Chapter 056　 We will definitely last forever.

  *

  The workload remained low, but Zhao Nanfeng didn't seem to care. Instead, he let everyone leave work early, telling them to take the opportunity to rest and enjoy life.

  "Since you put it that way, how about we take two days off for the Lunar New Year?" Su Xian suggested. "It might be a Japanese company, but 75% of the staff is Chinese."

  "Fine."

  "Boss, you're the best!" she praised him exaggeratedly and immediately went to tell Honda and Li Chengshi.

  The three of them ran over to thank him together.

  "Shachou, shain ryokou wa dou desu ka? Ippaku futsuka no shouryokou. (Boss, how about a company trip? A small two-day, one-night trip,)" Honda proposed.

  "Futari mo ikitai ka? (Do you two want to go too?)" He looked at Su Xian and Li Chengshi.

  They answered in unison: "Ikitai! (We want to go!)"

  *

  Since it was a company trip, the expenses should naturally come out of the company budget. However, knowing the firm was currently operating at a loss, everyone offered to pay their own way.

  Zhao Nanfeng said irritably, "Kaisha ga akaji nan dakedo, watashi ni wa okane ga aru. Jibun no onna ni okane dasasenai, jibun no shain ni mo okane dasasenai no wa watashi no ruuru! (The company is in the red, but I have money. Not letting my women pay and not letting my employees pay—that is my rule!)"

  Seeing he was firm, they didn't insist. After some discussion, they decided on Atami.

  "Isn't that Honda's hometown?" Zhao Nanfeng frowned. She had just gone back for New Year's Day.

  But Atami was perfect for a short trip—not too far, with hot springs, art museums, and a lively atmosphere. Moreover, he felt like visiting Kinomiya Shrine to pray to the Great Camphor tree, which was over 2,000 years old. Ordinary minor gods probably couldn't save him.

  "Book a room with an open-air bath (rotenburo)."

  "Makasete kudasai! (Leave it to me!)" Honda replied brightly.

  **

  The day of departure was clear and sunny. Li Chengshi drove the first half, and Su Xian took over for the second. With a bit of traffic, it took nearly three hours to arrive at "Tsukikage Yujuku" (Moonlight Shadow Inn), nestled by the Ito River. The name sounded poetic, but the moment Zhao Nanfeng stepped out of the car, he was dumbfounded. It wasn't the luxury Japanese ryokan he had envisioned, but an inconspicuous minshuku (guesthouse).

  The hosts were a middle-aged couple dressed in simple kimonos, greeting them at the door.

  "Who picked this place?" he questioned in a low voice.

  "I did," Su Xian whispered back. "Don't just look at the exterior; you'll be satisfied once you're inside."

  There were only three rooms, directly facing the trickling waters of the Ito River and the distant trees on the riverbank. With private open-air baths and a balcony, the slightly dated and unstyled interior was acceptable.

  Once they had settled into their rooms and unpacked, it was already 1:00 PM. Their first meal was at the guesthouse.

  Zhao Nanfeng sat across from Su Xian and Li Chengshi, looking around. "Where's Honda?"

  Su Xian pointed toward the kitchen.

  He looked over to see Honda walking out with a tray to serve the food.

  "Omatase shimashita. (Sorry to keep you waiting.)" She placed the tray in front of Zhao Nanfeng with a beaming smile and turned back to get another.

  "What’s going on?" He was a bit confused.

  Su Xian explained, "This is the new guesthouse Honda's parents just opened. They closed their ramen shop."

  "Is she just boosting her family's business?" He felt a bit scammed.

  "We decided on this trip so suddenly; where were we going to book a luxury inn on such short notice? Be content—they’re even giving us a 30% discount."

  What else could he say? At least the food looked decent.

  After Honda served everything and sat next to Zhao Nanfeng, Su Xian raised her glass to start the meal. However, the landlady brought out several more dishes, saying they were on the house.

  You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

  Honda pointed to a dish of marinated liver and said to Zhao Nanfeng, "Shachou no tame ni tsukutta shinpinn ryouri, douzo. (This is a new dish made specifically for you, Boss. Please.)"

