Chapter 309

After Xiao Shengzhou and Xiao Qi finished swimming, he watched her emerge from the water and handed her a towel, smiling as he said, "Seeing you swim, it reminds me that you are the swimming champion of Jingnan Province."

Xiao Qi was very focused while swimming and didn't notice the people on the shore. It was only when she came out of the water that she realized Xiao Shengzhou was waiting for her. She smiled with a hint of embarrassment and asked, "President, do you need something?"

"No, I called you just now, but no one answered. Since it's your first time traveling far from home, I was worried, so I came to check on you." In fact, Xiao Shengzhou had checked several places—restaurants, Chinese and Western ones, the lobby, and even the beauty salon—before he remembered that she might be in the gym.

Steven felt quite wronged. He had escorted Xiao Qi back to her room. Xiao Qi was already a grown woman, and he thought the boss was being overly concerned. In a foreign country, a young lady like Xiao Qi might have already had several boyfriends.

Moreover, based on Steven's observations, Xiao Qi possessed astonishing strength, and ordinary people couldn't bully her at all. Sometimes, he couldn't lift something, but Xiao Qi could easily pick it up. She was also very agile, so he had no worries.

After all, Xiao Shengzhou was the president of the student union, and he had brought Xiao Qi out. Although Xiao Qi was skilled in horseback riding, in his eyes, she was still an underage girl, a freshman, so he was naturally more nervous.

When Xiao Qi went to retrieve her belongings, she discovered that she had missed several phone calls and felt quite embarrassed.

Xiao Shengzhou looked at the dripping wet girl and felt his heart inexplicably beat faster. He shook his head, thinking that he was just being overly worried.

Both of them were on the same floor, the 27th. Steven was on the 19th floor because he said he wanted an executive-level floor. He wanted to have something to drink, and executive-level floors had free lounges, which were very popular among foreigners.

Back in her room, Xiao Qi showered and blow-dried her hair. It wasn't late yet, only a little after ten o'clock, but she was already exhausted. After drying her hair, she climbed into bed and went to sleep.

Before she slept, she received a text message from the president, reminding her to lock her door...

The bed was especially soft, and Xiao Qi felt herself sinking into it. She fell asleep in no time.

The next day, Xiao Qi woke up feeling a bit confused, not knowing where she was. As she looked at the decorations in the hotel, the colorful paintings on the opposite wall, and the buildings outside the window, she gradually realized that she had actually arrived in the capital city.

Without immediately getting out of bed, she lingered for a while.

She looked around the room, at the decorative bookshelf with a few empty book covers. She had flipped through them yesterday; they were just for show. There was a painting as well, with bright colors but average craftsmanship.

The carpet was brown, and the bed was white and large, occupying only a small corner of the room. This was the second time she had stayed in a hotel. The first time was when she went to the Leagues City at the beginning of the semester, and now this time.

The hotels all had a beautiful atmosphere, and the decorations were well done. Xiao Qi thought to herself that in the future, she would also like to decorate her home like this. Waking up in such an environment was particularly impressive.

After lying in bed for a while, Xiao Qi finally got up.

She practiced calligraphy for half an hour and then went to the gym for a run. She ran for an hour, came back, took a shower, and it was exactly 8 o'clock. Time to eat.

Steven didn't come; they were supposed to eat on their own. Xiao Qi and the president ate together.

Breakfast was very abundant, and Xiaoqi liked the hotel's buffet breakfast because there were so many options to choose from.

There was also the famous Beijing-style braised food, which had a strong flavor that Xiaoqi found a bit overpowering. She didn't add any to her plate, but there were many other snacks available, all of which were very fresh.

Even Roujiamo, a Chinese-style sandwich with fatty meat, was available. Xiaoqi had a high exercise level and needed a lot of protein, so she ate these high-calorie items. She didn't drink much except for beverages and didn't have any dietary restrictions.

She piled up a large plate of food, and Xiao Shengzhou was used to it by now.

First thing in the morning, she poured herself a cup of iced Americano, which was black coffee with ice cubes, no milk or sugar.

Xiaoqi had tried it on the plane yesterday and could taste the unique fragrance and bitterness of the coffee. It had a distinct flavor and gave her a subtle sensation of alertness and increased focus. She found it very effective for studying Spanish during the few hours on the plane. However, it had its drawbacks too, as she felt particularly tired after getting off the plane, especially mentally, feeling empty in her mind. It could be related to flying at high altitudes.

