Chapter 74: A Modest Gift, Boundless Affection

After purchasing sunscreen and other essentials at the hotel, they called for a car to head to the forest park.

Yalong Bay Tropical Paradise Forest Park ranked among the top three attractions, and during the National Day holiday, tourists flooded the place in numbers that could only be described as mountains and seas of people. The ticket office at the entrance boasted several luxury cars parked out front, drawing plenty of attention.

One of the park’s main features was its winding mountain roads—eighteen twists and turns that were said to be thrilling, with drivers reputedly seasoned veterans. After queuing up to check tickets and board the vehicle, Cheng Yao and his companions admired the scenery and chatted, while Zhang Ya pulled out her phone, posing beside him with a peace sign and snapping several photos for the memory.

Cheng Chen was delighted throughout, chirping away cheerfully.

After experiencing the tropical rainforest and the suspension bridge, Zhang Ya and her friends were sweating and exhausted.

“Thank you.”

“I’ll have the mung bean one.”

“I want the big pudding, thanks.”

Cheng Yao bought a bag of popsicles and handed them out; in the end, they made it to the mountaintop, the most beautiful vantage point in the park, overlooking the entire Sanya Bay.

Sanya’s bay was famed for its breathtaking scenery, and the highest point of the forest park certainly deserved its reputation.

The view was vast and expansive—above, the sky stretched high and the clouds drifted lightly; below, the green fields of sports grounds sprawled wide; and at the horizon, the sea merged seamlessly with the sky, the true embodiment of boundless ocean and sky.

Standing at the summit, Cheng Yao felt this must be the most beautiful seascape in the country.

“From Crimson Ridge, I gaze upon Yalong Bay, my sight sweeping across the Chinese sea, my heart soaring to the Pacific, my ambition set on the world!”

Zhang Ya smiled radiantly, giving him a thumbs-up. “Ambitious!”

“Show-off.” Rong Xuelin and the others chuckled.

“I was just saying whatever came to mind…” Cheng Yao smiled without further comment; who could know what the future held?

They played for a while on the glass walkway—Cheng Chen, a little frightened, stayed close to the edge, while Zhang Ya sat boldly in the center for Cheng Yao to take her picture.

After they had had their fill, they took the cable car down the mountain, clouds swirling in the evening sky.

Zhang Ya glanced at Cheng Chen. “How was it? Fun, right?”

“Fun and beautiful.”

Cheng Chen nodded gently.

Cheng Yao laughed and said, “The scenery is excellent, the winding mountain roads were interesting, and everything else was just a novelty.”

“Exactly, it’s just for the novelty. What else?”

“The seascape is really good.”

“Shall we go to the duty-free mall tonight?”

“Sure.”

By the time they left the forest park, dusk had already fallen, so they headed straight for the duty-free mall.

The mall was especially crowded and lively at night.

For dinner, they simply had KFC, which was comparatively cheap and practical amidst all the other expenses.

For the girls, this place was paradise—Zhang Ya pulled Cheng Chen along to help her pick out a lipstick. Cheng Chen protested verbally, but her actions were delightfully honest.

Zhang Ya patted Cheng Yao’s shoulder and pointed to Cartier. “Want to go take a look? I’ll buy you one.”

“For me?”

“Yes.” Zhang Ya lifted her wrist.

Cheng Yao laughed helplessly. “Mine isn’t worth anything, Cartier is so expensive, besides…”

“Just buy a cheap one, five or six thousand, seven or eight thousand, it’s fine. Accessories are important, you know.” Zhang Ya remembered that Cheng Chen wore Cartier too, though she didn’t know the price. “Don’t you wear any yourself?”

“Never have. Maybe after we get back.”

Zhang Ya probably didn't have much money; but that wasn’t really the issue. Cheng Yao glanced at his bare wrist and thought, alright, he’d pick one out later.

After Zhang Ya was placated, the girls wandered through makeup and clothing shops, with Cheng Yao following behind, carrying their things.

