Chapter 27

Wen Ci didn’t know what to do.

Should she honestly tell him that she had kept the uniform with his name on it separately? That would be too obvious; Zhou Wu would immediately understand that the person she liked was not Xiang Wenwen at all.

What would Zhou Wu’s reaction be if he found out?

Would he think it was no big deal, or would he find it troublesome? After all, they were just casual partners, and suddenly there would be feelings involved.

Or should she say that the uniform was lost? But then he might find out she was lying.

Wen Ci had countless concerns. She didn’t want to lie but was also afraid to tell the truth. Her fingers by her side unconsciously tightened.

As she was contemplating how to start, footsteps approached from behind. Other tourists were passing by.

It was a family of three. For aesthetic and ambiance reasons, the stone path was quite narrow. While Wen Ci was battling with herself internally, Zhou Wu put his arm around her waist and pulled her to the side.

After the family passed, Zhou Wu let go of her. Seeing her silence and worried expression, he smiled and said, “Actually, I wouldn’t be upset even if you didn’t put my name on it.”

Wen Ci was stunned. “What?”

“I signed my name too big last time, so you switched shirts?” Zhou Wu vaguely remembered and lifted his eyelids to recall. “I originally wanted to buy you a new uniform.”

Zhou Wu’s expression was natural, clearly not thinking in any other direction.

That was normal. Who would think that a female classmate who had no interaction with him for three years in high school had a crush on him? Wen Ci realized she had overthought it.

She looked up and stared at Zhou Wu for a long time before finally squeezing out a quiet “Hmm” from her throat.

The hotel’s beach was exclusively for villa guests, so it was less crowded with clear water and beautiful scenery.

When the two of them arrived at the beach, Qin Yun had already set up umbrellas and lounge chairs for them.

—-

The afternoon light was strong, with the sun blazing down.

Dou Yiqing was lying on a lounge chair, pulling up her sunglasses and squinting at the photos Qin Yun had just taken of her, her expressions varied.

She put down her phone and couldn’t help but exclaim, “Qin Yun, you really are… useless.”

“…The sun is so bright, I can barely see the screen of your crappy phone,” Qin Yun retorted. “Besides, this is how you look.”

Dou Yiqing raised her leg and kicked him in the knee.

Qin Yun deftly dodged, “Hey, getting angry?”

Dou Yiqing rolled her eyes, too lazy to argue with him. Seeing Wen Ci approaching, she sat up and waved, “Wen Ci—save me—”

Hearing her, Wen Ci quickened her pace and took over the photographer role with a smile.

Zhou Wu and Qin Yun often vacationed in Bincheng. As soon as they reached the beach, Zhou Wu sent a voice message, and soon a staff member brought over their swimming goggles and surfboards.

The staff member, apparently a manager, was dressed in formal attire, completely out of place on the casual beach.

Handing the equipment to Zhou Wu, the manager asked, “Mr. Zhou, is there anything else you need?”

“Nothing much,” Zhou Wu replied, pointing to Wen Ci, who was taking pictures of Dou Yiqing in an awkward pose. “Ask her if she needs anything after she’s done.”

Wen Ci had just finished taking a photo of Dou Yiqing. Hearing this, she quickly wanted to say she needed nothing, but when she turned around, she saw Zhou Wu changing into his surf suit.

He removed his shirt with one hand and bent down to pick up the surf suit from the chair, his back muscles taut with smooth lines.

He slipped into the black surf suit effortlessly and turned to ask her, “Want to go down?”

Wen Ci blinked. “I’ll go later… I haven’t finished taking pictures for Yiqing yet.”

Zhou Wu nodded slightly, adjusted his shirt hem, picked up the surfboard, and said to Qin Yun, “Let’s go.”

Qin Yun usually worked out, and although he seemed smaller than Zhou Wu, he was still in good shape. The two tall men walked towards the sea together, drawing the attention of many around them.

“Wen Ci! Look at me—ah!” Dou Yiqing’s voice came from not far away, and before she could finish her sentence, she had already fallen into the sea.

Qin Yun was about to go over to help her, but Dou Yiqing had already climbed up by herself.

Qin Yun: “Seriously, can you slow down a bit? You’ve fallen so many times already; don’t end up covered in bruises.”

“It’s fine to fall once in a while.” Dou Yiqing shouted to Wen Ci, “Wen Ci, look at me! I’ve been able to stand up on the board several times!”

Wen Ci raised her hand to her mouth and responded loudly, “Okay, I’m watching.”

