Travel: Hangzhou (Prologue): Alone Time with Yangyang

According to the meteorological observatory, Typhoon Bavi, the ninth typhoon of 2026, is expected to make landfall along the coast from Fujian to Zhejiang tomorrow night. Local residents are advised to take precautions for personal safety and avoid going out unless absolutely necessary.

"Of all times... is that a good thing or a bad thing...?"

Xiao Ling turned off her phone and looked out the window with her dark eyes. The sun was shining brightly outside, but the warm welcome from the sun was forcefully blocked by the cold air blown out by the air conditioner.

It's a little past four in the afternoon, more than eight hours since they set off. They're currently speeding towards the border of Jiangxi and Zhejiang provinces. All the girls in the car have passed away; some are lying down, and some are asleep.

My neighbor, Yangyang, had already fallen asleep halfway through the journey. This bus trip would take a long time, and few people could stay awake for half a day on the bus. Even if you're scrolling through your phone, you'll eventually get tired of it.

Hajiling's left hand was already a little numb; he was the guy who hadn't slept at all during the entire journey and was still full of energy.

The pretty young woman sitting next to him was fast asleep, her head resting on his shoulder. The sunlight streaming through the window painted her delicate profile with a golden hue. Her eyelids occasionally twitched slightly, and she would sometimes let out soft snores, like a sleeping Black-Feathered Bird.

A thin blanket was draped over her shoulders; Xiao Ling had put it on her so she wouldn't get cold from the air conditioning.

"A typhoon..."

Xiao Ling unlocked her phone again, entered the typhoon's real-time path, and began to check its latest location.

"Um..."

The weight on his shoulder shifted twice. Xiao Ling turned his head and saw that a certain Black-Feathered Bird had woken up sleepily. As it moved its head, its sky-blue eyes met Xiao Ling's dark eyes.

Yangyang blinked twice, and then her cheeks began to flush red at a visible speed, until both her ears were tinged with an alluring crimson.

"Xiao... Xiao Yu... I..." Her voice was barely audible, and she looked extremely embarrassed.

"Won't you sleep a little longer?" Xiao Ling chuckled softly, a handsome smile curving his lips.

Yangyang shook her head sharply, then said softly, "No... it's nothing, I've slept long enough..."

"This blanket... did you prepare it for me? Thank you, Xiao Yu."

"It's nothing, as long as you sleep comfortably." Xiao Ling patted Yangyang's head.

Yangyang was stunned for a moment by Xiao Ling's actions, and then--

Snap, snap...

Xiao Ling: Whose cute little bird is this? Oh, it's mine. Never mind then.

After this sweet little interaction, Xiao Ling continued to look at the typhoon's path.

"Xiao Yu, what are you looking at?" Yangyang, who was folding the blanket, noticed out of the corner of her eye that Hajiling was engrossed in looking at her phone, and she became a little curious.

"I'm checking where the typhoon is," Xiao Ling replied.

"A typhoon... My sister mentioned it to me before she left," Yangyang nodded. "She said this kind of weather is dangerous and told me not to run around like this, even though I'm not a child anymore..."

"The eldest brother is like a father, and the eldest sister is like a mother," Xiao Ling said, quoting classical texts. "Even if you think you've grown up, your older sister will still treat you like a little girl and lecture you. Ultimately, this is just a way for them to show that they care about you."

"I understand the logic," Yangyang smiled, "After all, my sister has always been very good to me."

"But speaking of which, Xiao Yu, what are your impressions of typhoons? You're a native of this area, so you should know more about these kinds of disasters than we do, right?"

"My impression of typhoons... I'd say it's a love-hate relationship," Xiao Ling concluded.

"Why do you say that?" Yangyang asked, tilting her head.

"Before I went to university, whenever the weather station issued a typhoon warning, the school would give us a holiday. For me, who was immersed in books at that time, it was an unexpected holiday. Although it was only a short day, it allowed me to temporarily escape from that tense study atmosphere."

"But the price was that I couldn't go anywhere that day. I could only stay at home, watching TV and scrolling through my phone while listening to the wind and rain outside, waiting for a vague text message, and occasionally climbing to the window to glance at the rising floodwaters on the road."

"That sounds pretty boring..." Yangyang frowned. "Does that mean we can only stay at home and not go anywhere?"

"Look at what you're saying. With so many friends around, even if we can't go out to play, we can still do some fun activities at home, right?" Xiao Ling chuckled.

"That's true." Yangyang glanced at the passengers sleeping in all sorts of crooked positions on the bus and couldn't help but chuckle softly.

Then, she secretly took out her phone and snapped a picture of Suisui and Liang Yu sleeping on the opposite seat.

"Remember to send me a copy," Xiao Ling gestured, "I want to save it."

"Xiao Yu, so you're the kind of person who collects embarrassing photos of your family too?" Yangyang said with a squinty-eyed smile.

"No, because I've already been pranked by them." Xiao Ling silently opened the photo album and showed Yangyang the photos that the group of rascals had taken while he was asleep.

"Pfft, hahaha..." Yangyang couldn't help but let out a clear, bell-like laugh, "Why did they do your makeup like this? Who did this?"

"Lynae," Xiao Ling said speechlessly, "That girl always likes to come up with some unexpected ideas. Those prank graffiti on her face were all done using her Resonance Ability."

"That's why I didn't find out right away that they did this while I was asleep; Dania was the one who told me in the end."

Xiao Ling: Don't delve into how you found out.

"Haha, knowing your personality, wouldn't you give these troublemakers a good talking-to?"

"They've been reprimanded, and they promised they won't do it again—although I think there's a high chance they'll do it again next time."

While Yangyang Xiao Ling wasn't looking, Yangyang secretly transferred the photos one by one to her phone, and then deleted the chat history from his phone.

Of course, she had to keep a copy of this good stuff for herself!

"Hoo~" Xiao Ling yawned, "I feel a little sleepy."

"How much longer is it to Hangzhou?" Yangyang asked softly.

"It should take another four or five hours," Xiao Ling sighed. "That's the downside of long-distance buses. Next time, I'll consider taking the high-speed rail or a plane."

(Actually, even the high-speed rail journey takes a long time...)

"If you don't mind, Xiao Yu, you can rest your head on my lap and take a nap," Yangyang said with a smile. "Consider it a return gift for letting me lean on your shoulder."

"Hmm? Okay, then I won't be polite~"

Suddenly, Yangyang felt a warm, slightly prickly weight on her thigh. The sensation of the air brushing against her skin made her feel uncomfortable, and the blush that had subsided returned to her face.

"Okay, go to sleep well. Do you want me to sing you a nursery rhyme?"

"I'm not a little kid anymore, let me close my eyes for a bit, I'll fall asleep soon..."

Well, she just fell asleep like that. Well, after staring blankly for eight hours, it would be strange if she wasn't sleepy.

Yangyang silently unfolded the freshly folded blanket and covered Hajiling with it to prevent him from getting cold from the air conditioner.

Then, she took out her phone, snapped a picture of his sleeping face, and saved it to her album.

Hmm, not bad. I'll keep it as part of my personal collection.

"Good afternoon, Xiao Yu," she said softly.