Ch 14: The World’s Number One Resort

Current Task: Receive ten tourists within one month, 6/30 [Note: Induced cheating is invalid.]

The next morning, Tang Huai was up before 8 a.m. With the system task in progress, he didn’t have the luxury of sleeping in. After a quick wash, he arranged a meeting time with Hank and prepared to head out. However, as he passed through the living room and noticed the uncleaned kitchen counter from last night, Tang Huai thought about the mysterious Mr. Yu in the greenhouse.

It had been a whole night—Tang Huai wondered if Mr. Yu had eaten the salad. After a moment of hesitation, he went upstairs. The morning light filtered gently through the floor-to-ceiling windows, casting the villa in a warm, inviting glow.

When Tang Huai arrived at the glass-paneled door, he crouched down and retrieved the tray. The tray was still there, but the salad remained untouched. He cleared his throat, feeling slightly embarrassed about his over-attentiveness, perhaps being too nosy.

Just as he was about to leave, something caught his eye. Next to the glass salad bowl, there was now a small bouquet of flowers. Tang Huai picked it up— it was a small purple rose branch, freshly picked, with two green leaves attached. The bouquet looked bright and pleasant.

He sniffed it lightly, then glanced back at the greenhouse. Inside were many plants, including begonia, magnolia, forsythia, and even a half-height cactus. Next to the cactus was a small shrub, blooming with roses.

So, Mr. Yu hadn’t eaten the salad but felt too awkward to refuse his kindness and left a rose as a token of gratitude?

Tang Huai thought he might be overthinking it, but one thing was certain: Mr. Yu had placed the rose there.

Tang Huai approached the glass door and peered inside, but it was just plants and flowers—there was no sign of Mr. Yu.

“What a strange man,” Tang Huai muttered, taking the tray downstairs. A light breeze stirred in the greenhouse, leaving the air quiet and still.

…

Tang Huai left the house just as Hank arrived. After settling into the passenger seat, they drove to Zócalo Square with the familiarity of routine. Tang Huai set up his booth and began his usual tourist-pitching.

Today brought some luck. A couple from Los Angeles showed interest in Sora Island, though they planned to visit Querétaro State first. It wasn’t clear if they’d make it back in time for the first trip to the island.

Despite the slight uncertainty, it was a promising start, and Tang Huai was feeling energized.

“Hey Tang, I bought some gorditas and fried dumplings. They taste great!” At noon, when the tourist flow slowed down, Hank returned with some local Mexican food from a nearby restaurant.

Tang Huai opened the container. Gorditas were thick tortillas stuffed with beef, corn, and sticky rice, resembling an ice cream cone. The fried dumpling skins were crispy and spicy, made with wonton wrappers and a touch of wasabi. Though he didn’t care much for them initially, after spending time in Mexico, Tang Huai’s palate had adapted, and he’d come to enjoy the local flavors.

Just as they quickly finished their meal, Tang Huai’s phone rang—its tone cutting through the calm moment.

It was a call from China, made possible by the international roaming plan Tang Huai had set up before leaving the country.

Tang Huai wiped his hands and answered the call.

“Is this Mr. Tang Huai?”

“Yes, this is he. And you are…?”

“Oh, great! Finally, I’ve reached you!”

Just as the call connected, before Tang Huai could ask for the caller’s identity, a surprised and excited female voice came through on the other end.

…

Yu Suxia had been feeling extremely tense these past few days. After reporting the situation with Jiang Yaoyao to headquarters, they calculated the costs and agreed to customize a private travel route for Jiang Yaoyao, priced at 88,000 yuan per person, with a discount of 170,000 yuan for the two. Qian Dasong was a bit hesitant about the cost, but Jiang Yaoyao was eager to go, and 170,000 yuan was barely half a month’s income for him.

After some thought, Qian Dasong made the decision to go ahead with it.

Jiang Yaoyao was satisfied.

There were no issues between Spring Travel Agency and Jiang Yaoyao. With China and Mexico currently in a “honeymoon” phase, the visa process went smoothly. In two days, everything was prepared, with the flight scheduled for the day after tomorrow.

While Jiang Yaoyao and the agency were all set, Yu Suxia was having trouble. The business card was lost, and she still couldn’t reach Tang Huai. Although Spring Travel had done tours to Mexico before and had the address for the “Great Tang Resort” on the brochure, they still needed to confirm that Sora Island actually existed.

Headquarters had asked Yu Suxia about the island’s authenticity, and eager to make her sales quota, she confidently vouched for the Great Tang Resort.

Now that the contract was signed, she started to worry. If Sora Island turned out to be a sham, she wouldn’t just lose her shot at becoming manager—she might lose her job altogether! Yu Suxia valued this opportunity greatly and had been stressing over it for days. Just when she thought she would never be able to contact Tang Huai, the receptionist who had been on sick leave finally returned to work.

