Chapter Twenty-One: The Hotel

  Two people finished their breakfast in a pleasant atmosphere.

  Su Tong is lazy about cooking and not good at it, with no talent or intuition for kitchen work. Her dishes are either overcooked or undercooked, too salty or too bland. Before living alone, she always ate her mother's cooking. After starting to live alone, she tried a few times but failed, and her enthusiasm gradually faded away. She ended up eating more and more carelessly, having lunch at the office during the day and just making something simple to fill her stomach when she got home. Moreover, she even found a very convincing excuse for herself - wasting food is the biggest crime, especially when it comes to grains!

  But have to admit, delicious food can indeed bring a sense of happiness and satisfaction, just like her eating the scrambled eggs with ham sandwich made by Tang Wei, drinking a freshly brewed cup of rich coffee in the morning, feeling refreshed and invigorated, of course, this also has something to do with having a good sleep the night before thanks to Tang Wei.

  And a man who is good-looking, has a gentle temper and can cook is truly a bonus.

  "This coffee is really good, did you go out and buy it?" Su Tong asked while sipping her coffee, only to realize afterwards that she had asked a silly question again. Tang Ao didn't even have the key to his own house, how could he possibly run out early in the morning to buy coffee and then come back, and even pour the bought coffee into his own mug? It was simply impossible. Why did her usual intelligent self always seem to say foolish things whenever she encountered Tang Ao? She almost didn't dare imagine what kind of impression she would leave on him.

  Tang Ao shook his head, slightly turning his body to let Su Tong see the coffee machine that had been blocked by him on the operating table: "I usually like to drink coffee, I have to drink some every day, especially in the morning, it's a must-have cup to feel comfortable. This morning when I got up, I found that your home didn't have any coffee, so I planned to go back to my place and cook some and bring it over. At that time, it was still early and you hadn't woken up yet. I opened the door and only then thought that after I went back, I would come back here again, but I couldn't get in the door anymore! So...I left your house door open, opened my own house door, and rushed in at the fastest speed to grab the coffee bean jar and the coffee machine, and hurriedly ran back."

  After finishing, he also felt that he didn't show himself as calm and wise, and smiled a little awkwardly. Su Tong couldn't help but laugh too. Originally she thought it was just her being silly, now it seems that Tang Ao would also involuntarily be silly in front of her. The feeling of two people being silly together is much better than one person being silly alone.

  After finishing breakfast, Tang Ao wanted to wash the dishes. Su Tong didn't have the nerve to let him do it after he had already made breakfast for her, so she hurriedly competed with him to do it. The two of them were being polite back and forth when a knocking sound came from outside the door. Su Tong was startled by the knocking sound, and Tang Ao also noticed it. He quickly told her, "Don't be nervous, now that it's daylight, that thing definitely won't come out to cause trouble at this time. You go open the door, I'll take care of things here."

  Su Tong finally let out a breath of relief, feeling that she had been scared out of her wits and was still reacting with shock. She walked to the door and looked outside through the peephole, where Zhang Min was standing, knocking on the door while checking his watch.

  As soon as she saw Zhang Min, Su Tong suddenly realized that she had completely forgotten about him. The day before last night, before the series of scares, Zhang Min seemed to have called her and said that there were some changes in the work plan for the next day, and he would come over to pick her up, not giving her a chance to refuse, and simply confirmed it by himself. Originally, Su Tong was still very annoyed about this, but what happened later completely washed away this small episode from her memory. If Zhang Min wasn't standing at the door now, she might have thought that the phone call had never happened.

  Su Tong opened the door, and Zhang Min looked particularly spirited, with a big smile on his face, enthusiastically waving at Su Tong: "Su Tong, I'm here to pick you up. Have you had breakfast? I haven't eaten yet. How about we head out together after this, go have some breakfast first, and then do the interview?"

