Departure to Yangcheng

Su Yang thought about taking a shower in the ensuite bathroom of his bedroom.

More than ten minutes later, he walked out while drying his hair with a towel.

After blow-drying his hair, Su Yang lay on the bed with his phone, lost in thought.

‘I wonder if she’s asleep yet. Probably not.’

He opened WeChat and found Zhao Mengrou’s chat window.

“Asleep?”

There was no reply after he sent the message. Su Yang then opened Gu Xiaoman’s chat and sent the same question.

Just as he sent it, Gu Xiaoman replied.

“Not yet. What’s up?”

“Nothing, just checking in.”

Gu Xiaoman: “If you want to come over, just say it.”

Su Yang’s eyes gleamed—‘Xiaoman’s always so direct.’

“Yeah, I kinda do. 【smile】”

“Then come. The door’s unlocked anyway.”

Seeing this, Su Yang couldn’t hold back any longer. He got up and left his room.

Zhao Mengrou and Gu Xiaoman’s rooms were directly opposite each other, about four or five meters apart. The soundproofing in Shenhai Manor was decent, but since they were so close, louder noises could still be heard if one listened carefully.

Su Yang gently pushed open Zhao Mengrou’s door and peeked inside. The lights were off, and he could faintly hear her steady breathing.

He closed the door softly and thought, ‘Must be asleep.’

With that, he turned and walked to Gu Xiaoman’s room, pushing the door open.

The overhead light was off, leaving only the dim glow of the bedside lamp.

Gu Xiaoman was leaning against the headboard, her phone in hand, covered by a thin blanket.

Su Yang closed the door behind him and grinned. “Still awake?”

“Waiting for you.”

“Damn, that’s bold.” Su Yang chuckled in surprise.

“You think I don’t know what’s on your mind?” Gu Xiaoman flashed him a captivating smile.

Su Yang smirked and leaped onto the bed in one swift motion.

......

Over an hour later, Gu Xiaoman got up to use the bathroom. When she returned, she looked at Su Yang and teased, “Why are you still lying there?”

“Kicking me out already?” Su Yang laughed.

“Obviously. If you stay, Mengrou will see you in the morning. How awkward would that be?”

“Alright, fine. Heartless woman. I’m leaving then.”

Su Yang stood up and headed for the door. “Goodnight!”

“Goodnight~”

......

The next morning at 8:30, Su Yang woke up in his own bed.

He stretched, a blissful smile on his face.

After leaving Gu Xiaoman’s room the night before, he had returned to his own and spent an hour on his phone. He had considered going to Zhao Mengrou’s room but assumed she was already asleep.

To his surprise, just as he was about to sleep, Zhao Mengrou sent him a message.

......

Now lying in bed, Su Yang checked the time on his phone. He still had to leave for Yangcheng soon, so it was time to get up.

After freshening up, he stepped out of his room and noticed the doors of the two nearby rooms were open.

The beds inside were neatly made.

Su Yang smiled and walked to the living room, expecting them to have already left. Instead, he found both women sitting at the dining table, eating.

“Whoa, I thought you guys were gone. Didn’t hear a sound,” Su Yang remarked, surprised.

“No rush. We had leftovers from last night, so we’re finishing them before leaving,” Gu Xiaoman said casually, as if nothing had happened, her tone completely unfazed.

Beside her, Zhao Mengrou rested her cheek on one hand.

She had indeed fallen asleep earlier but had woken up inexplicably in the middle of the night—and had heard everything that followed.

Unlike Gu Xiaoman, she was more reserved in certain matters. She tilted her head away, avoiding Su Yang’s gaze.

Su Yang grinned and sat down with them. “Guess I’ll grab a bite too. I’m heading out later.”

“Where to?” Gu Xiaoman asked offhandedly.

“Yangcheng.”

“Ah.”

Half an hour later, the three finished breakfast, and Zhao Mengrou and Gu Xiaoman left first.

Su Yang cleaned up the dishes, then returned to his room to change.

It was now 9:10 AM. The drive to Yangcheng would take over an hour, and it would take another twenty to thirty minutes to reach the highway toll gate from Shenhai Manor. Time to go.

Lu Yun had sent him a location in a rural area. He had initially considered taking the McLaren but figured it might not handle the village roads well.

Of his four cars, only the Aston Martin and the Maybach were suited for rough terrain—the other two had too low a clearance.

After some hesitation, he grabbed the Maybach’s keys and left.

Once in the car, he set the navigation and pressed the accelerator, the Maybach gliding forward smoothly.

Thirty minutes later, Su Yang arrived at the highway toll gate leading to Yangcheng.

He opened his phone and texted Lu Yun:

“On my way now. Should be there in under two hours.”

Lu Yun replied quickly this time, though her message still carried a somber tone. It was brief:

“You really didn’t have to go through the trouble.”

Su Yang responded: “I did.”

“Alright… thank you, Su Yang.”

He smiled and typed back: “No need for thanks. Gotta go—entering the highway now.”

He put his phone away and drove through the toll gate.

As he cruised along, he suddenly recalled how he had first met Pan Ning—it was on this very highway, during a chase.

Su Yang mused, ‘Wonder if anyone’ll chase me today.’

But reality wasn’t a movie. The rest of the drive passed without incident.

A little over an hour later, he safely exited the Yangcheng toll gate.

From there, the navigation showed another 28 kilometers to go.

Twenty minutes later, he entered a small town on the outskirts of Yangcheng.

After navigating a maze of turns, Su Yang drove onto a narrow cement village road. It was just wide enough for two cars to pass, bordered by a hillside on one side and terraced rice fields dotted with scattered houses on the other.

The road twisted and turned ahead, according to the map. It was Su Yang’s first time driving on such a mountainous path.

But with his professional racing skills, he handled it effortlessly.

He covered the four or five kilometers of winding road in no time, even passing a few oncoming vehicles without slowing down. His precise control over the car’s dimensions made it easy.

Finally, the navigation announced his arrival. Su Yang looked up and saw a row of houses on the left, about seven or eight of them, spaced roughly ten meters apart.

On the right were four or five more homes, each with a small front yard. But under the scorching midday sun, the yards were empty.

Su Yang parked in an open space in front of one of the left-side houses.

He pulled out his phone and called Lu Yun. After a few rings, she answered.

“Hey, Lu Yun. I’m here.”