Chapter 33

Wen Ci spent a few seconds trying to figure out if Dou Yiqing was real or if her fever had messed with her head.

“Why are you sleeping here?” After a few seconds of silence, Dou Yiqing regained her voice.

It was real.

Wen Ci’s fever-dazed mind quickly processed the situation, and she muttered, closing her eyes: “Mom, I think I’m hallucinating… I saw Yiqing.”

“?”

Dou Yiqing totally bought it: “It’s not a hallucination. Two tickets became available, so I came back early. You have a fever? Why didn’t you tell me?”

Wen Ci acted like she only realized it: “I started feeling feverish this afternoon. I didn’t want you to worry, so I didn’t say anything.”

“So, how are you now? Is the fever down?” Dou Yiqing touched her face, still feeling a bit warm.

“A lot better. You know me, I’ll be fine soon. Don’t worry.”

Dou Yiqing nodded: “Why are you sleeping in Zhou Wu’s bed?”

“He was worried I’d faint from the fever, and no one would take care of me, so he let me lie down here,” Wen Ci stuttered. “He… he’s a good person.”

“Really?” Dou Yiqing asked, puzzled. “Then why didn’t you sleep in the guest room?”

Wen Ci leaned back slightly. “I have a headache.”

“Did you take medicine?” Dou Yiqing jumped in shock, looking around. “Your lips are so dry. I’ll get you a cup of hot water.”

There was a typhoon outside, and since Wen Ci had a fever, Zhou Wu had asked the cleaning staff not to come today.

Wen Ci saw a box of condoms, almost empty, carelessly placed at the edge of the desk, and a strapless swimsuit near the luggage rack. Her vision blurred, and she instinctively grabbed Dou Yiqing’s clothes.

“What… what fish are you holding?” Wen Ci asked weakly. “Did you bring it back from over there?”

Dou Yiqing got excited, finally remembering the main point, and raised the fish to show her. “I caught all of these! Look, this one on the left is a grouper, right? We’ll steam it for dinner tonight. Since you’re sick, it’ll help replenish your body. The one on the right is…”

When Zhou Wu came back from his online meeting, he noticed the door was wide open, and faintly, he could hear the menu for the evening being discussed.

He walked into the room, and Wen Ci seemed to see a savior. She kept making eye contact with him, her pale face flushing with urgency.

Zhou Wu calmly started cleaning up the mess. He picked up the box and the swimsuit and stuffed them into his pockets.

“Back already?” Zhou Wu asked flatly, interrupting Dou Yiqing’s chatter. “Should I put the fish in the kitchen first? The bag’s dripping water.”

“Oh, sure,” Dou Yiqing said, a bit stunned as she noticed the bag was indeed wet. “Then Wen Ci, come with me.”

Zhou Wu nodded. “Let her take her medicine before she leaves. The hot water will be ready soon.”

“Okay, thank you,” Dou Yiqing said, holding the bag to prevent the water from dripping. “I’ll go put the fish away so it doesn’t drip all over the room and smell.”

After Dou Yiqing left, Wen Ci, still shaken, let out a heavy sigh of relief.

Her cheeks and ears were flushed. Zhou Wu placed his hand on her face to check her temperature. “Is this from the illness or from being scared?”

“Scared,” Wen Ci honestly replied.

Zhou Wu laughed. “Did you bring long sleeves this time?”

Wen Ci shook her head.

Zhou Wu went to the clothing room, took out two long-sleeved sweatshirts, and handed her one. “Wear this back, and save the other one for tomorrow.”

The two fish were completely eaten that evening. Wen Ci still had a low fever, and after washing up, she went to bed again.

The next day, she finally recovered.

At noon, Dou Yiqing took her temperature for the third time and confirmed that she didn’t have a fever anymore. She immediately started planning their afternoon activities.

The typhoon passed without much impact, but they wouldn’t be able to swim. After going through travel guides, Dou Yiqing decided to visit the nearby aquarium.

On this, Qin Yun commented, “What’s the point of an aquarium? It’s better to stay home and play cards. Anyone who wants to go, go ahead, but Zhou Wu and I—”

Zhou Wu, standing by the door, had already opened an umbrella and was shielding Wen Ci from the rain. He coldly said to Qin Yun, “Then goodbye.”

