Chapter 217: Mountain Escape

Once the sun rose, the weather quickly turned hot and humid.

Xu Chen and Xie Bingran walked slowly along the mountain path toward the descent.

Other tourists who had watched the sunrise headed down the same way, chattering away.

Xu Chen and Xie Bingran had taken off their outer jackets and tied them around their waists.

After a short walk, Xu Chen felt his T-shirt soaked through with sweat.

He glanced at Xie Bingran—her black quick-dry T-shirt handled the heat better. Clearly, athletic gear had its perks.

Xie Bingran turned her head, her eyes still red.

Xu Chen said, “If my dad sees you like this, he’ll think I did something wrong.”

Xie Bingran asked, “Why?”

Xu Chen replied, “He said if I ever bully you, he’ll beat me senseless.”

“With your eyes all red, I’d be the one in trouble, no questions asked.”

Xie Bingran muttered, “You did bully me…”

Xu Chen just smiled helplessly.

Looking down, he noticed one sleeve of his jacket tied around his waist was clenched tightly in Xie Bingran’s hand.

They got back to the Mid-Mountain Lodge just before seven.

That was the perk of early mornings—plenty of time left to relax.

Thanks to the pond and landscaping, the lodge felt cooler than the mountain trails outside.

Instead of rushing to the restaurant, they wandered around the area a bit more.

On a resting platform halfway up, Xu Chen said,

“The bosses sure know how to live it up.”

Xie Bingran asked, “Bosses?”

Xu Chen explained, “Places like this aren’t built just anywhere…”

He thought for a moment. “If you want beef, lamb, or pork, the restaurant here should be safe to eat.”

Xie Bingran said, “Because the bosses eat here?”

Xu Chen nodded. “Yeah, just like the perks for athletes.”

He took a deep breath, feeling refreshed and at ease.

In 2006, this secluded Mid-Mountain Lodge didn’t actively welcome outsiders—I wondered how it fared business-wise later.

Without taking in external guests, it probably ran at a loss.

In the restaurant,

Breakfast was a buffet with simple but appealing options.

Shrimp dumplings, custard buns, rice rolls, congee, preserved egg with lean pork…

Xie Bingran held her tray, eyeing the steamed rice dumplings with a puzzled look.

“What’s up?” Xu Chen walked over.

Xie Bingran frowned. “These dumplings have braised meat in them…”

Xu Chen couldn’t help but chuckle.

Up north, rice dumplings were usually sweet, with dates or honey dates.

Something like meat-filled ones felt foreign to northern tastes.

“Try the rice rolls instead; they’re more our style.”

“Oh.”

They sat at a table by the floor-to-ceiling window, overlooking the pond with red koi.

Xu Chen suddenly remembered something and said,

“Tomorrow’s victory celebration—you’ll have to speak on stage. No avoiding it.”

Xie Bingran looked uneasy. “Ah?”

Xu Chen smiled. “Don’t worry, I’ll write your speech. It won’t be long—just thank a bunch of people and read it out.”

“Oh.”

“There might be local media interviews too. Director Feng will send the questions today, and I’ll prepare your answers.”

“I’ll filter out anything tricky.”

“Oh.”

Xu Chen paused. “I feel like I’m turning into your manager.”

After breakfast, they strolled around the courtyard.

They checked out the massive banyan tree, a southern tropical giant with twisting roots burrowing into the nearby wall like some ancient beast.

Two wild mountain cats suddenly darted out, startling Xu Chen.

In a flash, Xie Bingran stepped forward and shielded him.

Xu Chen felt awkward, a mix of embarrassment rising.

Having a girl protect him felt strangely off.

Trying to play tough, Xu Chen pulled Xie Bingran behind him and stepped up front.

Xie Bingran looked up at him, blinking her big eyes in confusion.

Back in the room, it was still early.

Xu Chen turned on the air conditioner and sat on the sofa; Xie Bingran settled in next to him.

“Want to nap? We got up pretty early today.”

Xie Bingran shook her head. “I don’t want to sleep. I want to stay with you.”

Xu Chen said, “…”

Glancing down, he saw she had quietly grabbed his shirt hem again.

Xu Chen hesitated, then extended his hand:

“Next time, just hold my hand.”

Xie Bingran froze but lowered her head:

“I don’t dare…”

“Is there anything the ice-cold one won’t do?”

Xie Bingran bit her lip and stayed still, still clutching his shirt.

Xu Chen couldn’t stand it; he gently took her hand and held it.

“See? That’s better!”

Xie Bingran kept her head down slightly, a blush creeping across her face.

Xu Chen realized his boldness and said,

“Sorry…”

He smiled awkwardly and let go.

Xie Bingran blinked, then reached out and took his hand again.

Though she was the tough one, she was still just a girl.

Her hand was warm and soft, pleasant to touch.

Xu Chen looked down and frowned, a pang of sympathy hitting him.

Faint scars dotted her fingers and the back of her hand.

Those were from her fights.

He recalled when they started talking again, the bandages on her hands and the faint bloodstains.

He gently stroked with his fingers:

“Every seven years, our bodies renew themselves.”

“You’re young; in a few years, these marks will fade.”

Xie Bingran pressed her lips together in silence and pulled her hand back, tucking it into her pocket as if embarrassed.

The tough one always kept her hands in her pockets—probably to hide the wounds.

Especially from him.

A little after ten, they grabbed their bags and left the room.

Xie Bingran didn’t know where they were going, but as long as she was with Xu Chen, it didn’t matter.

