When Gu Yuan looked up again, it was already 6:30. He packed up his things and got ready to go home. 

He opened his phone and found a message in the group chat, sent 20 minutes ago. 

Li Meng: [Whose keys are these? (picture)]

Gu Yuan opened the picture, zoomed in, and zoomed in again, to the maximum… 

After confirming several times, he was sure they were his keys. He checked his backpack and found that his keys were indeed missing! 

But how did the keys, which were safely in his backpack, fall out? 

He carefully checked the backpack and found no damage. 

So he found a contact in his phone labeled “Black Guy” and called. 

The phone rang once, and Li Meng picked up: “Gu Yuan? What’s up?” 

Gu Yuan: “Where are the keys?” 

Li Meng, on speakerphone, glanced at Wang Yue sitting across from him, trying to keep his voice calm: “What keys?” 

“The keys you found are mine.” 

“Oh~ those keys. Come get them from us. We’re celebrating Wang Yue’s birthday at Tianlong Bay, come join us!” 

“Address!” 

Li Meng then sent Gu Yuan a location pin. 

Mo Lin had just driven his car out of the basement when he saw Gu Yuan standing gloomily by the roadside waiting for a ride. He parked by the road, rolled down the window, and rested an arm on it: “Are you going to the birthday party at Tianlong Bay too?” 

Gu Yuan was annoyed at the sight of Mo Lin, still upset about the failed test that morning and not knowing why it went wrong. 

He checked his phone screen: [Currently assigning a car for you, you’re number 66 in line, estimated wait time 20 minutes.] 

His delicate face was clouded with gloom, his knuckles white from gripping the phone, his temper on the verge of exploding. 

He couldn’t understand why his keys had mysteriously disappeared, and why Li Meng, who found them, had taken them 10 kilometers away to Tianlong Bay. Plus, it was rush hour, and he couldn’t get a ride! 

Mo Lin raised an eyebrow at him: “Why aren’t you talking?” 

When Gu Yuan looked up again, his face was stormy: “I need to find Li Meng and get my keys!” 

Mo Lin noticed he was on the brink of losing it: “I’m heading there too, want to come along?” 

Gu Yuan checked his phone again, saw there were still 65 people in line, decisively canceled the order, and got into Mo Lin’s car. 

The first thing he did after getting in was buckle his seatbelt. 

Mo Lin glanced at him, realizing yesterday’s incident had left quite an impression. He’d probably remember to buckle up for life. 

With Mo Lin’s intelligence and emotional quotient, he figured out the situation. 

Most likely, Wang Yue and Li Meng had played a little trick to get Gu Yuan to join them for a meal. Thinking of this, he couldn’t help but chuckle. 

Gu Yuan caught that smile. 

He glared at Mo Lin, who felt the intense gaze, immediately stopped smiling, turned on the AC, rolled up the windows to block out the noise, and tried to make the car as quiet as possible. 

He played some soothing instrumental music. 

Gu Yuan checked the navigation on his phone and saw it would take nearly half an hour to reach Tianlong Bay. He turned off his phone and sat there sulking. 

Where there are people, there are bound to be troubles… 

“It’s stuffy in the car, have a candy.” Mo Lin handed him a blue candy. 

Gu Yuan remembered this candy; he’d had it before and it tasted pretty good. 

Since he couldn’t do anything else now, he took the candy and angrily tore off the wrapper. 

“Do you know why I like this candy?” Mo Lin tried to divert his attention. 

“Spit it out.” 

“When you bite through the candy shell, it releases pressure. The syrup dancing on your tongue feels like the popping candy from childhood, giving me a nostalgic feeling.” 

As Gu Yuan listened, he bit through the candy shell, feeling a burst of tingling numbness on his tongue. Did they have such fancy candy when he was a kid? 

How did he not know? 

The faint blueberry flavor filled his nose, and suddenly the music playing in the car didn’t sound so bad. 

By the time they reached Tianlong Bay, it was dark. The air was filled with the dampness of the sea, and several huge spotlights turned the beach into daylight. More and more people were playing on the beach, the sound of waves drowning out voices, but you could still hear a few distinct laughs. 

Tianlong Bay is a U-shaped shallow bay, with layers of seawater, sand, and greenery. Many restaurants were built on the flat terrain. The smaller ones focused on their specialties and lit up their signs at night. 

Not far from the restaurants, the sand was a clear color. To make resting easier, dark wooden platforms were built, stretching in a long line about seven or eight hundred meters. Every so often, there was a rectangular table with benches on either side for dining and resting. 

Each table had a large umbrella above it, providing shade on sunny days and shelter on rainy days. 

This leisure area allowed people to eat, rest, enjoy the view, and take photos with the sea breeze. 

The most famous restaurant was Gangfu Seafood, much larger and more upscale than the smaller ones. However, it wasn’t as lively inside due to high prices, a preference for the natural feel, and limited seating that required reservations. 