  *

  In the afternoon, Honda drove them to the MOA Museum of Art, the Crystal Palace for the city views, and Izusan Shrine to pray for love and marriage.

  Naturally, Zhao Nanfeng didn't pray for that.

  Honda piously wrote on an ema (votive tablet): "Kaishi, sazukete kudasai. (Please grant me a boyfriend.)" She hung it on the wishing tree and returned to chat with Zhao Nanfeng.

  "Shachou wa ii desu ka? Kochira wa ren-ai no pawaa supotto desu yo. (Is the Boss not going to wish? This is a famous 'power spot' for romance.)"

  "Ii yo, betsu ni. (No thanks, I'm good.)" His eyes drifted toward Su Xian. He figured if he and Li Chengshi prayed at the same time, the gods certainly wouldn't side with him.

  Honda followed his gaze. "Dame da yo, Shachou. Jibun no en wo mamoranai, hito no en wo kowasou to shitara, bachi ga atarimasu yo. (That won’t do, Boss. If you don't guard your own love and try to destroy someone else's, you'll be punished by the heavens.)"

  "Urusai yo, omae. Watashi no bachi wa anta darou. (Shut up. My punishment is probably having met you.)"

  "Hidoi! Nakimasu yo. (How mean! I’m going to cry.)"

  Zhao Nanfeng looked at her.

  "Hehe, uso desu (just kidding)."

  Zhao Nanfeng was speechless. He turned back to watch Su Xian and Li Chengshi.

  *

  Li Chengshi wrote: "Thank you, Mushroom Immortal, for making this happen. May we last forever." He signed it and handed it to Su Xian.

  Su Xian laughed, signed her name, and added: "Thank you, General Manager Liang, for the arrangement. We will definitely last forever."

  Li Chengshi was puzzled. "Why are you thanking General Manager Liang?"

  "When Anliang went on team-building trips, they would definitely had men and women live separately. Design Team 2 was originally all women, but Zhang Xiaowen was suddenly hospitalized. You just happened to replace her, so the total number of people didn't change. Secretary Xiao Wei forgot to rearrange the rooms and only realized it when we arrived. General Manager Liang discussed it with me and Xu Shuyi, saying you were young and seemed honest, and asked if we’d mind not switching. We thought, it’s a villa had 3 bedrooms, and, honestly, at the time, we didn't even see you as a 'man,' so we said okay. Who would have thought... hehe."

  Li Chengshi hadn't known about that little detail. But then: "Wait, why the hell didn't you see me as a 'man' back then?!"

  "You’d been in the group for two months and couldn't even look me in the eye when you talked to me. You were like a primary schooler meeting the headmaster. So, after 'it' happened, my first thought was: Oh my god, this is so embarrassing, I can't let a third person find out!"

  "I’m so sorry for causing you such distress," he said sarcastically.

  "It’s all in the past, honey. I love you so much now."

  "You 'use' me as a man now, but you still don't 'look' at me as a man. Hmph!"

  "What kind of talk is that? Don't sell yourself short. Since it’s New Year, how about Sister gives you a big red envelope?"

  "I don't want a red envelope(new year money)."

  "Then what do you want?"

  *

  They were talking endlessly. Zhao Nanfeng couldn't stand it anymore and shouted to them, "Hey, let's go!"

  **

  Honda took them to a purely local market, away from the tourists. They bought a lot of fresh seafood and took it back to the guesthouse. Her parents had already begun preparing for a Chinese New Year celebration. They had pasted Chinese paper-cuts on the windows, and Honda’s sister and brother-in-law had also come over to join the fun.

  Knowing that Chinese people eat dumplings for the New Year, Honda's mother had prepared the dough in advance to make dumplings with Su Xian and Li Chengshi. Honda, her father, and her sister prepared the other dishes. They dispatched the "intellectual" of the family—the brother-in-law, who was a local high school literature teacher—to keep Zhao Nanfeng company.

  *