Thanks to the gene capsule, his physical strength had been subtly improving. Although it had only been a short time, the effects were already becoming evident.

As a result, shopping wasn’t as tiring for Cheng Yao as it used to be.

The girls were tireless, shopping until nearly ten o’clock, and only leaving when most people had already gone.

By the time they returned to the hotel, it was already half past ten.

Zhang Ya said, “Let’s get up early tomorrow. We’ll go to Water World at eight, and afterwards, head to Haitang Bay.”

“Alright, good night.”

“Good night~~” Zhang Ya leaned over and kissed him on the cheek, leaving Cheng Chen staring in surprise.

Back in his room, Cheng Yao took a shower, turned on the television, and read a novel for a while, before he realized it was already half past midnight.

At that moment, his phone chimed with a message.

Lu Mengyao: 1605.

In truth, Cheng Yao felt this was somewhat ridiculous.

It was like a streamer traveling a thousand miles to deliver herself—a token gesture, yet full of meaning; naturally, he wasn’t thrilled about it, but with Lu Mengyao already here, he couldn’t just leave her alone in her room.

Leaving his room, Cheng Yao took the elevator straight to the sixteenth floor.

He knocked on the door, which slowly opened. Cheng Yao stepped inside, and Lu Mengyao hurriedly closed it behind him. “Where’s your girlfriend?”

“She’s sharing a room with my sister. What about your parents?”

“Tenth floor.”

Lu Mengyao locked the door, her heart pounding like a drum. It felt as if she were sneaking around—no, it wasn’t “as if,” she really was stealing someone’s man…

“How’s your schedule? I need to avoid you guys.”

Cheng Yao then outlined their plans, and Lu Mengyao decided to delay hers by a day.

After some idle chatter, Cheng Yao said, “The night is short—we should get down to business.”

He’d need to get up early in the morning, and besides, he wanted to test the effects of the gene capsule improvements, and he still had a blocker pill.

So Lu Mengyao went to shower.

“Knock, knock… I’m coming in, to scrub your back, really just to scrub your back…”

…

“Wait…”

…

Soon, from inside came Lu Mengyao’s mortified voice: “You said you’d just scrub my back—you liar…”

…

“Ha, you actually believed that?”

…

Just scrubbing the back—how was it any different from “just rubbing, really not going in”?

Especially at times like these, a man’s words could have no limits to achieve his goal.

Besides, Lu Mengyao wasn’t naive; she understood men’s hearts well, only feigning ignorance. She had mastered the art to perfection—she truly deserved her reputation as a tea artist.

…

…

In the blink of an eye, it was already two o’clock.

The room was quiet. Lu Mengyao stared at Cheng Yao, disbelief mingled with a touch of fear.

“No, I’m really too tired, so sleepy—next time, okay?”

“Sleep, then.”

Cheng Yao thought that was enough; though he was still restless.

Lu Mengyao breathed a sigh of relief, feeling that Cheng Yao was acting oddly—could he be on something?

“What if I get pregnant!”

In fact, this was Lu Mengyao’s biggest worry—her family would never be fooled.

Cheng Yao yawned. “We’ll deal with it if it happens.”

He couldn’t be bothered to explain; the more you tried, the messier it got. He’d taken the blocker pill, which lasted a month—meaning that, no matter what, no one could get pregnant in that time.

If Lu Mengyao managed to conceive, he’d write his name backwards.

“If it happens, I’ll take care of things. Sleep now.”

“Mm…”

Cheng Yao understood Lu Mengyao’s concerns, so he gave her reassurance, hoping to prevent unnecessary worries.

When women overthink, troubles multiply.

Early the next morning, the alarm rang. Cheng Yao opened his eyes and got up to wash.

He stretched, his bones crackling.

The effects were so obvious—his body no longer felt weak, his legs sturdy, his spirit vigorous.

In truth, perpetual energy at this age was only an illusion.

An illusion!

…