Chapter 54 - Road Trip (1)

Two weeks later:

Song Luli packed light, knowing that the trip will be short.

She informed the company of her slight departure before arrangements, entrusting someone to cover her position for three days.

She wore light-blue jeans and a white off-shoulder top with long sleeves. In the car, she began to read a book while Long Jie drove. When they passed the airport, Song Luli asked, "Where are we going?"

Long Jie glanced at her momentarily before paying attention to the road again. "I want to take the long way there," he said. "Since there's no rush to get there or back, I figure we could make it a road trip."

Song Luli's mouth hung opened in awe. Last time he took two flights to the city and back, and this time he wanted to drive for hours because there was no rush to get home...? Song Luli gritted a flush down, and he smiled slyly at her reaction. She understood well what he meant by that.

She paid attention back to the book she was reading, drowning out space around her. But it was useless.

Long Jie had made several stops along the way, showing her some spots in the countryside, areas that she had never seen before. They stopped by the foot of a mountain, wheatfields, and visited the locals.

What puzzled Song Luli was that Long Jie seemed familiar to people from different parts of the region. They welcomed him as if he was family, and when they found out she was his wife, they pulled her into their small family-based restaurants, offering her tea and hot meals.

Song Luli bothered a local asking about Long Jie, and he had said that he was known for his advocation of countryside lands, forbidding other corporations from tearing down trees or driving farmers away from their homes. He had been doing it for years, said the local.

Song Luli glanced at Long Jie with some astonishment as he spoke to an older woman; this was a side of him she hadn't seen often.

When they left, they kept heading towards J city. Song Luli tried to read him by staring at him as he drove. The wind blew his red-brown locks, billowing his hair beautifully. She glanced away, trying not to capture his attention away from the road.

It was evening when they arrived just on the outskirts of the city, not far deep. Song Luli saw towers and tall buildings from afar, but they were still not in a densely populated area. They parked onto the makeshift driveway, as a woman stepped below the steps, greeting Long Jie enthusiastically.

The woman greeted Song Luli with an unexpected bear hug, and she invited both of them to go inside. It was a large and beautiful Home Inn; most of the accessories and interior were made of polish wood, which fascinated Song Luli. She gazed her eyes around the rooms of the house, and there was a big empty hall meant for guests.

The woman guided them past the hall, up the stairs, towards a guest room.

"Is this where we are staying?" Song Luli asked him, observing the simple yet warm room.

"You don't like it?" Long Jie asked worryingly.

Song Luli shook her head and smiled. "No, it's interesting. Different and much needed." She was quite happy. The place had an inviting atmosphere that seemed to have welcomed them.

Song Luli began to unpack some of her things, and Long Jie did the same. The woman from earlier was the owner, as Long Jie explained it to her. She came into the room at one point, without knocking, to drop off some fresh towels and bedsheets.

Afterward, Song Luli took a shower, changed, and brushed her teeth. When she stepped from the bathroom, Song Luli couldn't find Long Jie, so she headed towards the kitchen. Other people were walking down the halls, passing her as she took each step.

She found Long Jie waiting for her. They both ate, joined by people she hadn't seen yet.

The owner eventually sat on the same wooden table as them, eating. Not long after they finished, Long Jie walked with her, taking a stroll of the entire house.

Song Luli was fascinated by the old books, stained-glass windows, and carved patterns onto the fireplace. If her sister were here, Song Meiling would have beamed over the house, snapping photos of every corner.

They heard some music coming from the main hall; people were dancing, pouring their hearts out from their feet. Song Luli was entranced by how they twirled and followed specific steps. Is this what locals do during their leisure time?

Long Jie took her hand, joining them. At first, Song Luli felt stiff and awkward because she didn't know anyone else in the room. But Long Jie held her close, guiding each move.

Forward, back, left, right, twirl; she followed his lead.

When she got the hang of the dance, they both put in random moves, having fun, breaking the rules of the dance. Song Luli found herself breathless and thrilled, like the first time she danced with him. But this time, there were no eyes that recognized them; there were no curious, prying gazes. It was the two of them in the middle of partners that swayed against the candle-lit room.

After they finished dancing, a group of guests invited them to drinks and games. Long Jie nearly held onto her the entire night, and for the last hours before bed, it seemed as if they weren't Song Luli and Long Jie, Chief Executive Officers of Song Entertainment & Long Group; they were an ordinary man and woman, husband and wife.

Long Jie had to peel Song Luli from the new friends she made. "I wasn't done speaking to them," she protested, dragging her feet.

"It's time to sleep, and you're tipsy," Long Jie responded.

"Eh, no fair," she whined. Long Jie held her wrist gently as he guided her to the bedroom. She pouted the entire way there.

Long Jie closed the door shut behind them once they entered the room. She then clung to him when he tried to peel her off. She then unexpectedly jumped and attacked him on the bed, pecking his jaw, chin, and the base of his throat. She kept kissing the angular parts of his face, hard but stimulating.

She paused, grabbing his face, and staring intensely into his winter eyes. "I had fun today," she said. She had gone to different towns and cities, met unique and interesting people. She was able to forget about the stress and anxieties that were building up from her new job, and the daunting wait for a new attack against Long Group. They had no leads, and it made her worry more for him than her.

Long Jie was affecting her more than what she imagined when they signed those papers, binding them to a peculiar, unforeseen union.

"Good," he said with a smile.