As the receptionist flipped through her notebook, a business card fell out—it was Tang Huai’s contact card. The receptionist had kept it because she thought it looked nice, using it as a bookmark.

Yu Suxia was so excited when she saw the card that she nearly screamed. The process had been a bit complicated, but she finally found Tang Huai’s contact information!

In China, it was already the end of the workday, but Yu Suxia didn’t care about the time and called Tang Huai immediately, which led to this international call.

“I’m currently in Mexico City. The ship will depart in three days, so the timing works perfectly,” Tang Huai said after hearing the full explanation from Yu Suxia. He was surprised—he had only handed out brochures for three days and didn’t expect anyone to actually take an interest in Sora Island.

“Is it safe?” After discussing the details, Yu Suxia inquired about safety. Since this was the first time working with the Great Tang Resort and the trip involved a five-day sea voyage, she was genuinely worried about unforeseen dangers along the way.

“Don’t worry. We’ve hired an experienced local captain with extensive maritime experience,” Tang Huai replied confidently.

He had reason to be confident. Currently, his item bar contained 1,700 Island Points, and after browsing through the system store yesterday, he spent 500 points to buy five “Sora Travel Insurances.”

Sora Travel Insurance: Purchasing safety is buying peace of mind. During the period of coverage, the insured vessel will be immune to all maritime disasters. [Minimum purchase: 5]

This was the system’s description of Sora Travel Insurance. A round trip from Mexico to Sora Island counted as one insurance usage. Although Tang Huai didn’t have many Island Points, he felt the 500 points were well spent. He planned to use them on the Storm when it set sail.

“That sounds reassuring…” Yu Suxia nodded. After discussing a few more details, Tang Huai hung up the call.

“Did someone actually book a trip to Sora Island?” Hank asked curiously after Tang Huai ended the call. He found it hard to believe—was there some hidden treasure on that desolate island?

“Just luck,” Tang Huai smiled. He then made another call to the Los Angeles tourists he had spoken to that morning. They said they would likely return from Querétaro in time for the trip. With the old couple, the Los Angeles tourists, and a guide, Sora Island now had seven confirmed visitors.

With only six days passed, Tang Huai was very pleased with the progress.

After cleaning up their meal containers, the two continued manning the booth. Unfortunately, luck wasn’t on their side this time. Between 2 p.m. and 8 p.m., they received five inquiries from potential tourists, but none of them booked a trip.

As they were packing up for the night, Wells glanced at Tang Huai and Hank with a slight sigh. If Tang Huai had put this much effort into Lonely Traveler, he could have earned at least fifty dollars in commission that afternoon.

Such a missed opportunity.

That evening, Hank went home, and Tang Huai returned to the villa.

Thud, rustle, rustle—

As Tang Huai pushed open the door to the villa, he heard a faint noise from the third floor, then silence. He had already eaten some grilled beef and small pies with Hank, so there was no need for a late-night snack. He planned to wash up and go to bed. As he headed upstairs, the sound became more noticeable.

“Mr. Yu?” Tang Huai called out uncertainly, looking up.

There was no response.

Tang Huai went upstairs.

“Mr. Yu?” He knocked on the glass door, calling again. There was no sound, and the room appeared just as it had before—no signs of any disturbance.

“Mr. Yu, if you’re alright, could you place two flower bouquets like last night by the door? I’ll come back in ten minutes,” Tang Huai suggested, worried something might have happened. He decided to try this indirect approach.

He didn’t specify what kind of flowers, but if Mr. Yu was fine, he would likely understand. Silence followed, leaving Tang Huai uncertain as he left.

He changed into his pajamas on the second floor, and after giving it enough time, returned to the third floor. Opening the small door, a thought crossed his mind—he had been speaking in Chinese earlier. Did Mr. Yu even understand?

Tentatively, Tang Huai reached inside. There were two freshly picked, vibrant roses.

He let out a sigh of relief. Mr. Yu was safe, and apparently, he understood Chinese.

Feeling more at ease, Tang Huai went downstairs, washed up, and got ready for bed. He placed the rose bouquets in the vase by his bedside, joining the one from the morning, now making a total of three.

The roses were beautiful, and it felt like a waste to throw them away. The glass vase by his bedside was a perfect fit, so he decided to keep them for a few days.

Tang Huai turned off the lights and fell asleep easily.

As he drifted into sleep, the figure from the third-floor greenhouse quietly lay by the window. The window was slightly ajar, and the breeze gently stirred the pale white curtains. The figure stared outside. Throughout the day, whenever he had nothing to do, he would lean on the windowsill and gaze down below.

In the past, apart from Tang Wangchun and the occasional visit from Zheng Caie, he had lived alone in the villa. But now…he had overheard the conversation between Tang Huai and Zheng Caie yesterday. It seemed that from now on, there would be another person living here besides him.

Translator has something to say: NEXT CHAPTER IS PASSWORD LOCKED. Pw is in the image below.

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