Chapter 216: I Am Going to the Palace Museum to Repair Ancient Paintings

Chapter 216: I Am Going to the Forbidden City to Restore Ancient Paintings

Back to campus?

Meng Fan looked at Zhang Zhouwei. Was this the instinct of someone truly intoxicated?

A keyboard warrior is a keyboard warrior indeed; he usually talks a big game, but when a golden opportunity presents itself, his instincts turn him into a coward!

"Going back to campus is definitely out of the question."

Ignoring Zhang Zhouwei, Meng Fan said, "The others are in the same state... How about this? Let's just find a place nearby... we'll get a few rooms at the hotel across the street and crash for the night. What do you think?"

Aside from Zhang Zhouwei, who was still clamoring to go back, no one had any objections.

Since they couldn't return to campus, a hotel was the only logical choice. An internet café would have been fine on any other night, but with several intoxicated girls and guys in the group, it wasn't an option.

They crossed the street and entered the upscale hotel. A quick inquiry at the front desk brought a moment of awkwardness; due to Su Qingcen's concert, the hotel was almost fully booked.

The receptionist smiled, "I apologize, but we only have one deluxe room and two suites left."

When everyone saw the price of the suites, they immediately hesitated. Even with the late-night discount, it was by no means cheap.

"Let's try another place."

"Don't bother. It'll be the same everywhere else. Besides, these few are truly dead weight."

Meng Fan asked about the size of the suites. If they squeezed in, it wouldn't be a problem; there was a large living room in addition to the bedrooms. The girls could take the rooms, and the boys could crash in the living room.

"Fine!"

After a moment's thought, Meng Fan told the receptionist, "I'll take one deluxe room and two suites."

The receptionist was stunned, as were Wang Yanan and the others.

Meng Fan’s logic was simple: since they had to choose the suites, they might as well enjoy them. One would be too cramped, but two would allow them to make the most of the experience.

As for the extra deluxe room, that was simply to make it easier for Wang Yanan to look after the completely plastered Zhang Zhouwei.

"Yanan, we can't handle this guy when he's this drunk. I'll leave him to you."

Meng Fan dumped Zhang Zhouwei onto the large bed in the deluxe room and walked away. Wang Yanan stomped her feet in frustration, her face flushed red.

"I'm a good student, I want to go back to school!"

Zhang Zhouwei started acting up, stumbling as he tried to get off the bed. Wang Yanan went to steady him, but he slipped, pulling her down with him. The floor was covered in a thick, soft, warm carpet...

"Wow!"

"Ah!"

The girls, who had been exhausted, instantly perked up the moment they entered the suite.

Though they all came from decent backgrounds, they were young and this was their first time staying in such a hotel suite. Their excitement was palpable.

...

After leaving Zhang Zhouwei with Wang Yanan, Meng Fan left the hotel without going up to the suites. As for how the remaining nine girls and two boys would divide the two suites, that was none of his business. Ten minutes later, Meng Fan, having hailed a taxi, returned to pick up the "evicted" Chen Daqiang and Xing Tage to head home.

Even though they were with their girlfriends, it was truly inconvenient to be the only men in such a female-dominated environment. The girls had gone wild over the massive bathroom and tub, stripping down and jumping in the moment they arrived; there was no way they would tolerate two men wandering around.

In a suite like that, with a group of girls, the idea of them staying fully clothed for the night was non-existent.

Once the two men were "kicked out," the girls could finally let loose. It was pure bliss!

Sleep was out of the question; making full use of the suite's amenities was the real priority.

"Pick whichever guest rooms you want. There are fresh toiletries provided."

Meng Fan went upstairs to his room to shower. When he came back down, he saw Chen Daqiang and Xing Tage had already finished showering and were huddled on the sofa watching anime.

"You two washed up fast. Did you shower together?"

Meng Fan teased them, then asked if they were hungry. He checked the fridge for anything edible and told Chen Daqiang to whip something up.

It turned out that having a talent for finding good food didn't necessarily mean one was good at making it. After looking at that pot of instant noodles, Xing Tage and Meng Fan both chose to go to sleep hungry.

The next morning, Meng Fan went for his run. He was careful to wear a hat, just in case something fell on him again; even if he was lucky, he wanted to avoid injury. He’d been lucky yesterday, as the object had hit his sweatband, missing a nasty bump on his head by a hair's breadth.

It seemed the "Luck +1" effect had worn off. Meng Fan ran ten kilometers to campus and back without incident, save for classmates greeting him or calling him a legend. Oh, and one other difference: Wu Tong had gone to the capital, so his run was a lonely one.

Back home, Xing Tage was still asleep, but Chen Daqiang was up. Seemingly unsatisfied with the previous night's instant noodles, he had woken up early to make breakfast to prove his culinary skills. As it turned out... fortunately, Meng Fan had brought breakfast back with him.

After they finished eating, the sun came out.

November 19th, nearly ten days past the start of winter. With the temperature-regulating function of his sportswear, Meng Fan hadn't felt the cold during his run, but now, sitting in the sun after a shower and breakfast, he finally felt the warmth of early winter.

"Morning. How's the weather over there?"

"Clear skies, but no sun."

Meng Fan tilted his head, grinned, and took a selfie to send to Wu Tong. "Do you think my sunshine can pierce through the capital's smog?"

"That's too blinding, hahaha!"

"What's the schedule for today?"

"I'm auditing a class at the Central Academy of Fine Arts in the morning, and attending a joint exhibition by several professors in the afternoon. I'll be at the academy for the next two days. If all goes well, I'll get to visit the Forbidden City the day after to see the restoration of ancient paintings. After that, I'll participate in the restoration of an actual piece—it's in my specialty, and it's the highlight of this trip."

Meng Fan could clearly feel Wu Tong's excitement. He knew from their usual chats that she had a profound interest in the restoration work at the Forbidden City.

After watching "Masters in the Forbidden City," she was now going there to "restore ancient paintings" herself—not only getting in, but getting hands-on experience!

They chatted for a while before naturally ending the conversation. Wu Tong went off to audit her class, and Meng Fan started working on his manga.

Before long, Meng Fan saw that the experience points for the "News Figure" sub-task had increased by 1. This time, it was confirmed to be a report from "Sports Express."

Around ten o'clock, Chen Daqiang and Xing Tage, who had gone back to sleep, woke up. They said they’d received a call from Wei Zhixue and the others; they were skipping their morning classes to fully enjoy the breakfast, lunch, and other perks the suite had to offer.

Just then, Su Qingcen called, saying that since Meng Fan had missed the celebration banquet yesterday, she wanted to treat him to lunch today.

Chen Daqiang, who was just about to head out to find food, froze in his tracks. Xing Tage looked at Meng Fan with wide eyes.

Meng Fan had no choice but to say, "Um, I'm with two of my roommates, and we were just wondering what to have for lunch. Would it be alright if I brought them along?"

"Of course!"

"Yeah!"

Chen Daqiang and Xing Tage spun around in place, eyes closed in ecstasy. What could be more exciting than this?

Well, there were things—like taking a group photo while eating, or having the goddess personally ask you what you like to eat and drink, or if you had enough... there were just too many possibilities!