—-

In the end, all four of them set off together.

The typhoon had affected everyone’s schedule, and the aquarium was packed with people, especially with kids running around everywhere.

Qin Yun, who had initially said he didn’t want to go, was the most enthusiastic, pointing at a stingray. “Dou Yiqing, look at this one. When I first saw you in the beginning of freshman year, this is the fish I thought of. You look exactly like it.”

Dou Yiqing pointed at a fish. “You.”

“Blindly attacking doesn’t work. Who didn’t know that when I entered as a freshman, I was the one everyone was amazed by? The girls from sophomore and junior year were all peeking outside the classroom to look at me.”

Dou Yiqing looked at him pitifully. “You’re so rich now, but you should go see a doctor. Everyone was watching Zhou Wu, not you.”

“You’re talking nonsense!”

For a moment, Wen Ci felt like she was participating in a school field trip.

Although her fever had gone down, today she was still wearing Zhou Wu’s gray sweatshirt, paired with a white skirt. Her right shoulder had a loose, casually tied braid.

She stood in front of the glass, bathed in a soft, water-blue light.

“It’s so noisy,” Zhou Wu said, folding his arms and leaning against the railing beside her. He lazily observed her for a while and said, “I don’t know why we came back here.”

Wen Ci smiled faintly, resisting the urge to agree.

On the other side, Dou Yiqing leaned forward and asked Wen Ci to send her the rain photos she had taken this morning by the window.

Wen Ci agreed and opened WeChat. While sending the photos, she took the opportunity to reply to some other messages. Zhou Wu watched her without hesitation and noticed that Wen Ci customized each person’s WeChat chat background with their selfies.

After sending the photos, Wen Ci was about to lock her phone when it suddenly vibrated.

Instinctively, she opened the new message.

[Zhou Wu: .]

Wen Ci froze for a moment, hearing a voice next to her asking, “What does that mean, Teacher Wen?”

“Hm?”

Zhou Wu pointed to the dog in her chat background, his eyes narrowing like a parent looking at a mischievous child. “Why is it my chat background?”

“…Because it’s cute?”

Zhou Wu raised an eyebrow, clearly not satisfied with her answer. Wen Ci then pointed to the corner of the background, “Actually, there’s part of you in this photo. Look—”

Zhou Wu stared at the half-visible eye and arm in the picture, then laughed with a mix of amusement and frustration.

He took Wen Ci’s phone, opened the front camera, and pointed it toward them.

“Smile.”

Wen Ci obediently smiled.

Zhou Wu added, “No fake smiles, Teacher Wen. I’m not your colleague.”

Wen Ci smiled.

The photo was taken, and Zhou Wu glanced at it, seemingly satisfied. He handed her the phone back and tilted his chin. “Change it to this one.”

(After exploring the aquarium, the four of them found a restaurant within the facility to sit down and rest, enjoying dinner while watching the fish.)

Beside her, Dou Yiqing was concentrating on editing photos. Wen Ci, for what seemed like the nth time, secretly opened the chat between her and Zhou Wu and revisited the photo from earlier.

They were really lucky; while taking the photo, a whale shark happened to pass overhead, its spots glowing as if illuminated, with schools of small fish of various colors swimming alongside it.

She was told not to fake a smile, yet Zhou Wu’s expression was very indifferent, only his lips slightly curved up, looking casually cool.

Meanwhile, her smile was so out of focus that it made her look foolish.

She would ask him later if they could retake the photo.

As she stared at the photo, a clear, youthful voice suddenly called out, “Sister!” Wen Ci, smiling without realizing it, turned her head. “Hmm?”

It was a little girl, about the height of the table.

She was holding a clownfish-shaped lollipop and pointing at Zhou Wu, who was sitting across from Wen Ci. She asked loudly, “Will you and your brother kiss later?”

—-

Everyone at the table, including the surrounding guests, turned to look at Wen Ci.

Wen Ci, stunned, said, “What? Of course not.”

The little girl looked disappointed but quickly cheered up, asking, “Will you dance then? Like—” She spun around in place.

Wen Ci finally remembered who she was.

She was the same little girl who had clapped for them in the restaurant that night.