Gangfu Seafood was a standalone five-story building with a top floor made entirely of glass walls, perfect for viewing. At night, the crystal lights would reflect off the glass, creating a dazzling display. 

So getting a spot on the top floor was usually impossible. 

At this moment, Wang Yue was waiting on the third floor, having ordered a fresh watermelon juice. 

Li Meng: “Are you really thirsty?” 

“Isn’t watermelon juice supposed to cool you down? I’m worried someone might get heated, so I’m preparing in advance…” 

Meng Lan: “You mean Gu Yuan? Are you that scared of him?” 

Wang Yue: “A little… After all, he handles scalpels. He could stab you a couple of times, avoiding vital organs, and the hospital would declare it a minor injury…” 

Li Meng: “Where did you hear such weird things?” 

Meng Lan laughed: “Gu Yuan can’t be as scary as you say!” 

“I just feel something’s off about him. When he dissects bodies, it’s like he’s doing art. It makes me uneasy. Now, whenever I see ribs, I think of him cutting through them.” 

Li Meng: “You’re exaggerating!” 

*

Gu Yuan and Mo Lin walked side by side on the wooden path, heading towards Gangfu Seafood. The place was filled with young people, giving it a vibrant atmosphere. 

Even though they were trying to keep a low profile, people still cast envious or admiring glances their way. Guys like them were rare, and seeing two at once made many girls excited. 

Walking through the crowd, Mo Lin stood at 187cm and Gu Yuan at 180cm, towering over most people and drawing attention. 

Suddenly, a girl was pushed in front of them, blocking their path, forcing them to stop. 

The girl looked shy and blushed: “Excuse me… can I add you on WeChat?” 

Mo Lin smiled warmly: “Whose WeChat do you want to add?” 

The girl glanced at Gu Yuan, who was frowning. Though he was handsome and fair-skinned, there was a dark aura in his eyes that made him unapproachable. So she turned to Mo Lin: “Yours…” 

Mo Lin chuckled, placing a hand on Gu Yuan’s shoulder: “You’ll have to ask my boyfriend if that’s okay.” 

The girl’s eyes widened, and after a moment, she realized: “Sorry… my bad!” 

Watching the girl run off awkwardly, Gu Yuan removed Mo Lin’s hand from his shoulder: “You seem to attract a lot of attention.” 

“You’re not bad yourself.” 

They continued walking, and Mo Lin suddenly said: “If a girl or guy hits on you, just say you have a boyfriend.” 

Gu Yuan thought for a moment: “That could work.” 

Mo Lin couldn’t help but laugh: “From the way you say it, you get hit on a lot?” 

Gu Yuan: “Yeah, it’s annoying.” 

If anyone else heard this, they’d probably get punched, but Mo Lin understood, having experienced the same. 

“We’re here,” Gu Yuan looked up at the Gangfu Seafood sign: “I’ll get my keys and leave.” 

Mo Lin thought to himself: You might not be able to leave so easily. 

Taking the elevator to the third floor, it was quiet inside. The tables were spaced far apart, and soft music played from the walls. The diners seemed well-mannered, speaking softly. 

Gu Yuan found the noise level tolerable. 

Wang Yue, seeing them finally arrive, waved enthusiastically. Meng Lan sat beside him, Li Meng across from them, and Xiao Ze hadn’t arrived yet. 

Without a word, Gu Yuan walked over and asked Li Meng for the keys. 

Li Meng had his lines ready. Looking like a big oaf, he played his part well: “Oh no… I think I left the keys at home… What to do? I told you not to change clothes before going out, but you insisted, and now the keys are in my jacket pocket!” 

Li Meng threw the topic to Wang Yue, who caught on: “How about this, let’s eat first, and then we’ll go get them together?” 

Gu Yuan stood by the table, rubbing his temples, his face darkening: “Are you messing with me?” 

Meng Lan sensed something was off, realizing Gu Yuan was genuinely angry. She glanced at Mo Lin behind Gu Yuan, who was holding his forehead, seemingly… laughing? 

What’s going on? 

Li Meng, feeling the heat from Gu Yuan’s aura, mustered the courage to say: “Let’s sit down and relax. Don’t worry about the keys, they won’t disappear.” 

“Yeah, we’re already here, let’s eat before leaving,” Wang Yue chimed in. 

Meng Lan pushed a freshly squeezed watermelon juice towards Gu Yuan: “Have some juice… to calm down…” 

So Gu Yuan, extremely annoyed but helpless, sat next to Li Meng and reluctantly took a sip of the watermelon juice. 

He found it surprisingly good, and his mood visibly improved. 

Li Meng kicked Wang Yue under the table, discreetly giving him a thumbs up. 

Wang Yue sighed in relief, wiping sweat with a napkin. 

Author’s Note: Here we are, which little cutie is first today?