"All of this was designed by a hotel?!"
Fan Hecha and Tang Xiaofeng stared at each other in shock, utterly stunned by the station's decor.
Reluctantly tearing their gazes away from the starry dome,
the couple followed the janitor's directions and exited through Metro Gate No. 2.
Riding the escalator up to ground level, they were greeted by a massive **Tiffany glass** facade at the entrance of Cream Street, flanked by statues of ancient Greek deities holding musical instruments.
The pale moonlight bathed a towering golden lion statue, while streetlights illuminated the path brightly.
A cool evening breeze carried the faint, dry fragrance of roses—
rich yet tinged with a withered warmth, less summery and more autumnal.
Walking through the flower-lined path, they boarded a small boat gliding across Emerald Lake.
The oars rippled the water, sending shimmering waves into the darkness,
while above, the starry sky reflected brilliantly on the lake's surface.
"There are so many stars here!"
"It feels like the whole lake is filled with them."
Tang Xiaofeng gazed at the starry reflections, her round eyes full of wonder.
"Light pollution is minimal here. The view really is spectacular."
Fan Hecha nodded, still reeling from the **"God's-eye view of the stars"** revelation.
His fascination with **"reverse stargazing"** was at its peak when—
suddenly, a dazzling glimmer flashed beneath the lake's surface, like moonlight reflecting off scales.
"Are there lights down there?"
Curious, Fan Hecha peered into the water.
What he saw nearly made him scream.
In the dark, unfathomable depths, where the moonlight barely reached,
a **thick, serpentine tail** slithered past, its heavy, overlapping scales glinting before vanishing back into the abyss.
"SNAKE!!"
Fan Hecha shrieked, grabbing Tang Xiaofeng in panic—startling her too.
The boatman, who had been rowing peacefully, nearly dropped his oar in fright.
"What snake?!"
"There are no snakes in our lake!"
He sighed. "Besides, Zaomen's environment isn't even suitable for snakes!"
Fan Hecha had seen it with his own eyes. Convinced he wasn't hallucinating, he clung to Tang Xiaofeng, frozen in fear.
"Hubby, relax! It's just a snake! Let me see!"
Excited, Tang Xiaofeng leaned over the boat's edge, craning her neck for a look.
Fan Hecha yanked her back instantly.
"Are you crazy?! What if it jumps out of the water?!"
Tang Xiaofeng shrugged. "Pfft, no big deal!"
"I've never seen a water snake before. I wanna look!"
Fan Hecha snapped. "No reckless stunts! What would I do if something happened to you?!"
Tang Xiaofeng pouted. "I'm just looking!"
Fan Hecha: "No!"
The boatman facepalmed. "Sir, ma'am, I promise—**there are no snakes here!!!**"
...
After much struggle, Fan Hecha finally managed to drag Tang Xiaofeng ashore, his heart still pounding.
Entering the Lion Castle lobby,
Tang Xiaofeng went to check in while Fan Hecha curiously eyed a **chaise lounge** placed conspicuously to the side.
*Weird. Who puts a chaise lounge—and a full-sized bed—in a hotel lobby?*
"What's this bed for?" he asked.
"Sir, this is our **1703 Mini Guest Room**, a temporary resting area for guests," a staff member explained.
"1703?!" Tang Xiaofeng's eyes lit up again.
"Is this that **super-popular haunted-themed room** from the internet?"
The receptionist smiled. "Yes, ma'am. But those are just online rumors."
"Our hotel is very wholesome. Nothing supernatural happens here."
Tang Xiaofeng: *Yeah, right. Pull the other one.*
Though she loved quirky things, ghosts and spirits terrified her.
(*Snakes? No fear. Ghosts? Absolutely not.*)
Since Fan Hecha loved astronomy, Tang Xiaofeng had booked the **Starry Moon Wizard Room**.
Lying side by side on the plush double bed,
lights off, the room pitch black,
Tang Xiaofeng broke the silence: "Hubby, I can't sleep."
Fan Hecha: "Me neither."
*Who could sleep easily in a 5,000-per-night room?!*
They tossed and turned, practically rolling across the entire bed.
Fan Hecha held Tang Xiaofeng's soft hand and suggested:
"Sweetie, maybe we should just stay here these two days."
"It'd be a waste to only sleep in such a nice hotel."
Tang Xiaofeng playfully scratched his palm. "I was thinking the same thing."
"If we go to Magic Century Theme Park, we can stay at a nearby homestay."
"200 a night gets us a decent room."
Fan Hecha: "Deal."
Yawning, he marveled at how comfortable the bed was—so much so that he was getting drowsy.
Just as he was about to drift off,
a mischievous little hand suddenly grabbed **"the treasure of life."**
"Stop, I'm tired," Fan Hecha grumbled.
"Fan Hecha! How can you sleep so young?! This room costs **5,000 a night!**" Tang Xiaofeng sat up.
"Let's go explore the hotel's night views!"
Fan Hecha scowled. "Cut the crap. You just want to go back to the lake to look for snakes."
"Go. To. Sleep."
With that, he yanked her back down,
wrapping himself around her like a human weighted blanket, even throwing a leg over her stomach.
"Get off, you're heavy!" Tang Xiaofeng huffed.
"Nope. Snuggles." He nuzzled into her neck.
"Ugh…" She shoved at him weakly—
but with her tiny strength, it was futile.
Frustrated, she playfully bit his arm.
(Though she didn't bite hard—it was her hubby, after all.)
Yawning, she finally started to doze off.
"Hubby, let's eat meat tomorrow. I want ribs."
"Okay, meat tomorrow."
"Mhm."
Within seconds, her breathing steadied into sleep.
Fan Hecha watched her, amazed at her ability to **conk out instantly**.
