Chapter 31

That day in the stairwell, Zhou Wu obviously didn’t recognize her.

Later, whenever they brushed past each other in class, Zhou Wu behaved as usual, not letting his gaze linger on her for even a moment.

Only Wen Ci remembered and remained curious.

She had always thought she was curious about “smoking.” At this moment, Wen Ci suddenly realized that wasn’t the case. From the beginning, she was only curious about Zhou Wu.

She didn’t like secondhand smoke or the taste of tobacco passed from Zhou Wu’s mouth, even though Zhou Wu was very careful and only gave her a little.

She just liked Zhou Wu’s lips and Zhou Wu’s kisses.

Zhou Wu paused slightly at her kiss, then let out a light chuckle, his breath brushing against Wen Ci’s lips. He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her closer, and opened his mouth, guiding her to deepen the kiss.

Occasionally, tourists passing by outside the small window would glance into their “private room” out of curiosity about the restaurant’s interior.

Wen Ci could feel it. Earlier by the pool, even though she knew no one else would be there, she couldn’t help but worry, feel scared, and embarrassed.

Maybe because they were only kissing, or maybe because of the alcohol, at that moment, she suddenly thought, does it matter?

No one here knows them.

It’s just her and Zhou Wu.

Having learned from previous experiences, Wen Ci controlled herself a bit tonight.

She didn’t get drunk. When she left the small boat house, she was sure she still had a clear mind, just feeling excited, elated, and a little unsteady on her feet.

She suddenly understood why Dou Yiqing always liked that tipsy feeling.

Wen Ci’s footprints left a wobbly line on the beach.

She held her phone, her smile never fading.

Zhou Wu didn’t hold her up but pulled her back every time she got too close to the sea. “What are you looking at, smiling like that?”

“Yiqing sent me a video. She went wakesurfing today and is now night fishing.”

Wen Ci played the last unread voice message, and Dou Yiqing’s excited voice came through—

“Wen Ci, help! I had such a great time today! What about you? What did you do today? Don’t tell me you stayed in the room reading books!”

Wen Ci pressed the voice button: “I had a great time today too!”

After putting down her phone, Zhou Wu turned his face towards her. In the night breeze by the sea, his sharp features seemed softer, and he looked at her with a faint smile. “You didn’t go anywhere today, why are you happy?”

“Because of you.”

Wen Ci turned her head, her eyes like the coconut cocktail she had earlier—clear, sweet, and bubbly. She softly confessed, “Zhou Wu, being with you makes me feel very free.”

Zhou Wu didn’t know he had that effect.

He raised an eyebrow and smiled slightly. “Because I let you smoke and drink? Ms. Wen, saying that makes me seem like a bad guy.”

After saying that, he recalled all the things he had done with Wen Ci…

Tsk, he did seem quite bad.

“No.” Wen Ci shook her head, correcting him seriously. “Just being around you makes me feel like I can do anything.”

As they spoke, they passed by the Western restaurant where they had dinner last night. Unlike the bar restaurant they were at earlier, the Western restaurant played beautiful piano music. One piece ended, and another soon started.

The gentle and melodious sound of the violin played “Por Una Cabeza,” the tango piece featured in the classic movie “Scent of a Woman.”

Wen Ci loved that movie and subconsciously took two small dance steps to the music.

It was subtle, but Zhou Wu noticed: “Do you know how to dance Tango?”

“Mm.” Upon seeing the person, Wen Ci closed the chat window. “Sorry, I accidentally fell asleep last night.”

Zhou Wu propped the wooden door open with one hand and asked, “What do you want for breakfast? I’ll have someone bring it.”

“No need,” Wen Ci quickly waved her hand. “Don’t trouble yourself; I’ll just go to the restaurant to eat.”

“Alone?”

Zhou Wu raised an eyebrow and suddenly changed the topic. “What’s your schedule for today, Teacher Wen?”

“Reading, then a walk by the sea,” Wen Ci replied. “You don’t need to worry about me. I can handle myself during the day and won’t bother you.”

Zhou Wu nodded. “Go wash up.”

“Okay, I—”

“And then come over for breakfast. Bring your clothes and toiletries for the next two days,” Zhou Wu added with a chuckle. “Do you think I sent them away just for show? We’re not restricted to only getting into bed at night.”

“……”

Talking about this at the front door in broad daylight made Wen Ci clutch her phone tightly, her heart racing a little.

“Of course, it’s not all about that. It’s just that playing with four people is too noisy; two people are enough.” Zhou Wu looked down lazily and added, “Include me in your vacation plans, Teacher Wen.”

Wen Ci tightened her grip, trying to keep her happiness from showing too obviously. She replied calmly, “Alright.”

Wen Ci actually had no real vacation plans. Her trip wasn’t entirely pure in intent, and without Dou Yiqing to plan everything, the only activities she could think of were reading and watching the sea.

