I Became the Darling of the Wealthy Through Gossip - Chapter 19

Bai Muxuan was definitely jealous.

Two or three days passed. Bai Muxuan took advantage of his commute to pick up all the belongings Qi Beichen had left at the small hostel. Those jumbled, messy items now lay alone in the corner of the room.

What made people happy was that Bai Muxuan’s annual leave was approved, and Qi Beichen’s cold was mostly gone.

Bai Muxuan was very efficient. On the first day his leave was approved, he booked a business-class flight to Haicheng.

Typhoon Mangkhut had already passed, but the autumn rain continued, drifting down in thin, lingering threads. It always felt like this autumn was much colder than previous ones; the flowers on the balcony had suffered, their petals lying limp and withered on the ground.

Nanshan Temple was famous for being spiritual, which made the travel routes to it extremely popular. Originally, they had thought about taking the high-speed rail, but even the standing-room tickets had sold out, leaving them with no choice but to fly.

“How are you feeling?”

Bai Muxuan placed his personal laptop on the overhead bin and looked Qi Beichen up and down.

“I have a little bit of a lingering effect just a runny nose.” “Flying might cause ear congestion or nasal blockage. If you feel really uncomfortable, tell me.” “Mm, I’ll be very obedient. I’m a good baby.” “You? If you’re a ‘good baby,’ then there wouldn’t be anyone disobedient in the world. Sit down and fasten your seatbelt.”

The business class cabin was a small private suite; on the left were double seats, and on the other side of the aisle were single seats. Originally, Qi Beichen had wanted to sit by himself, but Bai Muxuan was deeply concerned, using the excuse that Qi Beichen had been ill a few days ago, so he booked the seats on the same side.

Qi Beichen hugged his small blanket, adjusted his seat, and retracted the small table in front of him. I have to say, having a fever really drains your energy; even now, he hadn’t fully recovered to his previous state.

During the plane’s taxiing process, Qi Beichen thought of scenes from Final Destination and even mentally simulated an aerial rescue scene.

Bai Muxuan casually picked up the Haicheng travel brochure, his peripheral vision catching Qi Beichen. “Are there any other places you want to visit? Haicheng is a coastal city; the beaches there are quite nice.” “Why keep shaking your head? Dizziness?”

I have to say, Qi Beichen’s current body was truly weak a fragile body and a weak heart. He looked at Bai Muxuan with a pale face.

“Dizzy. A bit like I’m dying.” “Careful what you say. You won’t have anything happen to you; I’m a doctor, after all.”

During the taxiing process, Qi Beichen held his breath. His ears were buzzing, his nose was severely blocked, and his internal organs felt like they had shifted out of place. His heart was “thump, thump, thumping” away violently, as if it wanted to escape his body.

The sudden push-back force made him uncomfortable, and he instinctively grabbed Bai Muxuan’s hand.

The warm sensation fingers interlaced, palms pressed together. Qi Beichen silently complained about how fragile this body was, but he was also secretly delighted; it was precisely because of this weakness that he had an excuse to “take advantage” of Bai Muxuan.

The plane made a sharp turn in the air before slowly climbing. Qi Beichen’s complexion looked terrible—ashen pale—and his stomach was churning. Who knew how this air sickness would feel with three hours of travel left?

It wasn’t until the plane reached the stratosphere that, looking out, the previous haze dissipated completely. The plane was above the clouds, and golden sunlight poured directly into the small window. It was the sunlight, and Qi Beichen’s dizzy feeling finally began to improve.

He stretched his back, twisted his waist from side to side, adjusted his seat, and lay down leisurely. He tugged at the small blanket over his body. The warm air was just right, blowing into his face, feeling dry he should really apply more face cream.

“Originally, I said I’d treat you, but now it’s become Brother Muxuan treating me to a vacation.” “It’s nothing. I’ve been too tired these days; it’s normal to go out and play now that I’ve finally gotten my annual leave. But my parents are quite gossipy—they asked me who I was going out with this time. It’s strange; they never asked that before.” “Then… how did Brother Muxuan answer?”

Bai Muxuan squinted his eyes. The sunlight was a bit glaring, plating a faint layer of gold around his entire body. “I said I was going with a friend.”

Qi Beichen lowered his head, originally hoping for some explosive, shocking answer—it turned out to be that simple.

“However, in past years, annual leaves were usually family trips. This time, since I requested it so urgently, they thought I was going out with a girlfriend and even said that if there was something going on, I had to introduce her to them quickly.” “Then… it seems Brother and Sister-in-law will be very disappointed, since the one you brought along is a ‘troublemaker’.” “Tsk, a little self-awareness, huh? Haicheng has many fun things; have you thought about what you want to play?”

