Chapter 68 Forced Love from My Archrival 17

Chapter 68: Forcibly Loved by My Archenemy 17

Boarding the plane to head abroad, Lin Huaiqing found it novel.

He had never been on a plane in his actual life. Even when he traveled from his hometown to the big city to make a living, he'd sat through a twenty-hour train ride in a hard seat.

By the time he got off, half his body was asleep.

He never thought he'd ever get to fly first class.

By the time they reached the hotel, Lin Huaiqing was exhausted, but Xue Chengan pestered him again, insisting they share a room.

"You don't snore or grind your teeth, right?" He had to ask in advance—if Xue Chengan had any of those habits, he could head back to his own room.

"I'm a quiet sleeper."

"Fine, then... just this once." Lin Huaiqing couldn't be bothered to argue with him; when he was tired enough, he could fall asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow.

But as soon as the lights went out, Lin Huaiqing's sleepy, muddled brain started buzzing again. He'd been dead tired moments ago, but suddenly having someone else beside him made him uneasy.

"Scoot over, you're squishing me."

But the more Lin Huaiqing said that, the more Xue Chengan pushed his luck, slipping out from under his own blanket and into Lin Huaiqing's.

The sudden touch made Lin Huaiqing jolt in surprise, and now he definitely couldn't sleep.

"If you don't knock it off, go back to your own room!"

Lin Huaiqing squeezed his eyes shut, as if he was at his breaking point.

But beside him, Xue Chengan's eyes gleamed with curiosity in the dark, staring at Lin Huaiqing intently. He said casually:

"Cousin! That Qin family's second young master, Qin Fan, likes you, doesn't he? Have you two hooked up?"

"?!?!" In the dark, Lin Huaiqing's eyes snapped open, and he shot upright in bed.

"What did you say?!"

He wondered if he was hearing things—how else could Xue Chengan ask something so outrageous it could scare someone to death?

"Isn't it? Don't worry, cousin, just tell me—I won't breathe a word to anyone."

"I think you've lost your mind. Get out!" Lin Huaiqing switched on the bedside lamp with a smack and jabbed a finger furiously at the door.

But Xue Chengan didn't leave. What he said next was even more shocking.

"I noticed it at the auction that day—Qin Fan had you cornered against the wall, saying something to you.

Then for the Lover's Island project, Qin Fan was in complete charge. Yet he handed a project that profitable over to you. A man of his wealth—would he let a hawk fly without spotting a rabbit?"

Xue Chengan's words were subtle, but his eyes told the truth. His gaze seemed to see straight through Lin Huaiqing.

He had an air of smugness, mixed with disdain for Lin Huaiqing.

Lin Huaiqing laughed in exasperation at Xue Chengan's groundless reasoning.

Though it was accidentally on target—guessing Qin Fan had feelings for him—the story was way too far-fetched.

"Xue Chengan, you've got quite the imagination. Me sleeping with Qin Fan—what a wild thought. I'll count to three. Get out of my room. Three..."

Seeing Lin Huaiqing was genuinely angry, Xue Chengan quickly backed off.

"Cousin, don't be mad. I'm leaving, I'm leaving right now!" With that, he grabbed his blanket and scurried back to his room.

After being riled up like that, all his drowsiness was gone. Lin Huaiqing could only pull out his phone and scroll aimlessly.

When he accidentally opened his chat app and saw the chat with Qin Fan, he fell into thought.

They'd added each other back in school, but he'd deleted him after graduation. After he came back to the country, Qin Fan had added him again.

Oddly enough, they were archenemies, yet they had each other's contact info. Shouldn't they be cutting all ties?

Thinking Qin Fan might delete him soon anyway, Lin Huaiqing stuck to his principle: better I delete the world than the world deletes me.

Steeling himself, he pressed delete.

Watching the chat vanish from his phone, an indescribable feeling welled up in him.

After tossing and turning, Lin Huaiqing barely fell asleep in the wee hours. The next morning, Uncle Wang woke him up to board the boat.

The boat to Lover's Island was chartered, so it only made one round trip.

Lin Huaiqing showed up with dark circles under his eyes and shot Xue Chengan a glare before boarding.

He picked the seat farthest from Xue Chengan and turned to look out at the scenery.

But Xue Chengan sidled over again, grabbing Lin Huaiqing's arm and pleading:

"Cousin! I was wrong last night, so don't ignore me! We're the only two young people on this boat—if you won't even talk to me, I'll be bored to death!"

The cabin was small to begin with, and Xue Chengan's antics were drawing stares.

"Enough! Sit up straight and act normal!"

"Then you can't be mad at me anymore, cousin!"

That said, Lin Huaiqing still stayed wary of Xue Chengan.

He'd originally thought Xue Chengan was just a bit of a dim little schemer, but now he realized he'd misjudged him. This guy was nowhere near as simple as he seemed.

After several days of surveying, the island's terrain was fully mapped out. Engineers revised the drafted plans to fit the actual conditions.

Meanwhile, construction crews could be sent from home.

M country was a developed nation, and hiring local contractors would cost twice as much as hiring domestic ones. Plus, using Chinese crews made communication a lot easier.

Once the Lover's Island project broke ground, Uncle Wang was swamped with work. Lin Huaiqing and Xue Chengan served as deputies, overseeing the construction progress.

When things got busy, they often forgot lunch entirely, and Uncle Wang had to remind them to eat.

"Huaiqing, quit working and come eat. This afternoon, tell the workers to take the day off. We'll announce when to resume work."

"What? Why the sudden break? Aren't we already behind schedule?"

"It's a typhoon—one's about to hit. Make sure the workers secure the site properly. Count heads before we leave the island."

"Okay, Uncle Wang."

Lin Huaiqing had grown up in an inland city and had never experienced a typhoon, only heard about them on the weather forecast.

Though he didn't know how powerful it was, Lin Huaiqing dared not take it lightly. After finishing his meal, he went around making sure everything was taken care of, one thing at a time.

By the time they returned to the hotel in the evening, the wind outside was already picking up, and the sound of raindrops hitting the glass grew steadily louder.

The hotel they were staying at was on the largest island closest to Lover's Island, with all the amenities you'd expect from a major city.

For some reason, facing such extreme weather, Lin Huaiqing felt a subtle thrill, perhaps stemming from some primal instinct.

After letting Lin Zhen know he was safe, Lin Huaiqing took a nice, relaxing shower and then slept like a baby.

Before falling asleep, the wind outside was already howling, yet Lin Huaiqing slept exceptionally soundly.

In the middle of the night, Lin Huaiqing drifted into a hazy dream where he was sitting in a small boat, sailing across a turbulent sea.

Waves surged, and the boat rocked violently, almost tossing him overboard.

"Earthquake! Run!"