Hai Cheng has countless seafood restaurants, but the one they came to tonight is the most famous in the area.
A few days ago, Xia Yu had already been here once, dining with the people from Summer, with Cheng Li footing the bill.
After taking their seats, Cai Weihao and Xue Enjin began discussing what dishes to order for the night, menu in hand.
Song Yu’an sat quietly to the side, barely saying a word.
Xia Yu could tell he was a little unhappy, probably because she had lied to him.
“Yu’an-ge, do you want to try the steamed egg with sea urchin? This place makes it especially well.”
Xia Yu was also holding a menu, which she handed over to him as she asked, her voice cautious, tinged with apology.
Song Yu’an understood her temperament, and naturally saw through her.
He sighed softly, a bit helpless.
“Sure.”
“Then I’ll order one.”
“Mm.”
Xia Yu gave him a small smile.
“Is there anything else you want to eat? I can mark it down for you.”
“You’ve eaten here before?”
“Yeah, the boss brought us here.”
“Alright, then pick whatever you think is good.”
There were six people at the table, and they ordered ten dishes.
About ten minutes later, the dishes started arriving one after another.
“Wow, this salt and pepper mantis shrimp is really delicious, you guys have to try it!”
Xue Enjin was the first to take a bite and strongly recommended it.
In Hangzhou, people aren’t very used to eating mantis shrimp, so the men at the table struggled awkwardly with peeling the shells.
Xue Enjin found it hilarious, and began teaching everyone the trick to easily peeling the shell with just one chopstick.
“Look, stick the chopstick into the tail, push it all the way in—then pry upward, and the shell just pops right off.”
“Let me try… huh? It broke.”
“I can’t do it either. I’ll just gnaw it with my teeth.”
“Don’t just bite into it—try a few more, it’s really simple.”
Xue Enjin demonstrated again, easily prying one open.
As she said, “It’s just a little trick,” she placed the peeled mantis shrimp into Song Yu’an’s bowl.
Xia Yu paused briefly, glanced over, and quickly looked away.
The others at the table started teasing: “Well, some people don’t need to peel the shells to enjoy the shrimp! Not like us, we can only gnaw away with our mouths.”
“Hey, I’m teaching you the trick, aren’t I?”
“But nothing tastes as good as shrimp peeled by someone else.”
Xue Enjin laughed, “Alright, alright! I’ll peel one for each of you, okay?”
“Oh~”
“Eat, eat, eat, that’s all you guys know.”
Song Yu’an picked up the mantis shrimp from his bowl and put it into his roommate’s, “Here, you eat it first, alright?”
Cai Weihao said, “How could I accept that?”
Song Yu’an replied, “Just eat it.”
Amidst the laughter and chatter, Xia Yu could sense the subtle teasing directed at Song Yu’an and Xue Enjin.
The peaceful days in Hai Cheng had made her feel like she could calmly accept the ambiguous feelings between them, but when faced with it directly, the sadness in her heart still spread.
But… so what if she’s sad?
Song Yu’an had always been good to her since they were kids, but there was never a rule that said he could only be good to her.
If he didn’t like her and fell for someone else, there was nothing strange about that.
That night, after returning, Xia Yu felt a bit of indigestion, tossing and turning on her bed.
Her phone vibrated—Song Yu’an had sent her a message: [We’ve arrived at the hotel. You should rest early too. Good night.]
Xia Yu stared at the screen in silence for a while, then replied with a simple “Good night” and put down her phone.
Ding—
Just as she closed her eyes and tried to force herself to sleep, her phone chimed again.
[Be at Summer at ten o’clock sharp tomorrow.]
Cold Coach
Xia Yu blinked, only then remembering that Xu Baiyan had promised to teach her Surfing, and even offered her a discount.
Her mood lifted instantly. She rolled over and lay on her stomach, replying to Xu Baiyan: [Got it, I’ll be on time.]
Xu Baiyan didn’t reply again.
Staring at his avatar, Xia Yu suddenly recalled what Xue Enjin had said during the day, about Xu Baiyan being her idol and all that.
She knew he was an expert, but hadn’t realized he was so famous.
So she tried searching his name online, and to her surprise, information popped up quickly.
