Online Love, Based on the Real Object - Chapter 20

Qi Ning’s refusal to go shopping with You Man over the weekend was not just a casual excuse. Recently, the online sales performance had been quite good, and Chu Yunjing had promised to take them out for a team-building event.

The team-building location was an eco-resort in a neighboring city, near a mountaintop park and a water park, where they would stay for one night.

In the past, Qi Ning had joined a few company outings since she had the time on weekends. She was somewhat familiar with some of the older employees and was even more popular than Chu Yunjing, so she didn’t feel nervous about going with her.

On Saturday, the company chartered a bus to take them to the resort, while those with cars could choose to drive themselves. Chu Yunjing never rode with them; she always drove herself.

After having breakfast, she went downstairs to pick up Qi Ning, who was wearing a hat, sunglasses perched on her nose, and a floral dress that screamed vacation.

As soon as she got in the car, she complained, “It’s so hot.”

Chu Yunjing turned up the air conditioning a bit. “Is that better?”

Qi Ning hummed in response, adjusted her seat to a comfortable position, and closed her eyes, intending to sleep.

She had waited until she fell asleep the previous night without receiving a private message from Yun Yu. Around eleven, she saw that the other person was online, which meant they had likely seen her response, yet no message came.

Were beautiful people really this aloof?

Even though Qi Ning hadn’t seen Yun Yu’s photo, her mind had already conjured up an image of her stunning beauty.

What a creative imagination she had.

She dozed off, feeling a bit cold midway, and couldn’t help but rub her arms, her body tense.

Noticing her movements, Chu Yunjing, focused on driving, checked the traffic conditions and pulled over to the emergency lane. After turning on the hazard lights, she reached into the glove compartment and pulled out a thin blanket to cover Qi Ning.

She also lowered the air conditioning temperature, which eased the frown on Qi Ning’s face.

Chu Yunjing glanced at her to confirm, then resumed driving.

After an hour and a half, they arrived at the resort, where there were no tall buildings, just rows of three- or four-story villas.

Chu Yunjing had booked three adjacent independent villas. The bus arrived before them, and by the time they got there, her assistant had already checked them in and assigned the rooms.

“Ms. Chu, here are your room keys,” Xu Lu said, handing them over with a smile. “I specifically reserved the top-floor room for you; the view is great, and it even has a bathtub. Also, the electronic access code for the main door is 8888.”

“Okay, you can go rest now,” Chu Yunjing replied, taking the keys with a neutral expression that revealed nothing.

Xu Lu was used to her boss’s demeanor and smiled back. “Alright.”

Just then, Qi Ning walked in after having explored outside. Her expression was a mix of excitement, as if she had discovered treasure.

“Jingjing, I just saw a lychee tree outside! It has so much fruit!”

Xu Lu turned to look and met Qi Ning’s gaze, who spoke first. “Long time no see!”

“Indeed,” Xu Lu smiled back and teased, “Miss Qi, you’re getting prettier and prettier!”

“Haha…” Qi Ning covered her mouth, blushing a bit, and wrapped her arm around Chu Yunjing’s. “I’m here to mooch off you again; sorry for the trouble.”

Chu Yunjing usually left the details of the team-building arrangements to Xu Lu. If Qi Ning participated, they would hardly see each other except during necessary group activities.

“Not at all, that’s my job,” Xu Lu said. “You must be tired from the trip. Miss Qi and Ms. Chu, why don’t you go upstairs to rest? There’s a barbecue grill in the courtyard, and we’ll have barbecue tonight. We’ll need to sort out lunch ourselves. There’s a private restaurant in the scenic area; do you want me to order takeout for you?”

“No, no, it’s fine,” Qi Ning quickly waved her hand. “You go rest; don’t worry about us. We’ll manage on our own.”

With Xu Lu busy with other matters, the two of them went upstairs according to the notes on the keys and found that the top floor had only one large suite. The floor-to-ceiling windows opened onto a spacious outdoor terrace with a set of lounge chairs.

Looking down from the terrace, which faced the front yard, Qi Ning leaned on the railing and exclaimed, “Wow, your assistant is really reliable; this room is great!”

“And there are lychees!!!” As she raised her eyes, she spotted the bright red lychees on the large tree, its branches reaching into the terrace.

However, the ripe fruit within reach had already been picked, and the ones further away were just out of her reach, even when she stretched her arm.

Chu Yunjing, having set down her luggage, walked to the terrace and saw Qi Ning tugging at the branches. She quickly rushed over, raising her voice, “Don’t fall!”

“There are lychees over there!” Qi Ning said, pulling at the dense foliage, determined to get at least one.

“…” Chu Yunjing was speechless and exasperated. “I’ll buy you some; just stop messing around; it’s dangerous.”

“I can reach it! The railing is so high! Just hold me and push me forward, and I’ll get it!”

After waiting for a while with no response from behind her, Qi Ning turned to see Chu Yunjing standing with her arms crossed, looking at her. She couldn’t help but urge, “Hurry up! I’ll share one with you if I get it!”

“…” Chu Yunjing stepped forward, bent her knees slightly, and wrapped her arms around Qi Ning’s waist, lifting her up effortlessly.

“Yes, yes, yes, forward a bit… Huh? Huh?? Huh???” Just as Qi Ning was about to direct her to push her forward, Chu Yunjing suddenly turned and walked back inside.

Chu Yunjing set her down safely on a chair on the terrace, and Qi Ning was still unhappy. “I want to eat lychees! I didn’t ask you to carry me back!”

Chu Yunjing calmly shot her a glance and coldly said, “Is your life worth only two lychees?”

Qi Ning retorted, “With a wall that thick, nothing would happen!”

“I don’t believe that.”

“Hmph!” Qi Ning glared at her angrily, crossed her arms, and turned away, refusing to engage.

“Stop huffing,” Chu Yunjing said like a parent lecturing her. “You’re not a child anymore.”

Qi Ning boldly replied, “I’m five years old this year!”

Chu Yunjing: “…” with a look of disbelief.

The two were at a standstill, but eventually, Qi Ning couldn’t hold back a laugh, quickly clearing her throat to regain her serious expression.

She was still angry!

Suddenly, her wrist was grabbed, and Qi Ning was pulled up from the chair by Chu Yunjing, who led her outside.

“Hey! Hey! Hey! What are you doing? Are you going to hit me because you can’t argue back?!”

Chu Yunjing, walking ahead, couldn’t help but roll her eyes.

“I’m taking you to buy lychees; I’ll buy you five pounds, one pound for each year you claim.”

Qi Ning’s face lit up with joy.

Before she could finish, Chu Yunjing added, “But if you can’t finish them, don’t even think about going home.”

…?? If she really ate five pounds, she might end up with a nosebleed.

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