By linking my account to the check-in system, I became a leisurely traveler.

Chapter 90 The Distance of the Eyeliner Pencil [Bonus Chapter! Another 7 words!]

Jing Chaoyi's home is not nearby, and Li Younan's things are still at the hotel, so he can't go with Jing Chaoyi.

At Li Younan's insistence, the taxi the two were in first took a detour to take Jing Chaoyi home, and then took Li Younan back to the hotel.

Li Younan glanced at it and saw that the metered fare had risen to more than 60 yuan.

Just then, Jing Chaoyi generously took out 100 yuan and tried to give it to the taxi driver, along with Li Younan's fare.

Of course, Li Younan wouldn't be so ungentlemanly. He stuffed the money back into Jing Chaoyi's hand and said, "It's okay, you can just get off the bus. I'll settle the bill when we get there."

The driver, seeing this, couldn't stop laughing and said, "Why didn't I let your...senior pay?"

Jing Chaoyi laughed and said, "How can that be? Nobody's money comes from thin air."

"A guy should always be a gentleman."

“Girls should be more ladylike and reserved,” Jing Chaoyi disagreed with the driver’s opinion.

The experienced mechanic chuckled and, touching the steering wheel, said, "These days, there aren't many girls like you."

Jing Chaoyi silently accepted the 100 yuan bill that Li Younan insisted on giving her back, and after getting out of the car, she knocked on Li Younan's car window again.

Li Younan rolled down the car window, and Jing Chaoyi said with a smile, "See you tomorrow, senior."

Li Younan nodded.

Jing Chaoyi added, "Send me a message when you get to the hotel."

Li Younan hummed in agreement.

Just as she was about to roll up the car window, Jing Chaoyi suddenly smiled slyly, crumpled the 100 yuan into a ball, quickly threw it in, and then ran away in a flash.

The paper ball hit Li Younan on the head. He looked at Jing Chaoyi, who had run away, speechless, and smiled wryly.

The driver next to him couldn't help but burst into laughter when he saw this.

It was past 2 a.m. when I got back to the hotel.

Li Younan hadn't stayed up this late in a long time. He took out his phone and prepared to set an alarm.

At this moment, Li Younan was somewhat surprised to see the message sent by the Nanchang Media Convergence Center half an hour earlier.

I didn't expect the officials in Nanchang to be so efficient; the promotional video that connected the parkour scenes has already been edited.

The message was sent by Yang Hui, saying, "Take a look and see if there are any places that need adjustment. If not, we will start the official rendering. This video is just a sample, and the video resolution is very low."

Li Younan clicked to take a look and had to admit that the official level of professionalism was far superior to that of ordinary video bloggers.

Whether it's the editing of the footage, the composition of each frame, or the capture of his movements, there's nothing to criticize.

In the footage, Li Younan's every movement is fluid, graceful, and full of beauty, thanks to their filming techniques.

The city's landmark buildings are also showcased in the video in their most perfect form.

The final night scene, in particular, brought the entire video to a climax.

Li Younan was very satisfied and readily replied, "Sister Yang, I have no objections. I think it's already great."

What's even more outrageous is that the message came after midnight. It's surprising that official staff are still working overtime at this hour, which slightly shattered some of Li Younan's preconceived notions.

After thinking about it, Li Younan forwarded the video to JK Long.

As always, Brother Long was not asleep at this time.

A few minutes later, after watching the whole video, he sent three words: "It's alright."

Li Younan replied with a smiley face emoji and said, "It's just okay?"

Brother Long seemed to sense the provocation and replied coldly, "Do you think I can't edit a video like this? Besides, I only commented that this video is okay, not that I'm commenting on how good the editing is. It's just a template, mass-produced editing. It's not difficult to edit a video like this. In comparison, what's more valuable about this video is the shooting quality, the skill of the cameraman, and the equipment they used. That's the most important thing about this video."

Li Younan touched his nose, feeling a little bored. He had originally wanted to show off to Brother Long and was a little proud of himself, but he didn't expect that Brother Long would look down on his filming skills instead.

Li Younan decided to change the subject and asked, "By the way, Brother Long, have you seen that cooperation contract?"

Brother Long said, "I've seen it."

"Do you have any objections?"

"No."

"Did you sign it?"

JK Dragon was silent for a moment, and then sent a message a few minutes later: "Signed. Where should I send it?"

Li Younan thought for a moment and sent him the address of the township government in his grandparents' village.

When JK Long saw the address, he immediately laughed and replied, "You live here?"