Most of it was foreign news.
Xia Yu was a bit surprised.
She randomly clicked into a few articles and, after skimming them, picked out some key information.
A contestant from China, Felix Hsu, three-time Surfboard champion at age sixteen at the Hawaii Pro…
WSL Youth Championship winner…
Felix Hsu’s ranking steadily rose during the 2019 Surfing limited events. Let’s look forward to his future performance…
First place in the 2020 CT division… Felix Hsu breaks records with a new high-difficulty move.
2020 WSL World Surf League CT Championship Tour, nineteen-year-old Felix Hsu unexpectedly missed the event!
Felix Hsu.
Xia Yu realized this was Xu Baiyan’s English name.
Come to think of it, Surfing has only become popular in China in recent years, and most people—especially those living inland—don’t know much about it.
Just like Xia Yu herself, who only got into Surfing this year, but that didn’t stop her from reading through these news articles and feeling that Xu Baiyan was really amazing.
He had actually won so many international competitions…
No wonder all the real Surfing enthusiasts saw him as an idol.
But why didn’t he participate in the 2020 WSL championship?
From her limited recent understanding, that seemed to be a very prestigious international Surfing competition.
Xia Yu scrolled down the page. There weren’t many more news articles, and they were all from a few years ago. In the past two years, there were no records of him competing abroad.
So, is he retired and now working as a Coach?
Thinking of this, Xia Yu suddenly understood why he was so unhappy about not being able to teach her well.
As a champion in so many Surfing competitions, if he couldn’t even teach a newbie, it really would be a blow to his reputation as a genius…
***
The next morning, Xia Yu got up early.
She went downstairs for breakfast, took a walk, and only then returned to her place.
There was still an hour before her agreed time with Xu Baiyan, so she put on sunscreen all over, got dressed, put on a sun hat, and headed out.
When she arrived at Summer, kk was in the shop and looked a little surprised to see her.
“Weren’t you supposed to rest this morning? Why are you here?”
Xia Yu said, “Coach said to meet at ten, he’s teaching me Surfing.”
“Who? Ah Yan?”
“Yeah.”
Kk was even more surprised.
“Looks like he really cares about you as a student.”
Xia Yu replied earnestly, “I won’t embarrass him.”
Kk found her especially cute like this and chuckled, “Alright, alright, do your best.”
“Mm!”
About ten minutes later, Xu Baiyan also showed up at Summer.
Xia Yu now looked up to him with a mix of respect and awe.
When she saw him, she unconsciously straightened her back.
“Coach, good morning.”
“Mm.”
Xu Baiyan yawned.
“Go change your clothes.”
“Oh, okay.”
Xia Yu took her Surfing suit to the bathroom to change.
Unexpectedly, when she came out, she bumped into Xue Enjin.
She had also just changed into her Surfing gear.
Unlike Xia Yu, who was wrapped up tightly in a black Surfing suit, Xue Enjin wore a bright yellow one-piece that showed off her legs, looking healthy and beautiful with her curly hair down—she was the very image of a sunny beach beauty.
Xia Yu silently thought to herself that she should buy a new Surfing suit next time… one that looked just as good.
“Xia Yu, I just saw Xu Baiyan. Are you guys going Surfing now?”
Xue Enjin’s eyes sparkled.
Xia Yu nodded.
“What about you?”
“I couldn’t book Xu Baiyan yesterday, so Weihao and the others made appointments with other Coaches at Summer.”
“They all booked one?”
“Yu’an didn’t. With his level, I can teach him. He asked me to come instead.”
“Oh… I see.”
As they chatted, Xu Baiyan walked by with two Surfboards, his voice cool: “Xia Yu, are you ready?”
“Coming!”
Xia Yu was grateful for Xu Baiyan’s timely appearance, as she didn’t know what else to say to Xue Enjin.
She quickly said, “I’ll head over now.”
Xue Enjin said enviously, “Alright, go ahead.”
The sun was just as fierce as ever, and the sand just as soft.
Xia Yu jogged over to Xu Baiyan.
“Coach, let me carry one.”
Xu Baiyan wore sunglasses, his eyes unreadable.
“With those skinny arms and legs? Take a break.”