Xiaoqi was still quite energetic in the morning and didn't want to be too alert. When the waiter came over to ask what she wanted to drink, Xiaoqi ordered black tea.

The black tea was served in an exquisite manner. The waiter brought a small porcelain teapot, along with matching cups, saucers, and spoons.

Xiaoqi poured herself a little and took a sip. It was exceptionally fragrant.

Xiao Shengzhou noticed the girl across from him, who was so serious even when drinking tea. It seemed like she approached everything with great seriousness, whether it was cleaning the stables, bathing the horses, riding horses, painting, eating, or doing anything else.

"You can add some milk. The English like to add milk to their black tea for afternoon tea," Xiao Shengzhou suggested.

Xiaoqi noticed that there was indeed a silver jug next to her with white milk in it. She poured out half a cup of black tea and added half a cup of milk, mixing them together. Surprisingly, it didn't taste bad at all. It didn't taste like the milk tea she normally drank, which was overly sweet. Instead, it had a subtle blend of tea aroma and milk fragrance. Even without sugar, it unexpectedly had a pleasant flavor.

After drinking a cup of milk-infused black tea with utmost seriousness, Xiaoqi began to eat breakfast.

There was a combination of Chinese and Western dishes, such as rice porridge, egg-filled buns, pancakes, Roujiamo, buttered toast, smoked ham, and some salmon...

Xiaoqi took some of everything she hadn't tried before or that caught her eye. She didn't take large portions but tried a wide variety. She approached eating with great seriousness, savoring each bite.

Steven particularly loved salmon, so sometimes they would have fresh salmon available at the stable. Xiaoqi had tried some, hesitating at first because it was served raw. However, she found it unexpectedly delicious, especially when combined with soy sauce and wasabi. The tangy and refreshing taste of the salmon, with its tender texture, was an explosion of flavor. It seemed that this was the best way to enjoy this delicacy.

The hotel's salmon was also excellent, very rich and fatty, probably made from the belly part of the fish.

When she went for seconds, Xiaoqi took some more salmon.

By this time, it was already past 8:30, and Xiaoqi thoroughly enjoyed a not-so-short but lavish breakfast.

She had arranged to meet her coach at 9 o'clock to leave the hotel.

Xiao Shengzhou didn't eat much, although under the influence of Su Xiaoqi, he had started eating more than usual. However, he still sat and waited for Su Xiaoqi, always a true gentleman.

The two of them finished eating together and headed outside.

Coincidentally, they ran into Liu Shaowei and Li Maomao, who were holding hands and sticking together.

Liu Shaowei had a momentary daze when he saw Su Xiaoqi.

Su Xiaoqi was truly becoming more and more beautiful the more he looked at her. Her face seemed to radiate light, and it appeared that she wasn't wearing any makeup. He had noticed Li Maomao fussing with her face earlier, but when he compared the two, he realized that Su Xiaoqi's face was clean and radiant. Moreover, at this moment, she was laughing and chatting with the person next to her, and her smile was especially charming and alluring.

Back when Liu Shaowei used to sit next to Su Xiaoqi during evening self-study, he had discovered that although this girl was a bit insecure, she had a particularly captivating appearance, especially when she smiled. She probably didn't even realize it herself, but it was incredibly enticing and made his heart itch.

Now, Su Xiaoqi seemed to have magnified that captivating charm, completely opening up and casting off any shadows of insecurity, exuding a special radiance.

At this moment, seeing her with another man, a younger one who looked quite business-like, much better than that old man from yesterday, Liu Shaowei couldn't help but feel a tinge of disgust.

Li Maomao also noticed Su Xiaoqi and, like most girls, had a particularly good memory for beautiful girls. She also noticed that Su Xiaoqi had a different man by her side... her expression also became somewhat strange.

Su Xiaoqi and Xiao Shengzhou entered the elevator together, and Xiao Shengzhou asked, "Do you know those two from earlier?"

"The guy is a high school classmate, not very familiar. His expression was weird when he saw me with the coach yesterday," Su Xiaoqi shrugged and replied.

Xiao Shengzhou nodded.

At nine o'clock, Su Xiaoqi waited outside the hotel for Coach Steven to come down. When she saw him, she didn't even recognize him. Usually, he wore a jacket every day with stubble on his face, but today he had shaved his beard and changed into a suit and leather shoes, looking very serious...

Hmm, there was also a strong scent, a preliminary feeling of lavender mixed with orange. The hairstyle was a big slicked-back style, a bit greasy.

Su Xiaoqi had the feeling that the coach wasn't taking her to try on riding gear but rather going on a blind date...