Chapter 428: Dawn in Kun City

The next morning, Xu Chen woke to the clear, crisp dawn light of Kun City.

He reached out, feeling for the wealthy girl, but she wasn’t there.

It was one of those moments when a hug was essential, and her absence stirred a bit of morning grumpiness.

Xu Chen sprawled on the spot where Xie Bingran had slept, burying his head in the pillow and inhaling deeply.

……

Grumbling to himself, Xu Chen got up, freshened up, and changed clothes before heading straight to the gym.

Sure enough, he spotted Bing Ge just finishing her workout.

“I thought you’d sleep in a bit longer,” Xie Bingran said.

She had earphones in, connected to the iPod Xu Chen had given her.

Xu Chen: “Is it useful?”

Xie Bingran: “It’s great.”

Without asking, she slipped into his arms.

Xu Chen’s heart softened instantly.

Any lingering annoyance vanished in a flash.

As he held Xie Bingran, he couldn’t resist kissing her cheek.

“You’re sweaty…” Xie Bingran said, a touch embarrassed.

“I like it,” Xu Chen replied with a smile.

“Bing Ge, you get up so early every day.”

“It’s a habit—I’m usually up at 6 a.m. for training.”

“Come on, let’s get some food for the little foodie.”

……

A few minutes later, at the buffet restaurant.

Xu Chen asked the chef to make a small pot of beef rice noodles—he’d discovered he loved them.

Bing Ge stuck to her usual: eggs, corn, milk, and steamed buns, eating every bite clean.

“Today, I’ll take you to Dianchi Lake, then we can drive around it.”

Xie Bingran: “Okay.”

……

……

As the car reached the Dianchi shoreline, Xie Bingran rolled down the window and was quietly amazed by the view.

“Isn’t this a highland area? How can there be a sea?”

Xu Chen: “Technically, it’s a highland lake, but it’s so vast it looks like the sea.”

The cool wind from the window tousled Xie Bingran’s short hair.

She blinked her big eyes and looked up:

“But there are so many seagulls!”

Xu Chen glanced over, thinking that despite Bing Ge’s usual cool demeanor, she was still just a young girl at heart.

The novelty of it all sparked her curiosity and excitement.

……

Dianchi’s shoreline stretches over 160 kilometers.

Haigang Dam sits right at the northern end.

In the morning light, it’s the best spot to watch the seagulls.

Xu Chen parked the car in the nearby lot, turned off the engine, and set the handbrake.

He turned to the wealthy girl and grabbed a new black mask from the back seat.

Xie Bingran reached for it, but Xu Chen smiled and said:

“Let me help you put it on…”

With his left hand, he tucked her right cheek’s hair behind her ear and carefully looped the mask’s straps over her pretty ear.

Xie Bingran blinked, a shy smile crossing her face.

Xu Chen found it amusing and quickly stole a kiss on her soft lips before she could react.

Then, with a mischievous grin, he secured the mask fully.

……

They got out of the car, hand in hand, and walked toward the dam.

Kun City was comfortably warm, perfect for living.

Xu Chen thought of something and smiled as he glanced at Xie Bingran.

“What is it?” Xie Bingran asked.

Xu Chen: “I think the climate here is pretty nice.”

Xie Bingran: “And?”

Xu Chen: “If you like it, maybe I’ll buy a house here someday…

We could come for the winter.”

Xie Bingran blinked, then said seriously:

“If you like it, I’ll buy it!”

Xu Chen teased:

“True, I don’t have as much money as the wealthy girl!”

As he spoke, he wrapped an arm around Bing Ge’s shoulders.

……

Morning light danced on the water, a gentle breeze stirred the air.

Dianchi’s surface shimmered, the dam bustled with people, and seagulls filled the sky.

Vendors lined the path, and seeing Xu Chen and Xie Bingran approach, one called out:

“Want some bread? Great for feeding the seagulls!”

Xu Chen went over, bought two bags for twenty yuan.

……

The dam wasn’t too crowded with visitors.

