Transmigrating into the Genius Cannon Fodder’s Aunt

Chapter 99 Part 1 – I Think of You Everywhere (I)

To avoid unnecessary trouble, Ning Shaobai waited until he received an invitation before picking a random day to take a few colleagues from Mohe to the Yuejun Hotel for some relaxation, while also taking the chance to discuss some business.

Unlike the currently popular opulent gold interiors, Yuejun Leisure Hotel had a simple European style, quite comfortable. Today, Ning Shaobai wore ordinary jeans and a black shirt, with a baseball cap pulled low to cover his face. Behind him, dressed just as casually, were two tech leads of the company and a married businessman. The four of them didn’t stand out much. As they walked through the lobby, they could already see, through the large floor-to-ceiling windows, the swimming pool and the water slide in the inner open space.

It was about ten in the morning, the sun was just right, and many young men and women in swimsuits were laughing and playing there. Ning Shaobai couldn’t help but smile—this kind of lively scene was exactly what Xia Mian would definitely enjoy. He subconsciously touched his phone, feeling a bit of what Xia Mian had meant when she lamented not being able to take pictures and share them. If he sent her the photo of this place right now, she might rush back in an instant.

Li Jiaze chuckled. “What’s on your mind, smiling like that?”

Ning Shaobai returned to his senses. “Just thinking about our phone’s new feature.”

The group had planned to find a seat by the window, but the first-floor lounge was packed. They ended up on the second floor, where they found a pool table by the window and decided to play while casually watching the view outside.

Their game was casual and unhurried, with Mo Feiguang frequently glancing at the water slide below. He and He Jianming were alike in that—though not good at socializing, seeing so many pretty girls lifted their spirits.

As He Jianming chalked his cue, he smiled. “By the way, why did our President Ning suddenly bring us out to play?”

Li Jiaze took a shot, watching the striped ball drop into the pocket. “He didn’t bring us to play—he brought us out to squeeze more out of us. Right?”

Leaning on his cue and gazing outside, Ning Shaobai smiled. “Brother Li sure sees through everything.”

Li Jiaze shook his head helplessly. “Where do you even get so many ideas? Especially lately—who’s been inspiring you?”

Watching a girl scream as she slid into the water, Ning Shaobai smiled. “Don’t you think it’s important to capture interesting moments anytime and share them? Especially… when you’re in a relationship.”

Li Jiaze stared at him in surprise. “You’re doing it for that reason?”

Ning Shaobai’s lips curled up in a smile.

The other three all stopped playing. In their minds, it was impossible to imagine Ning Shaobai in a relationship…

“Which girl—” Li Jiaze began, but was cut off by Rong Xin rushing over. “Whoa, Brother Bai, you actually came!”

He was clearly fresh from the pool, having run over in just swim trunks and a bath towel thrown over his shoulders.

Ning Shaobai frowned, clearly not thrilled to run into this guy. “Don’t you have anything better to do? Are you hanging out here every day?”

Rong Xin grinned sheepishly. “I just happened to come today—didn’t expect to bump into you. We sure are fated!”

Li Jiaze exposed him without mercy. “Today’s our President Ning’s day off—the chance of him showing up is higher.” He glanced around the now noticeably livelier second floor. “So, there must be quite a few people who came here just to wait for him.”

No sooner had he said it than the hotel’s owner, Zhu Jiadong, approached. “Young Master Ning, my apologies for not welcoming you sooner—what an honor.”

The man was a refined-looking young businessman whose manner was pleasant. Ning Shaobai shook his hand. “No need for such formality. I’m just here to have a bit of fun.” Smiling, he added, “This hotel’s done quite well.”

Zhu Jiadong’s smile deepened. Seeing Ning Shaobai and his colleagues looking toward the water slide, and recalling the information he had gotten from Rong Xin, he tentatively offered, “Shall I invite more people over? A few girls down at the pool play billiards wonderfully.”

“Oh, come on, billiards?” Rong Xin shot Ning Shaobai a knowing look and said slyly, “Just head down there and play! That’s paradise.”

Without waiting for a reply, he dragged Mo Feiguang and Li Jiaze toward the changing rooms. “We’re all men here—what’s with the modesty? I’m telling you, all the beauties down there are single. You two go for it!”

