Pay attention to your image

On the other side, Su Yang and the others meandered through the crowd, leisurely following Liu Bo toward the inn.

Su Yang and Meng Wenzhou had deleted Zhao Rui from their contacts the moment they left the tavern.

Walking beside them, Liu Bo asked, "Brother Meng, have you met this Zhao Rui guy before?"

Meng Wenzhou shook his head. "First time today. If he hadn’t come with Xia Li, he wouldn’t even deserve to sit at the same table as us."

Su Yang nodded. "That idiot was way too full of himself, and there’s something off about him."

"Doesn’t matter. Just a nobody—we won’t be seeing him again anyway."

As they chatted, the group unknowingly ventured deeper into Shima Town, moving away from the bustling center.

Liu Bo led the way while checking his phone.

Pan Ning asked, "How much farther?"

"Almost there. The navigation says about 200 meters ahead. We go up this slope—seems like it’s right on top."

The eight of them turned left onto an uphill path, winding through a narrow, twisting trail before arriving at a quaint, traditionally styled inn.

The inn was spacious, and the nighttime scenery was lovely.

A wooden fence encircled the entrance, above which hung a glowing plaque with the inn’s name elegantly written in calligraphy: Orchid Pavilion’s Ancient Charm.

"Pretty poetic name," Su Yang remarked with a chuckle.

Liu Bo grinned. "You have no idea how long I spent comparing options before settling on this one."

"You’ve never been here before?"

"Nope. This place was just built last year, but the reviews are solid. Let’s head in."

They walked up a short pebble path and pushed open the door, stepping into the inn’s courtyard.

Despite the late hour, the courtyard was well-lit.

Flowers and plants filled the space, and a small artificial mountain landscape stood in the northwest corner.

Three hanging chairs swayed gently in the center of the yard—perfect for a leisurely sit-and-swing.

The courtyard had a soothing atmosphere; by daylight, it must be alive with birdsong and floral scents.

Passing through the courtyard, they reached the front hall, where two orange lanterns hung above the entrance, casting a faint glow over the small clearing.

Pushing open the wooden door, they entered the hall, which was decorated in classic Chinese style.

To the left stood a wooden front desk, staffed by two receptionists in simple, elegant long dresses.

Opposite the desk was a rosewood tea table, complete with a tea set and various tea leaves, surrounded by long wooden benches for guests to rest.

For some reason, inn owners always seemed to love placing a tea set in the lobby—whether for their own enjoyment or to entertain guests was unclear.

As they stepped inside, the two receptionists flashed bright, eight-tooth smiles in welcome.

The girls, tired from walking, immediately took seats around the tea table to rest, while Su Yang and Meng Wenzhou followed Liu Bo to check in.

"Welcome to Orchid Pavilion’s Ancient Charm Inn. Do you have a reservation?"

Liu Bo stepped forward and pulled out his phone. "Yes, eight rooms."

"Great. May I see your booking confirmation?"

Liu Bo handed his phone to the receptionist.

A few minutes later, she smiled at him. "Sir, we’ll also need everyone’s ID for registration."

"No problem."

Liu Bo responded and turned to look at the group of girls not far away, waving as he called out, "Hey, beauties, come over and show your IDs."

"Coming~" Han Xiaoyu, Xia Keke, and the others replied cheerfully, walking up to the front desk to check in.

Soon, the receptionist finished processing the check-in for all eight of them and handed the room keys to Liu Bo.

With a grin, Liu Bo turned and distributed the keys one by one. "Alright, alright, here are your room keys~ Random assignments, so whichever you get is yours!"

"They're all pretty much the same, doesn't matter."

"Heh, each room has a slightly different style, you know."

"How are they different?" Tang Ziyun asked.

"Just different themes, and the layouts vary a bit too."

"Oh, got it. Doesn’t bother me—I’ll take any room~"

At this point, Liu Bo chuckled and announced, "Tonight’s accommodations are courtesy of our handsome Su Yang!"

The girls all turned to Su Yang, smiling brightly. "Thanks, handsome~"

Su Yang flashed a grin. "No need to thank me! Since I brought you all out for fun, I had to make sure everything’s taken care of."

"Su Yang, you’re the best!"

After the keys were handed out, the receptionist smiled sweetly and said, "Feel free to sit and relax for a bit. Someone will come shortly to escort you to your rooms."

"Thanks."

"You’re welcome. Please, have a seat—I’ll make some tea for you."

They gathered around the tea table and sat down.

The receptionist took a seat at one side of the table and began preparing the tea.

"It’s pretty late—should we really be drinking tea now?" Tang Ziyun asked, glancing at the others with a laugh.

"Don’t worry, I’m brewing a pot of black tea. A moderate amount won’t keep you up."

"That’s good. I was just afraid I wouldn’t sleep well, and we’ve got rafting tomorrow~"

The receptionist smiled softly. She was quite pretty, with fair, delicate skin and petite, refined features.

Her long hair was pinned up, a single wisp of bangs framing her forehead. Paired with her simple, elegant dress, she looked like a beautifully colored ink painting.

Her tea-making movements were practiced and graceful, her smile warm.

Liu Bo propped his chin on his hand, grinning like an overly fond aunt, practically drooling as he stared.

Meng Wenzhou noticed and discreetly nudged him. "Dude, keep it together!"

"Uh... oh, right, heh."

Su Yang, sitting across from Liu Bo, hadn’t paid much attention to the tea-serving receptionist. Instead, he’d been watching Liu Bo the whole time, barely holding back laughter.

It wasn’t that Su Yang had suddenly become a saint—he’d just had his system scan the two girls at the front desk as soon as they entered.

One scored a 75, the other a 78. The 78-point girl was the one now serving them tea.

A 78 was definitely considered a knockout in most crowds.

But when Su Yang was surrounded by girls scoring 85 and above, well...

The tea was soon ready, and they chatted as they sipped.

About ten minutes later, a few more staff members in long dresses walked in.

The tea-serving receptionist smiled at the group. "If anyone’s ready to retire, our staff can escort you to your rooms now."

Liu Bo blinked, then grinned. "Wait, you guys assign beauties to guests here too?"

"Uh..." The receptionist froze, momentarily at a loss for words.

Su Yang shot Liu Bo a glare. "What the hell are you thinking? Dreaming big, huh?"

"Heh, just kidding. Well, you all enjoy your tea—I’m kinda tired, so I’ll head to bed first~"

With that, Liu Bo stood up and followed one of the staff members out.

The rest lingered for another ten minutes or so before gradually dispersing to their own rooms.

Lu Yun and Pan Ning didn’t stay long and soon retreated to their rooms as well. As they left, Su Yang was still pondering whose place he should visit that night.

After some thought, he decided against it—with both of them present, it was better to hold back for now.

If either of them found out, it would spell disaster for him.

Now, only Su Yang, Meng Wenzhou, Xia Keke, and Tang Ziyun remained in the hall.

Su Yang dismissed the remaining staff, telling them they’d find their way later—no need to keep everyone waiting around.