"Then can you slap once and let kiss you again?" Long Yifan asked expectantly.
Gu Jin took a deep breath, staring at Long Yifan like he had lost his mind.
"Are you asking for a beating?"
Long Yifan rubbed his sore cheek, but his grin remained shaless.
"Not a beating, just another chance. Maybe the slap will make the next kiss even sweeter?"
Gu Jin scoffed. Without another word, she turned on her heel and marched toward her room.
Long Yifan hurriedly followed, still grinning despite the clear warning in her eyes.
As Gu Jin swiped her keycard and pushed the door open, she paused and glanced at him.
"Go to your own room, Long Yifan."
He sighed dramatically as if she had just broken his heart.
"You wound , Gu Jin. What if I get lonely?"
"Then make friends with the wall."
She stepped inside and shut the door in his face.
Long Yifan blinked at the closed door before chuckling to himself.
"Fiery as always."
With a resigned shrug, he headed to his own room next door.
Inside her room, Gu Jin leaned against the door and exhaled.
Her heart was still beating a little too fast from what had just happened.
She had never expected to have her first accidental kiss stolen by Long Yifan of all people.
That shaless, insufferable man!
Shaking her head, she pushed the mory away and walked toward the bed.
Sleep was what she needed right now, not unnecessary distractions.
anwhile, in his own room, Long Yifan lay on his bed, hands behind his head, staring at the ceiling with a smirk.
His one hand was on his lips, and he kept on reminiscing about the kiss.
Those soft, plump lips with jelly-like texture.
Ah...
Long Yifan wished he could live that mont, even if it was only for a second more.
Rembering the look in Gu Jin’s eyes, he couldn’t help but laugh.
"She looked cute. Even when she slapped , she looked so cool! Ah! One day I will definitely die because of her beauty..."
As for feeling hurt because of getting slapped? Long Yifan felt he deserved the slap.
What he did want, though, was to be able to kiss Gu Jin, even if it ant he would be slapped.
.................................
The next morning, the city was still buzzing with news of what had happened at the hotel.
Gu Jin woke up feeling refreshed, despite the chaos from the previous night.
As she got ready, she checked her phone and saw hundreds of ssages from supporters online, all cheering her on for the upcoming National Alchemy Competition.
She hadn’t expected people to rally behind her so fiercely.
A part of her was touched, but another part reminded herself not to get too comfortable with the attention. Public support was fickle, after all.
Just as she was about to leave her room, a knock sounded at her door.
"Gu Jin! It’s !" Long Yifan’s voice was far too cheerful for this early in the morning.
She opened the door, arms crossed. "What do you want?"
He leaned against the doorfra, looking entirely too relaxed. "Breakfast."
She raised an eyebrow. "So? Go eat."
He pouted. "Alone? How tragic. Co on, Gu Jin. After last night’s incident, don’t you think we should at least share a al?"
Gu Jin stared at him for a long mont before sighing. "Fine. But if you try anything weird again, I will actually break your bones."
Long Yifan grinned. "Noted! Let’s go!"
And with that, the two of them headed down to the hotel restaurant.
As soon as Gu Jin sat down, all the people in the restaurant started to stare at her.
Gu Jin maintained her cold facade.
Few of the brave approached her and asked for her autograph. Gu Jin numbly signed them.
So of them even cheered for the competition.
Gu Jin only nodded.
As the crowd moved away, a young boy around 14 years old stayed behind. With a hesitant look, he passed a pink envelope to Gu Jin and said with a red face,
"Please...read this letter."
Gu Jin stared at the pink envelope in her hand, then lifted her gaze to the boy in front of her.
His face was burning red, his hands clenched into fists as if he had just gathered every ounce of courage he had to approach her.
Long Yifan, sitting across from her, arched an eyebrow and leaned forward, resting his chin on his palm. His lips twitched with amusent.
"Oh? A love letter?" he teased.
The boy flinched and looked like he wanted to run away, but he held his ground, determination flickering in his eyes.
