When Qiao Qiao woke up and reached out, Chen Xiaolian was not beside her.
She instinctively sat up and looked around.
Chen Xiaolian was sitting not far from the bed, wearing only a pair of shorts, bare-chested, sitting in a chair.
In front of him, there was a Dell Alienware laptop on the table, and he was gazing at the screen, pinching his chin. Suddenly, he saw Qiao Qiao sitting up in bed.
Hmm... considering the activities they had engaged in last night, there was no doubt that Qiao Qiao had no cover at this moment.
Although they had already had several intimate encounters, at this moment, looking at Qiao Qiao's sleepy and alluring expression, her hazy gaze, her smooth hair cascading down her face, and her slender collarbones...
Of course, well, those were all fine, but the key was the curves in front of this girl...
Chen Xiaolian instantly forgot to type on the keyboard and stared straight at Qiao Qiao.
Qiao Qiao noticed Chen Xiaolian's gaze, her cheeks turned red, and she immediately pulled the blanket up to cover herself.
"What... are you looking at?"
"I'm looking at my woman," Chen Xiaolian replied confidently—and shamelessly.
However, this expression only made Qiao Qiao smile charmingly.
She bounced out of bed, deliberately using the blanket to cover herself in a tantalizing manner. With bare feet and a pair of slender, white legs revealed beneath the blanket, she tiptoed to Chen Xiaolian's side.
She bent down first and gently pecked Chen Xiaolian's cheek before looking up at him. "What are you doing? Why are you up so early?"
Chen Xiaolian didn't hide the fact that his eyes were wandering into the gap in the blanket covering her chest as he replied with his mouth, "I'm writing... a novel."
"What?" Qiao Qiao widened her eyes.
"I'm writing, creating fiction," Chen Xiaolian ran his fingers through his hair, smiling wryly. "Well... if I don't mention it, you might have forgotten, but I'm actually a novelist by profession."
Seeing Qiao Qiao's disdainful gaze, Chen Xiaolian sighed. "I couldn't sleep, so I got up to browse the internet, and then I went to the website where I publish my novels... It's been a while since I updated my novel, and the hiatus has turned the comment section into a war zone. I swear... I've never seen so many creative insults in my life."
Qiao Qiao's curiosity made her widen her eyes. "Are they all insulting you? What are they saying?"
Chen Xiaolian swallowed nervously. "They curse me, saying... the person who's on hiatus has a tiny pecker, only five centimeters long."
Upon hearing this, Qiao Qiao suddenly burst into laughter, gazing at Chen Xiaolian with narrowed eyes. She then leaned closer, lifted her leg, and straddled Chen Xiaolian's lap. She squeezed through the gap between Chen Xiaolian and the table, then gently wrapped her arms around Chen Xiaolian's neck. In a seductive, husky, and magnetic voice, she whispered in his ear, "I can testify, you are definitely more than five centimeters..."
Could he even tolerate this?!!
Chen Xiaolian was instantly infuriated!
Suddenly, he reached over Qiao Qiao and forcefully closed his laptop. Instead of retracting his hands, he began to explore in the direction they should have been going.
Qiao Qiao's eyes narrowed, her cheeks flushed, and her breathing became rapid. She murmured, "You... don't you have to keep writing and updating?"
"Updating? What's that? Does such a thing still exist in the world?"
Chen Xiaolian held Qiao Qiao in his arms, allowing her legs to encircle his waist. His hands found their way to her hips, and he carried her towards the bed...
...
In the morning, Chen Xiaolian and Qiao Qiao walked hand in hand out of Chen Xiaolian's room and into the central lounge area of the base.
Almost the enLun Tai team was here except for Roddy!
Lun Tai, Xiaolei, and Qimu Xi, these guys were all looking at this couple with the kind of expression that said, "We know you guys had some fun last night."
Xiaolei, being the goofball he was, enthusiastically did a fist-pumping cheer for Chen Xiaolian, "Boss, you're awesome!"
