Thanks to that man packing her luggage early, it saved her a lot of time, and she could even join them for breakfast before leaving.
Before leaving, An Che couldn't help but remind her worriedly, "Sis, take good care of yourself out there these days."
An Ruo lightly patted his head and smiled, "Don't worry, I'm not a kid anymore."
The man watched the siblings fuss over each other with concern and shook his head with a soft laugh.
Sometimes he envied their bond—pure, untainted by any interests, closer than real siblings despite no blood ties.
An Che sneaked a glance at the man and whispered in An Ruo's ear, "Sis, with brother-in-law under my care, you can rest easy."
The sharp-eared man caught that, pausing slightly in his coffee-drinking motion.
Let a little brat take care of him?
An Ruo chuckled, "Both of you need to behave at home."
This girl was even more outrageous, lumping him in with a kid like An Che.
An Che climbed into the car and waved goodbye to her. Only when the car drove out of the courtyard did An Ruo slowly withdraw her gaze.
"Come here." The man patted the chair beside him. "It's still early, eat a bit more."
"I'm full." An Ruo reluctantly sat down.
This man had piled so much food on her plate throughout breakfast, always saying "just a little more," and yet she'd finished everything on the plate!
"Drink some milk."
An Ruo sighed. The man personally poured her milk and brought it to her lips. "Take two sips."
Unable to resist his persistence, the girl had to hold the milk cup and gulp it all down in one go.
An Ruo had a strong sense of punctuality and didn't want to keep a group waiting, so she suggested they set off early.
Getting into the car, the man stared at her and suddenly said, "Gulong Street in Yucheng is very close to your filming location. It's full of specialty foods—basically, you can taste all of Yucheng's cuisine without leaving the area."
He was looking at something on his phone. "I've sent the travel guide to your phone. Take some time to relax between work and go out with friends."
An Ruo stared at the photo the man had sent to her phone. It was a handwritten travel guide map, with notes below and emergency measures for travel mishaps.
He'd meticulously marked everything that could or couldn't happen.
"You..." An Ruo's heart warmed. "When did you make this?"
"While a certain little cat was still sleeping soundly, I secretly made it."
She remembered when he got up that morning, she'd been clinging to his arm, refusing to let go, rubbing against his palm like a spoiled cat.
The man had kissed her brow lightly, then picked up a pen and paper to craft her travel guide, carefully noting all sorts of emergencies.
As he planned the route, he kept glancing at her sleeping face, a soft smile escaping his lips.
An Ruo hadn't expected him to be so thoughtful. Not only had he packed her luggage early in the morning, but he'd also come up with a travel guide, marking the most convenient and hassle-free suggestions for each route and attraction.
The man placed his large hand on her head, his voice gentle: "It's rare for you to get out. Use this time to have fun. No need to rush back. Xiao Che is taken care of by me and the household staff, so don't worry."
With a husband like this, what more could a wife ask for!
An Ruo's nose suddenly stung. She threw herself into his arms, tightly hugging his strong waist. No one had ever been so good to her, so considerate of her needs.
At the airport, since it was still early, An Ruo stayed in the car with the man for a while. Only when everyone in the group had arrived did she reluctantly get out.
"Have fun, don't worry about us."
"Then... I'm off?"
"Yeah."
Han Chong opened the door. An Ruo gripped her bag strap, took a deep breath, then suddenly turned and quickly planted a kiss on the man's cheek.
"I'm leaving."
Blushing, the girl jumped out of the car, took her suitcase from Han Chong, and entered the airport terminal.
Han Chong got into the car and glanced at the man in the rearview mirror, who couldn't tear his gaze away. "Young master, letting the young mistress go to Yucheng alone like this might be risky. Should we send someone to protect her?"
The man's dark eyes were deep. Only when the girl's figure disappeared from sight did he reluctantly look away.
He said coldly, "Do I need to remind you of this?"
Han Chong was momentarily speechless. The young master's heart was as deep as the ocean—he was finding it harder and harder to read.
...
Yucheng.
As soon as she got off the plane, An Ruo closed her eyes and took a deep breath of the air here.
Unlike the luxurious grandeur of Shencheng, Yucheng's architecture was steeped in ancient charm, a city with a long history. The area they were in was exactly the popular internet-famous check-in spot.
The hotel was quite far from the airport. An Ruo had originally planned to ride with Yang Sisi, but Song Weiwei enthusiastically squeezed in, insisting on sitting with them.
It was already past noon when they arrived at the hotel. An Ruo tidied up her things briefly, then took out her phone to send the man a message to let him know she was safe.
Far away in the Lanzhen Group building, Shen Xiaoxing saw the message from the girl, ending with a cute, playful emoji.
Before he could reply, a head slowly poked over...
The man pressed his head and shoved him away: "Get lost!"
Gu Chao pouted. "Hah, what's so mysterious about a message?"
After replying to the girl, the man looked up at him coldly. "You actually approved my woman to go on a business trip so far away. What's your motive?"
With no set return date, just a few hours since she'd left, he was already itching to see her.
He was starting to regret letting her stay and play for a few days. Why had he acted so magnanimous back then? It was like swallowing broken teeth.
Gu Chao looked innocent. "The business trip was her own decision. Besides, I had no reason not to approve it, right?"
He chuckled. "No way, she's only just left and you already miss her?"
"..."
"Who was it that swore they'd never fall for her? How come after a while, you're head over heels without even realizing it?"
The man shot him a sharp glare. Gu Chao bit his lip and made a "zip it" gesture. "I'll shut up, I won't say anything."
Since they'd just arrived in Yucheng and everyone was tired from the journey, An Ruo went to the hotel front desk early to order meals and sent the private room number to the group chat, notifying them to come eat.
"Wow, so much good food! Long live Director An!"
The employees who filed in saw the feast laid out on the large revolving table and shouted excitedly at her, "Long live Director An! Love you!"
For the first time, she experienced the feeling of being valued. This sense of being needed warmed An Ruo's heart, and she smiled as she invited them to sit down.
Song Weiwei walked into the private room with Director Li. She was a total foodie, and seeing all this delicious food made her mouth water.
"Come, sit here." An Ruo pulled out a chair for her.
"Thanks." Song Weiwei was outgoing and lively, and after sitting down, she didn't forget to blow her a kiss.
Everyone took their seats and dug into the delicious dishes on the table.
"Mmm... this crispy yellow fish is so good."
"Eat up. Most of the dishes at this hotel are Yucheng specialties. This crispy yellow fish is one of them." An Ruo explained to them. "Apparently, it used to appear on the emperor's table in ancient times."
"Really?" Song Weiwei picked up a piece of crispy yellow fish and took a bite—it was crunchy. "It really is tasty."
"Is Director An from Yucheng? You seem to know a lot about the local food here."