Love Hotel

I was completely stunned and unable to react for a moment.

"What did you say?!"

Lu's Father was furious, veins bulging on his face. "How can you be so shameless? I almost don't recognize you as my daughter anymore!"

"How is it wrong to love myself when I'm with someone I love?"

Lu Xiaobei retorted sharply, "Sleeping with someone I like is considered unrespectful, but sleeping with a woman who only wants your money is considered self-respectful?!"

With all her might, she cried and said, "That's right, I just don't respect myself. Anyway, you've never cared about me growing up. You should go back to your BH City and live with that woman who only cares about money. Have another daughter and you won't have to care about me anymore!"

Lu's Father was furious and slapped her hard across the face.

"Xiao Bei..."

I rushed forward to help her.

"Mind your own business!"

Lu Xiaobei covered her face and shook me off with all her might. "Anyway, you're in cahoots with them!"

With that, she slammed the door and left.

"I'm so angry!"

Lu's Father smashed a teacup to pieces.

I stood there, momentarily at a loss for what to do. I should have chased after him to ensure Lu Xiaobei's safety, but I had to explain myself here, otherwise it would be tantamount to confirming what Lu Xiaobei had said.

"Ding Han!"

A'ken glared at him fiercely. "Look what you've done! You beast, you must have used sweet words to deceive Xiao Bei, that's why she's with you... with you..."

His face gradually contorted into a grimace.

"Shut up!"

I glared at him and said, "First of all, I've never slept with Xiao Bei. Secondly, you don't need to hate me. I have nothing to do with you. Stop barking like a useless piece of trash!"

I looked at Lu's Father and softened my voice. "Uncle Lu, what Xiao Bei said just now was really just her way of saying things in anger. Please don't take it seriously. Xiao Bei and I are just friends. We've never gone that far."

"Ding Han..."

Lu's Father looked regretful. "Perhaps Xiao Bei is right. I haven't taken good enough care of her before, otherwise things wouldn't have come to this. I shouldn't have hit her. Go and check on her. Don't let her do anything foolish."

"Knew."

I left Stream City No. 1 and returned to the internet cafe.

Zhao Yihang is filling in for him today.

"Ding Han, what brings you here?"

He looked surprised. "Didn't Xiao Bei say you quit?"

"Zhao Yihang, have you seen Xiao Bei? Has she come back?"

"No, he left early this morning and hasn't come back."

"Oh..."

Feeling somewhat dazed, I turned and walked into the Old City District, searching through all the streets and alleys where she often set up her stall and sat in a daze, but I still couldn't find her.

Oh, and the canal!

They rushed to the canal, but found nothing except a few fishermen; Lu Xiaobei wasn't there.

Looking at the rolling river, I felt a sense of loss.

Could she really have done something stupid?

I picked up my phone and sent her a message: "Xiao Bei, where are you? Can we calm down and talk this over?"

Unexpectedly, a red dot appeared and a message appeared. "Message sent, but rejected by the recipient!"

As expected, she blocked me.

So I tried calling her, but after one beep, the line went dead; she had even blocked my number.

For a moment, my mind was in complete turmoil.

Sitting on the steps by the canal, I picked up my phone and called Milo.

"Ding Han, is something the matter?"

"Something's happened to Xiao Bei."

I briefly recounted what happened at noon, saying, "She's blocked me on WeChat and phone now. Milo, you might be the only one who can contact her. Go ask her how she is; everyone is worried about her."

"Hmm, don't worry, I'll go ask!"

About half an hour later, Milo called.

"Ding Han, Xiao Bei is fine. She's hiding in the Old City District right now, but she doesn't want to see you or her father, so you don't need to worry. But this matter... sigh..."

He said helplessly, "I'm sure I've put you in a difficult position. You know Xiao Bei's personality. Although she's usually very friendly and cheerful with us, she's been quite lonely since she was little. Later, she lived the life of a pampered young lady, so her personality is inevitably a bit spoiled. Just bear with her a little longer, and I believe she'll unblock you soon."

"Um."

I nodded and didn't talk to Milo any further.

I sat by the canal until about nine o'clock in the evening, and my phone remained silent the entire time; no one called.

By this time, my stomach was rumbling; I was already starving.

But I felt a tightness in my chest; Lu Xiaobei's departure left me with an indescribable feeling.

I got up and headed to the Old City District. It was the same barbecue restaurant I had eaten at with Lu Xiaobei before. I ordered some skewers and a lot of beer. As I drank the beer, the alcohol gradually took effect. When I was slightly tipsy, my worries lessened a lot.

Just then, a figure came up to me, pulled up a stool, sat down, and looked at me intently.

Cheng Feng is the sentinel who Great Wall Watch.

"Ding Han, haven't you thought this through yet?"

Cheng Feng said in a deep voice, "Time is really running out. My radar has detected some demonic energy data. Even if the Gray Bug Regiment doesn't enter the city, the peace here will soon be broken."