Li Younan didn't explain, but said, "Yes."

JK Long didn't dwell on the topic too much, saying, "Okay, I understand. I'll send it directly to this address."

Li Younan put his phone away, lay on the bed, and silently stared at the ceiling.

There are still some very interesting places in Hunan that are worth visiting and traveling to.

However, Li Younan did not plan to visit all of Hunan before returning home.

It's been over a month since I resigned, and to be honest, Li Younan misses her mother a little.

This kind of emotion is rare for an adult, and Li Younan felt somewhat ashamed.

It seems that he started thinking about his mother so frequently after breaking up with Yang Ting.

Now that I've acquired the driving skills I've always wanted, especially the road-going version, I should hurry back home.

Li Younan made a decision: he would spend another day with Jing Chaoyi tomorrow, and then set off the day after tomorrow, without stopping along the way, driving straight home.

……

Sitting in the cockpit of the Little Cool again felt completely different.

After Li Younan got on the bus, her first feeling was that she was not very comfortable.

He casually adjusted the seat and the rearview mirror, then leaned back lazily, exuding an indescribable sense of comfort.

His gaze casually swept across the rearview mirror, then through the car window to the hood.

But in my mind, the location of the two front wheels was almost perfectly imprinted in front of me.

He stepped on the brake, started the engine, and felt the vibrations transmitted from the engine, as if his entire spirit was connected to the engine through the steering wheel.

Wonderful, absolutely wonderful!
This was an experience I had never had before; this must be what it feels like to be one with the car.

Li Younan shifted into gear and slowly drove out of the parking space.

I used to be very nervous when turning, afraid of bumping into the car next to me.

But at this moment, the car felt like an extension of his body; he knew it perfectly well in all directions.

This reassuring driving experience made him fall in love with driving immediately, unlike before when driving was just a means rather than an end.

Li Younan slowly drove the car out of the parking lot, then patted the steering wheel and said with a smile, "Little Cool, Little Cool, I'm sorry you had to suffer before."

This car is an automatic transmission, but in some special situations, you still need to switch to manual mode to better utilize the performance of the engine and transmission.

After driving the car on the highway for a while, Li Younan finally gained complete control of the vehicle.

This shows that although it is a general driving skill, there is still a short period of adaptation required for different car models.

Looking at the road ahead, he could see where the cars were in front, behind, left, and right, and roughly where the oncoming cars were and at what speed they would meet. This information was like an instinct, reflected in his subconscious, without Li Younan needing to think carefully or calculate deliberately.

There was a slight traffic jam ahead, with two mobile roadblocks driving in the middle of the road, blocking a long stretch of traffic.

In the past, Li Younan would have obediently followed behind.

But now he knows very well that such driving conditions are actually the most dangerous.

Li Younan seized the opportunity, turned on his lights, checked the distances to the cars in front, behind, left, and right, and with two turns of the steering wheel, he slipped out of the traffic.

Then, ahead lay a wide-open road.

He gently rolled down the car window, and a slight breeze ruffled his bangs.

Driving...it's so much fun!
The car slid out of the city center traffic, like a fish finding a gap.

Li Younan loosely rested his left hand on the steering wheel, and the wind from the Xiangjiang River, mixed with the fishy smell of water, blew in, dispelling the stuffiness from the air conditioning.

He didn't pay much attention to what the radio was playing, as long as it wasn't noise.

There are quite a few cars on the ring road, but they can keep up with traffic.

Li Younan scanned the movements of the cars ahead, his foot hovering between the accelerator and brake, his hands moving very lightly, making slight adjustments to the steering wheel, and the car smoothly glided into a smoother lane.

About half an hour later, Li Younan arrived at Jing Chaoyi's residential area.

Jing Chaoyi's home is located in a newly developed area where the houses are all new and the roads are wider. Apart from being far from the commercial center, the living environment here is quite nice.

Li Younan parked his car in a roadside parking space at the entrance of the residential area and waited there for Jing Chaoyi to come down.

A short while later, Jing Chaoyi, wearing a sun hat, came into view. She ran over and knocked on the car window, and Li Younan got out of the car.

Jing Chaoyi handed over a bottle of ice-cold soda.

Li Younan asked, "What are the plans for today?"

Jing Chaoyi said, "We'll go visit some of Changsha's iconic and popular spots this morning, like Orange Isle, and then have dinner at home later."

Li Younan hesitated for a moment, then touched his chin: "You eat at your home... is this convenient?"

