novelbin Chapter 20: Check-in at 8 AM
Chapter 20: Check-in at 8 AM
Around three or four in the morning, Qin Chuan added one last bit of firewood to the campfire, his eyelids so heavy he could barely lift them.
Keeping watch at night sounds simple, but when it really gets late, sleepiness can pull you to the ground.
Qin Chuan rubbed his temples and slapped himself twice, but it was no use; his head kept drooping downwards.
Never mind, I'll go back to sleep.
As soon as Qin Chuan stood up, the banana leaf curtain of the wooden house was lifted, and Lin Shishi walked out with light, quick steps.
She was wearing the light blue T-shirt she had changed into during the day, paired with athletic shorts, her hair was loose, and there were pillow marks on her face.
"Brother Chuan, you must be sleepy, go to sleep."
Qin Chuan felt a surge of warmth in his heart. Of all these women, Lin Shishi was the most kind-hearted.
She would always wake up in the middle of the night to take his place.
Fan Yubing slept like a log, Liu Yifei also fell asleep immediately, only Lin Shishi was preoccupied with this matter.
"It's still a bit dark, so you can just stay at the door of the cabin. Call me if you need anything, and I'll come out immediately."
"Okay, go and rest." Lin Shishi nodded obediently, walked to the wooden post by the door and sat down, curling her legs up and hugging her knees with both hands.
Qin Chuan glanced at her, wanting to say something, but he was too sleepy, so he just patted her shoulder and turned to go into the wooden house.
There are two rooms in the wooden house. Fan Yubing lives on the left and Liu Yifei lives on the right.
Qin Chuan hesitated for two seconds in the corridor.
Left or right?
He had just kissed Liu Yifei against the wall that afternoon and got slapped. Although they made up later, it was still a bit inappropriate for him to sneak into her room now.
Let's go to the left then, since they've already opened the "big" one over there anyway.
Qin Chuan lifted the banana leaf curtain, bent down, and slipped inside.
Fan Yubing's sleeping posture is as unrestrained as ever.
He was sprawled out on the wooden bed, his left hand hanging off the edge, his right leg spread across half the bed, his mouth slightly open, and he was snoring softly.
The white tank top got twisted while she was turning over, and one of the straps slipped down to her arm, exposing her collarbone and shoulder.
Her khaki skirt was also bunched up at her waist in a wrinkled mess, and her two long legs stretched out without any cover.
Qin Chuan sighed inwardly.
This girl sleeps like she's in a battle.
He bent down and nudged Fan Yubing's hands and legs, squeezing her a little closer, before carefully lying down on the edge of the bed.
The wooden bed was not big to begin with, and when two people squeezed together, there was almost no gap between them.
Qin Chuan turned to the side, facing outwards, and closed his eyes.
Sleepiness quickly overwhelmed him, and his consciousness began to blur.
But a few minutes later, a hand landed on his waist.
Fan Yubing's hand.
Qin Chuan didn't move, assuming she would just turn over and pass away.
Instead of retracting, the hand tightened its grip, and the person pressed against Qin Chuan's back like an octopus, their chest pressed firmly against his back.
Two soft mounds separated by a thin camisole fabric, their shapes so clear they sent chills down one's spine.
Qin Chuan's body tensed instinctively.
Fan Yubing's warm breath was even and long near his ear, indicating that he was sleeping soundly and had no idea what he was doing.
Qin Chuan tried to shift his body, attempting to pry her hands away, but Fan Yubing held on tightly, letting out a groan with each attempt to move her, and then holding on even tighter.
Several times, her hand slid down from her waist and she almost "stole" the house.
Qin Chuan quickly grabbed her wrist and put his hand back on her stomach.
Less than ten seconds later, that hand reached out again.
Helpless, Qin Chuan could only hold her hand in his own palm and press it against his chest, preventing her from exploring further.
Fan Yubing mumbled something, rested her chin on his shoulder, and wrapped her legs around him like a koala.
Qin Chuan thought to himself, "This is an occupational hazard for yoga teachers; they practice yoga even when they're trying to sleep."
Whatever, do whatever you want.
Qin Chuan was so tired that after a couple of thoughts like "I must expand the house in the future and leave myself a separate bedroom" crossed his mind, he fell into a deep sleep.
In the latter half of the night, Fan Yubing turned over several times, and each time she turned over, she would roll back over.
Qin Chuan was tossed and turned several times in a half-dreaming, half-awake state, but eventually, sleepiness prevailed, and he drifted off to sleep in a daze.
The blue moon slowly sank in the west, and the eastern horizon began to turn white.
Golden rays of light streamed through the cracks in the wooden walls, falling in beams onto the bed.
Qin Chuan woke up.
To be precise, he was awakened by Fan Yubing's body temperature.
The woman had somehow ended up straddling him, her thighs straddling his waist, her head resting on his chest, and her arms around his neck.
Both shoulder straps of the tank top have fallen off, and the entire garment is only held up by the fabric at the chest, causing it to slip down considerably.
The first thing Qin Chuan saw when he opened his eyes was the top of Fan Yubing's head, and the white, gleaming curve inside her collar.
Qin Chuan took a deep breath and reached out to push her shoulder.
"Fan Yubing, wake up, it's dawn."
Fan Yubing hummed in response, ignored him, and nuzzled her face into the crook of his neck.
