Chapter 28

On the other side, Dou Yiqing didn’t listen to Qin Yun’s advice and insisted on standing up to challenge the wave, and, unsurprisingly, she was knocked over by the wave and fell into the sea.

Before going in, she noticed that her sisters on the float nearby also rolled into the water with her.

When Dou Yiqing came out of the sea, she immediately shouted to Wen Ci, “Wen Ci—are you okay? Did you choke? Does anything hurt?”

“I’m fine.” Wen Ci replied, worried that Dou Yiqing wouldn’t hear her, so she shook her head, “I didn’t choke—”

Dou Yiqing didn’t believe her. “If you didn’t choke, why is your face so red—”

In the distance, Wen Ci, holding onto the float, looked as if her cheeks were as red as a flamingo’s.

Wen Ci didn’t understand why her face was so hot.

Clearly, Zhou Wu had only used her as a shield, casually saying something. Their kiss earlier wasn’t even that intimate.

“I,” feeling Zhou Wu’s gaze on her, Wen Ci maintained a calm expression, “I was just a bit startled!”

A gust of wind blew by, and a tourist surfing nearby waved to their friends on the shore. “The wind’s picking up, the waves are getting higher! Come down and play!”

Her face still hot, Wen Ci felt like she had been given a reprieve after hearing the person’s words.

She responded slowly, “I don’t mind… Zhou Wu, the waves are higher, go surfing.”

Zhou Wu was uninterested. He had surfed too much and found pushing someone’s float less exciting.

On the other side, Dou Yiqing called out to them again. “Wen Ci, are you hungry? Want to come ashore and eat something?”

They had eaten a big breakfast, so neither of them had lunch.

Just as Wen Ci was about to answer, the float under her shifted.

“Sit tight.” Zhou Wu said, “I’ll push you back.”

—

In the afternoon, with the wind and waves growing stronger, Wen Ci didn’t venture deeper into the sea, staying only in the shallow water while helping Dou Yiqing take photos of her surfing.

A few times, when no one was paying attention, Wen Ci secretly shifted the camera to capture a few blurry shots of Zhou Wu.

After a few hours of intermittent fun, by dusk, Dou Yiqing could no longer resist her hunger, and the group finally set off toward the Western restaurant that Qin Yun had booked days before.

The restaurant was near the beach, not far from their location. It was the top-rated restaurant in the expensive resort, and when they arrived, it was nearly mealtime. The place was packed, with the only empty spot being a table outside with the best view, reserved especially for them, right by the sunset.

The crimson glow of the setting sun spread across the sea, the clouds burned a fiery red, and golden ripples formed on the shore, as if the entire world was bathed in this orange-red warmth.

Wen Ci had originally worried that going to the restaurant in a swimsuit would feel strange, but when she saw everyone else was also in swimsuits, she felt relieved.

Dou Yiqing was very pleased with the scenery. She sat down, took eighty selfies, and then handed her phone to Wen Ci. “Babe! It’s your turn!”

Their table was a small wooden round one. To help her take pictures, Wen Ci moved her chair and got a little closer to Zhou Wu.

Zhou Wu glanced at her phone screen, noticing she knew how to compose a shot, adjust the focus, and tweak the brightness, but she didn’t take pictures of herself.

Throughout the day, Wen Ci’s camera was hardly ever turned off—she took pictures of Dou Yiqing and the scenery, but she didn’t have a single selfie.

It wasn’t until the sun was almost down that the photo session finally ended. Qin Yun looked at Wen Ci, who had been focusing on selecting photos from her album, and said helplessly, “Who was just complaining about starving to death? The steak is almost cold now.”

Dou Yiqing ignored him, and after a while, she snapped her fingers, satisfied with herself as she set her phone down. “Okay, sent successfully.”

Qin Yun asked, “What did you send? A post for your feed?”

“Mind your own business, it has nothing to do with you.”

“Heh, I didn’t want to see it anyway. I’m just grateful you blocked me, or my feed would’ve been flooded with your posts again.”

“Go away.”

Wen Ci no longer worried about them fighting. Amused by their conversation, she picked up her phone and got ready to give Dou Yiqing’s post the first like.

“Why don’t you ever post on your feed?” someone beside her suddenly asked lazily.

Wen Ci had cut the beef into too large a piece and had been chewing for a while, unable to swallow it all at once.

Realizing Zhou Wu was speaking to her, she mumbled, “I do post.”

Zhou Wu gave a half-smile, “Water safety tips to prevent drowning.”

Wen Ci smiled awkwardly. “There’s nothing interesting to post. I’m almost always at school.”

“Don’t go out on weekends?”

“Sometimes I go to the library,” Wen Ci glanced at the others, confirming they were still arguing, then quickly whispered, “Or I come find you.”

“…”

Those were indeed activities that weren’t suitable for posting on a feed. Zhou Wu raised an eyebrow, understanding.

“Don’t like taking pictures?” Zhou Wu paused, then added, “I mean, taking pictures of yourself.”

Dou Yiqing posted three things on her feed. Wen Ci lowered her head and liked each one, smiling. “I’m not very photogenic.”

Zhou Wu picked up his phone. “Wen Ci.”

“Hm?”

Wen Ci instinctively looked up, only to meet Zhou Wu’s phone camera.

