The pigeon that was the first to peck at the wheat grains in Xia Sanghuan's hand plucked a feather from its wing before flying away and placed it in her palm.
"Looks like they really like you," the old man said as he rose from the bench and walked over to them.
"When birds give feathers, it's a sign of affection," he added, casting a sidelong glance at Leng Chuanjin. "Your sister is quite a hit with the little critters." He said with a smile.
Predictably, the man's face twitched upon hearing this.
"She's my lover," he explained to the old man. "Throw that feather away. It's covered in the dust the pigeon picked up while flying around."
With that, he crouched down to take the feather from the girl's hand.
"No way. They clean and groom their feathers all the time," Xia Sanghuan said, hiding the feather behind her back. "And this is the pigeon's token of affection!"
"What about my affection? I don't see you cherishing that," he said, pointing at the wilting sunflowers she'd left on the bench.
Seeing the dehydrated petals of the sunflowers that had been baking in the sun, she gave an embarrassed smile.
"Can't I revive them when we get to the hotel?"
The man gave her a silent look but let her carefully tuck the feather into her inner pocket.
"Thank you, sir," she said as she stood up and reached out her hand. But then she suddenly remembered that her hand was still dirty with wheat husks and pigeon dust.
Before she could pull it back, the old man shook it without a hint of hesitation.
The old man looked quite elderly, but his grip was surprisingly strong for his age. And from that brief handshake, the girl could feel the calluses on his palm.
Does he do a lot of manual labor? she wondered as she glanced at his clothes. Although not very noticeable, a closer look revealed that they were all limited - edition items from top - tier brands. Items that even if you were rich, you couldn't buy without the right connections.
His identity is not simple.
Leng Chuanjin on the side had noticed the same thing, but they both tacitly decided not to mention it.
"You're quite fluent in our language," the old man said after the brief handshake.
"Yes, I learned a lot during high school," the girl replied smoothly.
"And what are you doing now?"
"I just started my freshman year of college."
Facing his surprised look, she gave him a smile.
"You're really talented at such a young age."
If only you knew all the amazing things she's capable of, Leng Chuanjin thought as he shook the old man's hand.
"Are you here for a specific purpose or just for a vacation?"
Xia Sanghuan didn't miss the inquisitive glint that flashed in the old man's eyes.
"My lover has been under a lot of study stress lately, so I brought her out for a break," the man said, putting his arm around the girl's shoulder and subtly pulling her behind him.
"I see," the old man said. He seemed to sense their new - found caution towards him and toned down his probing gaze. "When you're young, you should travel with your loved one more. Otherwise, when you're old, you might not get the chance."
There was nothing wrong with his words, but for some reason, Xia Sanghuan felt that there was something off about them.
After chatting for a few more minutes, the old man walked away with his hands behind his back. On closer inspection, his back was ramrod straight.
"He's such a strange old man," the girl murmured. "I shouldn't have asked him for the wheat to feed the pigeons."
The man sighed. He had a feeling that they had come into contact with someone they shouldn't have.
"It's okay. You were just trying to make me happy," she said. Remembering the way he introduced her as "my lover" to the old man, she had to admit that her heart skipped a beat for a moment.
"Just to be safe, I should look into his background," Leng Chuanjin said, looking at the girl with a worried expression. He felt that the old man had set his sights on his little girlfriend.
"Let's go," she said. Seeing his worried frown, she reached out and mimicked his action of pinching his cheeks, making his mouth turn from a frown into a smile. "Let's go back to the hotel."
The hotel had been booked the day before, but there was a "tiny" hitch during the booking process.
"Why are there only double - occupancy rooms left?" Xia Sanghuan exclaimed in frustration as she looked at the list of available rooms provided by the receptionist. She turned to look at the man beside her, whose face clearly said "I had nothing to do with this."
"Didn't you book the rooms in advance?"
"I only reserved the slot for booking," he said, shrugging innocently.
"Why do such useless slots even exist?"
The receptionist looked at Leng Chuanjin for help, but the latter averted his gaze. Didn't you tell me to say this in the first place? She felt like she was about to go crazy along with the girl in front of her.
"Dear guest, we're really sorry," the receptionist said with a professional smile as she addressed Xia Sanghuan gently. "Since there was no prior reservation, the only available rooms in the hotel are double - and triple - occupancy rooms. If you can't accept this, you may have to find another hotel..."
"Cough," Leng Chuanjin interrupted her. Even without looking, she could feel the threatening look he was giving her.
"But other hotels also require reservations. If you try to book now, there's a high chance you won't be able to get a room," she said seriously, spouting nonsense to the girl.
Seeing the embarrassed look on the receptionist's face, Xia Sanghuan could only sigh and reluctantly accept the situation. She instinctively took a step to the side, waiting for Leng Chuanjin to swipe his card.
After the room was booked, as the receptionist was handing them the room cards, perhaps to make up for the "mishap" earlier, she casually said, "Your boyfriend really loves you, ma'am."
"Why do you say that?" the girl asked, taken aback.
"Because sunflowers always face the sun. 'When you're in front of me, I only have eyes for you; when you're not around, I don't look at anyone else.' In our country, engaged couples often give each other sunflowers."
She handed the room card to Xia Sanghuan. "Isn't it romantic?"
...
After they got to the room, the first thing the girl did was look for an empty vase big enough to hold all the sunflowers. Fortunately, for decorative purposes, the hotel had placed a large vase filled with bright artificial flowers in the room.