Jing Chaoyi said nonchalantly, "It's very convenient, there's no one at my house."

"Where are your parents?"

Jing Chaoyi's eyes flickered: "My mother is in Zhejiang, living with me. My father is on temporary assignment in the capital and hasn't been home for more than half a year. Oh, my father is a technician at a bank."

Li Younan nodded slightly. No wonder Jing Chaoyi, who was from Changsha, had stayed in Zhejiang for so long.

……

The car turned onto Xiangjiang Middle Road, and Jing Chaoyi rolled the passenger window all the way down. "Don't take the main road," she suddenly blurted out in Changsha dialect, swiping her finger across the map on her phone with a grin, "I'll show you something solid."

The Changsha dialect word "实在" has a similar meaning to the Sichuan dialect word "实在," which can be understood as "having substance."

She directed Li Younan to go into Chaozong Street.

The stone-paved road was a bit bumpy, with dusty old walls on both sides and clotheslines sticking out haphazardly from overhead.

An old man collecting scrap metal on a tricycle was slowly blocking the way. Li Younan didn't honk his horn, but glanced to the right. The rearview mirror was no more than half a fist's width away from the wall bricks.

I steered the car slightly to the right, then gently straightened it again. The car glided along the base of the wall, the right side mirror brushing against the vines hanging down the wall without knocking off many leaves.

The junior looked to the side, a hint of surprise in her eyes.

Li Younan rested his right hand loosely on the gear shift, feeling a little smug.

The car emerged from the other end of the alley, and there came to the Xiang River.

Jing Chaoyi leaned out a little, her hair flying wildly in the river breeze: "Look across, doesn't it look like a pot lid?" She pointed to the green roof arching over Orange Isle.

In the afternoon light, it really did look like an upside-down green porcelain bowl.

Li Younan squinted and nodded.

She then drove to the vicinity of the Nanmenkou vegetable market, rolling up her car window a little: "The food here is authentic."

She suddenly pointed to a glass cabinet by the roadside: "Want to get a bowl of cold jelly?"

As soon as the car pulled over, she jumped out and shouted to the owner in Changsha dialect, "Two portions! Extra chopped chili!"

The jelly was served; the translucent jelly was mixed with chili oil and pickled radish cubes.

Looking at the contents of the bowl, Li Younan hesitated to take a bite.

Jing Chaoyi laughed non-stop and said, "I forgot... Senior, you don't eat spicy food, hehe..."

Li Younan said irritably, "I know you know, why did you still order?" Jing Chaoyi suddenly scooped up a spoonful, brought it to Li Younan's face, blinked her big eyes, and said, "Just try a bite, don't worry, it won't be very spicy."

Li Younan paused for a moment, hesitated for half a second, and then opened his mouth.

Jing Chaoyi then fed him a spoonful.

The spiciness and aroma immediately wafted from the chewy jelly, and Li Younan couldn't help but take a couple of deep breaths.

Then, Jing Chaoyi slowly took the spoon back, looking like she was trying not to laugh, and then slowly scooped up another spoonful.

Just as Jing Chaoyi was about to eat, Li Younan suddenly placed his own bowl in front of her with a "thud".

Jing Chaoyi looked up and blinked.

Li Younan said irritably, "You eat this bowl, I've already eaten that one."

Jing Chaoyi paused for a moment, casually tossed her hair, and slowly put down her spoon before pushing it towards Li Younan. "Oh dear, seeing you get so spicy, senior, was hilarious, I completely forgot..."

Li Younan's face turned a little red; it was indeed spicy.

Jing Chaoyi's face also turned a little red. She quickly took a bite of the cold noodles and then fanned herself: "But... it seems a little spicy..."

……

She wandered around aimlessly until the afternoon, then said, "Come on, senior, I'll take you to Donggua Mountain again."

The car circled onto Shuyuan Road and headed south.

We drove to a wide-open area halfway up the mountain.

A few small stalls also stood here. One was selling perilla peaches, with bright red peach slices soaking in a glass jar, topped with perilla leaves, looking especially fresh under the light of a small lamp. Next to it was a stall frying scallion pancakes, the small oil pan sizzling, and the freshly fried golden pancakes were placed on a wire rack to drain the oil.

Leaning against the front of the car, the Xiangjiang River in the distance turned into a dark ribbon, and the "pot lid" of Orange Isle was only a blurry outline. The city lights gradually brightened and spread out.

The evening breeze carried the lingering warmth of the day and the scent of the mountain vegetation.

