Chapter 451: The Rough Black Swan Prince

"He was just here a moment ago."

In the blink of an eye, the two kissing black swans in the lake disappeared without a trace.

Instead, on the other side of the lake, a young man was rowing a small wooden boat, looking at her with a stunned expression.

"Did the black swan turn into a prince?!"

Cheng Yan was startled by the thought that popped into her mind.

But... this prince seemed a bit too rough.

Perhaps it was because the young man was too tall, 

the small wooden boat and oars in his hands looked like an adult riding a child's scooter. 

Paired with his stunned gaze, there was no elegance to be seen, but rather an inexplicable urge to laugh.

"Yanyan, look at the fish in the lake!"

The next moment, Han Panpan tugged at Cheng Yan's sleeve.

A dozen carp, with their lotus-like tails, were slowly swimming in the lake. Behind them, a small group of carp fry followed closely, like a family out for a stroll. 

"There's special fish food on the ground, you can feed them," the boat staff enthusiastically offered.

"Really?" Both Han Panpan and Cheng Yan's eyes lit up.

Immediately, the two of them pulled out two small plastic bags from under their seats.

Since the small creatures in the lake were fed daily by dedicated staff, 

the fish food in the plastic bags wasn't much, just a tiny amount, distributed separately to enhance the customer experience.

Though the fish food was scarce, it was enough for the two girls to feed the fish.

As soon as Cheng Yan sprinkled the fish food into the lake, the family of carp immediately swished their beautiful tails and swam closer to the wooden boat, 

soon forming a circle around it, eating joyfully.

The boat staff also slowed down the rowing speed, introducing the surroundings to the two girls as they rowed:

"The hotel has a lake loop train at 10, 12, 14, 16, and 18 o'clock every day. You can take a ride around the lake. Just make a reservation with the butler whenever you want to come."

"If you want to go out, you can call for a carriage to pick you up."

"A carriage? There are carriages here?" Han Panpan asked curiously.

"Our hotel is quite large~ It's a long walk, so we've always used two-wheeled, single-door carriages to transport guests within the hotel."

"Just call the front desk to arrange it, it's very convenient."

...

As Cheng Yan and Han Panpan's small wooden boat gradually approached the castle,

the "rough black swan prince" let out a long sigh of relief, his face showing a mix of relief and envy.

Finally, he had found someone... yay!

Since the hotel opened, after receiving the system's notification,

Chen Jianhai had been terrified of missing the "lucky customer," so he had been stationed by the lake every day, keeping an eye on the black swans in the water.

But while it was fine for him to float around the lake all day, he couldn't drag his employees into this misery with him, 

so he taught himself to row and had been drifting on the lake for four days, enduring all sorts of inhumane suffering—being pecked by swans, attacked by wild ducks, and even pooped on by birds. 

Today, he finally encountered the customer designated by the system for the "intimate kiss."

"The system is so biased, I've never even had a perfect stay experience myself,"

Chen Jianhai thought jealously as he looked at Cheng Yan's retreating figure, reluctantly rowing the boat back to shore. 

Now that he knew who the lucky customer was, there was no need for him to stay on the lake anymore, and he could finally return to land.

But just as he started rowing, 

suddenly, with a "bang," the boat swayed violently, as if a large fish had collided with the bottom of the boat, 

scaring Chen Jianhai so much that he clung tightly to the boat to avoid being thrown into the lake.

Immediately after,

ripples spread across the calm lake in large, fan-shaped waves, startling the surrounding fish, swans, ducks, and mandarin ducks, causing them to scatter in all directions, as if something terrifying lurked beneath the surface.

Chen Jianhai instinctively looked down, 

and what he saw made the hairs on his back stand on end. 

Beneath the boat, three terrifyingly thick tails crossed each other underwater before slowly sinking back into the depths of the lake.

Even though Emerald Lake was deep, the sunlight reflecting off the scales on the tails still produced a dazzling, radiant glow.

"It's not like I don't have enough points!!"

"Once I have enough points, I'll get you a rotating carriage, okay?!"

Chen Jianhai was furious.

"Scaring me is one thing, but don't you dare scare the customers, you hear me?!"

Though his words were fierce, Chen Jianhai himself was terrified.

