Those Classmates who Suddenly Disappeared
Chapter 97: Inviting the Beautiful Lady

Chapter 97: Chapter 97: Inviting the Beautiful Lady

As they raced along, away from the city, the scenery kept changing: fields, villages, mountains and various attractions. Gu Fan, who was observing all this, sometimes wondered what kind of people lived in a village surrounded by mountains on all sides. The transportation system there was poor, so why did they insist on not moving away?

But on second thought, life must be comfortable there. Neighbors can walk directly to each other’s houses, greet each other, filled with a sense of community. Especially during festivals, every household can set off fireworks, transforming the night sky into a brilliant spectacle. How lively it must be!

Just as Gu Fan was lost in his thoughts, Su Hui spoke up, "It’s close to noon. Let’s find a town to have lunch and rest for a while. We don’t have to rush every mealtime."

"Agreed!" said Gu Fan, nodding. He then called Professor Luo to discuss their plan and then informed Lu Yi to keep up with Su Hui’s car.

They exited the highway and drove directly towards another city. They randomly selected a restaurant there, and the group of ten sat down together for a meal. This was the first time since their journey began that they had the opportunity to eat and chat, getting to know each other better.

Du Jun enjoyed moments like these and declared, "Order whatever you want, it’s my treat this time. As long as we can find the ancient kingdom of Qian Ye and contribute to our country’s archaeological endeavors, I will feel like I’ve done something meaningful."

Seeing Du Jun’s attitude, Professor Luo was very pleased and couldn’t help but praise, "There are fewer and fewer young people like you nowadays."

"Oh, it’s nothing," said Du Jun, modest in appearance but genuinely puzzled. He glanced at Gu Fan because the rhetoric of contributing to archaeological work was all Gu Fan’s idea. The goal was to help Du Jun establish a good impression in front of Professor Luo, so Du Jun’s sponsorship wouldn’t be viewed as having an ulterior motive.

Originally, Du Jun was quite averse to this, even looking down on Gu Fan, but when the beautiful Qin Jia expressed her gratitude for Du Jun’s support towards archaeology, he was ecstatic and quickly echoed his desire to do something meaningful.

Everyone was chatting and eating happily. The atmosphere was harmonious. Thanks to being peers, Xu Haowen and Qin Jia quickly became acquainted with Gu Fan’s group.

Du Jun even suggested that they shouldn’t hurry on their journey. He offered to treat everyone to enjoy some time in this city before setting off again.

Many people agreed since they weren’t in a rush, except Gu Fan who disagreed. After all, they were not on a trip. They were on an archaeological expedition, and they should behave like archaeologists, they should have the right mindset.

Upon this, Professor Luo agreed with Gu Fan’s point of view, which led to everyone feeling disappointed. Du Jun glared at Gu Fan, thinking that he was deliberately making him look bad.

Gu Fan, of course, had his own considerations. They had to find all possible clues and retrieve their missing classmates as soon as possible. Gu Fan was worried they might never find them if it took too long.

As for Du Jun calling everyone under the pretext of fun, it was actually just a chance to show off in front of the recently acquainted Qin Jia, I won’t expose him for this, thought Gu Fan.

After the meal, they hit the road again. Du Jun sat in the minivan, sulking. He was still upset about why Gu Fan was leading the group and felt that it was not fair.

Yes, without Gu Fan, they would not have found any clues related to the ancient kingdom of Qian Ye, nor would they have connected with Professor Luo. But Du Jun felt that without his funding, they would not have been able to start the journey smoothly. Moreover, the leads Gu Fan had provided were not necessarily reliable.

Du Jun was now focused on the fact that everyone trusted Gu Fan to this point, spending so much time and energy, and he looked forward to seeing how Gu Fan would explain if they ended up with nothing.

However, Du Jun did not consider what they would do about the missing classmates if this mission were to fail, and how to find them.

After an afternoon of traveling, the group managed to reach a town before nightfall. They found a decent hotel to stay at, with Du Jun picking up the tab again.

Professor Luo and Teacher Liu shared a room, Su Hui and Lin Xi shared a room, Xu Haowen and Jie shared a room, Gu Fan and Lu Yi shared a room, Du Jun had a room to himself, and the remaining Qin Jia also had a room to herself.

There were no objections to this arrangement, and everyone proceeded to check-in. No one expressed the desire to go out and explore as they were all tired from the day’s journey. They had to get up early the next day and hit the road again. More days of travel were to come, and everyone needed to rest.

Gu Fan and Lu Yi shared a room. Both took showers to wash away the day’s fatigue, feeling much better afterwards, they started to chat.

"Today, Du Jun was looking at you with what seemed like resentment. Why did you have to spoil his chance to show off in front of a beautiful woman?" Lu Yi reminded Gu Fan not to offend Du Jun needlessly. After all, unity was of utmost importance when out on a journey.

