After dinner, Yan Dongjun took the three of them—Su Qing, Cheng Beilin, and Cheng Beize—to a hotel. He booked two rooms: one for Su Qing and Cheng Beilin, and a separate one for Cheng Beize.
Yan Dongjun didn't leave right away; instead, he followed Cheng Beize to his room.
"Is Su Qing from Xiangcheng, like you guys?" Yan Dongjun asked Cheng Beize quietly.
"No, she's not," Cheng Beize said. "She's from the Northeast."
"The Northeast?" Yan Dongjun asked, a little curious. "Xiangcheng is a long way from the Northeast. How did you all meet? Are you close?"
"We met in Yun Province. Beilin and Su Qing really hit it off and became friends. You see, Beilin has been staying at Su Qing's place for a while, and I just went to bring her home. It just so happened that Su Qing was coming to Beijing to buy a house, so we all came together." Cheng Beize and Yan Dongjun were good friends, so there was nothing to hide.
