"Hehe, I'm just sending my sister back and thought I'd hang out at her place for a bit. Our teacher is on leave, so we can take an extra day off," Scholar Song emphasized the word "sister."
He needed to clarify the relationship between himself and Fay Yu.
Otherwise, if this group of big mouths spread the news, by tomorrow the entire department would think Scholar Song had a girlfriend who was more stunning than any supermodel.
If that happened, Scholar Song's reputation would be completely tarnished, and his hopes of losing his virginity during college would become a lot harder.
Additionally, he couldn't deny he wanted to get back at Fay Yu for calling him "senior." Here he was, an eighteen-year-old guy, being called "senior" by a girl—how humiliating!
"Oh, so it's your sister, Scholar Song!" The boys in the dorm perked up, a similar thought bubbling in their minds—Scholar Song, buddy?
If they could take that friendship a step further and become Scholar Song's brother-in-law, that would be even better!
"We're heading out now, see you later!" Scholar Song laughed heartily, not giving these guys a chance to get chummy with him, and waved as he swaggered away.
Fay Yu smiled and waved at the boys as she quickly followed Scholar Song out of the dorm.
"Who would've thought Scholar Song has such a beautiful sister? I've decided, starting tomorrow, Scholar Song is my bro, and I'll look out for him," someone joked.
"You really just want to be Scholar Song's brother-in-law, don't you?" another laughed.
"Just be careful not to end up as Scholar Song's little brother instead. Remember, you've got a pretty sister too!"
"Tsk, if Scholar Song is willing to introduce me to his sister, I would totally sell my sister to him. I'd even offer a two-for-one deal!"
The group bantered cheerfully as they headed back to their dorm.
After all, while Fay Yu was stunning, in this modern age, who hasn't been exposed to countless internet beauties? Who really falls in love at first sight these days?
＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊
The train was scheduled to check tickets at 3:30 PM and depart at 4:00 PM.
Fay Yu had the window seat, and Scholar Song sat beside her.
To be honest, as they boarded the train, Scholar Song suddenly recalled some urban novels he had read recently.
In those stories, whenever the male lead went out with the beautiful female lead, whether in a luxury car, on the subway, on a bus, or even riding a bicycle, there would always be some tough antagonist trying to provoke the female lead with his advances.
The skilled male lead would naturally embarrass the antagonist, leaving him humiliated and vengeful. While he wouldn't dare confront the male lead openly, he would scheme behind the scenes.
And thus began the tangled web of grudges and conflicts.
Scholar Song didn't think he had the luck of a male lead, but Fay Yu's beauty was definitely on par with those female leads. So he wondered if some hotshot guy might come over, wanting to cozy up to the beauty and provoke him in the process.
When that happened… should he beat the guy to a pulp to eliminate future threats, or just leave him half-dead?
Sadly, novels are just fiction. While there might be a few brazen antagonists in reality, they were as rare as pandas—hard to come by.
The two-hour train ride dragged on, and no one came to provoke Scholar Song, nor did anyone approach Fay Yu.
This left Scholar Song feeling a bit disappointed…
Half an hour into the ride, Fay Yu began to doze off, leaning against her seat and quickly falling asleep. Soon, her head rested on Scholar Song's shoulder.
Scholar Song tried to soften his shoulder to make it more comfortable for her.
The two hours on the train seemed to fly by.
"Ding ding ding～～Attention passengers, we have arrived at Black Elephant Station. Please take your belongings and valuables and prepare to disembark. We wish you a pleasant journey, and please be careful of the gap between the train and the platform when exiting."
"We've arrived," Scholar Song gently patted Fay Yu.
Fay Yu blinked awake, rubbing her eyes, with a little drool at the corner of her mouth: "Is it morning already?"
He couldn't help but feel a bit smitten; he was taken aback by how adorable this woman, who seemed a bit older than him, could be.
"It's time to get off the train. Let's hurry," Scholar Song said, taking her hand and lifting her heavy suitcase as they quickly left the train.
