Chapter 92

Essentially, Bak didn’t feel that marriage or dating required completely cutting off communication with the opposite sex, but since Zhou Xiaoli was particularly concerned about this, he decided to respect the young lady’s opinion.

So, after having a bowl of steaming hot and spicy noodles with Zhou Xiaoli as breakfast, he watched her go to work in casual clothes. Bak, putting on his quick-dry jacket, decided to go home first to empty his heavy backpack, then go to the training center to paint. Although there were no classes today, there were weekend classes, and he thought it should be fine to paint there.

But even though he didn’t contact anyone else, Fang Lingying called: "Are you free yet?! Bak! Hurry up, I guarantee you'll like it!" Her voice was very excited and casual.

Bak stuffed the phone into the gap in his helmet and continued riding: "What’s so exciting that you’re making such a fuss?" It seemed quiet on the other end of the phone.

Fang Lingying kept him in suspense: "Just come! I don’t know why, but I just feel you’ll definitely like it. Come and see, I’ve already bragged to my friends that you’re definitely an expert..."

Bak was still a bit hesitant, but Fang Lingying’s last sentence pushed him over: "You ran away that day, and the police kept questioning me for a long time. You owe me one, don’t you?"

Alright, Bak turned around on the still somewhat empty streets at a little past eight in the morning and headed to the place Fang Lingying directed him to.

In a city with beautiful mountains and clear waters, the art academy was in the southwestern suburbs, the temple and mountain climbing spot was in the northwest, and the place Fang Lingying mentioned was in the east, almost spanning the entire city, about twenty to thirty kilometers away. But Bak easily accelerated his motorcycle to 140 kilometers per hour. As the surrounding buildings decreased, he entered the scenic area in the eastern suburbs, surrounded by green mountains and clear waters. Perhaps this was why Bak deeply loved his hometown—just a short distance from the bustling metropolis was a quiet and lush forest. Having traveled to many places, he still found this hometown, with its diverse and colorful landscapes, the most worth cherishing.

Just like those beautiful women with different personalities?

Bak unexpectedly thought of this analogy as the motorcycle drove off the highway. If the mist around the temple before required a certain height to envelop, and the green moss was only visible at the edges, here it was a sea of green and dense fog. There were few vehicles, but there were police officers on duty at the foot of the mountain, not allowing trucks to enter, though they didn’t charge a fee. They just waved the high-end white motorcycle through to protect the scenic area with its primeval forest.

The remaining few kilometers of mountain road were almost a lung-cleansing journey, the feeling of gliding through the mist could only be described as pleasant. The road was excellent, and only the occasional sign for a countryside inn reminded one that people lived here. Most other tourists chose to climb the mountain, just like Zhou Xiaoli, by walking up the steps.

Arriving at a bus stop at the top of the mountain, there was a farmers' market nearby with more locals. There were even people leading horses to attract tourists to try something new. Bak called Fang Lingying as instructed, clarified the final location, and then sped off amidst the curious inquiries about the motorcycle’s price from several horse handlers.

Fang Lingying had a good sense of direction. She first mentioned a large, easy-to-find location, then gave precise directions: "Take the left fork and go straight for four hundred meters. On your left, there’s an old red sign and an iron gate. It looks like no one lives there, but it’s called Fenglin Villa. When you get to the iron gate, say you were introduced by Ahkun, and you can come in!"

Bak laughed and hung up the phone, feeling like it was some kind of illegal activity. Oh, this girl is a police officer, after all?

The distance was close, and sure enough, after passing a few similar countryside inns, the somewhat dilapidated Fenglin Villa appeared on the roadside. If no one had pointed it out, he might have passed by. Now, seeing the fallen branches and leaves and the long stone wall almost covering the roadside, Bak found it quite interesting. The fork leading to the inn was deliberately filled with leaves, but the tire tracks showed that many cars had entered today.

The dense, towering trees on the side of the road blocked the sky, and Bak felt a bit of a gloomy atmosphere as he turned in. Fortunately, he soon saw the iron gate. An old man was smoking in a shed inside, and Bak saw a walkie-talkie next to his crossed legs when he approached on his white motorcycle!

After giving the password, the old man opened the iron gate and let Bak in. Inside, the moss-covered cement road looked rarely used, but there were many tire tracks, and the motorcycle even skidded a bit. But as he turned past the untrimmed, lush shrubs, he saw a large open area, now filled with vehicles!

All kinds of cars and SUVs, and there was Fang Lingying, wearing a gray-green windbreaker and jeans, standing at the entrance with a smile!

Bak was puzzled: "You... are you trying to set me up?" He parked his motorcycle next to Fang Lingying and lifted his helmet visor.

Fang Lingying looked at his clothes and nodded, impatiently: "This way, this way, come and see." She reached out to pull the strap of the backpack on Bak’s shoulder: "Just leave it here, no one will steal it."

Bak found it a bit strange. The vehicles ranged from the cheapest domestic cars to million-dollar Land Rovers, most with their doors open, but no one around. He parked his motorcycle in a place that wouldn’t block anyone’s exit before taking off his helmet and backpack and looking around: "What’s so interesting?"

Fang Lingying reached out to pull his sleeve, let go, and walked ahead to lead the way: "You’ll see."

The two walked up the corridor, passing by a few girls who just glanced at them. Fang Lingying clearly wasn’t familiar with them, just waving. On the other side of the pond was a dilapidated large house, similar to the canteen Bak had seen as a child. Someone was cooking inside, but outside was a similarly dilapidated open area. So far, Bak hadn’t seen anything that made him curious.

But when Fang Lingying led him around the large house, hidden behind it, suddenly there was a lot of noise. A large crowd was behind the house, and Fang Lingying turned around proudly.

But she saw Bak’s face change dramatically!

His whole body... it wasn’t exactly trembling, but Fang Lingying felt that Bak had the impulse to turn and run!

At least since she had picked him up, she had never seen such a frightened expression on his face!