He quickly put on a life jacket and sat in the very center of the boat, not even daring to touch the oars.

After waiting for nearly half an hour, 

when the swans, ducks, waterfowl, and carp had all returned, he tremblingly picked up the oars and frantically rowed the boat back to shore.

"Ancestors... we're not allowed to become spirits after the founding of the country,"

"Even if you're a foreign species, you're still bound by the law!"

Speaking of which, all of this was the result of his own mischievous actions from years ago!!! 

Why did he have to buy mermaids for the lake out of curiosity?! 

After all, it was a magic hotel... 200 points for a fish wasn't expensive, 

and he was genuinely curious about what mermaids were like, so he impulsively bought six and put them in the lake.

At first, he didn't think much of it.

He had assumed that the six mermaids at the bottom of the lake were perhaps just decorations, maybe sculptures meant to beautify the surroundings.

After all, there were even Buddha statues underwater that scared Xu Bo, so what was the big deal about a few mermaid statues?

But later, he realized he had been naive...

These mermaids seemed to be real! 

Because just this morning, a cold and familiar voice had suddenly started "dinging" incessantly in his mind, 

saying that the mermaids in the lake were feeling too depressed and bored, and that he needed to quickly build a rotating carriage for them to play with. 

Hearing this, Chen Jianhai was dumbfounded.

Although the system had mentioned when he purchased the six mermaids that they loved rotating carriages and suggested he buy one as well, 

Chen Jianhai had immediately closed the pop-up link without a second thought.

Now, he regretted it—deeply regretted it... immensely regretted it! 

Who would have thought that mermaids needed rotating carriages for entertainment?! 

With all the birds and fish in the lake, wasn't that enough for them to bully?? 

Did they really need to play with a rotating carriage?

Damn it!

...

While Chen Jianhai was cursing, 

in the golden hall of the Lion Lake Castle Hotel, Cheng Yan and Han Panpan were each holding a cup of fruit tea, checking in at the front desk.

"Hello, it shows here that you've booked a Fairy Double Room today. The hotel has upgraded you to a Deluxe Fairy Double Room at no extra charge. Your luggage will be brought to your room by our staff. We hope you enjoy your stay."

The front desk clerk sweetly handed the room key and ID card to the two of them.

After they took the room key, 

the clerk took out a beautifully wrapped paper bag and handed it to Cheng Yan with both hands, saying kindly: 

"Our colleague mentioned that you seem to have a cold. Here are some medications. Please see if they suit your symptoms."

Cheng Yan quickly put down her fruit tea and took the paper bag, opening it to look inside.

Inside were four neatly arranged boxes of medicine and a pack of soft, baby-friendly tissues.

On each box of medicine, a small note was thoughtfully attached, clearly stating the symptoms each medicine was for—whether it was for a cold caused by wind or heat, coughs, runny noses, or reducing inflammation and fever. It even specified how many times a day to take the medicine and how many pills per dose.

With the soft tissues, Cheng Yan wouldn't have to worry about rubbing her nose raw, even if she had to blow it frequently due to her cold.

"Thank you, you're so thoughtful!"

Cheng Yan held the paper bag, deeply moved.

The front desk clerk smiled gently: "You're welcome. If you need any other services or feel unwell, you can always call the front desk. Thank you for choosing the Lion Lake Castle Hotel. We hope you enjoy your stay."

"I hope you have a happy day too!" Cheng Yan said sincerely, holding the paper bag.

"Please follow me, I'll take you to your room."

On the other side, a handsome employee in a suit stood politely nearby, leading Cheng Yan and Han Panpan to the elevator.

The elevator slowly ascended, 

and in just a moment, they arrived at the 8th floor.

As soon as they stepped out of the elevator, the two were instantly mesmerized by the long corridor before them.

As the only passage connecting the main building to the three themed towers, and a carefully designed viewing corridor by Chen Jianhai, 

the 8th-floor corridor's luxurious and magnificent beauty was so stunning that even an old man with white hair had compared it to a museum.

Han Panpan and Cheng Yan, who had never seen anything like it, walked closely together in the very center of the corridor, afraid of accidentally breaking the silver plates or enamel vases displayed on the sides.

They really couldn't afford to pay for any damages.

"Do we have to walk through this corridor every time we want to go out?" Han Panpan asked.