Gu Jin sighed, placing the envelope on the table.
"I’ll read it later," she said calmly.
The boy exhaled in relief and quickly bowed.
"Thank you! I—I’ll be cheering for you in the competition!" Then, before either of them could say anything else, he turned and sprinted away.
Long Yifan watched the boy disappear, then smirked at Gu Jin.
"Ah, my dear Gu Jin, you’re quite popular. A young admirer, huh? Should I be jealous?"
Gu Jin gave him an unimpressed look. "Jealous? Of a fourteen-year-old?"
Long Yifan clicked his tongue.
"Age doesn’t matter when it cos to admiration! I bet if you actually read that letter, you’d find a heartfelt confession in there."
Gu Jin rolled her eyes and picked up her chopsticks.
"If you have so much energy to gossip, focus on eating instead."
"If I give you a love letter, will you read it?" Long Yifan asked.
"I will burn it right away." Gu Jin said calmly.
Long Yifan smiled helplessly and said,
"You are truly heartless."
Gu Jin ignored.
With one more day in her hand, she decided to inspect all of her shops.
Song Hancheng and Su Qing had shifted Beijing, too.
Occasionally, they would return to inspect the shops in Fujio City.
Gu Jin planned to check the services and ensure that no custor was mistreated.
Just as she left her hotel room after changing her disguise into a poor woman, Long Yifan exited, too.
Seeing her appearance, he asked,
"Where are you going? Can I tag along too?"
Gu Jin adjusted the worn-out shawl draped over her shoulders and shot Long Yifan a warning look.
"No," she said flatly.
Long Yifan dramatically clutched his chest. "Ouch. My fragile heart can’t take this rejection!"
Gu Jin ignored his theatrics and started walking toward the elevator.
But Long Yifan, ever persistent, fell into step beside her.
"Co on," he said, eyeing her disguise with interest.
"You’re clearly going undercover for sothing. I swear I won’t get in the way."
Gu Jin stopped and turned to him with an arched brow.
"If you co with , you’ll need to disguise yourself too."
Long Yifan grinned. "Easy. I can be a beggar, too!"
Gu Jin sighed, already regretting this.
But knowing Long Yifan, he wouldn’t leave her alone unless she agreed.
"Fine," she muttered. "But if you ss this up, I will make you regret it."
Long Yifan bead. "Noted!"
Dressed in ragged clothes, the two of them blended into the bustling streets of Fujio City. Gu Jin walked with confidence, knowing exactly where she needed to go.
The first stop was a high-end alchemy store under her na, known for its premium dicinal pills.
The store was packed with custors, and the attendants were busy helping them.
Gu Jin and Long Yifan quietly entered, pretending to be poor commoners.
The mont an employee spotted them, his nose wrinkled in disgust.
"Hey, you two! This isn’t a place for beggars. Get lost before I call security!"
Long Yifan raised an eyebrow, glancing at Gu Jin. "Wow. That was fast."
Gu Jin’s expression remained calm, but inside, anger simred.
She stepped forward and said in a weak, trembling voice,
"Please, sir. I just wanted to ask if there are any affordable cultivation pills..."
The employee scoffed.
"Hah! Affordable? Do you think this is a charity? Get out before you scare away our real custors."
A few custors turned to watch, so frowning at the employee’s harsh words, while others simply ignored them.
Gu Jin clenched her fists. This was her store, and this was how they treated people?
Before she could say anything, another voice cut through the tension.
"What’s going on here?"
A tall man in a refined robe stepped out from the back. His sharp eyes landed on Gu Jin and Long Yifan, then shifted to the employee.
"They’re beggars, Manager Zhang," the employee sneered. "I was just telling them to leave."
Manager Zhang frowned and studied Gu Jin carefully.
Sothing about her deanor felt off.
Gu Jin t his gaze and, in a quiet but firm voice, said,
"Is this how this store treats the poor? I’ve heard rumors that the owner of this place is a fair and righteous person. But it seems like the workers here don’t share that philosophy."
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