just right for Xu Fan and him. He left his travel bag casually in the living room and accompanied the boy to stroll around in the two rooms: "Have you decided which room to sleep in?" Jin Yunzhi pondered for a moment before finally pointing to the room with a warm-colored decoration style, "That one." Though slightly smaller, the overall color scheme was to his liking. "Alright." Xu Fan opened the fridge, chose two fruit teas from a pile of beverages, twisted open the caps, and handed one strawberry-flavored to him. "Brother Fan, I want to eat frozen ice..." After sipping a bit of fruit tea, the boy started fondly remembering the taste of frozen ice. But recalling the last lesson, he didn’t dare sneak to eat that again. Seeing his cautious manner, Xu Fan’s heart softened tremendously, "There’s none here, I’ll have someone buy it for you later?" "No need to buy." Seeing the other agree, the boy quickly ran to fetch his travel bag, taking out seven or eight frozen ice sticks of various flavors. He stuffed the frozen ice into the man’s hands, "Can you freeze them for me? I promise to eat less." Xu Fan lowered his eyes, staring at the grinning little figure on the frozen ice packaging bag, and sighed helplessly. He followed the boy’s instructions, placed them in the freezer, then put on a serious face, "No sneaking; I’ll count them." "I know." Jin Yunzhi happily curled his lips, hugging his Little Strawberry and sipping strawberry tea. Water marks stained the boy’s lips, gleaming under the light. Just when he was about to wipe it with a tissue, the man’s hand reached out, wiping away the shiny spots with his fingertip. "Not drinking anymore?" Xu Fan’s expression was utterly natural, making the action seem perfectly normal to the other, as if it was what should be done. Jin Yunzhi nodded, sprawling on the sofa with his Little Strawberry. He commanded the man to turn on the TV, then to bring more snacks. The man didn’t reject any of his requests, staying by his side the whole time, never leaving. "Brother Fan, eat." As he munched on snacks, Jin Yunzhi didn’t forget to offer him a piece of strawberry dry, feeding it into his mouth. In the instant his lips brushed against the boy’s fingertips, Xu Fan felt his heartbeat pause, the strawberry scent enveloping him tightly. He suddenly realized the boy was sweeter than any strawberry he had ever tasted.

Chapter 149 - 148: A Stroll through the Manor - Sweeter Than Strawberries

Comments (0)