Chương 36: Chapter 35 — Impromptu Road Trip (1)

The tie was giving him trouble. Lin Che's phone was propped up against the tap of his bathroom sink replaying that same video from months ago about tying a tie, and Lin Che looked in the mirror and simply frowned. He had not expected to be back on the day of his wedding. After all, he had died many times and come back in the Holy Land instead, but it wasn't like he could change things anyway.

It was a shame that he was unable to carry on from that spawn point, especially since the last two hours before his suicide had been about exploring out the potential branches from completion, and now, seemingly, all of that effort had gone to waste. Still, there were so many things he could do now, especially now that he was not associated with the Shen Clan. So step one of this new life was to block every single contact related to the Shen Clan — starting with Shen Bowen.

It felt so, so satisfying to hit that red button on his contact, and Lin Che even smiled a little just thinking about what his reaction would be. The second step was to change out of his wedding outfit and put on something a bit more practical before texting Xu Fang. Lin Che prepped a large camping bag with miscellaneous items of clothing and whatever snacks were in the fridge. Then, he lay in his bed for the last time, and pulled out his phone. You home? The reply came almost immediately. Yeah what's up?

I'll be there in 15. Pack a bag.??? Lin Che pulled himself out of bed and stretched his shoulders before collecting his bag and stepping outside. The taxi he'd booked before packing had finally arrived, and Lin Che did not wish to keep the driver waiting. He stepped out of his door, and took in a fresh breath of freedom. After two months of paralysis, it was good to be back on his feet.

Xu Fang lived right next to his antique shop, which was situated in between two other shops: one was a make up shop with bright screens flashing with images of models and products, and the other an estate agents with similarly bright screens instead showing the interiors of properties and hefty price tags. In contrast, Xu Fang's antique shop hadn't seen an update to its exterior since his grandfather's generation.

Xu Fang's reasoning was that it added to the charm of the shop and it was very fitting for an antiques shop to look outdated. Meanwhile, when Lin Che asked the driver to drop him off at the antiques shop, the response was: "The old wooden place off the high street?" Lin Che knocked on the door and waited a couple of seconds before being greeted by a tired-looking Xu Fang still in his pyjamas.

"Hello!" greeted Lin Che, with a grin extending towards his eyes.

"Morning," yawned back Xu Fang.

"You seem… chipper. Come on in." Upstairs, Xu Fang's living room was neatly organised with a small, green backpack on the sofa nearest to the door. It was the type of travel bag specifically designed to cater for airline standards for a carry-on bag, ensuring that everything fit in a compact frame so that the user could travel for as cheap as possible.

"What was this about packing a bag?" asked Xu Fang, picking up his bag and coddling it like a baby.

"You're lucky I keep one of these spare, because I definitely would not have gone through the hassle of tidying up and looking for everything to squeeze into a bag I've kept under my bed in case I ever feel that urge to travel again."

"Right, yes, of course," replied Lin Che.

"We're going on a road trip for about a week." Xu Fang nearly dropped his bag on the floor.

"An entire week? I can't keep the store closed for that long." Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

"Why not?"

"Because I need to eat and pay rent?"

"Pretty please."

"No."

"Come on, this is a once in a lifetime opportunity. When have I ever asked you to go on a trip?"

"That's precisely why I'm saying no." He paused.

"Look, Lin Che. I'm excited to go on a trip with you, but telling me to cancel all plans without notice is pushing it. Especially when you're out here looking so manic." Xu Fang placed a hand on Lin Che's shoulder.

"Do you need me to call you a doctor?" Lin Che paused for a moment, seriously considering how to respond to that. Then, it hit him.

"How's Fang Ruoyan doing?" he asked. Xu Fang froze.

"I hear she likes adventurous men who say yes to their friends' spontaneous road trip plans."

After a quick round of rock-paper-scissors, it was decided that Xu Fang would be the one driving the rental, whilst Lin Che was in charge of the itinerary and plans. In reality, Lin Che simply moved his hands faster than Xu Fang could process thanks to his increased perception in order to obtain this result. They had obtained a minivan and had it brought over just twenty minutes later, as the depot for the company was rather close by.

Lin Che sat down in the passenger seat and brought out his phone, checking the maps, whilst Xu Fang fiddled around with the seat adjustments for a comfortable few hours of driving.

"There's a nice little trail just up here," said Lin Che, waving his phone towards Xu Fang.

"It cuts through a farm and some historical sites, and there's even a popular bouldering spot on the way for you!"

"Sounds good to me. Should we get supplies here or on the way?"

"I've packed most things, so we really just need a sleeping bag and maybe some cooking supplies for the road," said Lin Che.

"That being said, there's plenty of room in this van… do you think anyone else would be down to join us?"

"Everyone is too employed to be available," admitted Xu Fang.

"I mean, I'm also very employed, don't get the wrong impression here."

"Hmm," mumbled Lin Che.

"How about your friend, uh, what was his name again? Guo Ming-something."

"You know Mingzhe?" asked Xu Fang.

"Yeah he'll probably say he's busy training for the competition in a few weeks' time."

"Let him know we'll be dropping by — I know just how to convince him. We can loot his supplies too," laughed Lin Che.

"Alright," said Xu Fang, quickly shooting a text to Guo Mingzhe.

"Let's head off."

It was a short drive to Guo Mingzhe's apartment, which provided plenty of time for Xu Fang to quiz Lin Che on his connection to Ruoyan, during which Lin Che channelled his inner politician giving a press briefing, avoiding any direct answers with any sort of substance. Eventually, however, Lin Che managed to move the conversation towards hypotheticals after a small discussion about Guo Mingzhe's martial prowess.

"If you could have any superpower in the world, what would it be?" asked Lin Che.

"You've asked me this so many times through the years and I've changed answers so many times."

"That's a sign of growth."

"I'm not too sure to be honest. I think the best thing would probably be teleportation so that I could go on holiday whenever."

"Teleportation doesn't count."

"What? Okay, fine. Uhh, then probably something quite similar like superspeed, or something mobility-related overall."

"Fair enough."

"How about you?"

"I'd love to be able to go back in time. Like, imagine your life is like a dating sim, right, where you can go back in time and explore different routes and branches again and again."

"Hey, you know what, I'd like that too," said Xu Fang, bringing the car to a stop.

"Alright, we're here. It's number 102."

"Cool. I'll go in and convince him — you stay in the car."

"Got it, boss!" saluted Xu Fang as Lin Che opened the door and walked into the building.

Ten minutes later, a slightly bruised Guo Mingzhe left his house carrying pots and pans and a gas burner, all of which were promptly put in the back of the van. He greeted Xu Fang with a nod, whilst Lin Che was still inside.

"How on earth did he manage to get you to join us?" asked Xu Fang. Guo Mingzhe simply trembled. Lin Che suddenly appeared before him, causing Mingzhe to jump. He was carrying toiletries and a crate of water bottles he'd stolen from Mingzhe's pantry.

"This should be enough for a while. We can stop by some local shops for any refills," he said. The two men took their seats in the minivan and buckled their seatbelts. Lin Che blocked the unknown number that was spamming him with texts. It was time for a road trip.