Chapter 813: A Million Times for You (175)
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
She punched him jokingly and quipped, “If you do this to me every day, you’re going to suck me dry sooner or later!”
Jin Qingyan chuckled and teased, “It’d only be a matter of time before you empty me out too.”
“Who wants to do this with you every day?” She snuggled up in his embrace with one leg over his. Pinching his abdomen, she remarked, “Have you stopped going to the gym lately? Look, your abs are all gone. I want to see your eight-pack again the next time I see you. Can you do that?”
“A piece of cake. I’ve just been too busy with work recently and didn’t have the time to hit the gym. I guarantee you’ll be left lusting for my abs the next time we meet again,” he said in a relaxed manner.
“Hah, talk is cheap. Wait until you’ve actually achieved it.”
“I’ll never break my promises to you,” he said, lowering his head.
After kissing her forehead gently, he let go of her and began getting dressed.
When it was time for them to part, An Xiaoning hugged his waist tightly, reluctant to let him leave. “I don’t want you to go,” she said coquettishly.
“Seems like I did manage to satisfy you earlier.”
Turning as red as a tomato, An Xiaoning immediately let go of him and rolled her eyes. “No, you didn’t.”
“Fine, if you say so. I won’t spare you if I see any wounds or injuries on you the next time we meet.”
“Okay, hurry along.”
“You were so reluctant to let me leave moments ago, yet you’re rushing me to leave now. Women are really fickle.”
“Are you leaving or not? If you don’t leave, you’re coming with us,” An Xiaoning said, chuckling.
“I’ll go, I’ll go, I’ll leave right now,” said Jin Qingyan, smooching her on her lips passionately one last time before he left, filled with satisfaction.
The ship was parked near the coast while Jin Qingyan disembarked with his subordinates. The car was already ready at the harbor.
An Xiaoning stood by the window and waved at him.
The boat proceeded along the designated route, and they soon drifted further and further away from the coast.
Tears streamed down her face uncontrollably as Jin Qingyan’s figure soon receded and faded into nothingness.
She wiped her tears away and turned around to enter the room where they had just had a long battle in bed.
She picked up the document of the detailed information that Fan Shixin had collated.
She lay in bed and began flipping through the pages one by one.
The ship continued to advance without stopping.
Throughout the next few days of the journey, An Xiaoning finished perusing all the information regarding the treasure map and confirmed the next route that would be taken by the ship. She then proceeded to get some good rest.
Four days after setting off from S Nation, they finally arrived in V Nation.
They had arrived in the morning.
It was a tropical region and, thus, the temperatures were much warmer compared to that of S Nation, where it was still wintertime.
The clothes and shoes they had brought were all suitable to be worn in the summer.
An Xiaoning was not afraid of the cold, but she could not tolerate warm temperatures at all.
She had already changed into summer clothing while on the ship and simply left the clothes she was initially wearing on the ship. She then instructed the other subordinates to bring them back to S Nation. After all, it would be a hassle to carry them around since she could not wear them in V Nation anyway.
V Nation was the first stop of their journey, which they had chosen because it was said to be where the treasure map originated, according to the information.
They decided to move on to other nations should their efforts be futile this time.
If they could find any clues here, they would not proceed to other nations.
An Xiaoning was dressed in a short-sleeved shirt and a pair of shorts, accompanied by a pair of rubber slippers. Comfort was her main concern.
They carried their luggage along and made their way to a remote town in V Nation, Ekerum Town.
There were no luxurious hotels in the small town, which was full of hawkers peddling on the streets. The citizens of the nation were mostly suffering from poverty and struggling to make ends meet.
There were no policemen or environmental officers at all to chase the hawkers away.
In fact, cars were scarce on the streets and the environment was not exactly ideal.
The three of them checked into a cleaner-looking motel.
They had settled on that one after making comparisons with the other motels in the area.
Although it was the cleanest one out of them all, it was still rather unsanitary and cluttered by their standards.
However, they were aware that they were out on a quest, not a vacation.
They requested for a large room that came with an in-room bathroom.
There were two beds in the room. Needless to say, the two men would be sharing a bed while An Xiaoning had the other one to herself.
When it was time to take a shower, Fan Shixin instructed Xiao Bai to guard the room while he went out to buy three sets of clothes from local apparel stores.
It would be better to blend in with the citizens.
After taking a shower, An Xiaoning put on the clothes that Fan Shixin had bought — a long sackcloth skirt and a short-sleeved blouse. She then exited the bathroom with her hair wrapped in the towel.
She especially put on a pair of black-colored safety tights beneath her skirt.
After taking turns to wash up, the three of them proceeded to have lunch together while dressed like the locals.
An Xiaoning instructed, “From now onward, Shixin will pose as my husband while Xiao Bai will pose as my younger brother. We’ll address each other accordingly. I’ll call Shixin ‘Hubby’ while Shixin will call me ‘Honey.’ Xiao Bai, you shall call me ‘Sis’ and call Shixin ‘Brother-in-law.’”
“What do you guys call me, then?” Xiao Bai asked.
“We’ll still call you Xiao Bai. After all, your name is too common. No one will suspect you anyway.”
“How are you going to answer when others ask for your names?” Xiao Bai asked.
After pondering for a moment, An Xiaoning answered, “Good question. Shixin, what do you think we should name ourselves?”
Fan Shixin said, “People here have really strange names. They don’t take their father’s last names either. Well, let’s just say they don’t have last names at all, only given names. If others ask for my name, I shall just say that I’m called ‘Xinxin’ while you’re called…”
Xiao Bai interjected, “Nainai 1 !”
An Xiaoning snorted with laughter and asked, “Huh? Nainai?”
Xiao Bai nodded earnestly and said, “Your name shall be ‘Nainai.’ Chief Fan and I won’t have to address you that way anyway. It’s just for others to address you. What a great name.”
Fan Shixin gave Xiao Bai a thumbs-up and said, “Exactly, ‘Nainai’ it is!”
“We’ll do just that, then, since you both agree. Xiao Bai, remember, from now on, you’re to address Chief as ‘Brother-in-law,’” said An Xiaoning.
Xiao Bai chuckled and exclaimed gleefully, “Brother-in-law!”
“Yes,” Fan Shixin answered.
The three of them burst into laughter.
After lunch, Fan Shixin took out a map and pointed at a certain spot before saying, “This place is where the legendary treasure map is said to come from. That also means that many have gone there to look for the map countless times before but did not manage to find a single clue at all. Even if we don’t manage to find anything, there’s no harm in taking a look. After all, no one knows what the treasure map looks like at all. We just have to make guesses.”
“The information states that it’s the address of an ancient family home. It dates so far back in history, and so many people have gone there before. Let’s not carry any hopes and just take it that we’re there for sightseeing. Without expectations, there would be no disappointment.”
Fan Shixin instructed, “Xiao Bai, stay behind to look after the luggage. We were dressed differently from them when we first arrived, so they must know that we’re foreigners. Besides, the crime rate is extremely high here and robberies are rampant. We can’t afford to lose our luggage. Xiao Bai, contact me immediately if anything happens.”
“Yes, Brother-in-law!”