After finishing the brunch sent by the hotel, Zhou Wu went to the study for a brief conference call. When he came out, Wen Ci was sitting on the sofa reading, with a notebook beside her.

Zhou Wu took a closer look. It was “Xiao Xiurong’s Key Points for Intensive Practice.”

Though he had left for abroad after high school, he still had many friends in China and had a rough understanding of such things. “Planning to take the graduate school exam?”

“Just a thought… Are you done?” Wen Ci was startled back to reality and hesitantly handed him two books she had picked out. “Want to read? I also brought some books unrelated to exams.”

Zhou Wu, who had disliked doing homework and occasionally slept during class but still ranked top, shook his head. “I don’t like reading.”

As expected.

Wen Ci awkwardly put the books back and felt embarrassed about her boring way of passing time. “Okay.”

“Until what time do you plan to read?” Zhou Wu asked.

Wen Ci was taken aback. “Whenever.”

“How about four?” Zhou Wu glanced at the sun outside. “By then, it won’t be too hot. I’ll have someone come and change the water so we can swim in the pool.”

He gave a casual smile. “I’ll teach you to swim?”

Wen Ci had never felt time pass so slowly while studying.

After several glances at the clock, it finally reached four.

Wen Ci stood in the bathroom, looking at the two swimsuits she brought. She hesitated for a long time over whether to wear the white or the black one but was too shy to go out and ask.

In the end, she chose the white one.

When she came out, Zhou Wu had already swum two laps in the pool.

“What stroke do you want to learn?” Zhou Wu asked, his gaze intense as water streamed over his defined brows and eyes.

Not expecting to actually learn swimming, Wen Ci was stunned.

“Anything simple. I’m really not good at water sports.” Feeling unsafe in the thin fabric, Wen Ci instinctively tugged at the material around her hips. “Would it be easier to learn in my previous swimsuit?”

“Just wear this one.” Zhou Wu reached out from the water and grabbed her ankle. “Come in.”

In the water, Zhou Wu held her hands, helping her float.

Wen Ci’s skin was so fair she almost blended with the white swimsuit. Though slim, her limbs were long, making her appear tall.

Struggling to kick her feet, Wen Ci couldn’t make any progress and found herself completely reliant on Zhou Wu’s guidance, standing up after a short while.

After about ten minutes and several failed attempts, Wen Ci wiped water from her face, feeling like a model failure. “Sorry, I’m really not good at swimming.”

“That’s not all.”

Zhou Wu pushed her wet hair back and suddenly asked, “In the senior year’s sports meet, was it you who fainted right after finishing the 800-meter race?”

“…It was the second year’s sports meet.” Wen Ci paused, then answered after a few seconds, “Sorry for the trouble then.”

Zhou Wu hadn’t wanted to participate in the sports meet and was planning to sneak out of school when Wen Ci collapsed in front of him right at the 800-meter finish line.

Later, realizing it was a classmate, he even suspected it was a setup by their teacher, Mr. Yu.

Recalling this, Zhou Wu chuckled. “Such poor athletic skills. Fainting after an 800-meter run, still unconscious in the infirmary, yet someone said you signed up for the 3000-meter race as well… You’re something else.”

Wen Ci covered her face. “No one else wanted to run the 3000 meters. Besides, I didn’t faint from running; I had heatstroke.”

“No difference.” Zhou Wu let go of her. “Let’s start from the beginning, with holding your breath.”

Wen Ci dived, and after waiting a while, Zhou Wu followed her into the water.

Wen Ci leaned against the pool wall, legs bent, pinching her nose, her face showing a pained expression. Her hair, tied casually, floated gently around her ears in the water, catching the sunlight and making her skin seem to glow.

Zhou Wu counted silently, and as her breath-holding time neared twice her previous duration, he approached to lift her. Just as he touched her, Wen Ci, unable to hold her breath any longer, burst out of the water.

They were very close, her breath almost brushing Zhou Wu.

Wen Ci’s face was red from holding her breath, gasping for air, the thin swimsuit clinging tightly to her skin, slightly revealing. When she opened her eyes, water droplets clung to her lashes, making her eyes appear wet.

Wen Ci hadn’t expected to be noticed and quickly shook her head. “No, but in film appreciation class, the teacher had us each write a ten-thousand-word review of this movie, so I watched this scene many, many times.”

“So, you do know it,” Zhou Wu said.

Holding her hand, Wen Ci was still processing when Zhou Wu already had his arm around her waist, leading her into the tango from the movie on the beach.

Wen Ci wasn’t drunk and felt nervous with people watching them in the western restaurant. Her steps were stiff, and her heartbeat quickened—perhaps it hadn’t been normal all night.

Although she had watched it many times and knew almost every step, she still stepped on Zhou Wu’s foot.

“Sorry,” she apologized instinctively.