Xia Yu didn’t think she was small or weak—she could definitely carry a Surfboard.
She muttered quietly, “It’s not that heavy, I can handle it.”
Xu Baiyan just chuckled and didn’t respond to that, only saying, “The waves are good today. I’ll teach you how to ride beach breaks.”
“Really? Great! Is it easier? Can I learn it quickly?”
Xu Baiyan paused, turning to look at her.
“It’s easier, but whether you can learn it quickly… that’s another question.”
“……”
She could definitely do it.
She’d already managed to ride a wake before, hadn’t she?
Xia Yu felt more confident than before.
When they got to the shore, Xu Baiyan set the two Surfboards down and began explaining some basics.
“…The board on the right is a foam soft-top. It’s like a bicycle with training wheels—it’ll help you keep your balance and catch waves more easily. You’ll use this one today.”
Xia Yu stood across from Xu Baiyan, listening intently.
Xu Baiyan half-squatted on the ground, looking up at her.
“Before going into the water, we need to put on the foot leash. Pay attention: one end is square, one end is round. The square end attaches to the tail of the board, the round end… come here.”
“Huh?”
Xu Baiyan pointed to the spot beside him. “Stand here.”
“Oh.”
Xia Yu turned around and walked over.
The next second, she saw him loop the round end around her ankle.
She was barefoot on the sand and instinctively wanted to pull her foot back.
“Don’t move.”
His other hand held her calf in place.
“Watch carefully how to fasten it.”
“…Okay.”
Xu Baiyan’s hand was clean, warm, and strong.
From her angle, she could see him kneeling on one knee, his fingers deftly working.
Maybe it was the posture, but Xia Yu suddenly felt a bit uncomfortable. “Um…”
“Xia Yu.”
Just then, someone called her from not far away.
Xia Yu snapped out of her thoughts and looked up.
It was Song Yu’an and the others, coming over with their Coaches, a big group.
She instinctively raised a hand to wave, but since Xu Baiyan was still holding her ankle, she didn’t go over.
Song Yu’an’s face was expressionless.
He glanced at Xu Baiyan beside her, then at his hand on her ankle.
“You’re going Surfing?”
“Yeah.”
Song Yu’an said, “Be careful.”
Xia Yu nodded, “Okay, I will.”
“Did you get the hang of it?”
Xu Baiyan looked up, pulling her attention back.
Xia Yu glanced down and fiddled with the foot leash.
“Yeah, I got it.”
Xu Baiyan didn’t spare a glance for anyone else, saying calmly, “Now let’s practice the posture you’ll use in the water. First, you’ll lie flat on the Surfboard… go ahead, lie down.”
“Okay.”
As Xia Yu practiced on the sand, Song Yu’an and the others had already gone into the water.
Clearly, after all this time, they could skip the basics and move straight to more advanced techniques.
From Xia Yu’s position, she was facing them directly, and Xue Enjin’s bright outfit stood out in the sea, making her easy to spot.
So as she listened to Xu Baiyan, she couldn’t help but get distracted.
She’d never seen Song Yu’an and Xue Enjin Surfing together before.
She noticed that the two of them basically moved in sync—lying on their Surfboards together, catching the waves and standing up together.
They were really good.
And they looked great together.
“…The most important thing is to stand up at the right time… What are you looking at?”
Suddenly, a voice sounded right by her ear.
Xia Yu jumped and turned, catching Xu Baiyan’s profile.
He was right beside her, lowering his sunglasses and following her gaze out to sea.
“Jealous of them?”
Caught red-handed, Xia Yu was embarrassed and quickly lowered her head.
“They’re really good, of course I’m jealous.”
“That’s not what I meant.”
Xu Baiyan turned to look at her and suddenly asked, “Does that guy like you?”
Xia Yu froze.
“What? Who?”
Xu Baiyan said, “The one who called you just now.”
Xia Yu’s face flushed red.
“No, not at all!”
“Really?”
“Really!”
Xia Yu said in a low voice.
“He likes the girl next to him, not me.”
Xu Baiyan raised an eyebrow, looking at her with a meaningful gaze.
“Oh, so you’re the one with a crush on him.”
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