Chapter 30: Spoiled Candy

Amidst the anticipation of many, the long-awaited short holiday finally arrived.

With the holiday approaching, many students had already planned where they wanted to travel.

Qiu Tang and Pei Zhaohua had discussed and decided half a month earlier to take their two children to Sanya.

They had originally planned to go abroad, but unfortunately, Jiang Mingzhi’s passport had not been processed in time.

Jiang Mingzhi didn’t mind the so-called family trip, but there was one person, Pei Jinyang, who was particularly annoying.

During the years they were together, they had visited many places.

She was afraid that the memories of those places might trigger feelings, reminding her of the past that had now turned into spoiled candy.

The night before their departure, she lay in bed tossing and turning, trying to adjust her mindset.

The quiet of the night was the most emotional time.

At 2:48 AM, Jiang Mingzhi posted a status update on her social media:

“When you can’t forget a person or a certain experience, use a larger world to dilute it.”

She could cover old memories with new ones.

Don’t let the narrow love and hate bind you; instead, widen your life’s scope and fill it with more exciting memories.

Life is vast, and it deserves to be embraced with more.

In that moment, she understood.

She had thought that no one would see her late-night emotional post, but to her surprise, it was liked by Zhuang Heyang.

Startled, Jiang Mingzhi quickly woke up and deleted the post. She didn’t want her friends to start calling her “Sister Dilution.”

The next morning, around 7 AM, Jiang Mingzhi, sporting dark circles under her eyes, came downstairs.

Even Uncle Pei noticed and asked with concern, “Didn’t you sleep well last night, Zhi Zhi?”

Jiang Mingzhi casually gave an excuse, “Yeah, I’m just excited about going to Sanya.”

Pei Jinyang snorted, “Elementary school student.”

Jiang Mingzhi shot back, “Yes, I have the condition of an elementary school student going on a spring trip. So what? Is it illegal?”

Pei Jinyang sneered, “An elementary school student being so proud of it.”

“Alright, alright,” Pei Zhaohua interjected, “I see you’re all elementary school students. How old are you two and still bickering?”

He remembered what his wife had said, that it was reassuring when the two kids fought and played like this every day.

They say siblings with a large age gap have the best relationships, but they were from a blended family, and the possibility of them getting along well was slim.

Jiang Mingzhi dragged her suitcase out the door. Although they were only going for three days, the 20-inch suitcase was packed full of clothes.

Before Uncle Zhou could come help her lift it into the car, Pei Jinyang walked over and grabbed the suitcase, pulling it away.

“What are you doing?”

Pei Jinyang replied as if it was obvious, “I’m helping you. Otherwise, my dad will say something again.”

He picked up her suitcase with one hand and turned to ask, “Did you pack bricks in this suitcase? Why is it so heavy?”

Jiang Mingzhi smiled, “Just say it’s light if it’s light.”

He called the 20-inch suitcase heavy? Was he a skinny dog?

Pei Jinyang was so angry that he almost wanted to hit her with the suitcase.

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Arriving in Sanya, the sun was shining brightly, and Jiang Mingzhi wore large sunglasses that covered half her face.

This time, they were staying at a hotel. Although Uncle Pei had a villa here, Qiu Tang had considered that her daughter wanted to see the jellyfish sea, and the hotel’s private beach was famous for being beautiful.

Qiu Tang patted her daughter’s long, smooth black hair. “If you want to stay here for the summer vacation, I’ll ask a nanny to clean up.”

Since the trip was only for three days, staying at a hotel was more cost-effective for convenience.

After checking in, Jiang Mingzhi stood in front of the hotel room’s huge glass window and took some photos.

The blue sky and sea stretched as far as the eye could see.

The hotel staff brought their suitcases to their respective rooms. Qiu Tang and Pei Zhaohua stayed in one suite, while Jiang Mingzhi stayed on the same floor in a separate room. Pei Jinyang stayed on the floor below.

Qiu Tang: “Make sure to say goodbye when you leave the hotel. The UV rays outside are strong, so remember to apply sunscreen.”

Jiang Mingzhi yawned. “I know, Mom. I’m so tired. I’ll take a nap.”