Gently untangling himself,
he lay on his own pillow, **eyes wide awake**.
Tang Xiaofeng's antics had killed his sleepiness. Now, his mind buzzed with thoughts of the **medieval star map** from the subway.
*Viewing the stars from beyond the cosmos…*
*This hotel's owner must be an astronomy enthusiast too!*
Though young, Fan Hecha was no amateur in astronomy.
During his academic years, he'd published over a dozen papers in **international journals**, presented at global conferences, and by the time he earned his Ph.D., he was a peer reviewer for **40+ astronomy magazines**.
Among his research, **medieval star charts** fascinated him most.
But sadly,
many medieval star maps were treasured heirlooms of nobles, churches, and monasteries—
**never shared for study.**
His institute had scoured libraries worldwide, yet only found **fragments** of medieval charts.
They'd painstakingly reconstructed them using monastery records, lunar phases, even **medieval poetry.**
*"I should share this in the group chat."*
Fan Hecha pulled out his phone, uploading the subway's star map to his astronomy research group.
Scrolling through his photos, he grew more entranced.
*"This room faces the lake…"*
*"Wonder if the stars reflect on the water from here…"*
Quietly, he slipped out of bed.
Tang Xiaofeng slept like a log,
unaware as she sprawled across **three-fourths of the bed**, hogging the blankets.
(*Snoring adorably.*)
Fan Hecha sighed.
*This dummy… If I didn't keep an eye on her, she'd probably get scammed and help count the money.*
Pulling back the curtains, he gazed at the lake.
*"Why are there lights on the lake this late?"*
It was **2 AM**, the hotel grounds silent—
yet a **hexagonal candy-carousel** on the water glowed brightly.
At first, Fan Hecha ignored it, focusing on the stars.
But then—
his eyes caught something **glittering like scattered diamonds** near the carousel.
*"So beautiful…"*
He stared, mesmerized, for **40+ minutes** before exhaustion won.
Crawling back to bed, he squeezed onto the **tiny sliver of mattress** left by his blanket-hogging wife.
**The moment he turned away—**
beneath the "diamond" reflections,
scales flashed in the moonlight as **figures leaped onto the candy carousel**, clinging to its neck.
Their **large, shimmering tails** slapped the water, sending droplets arcing through the air like rain.
...
**"Ding!"**
**"The mermaids are furious about having to hide again. Host must resolve this immediately."**
The cold, familiar system voice **jolted Chen Jianhai awake**.
It took him **10+ seconds** to process.
*"Can't you bother me during the day instead of midnight?!"*
Chen Jianhai was **livid**.
*How many times now?!*
*Why does the system only nag about mermaids at night?!*
*What were you doing all day?!*
**"Ding."**
**"Mermaids are nocturnal. System only receives complaints at night."**
That shut him up.
*"What now?!"* he grumbled.
**"Ding!"**
**"Mermaids' playtime was shortened again today. Host must act quickly."**
*"How?! Should I gouge out guests' eyes?!"*
Being woken up at this hour would piss anyone off.
But admittedly,
the system had a point.
If mermaids kept sneaking out to ride the carousel, **someone would spot them eventually.**
Yet Chen Jianhai couldn't just **force everyone to sleep by 2 AM.**
(*Hell, even he and his buddies partied till dawn.*)
*"Ugh…"*
Chen Jianhai ruffled his hair, frustrated.
*"Fine! I'll figure something out when I'm back at Lion Castle."*
*"Tell the mermaids to chill… Grown-ass creatures obsessed with playing."*
Dismissing the system,
he flopped back, staring at the ceiling.
*Great. My sleep's ruined.*
The past few days had **worn him out**.
He'd thought **only he** exploited close relationships, but Nanjiang's folks were **even shamelesser**.
Wan Rong had **dumped all association duties** on him like a retired general passing the baton.
And the **10 bosses of Yuemei Hotel** were **unbearable**—
just because he'd poached Cui Meng,
they **hounded him daily**, demanding he **"replace" their assistant**.
Then there were **countless trivial headaches**…
The new association secretary was a **total stranger**, and while… *somewhat competent?*
he **never smiled**, making Chen Jianhai nervous around him.
*"Ugh… 'We need a strong leader to advance the association.'"*
*"Bullshit. Wan Rong just didn't want the job and stuck me with it!"*
Chen Jianhai had cursed Wan Rong **countless times** in his heart.
After finally settling the association's affairs today,
he'd planned to **sleep in and relax**—
only for the damn system to **"Ding!"** him awake.
Now wide awake, he grabbed his phone and opened **Canyon World**.
From experience,
after midnight—when most kids were asleep—
the game became **brutally competitive**.
Find a skilled teammate, and you could either:
- **Win in 6 minutes (blitzkrieg),**
- **Or spend the whole match trash-talking (equally fun).**
As Chen Jianhai **cursed passionately** at his screen,
he had **no idea** that the subway's star map—
captured by Fan Hecha—
had already been transmitted **thousands of miles away** to the **Xihe Astronomical Research Institute**.
As China's **largest, most authoritative** astronomy institute,
Xihe was **globally renowned** for celestial research.
Now,
on a **wall-sized screen**,
Fan Hecha's star map was displayed in full.
A hoodie-clad researcher compared it **frantically** to a fragmented medieval chart.
The more he checked, the more **excited** he grew.
*"It matches… The blurred gaps in our chart **align perfectly**!"*
Unable to contain himself,
he typed **rapidly** into his phone and hit send.
Meanwhile,
Fan Hecha's phone screen lit up in the dark with a new message:
**"Village Barber Wang: EVERYONE WAKE UP!!! THIS IS A REAL MEDIEVAL STAR MAP!!!"**