…
…
Only after the train had vanished in the distance did Fay Yu fully wake up.
"Senior, what time is it?" she asked.
"It's 6:07 PM. We've arrived at J City's Black Elephant Station. After we get out, we'll grab a taxi to Loxin District and find a place to stay," Scholar Song replied.
"Okay, I'll follow your lead, senior," Fay Yu nodded… She loved having someone else plan everything! With someone arranging food, lodging, and transportation, she could just tag along and enjoy the ride. Not having to think was true bliss.
Inside Black Elephant Station, there was a designated taxi pick-up area, bustling with cabs waiting for passengers.
"Where to, brother?" one taxi driver called out as he pulled up beside Scholar Song and Fay Yu.
"To Loxin District," Scholar Song opened the front passenger door, responding.
"Loxin District in J City!" Fay Yu added. She had a bit of a past with the Loxin District in Jiangnan.
The taxi driver paused for a moment, then chuckled: "Haha, you're quite the character, miss."
Fay Yu realized she had made a little gaffe and felt her face flush a deep red.
…
…
Loxin District was just a short ten-minute drive from the Black Elephant Station.
After they got out of the taxi, they followed the navigation to find a hotel in Loxin District to stay at. However, since they weren't a couple, the idea of booking a room together was out of the question.
Even if Scholar Song wanted to, Fay Yu wouldn't object, the hotel manager certainly wouldn't allow it! These days, they were cracking down hard. If anything went wrong, the hotel would be held accountable too.
After dinner, with plenty of daylight left, they planned to explore Loxin District and search for Ghost Lantern Temple.
Fay Yu needed to drop off her big suitcase in their room first. Scholar Song had nothing to organize, so he waited at the front desk after securing their room key.
Since there weren't many guests today, the receptionist wasn't busy.
Seizing the moment, Scholar Song inquired, "Excuse me, is there a place called Ghost Lantern Temple in Loxin District?"
The receptionist pondered for a moment before shaking her head: "I'm sorry, sir, there are many temples in Loxin District, but I haven't heard of Ghost Lantern Temple."
For a temple with such a peculiar name, she'd surely know if it existed.
"Well, are there any temples with similar-sounding names? It might not be called Ghost Lantern Temple, perhaps Ghost Climbing Temple, or Huai Lantern Temple, or even Return of the Chair Temple," Scholar Song continued asking.
In this day and age of advanced technology, it was odd that there was no trace of such a temple; it could very well be a homophone.
The receptionist thoughtfully considered for a long while before apologizing again: "I'm afraid I can't help you. Perhaps it's an old temple from a long time ago. If you really want to find it, you might want to ask some of the locals in Loxin District."
"Thank you," Scholar Song nodded.
Just then, Fay Yu emerged from the room.
"Where to next?" she asked.
"Let's just wander around for a bit. Mainly, we're looking for some elderly folks to chat with and see if they know anything," Scholar Song replied.
As they walked and chatted, they left the hotel.
…
…
As soon as Scholar Song and Fay Yu left the hotel, a woman in the hotel lobby pulled out her phone, her expression serious: "Master, I saw someone in Loxin Ronghua Hotel inquiring about Ghost Lantern Temple. A man and a woman, both around twenty years old."
"The ones we were waiting for have finally arrived… What's their strength like?" a cold voice responded from the other end of the line.
"The woman looks quite strong. The man seems ordinary, but she shows him a lot of respect, referring to him as 'senior' privately," the woman replied.
"How strong?" the voice remained calm and icy.
"I can't tell at all; I just feel that she's powerful," she said.
"I understand. Keep an eye on their movements without letting them notice. I'll arrange for an opportunity to test their depth. Also, alert the other surveillance teams; there might be more than just these two looking for Ghost Lantern Temple."
"Understood." The woman put away her phone and quickly left the hotel, following the direction Scholar Song and Fay Yu had taken.