Qiu Tang glanced at her watch and dismissed her request. “Sleep after lunch.”

“Fine.” Jiang Mingzhi, struggling against her drowsiness, made her way downstairs to eat.

When you’re feeling sleepy, you tend to lose your appetite. Jiang Mingzhi ate half a cheesy grilled lobster and already felt full.

Qiu Tang made her take a couple of bites of pasta before letting her go back to sleep.

While waiting for the elevator, Jiang Mingzhi posted a location-tagged photo on her social media.

Once she returned to her room, she drew the curtains and buried herself under the covers to sleep. When she woke up, two hours had passed.

She grabbed her phone and saw a bunch of messages on WeChat.

Qiu Tang said she and Uncle Pei were sunbathing on the beach and told her to come downstairs when she woke up.

Jiang Mingzhi didn’t rush to get up. She leaned back on the bed, replied to the messages, and scrolled through her social media feed.

Her feed was full of travel photos that everyone had posted from their trips.

Lin Wan had gone abroad, as she’s a pianist and was following her band on tour. She shared quite a few photos, and just replying to her messages took Jiang Mingzhi almost half an hour.

Guan Jingxu asked her which hotel she was staying at.

Jiang Mingzhi replied honestly and asked why.

The reply came almost instantly: [Tomorrow my family and I are also going to Sanya. We booked a room at the hotel next door to yours.]

Jiang Mingzhi raised an eyebrow. What a coincidence.

After scrolling through the posts, Jiang Mingzhi noticed that four or five people had posted beach photos.

The beach city was one of the most popular travel destinations for people from the North.

No wonder Zhuang Heyang had gone wild in her comment section: “Why is everyone going to Sanya! Wuwuwu I also want to surf, I want to see bikini girls, I don’t want to climb mountains wuwuwu.”

Jiang Mingzhi: “Sanya welcomes you~”

She put down her phone, changed into a light orange dress, applied sunscreen, and put on a large straw hat before heading downstairs.

As soon as she stepped out of the hotel lobby, she felt the salty, warm sea breeze on her face. In the distance, the sea sparkled like a massive sapphire under the sunlight.

The waves in this part of the sea were gentle and slow, and the fine white sand met the turquoise jellyfish sea.

There were sun umbrellas set up along the beach. Jiang Mingzhi scanned the area but didn’t see Qiu Tang. Instead, she saw Pei Jinyang first.

He was wearing a colorful short-sleeve shirt and sunglasses, lying on a beach chair.

Jiang Mingzhi briefly glanced over him and headed toward the beach.

“Hey, Jiang Mingzhi.”

It was a girl calling her. Jiang Mingzhi turned around.

It was the girl next to Pei Jinyang, Sheng Qiaoxi.

She was here too. What a coincidence.

The world was so big, yet they ran into each other on a trip—what a crazy fate.

But she wasn’t surprised. People from their circle usually owned properties in popular cities across the country, and they often spent a month or two living in places that were most suitable for each season.

Additionally, Sheng Qiaoxi’s family had a good relationship with Uncle Pei, and in her past life, when Jiang Mingzhi was with Pei Jinyang, Sheng Qiaoxi had often appeared around them.

Sheng Qiaoxi was wearing Chanel sunglasses on the bridge of her nose and waved at Jiang Mingzhi with a friendly smile. “Come sit with us. Do you want a drink? Coconut water or some other fruit juice?”

Looking at Jiang Mingzhi, whose natural beauty still shone through despite the minimal makeup, Sheng Qiaoxi couldn’t help but feel a bit envious.

Jiang Mingzhi casually replied, “I’m good, thanks.”

Sheng Qiaoxi watched her walk toward the beach before picking up a green coconut, sipping through a straw. She then turned to Pei Jinyang and complained, “Your sister is so antisocial.”

At several gatherings, Sun Shiyao had asked Pei Jinyang to invite Jiang Mingzhi, but every time Pei Jinyang had said she wouldn’t come.

Pei Jinyang scoffed lightly. She was antisocial? She made new friends faster than he did.

“Though, she does know how to dress well,” Sheng Qiaoxi turned her head to look at Pei Jinyang. “What do you think?”