……

By the time they got back to Jing Chaoyi's house, it was already getting dark. But it didn't really matter; the two had been living under the same roof for almost half a month, so there wasn't much awkwardness between them.

This time, Jing Chaoyi absolutely refused to let Li Younan cook.

She said with a grin, "Although your cooking skills are a tiny bit better than mine, it would be really inappropriate to make you cook since you're already at my house. Just sit quietly and watch TV for a while today, okay?"

Li Younan hesitated for a moment, but ultimately said nothing and sat quietly on the sofa watching TV.

Jing Chaoyi's cooking skills are quite good. She didn't make any complicated dishes, so it didn't take too long to prepare them.

As dish after dish was served, Li Younan was taken aback.

A dish of twice-cooked pork, a dish of steamed egg drop soup, and a black-boned chicken soup cooked in a pressure cooker.

There wasn't a single spicy dish.

Li Younan looked at Jing Chaoyi, who brought out two more bowls of rice and said, "Senior, I didn't make anything too complicated since I don't consider you an outsider."

Li Younan didn't say anything, just smiled and nodded, taking the food. The two ate together warmly, just like they had in Xiamen before.

After dinner, Jing Chaoyi lay on the sofa. The dining table wasn't exactly a mess, but the plates and bowls were just casually placed around.

When they were in Xiamen, the two of them would each take a day to wash dishes.

At this moment, Jing Chaoyi cooked the meal, and Li Younan took the initiative to get up and clear the dishes.

Jing Chaoyi immediately sat up, grabbed the plate from him, and said, "Oh dear, senior, how can I let you do this? You're a guest, you should just rest today!"

Li Younan said, "Isn't this a bit inappropriate?"

Then he put down his chopsticks with a clear conscience.

Jing Chaoyi hummed a little tune as she went to wash the dishes.

While Jing Chaoyi was washing the dishes, her phone, which was placed on the outside living room wall, kept ringing.

Li Younan reminded her several times, but Jing Chaoyi wasn't in a hurry. She slowly washed all the dishes and chopsticks, tidied up the kitchen, and then came out wiping her hands, asking, "Who called?"

Li Younan glanced at the phone on the coffee table and said, "I didn't look at it."

Jing Chaoyi walked over quickly, picked up her phone, saw the missed calls, paused for a moment, and muttered to herself, "Oh dear, I completely forgot about that."

Li Younan asked curiously, "Do you need any help?"

Jing Chaoyi naturally sat down next to Li Younan and said, "It's nothing big. My mom knew I was coming back, so she gave me a task. Tomorrow, her friend's daughter is getting married, and she wants me to go and give a gift."

Li Younan nodded; it really wasn't a difficult thing.

Jing Chaoyi replied to two messages on her phone, then suddenly said, "Senior, could you do me a favor?"

Li Younan looked at her strangely.

Jing Chaoyi gave a sly smile and said, "Wait for me a moment." Then she dashed into the room.

A while later, Jing Chaoyi came out carrying a large makeup bag.

Li Younan's expression turned somewhat strange, but he didn't speak rashly.

Jing Chaoyi sat down next to Li Younan and said, "My mother's friend's daughter is about my age. When we were in kindergarten, we both lived in the same courtyard as my dad's workplace apartment building. That girl is very competitive and always likes to compare herself with me."

Li Younan listened attentively, nodded, and did not interrupt.

Jing Chaoyi continued, "But actually I didn't want to lose to her either, so I always competed with her. Later, I stopped seeing her in elementary school, and her family moved to another place. I never expected that she would be getting married so soon."

Li Younan nodded again and asked, "What do you want me to help with...?"

With a strange smile on her face, Jing Chaoyi slowly opened the makeup box and said, "I haven't worn makeup much before, but I want to look beautiful tomorrow, preferably even prettier than the bride. After I'm done, you can give me your opinion from a guy's perspective."

Li Younan blinked and said, "That's it?"

Jing Chaoyi said matter-of-factly, "Of course this is it. Do you think I'd let you do my makeup?"

Li Younan coughed and said, "It's not that bad... What would a grown man like me do with makeup?"

Jing Chaoyi said, "That's right..."

Jing Chaoyi doesn't wear makeup often, so Li Younan watched with great interest.

Jing Chaoyi clumsily applied makeup to her face.

It must be said that makeup is the icing on the cake.

While it's undeniable that some people can double their appearance with makeup, most people don't have such good cosmetics or such advanced skills; they simply want to make their complexion brighter and more vibrant.