Xu Chen recalled that in his past life, around 2017, it had been packed shoulder to shoulder.

With fewer people now, it made for a better stroll.

Seagulls swirled everywhere, a white flurry.

Xie Bingran, a girl from the northern inland, found it all so fresh.

“There are way more here than we saw at the Persian Gulf in Doha,” Xie Bingran said.

Xu Chen crumbled a piece of bread and tossed it toward the water—dozens of seagulls dove in, not leaving a crumb.

He handed the other bag to Xie Bingran.

“These seagulls fly in from Li Bai’s homeland.”

Xie Bingran looked puzzled: “Li Bai’s homeland?”

Xu Chen gazed at the vast morning waters:

“Yes.

They say these seagulls come from Lake Baikal in Siberia to winter here.”

Bing Ge clearly didn’t know the story: “What’s that got to do with Li Bai?”

Xu Chen: “There’s a tale that Li Bai was born near Lake Baikal, in a place called Suiye City.”

Xie Bingran thought for a moment: “Suiye City… that name sounds nice.”

Bing Ge picked up a piece of bread.

Instead of throwing it, she held her arm up, suspending it in the air.

A few seagulls circled overhead, then cautiously descended.

After testing, they mustered courage, flapping their pure white wings to hover near her hand.

They snatched the bread.

Xie Bingran watched, head tilted up.

The Dianchi breeze gently ruffled her hair.

Her big eyes caught the morning light, sparkling clear…

Xu Chen snapped a mental picture.

He also thought of ‘Suiye City’.

The Li Bai born there had bold spirit but also a sense of fragmentation in a prosperous era.

Bing Ge was a girl with both bold spirit and a fragile beauty.

Yet, she differed fundamentally from Li Bai.

Luckily, as the ‘Asian Flying Woman,’ Xie Bingran wouldn’t face any unfulfilled ambitions.

……

Suddenly, more tourists appeared, all here for the seagulls.

Young couples, groups of friends, parents with kids…

Someone tossed bread crumbs into the water, and a sudden gust whipped up.

The wind carried two bread pieces straight toward Xu Chen’s face.

At the same time, a seagull lunged, claws aimed at him!

Xu Chen’s vision blurred—he sensed danger but couldn’t dodge.

Bing Ge reacted fast, swatting it away with a slap…

The poor seagull didn’t even cry out before it flew off.

It tumbled in the air, nearly hitting the water, then recovered and flapped back up.

Xie Bingran looked at Xu Chen with worry.

They both said at once:

“Are you okay?!”

Xu Chen felt an itch on his face.

Xie Bingran reached up and plucked two white feathers from his cheek.

Xu Chen gave an awkward smile:

“I’m fine.”

He took her hand, checking it over—no injuries.

Still shaken.

……

With Xu Chen holding her hand, Xie Bingran let out a relieved breath.

Xu Chen joked:

“I feel so useless always needing Bing Ge to protect me.”

Xie Bingran narrowed her eyes, a hint of reproach in her gaze:

“Then be more careful.”

Xu Chen: “Oh.”

He held onto Xie Bingran’s hand, not letting go.

In the shimmering water reflections, he noticed faint old scars on her soft hand.

They were Bing Ge’s marks.

Xu Chen smiled to himself.

He thought that if it had been some reckless young guy instead of the wind, they’d have been in trouble…

Feeling a mix of heartache and tenderness, he pulled Xie Bingran into his arms.

……

……

Approaching noon.

Xu Chen drove the wealthy girl to ‘Gandu Ancient Town’ on Dianchi’s east shore.

A must-see in Kun City, it was a bustling ferry port since the Tang and Song dynasties.

He brought the foodie here mainly to eat.

They parked and wandered into the ancient town.

With its antique arcades and shops everywhere.

They passed a Buddhist temple.

Xu Chen glanced at a pamphlet from the entrance—apparently, there were ‘six temples, seven pavilions, and eight shrines.’

Since it was a rare vacation together, they just browsed casually without a set plan.

If a temple looked interesting, they’d stop in to pay respects.