"Get lost! Well-behaved kids, don't learn Roddy's idiotic style." Chen Xiaolian playfully slapped Xiaolei's head.
Qiao Qiao, on the other hand, remained composed. She casually walked over, picked up the coffee machine from the table, and started pouring herself a cup of coffee.
Then, this girl not only sipped her coffee delicately, she also walked past Chen Xiaolian and planted a kiss on his cheek.
"You guys have had enough!" Bei Tai rolled his eyes in resignation. "Do you really want to torment us single folks?"
Qiao Qiao chuckled and took a seat.
In the lounge, everyone was laughing, except for Soo Soo, who had a sullen expression. She glared at Chen Xiaolian, her eyes darting between him and Qiao Qiao, then lowered her head and sighed.
Chen Xiaolian quickly finished two slices of toast and drank a glass of juice before standing up.
"Let's start preparing today. Bei Tai, you're responsible for familiarizing yourself with the firearms we brought back. Lun Tai, you'll handle the melee weapons. Xiaolei and Qimu Xi, you'll train with them. And Qiao Qiao..."
Qiao Qiao quietly watched Chen Xiaolian.
Chen Xiaolian thought for a moment. "You'll bring Soo Soo with you, and also, get in touch with Roddy, that kid, and check on his progress to ensure there are no issues."
Qiao Qiao seemed to sense something amiss in Chen Xiaolian's tone. "What about you?"
"Well... I might need a bit of alone time," Chen Xiaolian replied with a wry smile. "There are still some loose ends in Zero City... Let's put it this way, this trip to Zero City yielded some additional gains, and I need some time to process all of it."
He paused. "I'll need to use the training room. Once I'm in there, unless it's something urgent, please don't disturb me. I might stay there for a few days."
"A few days?" Bei Tai was a bit surprised.
"Yes, a few days. During that time, Bei Tai, you'll handle the daily matters," Chen Xiaolian said, then glanced at Qiao Qiao.
"I also have some personal matters at home... I need to make a quick trip back, but I'll be back later."
Chen Xiaolian did indeed need to return home.
There were still some guests staying at his place.
During the day, he made a quick visit home and met with his grassland brother, Arslan.
Arslan had officially moved into the school, even though it hadn't started yet. He had visited the school a few times and was eventually convinced by Coach Ding to join the school's basketball team, where he began some special training.
He decided to move into the school dormitory in advance. With Coach Ding's arrangement, this matter was not an issue.
Chen Xiaolian's headache was primarily caused by Yu Jiajia.
For some reason, this girl... Qiao Yifeng didn't send anyone to pick her up again!
During the days Chen Xiaolian was away, this girl boldly moved into his home, behaving as if it was her own territory. When Chen Xiaolian returned home during the day, he found that there were several new decorations in his living room.
Even the throw pillows on the sofa had been replaced with a new set of pink pillowcases.
There was even a bow tied to them.
Chen Xiaolian sighed but didn't say much.
He simply told Yu Jiajia that he would be away for a few days, maybe longer, and she could fend for herself at home... or...
"If you're not busy, you could go back home," Chen Xiaolian thought for a moment. "You've been out for quite a few days, and perhaps... someone might be worried, and..."
Yu Jiajia was sitting in the living room in front of the TV, playing GTA 5 with a controller, recklessly driving around the city streets, causing chaos and destruction...
After hearing Chen Xiaolian's words, this girl waved her hand dismissively and grumbled, "I got it, I got it. Staying at your place is pretty good, and I'll pay you rent on time!"
Well, that was her way of saying she was quite content.
Chen Xiaolian thought for a moment and decided to let her be.
After all, it seemed like he and Qiao Yifeng's issue was resolved. If she wanted to continue staying here, it was fine. Besides, he probably wouldn't be coming back here often in the future.
If Qiao Yifeng sent someone to take her away, Chen Xiaolian wouldn't interfere either.
