Just one day before the trip, Tan Yao approached Xu Tingsheng and said that he and Ye Qing wanted to go too. Apparently, Ye Qing had suddenly gone mental and said that she wanted to experience the romantic feeling of a young university couple on tour.

  The group expanded to a party of fourteen.

  “With this scale, we might as well book a high-end tour group from the tour agency, right?” Xu Tingsheng said rather bemusedly.

  Glancing at him, Ye Qing said rather despondently, “Boss Xu, could I trouble you to pay a little more attention to your career? One of the three high-end franchise hotels that Zhicheng is investing in alongside our expansion of services just happens to be right there in Chengdu.”


  Xu Tingsheng, “.……”


  Ye Qing continued, “Also, the families of quite a few people from the Black Horse Club have branch companies or offices over there, like mine does. You can consider Chengdu partially your own territory already. Right, I heard you’re bringing that young lady along?”


  Xu Tingsheng joked, “Well, if Tan Yao can bring along an old one, why can’t I bring along a young one? Hey, the two of you, one old, one young, should really be communing more on this trip. It’s only you two who have a generation gap with the rest of us in this bunch of people, anyway.”


  Having lost much of her former cold, unapproachable air since officially entering a relationship, Ye Qing smiled craftily, “Alright then! I’ll definitely work hard at teaching the young lady how to be jealous, compete for attention and manage her man.”


  Xu Tingsheng, “.……”
……

  They all congregated in Yanzhou whereupon they were driven by Zhicheng’s employees to Xihu City. From there, they took a plane straight to Chengdu.

  The guys there were basically all acquainted with each other in the first place. Even if they lacked familiarity for some, they had all still met one another before.

  As for the girls, they had a mainstay in the form of that big boss sister Ye Qing, thereby enhancing their cohesiveness. Even Song Ni’s lot quickly entered a joyful conversation alongside the rest of them.

  Little Xiang Ning was still a bit nervous at first as she remained by Xu Tingsheng’s side. She was called over by Li Linlin afterwards, though, and soon melded into the group thanks to Ye Qing’s mindful care.

  She seemed to possess an innate ability to get people to like her as no deliberate effort had to be put in on her part whatsoever. Halfway into the three-hour-long flight, even Song Ni who had previously held some hostility towards her could not help but start to get closer to her.

  The aeroplane landed at Chengdu’s Shuangliu International Airport at 4pm. Employees of Zhicheng’s hotel in Chengdu had long since been waiting outside for them with placards. They sped towards the hotel in three separate cars.

  As there was nothing arranged for the first day, they could do whatever they wanted after eating the dinner prepared by the hotel. They could stay at the hotel and rest if they were tired or go out exploring on their own if they so wanted, with people from the hotel accompanying them.

  Since there were no time constraints for this particular period, there was really no need for everyone to rush things as haste makes waste. Most of them decided to stay and play card games or just talk. The sole exception was Song Ni who imperatively went off along with her three classmates right away, only returning at almost 10pm that night.

  They must have travelled a hellish distance during this time, for the three of them all began sorrowfully bemoaning to the high heavens as soon as they got back.

  Some trouble cropped up with the room arrangements on the hotel’s side. It was not that a shortage of rooms was burdening them. Instead, the constitution of their party was just too complex. With a few bosses simultaneously gracing them with their presence, all the hotel employees from bottom to top management were deeply fearful of making any mistakes.

  Therefore, they dared not make any such decisions on their own as they went to ask Xu Tingsheng about the room allocation.

  After hesitating for a while, Xu Tingsheng told the manager, “Okay, first make arrangements for three big suites, two for the girls and one for the guys. Then, give me five room cards for single rooms with large beds just in case.”


  Soon, the manager delivered all the room cards to Xu Tingsheng.

  Xu Tingsheng gave the room card for one of the suites to Song Ni and another to Ye Qing. As the remaining one was for the guys, it naturally stayed with him.

  After calling all the guys upstairs, Xu Tingsheng placed the five extra room cards on the cabinet by the door, next saying, “Room allocation is not so easy. After all, everyone didn’t come alone. Whether you’d feel embarrassed or thirsty, it’s not like I can go around asking one by one. So, this is how it’ll be for now. In name, the girls will stay together in two big suites and us this one. Sleeping arrangements are however……now, everyone see this? These are five room cards that grant access to large beds……take one if you want and go yourself……no need to be embarrassed.”


  They grinned knowingly at one another.

  “Lil’ Bro, you can secretly take one when we’re not looking if you feel shy,” Xu Tingsheng told Zhang Ninglang who was easily the most bashful of them all.

  Old Wai just enthusiastically grabbed one and stuffed it into Zhang Ninglang’s bag, exclaiming, “Whatever. You just keep it! Whether you use it or not is up to you.”


  “But it would be a waste even if you give it to me,” Zhang Ninglang said.

  “Really? Who knows, maybe junior wants it,” Tan Yao said, next grabbing a room card right off the cabinet without the least bit of awkwardness, “I won’t be standing on ceremony then. That one, her level isn’t the same. She’s at the age where she’s like a wolf, akin to a starving tiger……”


  He triumphantly stalked out of the door amidst the hoots of his buddies.

  Not long afterwards, he returned with his head hung low, “The heck, served to the doorstep, then rejected. My old lady wants to sleep with your young lady……can you take a room card to remove her from the equation?”


  Xu Tingsheng shook his head. It was destined that he would not get to use one of these cards.

  The second to leave with card in hand was Fang Yuqing, and the third was Old Wai……in the end, they were all shot back without exception as they sootily slunk back to the suite.

  The spearhead swung towards Xu Tingsheng. “It’s all your fault, Old Xu! The way you arranged things! Girls are easily embarrassed. When they’d fear being laughed at after leaving the group, who would still be thick-skinned enough to come out?”


  Xu Tingsheng had actually considered it earlier. Still, he had thought at the time that Ye Qing would not have such reservations. With her taking the lead, the remaining girls would naturally not be so shy. It was just that he had not thought that Ye Qing would really have set her mind on ‘educating’ Little Xiang Ning.

  As the sinner supreme, Xu Tingsheng was made to redeem himself by also going to ‘die’ once.

  After being mercilessly ‘beaten up’ twice, Xu Tingsheng helplessly went over to the girls’ side with a room card in hand. He knocked on the door.

  It was Yuqing who opened the door.

  She looked and saw Xu Tingsheng, “Wah, Xu Tingsheng, you, you actually……”


  “Which shameless one is it this time?” Fang Chen sped over and took a look before she yelled, “The heck! Xu Tingsheng, you beast!”


  “Didn’t you say never just now, Little Xiang Ning?” Ye Qing asked Little Xiang Ning in the room.

  “But really, never,” Xiang Ning insisted bashfully in a small voice.

  “Well……”


  Her face beetroot red, Little Xiang Ning dashed over to the door and exclaimed, “Hey, Xu Tingsheng, why are you here too? They already scolded three of them back just now. I……”


  “I was forced to! And so I came over to see if you’re doing okay over here,” Xu Tingsheng complained unhappily.

  “I’m really doing great! They’re all very good to me and teaching me……” Little Xiang Ning said.

  “Teaching you what?”


  “Teaching her how to protect herself, how to deal with a certain shameless beast, of course!” Ye Qing retorted before firmly closing the door, through which she said, “Bye, beast! You can see yourself out!”


  The party’s first night in Chengdu marked a time of great calamity for the guys of the group.