This requires a good foundation, which is essentially about skin quality. People with fair, smooth, and delicate skin look beautiful even without makeup, and a little light makeup, like lipstick, makes them incredibly attractive.

Jing Chaoyi is that kind of girl.

She exercises regularly, so her skin is smooth and delicate. She's the type of person who doesn't tan easily. Even though she went to Xiamen, her skin is still fair and cool-toned.

She looks good without makeup, but with makeup, she looks several levels better. Just by applying foundation and lipstick, Jing Chaoyi's appearance has undergone a complete transformation.

However, judging from Li Younan's current makeup skills, Jing Chaoyi's makeup was really too rough.

Whether it was a base or a styling touch-up—no, not at all, she just roughly applied the makeup that should have been on her face evenly.

As for advanced techniques like facial contouring, shading, and highlighting, well...

Jing Chaoyi turned her head and asked, "Senior, how is it?"

Li Younan coughed and said, "It's fine."

The insincerity in his words was palpable.

Jing Chaoyi frowned and looked at herself in the mirror: "I think I'm fine, what's wrong?"

She stared at herself in the mirror for a long time, then suddenly her eyes lit up and she said, "Ah! I see, that's why I didn't wear eye makeup!"

Li Younan blinked but didn't say anything.

Next, Jing Chaoyi started fiddling with her eyeliner in front of the mirror, while also watching a few videos on how to apply eyeliner.

Li Younan was very patient and didn't urge Jing Chaoyi. Instead, he watched with great interest.

To be honest, it's quite interesting to watch a beautiful woman clumsily applying makeup from the perspective of a master.

Just then, Jing Chaoyi put down her eyeliner pen in frustration, pouted, and said, "Oh dear, I can't draw it well."

She suddenly looked at Li Younan next to her and said, "Senior, why don't you draw it for me?"

Li Younan coughed and said, "No, I don't know."

Jing Chaoyi said, "It's okay. Take a look at this tutorial. Just make a light stroke here where my eye is. I keep blinking, so I'm a little scared."

As she spoke, she pulled her eyelids up.

Hmm, the Minions are so cute with their big eyes...

Li Younan paused for a moment, thought for a moment, and then said, "Well... okay then."

Jing Chaoyi leaned closer, and Li Younan, holding an eyeliner pencil, gently touched Jing Chaoyi's forehead before she could speak, and whispered, "Don't blink."

Jing Chaoyi only felt a blur before her eyes, and Li Younan had already completed the operation.

She looked at herself in the mirror and exclaimed in surprise, "Wow! It's really finished! You... how did you do that, senior?"

Li Younan said vaguely, "I thought it would look good this way, so I drew it like this."

Jing Chaoyi looked at herself in the mirror, then at the video tutorial, and said with admiration, "Senior, you really draw well!"

Li Younan chuckled twice.

Jing Chaoyi leaned closer and said, "There's another eye."

Li Younan followed suit, casually adding eyeliner to Jing Chaoyi's other eye.

Looking at herself in the mirror, Jing Chaoyi was stunned: "Senior, you have a talent for makeup!"

Li Younan put down her eyeliner: "It's alright."

Jing Chaoyi lowered her head and said, "I have a question, but please don't hit me."

Li Younan said, "Then let's not ask."

Then Jing Chaoyi hit him.

"what……"

Li Younan smiled before saying seriously, "Go ahead and ask."

Jing Chaoyi lowered her head, carefully considered her words, and then cautiously asked, "Why did you and your girlfriend break up?"

Li Younan paused for a moment.

Jing Chaoyi quickly added, "She's very happy... You broke up with her, right? She must be very sad, right? Ah, I'm not speaking from your girlfriend's perspective, nor am I trying to sympathize with her."

She slowly raised her head: "You hate her for what, right? You hate her... what?"

Li Younan paused for a moment, sighed softly, and then chuckled as he tapped Jing Chaoyi on the head: "Alright, time to rest."

Jing Chaoyi was a little anxious: "You haven't answered me yet."

"I don't dislike her, well, I wouldn't say I dislike her. Okay, let's not talk about this."

After a pause, Li Younan said seriously, "Moreover, if you speak ill of my ex in front of others, my bright and noble image in your eyes will collapse."

Jing Chaoyi was stunned: "This reason..."

Li Younan stood up and said, "Is that guest room reserved for me? I won't stand on ceremony."

"Oh... um."

--------

P.S.: A whopping 15,000 words updated today! Is it worth a monthly pass?! (I'm anxious!)

(End of this chapter)