Click.

Zhou Wu lowered his eyelids and looked at the screen with interest.

The photo captured the last sunset of the day. Wen Ci’s cheek was slightly lifted by the food in her mouth, her eyes slightly curved, a smile on her lips, and the collar of her jacket casually open. A strand of hair was blown into the air by the sea breeze.

The amber-orange light bathed her face, adding a relaxed, naturally powerful beauty to her.

“Didn’t think so,” Zhou Wu said. “It’s beautiful.”

“…”

Wen Ci’s heart skipped a beat. She still had the beef in her mouth, stunned for a few seconds. “You… why did you suddenly take a photo of me? I’m still eating… Can I see it?”

Zhou Wu moved his phone closer to her. The screen reflected the light, making it hard for Wen Ci to see. She hurriedly reached out to grab his hand and tilt the phone toward herself.

The sea breeze had made her fingers a little cold, and they gently pressed against Zhou Wu’s skin.

“…”

Wen Ci finally saw the photo clearly. She raised her hand to fix her hair, then pointed to the delete button on Zhou Wu’s phone.

She was immediately caught in the act by Zhou Wu.

Zhou Wu grabbed her finger, moved it away, and placed the phone face down on the table.

“Teacher Wen, it’s not a good habit to mess with other people’s phones,” he said, a faint smile on his lips, his voice lazy.

“But it’s my photo,” Wen Ci negotiated. “My expression wasn’t ready, and my hair’s a mess—how about you take another one?”

Zhou Wu mimicked her usual tone and declined politely, “No need, thank you. I like this one.”

“……”

The sky had completely darkened, and the beach at night was quiet and still. The little wooden house was lit with dim yellow lights, and the gentle night breeze added a sense of tranquility.

After filling her stomach, Wen Ci went to the bathroom, and when she returned, she found several bottles of ice-cold beer on the table, but only her seat had juice.

The beer was bubbling, and Dou Yi Qing took a big gulp, feeling a rush of pleasure that made her scalp tingle. She turned to continue discussing with Qin Yun, “Really? Is it only half an hour by boat?”

“Yes, the water there is clearer, and the hotel rooms are built right on the sea. I even left a yacht there. I can take you surfing on the waves, and the next day we can go to the fishing club there. Didn’t you want to try it? You can catch plenty of fish.” Qin Yun recalled something, “By the way, there’s also a famous bar there, and they often invite bands to perform. We can go join the fun.”

Dou Yi Qing quickly searched for the bar on her phone, surprised to find that the band invited this time was one of her favorite niche rock bands, and tonight was their final performance.

She sighed with regret, “Then why wasn’t this island in the original itinerary?”

“Because Zhou Wu doesn’t like to go. There are a lot of mosquitoes on that island, and there are monkeys in the mountains. He doesn’t like it, it’s too much of a hassle.”

Dou Yi Qing sighed with regret, “Ah, then we…”

“You guys go,” Zhou Wu took a sip of the beer in his hand, his Adam’s apple bobbing as he put down the bottle, generously adding, “You want to go tonight? I’ll call and arrange rooms for you.”

Qin Yun paused, “Tonight? Isn’t that a bit too—”

“Tonight? You can go right now!” Dou Yi Qing screamed in excitement, “I want to go!!!”

Qin Yun squinted, suddenly feeling something was off.

After all, it was Zhou Wu who had brought up the topic of the island earlier.

Just now, when Dou Yi Qing was searching for nearby sightseeing spots, the previously silent person suddenly looked up and casually asked, “Why don’t we go to the island next door?”

“Wait a minute,” Qin Yun observed everything, “Zhou Wu, you did this on purpose, didn’t you? You just want peace and quiet, and you’re too lazy to hang out with us.”

Zhou Wu leaned back in his chair, his shoulders slumping. He wasn’t bothered by being exposed, and coldly smiled, “As long as you know, there’s no need to say it out loud, it would hurt feelings.”

Qin Yun laughed angrily, “Damn.”

Thinking about the upcoming performance, Dou Yi Qing was already excited. She nudged the person next to her, “Let’s hurry back and pack up—Wen Ci, don’t forget to bring your bottle of flower-scented water.”

Finally, Wen Ci had a chance to ask, “Where are we going?”

“To the neighboring island, it’s only a short boat ride away,” Dou Yi Qing said excitedly. “It’s settled, we’ll go there tonight for the performance, then stay for two days—surfing one day and fishing the next. After we’re done, we’ll come back and go diving!”

Qin Yun picked up his phone, “I’ll call to book tickets, we should catch the last boat… By the way, Wen Ci, you don’t get seasick, do you?”

Wen Ci hesitated.

Actually, she kind of wanted to stay with Zhou Wu.

But they were all here to have fun, and would it be strange or disappointing if she said she wasn’t going? Besides, Zhou Wu had already implied that he wanted to stay alone for some peace and quiet. If she stayed behind, she’d inevitably disturb him.

Thinking this, Wen Ci glanced at him.

Zhou Wu was casually leaning on the back of his chair, looking down at his phone, seemingly detached from the conversation at the table.

Wen Ci: “I…”

Her phone suddenly vibrated, and she looked down to see a simple two-word message on the faint screen—

【Zhou Wu: Refused.】