  "I've already eaten, sorry about that. Why don't you go eat instead? We can just meet up at the first place later." As soon as Su Tong heard this, she hurriedly declined. She was now regretting having given Zhang Mintai a chance to save face the day before. It seemed like he felt he still had an opportunity and was showing signs of wanting to get close again. However, after being burned once, Su Tong only felt repulsed by Zhang Min. The more enthusiastically he approached her, the more she felt embarrassed and resistant. Unfortunately, Zhang Min's most annoying personality trait was that he never clearly expressed his attitude, instead using a ambiguous and evasive tone to interact with Su Tong. This attitude of wanting to pursue but not having the courage to do so, yet still trying to probe and tease, was really frustrating and made her want to avoid him at all costs.

  Zhang Min wouldn't choose to leave so easily, and without thinking, he immediately changed his tune: "Actually, I've already eaten too. Just now, I was worried that you hadn't had a chance to eat yet, so I wanted to accompany you. Since you've also already had breakfast, then the two of us can set off together now. There's no need for us to go separately."

  Su Tong subconsciously furrowed his brow, silently sighed and said to him: "Then wait for me for a moment, I'll just get my bag. You don't need to come in, just stand outside the door."

  Zhang Ming just about to step into the door slightly retracted his foot, but the movement only paused and did not really stop. He ignored Su Tong's verbal obstruction and stepped across the threshold, standing at the door looking around the room: "Su Tong, are you living alone or with your family? Is this house yours or rented? It feels quite cozy, not bad, one look at you and it's clear that you're a woman who values home and family."

  Su Tong didn't even intend to pay attention to him and walked over to the wardrobe to get his coat and leather bag.

  Tang Ao heard the voices outside and knew that Su Tong was leaving, so he also carried his coffee machine out of the kitchen and said to Su Tong: "Su Tong, are you going to work? Then I'll go back first."

  Tang Ao's appearance completely changed the expression on Zhang Min's face. His original smile was swept away in an instant, and his two eyes stared at Tang Ao, sizing him up from head to toe. There was both hostility and scrutiny in his gaze. Tang Ao also noticed this, but didn't respond. Before leaving, he reminded Su Tong not to forget their noon appointment. Su Tong hastily agreed, as this was the most important thing for her right now. Since it was daytime and Tang Ao was still there, she didn't feel extremely fearful. However, if night were to fall, this house would become a nightmare. She wouldn't dare stay here alone, nor could she continue asking Tang Ao to stay and keep her company, as that would be unreasonable.

  When the two of them were talking in a low voice, Zhang Min's expression at the door was extremely complicated. His eyes kept glancing over there and he tried to perk up his ears to listen clearly to their conversation. When Tang Hao left, he politely said hello to him, but he had a very proud look on his face, only slightly nodding his chin in response. Tang Hao didn't mind and carried his coffee machine to open the door of his own home and went back inside.

  "Su Tong, who was that just now? Why didn't you introduce me?" Zhang Min finally spoke up and asked Su Tong after Tang Ao closed the door. His tone was strange, as if he was teasing, interrogating, and also a bit huffy.

  Su Tong looked at him with a puzzled expression, gesturing for him to leave, and said while locking the door: "He's my neighbor, you don't know each other, and there's no need to get acquainted, why introduce?"

  Zhang Min let out a slightly exaggerated sigh, waiting for Su Tong to lock the door before they both entered the elevator. As the doors slowly closed, he finally spoke up: "Nowadays, people say that high-rise buildings are concrete jungles, and each house is a prison cell. You might live there your whole life without knowing whether the person living next door is human or dog. I used to think this was quite realistic, but now it seems not entirely true. Look at you and your neighbor, don't you get along pretty well? You're already close enough that they bring their coffee machine over to your place in the morning to have breakfast together, and you two can whisper secrets to each other. This must be your secret romance, which is why you didn't dare tell me, right?"

