Melody was determined.
She extended her phone, pointing to a room with a lake view and asked him, "How much is this?"
"298 a day."
"Do you provide food?"
"Breakfast is free."
"What about laundry?"
"There are free washing machines."
Perfect for her. She handed the phone back to him.
"Okay. I'll take it."
The man drove, and she sat in the back. Through the car window, she watched the dense, slightly yellowing trees. The beautiful scenery, with hardly any repetition, lifted her spirits. She couldn't help but open the window, letting the breeze blow across her face.
If fate decreed her life would only last thirty-one years.
If her life had already begun its countdown.
This picturesque place would be a good final destination.
No one knew her, no one would look at her with pity. She would always be the beautiful and confident Melody. It was good.
The car sped along, and there was no conversation between them.
After an unknown amount of time, the man finally spoke.
"Uh, what should I call you?"
Melody thought for a moment. "My surname is Mai. Call me Miss Mai."
"Miss Mai." He nodded in the rearview mirror. "My name is Long Yifei."
Whether it was Melody's stereotype or the name's high frequency, her first reaction was that it sounded familiar.
Long Yifei paused and then asked, "How long do you plan to stay here?"
She held the brim of her hat with one hand and rested her chin on the other, her long hair lifted by the breeze. Her features were so young and defined, like a celebrity shooting a music video.
"I haven't decided yet. I'm here to recover from an injury and see how things go."
Recover from an injury?
Long Yifei could tell she had something on her mind.
Likely a broken heart.
He said the place was quite far, which was true.
They drove for nearly an hour before reaching the destination.
The destination was a village. A section of the road leading into the village was unpaved and bumpy. Fortunately, there were many trees along the way, making the scenery excellent.
For some reason, this village had been developed. Although it was remote, there were several bars, a children's playground, restaurants, and small supermarkets along the way, resembling a compact but underdeveloped commercial street.
Long Yifei's hotel was in the center of the village. It was a five-story building, designed like a cream castle, very dreamy, and the name was pleasant.
"Pioneer Traveler."
Long Yifei parked the car in the open space at the entrance and gestured for her to get out.
Inside, the lobby was clean and quiet. Only a young girl was sitting at the front desk, reading a book with her head down.
Hearing someone enter, she didn't look up. "You're back."
Long Yifei walked past her familiarly. "Yeah, haven't been running around, have you?"
"No. You brought someone back and didn't tell me. Hello."
Melody looked at her. She was thin and fair-skinned, with beautiful features. She looked only seventeen or eighteen. Everything about her was good, except for her eyes...
"Hello."
She looked in Melody's direction with vacant, lifeless eyes and said in a sweet voice, "Welcome to Pioneer Traveler."
Just as she had calmed her emotions, she encountered someone like this. Melody couldn't quite describe what she felt.
Long Yifei led her to the agreed-upon room and explained the layout of the building along the way. Seeing Melody staring out the window distractedly without responding, he paused for two seconds.
With a knowing look.
"Then you rest first. I'll go handle the check-in for you."
Melody turned back, remembering she hadn't paid yet. She took out her wallet and pulled out three banknotes.
Looking at her attire, demeanor, and her very fashionable accent, she was definitely not from a small place.
Did a city socialite not know the rules of staying in a hotel?
Seeing her pretend to be oblivious, Long Yifei didn't take the money.
"Miss Mai, you travel often, don't you? This isn't your first time staying in a hotel. Don't you know the basic procedure?"
Melody looked at the three pitiful bills and thought, "This is the poorest I've ever been. You're just unlucky to have met me."
"Is something wrong? Do I need to register my ID? I already told you I lost my ID."
Long Yifei, annoyed, took the money and flicked it in his palm with his left hand.
"Beautiful lady, you need to pay a deposit to stay here. For overnight stays, it's 500. For less than overnight, it's 200, and it will be refunded upon checkout. Don't other hotels have this rule?"
Melody, "..."
She had truly forgotten because she was so worried about money.
She raised her wallet again, probing with her fingers, reluctant to take out more.
Only seven bills were left. If she gave him a 500 deposit now, it wouldn't even be enough for tomorrow's room fee.
She had just found such a nice place and encountered financial problems. Was heaven trying to make her die restlessly?
Melody's mind raced, and she decided to find fault with him to negotiate the price.
"What's with the attitude? I didn't say I wouldn't pay. Why are you so fierce?"
"It's a remote area, and there's nothing valuable in the room. What could I possibly run away with? Do you really need a deposit?"
"If I choose to stay for a month, do you still require a deposit?"
"Stay for a month?" Long Yifei looked at this fairy who had no luggage, a fairy who contradicted herself.
"Then you're renting a place, beauty."
Melody retorted, "Why do you care so much? Just tell me if you'll rent it or not."
"I will."
Long Yifei, thinking she was some rich young lady who had come out to experience hardship on a whim, wouldn't be stupid enough to refuse money. Finding such a person as a girlfriend would definitely be tiring, no wonder she broke up.
Although Melody seemed out of touch with reality, she wasn't foolish and knew how to bargain.
"Since it's a long-term rental, the price should be different. How much cheaper will you give me?"
Long Yifei said, "The room management is here. It won't be much cheaper."
"What if I pay you all at once? You should give me a discount, right?"
Long Yifei pretended to think. "If you pay for a month at once, then okay, I'll give you a 10% discount."
"How much after the discount?"
Long Yifei took out his phone. "Let me calculate."
"At 260 per day, 30 days is 7800. With a 10% discount, it's 7020."
"Don't worry about the 20 in change. I'm not that stingy. Just give me a round number."
Seven thousand a month?
In this small village in this small county, he dared to ask her for seven thousand a month?
If he said that, her rent for a year here would be over eighty thousand, and for ten years, over eight hundred thousand. He might as well just rob her.
"If I had known you were so greedy, I wouldn't have come."
Melody, poor but proud, was startled by the price he quoted and deliberately put on a stern face.
"I don't have money, I can't afford it. Please drive me back to that intersection."
Given his location and current customer flow, charging seven thousand a month was indeed a bit much. Long Yifei didn't want to have made the trip in vain and quickly stopped her.
"I was just kidding. Don't go, let's talk properly."
That was more like it.
Melody stopped. "Then talk properly. How much?"
Although she didn't look poor, in her current situation, it was clear she couldn't squeeze any profit out of her. Long Yifei's eyes flickered, and he thought of a compromise.
"There's a room on the first floor. The view is the same as this one, just a bit smaller. You can stay there, and we can discuss the price."