Chapter 5: Believing that the Aquarium is Heaven…

The deep blue sky stretched far, the pure white clouds floating by. Sunlight pierced through the clouds, casting light on the horizon, and the magnificent morning scenery surged from the distance.

Fang Fuyi had always thought of herself as relatively healthy because, since she could remember, she rarely got sick or had a fever. But perhaps the situation and her experiences were too similar to before, and when her gaze fell into Sheng Sui’s eyes, the rhythm of her heartbeat matched his too perfectly, pulling her memories back to the summer after the college entrance exams.

That summer was hot, with constant high-temperature warnings from the weather forecast, marking it as the hottest summer in the last decade.

At that time, Sheng Sui’s father still worked at Fang’s family company.

Sheng Sui was also “working” for Fang Fuyi. He hadn’t yet caught his breath from the stress of finals week and had to rush back from school to the villa area to be her free driver and nanny.

The sound of a suitcase rolling was heard. As soon as Fang Fuyi heard the car stop outside, she quickly put on her pink Melodys slippers, holding the plan she had made a long time ago, and rushed toward Sheng Sui. “You’re finally back! Why is your university break so late?”

“I’ve been waiting for you for almost a month!”

There was no way around it—university exams were spread out over a longer period, unlike high school exams that were concentrated over just a few days.

“The exams are spaced out. I had to finish the last one before coming back,” Sheng Sui said as he pushed the suitcase forward, rummaging through his bag. He glanced at the plan she had made. “An aquarium?”

“Yeah! I heard they opened a new aquarium in Zhoushan Park this year. Since we’re already going swimming there, we can just swing by and take a look.”

“But I remember you were really scared of places like that when you were little.”

The first time they went to the aquarium, there was a big fish that looked quite “fierce” for some reason. It kept following Fang Fuyi, even through the thick glass, scaring her so much that she ran forward in panic.

She clearly remembered things she shouldn’t have, and Sheng Sui moved the suitcase up the steps, repeating her words from that time, “You even said that if you ever spent money on these ‘piranhas,’ they’d just be like puppies.”

Fang Fuyi had been so eager to show him the plan just three seconds ago, but now she rolled it into a tube and smacked him with it. “You also said that was when I was little! Even though that fish chased me, maybe now, if they see me, they’d avoid me.”

“Fair enough.” The rolled-up paper didn’t hurt when it hit him, and Sheng Sui smiled, not even bothering to dodge. The shade from the trees cast a shadow beside him.

The hem of his white shirt brushed against his arm, and the cicadas’ song echoed softly in the background. Fang Fuyi couldn’t help but notice a faint mint scent on him, mixed with the smell of sunlight.

Suddenly, she snapped back to reality and heard him laugh aloud. His voice was clear and youthful, full of that distinct tone belonging to a young man.

He chuckled lightly. “Well, since the little fish are avoiding you now, what do you want to see when we go in?”

The fantasies of her teenage years filled her mind.

She had once seen a movie—a summer night with fireworks and the deep blue ocean. Accompanied by the fate-like BGM, the male and female leads went through twists and turns, finally reuniting in the oceanarium bathed in blue light.

Her yearning for that scene had been so strong that it changed her view, and she began to believe that aquariums were inherently romantic places.

And more importantly, she wanted to go with Sheng Sui.

However, the perfect vacation that Fang Fuyi had imagined did not come true.

Unlike every other summer, and unlike the trips others took, either domestic or international, after the college entrance exams.

This summer, after the exams, Fang Fuyi’s well-planned vacation was forcibly replaced by her mother, Liang Zhu, with a schedule of piano and ballet in the mornings, followed by physical training and violin in the afternoons, mixed in with various other random and scattered lessons.

There were all kinds of classes, both useful and useless. Even though Fang Fuyi was already studying at an art academy.

It was unclear why Liang Zhu was so adamant about not letting her travel, yet was willing to spend a high price for various private lessons.