Wen Ci looked around. She was the only one still using a float ring. She sat for a while, then bent down a little awkwardly and quietly asked Zhou Wu, “Will I be in the way of others surfing here?”

Zhou Wu laughed softly and replied, “No, we’re far enough.”

As they were talking, someone paddled by on a surfboard in front of them—it was the girl who had chatted with Zhou Wu earlier.

As she passed by, the girl suddenly looked up at Wen Ci. There was no hostility, just curiosity.

The girl obviously knew how to surf well. She went farther out than others and soon rode the wave back. Her movements were so beautiful that Wen Ci couldn’t help but watch her for a little longer.

A strong sea breeze blew past, and the girl’s fisherman’s hat was blown off. She covered her head and exclaimed, “Ah!”

Qin Yun’s voice came at the same time: “Dou Yiqing! This wave is big, don’t stand up!”

The fisherman’s hat flew toward Wen Ci. She instinctively let go of the flamingo float’s neck and reached out to grab it, but a large wave hit her hard.

The flamingo float was firmly held by Zhou Wu, so it didn’t flip, but Wen Ci lost her balance, and with her skin too slippery, she fell into the sea with a splash.

The sea changed quickly, and Wen Ci felt herself being carried deeper by the waves. Her breath was taken away, and she couldn’t touch the ground. Her eyes were tightly closed as she instinctively flailed her limbs. Before panic could rise, her hand was grabbed, and then she was lifted into someone’s arms.

Wen Ci didn’t open her eyes, but she knew who it was. Her survival instinct made her cling to Zhou Wu tightly, wrapping her legs around his waist and holding him like an octopus.

She was soon brought to the surface.

She had only been in the water for less than ten seconds, but Wen Ci still couldn’t stop herself from gasping for air. She pressed herself against Zhou Wu’s shoulder, the seawater dripping from her hair into her eyelashes and then into Zhou Wu’s wetsuit.

“Sorry,” she quickly pulled herself out of her fear and whispered in Zhou Wu’s ear, “I shouldn’t have held on so tightly, I might have made it hard for you to come up.”

Even as she said this, she continued to cling tightly to Zhou Wu.

In the water, Zhou Wu clearly felt her wet and soft body against him, and her breath, which was not something he usually heard in bed, was in his ear.

“You should apologize.” Zhou Wu supported her by the hips. “But not for this.”

Wen Ci was confused: “Then why?”

Zhou Wu had almost gotten used to being teased and not being able to do anything about it.

He didn’t answer. Instead, he pulled the float over to Wen Ci and gently nudged her with his palm. “Get on.”

Wen Ci quickly climbed onto the float.

It was hard to find her balance in the water, and it took Wen Ci two tries before she finally got onto the float. The seawater lifted her skirt, revealing her fair and slim thighs and one half of her beautifully rounded, unhidden buttocks.

Zhou Wu expressionlessly reached out and pulled her skirt back into place.

Wen Ci didn’t notice. As she settled back onto the float, she sighed with relief, propped herself up, and turned to thank Zhou Wu, who was still in the water.

Her wet hair stuck to her beautiful collarbone, and water droplets slid down her fair skin, entering the tight swimsuit.

After being washed by the water, her clean face looked even more translucent than usual.

Zhou Wu’s hair was also soaked, all pushed back except for a lock of wet hair that fell between his brows. Without the hair covering his face, his tall and handsome features were even more striking.

“Thank you,” Wen Ci reached out, wanting to brush the wet hair from his face.

Zhou Wu nodded. Before she could touch him, he quickly reached out, grabbing her neck and pressing her face down.

They shared a brief kiss, salty from the seawater.

Before Wen Ci could process it, she was let go. She was caught off guard by the kiss, her eyes wide as she stared at him.

“How…?” After a long pause, Wen Ci asked dumbly.

“Suddenly wanted to kiss you.” Zhou Wu raised an eyebrow. “Consider it a thank-you gift.”

Wen Ci: “…Okay.”

The girl surfing earlier paddled over and picked up her hat that had fallen into the sea.

Before leaving, she suddenly turned back and said to Wen Ci, “Sorry about earlier, I didn’t know he had a girlfriend.”

The girl rode the wave away quickly.

Wen Ci sat on the float, confused. “What did she just say?”

“Nothing much. She asked me for my number before, and I kept rejecting her. Eventually, I said you’re my girlfriend,” Zhou Wu said, his hands on the float, steering it in the direction they were going. He gave her a lazy smile and added, “Just a little explanation. Don’t mind it, Teacher Wen.”