  Su Tong furrowed his brow, turning his head to look at Zhang Min with a displeased expression: "What identity are you using to ask me this question now? I think the relationship between us two hasn't become familiar enough for you to interrogate me about my normal social interactions with others. The person just now was just my neighbor, not some underground lover. If I really were walking together with someone, I wouldn't be sneaking around, and these things have nothing to do with you, it's not your place to pry or make judgments."

  Zhang Min's face turned red, and he probably didn't expect Su Tong to be so direct and straightforward in giving him a scolding. However, the topic was one that Zhang Min had brought up himself earlier, so now he couldn't very well show his displeasure. He could only smile awkwardly and say: "Why aren't you happy yet? I was just joking with you, don't take it seriously."

  "I think it's not suitable for us to joke around, so please stop it." Su Tong still had a straight face and seriously told Zhang Min. She now thoroughly understood Zhang Min's character, as the saying goes, "give him some sunshine and he'll shine, give him some flood and he'll overflow". He was like that, and his small calculations and tricks would always be there, never to be extinguished. To avoid trouble in the future, it was better not to give him any good attitude that he could use as an excuse.

  "Alright, alright, I'm not joking," Zhang Min nodded reluctantly and remained silent for a moment before speaking up again. "Su Tong, even if you think it's unpleasant to hear, I still have to say something. You girls are sometimes easily misled by appearances. As journalists, we've seen all sorts of news reports, so we should be more worldly and rational than others. Now, the world is chaotic, with all kinds of people around, including those with ulterior motives. Can you tell just by looking at someone? Haven't you read about single women being harmed by their neighbors? You need to be vigilant. What was that kid doing earlier? Do you know him well? I'm telling you this because I care about you, in case he's a potential psycho or murderer. If you don't raise your guard now and find out later that something is off, it might be too late."

  Su Tong turned her face away, secretly rolling her eyes, and didn't respond. Although she was very disgusted, she couldn't deny that Zhang Min was indeed a bit clever in this regard. He always managed to find various angles that were beneficial to himself, making his small calculations seem particularly grandiose, with an air of righteousness.

  Because Zhang Min had a bad start in the morning, Su Tong was indifferent to him for the rest of the day. Except for necessary communication during work, they tried not to talk to each other as much as possible. The atmosphere between them was far from pleasant, but at least it was peaceful.

  However, Su Tong was unable to return home by noon in the end. This can only be said that man's plans are not as good as heaven's plans. Just as it was approaching noon, Su Tong suddenly received a call from the newspaper office, asking her and Zhang Min to put down their current work and rush to a rural area within the city's jurisdiction. A big thing had happened there - a sudden subsidence occurred in a village, and a villager's house sank into the ground, forming a deep pit with a depth of over 10 meters. Fortunately, no one was inside the house at the time, as the whole family had gone to a neighboring village to attend a wedding. The newspaper needed someone to go there to report on this incident, including the resettlement of the villager who lost their home, the cause of the subsidence, and subsequent handling methods. Since other people in charge of social news at the newspaper were busy with more important news, only Su Tong was available, as the situation with the seven children remained unchanged without any new developments, so it could be temporarily put aside to go out and report on this incident.

  Su Tong had to go with Zhang Min to that place, which was a provincially designated impoverished village. The geographical location was relatively closed off, and the road conditions were not very good. As a result, neither of them was familiar with the route and didn't dare drive themselves, so they chose to take a shuttle bus instead. After arriving at their destination and finishing their interview work, it had already gotten dark. The enthusiastic village head found a villager to use an agricultural three-wheeler to transport Su Tong and Zhang Min to the nearby county town. However, upon arrival in the county town, they discovered that the last bus back to the city area had already departed for the day. If they wanted to return, they would have to wait until early the next morning when there would be another bus.

  Things being as they were, Su Tong had no choice but to find a hotel with Zhang Min in the county that looked the most proper and clean, temporarily staying there, planning to set off early tomorrow morning back to the city.

  This isn't a bad thing after all, Su Teng thought to himself in consolation. At least before the problems at home are resolved, he won't have to go back and be worried and frightened tonight.

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