Chapter 73: National Day Peak—China’s Own Maldives

The next morning, when Cheng Yao woke up, he no longer felt the fatigue he used to. He knew the gene capsule had taken effect. As he brushed his teeth and washed his face, he touched his cheek, noticing his skin was no longer as rough as before—he couldn’t tell whether it was thanks to the gene capsule or the beauty capsule.

“Hey, Zhang Ya is calling us to hurry up,” his sister called.

“Okay,” he replied.

After splashing his face with cold water, Cheng Yao grabbed his suitcase and left, calling a ride straight to the South Station. From Xianlin to Lukou it took over forty minutes and cost nearly a hundred yuan. Upon arriving at the terminal, he spotted Zhang Ya at the entrance, looking striking in a long dress as she waved, “Hey, over here, Little One!”

“Sis-in-law, you look amazing! How did my brother get so lucky?” Cheng Cheng giggled, rushing over while her suitcase slid toward Cheng Yao.

Zhang Ya pinched her nose playfully, giving her a mock glare.

Cheng Yao studied Zhang Ya—it had to be said, her height was impressive. At one seventy meters tall, she stood out among women, just right, he thought.

“Your friends are flying in from Shanghai Airport, right?” he asked.

“Yes, we’ll just wait for them at Phoenix Airport—or maybe they’ll be waiting for us,” Zhang Ya replied.

“Let’s go. We haven’t had breakfast yet.”

They grabbed a meal at KFC. Lukou was crowded; waiting to board was torturous, especially having to keep track of the time.

Zhang Ya held Cheng Cheng’s hand, “Is this your first time on a plane?”

“Yeah!” she replied.

“I’ll take a picture for you to remember it by.”

Cheng Yao teased, “It’s not like you won’t fly again in the future, what’s there to commemorate?”

“Be quiet,” Zhang Ya retorted, rolling her eyes. It was just a photo—what was he going on about?

After waiting two hours, they finally boarded. As long as there wasn’t a storm or strong winds, flights were rarely delayed.

At check-in, the flight attendants weren’t as stunning as the legends said, but their smiles were warm and gentle.

Zhang Ya took the window seat, Cheng Yao sat by the aisle, and Cheng Cheng was sandwiched in the middle.

When the plane took off, the force pinned Cheng Cheng back in her seat, making her grip Zhang Ya’s hand in fright.

“It’s okay,” Zhang Ya comforted her.

“Mm,” Cheng Cheng nodded.

Zhang Ya pulled out her phone to review music scores, teaching Cheng Cheng some basics. She didn’t seem to have many other interests these days; back in high school she’d watch dramas occasionally, but not anymore. Now that she was in college, she was even more diligent.

Cheng Yao listened to music and read novels—lately, he was into historical time-travel stories, especially those where the protagonist, Cao Cao, gathered famous generals and beauties like Da Qiao, Xiao Qiao, Cai Wenji, and Diao Chan into his harem. The sense of immersion was thrilling. For the first time, Cheng Yao even bought the "leader" status in the online forum and spent all his monthly tickets on it.

Before he knew it, the two-hour flight was over. The plane landed at Phoenix Airport.

As soon as they stepped off, a wave of heat hit them. After collecting their luggage, Cheng Yao pulled two large suitcases while Cheng Cheng happily trailed behind with her small one.

“They’re waiting for us at the entrance. Let’s go,” Zhang Ya said.

At the terminal entrance, several stylish, coolly dressed girls stood chatting and laughing.

“Zhang Ya, over here!”

“What took you so long? We’ve been waiting half an hour.”

“With six people, it’s hard to get a ride. Should we split into two taxis?”

Cheng Yao thought for a moment and said, “I’ll order a business van—six people will fit perfectly.”

“Alright, you take care of it,” Zhang Ya nodded.

Except for Cheng Yao, they were all beautiful girls—and he was handsome himself, which drew quite a few curious glances from passing tourists.

A few minutes later, a black business van pulled up.

“License plate ending in…”

“That’s the one.”

Inside, with the air conditioning on, it finally felt cool. Cheng Yao sat in the front, while the girls chattered non-stop in the back. Cheng Cheng gazed out the window, fixated on the coconut trees lining the road, each one heavy with coconuts.

Coconuts in Sanya, she thought excitedly.

Cheng Yao glanced back, “If you need anything, we can buy it at the hotel. The prices aren’t much higher. Let me see the itinerary.”

Zhang Ya handed him the schedule. After a quick look, Cheng Yao’s face darkened, “This is way too messy.”

“I’ll show you around, so the schedule doesn’t need to be too precise,” Zhang Ya said. “Once we get to the hotel, we’ll grab a taxi. In the afternoon, we can visit the National Forest Park and check out the duty-free mall in the evening. The next day we’ll go to Yalong Bay, walk on the beach, enjoy the scenery, and try coconut chicken and seafood. On the third day, we’ll head to Wuzhizhou Island for water sports. On the fourth, we can stay in Yalong Bay, rent a yacht for a trip out to the bay, maybe do some fishing. That way, the schedule isn’t too tight.”

“Sounds good, we’ll go with your plan,” Cheng Yao agreed, not wanting to complicate things.

They passed through the city to Haitang Bay, which was known as the "Maldives of China," a must-visit in life. The blue sky and white clouds were everywhere, but it was the sea they most looked forward to.

Soon, the car arrived at the coastal area of Haitang Bay, lush and green with rows of five-star hotels.

“Atlantis is the newcomer here,” someone remarked.

“Yes, compared to the older five-stars, it holds up pretty well.”

Although Atlantis was built much later than the other five-star hotels, its fame now far surpassed its peers.

Cheng Yao gazed out at the towering, exotic building as the car stopped at the entrance. They entered the hotel, finding the lobby packed with tourists. National Day holidays always meant crowds.

Cheng Yao got a single room. Zhang Ya and Cheng Cheng shared one, while Rong Xuelin and her friends took another.

This won’t do, Cheng Yao thought. He’d planned so many scenarios, only to be blocked by the wall. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to—it just wasn’t the right time.

Their rooms were all on the same floor, close together. As soon as he entered his, Cheng Yao received a message from Lu Mengyao.

Lu Mengyao: So nice, you’re already in Sanya. I have nowhere to go—my roommates can’t afford to travel.

Cheng Yao: …

Lu Mengyao: I’m so envious, I want to go to Sanya too.

Cheng Yao: Come then, who are you going with?

Lu Mengyao: Hehe, I was waiting for you to say that! My parents already bought tickets. They got a special night fare and we’ll arrive at your place before dawn.

Cheng Yao: ?

He thought about it. It wouldn’t really affect him—if Lu Mengyao came alone, it might be hard to explain, but coming with her parents was safe.

Cheng Yao: Atlantis. I’ll cover your costs.

Lu Mengyao: No need, I have enough. I’ll book two rooms—not on the same floor…

Cheng Yao instantly understood—wasn’t she hinting at him to visit her that night? He’d talk to her then about the company as well.

A girl like Lu Mengyao, with a pure image, was sure to become popular.

He didn’t want to overthink things on this trip. After deleting the chat record, Cheng Yao grabbed his phone and lightly knocked on the next room’s door.

Zhang Ya opened it. She’d finished organizing.

“Let’s eat first. We’ll have lunch at the hotel—there’s nowhere else nearby,” she said.

“There’s a Wellington steakhouse in the hotel,” Cheng Yao suggested.

“We’d be waiting forever during the National Day holidays. Let’s just grab something simple,” Zhang Ya replied.

…