Chapter 48: Return to Shudu

After spending a few more days in the Western Regions, there were still a few sights left unvisited, but both Zixuan Shi and Xiaomian Qin felt they had enjoyed themselves enough. Whether or not they made it to the remaining attractions wouldn’t affect the perfection of this journey. They could always return another time if the chance arose. After all, no one could ever witness all the world’s wonders.

On the final day, Lu Yu drove back to Wuqi City, booked a room at the Yindu Hotel as before, and returned the car. Over the past few days, Zixuan Shi and Xiaomian Qin had gotten along so well with Aisha that they’d become inseparable confidantes, sharing even the most secret details—including their special relationship with Lu Yu and their escapades together. After hearing all this, Aisha looked at Lu Yu as if he were the ultimate playboy, her gaze filled with a mixture of disdain and amusement. Such is the strange nature of friendship among women. Lu Yu didn’t mind; beauties had their own unique charm—even a look of contempt had a special flavor.

As the time for parting approached, Zixuan Shi and Xiaomian Qin suggested having a lavish meal to thank Aisha for being such a professional guide throughout their journey. Both women were more than satisfied with her work, and Lu Yu agreed wholeheartedly. The group headed to a restaurant with some ambience, ordered a tableful of dishes, and brought out the wine. Lu Yu focused on eating and barely drank, while the three women toasted each other repeatedly. By the time the food was nearly finished, the three women were tipsy and in high spirits, suggesting they find a bar to continue the night.

Lu Yu checked the time—it was already late. Taking three slightly drunk and stunning women to a bar didn’t seem safe, so he suggested they return to the hotel and drink there instead, where they’d have everything they needed. After a moment’s thought, the women agreed, linking arms as they left the restaurant.

Back in the hotel suite, the three women ordered an array of local snacks and more wine from the hotel restaurant, then gathered around the living room sofa to drink. Lu Yu occasionally joined them for a drink, munching on snacks as he listened to their not-so-quiet whispers and laughter. Eventually, all three women fell asleep on the sofa, arms wrapped around one another, still murmuring about continuing the party.

Lu Yu chuckled as he looked at the thoroughly drunk trio, set down his glass, and began carrying them one by one to the bedrooms. Carrying Zixuan Shi and Xiaomian Qin was nothing new—they were familiar with each other by now, which only stirred his heart a little. But when it came to Aisha, the fragrance that surrounded her nearly made him lose control. Taking a deep breath and silently reciting a mantra to steady himself, he finally managed to lay Aisha gently on the bed.

He took off their shoes and socks, tucked them in, closed the bedroom door, and returned to the living room. After tidying up the leftovers and washing up in the bathroom outside the living area, he changed into a bathrobe, wrapped himself in a light blanket, and fell asleep on the sofa.

When he awoke, Lu Yu was startled. The three women were sitting cross-legged on the sofa opposite, their expressions serious, staring at him intently. The scrutiny made his skin crawl.

“What are you all looking at me like that for, so early in the morning?” he asked.

Squinting her eyes, Xiaomian Qin demanded, “Uncle, be honest—what happened last night?”

Lu Yu frowned. “What do you mean, what happened? You all drank too much and fell asleep. What else could have happened?”

Zixuan Shi, brows furrowed, said, “I remember we were drinking on the sofa—how did we end up waking up in the bedroom?”

Lu Yu rolled his eyes. “Obviously, you three passed out on the sofa, so I carried you into the bedroom to sleep.”

Aisha looked a little embarrassed and said nothing, while Xiaomian Qin raised her voice, saying, “Of course I know you carried us to bed. But is that really the point?”

Lu Yu looked at her. “So what is the point?”

Xiaomian Qin, her tone full of anguish, said, “It’s fine if you did something to me and Zixuan, but the question is, did you take advantage of Aisha?”

A flash of guilt crossed Lu Yu’s mind as he recalled carrying Aisha the night before. He glanced at her long legs, but replied, righteously and with a hint of disdain, “Take advantage? She was passed out like a corpse. Have you ever seen me with such a kink? I prefer women who are lively and fragrant.”

The three women stared at him for a moment, trying to gauge his sincerity. Seeing Lu Yu’s upright expression, they relaxed in unison.

But Xiaomian Qin, whose mind always worked in unexpected ways, couldn’t help but muse, “Uncle, you really didn’t do anything to Aisha? She’s so pretty—she must be fun too!”

Zixuan Shi covered her face in embarrassment. Aisha, not fully understanding the implications but sensing it was something risqué, gave Xiaomian Qin’s arm a flustered slap.

Lu Yu worried that if Xiaomian Qin kept talking, things would get awkward, so he said, “Hurry and get washed up. We’re going home today and need to get to the airport. Don’t waste time.” With that, he got up to wash, and the three women, after a moment’s thought, returned to their rooms to freshen up.

After washing up and packing, making sure nothing was forgotten, they checked out and left the hotel. Though unnecessary, Aisha still accompanied them to the airport. After heartfelt farewells and promises to meet again in Shudu or the Western Regions, the three finally entered the terminal.

