Chapter 140: Picking Someone Up

Generous was generous, certainly, but Qiu Fengyu had no intention of sleeping with her. He had always adhered to one principle: never touch a woman who was bound to bring trouble. So even when Cynthia exposed herself completely, Qiu Fengyu merely glanced at her twice.

“I’ll wait for you downstairs.” Once he was dressed and had gathered his luggage, Qiu Fengyu opened the door and turned to Cynthia. “Remember to bring the key down. Then we can have breakfast together.”

With that, he left and casually closed the door behind him. Cynthia heard his footsteps descending the stairs.

“What a strange man!”

Cynthia was not annoyed in the slightest. On the contrary, she found something reassuring about him. Men like that were truly rare. Perhaps “strange man” was simply a woman’s pet name for prey she found interesting. That seemed about right.

Qiu Fengyu sat downstairs and glanced at the plump girl. The plump girl glanced back, then said with a grin, “Your girlfriend hasn’t gotten up yet? There didn’t seem to be much going on last night.”

Nothing going on? Qiu Fengyu stared at her with his mouth hanging open.

“The rooms here aren’t soundproof at all. I wandered around upstairs twice last night.” The plump girl’s eyes narrowed into slits as she smiled. “Sometimes it gets really noisy at night. You know what kind of noise I mean. Some couples don’t care about anyone else at all. I can’t even take a nap downstairs.”

“Right. The soundproofing is terrible. That’s wonderful.” Qiu Fengyu shook his head, caught somewhere between laughter and exasperation. He had no intention of continuing the subject, but the plump girl’s appetite for gossip was formidable.

“You need to put in more effort. If your girlfriend isn’t willing, then there must be some problem with you. Something physical, or something emotional? Any man would be tempted by your girlfriend’s hot body.” The plump girl chattered on, giving Qiu Fengyu a splitting headache. To make matters worse, Cynthia was still taking her time coming downstairs.

“No... she isn’t my girlfriend. We’re merely acquaintances.” Qiu Fengyu patiently explained. “So... nothing happened between us last night. That’s the truth.”

“Haha... I have to say, your thinking is still stuck in the Middle Ages. What era do you think this is? Even strangers can have a little fun together. It’s not as though you’ll be burned at the stake.” The plump girl giggled. “If a girl is willing to get a room and spend the night with you, she’s already sending you a hint. You’re hopeless.”

“You’re right!” Qiu Fengyu found himself unable to argue and could only shake his head with a bitter smile.

The plump girl seemed to have found a topic that excited her and prepared to continue educating this man who clearly did not know how to appreciate his opportunities.

“All right, I’ll teach you a few tricks for free and help you win that girl over. And you don’t have to worry about any aftereffects... Oh, hello. Did you sleep well last night?”

She suddenly stopped and raised her head to greet the person across from them.

Cynthia had come downstairs. She looked at Qiu Fengyu and the plump girl in confusion but said nothing. She had noticed the plump girl winking suggestively at Qiu Fengyu, but she certainly did not think anything could happen between them. Standing beside that plump girl, Cynthia was extremely confident in her own looks and figure.

At last, she had come down. Qiu Fengyu let out a long breath. He truly had no idea how to deal with the plump girl. He nodded toward Cynthia.

“Let’s get breakfast. Do you have any recommendations? You’ve been here before, after all.”

“Turn right when you leave and walk about two hundred meters. There’s a restaurant that serves a wide variety of food. You should be able to find something you like.” The plump girl was genuinely helpful and hurriedly pointed them in the right direction.

“Thanks!” Qiu Fengyu turned and smiled at her.

The plump girl clenched her fist and made an encouraging gesture at him, which left him laughing helplessly all over again. Shaking his head, he went outside with Cynthia and headed toward the restaurant she had described.

“I saw what she did,” Cynthia said with a smile. “You talked with her for quite a while. You seemed to be enjoying yourself.”

“No, it was a headache. But I can tell you a secret. Want to hear it?... Fine. The rooms in this hotel have no soundproofing whatsoever. Every little noise can be heard, so... try not to make too much noise in the future. Otherwise, everyone will know exactly what you’re doing.”

Qiu Fengyu laughed.

“What else could I be doing? Damn it... Your mind is filthy.” Cynthia could not help glaring at him.

Qiu Fengyu did not argue. Between lovers, pointless bickering was a kind of flirtation. Between the two of them, it was merely boring. So they continued walking, and sure enough, they soon found a restaurant.

Breakfast was simple: milk, bread, and the like. It was nothing special. There were not many places open for breakfast anyway, so there was no point being picky. As long as they were full, that was enough.

Qiu Fengyu ate quickly, then sat to one side and waited for Cynthia. She was rather slow when she ate.