"No," the butler staff replied warmly. "Each themed tower has direct access to the park, so you don't have to go through this one every time."

The butler led the two into the Fairy Tower and guided them to their room. After Han Panpan exchanged contact information with the butler for convenience, their luggage was also brought up by the staff.

"You really get what you pay for, the service here is amazing!!"

Han Panpan carried their bags and swiped the room key to open the door, exclaiming in admiration.

Cheng Yan nodded in agreement. "Yeah! Not only is the service great, but the environment is also really beautiful."

"I feel like spending over 5,000 yuan a night is totally worth it!"

As they pushed open the door, a medieval-style domed room fully revealed itself before their eyes. 

Sunlight filtered through blue and white curtains, casting a warm glow on the honey-colored walls. The oak wood floor, tapestries, fireplace, table lamps, desk, and decorations in the room blended Renaissance elegance with Baroque extravagance, creating an irresistible visual impact.

Behind the bay window, large clusters of roses stretched their petals across the rose-covered hills, their faint fragrance wafting into the room, making life seem sweeter.

"Yanyan, right now I feel like a noblewoman from *Pride and Prejudice*, waiting for aristocratic suitors to come and propose."

Han Panpan sat sideways on the vanity stool, playfully holding a small silver mirror in her left hand. She straightened her waist, pushed out her chest, and her slender, smooth neck resembled that of a swan. With the large rose bushes outside the window as a backdrop, 

if it weren't for the fact that she was wearing a shirt and ripped jeans, she would have looked exactly like a wealthy medieval lady waiting to be married.

"If I had known we'd be staying in this castle, I would have worn a dress for photos. What a waste."

Han Panpan sighed in frustration. She looked around and asked in confusion: 

"Wait, why isn't there a TV here?"

As someone who couldn't live without a TV, even if she wasn't watching it or listening to it, Han Panpan always turned on the TV wherever she went.

Cheng Yan was puzzled: "That can't be, how can a hotel not have a TV?"

The two searched the room together, but after looking for a while, they couldn't even find a TV remote. The wall where the TV should have been only had a set of expensive-looking audio equipment.

"That's strange... maybe the hotel's TV is hidden?"

Cheng Yan and Han Panpan ran their hands along the walls, feeling around like martial arts heroes searching for a hidden room in a villain's study. At one point, Han Panpan even tried twisting a fixed wall lamp to see if it would trigger some secret mechanism.

But... they found nothing! 

Refusing to give up, the two called the front desk and contacted the butler, expressing their desire to switch rooms.

When asked why they wanted to switch rooms, the response they received was surprisingly consistent: none of the rooms in the castle had TVs, only audio systems.

"Ugh... we can't even stream anything." Han Panpan was instantly displeased.

Cheng Yan tried to comfort her: "It's fine, not having a TV is actually nice. It would be weird to have a TV in such a beautiful castle."

Han Panpan frowned: "Why would it be weird?"

Cheng Yan laughed: "Medieval noblewomen spent their time listening to violins, drinking coffee, reading, chatting, and having tea in their rooms. How many of them stayed home watching *JOJO* or *Attack on Titan* tournaments while shouting '666'??"

"Having an audio system is just as good~"

"Fine." Han Panpan reluctantly accepted her fate.

Perhaps because she had caught a chill, Cheng Yan felt her headache worsening after entering the room, with her back also aching and her nose completely blocked.

After taking the cold medicine provided by the hotel, Cheng Yan declined Han Panpan's suggestion to go out for a walk. She changed into her pajamas and lay down on the bed, planning to rest and recover her energy, as they were visiting the Magic Century Theme Park the next day.

The bed at Lion Lake Castle was large and soft, making her feel like she was sinking into a cloud. It was so comfortable that it seemed to drain all the strength from her body.

Before leaving, Han Panpan thoughtfully turned on a small warm light for Cheng Yan and closed the windows.

The room was dimly lit, creating a perfect atmosphere for sleep.

The scent of roses soaked into the pillow, making it smell fragrant as she lay on it. Closing her eyes, she could even imagine the two black swans kissing on Emerald Lake.

"It was such an interesting experience, too bad I didn't take a photo."

Cheng Yan thought drowsily as she fell into a deep sleep.

And then...

The nightmare began!