But when they danced, they hadn’t kissed… Could she have seen something from the window of the small boat?

“No,” Wen Ci said, grabbing her braids to hide her face and shaking her head in a panic. “Sister doesn’t dance.”

The little girl responded, “I know, you dance okay, but my brother dances better.”

“Thank you.” Zhou Wu, holding the ice cream he had just bought, said generously, “Want some? I’ll treat you.”

Wen Ci: “…”

The little girl walked off, holding the ice cream and still looking regretful.

Wen Ci lowered her braids and met the puzzled gazes of the other two at the table.

“What’s going on?” Dou Yiqing asked, confused. “Why did she ask you two about kissing and dancing?”

Wen Ci was still brain-storming when Qin Yun snapped his fingers, “I know the answer to this.”

Wen Ci: “?”

“Kids these days are into this kind of thing, right? They ship couples and automatically pair up handsome guys and pretty girls when they see them.” Qin Yun paused and added, “Wait, then why didn’t she ship me and Wen Ci?”

“Maybe because she has eyes,” Zhou Wu said lazily.

Dou Yiqing was momentarily stunned by the unexpected insult but quickly caught up, “Exactly.”

The meal was a rollercoaster for Wen Ci. After eating and drinking to her fill, Dou Yiqing went off to take selfies, and the two men went to the restroom, leaving Wen Ci alone at the table.

She was responding to a check-in message from her mother when she felt a gaze from beside her. She put down her phone and looked over.

It was the little girl again.

“Sister, will you and your brother get married? Can I be your flower girl when you do?” the little girl suddenly asked. “Xiao Li’s sister was a flower girl for her, and she said it was really fun. I want to be one too.”

“…”

Wen Ci wanted to explain that she and Zhou Wu wouldn’t be getting married, so there was no need for a flower girl.

But as soon as she opened her mouth, she hesitated.

After all, she was the only one at the table.

“Okay.” In the noisy aquarium, Wen Ci bent down to her and quietly replied, feeling a little guilty.

Back at the hotel room, Dou Yiqing, wearing a face mask, lay on the living room couch with her legs propped up high, looking at the photos she had taken today, shouting, “Ahhh, I really don’t want to leave! Why do we have to go back to face life tomorrow—”

The training ended tomorrow, and Wen Ci had to return on time. They had bought tickets for a flight at 7 PM the next day.

“Why don’t you stay a few more days? Anyway, Zhou Wu and the others aren’t going back yet,” Wen Ci suggested.

Zhou Wu wasn’t just here for leisure; his grandfather had shares in the resort, so he was here on a business trip. He had to attend a few meetings tomorrow.

Qin Yun naturally stayed behind to play.

“No, I’ve signed up for a few online summer courses, and they start the day after tomorrow,” Dou Yiqing shook her head. “I can’t indulge in pleasure—come on, like my WeChat moments.”

“Coming.” Wen Ci smiled.

As expected, Dou Yiqing’s WeChat was filled with posts, each one accompanied by comments from Qin Yun, each one more irritating than the last.

Wen Ci liked each post one by one. When she reached a particular one, her finger paused.

Among Dou Yiqing’s many nine-square grids, there was actually a post from Zhou Wu.

It was just posted recently, with no text, only two photos. One was a close-up of his surfboard, and the other was of the sea, dyed pink by the sky. In the bottom right corner, there was a small part of Wen Ci’s body, with her long hair and white dress fluttering in the air.

Wen Ci liked to browse Zhou Wu’s WeChat moments. They were rich, exciting, and free. Every time she scrolled through them, her nerves would unknowingly relax.

She didn’t expect that one day, she would appear in one of them.

Had Zhou Wu chosen the wrong photo? Or was he simply posting about the beach, and she just happened to be in the shot?

Wen Ci opened it and closed it again several times over the next ten minutes, but Zhou Wu had not deleted the post.

She heard Dou Yiqing’s voice murmuring, “Forget it, just playing for a few days is already so happy.”

Wen Ci held her phone, her gaze fixed on Zhou Wu’s WeChat post, listening to her heartbeat, clear and strong.

“Yes.”

At this moment, she was sitting on the couch, hugging her knees, and her half-extended foot felt as if it were stepping on clouds.