Chapter 138 Accommodation

"Vroom—" Accompanied by the exhaust note of the motorcycle engine, the bike left a blur on the road. Qiu Fengyu did not hesitate; he mounted the motorcycle and sped toward California. Cynthia hugged Qiu Fengyu's back, pressing her entire body against him, the woman's curves clearly perceptible along his spine.

Qiu Fengyu didn't pay any attention to it. If he lacked even this much self-control, he never would have survived the treacherous and war-torn environment of Ukraine, let alone lived there with a sense of enjoyment. The two of them traveled along the highway like this. Qiu Fengyu's speed was no slower than Cynthia's, but there was a quality to his riding that Cynthia could not replicate—a sense of steadfast security.

Yes, it was security. While Cynthia was undeniably fast, her speed felt somewhat erratic and unsettling, keeping one's heart constantly in one's throat. In a word, it just felt fast. But when Qiu Fengyu rode the motorcycle, it was entirely different. Although the speed was similar, it felt steady and grounded, leaving no room for worry. Compared to Cynthia, it felt slow, relatively speaking.

A sense of security—that was the feeling.

Cynthia began to experience this as well. It wasn't as though she had never ridden on the back of someone else's motorcycle, but none of those experiences had come with the sense of security that Qiu Fengyu provided. This discovery delighted her, so she tapped Qiu Fengyu on the shoulder and shouted, "Hey, Qiu, your riding skills are awesome." Fearing he wouldn't hear her, she gave him a thumbs-up and waved it right in front of him.

Qiu Fengyu couldn't be bothered to respond. Meanwhile, Cynthia, as if having discovered a new continent, excitedly sought out and immersed herself in this sensation. She needed this feeling and wanted to experience it thoroughly. Who knew? She might actually find it useful. Excellent driving skills could truly lead to entirely different experiences.

By the afternoon, seeing a gas station up ahead, Qiu Fengyu pulled the motorcycle over. There was a fast-food restaurant and a convenience store there, where they could buy something to eat and drink. Qiu Fengyu's hot dog had been left behind on his other vehicle and hadn't been brought along.

"If we're not in a hurry, we can stay at a small motel in the town up ahead," Cynthia said to Qiu Fengyu while they were refueling. "I'm very familiar with this road. I've traveled between California and Texas at least three times, basically once a year."

Qiu Fengyu thought for a moment and agreed. They simply finished refueling and hit the road again. Truth be told, he wasn't particularly fond of fast-food restaurant fare; he could manage it the first time, but by the second, he had grown quite tired of it. So he continued driving and, just as dusk was falling, located the roadside motel Cynthia had mentioned.

The motel was situated about three hundred meters off the highway, with another road leading directly into the town. Qiu Fengyu rode the bike right up to the motel and parked it in a designated space. Cynthia let out a whistle at Qiu Fengyu and walked toward the motel.

"One room," Cynthia said to the plump young woman behind the counter, not even giving Qiu Fengyu a chance to speak. "I want to make sure it has two beds."

The plump girl behind the counter glanced at the two of them without a word, then handed over a key. "We operate on a cash basis. Of course, if you want to use a card, it might cost a little more."

"Cash!" Qiu Fengyu fished a handful of cash from his pocket, glanced at the price list on the wall, counted out several bills, and slapped them onto the counter. He took the key, picked up his backpack, and gave a slight nod. Cynthia followed Qiu Fengyu upstairs. It was a modest two-story motel with rooms on both levels, though Qiu Fengyu's room happened to be on the second floor.

"I'll show you the way!" The plump girl emerged from behind the counter, took a long stride ahead of the two of them, and led the way. Ascending the stairs with heavy, echoing thuds, the plump girl instructed them, "Open the door."

Qiu Fengyu used the key to unlock the door. It was an old-fashioned physical key, not one of those electronic keycards that opened with a swipe. Once the door was open, the plump girl pushed past them to switch on the light.

The room was simple, though it featured a television, two beds, and an attached bathroom. The plump girl looked around and stated, "Everything in here has a price tag. If anything is damaged, you'll pay double the replacement cost. Also... don't go out alone at night. If you absolutely must go out, stay off the highway and head into town instead; there's a bar there."

Qiu Fengyu looked around, deemed it acceptable, and nodded in agreement. Without wasting any words, the plump girl turned and left. Cynthia smiled at Qiu Fengyu and said, "I stayed here once before, and it was alright. I'm not a very picky person."

"Me neither. I've slept in places much worse than this." Qiu Fengyu didn't mind; he wasn't particularly particular about such things.

"A place much worse than this? I'm curious, where on earth would you sleep?" Cynthia crossed her arms and stared at Qiu Fengyu.

"On the grass, deep in the woods, plagued by countless mosquitoes. With only a sleeping bag, you have to pull the hood completely over your head, but the mosquitoes still find their way into your ears. It's miserable, but you still have to sleep." Qiu Fengyu wasn't trying to show off an experience most ordinary people would never have; he simply sounded somewhat reflective.

"You must have been fighting the Vietnamese in the jungle," Cynthia laughed heartily.

