"I thought our little disciple was just daydreaming!"
"What are you talking about!" Xia Luyao immediately retorted, her cheeks slightly flushed, "I wasn't daydreaming! Stop flattering yourself."
Seeing Xia Luyao's embarrassed look, Lin Beichen's amusement grew even stronger.
He didn't continue to tease her but instead changed the subject: "Alright, alright, I won't tease you anymore. Get some rest; there'll be no time to sleep once we reach Bernier."
Xia Luyao, hearing this, also felt she was indeed a bit tired.
She nodded, leaned back on the seat, and closed her eyes.
Lin Beichen looked at her peaceful sleeping face, and a surge of tenderness filled his heart.
He reached for the blanket beside him and gently covered her with it.
As time passed, the sky outside the cabin gradually brightened.
In her sleep, Xia Luyao felt somewhat uncomfortable and groggily opened her eyes.
She found herself somehow leaning on Lin Beichen's shoulder, while he sat there quietly, looking at her with gentle eyes.
"Awake?" Lin Beichen asked softly, looking at Xia Luyao's sleepy eyes.
Xia Luyao awkwardly straightened her body and raised her hand to tidy her hair: "Yeah, I'm awake. Sorry, I leaned against you for so long."
"No problem." Lin Beichen smiled, "You were sleeping so soundly, I couldn't bring myself to wake you."
Listening to Lin Beichen's gentle words, warmth surged within Xia Luyao.
She looked up at him, eyes filled with gratitude and tenderness: "Thank you, Lin Beichen."
Lin Beichen was touched by her earnestness. He stretched out a hand and gently ruffled her hair: "Silly girl, no need to be so formal with me."
Their eyes met in the air, both seeing the tenderness and warmth in each other's eyes.
At this moment, they seemed to forget everything around them, lost in this beautiful atmosphere.
However, they both knew that this mission was very challenging, requiring their utmost effort.
Thus, they exchanged smiles, pulled back their gaze, and began preparing for the upcoming task.
"Oh, I'm really sorry, I didn't do it on purpose." Xia Luyao said with some apology, she really hadn't expected to lean on Lin Beichen's shoulder while sleeping.
Seeing her flustered look, Lin Beichen felt a strong urge to tease her, so he said lightly: "I never said you did it on purpose, why so nervous?"
"I'm not nervous, stop talking nonsense!" Xia Luyao quickly denied, she couldn't possibly admit she drooled.
Seeing Xia Luyao's defensive look, Lin Beichen couldn't help but laugh: "Alright, I'm just teasing you. But you could really wipe off the drool at the corner of your mouth."
Upon hearing this, Xia Luyao's eyes widened, she hurried to wipe her mouth. Internally she was nearly collapsing; drooling in front of Lin Beichen was simply too embarrassing.
Seeing her look of despair, Lin Beichen couldn't hold back anymore and burst into laughter.
"Lin Beichen, you're not allowed to laugh!" Xia Luyao said angrily.
Lin Beichen saw her puffed up little face, reached out to pinch it, and said with a smile: "I'm just messing with you, you didn't drool at all."
He had actually woken up earlier, watching her sleep peacefully unlike usual, found it amusing. He never thought a bit of teasing would make her really believe it.
"You're tricking me again!" Xia Luyao looked angrily at Lin Beichen.
"Alright, my bad, don't be mad." Lin Beichen spoke with a hint of a coaxing tone.
"You always want to take advantage of me!" Xia Luyao muttered, cheeks slightly flushed.
Lin Beichen chuckled lightly, saying: "How about this, once the mission's done, I'll treat you to a meal as an apology."
"You think a meal can resolve this?" Xia Luyao turned away, pretending to be angry.
"Then two meals?" Lin Beichen calmly upped the offer.
"How about ten meals?" Seeing Xia Luyao about to speak again, Lin Beichen interrupted directly.
Xia Luyao paused for a moment, then said haughtily: "For ten meals, I'll reluctantly forgive you. But if you tease me again, even ten meals won't be enough!"
As the plane landed, the Venomous Snake Special Team members gradually woke up. They changed into their gear, ready to head to their destination.
"According to reports ahead, the Port City businessman we need to rescue is held in an old base 50 kilometers away," Xia Luyao said, looking at the data in her hand.
"50 kilometers isn't far, we'll reach there quickly." Lin Beichen said seriously.
The people looked at the information from the front, their expressions gradually becoming serious.
Bernier might be an economically backward country, but people here lived peacefully and stably. However, since that mysterious organization arrived, everything changed.
"Who exactly are these people? We absolutely cannot let them go easily!" Xia Luyao furrowed her brows and said.
"Captain, we understand. Once the Port City businessman is rescued, we surely won't let them off the hook!" Thunder said sternly.
After a brief discussion on the battle plan, they drove to the old base.
Upon arrival, they didn't charge straight in but parked the car in a concealed spot first.
Xia Luyao quickly hacked into the base's network surveillance to assess the inside situation.
"Impressive, little disciple! Didn't expect you had such skills!" Lin Beichen praised.
Xia Luyao's ears turned a bit red, she said with feigned arrogance: "There's plenty you don't know!"