She claimed it was for Fang Fuyi’s own good, believing that nothing was more important than marrying well. The more artistic skills she acquired, the higher her value would be, and that would help secure her position as the legitimate wife.

Such a lofty excuse—was it really for her benefit?

Fang Fuyi knew the truth all too well.

Recently, Liang Zhu had been actively arranging potential marriage partners for Fang Fuyi, ones who could help the “Fang family” business.

She didn’t let her seventeen-year-old daughter enjoy the once-in-a-lifetime experience of youth, instead urgently hoping that every investment she made would bring a significant return through her daughter.

“I go to class every day, and it’s hard for you to drive me around and suffer with me,” Fang Fuyi said, after enduring more than a month of the lessons her mother had enrolled her in.

She looked up at the sky, watching the blinding sunlight pass overhead, and collapsed back against the seat, unable to help but complain to the boy in the driver’s seat, “Sui, don’t you think this year’s been a little boring?”

“Our summer plans haven’t even started, and the new swimsuit I bought after the exams hasn’t even touched a real pool yet.”

Fang Fuyi continued to mutter, now claiming she had a headache, and then saying she felt weak all over. As she spoke, she encouraged, “Don’t you think it’s especially hot today? Don’t you just want to jump into the water?”

Sheng Sui had gotten his driver’s license last year. At first, he was careful on the road, but after a year of driving along this same route every day, his driving skills had become quite proficient.

When he heard Fang Fuyi’s words, he just smiled.

When the red light came on and the car stopped, he helped Fang Fuyi lower the window and handed her a colorful fruit hard candy wrapped in holographic foil, thoughtfully saying, “Headache? Weakness? If this goes on too long, it could become a big problem. Do you want to stop by the pool and get checked?”

Both of them had a habit of acting out impromptu dramas whenever the mood struck them.

The tangy sweetness of the strawberry flavor spread in Fang Fuyi’s mouth. She let out a small “hiss” and pretended to struggle, saying, “…But that would mean skipping class, right?”

Sheng Sui glanced at her out of the corner of his eye and mimicked her tone, “Yeah, you’d have to skip class.”

Normally, Fang Fuyi would have dutifully attended class.

It wasn’t that she agreed with everything her mother said or believed her reasoning was correct. It was just that the money for those classes had been paid in full, and each lesson was worth a thick stack of bills in RMB. She was too stingy to waste it.

“But then again…” Fang Fuyi pretended to be troubled, but then quickly tried to justify herself, “Getting sick is serious, and health is the foundation of everything!”

Some things she said weren’t meant to convince others to bring her back to the right path, but rather to find someone who would understand her actions, someone who would stand firmly by her side, covering for her, and become an accomplice.

The driver who used to pick her up and drop her off was an old acquaintance of Liang Zhu. No matter what her schedule was, the driver would report everything to Liang Zhu, leaving no privacy at all. Fang Fuyi thought, if that driver were still the one picking her up, her plan to skip class would definitely be exposed.

But fortunately, today she was with Sheng Sui, so she wasn’t worried at all.

If there was one person who could unconditionally keep a secret, someone she could trust wholeheartedly, it wasn’t her mother, nor her father, but only Sheng Sui.

After so many summers, they had developed an unspoken understanding.

She believed that Sheng Sui would definitely understand her.

“Is that so? Well, if you’re really sick, then there’s nothing we can do,” she heard him laugh, and when she lifted her eyes, his face was right there.

The boy loosely gripped the steering wheel, wearing a white T-shirt and long pants. His wrists were angular and strong, and his frame was steadily growing into that of an adult man, though when he smiled, you could still faintly see traces of his youth.

His slightly curved eyes were filled with laughter, so much so that his eyebrows lifted as he smiled.

“However, Miss Xiao Fu…” he teased, “Your acting is really bad.”

The green light came on.

The car’s turn signal clicked on.