After breakfast, they continued on their way. Since they were no longer taking a bus, traveling by motorcycle was much more convenient. Whenever they saw a convenience store by the roadside, they could simply stop and eat; there was no need to pack anything in advance.

Qiu Fengyu continued riding, with Cynthia sitting behind him and wrapping both arms around his waist.

By then, her heart had settled considerably. It was merely fondness and curiosity, nothing that could be called deep affection. As a result, Cynthia was much more at ease. The only thing she still could not let go of was her determination to persuade Qiu Fengyu to take part in that underground racing competition.

“I’ve already told you I’m not entering. Even if I wanted to, I’d need a car, wouldn’t I? Without one, none of this matters. Besides... if I had enough money to buy a car, why would I need to compete for fifty thousand dollars?”

Qiu Fengyu rejected her once again without hesitation.

“You could modify one. I think your Mustang is excellent. Replace the engine with a better one, and your car could even use a nitrous-oxide booster. I guarantee—”

“You can’t guarantee anything.” Qiu Fengyu cut her off without the slightest hesitation. “This ends here. Otherwise, I’ll hitchhike to Los Angeles. We’re not far away now anyway.”

There was clearly no room for negotiation.

“All right, but don’t rush to make a decision,” Cynthia conceded, though she was still unwilling to give up.

Qiu Fengyu could not be bothered to continue. It was difficult to talk while riding a motorcycle; he had to shout to be heard. The motorcycle sped along the highway and stopped once more along the way. They ate lunch at a convenience store beside a gas station—drinks and hot dogs again. Cynthia ate very little this time, presumably to maintain her figure.

Afterward, they continued on their way. By the time dusk approached, they had reached Los Angeles. The motorcycle rolled slowly into the city streets. Following the road, Qiu Fengyu found a street corner and pulled over. He set the motorcycle on its stand, climbed off, removed his helmet, and handed it to Cynthia as she dismounted.

Cynthia hung Qiu Fengyu’s helmet beneath the fuel tank. She placed her own helmet on top of the tank and said, “You’re an excellent rider. It would be a real waste not to show off your skills.”

“I’ve always been a great waste of potential.” Qiu Fengyu smiled. He raised a hand and gently patted her cheek. “Forget about that. Actually... after this journey, my opinion of you has changed a little. Perhaps we can be friends.”

As he spoke, he extended his hand.

“Friends? Is this the first step toward making peace?” Cynthia asked, baring her teeth in a grin.

Then she opened her arms and gave Qiu Fengyu a huge hug before climbing back onto the motorcycle and putting on her helmet.

“Goodbye, Qiu.”

She could not persuade him, so she stopped wasting words. Her decisiveness showed itself clearly as she started the engine, called out a farewell, and roared away down the street, soon merging into the traffic.

Qiu Fengyu stood there watching until she disappeared from sight. Only then did he pick up his shoulder bag, take out his phone, and make a call.

“Hi, this is Reece Lasset...” Reece’s voice came through the phone. It sounded like a recorded message; perhaps she was not home or had not picked up.

“It’s me, Qiu.” Qiu Fengyu cleared his throat. “I’ve arrived in Los Angeles, but... I don’t know where to go or what the arrangements are. If you have time, call me back or leave me a message.”

He was about to hang up when Reece’s voice came through again.

“Hey, Qiu, it’s me. I’m here. I was running just now, on the treadmill, so I couldn’t answer your call right away. Where are you? Give me your location and I’ll come pick you up.”

Qiu Fengyu looked around and gave her the name of a prominent landmark as his location. A light laugh came from the other end.

“Wait there. You’re already quite close to me.”

With that, she hung up.

About an hour later, the car sent to pick him up arrived. A black Mercedes SUV pulled to a stop beside him. The driver’s window rolled down, revealing a familiar face.

It was April. She nodded toward Qiu Fengyu.

“Get in.”

Qiu Fengyu opened the front passenger door and climbed in. Looking at April, he smiled.

“We meet again. I thought Reece was coming to pick me up.”

“Ha!” April laughed. “You actually expected Reece to come herself? Forget it. She’s a public figure. Los Angeles isn’t some rural little town. The moment she appears, people will recognize her. If rumors about her spread during her film premiere—and the male lead in those rumors is some unknown nobody—that won’t do her any good.”

“All right. You’re right.” Qiu Fengyu nodded. “Where are we going?”

“Beverly Hills. Her villa.”

“But you just said—”

“Don’t be foolish. Reece wants you to cook her an elaborate dinner. After that, I’ll take you to a nearby hotel. Also... I’ll explain a few things you need to know along the way. By the way, you don’t have a tuxedo yet, do you? Go and have one prepared today. Reece has a personal designer who can take care of it. One day will be enough, and you’ll need it the day after tomorrow.”

“No. I have an idea. I won’t need to wear a tuxedo.”