Chapter 54: Overnight & Hotel

“Hello, how many guests?”

“Two, one night.”

“I’m very sorry, Ting’an has a lot of tourists lately. We only have one single room left.”

“What? Only one again? Two rooms would do, even on different floors.”

“For real? Is this place near a tourist spot? Well, it’s by the train station, but…”

This conversation unfolded before Xueqiu.

Xia Yin was arguing with the polite receptionist while Xueqiu stood silently, clutching her ID.

An hour ago, Xia Yin had led her from the courier company to near the train station.

Their goal wasn’t to catch a train but to return to the Academy via the “Foot” convenience store outside.

Yet, when they arrived, the supposedly 24-hour store was closed.

“Two options: take a cab back or wait till tomorrow. I know you won’t decide, Snowball, so to avoid trouble—like a midnight assassin—I’ll pick option one,” Xia Yin said.

But when he checked his phone, it was dead.

“No battery? Use yours. If yours is dead too, we’ll find a shop to charge. Worst case, I know where to get a cab,” he continued.

“It’s late… Senior, maybe we should rest first,” Xueqiu said, cutting in.

Maybe Xia Yin’s odd behavior these hours or her own exhaustion prompted her to speak.

And so, things ended up like this.

Her phone was low too.

From the ruins lab to the Investigation Team, then the courier company exit, she hadn’t had a chance to charge.

Initially, Xia Yin picked a random hotel.

Learning it had only a single room, he moved to another.

But tonight’s guest volume was unusually high.

They tried three hotels: two had no rooms, one had two single rooms on different floors—second and sixth.

Now, Xia Yin was talking to the fifth receptionist, with no better luck.

Honestly, Xueqiu didn’t mind sharing a single room.

Though only roommates for 100+ days, she knew what Xia Yin might be thinking.

He was the first to know her true identity and likely didn’t see her as a girl.

“Ugh, let’s go back to the last place, Snowball. They had two rooms, right?” Xia Yin said.

“Here’s fine, Senior,” Xueqiu said cautiously. “I’m tired.”

She handed over her ID.

The Academy’s logistics had issued it, matching her current gender and photo.

Xia Yin said nothing more, just gave her a couple of dead-fish-eye glances.

“Thank you for your patronage. Your room is 401. There’s a pharmacy and supermarket across the street. Here’s your keycard. We require a 100-yuan deposit, refunded upon checkout.”

Xueqiu opened her phone to pay; Xia Yin would have to wait for his to charge.

Her sparse QQ had accumulated dozens of messages.

Jiang Cheng and Su Qingyuan’s travel photos, Chisaki’s questions about what they were doing, and Chang Mu’s “You there?” from an hour ago.

—

A “single room” meant a bed, bathroom, TV, nightstand, and two narrow walkways.

Xueqiu realized this upon entering.

It was so small, there were barely any outlets. After plugging in her charger, none seemed left.

Xia Yin said nothing. He yanked the TV plug, connected his phone, and flopped onto the bed, staring at the ceiling with his dead-fish eyes.

Silence lasted two minutes before he spoke.

“About earlier, sorry. So you don’t ask too much later.”

Xueqiu wanted to ask what he meant.

Her escape from the “dream” under his protection?

Or his strange expression after the surveillance?

But her words came out differently.

“It’s fine. Senior must have his reasons.”

Maybe the room’s thin walls—or the hotel’s shoddy soundproofing—let through a burst of primal, joyful noises, invading the room’s corners.

The instinct mammals hadn’t lost since evolving.

“I have reasons, sure. You don’t know what Antidote or ‘King’ is, so you don’t need to worry… but you’ll know eventually, unless someone besides me takes him out first,” Xia Yin said.

He sounded like the Xia Yin from the Investigation Team.

Normally, he’d have mocked those noises by now.

Xueqiu didn’t know how to respond.

Should she ask, “What’s Antidote?” or “Why do you hate ‘King’ so much?”

“Actually, I saw him in a dream once,” she said after thinking.

“Him? That damn ‘King’?” Xia Yin froze.

“During the Contract test, he appeared before me,” she added.

She should’ve told him months ago, but she’d been too caught up in her E-rank despair.

And “King” or Antidote weren’t mentioned often, let alone their members’ appearances.

“Maybe I should’ve asked you sooner. You’re turning into that chuuni idiot…” Xia Yin muttered. “If she were still here, would she stay to hunt that damn ‘King’?”

“Ou Ziyun, using that damn Contract to make me take you back. Crazy… they’re all crazy… maybe I’m crazy too…”

“It’s okay, Senior. Rest. Trust them,” Xueqiu said softly, perhaps out of sympathy.

She edged closer, as if to soothe him.

“Ha… it’s been, what, half a year? You’re getting more girly—more than actual girls… pfft, forget I said that,” Xia Yin said wryly.

The conversation died.

Silence fell again.

In the quiet, their breathing was audible.

The single bed was too narrow.

After lights out, Xia Yin had to lie on his side.

Even so, he faintly felt Xueqiu’s warmth from behind.

A single room was just that—its only window barred, as if to stop them from sneaking out.

But Xia Yin wouldn’t.

For now, he was exhausted.

So tired, his heart seemed to rest in this tiny room, beside the girl behind him.