Qi Beichen had only thought about Nanshan Temple. If it was spiritual, he’d just have to make a few more wishes; he would just offer a bit more incense money then—it was no big deal, immortals were magnanimous.

“Um, Brother Muxuan, can I say that I only thought of Nanshan Temple?” Bai Muxuan glanced at him. “Mm, you can, because I’ve long known you’re unreliable.” “Then… then the travel itinerary…” “I’ve already organized it. There’s an ancient city that I think has great travel value. Haicheng’s weather is good, which is also good for your physical recovery.”

Qi Beichen glanced at his own clothes. They were loose and baggy; before he got sick, they could barely hang on his frame, and he could still be the “clothes hanger” in Jessica’s eyes. Now, he looked much thinner.

“Brother Muxuan, can I hold your hand again? The plane seems a bit bumpy.” “Splash, thump, thump, thump…”

It really wasn’t Qi Beichen’s imagination; the plane was experiencing clear-air turbulence, and the airflow was extremely unstable. The broadcast announced the status of this turbulence.

Qi Beichen felt like he was sitting on a trampoline; the seatbelt was clamped tightly across his waist, feeling a bit uncomfortable. His fingernails even embedded themselves directly into Bai Muxuan’s palm, leaving a row of small, crescent-shaped, reddish nail marks.

“Qi Beichen, if you grab any harder, my hand will bleed.”

The bumping didn’t last long, only about sixty seconds. Qi Beichen opened his eyes; Bai Muxuan’s clothes had been pulled somewhat out of shape by him.

Qi Beichen silently pulled his hand back. “Um, Brother Muxuan, it’s my first time on a plane. I didn’t do it on purpose—do you believe me?” Bai Muxuan looked at Qi Beichen with disdain. “Believe your big head.”

After getting off the plane, Qi Beichen’s steps were light and floating, his hand clutching his chest as he swayed from side to side, a bit like walking on a cotton mattress.

There was a VIP-only passage with a dedicated person to receive them, and there was also a dedicated person to push their luggage. There was even a private car at the airport entrance.

This life in the wealthy area was truly comfortable!

“Brother Muxuan, can we be considered playboys now?” “Yes.” “Are we considered ‘foxes feigning tiger power,’ acting recklessly and fearing nothing?” “You know quite a few useless idioms. Did you attend a language class in the past? Or did you not graduate from cardiac surgery at all, but instead from a major in neuro-linguistics?”

Qi Beichen was serious. “Neuro-linguistics doesn’t belong to the medical profession; it’s one of the branches of linguistics. It studies the neural mechanisms of language production, reception, analysis, and storage, as well as the relationship between this mechanism and language.”

Bai Muxuan closed the travel brochure, rested his chin on his hand, eyes half-closed, and casually picked up some sunflower seeds to chew, chew, chew. “Continue.”

Qi Beichen coughed twice and narrowed his eyes.

“However, the essence of modern neuro-linguistics lies in observing the impact of brain damage on language function, or using bioelectricity to observe the brain’s activity during speech actions. The adult speech center is located on one side of the cerebral cortex; this is called ‘hemispheric dominance.’ Brother Muxuan, is my professional literacy strong enough?”

Bai Muxuan peeled another orange. The orange slices were yellow and bright; he popped one into his mouth, and the juice overflowed.

“Very strong. Blah, blah, blah, I heard every word, but we are here for a vacation.” “…”

Haicheng’s climate was pleasant—blue sky, white clouds, beaches, and seawater. From time to time, a few seagulls flew by, letting out “quack, quack, quack” sounds. The wind even carried a faint, salty, fishy smell, and tall coconut trees could be seen everywhere.

He’d originally imagined facing the ocean, even seeing schools of fish swimming beneath his feet, but in reality, it was a courtyard-style hotel.

From the outside, you could see tall coconut trees, and outside was the beach. Although it wasn’t a sea-view room, it was very comfortable.

“This is the Xie family’s property. I told him, and he booked two adjacent courtyards so I can look after you better.” “This place is also close to Nanshan Temple—one hour by private car.” “Does the Xie family hotel have branches all over the country, including all star ratings?” “More or less. If you get lost, as long as you walk into a Xie family hotel, they’ll even know what color underwear you’re wearing.” “…” “Then a few days ago…” “That was also the Xie family’s, but it was a low-end chain.”

Qi Beichen suddenly remembered that before at the Sailing Hotel, Xie Zhixu had been just like a remote-controlled camera.

Bai Muxuan perhaps saw through Qi Beichen’s worries. “Cameras are not allowed in the guest rooms.”