"Get up! You're crushing me!"
Fan Yubing finally groggily sat up, staring at the face in front of her with sleepy eyes, and paused for two seconds.
Then, looking down at her position straddling Qin Chuan, and then at her ridiculously askew tank top, her mind went blank.
"ah!"
Fan Yubing screamed and almost rolled off the bed.
"You, you, you! Why are you sleeping here again!"
Qin Chuan sat up and said slowly, "I was on guard duty until four in the morning last night. I came in to take a nap. What's wrong? I built this wooden hut myself."
Fan Yubing adjusted her shoulder strap with one hand and covered her face with the other, her ears turning bright red.
"So, did I just...?"
"You're using me as a body pillow again? Yes. Not only did you hug me, you even rode on me."
"Shut up!"
Fan Yubing wished she could disappear into a hole. She remembered having a dream where she was in a yoga class.
Omg.
Qin Chuan watched her frantically tidying her clothes, a slight smile playing on his lips, but he didn't tease her anymore.
When I came out of the cabin, the light outside was already quite bright.
Lin Shishi was dozing off against the wooden post by the door when she heard the noise and looked up.
Liu Yifei also came out of another bedroom, her hair tied in a ponytail, her face showing the languid look of someone who had just woken up.
The four people met in the open space in front of the wooden house.
Qin Chuan glanced at the position of the sun in the sky and estimated that it was about eight o'clock.
The special ingredients have already passed their cooling time.
Qin Chuan cleared his throat, trying to speak in a natural tone: "Ahem, well, everyone, let's clock in first. From now on, let's set a fixed time: 8 AM and 8 PM."
Lin Shishi was the first to step forward.
She tiptoed, placed her hands on Qin Chuan's shoulders, and gently pressed her lips to his.
Lin Shishi's kiss was as gentle as ever. Her lips touched for two or three seconds before she let go, then she took a step back, lowered her head, and her ear tips were red.
"Alright, Brother Chuan."
The system prompt tone sounds on time:
[Congratulations, host, you have obtained a special ingredient. Character Skill: Pupil Technique LV1 (Data Scanning Ability) (Proficiency +1, Current Proficiency: 6/10)]
Fan Yubing watched from the side, pursed her lips, and then stepped forward.
She was much more proactive than Lin Shishi, hooking one arm around Qin Chuan's neck and pressing her lips directly against his. The pressure wasn't light, as if she was sulking.
After the kiss, Fan Yubing gave Qin Chuan a push: "Alright, you've clocked out."
She turned and left, but her ears were red.
[Congratulations, host, you have obtained a special ingredient. Character Skill: Pupil Technique LV1 (Data Scanning Ability) (Proficiency +1, Current Proficiency: 7/10)]
Finally, there's Liu Yifei.
Liu Yifei stood there, head down, her hands clasped together.
"Yifei, it's your turn," Fan Yubing urged from the side.
Liu Yifei looked up at Qin Chuan, took a deep breath, and stepped forward.
Her kiss was awkward; her lips barely touched before she pulled back, as quick as a dragonfly skimming the water, the whole process taking less than a second.
"Alright." Liu Yifei's voice was muffled as she finished speaking and quickly walked back into the wooden house.
Qin Chuan touched his lips, feeling a bit amused and exasperated. Three people, three different styles. Lin Shishi was gentle, Fan Yubing was domineering, and Liu Yifei was perfunctory.
[Congratulations, host, you have obtained a special ingredient. Character Skill: Pupil Technique LV1 (Data Scanning Ability) (Proficiency +1, Current Proficiency: 8/10)]
It's 8/10 now.
Qin Chuan quickly calculated in his mind. If he played another round of cards tonight, he would reach 11/10, which would be overflowing. In other words, by 8 PM tonight, his pupil technique would be upgraded to LV2.
I wonder what new abilities the LV2 pupil technique will have.
Qin Chuan rubbed his hands together, feeling a little expectant.
After checking in, the three women began preparing breakfast. Lin Shishi reheated the leftover grilled fish from last night, Liu Yifei went to the spring to fetch water, and Fan Yubing cut a mango.
Qin Chuan didn't stay at the camp. While they were busy, he planned to take a walk on the beach, firstly to pick some mangoes and coconuts to replenish his supplies, and secondly to see if there would be any new catches in the traps after the tide went out.
"I'm going out for a bit. Don't wander around the camp."
Lin Shishi nodded: "Okay, Brother Chuan, please be careful."
Fan Yubing continued cutting the mango without looking up, saying, "Okay, okay."
Qin Chuan walked south along the coastline. The sun had just risen, and the temperature on the beach wasn't too high yet. The sea breeze carried a salty smell, and Qin Chuan took a deep breath, feeling much more comfortable.
After walking for about ten minutes, when they passed the orchard from yesterday, Qin Chuan turned in and picked a few mangoes and coconuts. He wrapped them in a large banana leaf and placed them on the ground, intending to pick them up on his way back.
He then continued his search south along the coastline.
After walking about 300 meters, a voice could be faintly heard from the beach in the distance.
It was very faint, intermittent, like someone shouting something.
Qin Chuan stopped and listened carefully.
"Help... Is anyone there...?"
It was a woman's voice. It was terribly hoarse, as if she had been shouting for a long time and her voice was ruined.
Qin Chuan's heart tightened, and he quickened his pace.