In the end, only Mo Feiguang and He Jianming happily got into the water. Ning Shaobai and Li Jiaze stayed on the lounge chairs by the pool, watching them play.

After swimming a lap, Rong Xin came back, ready to share some intel about the girls—only to hear Ning Shaobai ask Zhu Jiadong, “Can kids use that water slide? Do you have a children’s section in the pool?”

Rong Xin: “???”

So many beauties right here, and you’re thinking about kids? Bro, you’re the one who said you’d start dating next year—how’s that supposed to happen if you’re not putting the effort now?

Rong Xin grumbled, “Chenchen’s got his mom and dad looking after him. They’ve gone on vacation. Why are you still thinking of him?”

Of course, Ning Shaobai completely ignored him. Zhu Jiadong smiled as he answered. “We’ve got plenty of things here for kids to play with. Why don’t I show you around, Young Master Ning?”

Ning Shaobai quickly rose to his feet and followed Zhu Jiadong. The young owner enthusiastically led him through the hotel’s highlights, all the while noticing the faint smile lingering on Ning Shaobai’s face. That alone assured him that this person would patronize his business again, which made him thrilled. Rumor had it that Young Master Ning doted a lot on his only nephew, and from what he saw firsthand, the gossip held true—this man treated the boy as though he were his own son.

“It’s nearly noon—why don’t we grab something to eat first?” Checking the time, Zhu Jiadong led Ning Shaobai to the buffet on the third floor. In recent years, buffets had become increasingly popular in China, and the one here had been designed with great care, clearly one of the hotel’s proudest features. “We offer both Chinese and Western cuisine,” Zhu Jiadong explained. “For the Western dishes, we even brought in a native chef. The flavors are truly authentic—Young Master Ning, you really should give them a try.”

But Ning Shaobai’s eyes were all on the Chinese food. In that, he shared Xia Mian’s tastes—both preferred Chinese cuisine, especially meat. Looking at this row of delicious and beautifully presented dishes, he knew she would like them too.

Another favorite of hers is…

Following his gaze, Zhu Jiadong saw Rong Xin by the popsicle freezer and assumed Ning Shaobai was looking at him. “Young Master Rong,” he called.

Rong Xin had just taken a few popsicles from the freezer. Turning around, he commented with a grin, “Didn’t expect you to have this here—nice touch.”

“It’s hot out,” Zhu Jiadong chuckled, glancing toward the table of girls waiting for Rong Xin not far away, teasing, “Makes it easier for you to entertain girls, too.”

Rong Xin chuckled, then noticed Ning Shaobai staring directly at the popsicle in his hand. He tentatively held one out. “Brother Bai, want one?”

Something seemed to cross Ning Shaobai’s mind, and the smile in his eyes suddenly spread. He reached out, took one popsicle, and headed toward Mo Feiguang and the others, who, unsurprisingly, had already helped themselves to food.

Rong Xin stared at his retreating back. “Did he just smile? Brother Bai? So brightly?” he asked, dumbfounded.

Zhu Jiadong nodded. It was indeed very alluring. Even he, as a man, was stunned for a moment.

“He’s that happy over popsicles?” Rong Xin was full of question marks. “No… he’s so peculiar. He never eats this kind of thing.”

Zhu Jiadong only smiled, keeping his thoughts to himself. Accompanying Rong Xin, he suggested a few more treats to take back for the girls. Along the way, several people attempted to strike up a conversation, hinting at introductions, but he declined them courteously before making his way to Ning Shaobai’s group.

His priority today was to extend his hospitality to the reclusive Young Master Ning. Since the man had come to unwind, he had no intention of spoiling the mood.

Well… not entirely, it seems. When he approached, they were already discussing business.

“Taking pictures with a phone?”

“It’s not impossible. I hear Huaguang has already started working on digital cameras—we could talk to them about joint R&D.”

“Right. With digital imaging, it’s theoretically possible. The main problem is the integration, which may require a complete redesign of the system. Won’t be easy.”

After delivering the popsicle, Rong Xin joined them. “What are you guys talking about?”