Aisha’s guide fee had been settled with the travel agency the day before. It was a bit pricey, but her work was worth every penny. They checked in, passed security, and boarded the plane.

This time, Lu Yu didn’t fall asleep right away. Instead, he reclined in his seat, watching the two women organize all the photos and videos from the trip. The scenery was beautiful—and so were Zixuan Shi and Xiaomian Qin. As he looked at their images, he thought if they could remain this lovely forever, it would be a joy indeed.

Even if only to preserve such beauty in the world a little longer, he resolved to continue his studies with renewed dedication. He hoped to achieve results soon—not necessarily immortality, but at least to slow the march of time. The two saddest things in this world, he mused, are the fading of heroes and the decline of beauty. If he could lessen even a little of that sorrow, he felt a heavy responsibility.

By the time they reached Shudu, dusk had settled. After a taxi ride home from the airport, the three collapsed onto the sofa. Traveling was wonderful, but after several days, fatigue inevitably set in, even though their journey had been quite leisurely. After ordering takeout for dinner, the women each retired to their rooms for a hot bath and rest. Lu Yu changed into workout clothes, jogged for a while in the exercise room before heading upstairs to wash up and sleep.

Each slept peacefully in their own rooms that night, with no disturbances.

At dawn, Zixuan Shi and Xiaomian Qin awoke to their phone alarms, reluctantly dragged themselves up, got ready, and headed to the office.

Lu Yu rose a little later, with no plans to visit the library that day. During the holidays, the staff at the industrial park had received the new production lines Deng Qiang had arranged for earlier. In addition to the newly purchased facial mask line, there were four lines for shower gel. Since they already had a moisturizing cream line—though it had scarcely been used—they didn’t need to buy another for now.

Lu Yu’s plan for the day was to oversee the installation and testing of the shower gel production lines at the industrial park, and to carry out a trial run.

Once the samples were produced, he would take them back to the makeshift laboratory for analysis and adjust the machines’ parameters as needed.

He took the subway and then a cab to Pink White Black Cosmetics Company. Deng Qiang, having received notification, was already waiting at the entrance. The new production lines had temporarily been placed in a warehouse adjacent to the old workshop, which Deng Qiang had already hired people to renovate into a workshop ready for immediate use.

After a brief greeting to the staff, Lu Yu, as before, took charge of the machinery installation and then cleared out the workers.

Alone in the workshop, Lu Yu started up the machines, fed in the raw materials, and adjusted the settings until the first samples came off the line. Fortunately, the fully automated lines required little manual intervention—otherwise, Lu Yu would have been exhausted managing it on his own.

It was afternoon before the samples were ready. He told Deng Qiang to seal off the workshop for now and not to let anyone touch the equipment until he returned the next day to make further adjustments and begin production.

Deng Qiang nodded, then gave a report on the company’s recent status and production progress: “In April, we had four online sales events, selling a total of six million boxes of facial masks, with cumulative sales reaching 1.014 billion yuan. At the end of last month, we had a bit of inventory. Although production paused for the May Day holiday, with that leftover stock and the production over these few days, we should be able to launch another sales push soon. Once we put the new shower gel lines into operation, our sales will definitely increase dramatically. Your plan to build a laboratory should be achievable soon.”

Lu Yu nodded. “Though I’m eager to build the lab, there’s no need to rush. The company has to keep enough funds on hand for emergencies—we can’t risk a cash flow crisis. Also, next month we’ll have to pay taxes. Even as a sole proprietorship, our tax bill won’t be small; it’ll take up a significant chunk of our funds.”

Deng Qiang realized the truth of this. Despite the impressive sales figures, once costs, raw material stockpiling, expansion of production lines, and taxes were accounted for, there really wasn’t that much left for building a laboratory.

Seeing the concern on Deng Qiang’s face, Lu Yu reassured him, “Don’t worry. No one gets fat from one meal. We should take steady steps—that’s the right path.”

Deng Qiang agreed. Lu Yu said no more, but took the samples and headed to the makeshift laboratory in the suburbs, planning to run tests through the night.

At the lab, he grabbed a quick dinner, sent a message to Zixuan Shi and Xiaomian Qin to let them know he’d be busy and wouldn’t be home, and then threw himself into the experiments.

It was past midnight by the time he finished analyzing the samples. There were no major issues—just a need for slight parameter adjustments and tighter control over certain key ingredients. As with the facial masks, he prepared three levels of product, with effects much the same.

It was clear that as soon as these two types of shower gel hit the market, they would be in hot demand. After all, you couldn’t focus on whitening and moisturizing only the face! Otherwise, when you shared an intimate moment with someone you liked, the difference between the skin on your face and your body would surely spoil the mood.

To have skin as fair and supple as your face, all over, at any time—so you could always be a confident woman! Why not check out this kind of shower gel? Same formula, same scent! Three price points, three effects—any purchase is a win!

So, what are you waiting for?