Having said that, Chen Xiaolian planned to leave. Before he departed, he glanced into the kitchen...
On the table and in the trash can were instant noodles and noodle containers piled up...
Chen Xiaolian sighed, "Such a fine girl, and she's turned into a homebody. Don't spend all day at home playing games, and stop eating instant noodles all the time. They're not nutritious, and you might gain weight..."
Yu Jiajia snorted and threw a seductive wink, "This girl has a great figure. I won't put on weight no matter what I eat!"
With that, she even deliberately emphasized her well-endowed chest.
Chen Xiaolian simply shook his head and left the house.
He still had no idea about the relationship between this girl and Qiao Yifeng... Oh well, it was none of his business!
As Chen Xiaolian walked downstairs, just as he exited the hallway, he suddenly heard Yu Jiajia's voice from above.
The girl was leaning on the windowsill, looking at Chen Xiaolian with a sly gaze.
"Hey!!"
"What's up?" Chen Xiaolian looked up.
"I forgot to tell you just now. Da Gang asked me to pass on a message. He has some personal matters in Hang'an and won't be able to return for a few days."
Chen Xiaolian waved his hand. "Got it!"
Watching Chen Xiaolian's retreating figure, Yu Jiajia's gaze remained fixed until he disappeared around the corner. She looked forlorn and withdrew her gaze.
Turning back to the living room, she looked at the paused video game on the TV screen. Suddenly, a feeling of frustration washed over her. She turned off the TV, jumped up, and headed to the kitchen. She had just taken out a cup of instant noodles when she remembered someone's words earlier. She hesitated for a moment, then put the noodles back in the cabinet.
She turned and opened the fridge, taking out a carton of milk and sipping from it.
Then, she glanced down at her chest...
"Could it be that I've really messed up my figure by eating instant noodles too often? No way..."
With these thoughts in mind, the girl suddenly panicked. She let out a scream and rushed into her room. In no time, she brought out a yoga mat and placed it next to the TV. She used a player to play a yoga tutorial, took a deep breath, and slowly lifted her left leg...
...
Chen Xiaolian left the residential area and indeed did not see Da Gang, who was supposed to be in security uniform, at the entrance.
He made a brief stop at a supermarket near the residential area to purchase some items.
Several boxes of candles!
He bought every single candle available in the supermarket!!
Four whole boxes of candles were loaded into his car and then directly placed into the storage wristwatch.
Around noon, Chen Xiaolian returned to the base.
In the central resting area, Bei Tai was disassembling a PS9 pistol into its individual components and rapidly reassembling it, while Xiaolei, next to him, had a clear fanboy expression on his face.
Chen Xiaolian glanced at Bei Tai...
Very good. The new nano-level liquid metal arm he had brought back from Zero City almost looked like a real limb. Moreover, Bei Tai's fingers appeared extremely dexterous. Chen Xiaolian felt slightly relieved.
On the other side, Lun Tai was holding a longsword and demonstrating some basic swordsmanship moves to Qiao Qiao, Xiuxiu, and Qimu Xi, who were seated nearby.
After Chen Xiaolian returned, he greeted everyone, handed his storage wristwatch to Lun Tai, and used the one that originally belonged to Fan Pangzi. He added various supplies to it and bid farewell to everyone.
"I'm going to start special training now and will be using the training room. See you all in a few days!"
Chen Xiaolian walked into the training room with a smile. When the door closed automatically, his smile gradually disappeared.
Turning around, he took a deep breath and walked to the control console of the metal sphere.
"Simulated scenario... Initiating user memory scene retrieval... Simulated generation... Simulated similarity, 95.58%! Training intensity selection: High realism level. Entering in one minute."
Chen Xiaolian took a deep breath.
One minute later, a line of text appeared on the metal sphere.
"Simulated sub-scenario scene initiated! Restored based on user memory: Desert Island Dungeon!"