Xu Chen checked out and led her to the car.

“Let’s head to the city for some sightseeing and good food!” Xu Chen said with a smile.

“Oh,” Xie Bingran replied.

The car merged onto the smooth highway, with green hills rushing by.

This older fifth-generation Camry was a basic model—no Bluetooth or big screen, just an old FM radio.

The large, clear physical buttons gave it a retro mechanical charm.

Xu Chen turned on the radio and fiddled with the dial to a music station.

The Cantonese-speaking host rattled on energetically.

Xu Chen caught bits of it—it was recapping this year’s top hits.

For the next half-hour, they listened to nostalgic “new” songs.

Invisible Wings, Cao Cao, Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Serious Snow, Letting Go, Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing…

People back then had no idea that the early 2000s music scene would be nostalgically called an era of ‘immortals battling’ in a decade or two.

Listening to these tracks, Xu Chen couldn’t help but sigh—time flies, twenty years in a blink.

In the passenger seat, Xie Bingran stayed quiet, glancing at the speeding scenery, then back at the calm Xu Chen driving.

An hour later, the car pulled into the underground garage of Tianhe City.

“Let’s grab some fruit salads,” Xu Chen suggested with a grin.

“Oh,” Xie Bingran said, following him out.

They took the elevator straight to the fourth floor.

Xu Chen led Xie Bingran around until they found a fruit salad spot.

The shop touted itself as “Hong Kong style,” a recent addition to Yangcheng.

“Can you handle durian?” Xu Chen asked.

Xie Bingran wrinkled her nose. “No…”

Xu Chen laughed. “Then we’ll skip it.”

Mango sago pomelo, mango mille crêpe, assorted fruit salad, iced fruit tea.

In no time, a pile of treats covered the table in front of Xie Bingran.

Xu Chen handed her a small spoon:

“I really enjoy feeding you like this!”

Xie Bingran smiled and scooped up some mango sago, popping it into her mouth.

She licked her lips.

“Good?”

“Mm!” Xie Bingran nodded vigorously.

During their snack, Director Feng Siliang called Xu Chen.

With tomorrow’s victory banquet, several details needed finalizing.

Secretary Xia Gang from the Publicity Department had full trust in Xu Chen, so everything went through him via Feng Siliang.

[Three urgent matters—Mr. Xu, please guide us!]

Feng Siliang was polite as always.

[Hold on, Director Feng, I’ll call you back so we can talk properly.]

Xu Chen looked at Xie Bingran:

“I need to take a work call.”

Xie Bingran, busy eating, just nodded.

Feng’s main concern was the banquet setup.

Xu Zhiquan had secured the venue at a conference hotel in Tiancheng City, a spot used for official meetings—perfect fit.

Wu Yue was handling the admin side, but Feng Siliang’s team controlled the content.

Feng had big ideas, treating it like a full event with entrances and decorations, going on about details.

Xu Chen cut in:

“Director Feng, it’s tomorrow already. Pulling off such a big production might not be feasible—we won’t have time for all those materials.”

Feng hesitated on the line, sounding flustered:

“What do we do? We were too hasty.”

Xu Chen said, “Don’t panic, Director Feng.”

“This event has city and even provincial leaders, plus media. Better to keep it simple and practical—that works in our favor.”

“Make it straightforward and down-to-earth.”

Feng replied, “You’re right, that makes sense.”

Xu Chen continued, “The food and banquet part, don’t worry about that. My dad and the hotel will handle it perfectly to please everyone.”

“We’ll focus on two things.”

“First, the stage setup. Leaders will speak, and Xie Bingran will get her award.”

“It’s simple: a picture poster on the LED screen, a few printed displays.”

“The poster just needs key info like ‘National Games Champion’ and ‘Record Broken.'”

“List organizers: City Publicity Department, Sports Bureau, co-organizer Chenfeng Technology…”

“That’ll do.”

Feng interrupted, “Hold on, Mr. Xu, let me note this down.”

Xu Chen waited a moment.

“Okay, go ahead.”

“We can get the boards made through the Publicity Department or my dad—I’ll send you the draft for approval!”

Feng said, “Perfect! I need to show Secretary Xia.”

“The poster production is covered on our end.”

Xu Chen added, “Second, we need your help with the leadership speeches—who’s speaking and in what order.”

“That’s for the Publicity Department, especially Secretary Xia, to handle.”

“Once that’s set, we can finalize the event flow and have a host tie it together.”

Feng paused, likely jotting notes: “Got it. I’ll discuss with Secretary Xia right away.”

“He’s personally invited the city leaders and given preliminary notices.”

“We haven’t detailed the speeches yet.”

“We have a host ready—one of our colleagues who’s great at this.”

Xu Chen asked, “You mentioned three things—what are the other two?”

Feng replied, “Guest invites and media coverage.”

Xu Chen said, “Leave the leaders to Secretary Xia and you.”

“My dad can coordinate on the company side, but we’ll follow your lead.”

“I’ll handle Xie Bingran’s coach and teachers.”

“Keep the guest list small and secure since important figures are attending.”

Feng agreed, “Exactly our plan!”

“For media, City TV and newspapers can send outlines in advance for us to review.”

“I’ll prep Xie Bingran’s parts privately.”

Feng chuckled awkwardly, “You’ve seen through our mess, Mr. Xu.”

“The timeline’s tight with all these officials involved—it’s got me on edge!”

“Thanks for sorting this out—it’s a huge help!”

——