But the “Whisper” group chat had already been turned upside down. When they just got off the plane, his pants pocket vibrated non-stop like a vibrator, his upper legs feeling numb.

Qi Beichen took his phone and glanced at it.

Su Haoxuan: Have you arrived? A young couple traveling you really aren’t bringing us along. Liang Han: Isn’t that Bai Muxuan’s annual leave? However, what you said seems to make some sense. Before, Bai Muxuan’s annual leave was either with his family or with us. This time, tsk tsk tsk. Xie Zhixu: They had me book the hotel. Any interest in watching remotely? Su Haoxuan: Yes! Liang Han: Yes! It’s best if there’s an interior view of the room. I really want to see what kind of commotion those two can stir up. Xie Zhixu: It’s a serious hotel; I don’t want to enter the ‘orange’ (prison). Liang Han: You’re the owner. Just add a camera in the two rooms they booked. Xie Zhixu: Then I won’t see tomorrow’s sun. Perhaps I’ll be needed to sew sewing machines or print college entrance exam papers. Su Haoxuan: You know quite a lot. Have you been inside before? Xie Zhixu: Give it a rest. Even if Xie Shiyu went in, I wouldn’t. I am a very good person. Bai Muxuan: You guys are gossiping about us now? Xie Zhixu: Look, the person himself has been smoked out. Playing dead, it’s not easy, right? Didn’t reply to messages, thought you guys were newlywed lovebirds on a honeymoon, engaging in frantic passion. Qi Beichen: …I heard Nanshan Temple is spiritual, so we came specially for that. Liang Han: This is called ‘the husband sings, the wife follows.’ Qi Beichen: @#@%##…

Qi Beichen had recovered some energy, using his phone to type, his fingers moving so fast sparks were flying, but he still couldn’t say the nasty words.

Xie Zhixu had already instructed the front desk. Bai Muxuan held the room cards. “The two rooms are together, only the room numbers are different: C-13 and C-14. See which one you like.”

Qi Beichen had sufficient reason to believe that Xie Zhixu did it on purpose.

Xie Zhixu sneezed violently and looked at the weather outside; the group was quiet.

“No difference, then…”

Qi Beichen took one directly. “Let fate decide.”

Qi Beichen sniffled—his cold still had some lingering symptoms and hadn’t fully recovered, but after this trip, he should be better. At least that’s what he thought.

His luggage wasn’t much; the front desk sent it directly to the rooms. Facing the door was a giant floor-to-ceiling window; outside was an open-air swimming pool, surrounded by tall coconut trees. The overall decoration style was Bohemian. He didn’t know if this was Xie Zhixu’s taste; it was almost the same as the setup of the previous Sailing Hotel.

The room number Qi Beichen chose casually was C-14, separated from C-13 only by a courtyard wall. If his body were healthy, he’d definitely climb up to the wall to take a look.

Qi Beichen silently wiped his nose and jumped onto the bed with a carp-like leap. It was soft and full of elasticity; compared to the hotel he had stayed in before, it was truly heaven and earth. No wonder everyone wanted money.

Sunlight passed through the glass floor-to-ceiling window, sprinkling soft, gentle light on the wooden floor.

In front of the floor-to-ceiling window was a low tatami mat, goose-yellow, and on the small blanket were tall coconut trees. He then saw that on the edge of the swimming pool, there was an even smaller pool, with a small Cupid in the middle, holding an arrow in its hand.

Extending to the outside was a wooden platform that led straight to the sea. The seawater was Tiffany blue; this angle was just perfect, allowing him to see the sunrise over the sea.

He tugged at his clothes and reached out for his suitcase at the edge. With a thump, it landed on the floor.

He stretched his arms helplessly, got up, and opened the case. The pajamas inside were bought according to his taste these past few days.

On the chest was a large Winnie the Pooh holding a small honey pot. Qi Beichen carelessly took off his clothes and put them on directly.

It was loose and baggy he really had lost weight. The collar was a bit low, revealing thin collarbones.

The half-length pants were printed with Winnie the Pooh’s honey pots, and a pair of big white legs, straight as chopsticks. The temperature was just right. He walked barefoot to the edge of the tatami and sat down directly.

Qi Beichen turned over, lying on his stomach, holding his phone, his legs swinging back and forth in the air, looking at his top contact.

Qi Beichen: Brother Muxuan, have you packed your things? Bai Muxuan: Almost. Let’s go get something to eat in a bit; there’s a nice restaurant here. Qi Beichen: Then, then I’ll go tidy up a bit more, be ready in a moment! Bai Muxuan: No rush. Qi Beichen: [Winnie the Pooh Lying Down.jpg]