Chapter 57: I Minored in Psychology

After saying this overbearing line, Xu Ying took Lin Yi by the arm to her car and abruptly let go.

"Get in the car!"

Lin Yi: ......

The man turned around to watch the distant BMW, touched his pitted face, and muttered to himself, "A toad? I'm actually a toad? How could a man as handsome as me be a toad?"

Hearing this, the girl next to him felt her stomach churning violently, and she hurried in small steps toward the wall at the side. "Ugh! Ugh..."

How could there be such a narcissistic man!

Xu Ying brought Lin Yi to a small inn. Although the small inn lacked the high-end grandeur of a hotel, it possessed a warm, elegant, and rustic charm.

A short path led from the entrance to the main door, paved with marble. Bamboo frames were erected overhead, with vines winding and growing along them. The midday sunlight filtered through the gaps in the vines, casting dappled, mottled shadows. Heavy, luscious grapes hung from the vines, looking mouth-watering.

As they walked past, Lin Yi casually plucked one, peeled it, and popped it into his mouth. It tasted sweet and sour.

Seeing Lin Yi's little action, Xu Ying stopped to pluck one and peel it as well, explaining as they walked, "This inn is run by a friend of mine. She said she wanted to live the life she desired, so after working for two or three years following graduation, she resigned and used her savings to open this small lodge."

"Although it's very remote and foot traffic is minimal, the scenery here is breathtaking. With green mountains, clear waters, and small bridges over flowing streams, it has the distinct flavor of a landscape painting. Eating here makes one feel truly relaxed and at peace."

"Whenever I'm in a bad mood, I run over here, sit upstairs with my best friend to brew a pot of tea, and admire the scenery in the distance."

"Mhm." Lin Yi nodded, casually swallowing the peeled grape.

The scenery here was indeed very beauty, but beauty couldn't put food on the table. This inn could use the slogan of idyllic living to attract consumers yearning for a pastoral lifestyle, but the location was a bit out of the way, and it was hard to tell whether anyone would actually come.

Lin Yi had studied liberal arts in high school, so he still knew a thing or two about geography. A shop's location usually relied heavily on the district and foot traffic, which were crucial factors for its development.

Of course, there were other influences, such as pricing.

If the prices were too high, Lin Yi wouldn't even dare to step inside, let alone take a second look, for fear that he might accidentally wander in and feel his heart ache when paying the bill after the meal.

The two soon reached the main door and entered the inn. Lin Yi looked around and found it desolate—extremely desolate, without a single customer in sight.

"Xu Ying, long time no see," a girl wearing a light-colored short-sleeved shirt and light blue jeans said with a smile as she came down the stairs.

"No choice, I missed your cooking," Xu Ying said with a smile, wrapping her arm around the girl's.

"This is my good friend Zhang Xiaoyan, and this is Lin Yi, an artist managed by Zhao Xin," Xu Ying introduced.

A faint, gentle fragrance lingered in the air around them.

"Hello!"

Lin Yi saw Zhang Xiaoyan extend her arm and said with an embarrassed smile, "My hands are a bit dirty, I'm sorry."

"He was just stealing grapes from your courtyard."

Lin Yi: ......

As if you didn't do the exact same thing; we're all cut from the same cloth.

Zhang Xiaoyan smiled gracefully and withdrew her arm. "I don't have many ingredients prepared here, so you'll just have to eat whatever is available."

"Why talk to him about it? It's not like he's treating."

"Alright, then I'll go get busy. You guys go upstairs and sit for a while."

The wooden staircase spiraled upward. Lin Yi and Xu Ying arrived on the second floor, where two wooden tables and several wooden chairs were set up right in the center, with a pile of idle wooden tables and chairs stacked in the corner.

By the windowsill sat five or six pots of flowers and plants, exuding a faint floral scent. Moving closer to the windowsill, the scenery outside the window came into full view: a azure sky, drifting white clouds, a few birds soaring high and free across the firmament, and the lush green mountain peaks below.

"White clouds rise from distant peaks, drifting gracefully into the clear sky," Lin Yi murmured involuntarily.

"Oh? Spouting poetry now? Truly worthy of being a top scorer in the college entrance examination."

Flattered by the praise, Lin Yi scratched the back of his head with embarrassment. "I learned it from a textbook."

Tap! Tap! Tap!

Footsteps sounded from the stairs. Lin Yi and Xu Ying simultaneously turned their gazes toward the stairwell.

"Why are you staring at me?" Zhao Xin asked, looking at them in confusion.

"Don't tell me you two have hooked up!" Zhao Xin suddenly widened her eyes and said incredulously.

"I'm not desperate enough to stoop to that level," Xu Ying retorted sharply.

She was as beautiful as a flower, capable of making fish sink and geese drop from the sky; the line of men chasing her stretched all the way to the Pacific Ocean. Would she ever take a fancy to a green, inexperienced boy like Lin Yi?

Not a chance!

"That's good then. I thought you'd devoured him, and I wouldn't have known how to answer to his parents," Zhao Xin said, putting down her bag and letting out a sigh of lingering fear.

Lin Yi: ......

Am I invisible to you guys?

"Lin Yi, you need to practice your vocal skills more during this period," Zhao Xin said, picking up the teapot on the table, pouring herself a cup, and drinking it down in one go.

"What music show am I actually participating in?" Lin Yi sat down at the table and asked.

"The National Good Voice."

The National Good Voice?

Has this show even come out yet?

"Mhm. From what I understand, their production team will spare no effort in launching a nationwide promotion campaign in the latter half of the month! By then, I'll just sign you up."

"Fine!" Lin Yi replied with a smile. Eight or nine out of ten things in life did not go the way one wished; he never expected that he would one day participate in *The National Good Voice*.

"Xu Ying, come down and help me bring out the dishes," Zhang Xiaoyan's voice called from downstairs.

"Okay, I'll be right down."

"Lin Yi, how do you feel about going to dance classes this past period?" Zhao Xin asked curiously. She had been busy dealing with company matters these past few days and hadn't placed her focus entirely on Lin Yi, usually just giving him a heads-up and letting him go on his own.

"No particular feeling," Lin Yi replied indifferently. What kind of feeling could one possibly have about this sort of thing? Once you get used to the pain, it's fine.

"Right, Zhao Xin, I can sing on stage, but if you want me to sing and dance at the same time, I really can't do it."

Hearing Lin Yi's words, Zhao Xin fell into contemplation for a moment. After a while, she said, "Alright, then I won't force you."

"Thank you!"

"The dishes are here, but the rice will take a little longer; it's not fully cooked yet." Xu Ying carefully placed the dishes on the table.

At this moment, Lin Yi got up and went downstairs to help bring the rest of the food.

Zhao Xin gazed at Lin Yi's departing back, lost in a daze. Did I do something wrong?

"Zhao Xin, what are you thinking about?" Xu Ying asked, waving her hand in front of her.

"Nothing, just thinking about some things," Zhao Xin snapped out of it and forced a smile.

"You're thinking about Lin Yi, aren't you?" Xu Ying stared at Zhao Xin and smiled. "Actually, Lin Yi is the kind of person who is very strong-willed inside, but also very proud. He doesn't like others forcing him to do things he dislikes."

"How do you know?" Zhao Xin looked at Xu Ying suspiciously.

"Did you forget? I minored in psychology in college."