"Pretty much, though not the Vietnamese—Russians or Ukrainians instead. There were no fixed enemies and no fixed friends; whoever paid us was the one we helped." Qiu Fengyu had no reservations about discussing his past; there was nothing to hide. "So... you can imagine what even worse conditions looked like."

Cynthia chuckled. "Turns out you're a mercenary!"

"No, not mercenaries in the strict sense. We didn't fight wars; we only handled protection. You know, like bodyguard work, but different from ordinary bodyguards... Can you understand what I'm saying if I explain it like this?" Qiu Fengyu glanced sideways at Cynthia.

"No, I have no idea what kind of job that actually is. But I am curious—would you tell me more about your experiences?" Cynthia looked at Qiu Fengyu with keen interest, then dropped onto the bed, propping her chin in her hands as she gazed up at him. "You really do make me curious. Now I'm even more curious."

Qiu Fengyu was somewhat speechless. He hadn't intended to show off, but such a complex background held a fatal, seductive allure for a young woman—especially the part about being a mercenary, coupled with his earlier persona as a master chef, an artist at butchering cattle, and a highly skilled speed racer.

"No, I don't even have any interest in bringing these things up myself," Qiu Fengyu immediately rebuffed her. "I cherish my current life very much, and... I don't want to court trouble. I only want to ask you one thing: are you trouble for me?"

Cynthia smiled. "What kind of trouble would you like me to be?"

"If you're trouble, I advise you to stay as far away from me as possible. If not... perhaps we can still be friends!" With that, Qiu Fengyu tossed his duffel bag onto the bed and said to her, "Let's go. Let's find something to eat."

The two of them went out and headed straight for the bar. Since Cynthia had been here before, she was quite familiar with the route. The bar was small, appearing even smaller than the one run by Breckenridge in Abilene, and it wasn't crowded; at that moment, only a dozen or so people were sitting inside drinking. Qiu Fengyu and Cynthia chose a spot and sat down.

"Hello, you two. What can I get you?" A rather delicate-looking young woman walked over.

"A beer, and two donuts," Cynthia said, then glanced at Qiu Fengyu.

"Same here, but make it four donuts," Qiu Fengyu told the waitress. "And if you have vodka, get me a shot of that." He then turned back to Cynthia. "Didn't this place have a restaurant? Take me there later; I still want a steak."

"Just these for now!" Cynthia told the waitress. Watching her walk away, she turned to Qiu Fengyu and asked, "Are you really that hungry? Fine, we'll stay here for a little while; otherwise, if we went back this early, I wouldn't know how to pass the time."

Qiu Fengyu merely smiled and said nothing.

Cynthia glared at him, then nodded and said, "Do you think I'm going to sleep with you? Do you think the only reason we're sharing a room is so you can sleep with me?"

"No, I never thought that!" Qiu Fengyu was quite taken aback by the girl's bluntness.

"You were totally thinking that, weren't you? I can see right through a man's eyes into his mind. So... that's exactly what's on your mind right now. You're disgusting," Cynthia said with a look of disdain.

Qiu Fengyu had no choice but to press his hands down in the air as if calming the situation. "Listen, woman, I don't care who I sleep with, nor do I care whether there are feelings involved. My attitude toward relationships is very simple: I don't want to get tangled up with women. If we want to sleep together, we sleep together; I won't chase after whether there are feelings behind it, even if it's with a complete stranger—"

"After saying all that, you're basically just saying you only care about one-night stands, right?" Cynthia said, full of sarcasm. "You really are an irresponsible man. You think you're being carefree and untethered, but... in the end, you'll regret it. You shouldn't treat women this way, and you shouldn't treat relationships this way."

"That's the difference between us," Qiu Fengyu retorted with equal indifference. "So... don't worry about what I might do to you. Unless you fit the exact description I just gave—meaning we're strictly having a one-night stand—I won't touch you. It's as simple as that." As he spoke, he narrowed his eyes to observe the girl's reaction.

Yet, despite her sarcastic exterior, the girl didn't seem to care all that much in reality. At that moment, the waitress brought over the beer and donuts. Seizing the opportunity, Cynthia picked up her beer, took a large gulp, and began devouring a donut.

Qiu Fengyu said nothing further. He drank his beer and ate two donuts; the remaining two were packed into a paper bag. He said to Cynthia, "Let's go get that steak. My treat!" With that, he pulled out some cash, snapped his fingers at the waitress to pay the bill, and walked out.

The restaurant was quite small as well, but the steak tasted decent. Qiu Fengyu ate two portions and even brought along his two boxed-up donuts, leaving Cynthia wide-eyed with disbelief. Upon returning to their lodging, Qiu Fengyu went to take a shower first. The bathroom featured one of those frosted glass doors; although the glass was treated, the general outline of a human body was still faintly visible.

Cynthia didn't avert her gaze either, watching television while occasionally glancing over. If one looked closely, however, the palms of the young woman's hands were already slick with sweat. Yes, it would be her turn to take a shower next, and goodness only knows whether this fellow would behave himself as he claimed, or... turn out to be even worse? *(To be continued.)*