Chapter 191: Yurine, You're That Wild?
The end of July wasn't really the best time to travel to the Jiangnan region; it was simply too hot.
Take Hangzhou, for example. The average daily temperature these days was between 33°C and 38°C (91°F - 100°F), with the "feels like" temperature often breaking 40°C (104°F) in the afternoon. At these temperatures, it was unbearable to be away from air conditioning, and impossible to get in the mood for sightseeing. Many places were just not suitable to visit.
However, in such a large area, there were always places suitable for a summer retreat, such as Mogan Mountain or Liyang.
On the morning of July 26th, Ryohei Tanaka and Yurine departed from Tokyo's Narita International Airport and flew to Hangzhou's Xiaoshan International Airport.
There was no direct transportation from Xiaoshan International Airport to Mogan Mountain; it required several transfers, which was a hassle. When Ryohei and Yurine were planning their trip, they decided it would be easier to just rent a car and drive there themselves. As for the driver's license, they had naturally asked Lucoa to take care of it.
The two easily rented a Mercedes at the airport rental shop, set up the navigation, and set off for Mogan Mountain.
First, they turned onto the highway next to the airport, flanked by neat rows of trees, with a distant glimpse of Hangzhou Bay. After merging onto the S09 provincial road, the terrain began to rise and fall. Mountains appeared like dark ink paintings in the distance, and the bamboo forests nearby grew denser. The Deqing section of the drive was crisscrossed by a network of waterways. Occasionally, they could see small bridges over flowing streams and white egrets gliding over the lakes, which reflected the blue sky and white clouds. The scenery was exceptionally beautiful.
"Hey, Ryohei-kun..." Yurine rested her right arm on the car window, propping her cheek on her hand as she admired the passing scenery. She suddenly turned her head to look at Ryohei to her left. "Do you think Lucoa is secretly following us, doing her so-called 'human observation'?"
"That... probably not, right?" Ryohei said, holding the steering wheel and glancing at Yurine with a smile. In truth, he had very little confidence in Lucoa and felt she was entirely capable of pulling such a stunt.
At that very moment, high in the sky, from behind a white cloud, Lucoa couldn't help but mutter to herself, 'I've been found out? No way!'
Normally, if she intended to hide, it would be impossible for anyone to discover her. But Yurine was clearly not a normal person. To be honest, even Lucoa couldn't quite see through her...
Just as Lucoa was feeling alarmed and uncertain, inside the Mercedes, Yurine kicked off her small leather shoes and propped her legs—clad in summer-weight, ultra-thin white stockings—onto Ryohei's lap.
"I don't care! Anyway, from now on, you need to do more intimate things with me, Ryohei-kun! If she is following us, we'll just kill her with our public displays of affection!"
"From now on!?" Ryohei turned to look at Yurine, his expression one of pure shock. You're that wild? I'm still driving, you know! Isn't this a little unsafe? This is a rental car; who knows how clean it is. And there are traffic cameras on this road. Are we going to be photographed? There are other cars, too. Maybe I should find a secluded spot to park first?
"Why are you so shocked?"
Seeing Ryohei's overly astonished expression, Yurine looked at him strangely. Then, she understood in an instant. Her face, even her ears, turned bright red. She pulled her feet back as if she'd been electrocuted, hugged her knees, and huffed, "I meant when we get to our destination, we should act as intimately as possible! We'll kill her with our affection!"
"Oh, I misunderstood." Ryohei showed no sign of embarrassment. In fact, he was quite tempted by the idea and began to ponder what kind of car would be suitable... yes, he decided he would buy another car.
"Hentai!" Yurine spat softly.
"Is it my fault?" Ryohei put on an innocent face. "You're the one who said it in such a misleading way, and you put your legs over here..."
"My fault, my fault," Yurine grumbled, rolling her eyes at Ryohei and taking the blame.
"..." Up in the sky, Lucoa felt like she was watching a sweet romantic comedy, and also a bit targeted by their display.
...
As the car neared Mogan Mountain, the scenery became even more beautiful.
The wide, smooth concrete road wound its way through the mountains, flanked on both sides by a sea of bamboo. When the wind blew, the bamboo shadows swayed, making a rustling sound. Mountain streams gurgled, and occasional waterfalls could be glimpsed. The air grew fresher, and the oppressive summer heat vanished, as if they had driven into a "green wonderland."
Yurine breathed in the fresh mountain air, enjoying the natural breeze. She glanced at the navigation; they were ten minutes away from their destination.
"We're finally almost there!" She raised her arms and stretched in her seat. Her lazy voice held a trace of melancholy. "First the plane, and now this long car ride. My butt is starting to go numb!"
It had been nearly three hours on the plane and almost two hours in the car. It was an exhausting journey.
Hearing this, Ryohei kept his left hand on the steering wheel and, very naturally, reached over with his right. "I'll rub it for you."
"Thanks, but no thanks! Just keep your eyes on the road!" Yurine slapped his hand away, chiding him.
"I am keeping my eyes on the road," Ryohei said with a perfectly straight face. "I recently learned how to multitask. I can totally drive and rub your butt at the same time!"
Today was Monday, and he had acquired a new green-tier ability: [One Mind, Two Uses]. He wasn't lying about that part.
Yurine thought he was joking and found it rather funny. "Now you've even come up with multitasking! You big pervert!"
"I won't deny the pervert part, but the multitasking part is true."
"You're not even denying you're a pervert!" Yurine was surprised for a second, then crossed her arms and huffed. "But I guess you can't really deny it. At least you're honest."
"..." Ryohei was momentarily stunned. He never thought he'd be awarded an "honesty card." He was speechless for a moment, then, seeing the Republican-era-style town that was growing larger in their field of vision, he turned to Yurine and said, "That's Yucun up ahead. Want to stop and look around first?"
Yucun was an unavoidable stop on the way into Mogan Mountain, and a major check-in spot for tourists. The destination on their navigation was the "Le Passage Mohkan Shan" resort hotel, where they would be staying for the next two days. It was located on Yucun Street, about 1.5 kilometers from their current position.
"Sure. It's only four o'clock. Let's get out and walk around," Yurine, who had helped plan the trip, naturally knew about Yucun. She didn't hesitate and nodded her agreement.
With that, Ryohei changed the destination and drove the car into Yucun...
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