If a pavilion was good for resting, they’d sit a while…

“Hungry?”

“Not really, I ate a big breakfast.”

“Then let’s grab something light.”

“Okay.”

……

They caught a sweet scent in the air and asked the vendor—it was a Yunnan specialty called ‘Gandu flatbread.’

It looked a bit like northern baked flatbreads.

Xu Chen tried one fresh from the oven, steaming hot.

To make sure it was okay for Bing Ge, he tasted it first—sesame, peanuts, walnuts, nothing problematic.

Then he broke off a big piece and popped it into Xie Bingran’s mouth.

“Good?”

Xie Bingran’s cheeks puffed out cutely as she nodded: “Mm…”

Later, they saw a stand selling tofu pudding.

Xie Bingran glanced at it, wrinkling her brow as if afraid.

“What’s wrong?” Xu Chen asked.

“It has sugar… and even spicy versions…”

Xu Chen laughed.

They both preferred the northern savory style from Tiancheng.

“The spicy one’s a bit extreme, but the sweet one might be worth trying…”

Xu Chen ordered a small bowl of sweet tofu pudding, adding red beans, peanuts, and mango.

He set it in front of Xie Bingran, who hesitated, spoon in hand.

“It’s not bad—like a dessert. If we went to Taiwan, it’d be similar.”

The foodie resisted at first, but after a couple of prods from Xu Chen, she couldn’t stop.

He found it funny and ended up sharing half the bowl.

……

After snacks, they had a proper meal.

The most authentic Yunnan rice noodles in Gandu Ancient Town—shrimp ones for Xie Bingran, minced pork for Xu Chen.

Xie Bingran held her phone, replying to messages.

“Is it Su Rong again?” Xu Chen asked.

“No, Coach Cheng wants to know my schedule today…”

Xu Chen’s phone buzzed nonstop—it was messages from the college and class groups.

Mostly about the University Advertising Competition and Great Wall Award—being the one congratulated, he didn’t bother opening them.

Gu Xinxi sent a few updates.

It was about the ‘Calling Spring’ project going live.

This involved Yichun City’s officials, so they were coordinating directly with Director Lou Ting from the Publicity Department—no separate online group.

[Boss, ‘Calling Spring’ is kicking off. Yichun City’s forums and BBS are buzzing with discussions. It’s hot, but there’s controversy and some negative feedback…]

Xu Chen: [It’s expected. Don’t panic. Just follow the plan—we’ve covered all contingencies.]

Gu Xinxi: [Got it, boss, but Director Lou Ting seems on edge.]

Xu Chen thought for a moment: [Tell Jiao Tianbo to calm her down. Everything’s been rehearsed with steps and backups. Stay on track—don’t let negative comments throw off the rhythm… We need nationwide buzz before we wrap it up.]

Gu Xinxi: [Understood.]

Xu Chen: [Have Jiao Tianbo handle the reassurance first. If needed, we can set up a call.]

Gu Xinxi: [Will do!]

……

Xu Chen had managed enough projects to know things could shift mid-execution.

For something like ‘Calling Spring,’ which relied on public opinion, they had to stay steady and methodical.

The last thing they needed was their own team panicking and messing up the flow.

Jiao Tianbo might not be the most skilled, but he had a good rapport with Director Lou Ting and a calm nature, so he’d manage.

……

Xu Chen set his phone down and saw Xie Bingran still messaging.

“Reporting to Coach Cheng for that long?” he teased.

Xie Bingran typed a response: “He mentioned a small competition and might want me to join.”

Xu Chen: “Weren’t you skipping those?”

Xie Bingran nodded: “After the Asian Games, Coach Sun planned for me to focus on major events. Small ones are just for practice and staying sharp.”

Xu Chen smiled: “Where and when?”

Xie Bingran: “Not sure yet. He just brought it up in a meeting. Fastest would be next month…”

She calculated: “Next month is Lunar New Year. You don’t have to come—it’s minor, and I might not even go all out.”

Xu Chen: “Alright, we’ll check the dates then.”

He paused: “What big events are coming up?”

……

……