Let's Get a Room

The two strolled along the beach for a while, and by the time they left, it was almost midnight.

After getting into the car, Liu Muye asked her, "Should I take you home?"

Han Juyou thought for a moment, then shook her head. "I don’t feel like going back tonight."

Liu Muye turned to look at her. "Then where do you want to go?"

"I…"

Her father had lost money gambling, and his mood would undoubtedly be foul tonight. If she went home, she’d just end up getting scolded again.

If she went to the hospital to stay with her mother, her mom would bombard her with questions. Her mother already didn’t want to be hospitalized—if she found out about the situation at home, she’d probably insist on leaving early.

At this thought, Han Juyou sighed. "I don’t even know where to go anymore…"

After a few seconds of silence, she joked, "How about I crash on your couch for the night, Young Master Liu?"

Liu Muye smirked. "If I dared to take you home, would you really stay? Aren’t you afraid I’d have ulterior motives?"

"Why wouldn’t I dare?" Han Juyou lifted her chin defiantly. "If you try anything funny, I’ll just call the cops and have you arrested."

Liu Muye laughed helplessly. "You’d really stay at my place and then call the cops on me? That’s some gratitude."

"Hmph~"

Han Juyou gave a light snort, a sly smile curling at the corners of her lips.

Liu Muye started the car. "Alright, buckle up. Let’s go."

"Where to?" Han Juyou fastened her seatbelt. "You’re not seriously taking me to your place, are you?"

"Of course not. My parents are home. I don’t want them getting the wrong idea."

"Then where are we going?"

"To get a room, obviously!"

"Wha—? Huh?!"

……

Liu Muye took Han Juyou to a luxury hotel owned by the Nangong family and booked her a king-sized room.

The Liu family actually owned top-tier hotels as well, so why choose the Nangong property?

Because he didn’t want his parents finding out he’d brought a girl to a hotel—it’d be too much trouble to explain.

"You… you only booked one room?"

The moment Han Juyou followed Liu Muye inside, she immediately tensed up.

Liu Muye frowned in confusion. "What else? Should I have booked more?"

"Even if it’s just one room, why a king-sized bed?" A faint blush spread across Han Juyou’s fair cheeks.

Liu Muye scratched his head, even more baffled. "What, should I have booked a twin room instead?"

Han Juyou’s face burned red. "Y-yes, of course you should’ve booked a twin room!"

Liu Muye countered, "Why would you need a twin room when you’re staying alone?"

"A-alone?" Now it was Han Juyou’s turn to be stunned. She stared blankly at Liu Muye. "Then where are you staying?"

"I’m obviously going home!" Liu Muye couldn’t help but laugh. "Why would I stay in a hotel when I have a perfectly good house to go back to?"

"Oh… right."

Han Juyou quickly regained her composure, the flush on her face fading instantly.

Liu Muye narrowed his eyes, studying her with a strange expression. "What was that look about just now?"

Han Juyou shook her head hurriedly, stammering, "N-nothing…"

"Something’s off. Very off…" Liu Muye leaned in slowly, his face inches from hers. "Don’t tell me… you actually wanted me to stay with you?"

As his face suddenly loomed large in her vision, Han Juyou’s breath hitched. She turned away abruptly and shoved him back. "Get over yourself! Get out!"

With that, she pushed Liu Muye out of the room and slammed the door behind him.

"Seriously? I booked the room, I paid for it, and now I’m getting kicked out?"

Liu Muye shook his head with a wry smile, then turned and headed downstairs to his car.

Inside the hotel room, Han Juyou buried her face in the blankets like an ostrich, replaying the night’s events in her mind…

It all felt like a dream.

Even she didn’t understand why she’d so willingly followed a guy she’d only just met to a hotel.

"If Liu Muye had insisted on staying tonight… would I have agreed?"

The question popped into her head unbidden, startling her. She shook her head violently, trying to dispel the strange thought.

Deciding she needed to cool off, she headed to the bathroom for a shower, hoping to clear her mind.

Stepping in front of the mirror, she caught sight of her flushed face and couldn’t help but laugh—she looked like a freshly boiled crab.

Midway through her shower, Han Juyou suddenly remembered something important—her notebook was still in Liu Muye’s car!

Panicking, she rinsed off the soap in a hurry, turned off the shower, wrapped herself in a towel, and grabbed her phone to call Liu Muye.

"What’s up?"

Liu Muye was driving when his phone rang. Seeing Han Juyou’s name, he answered.

"Liu Muye, have you already left?"

"Obviously?" Liu Muye chuckled. "You think I’d just stand guard outside your door? If I did, you’d probably call me a creep."

"Ahem…"

Han Juyou cleared her throat awkwardly. "My torn notebook… I think it’s still in your car."

Liu Muye glanced at the notebook lying on the passenger seat. "I’m already pretty far. I’ll bring it to you tomorrow."

"…Okay."

"Alright, I’m driving. If there’s nothing else, I’ll hang up now."

"Wait… hold on…"

"What else?"

"Drive safely~"

"Uh… yeah."

Liu Muye was taken aback by the sudden softness in Han Juyou’s voice—she’d been so fierce earlier.

"I’m hanging up now?"

"One more thing…"

"What is it?"

"Today… thank you… I had a really good time."

Han Juyou hung up before he could respond.

Clutching her phone, she stared blankly at the chat screen, lost in thought…

"What a weirdo," Liu Muye muttered to himself after the abrupt call ended.

His gaze drifted back to the torn notebook on the passenger seat, and for a moment, his mind wandered.

"I wonder… when I first started writing novels, was it because I loved it, or just to make money?"

It had been so long, he could barely remember.

When he got home, he took the notebook to his room, smoothed it out on the desk, and reached for some tape…

……