Zhou Wu replied, “Wen Ci, there’s no wrong step in tango.”

It was a line from the movie.

Wen Ci was silent, a surge of strong emotions welling up inside her. She felt her heartbeat, swaying with Zhou Wu, making mistakes occasionally.

Zhou Wu didn’t mind. His dance steps were relaxed and graceful, with a hint of professionalism. Wen Ci was surprised, “You know Tango.”

“I learned a bit when I was very young. My mom loved it,” Zhou Wu said.

“She must be very elegant.”

“She is.”

As the music reached its climax, Wen Ci finally found her rhythm under Zhou Wu’s guidance and stopped stepping on him.

She spun in his arms, her cheeks flushed from the alcohol, spinning awkwardly, her white dress flaring out. Zhou Wu laughed, “Seems like you’ve watched this part even more.”

“Yes,” Wen Ci laughed along with him, her eyes crinkling charmingly.

As the music stopped, Wen Ci mimicked the actress, hooking her leg around Zhou Wu’s thigh, posing.

A small but enthusiastic applause came from the western restaurant, a little girl clapping, “Yay!”

The girl’s parents quickly pulled her back.

Zhou Wu gave a lazy smile, raising his hand slightly to thank the girl, while Wen Ci, like the girl’s parents, pulled him away.

Back at the villa, pushing open the wooden door, Zhou Wu reached to remove Wen Ci’s hand from her face.

“Don’t cover it. I can see you’re smiling,” he said.

Having danced so awkwardly in front of so many people, Wen Ci’s ears were red. The belated embarrassment was almost unbearable, but she couldn’t suppress the curve of her lips—she didn’t even know why she was smiling.

She just felt pure joy.

“Why didn’t I get drunk?” Wen Ci asked in distress.

Zhou Wu laughed and kissed her.

They had been kissing almost all day. Wen Ci occasionally wondered—do friends with benefits need this much kissing? Shouldn’t they act like friends or strangers after leaving the bed? Do others with similar relationships do this?

Maybe she was lucky that Zhou Wu also enjoyed kissing.

They naturally kissed their way to the bed. Zhou Wu looked down at Wen Ci’s white dress spreading out on his bed, resembling a beautiful white flower, like the one blooming by the balcony in his grandfather’s house.

“Wen Ci, why did you seek me out then?”

Zhou Wu kissed her chin, his voice hoarse, asking out of nowhere, “Was it just because the bride was my ex-girlfriend?”

Wen Ci was startled, taking a moment to understand what he was asking.

“No.”

Under the moonlight, Wen Ci’s eyes were serene. She placed her fingers on Zhou Wu’s face, unable to hold back a confession, yet using her last bit of rationality to not fully expose herself, “No matter who the bride was, I would have only come to you.”

Zhou Wu seemed satisfied. He smiled, turned his face, kissed Wen Ci’s palm, and then kissed further down.

Even lower than usual.

Wen Ci was startled, her waist almost trembling, frantically grabbing Zhou Wu’s hair, “Zhou Wu, don’t…”

Her words gradually turned into fragmented, incoherent murmurs.

They ended up taking another shower together.

Remembering the sounds she had made earlier, Wen Ci came out, still covering her face with a towel.

Zhou Wu, amused, pulled the towel aside slightly, politely asked, “Are you tired?”

Wen Ci paused, shaking her head.

The alcohol had worn off, and the earlier intensity had sobered her up completely. She wanted to punch herself unconscious.

“Want to watch a movie?”

The “towel” nodded.

Wen Ci changed into the lace nightgown she had worn earlier. Concerned she might be cold, Zhou Wu draped a coat over her.

Sitting on the same sofa as before, now closer than ever, Zhou Wu held the remote, “What do you want to watch?”

Movies scrolled across the screen, and upon seeing a familiar poster, Wen Ci blurted, “This one…”

It was that horror movie from high school.

Zhou Wu paused, tilting his head, “Didn’t you watch it then?”

“No, I was doing homework,” Wen Ci said, realizing it was an odd choice, considering how old the movie was. “Never mind, let’s see something else.”

But Zhou Wu selected it, “I haven’t seen it either.”

A sudden, hot summer rain began outside.

As the movie reached a certain scene, Wen Ci recalled that Zhou Wu had entered the classroom when the movie was at this part, and a “ghost” was about to jump out.

The next second, a hand covered her eyes.

Zhou Wu’s palm was warm, pressing gently on her eyelids.

Blocking her eyes, Zhou Wu glanced out the window, “It’s raining.”

Amidst the ghost’s scream, Zhou Wu’s lazy voice, mingling with the rain, resonated in her ears, “Good thing we came back early, Teacher Wen.”

Wen Ci, hugging her knees on the sofa, leaned against Zhou Wu’s shoulder, feeling the warmth of his palm.

Is this a dream? If it is, please don’t wake up. She thought.