Aren't you annoying?

I frowned. "My life is my own; I don't want to sell it to anyone!"

"I used to think that way too, but there are always things that can change your mind."

Cheng Feng smiled faintly and said, "I am different from you. Although I have tried my best to do better, there are many things I am powerless to do. In fact, I am just an ordinary person who has not even awakened the Essence Furnace. I wonder if you find that laughable?"

"..."

I was silent for a few seconds. "An ordinary person can slay a demon spirit? Looks like this demon spirit isn't all that impressive..."

Hahaha~~~

Cheng Feng laughed heartily, "Demon spirits are also divided into levels. Low-level demon spirits are not much stronger than ordinary human experts, but high-level demon spirits are far beyond the capabilities of ordinary people. Even with the best equipment, one is no match for a high-level demon spirit."

"Deputy Captain Cheng, there's no need to tell me all this."

I waved my hand, pointed into the distance, and said, "Could you please stay away from me? Xie Xie!"

"Never mind."

Cheng Feng sighed and said, "I'll wait three more days. After three days, whatever your decision is, I have to leave."

With that, he got up and left, never looking back.

I kept chugging beer, having forgotten my alcohol tolerance. The alcohol gradually took effect, eventually overwhelming me with a sense of confusion, and I slowly lost consciousness.

I don't know how much time passed.

"Call..."

Suddenly, I woke up from my daze and found myself lying on an unfamiliar bed. The sunlight outside was shining on my face, a little dazzling. Looking up, I saw a room with a large mirror embedded in the ceiling.

Love Hotel!?

In an instant, he regained full consciousness.

I sat up in bed. I was lying in a Love Hotel room. The bed was full of wrinkles and the blankets were a mess, but my clothes were neatly arranged on the pink sofa.

Then, an idea popped into my head.

Who brought me here?

Leaning against the headboard, my head ached terribly. I vaguely remembered a dream I had last night. In the dream, everything was pitch black, but a soft body was tightly embracing me. There were sounds of panting and crying in the dream.

The dream was chaotic, as chaotic as some kind of leap of thought and wishful thinking.

I got up, got dressed, and found my phone, but it was dead. So I went into the bathroom to wash my face, only to find that there wasn't even a towel. As expected of Love Hotel, it had nothing but ambiance.

I left the hotel and started walking back.

"Ding Han."

Cheng Feng, the sentry, reappeared.

I frowned, feeling inexplicably irritated. "Deputy Captain Cheng, why are you like a ghost? Are you never going to stop? Don't blame me for saying something harsh, but I know what the Great Wall Watch Legion is like. They claim to be a million-strong army, commanded by a Dragon Commander, followed by ten Dragon Commander, then one hundred Dragon General, each Dragon Commander ten Dragon Guard Commander, each Dragon Guard Commander overseeing ten Dragon Guards, and finally, each Dragon Guard commands one hundred Sentinels..."

As I spoke, I said helplessly, "Deputy Captain Cheng, you're just a mere sentry. Forgive my bluntness, but even if I joined the Great Wall Watch, do you expect me to start as a sentry? Maybe I wouldn't even have a formal position?"

Finally, an embarrassed look appeared on Cheng Feng's face.

"Not necessarily..."

He laughed and said, "I can introduce you. With your qualifications, you might start as a Dragon Guard."

"Forget it, I'm not interested."

I waved my hand, without turning back.

I know my words might have been harsh, but I really didn't want Cheng Feng to waste any more time here.

"Ding Han, the demon spirit is really close!"

Behind him came Cheng Feng's voice. "They prefer to come out at night, so make sure to close your doors and windows at night. It's best not to go out if you can avoid it. Remember, safety first!"

I returned to my accommodation and charged my phone.

The moment the phone was restarted, several WeChat messages arrived in quick succession, all from Lu Xiaobei.

"Ding Han, I'm leaving. I've already left Creek City with them. Are you satisfied now?"

"I'm on my way back to BH City now."

"We probably won't see each other again, so I won't say goodbye."

I hurriedly replied, only to find that the familiar red dot had reappeared.

It seems she really hates me.

I lay on the bed, feeling utterly exhausted, my mouth dry and my heart filled with indescribable irritability. Just then, a ringtone rang in my ears, signaling that the task I had been carrying out with ulterior motives was finally completed.

[Congratulations! Lu Xiaobei has finally sold the internet cafe and left Creek City. You have completed the daily Main Quest "Persuading Lu Xiaobei to Give Up the Internet Cafe" (S-rank), and received the following rewards: Character Experience +800,000, "Automatic Loading Mini-Robot" (S-rank auxiliary system)!]

Upon opening the Dimensional Storage Space, I saw a robot the size of a soccer ball suddenly spring to its feet, give me a military salute, its eyes flashing wildly, and announce in a robotic voice, "S-1 class Automatic Loading Mini-Robot is on standby!"