Fang Fuyi keenly noticed that they weren’t heading toward the piano lesson route but were instead driving toward Zhoushan Park.

S City is an inland city located by the Yangtze River, not directly by the sea, but fortunately, it has lakes and mountains, and has left behind many historical sites. Its tourism industry is well-developed, with everything one might need, except the sea.

Zhoushan Park is a well-known scenic area, not only home to Zhoushan Pool and a music stage but also gradually developing new shopping districts with the improvement of the tourism industry. Even the newly opened aquarium and food street are part of it.

The two of them spontaneously decided to pick out new “gear” at Zhoushan.

The shop was full of dazzling merchandise, making it hard to decide. After some back and forth, Sheng Sui finally made the decision. He picked out a mint mambo-colored one-piece swimsuit for Fang Fuyi, while he himself bought a pair of discounted swimming shorts in the same color.

“I think we should stay here and have fun this morning, grab lunch at a nearby mall, then head to the aquarium after lunch, and stay until evening before heading back. What do you think?”

After organizing their whole day’s itinerary, Fang Fuyi handed her phone to Sheng Sui, asking him to put it away. She said, “Anyway, we’ve already skipped class for today, isn’t it right to enjoy ourselves and have some fun?!”

Sheng Sui casually took the phone, fiddling with the waterproof phone bags they had just bought, while slowly giving her a thumbs up, offering his approval: “You only live once.”

“You can’t let anyone down, but you definitely shouldn’t let yourself down.”

Swimming pools, ice cream, carbonated drinks, orange soda…

This was the way she had imagined summer should be.

She hadn’t even gotten into the water yet, but the corners of Fang Fuyi’s mouth were already stretching wide with excitement, just thinking about it.

She was busy getting ready for the water, spraying sunscreen all over herself as if it were free. Not only was she reapplying her sunscreen, but she was also calling out to Sheng Sui, “Turn a little this way, yes, raise your arms up.”

“You’re benefiting from my good luck too! Look, when do I ever apply sunscreen without you? If it weren’t for me, you wouldn’t know what you’d look like after getting burned,” Fang Fuyi tsked twice, pretending to threaten him. “Quick, say it, say ‘thank you, Fang Fuyi‘!”

With both hands raised, she acted as if she was surrendering.

Let him do whatever he wants.

Sheng Sui lowered his eyelashes, his gaze falling on Fang Fuyi’s fluffy, undeniably soft head, giving a gentle nod, though his smile made his chest tremble. “Alright, thank you, Fang Fuyi.”

“I’ve received your verbal thanks, but now I need something practical! Pay me fifty, and treat me to KFC for lunch,” she continued spraying sunscreen across his chest, the misty liquid landing on his stomach and leaving cool marks on his waist and abdomen.

She had seen Sheng Sui shirtless before, like last summer when they went swimming together.

But when her gaze dropped down, landing on his narrow waist with its defined muscles, Fang Fuyi suddenly froze.

He had gotten more toned since returning this summer. It was obvious to the naked eye, and everyone could see it. At the same time, it wasn’t just his height that had grown, other parts of his body had subtly changed as well.

He was more built than she had imagined. When he wore clothes, he looked so thin, but when he took them off, he even had abs.

And it wasn’t just the abs and V-line, but the veins on the back of his hands and arms stood out, light blue, with the veins around his narrow waist extending down into a triangular shape. And his chest, his two points, looked like buds about to bloom, their color especially pink.

The color on top was very close to the color below, wasn’t it?

She vaguely remembered something about that.

A feeling of heat rose up, and Fang Fuyi’s head started to spin. Her nose and throat felt a bit warm, and just before stepping into the water, her chest felt as though it had been scalded. She suddenly felt dry in the mouth, unbearably hot.

Quickly turning her head away, trying to distance herself from this source of strange feelings.

The window was half-open, and she waved her hand to fan the air. Her voice was light, trying to cover up her emotions:

“This summer really is hot.”