Showbiz Scandal: The Official Announcement of My Ex and Myself-Chapter 312: Good Night, Baby

Isn’t this situation getting a bit out of hand? Yu Xia decided to get up.

"Forget it, forget it. I’m not blessed enough to enjoy Xie’s attentive massage service. I’d better just sleep..."

Xie Qingci grabbed her ankle and dragged her back.

"Let me massage your legs a bit more. You’ve been walking for too long, didn’t you say your legs were hurting?"

She turned her head, squinting her eyes, and asked, "A proper massage?"

"As proper as you want it to be." He said, a bit miffed.

Yu Xia felt reassured, lay down again, and instructed him, "My calves are stiff, and the soles of my feet hurt. Focus there."

Xie Qingci drawled lazily in reply, "Yes, I will humbly follow the lifelong VIP client’s teachings."

He really had a knack for massaging, making Yu Xia so comfortable while he worked on her calves that she almost felt like tipping him twenty bucks.

Life really was good. Who said guys younger than you were immature? This could not be better, with a lot of added perks.

When Xie Qingci’s hands eventually became sore from massaging, he looked up only to find that she had already fallen asleep while lying there, her brow relaxed, with slight dark circles under her eyes, a result of not resting well these past two days.

He gingerly brushed the hair off her cheek and placed a gentle kiss on her lips.

"Good night, darling."

He then pulled the blanket up over her, climbed into bed from the other side, and wrapped an arm possessively around her waist.

The lights turned off; the little valley, amidst a sea of flowers, fell silent around the inn.

Xie Qingci lay awake for a while, waiting for her to turn herself instinctively due to discomfort, and when she did, he effortlessly pulled her into his arms and kissed the crown of her head.

This was a great encounter, he mused when he closed his eyes. More people in their circle knew they were together now, unlike when he was a secret boyfriend no one knew about.

Soon, more would know that the name Yu Xia can only be linked romantically with Xie Qingci.

He tugged on the blanket again, kissed the person in his arms once more, and then drifted off to sleep.

...

The next day, Yu Xia and Xie Qingci were squatting outside the inn, brushing their teeth.

In front of them was a row of hydrangeas, ranging from white to light green to blue, looking beautiful. Even squatting there brushing their teeth was a kind of enjoyment.

Basking in the warm rising sun, they both looked up at the distance, as if synchronized.

"Time to start the escape journey again."

"Sis, it’s called a getaway."

"It’s about the same. Did you forget how Sister Shu Ran said we came to the scenic area to pick up trash yesterday?"

"Alright. What do you want for breakfast?"

"Anything, really. On others’ turf, learn to be content. Plus, you’re the chef; you decide. I’ll eat whatever you make."

"Alright, should we save fifty bucks? You won over a hundred last night, didn’t you?"

"... That really doesn’t last long. Take it!"

Muttering to each other, they walked back. The drone, already in the air, did not approach but hovered outside the kitchen window, focusing on their faces.

A new day brought new comments on the stream.

[Winning money? What about winning money? Playing cards with Cheng Yiding and the others all night? No way, right?]

[Cry, cry, cry. You guys really must have had fun yesterday, right? The stars I fan must be pretty close friends privately.]

[Bro, this is your chance! Rarely do you bump into such high-profile people.]

[The way you guys talk really makes you sound like a couple married for fifty years, even your brushing motions are frustratingly in sync.]

[Hahaha, the pain Yu Xia felt giving money is so much like my dad.]

[Not easy, finally like a star. The way you looked yesterday really seemed like picking trash as scavengers, especially compared to the glamorous Shu Ran.]

[Uh, what I really want to know is how they slept last night. I remember Cheng Yiding only mentioned there was one more room...]

[What are you thinking? Cheng is the most sensible person around. Even if they were a real couple, he’d arrange two rooms up front; no worries.]

[Are the others not awake yet? I really want to take another look.]

On the first floor, only Yu Xia and Xie Qingci were awake, considering that the others upstairs might still be resting, they kept their talking and breakfast-making noises to a minimum.

Xie Qingci was making pancakes, and Yu Xia was helping out beside him, though "helping" was limited to lazily handing him a plate.

Last night’s affluent lifestyle was like a soap bubble, bursting the moment sunlight touched it; the new day brought them back to accepting their impoverished reality, not daring to eat more than two bites of the pancakes.

Yu Xia packed the remaining pancakes into her backpack, instructed Xie Qingci to leave a note on the living room table, then both strapped on their packs and set off right away.

At the end of the gravel road, she glanced back reluctantly at the inn.

The sunlit two-story place seemed to glow, modern urban life beckoning her.

She sighed and said wistfully, "Next time, I must ask my agent to choose a program for me that enjoys life."

Xie Qingci thought aloud, "That’ll happen."

Past the scenic area, once again the empty road, ascending another mountain, they retrieved the trailer they hid yesterday, and pulled it up together as they hit the road.

The drone announced eight o’clock, starting the damned pursuit game.

The increasingly sharp electronic sound kicked in, triggering the adrenaline-packed thrill of escape, an immense surge of adrenaline flooded her system instinctively.

Following yesterday’s planned route, they retraced some distance before turning toward the fourth task point.

Perhaps Xie Qingci’s ability to time the reverse pursuit grew stronger, or maybe it was something else, but they managed to reach the fourth checkpoint without encountering relentless pursuers like yesterday.

The other guest groups weren’t even in view, possibly stuck at the third or even the second checkpoint, making them the undisputed champion contenders.

The difficulty of this checkpoint task was manageable too, in hindsight, they never really considered the difficulty level of the tasks, always choosing the highest points possible — quite risky on reflection.

Yu Xia analyzed the reason for their wild success, finally her gaze fell on Xie Qingci.

Xie Qingci had just drawn the task slip and was catching his breath, sensing her gaze, he looked over and asked, "What’s up? What are you thinking about?"

"We always chose the hardest task, stumbled through each, and completed them all, can’t believe it. It’s all thanks to you, little bro."

While reading the task on the screen, he replied, "It’s all because of your good teaching, sis."

She blushed slightly, coughed awkwardly, and turned to talk to a nearby staff member.

"Could the clues from completing the task show us how close the pursuers are?"

Staff member: "Yes, on the way to the final checkpoint, you can also complete random drone-released tasks; success will give you a chance to view their distance. However, among these extra tasks, there might be bomb tasks which could slow you down and reduce the gap between each team."

Yu Xia: "Huh? Bomb tasks? Specifically targeting the first place? The show’s crew is way too sly!"

The staff member found that hard to respond to, though their expression showed agreement with the statement.