At this, Gu Fan sighed, "This isn’t a pleasure trip, I’m not in the mood for games. We don’t know what dangers we’ll encounter ahead. I hope everyone can take it seriously and not treat it like a vacation."

Lu Yi nodded, "I get it. I understand. However, Du Jun is, after all, the one footing the bill. Could you at least give him some respect? What if he gets upset and walks out on us?"

"Alright, I’ll adjust my approach. You’re right," Gu Fan said. Then he looked worried, "Now our main concern is how to find a reliable guide after we reach our destination. I don’t want Professor Luo to think we’re fooling him. If the old man gets angry and his blood pressure rises, we can’t handle that."

Upon hearing these words, Lu Yi looked troubled, "Where are we supposed to find the right guide? Am I supposed to say that the guide I knew had an accident and was hit by a car as soon as he stepped outside?"

"We can’t say that, Professor Luo isn’t a fool," Gu Fan said with a hand in his hair, indicating his headache. Just then, he received a message from Lin Xi. Once he read it, he broke into a smile and his morale lifted significantly.

Seeing Gu Fan engrossed in his relationship, Lu Yi couldn’t help but feel envy, jealousy, and hatred, "You guys have only been apart for an hour and you have endless messages to exchange. Lin Xi is just next door. It would only take a few steps to reach."

"That’s called absence makes the heart grow fonder," Gu Fan said as he replied to Lin Xi’s message, a smile on his face all the while.

Lu Yi couldn’t take it anymore, "You two have been dating for a long time, and you’ve gone out together many times. Lin Xi has been to your house several times, and your relationship has always been stable. Haven’t you considered taking the relationship further?"

"What do you mean, bro?" Gu Fan was puzzled, not sure what Lu Yi was talking about. However, seeing he was grinning, Gu Fan had an inkling.

Lu Yi seemed anxious for Gu Fan, "What do you mean, don’t you understand? The two of you have basically confirmed each other as partners. So, some things could be done in advance. This trip provides the perfect opportunity. Spend some more money, rent another room, you and Lin Xi can do whatever you want."

"Your... this proposal..." Gu Fan furrowed his brows, considering briefly. But eventually, he shook his head, "No, we haven’t graduated yet."

Lu Yi continued to push, "What’s the relation? Many couples from our school have rented rooms in hotels outside the campus. You know it too. Everyone is quite liberated nowadays. There’s nothing to hesitate."

"Stop messing around, I think it’s fine as it is. I really don’t have any thoughts like that," Gu Fan just finished saying when he saw Lu Yi giving him a suspicious look. Lu Yi questioned, "Tell me honestly, haven’t you ever thought about doing that with Lin Xi... "

"Certainly not, to love a person isn’t about possessing, it’s about protecting," Gu Fan spoke sincerely. Yet Lu Yi looked disdainful, "When have you ever seen two loving people just stupidly holding hands and staring at each other after getting together? They eventually become one. So, do you really love Lin Xi or not?"

"Of course, I love..." Gu Fan was utterly baffled, wondering how they’d jumped to that topic out of nowhere. Moreover, due to Lu Yi’s pushing, Gu Fan actually started considering it.

Lu Yi continued to persuade, "Action speaks louder than words. Go rent a room now, call Lin Xi over there, and have your holy moment of love."

"That sounds nice, but..." Gu Fan tried to respond, but he was already being pushed out by Lu Yi. Lu Yi urged, "A man should dare to love and hate, stop being indecisive. Don’t make Lin Xi wait too long. Do you feel good making a girl wait for you?"

"What nonsense is this?" Gu Fan was torn between laughter and tears, thinking it was odd how active Lu Yi was being in this matter.

Gu Fan had just been pushed out of the room by Lu Yi, then rushed back in, looking flustered, causing Lu Yi to wonder. Just as he was about to ask, he saw Gu Fan making a silence gesture.

Lu Yi was surprised, wondering what Gu Fan had seen. Then, he stuck his head out with Gu Fan and saw a familiar figure at the end of the hallway. Wasn’t that Du Jun?

They saw Du Jun talking to a room, looking very happy. Although they didn’t know who was in the room, because Lin Xi and Su Hui were just opposite Gu Fan, he was certain it wasn’t Lin Xi.

"Could it be..." Gu Fan thought of a possibility. Du Jun and Qin Jia each had a room to themselves, wasn’t this an opportunity for Du Jun to make a move?

Sure enough, Du Jun invited Qin Jia out for a drink. Due to the distance, Gu Fan couldn’t hear clearly. But following Du Jun’s invitation, Qin Jia came out of her room and they headed towards the elevator. It seemed like something was up.

Watching this scene, Lu Yi couldn’t help but sigh, "It’s great to have money. He can freely treat girl to food and drinks without batting an eye."