Lanting Bay Beach was truly crowded today. Walking along the palm tree-lined road, all around were stalls selling various delicious snacks.
Not far off on the beach, a makeshift stage was still hosting a performance.
Below it, many men and women gathered, dressed in colorful, flashy outfits, holding vibrant, rainbow-like cocktails in their hands. Everything looked like the most beautiful sight of youth.
He Jiasen and a group of friends had arrived early, saying they were meeting at a seaside coffee shop.
Seeing them, he ran over excitedly: “You guys are way too slow, you just got here!”
Just as he finished speaking, his eyes suddenly locked onto Xia Yu standing behind.
“Whoa! Xia Yu, you look so beautiful today!”
He was always straightforward with his words, and Xia Yu was used to it, smiling and saying, “Thanks… You look good today too.”
“Really? This shirt’s brand new, and I just dyed my hair!”
He Jiasen immediately showed off his pink shirt and sharp blue hair.
Xu Baiyan shot him a warning glance, somewhat disapproving: “What are you supposed to be today, a butterfly?”
“No, I’m playing the role of a handsome guy today.”
He Jiasen leaned close to Xia Yu, shoving Xu Baiyan aside. “Haven’t eaten yet, right? Let’s go buy some food.”
Xia Yu looked at kk.
kk grabbed her wrist and said, “Let’s go together. The snacks at these stalls are really great.”
“Okay.”
The group headed to the nearby snack stalls.
Since none had eaten dinner, they bought heaps of food, sharing it as they ate.
Xia Yu waited by the barbecue stall for her grilled squid, holding octopus balls and shaved ice in her hands.
Bored and hungry, she couldn’t help but open the octopus balls and eat one.
“Xia Yu, the sticky rice balls are ready! Have a bite!”
He Jiasen came over excitedly from another stall.
Seeing Xia Yu’s hands full, he directly skewered a mango-flavored sticky rice ball and offered it to her.
Xia Yu hesitated for a moment, about to use her own fork, but since it still had the salty taste of octopus balls on it, she feared contaminating the sweet sticky rice ball.
She recalled how kk and the others were so casually feeding each other; everyone was friendly and didn’t mind.
If she cared now about He Jiasen feeding her a sticky rice ball, it might seem awkward…
Thinking this, she leaned over to take it.
But just then, the sticky rice ball suddenly changed direction.
Xu Baiyan appeared beside her without her noticing, pulling He Jiasen’s hand away and taking the sticky rice ball from his fork, eating it in one bite.
Xia Yu: “…”
He Jiasen: “Hey, there’s more! Bro, why are you in such a hurry? This one’s for Xia Yu.”
Xu Baiyan chewed a few bites and swallowed: “Your fried potato cubes are ready, go grab them first.”
“Really? Then I’m off! Xia Yu, I’ll save some for you.”
Xia Yu: “Okay.”
After He Jiasen ran off, only the two of them remained by the squid stall.
Xu Baiyan glanced at the owner busily grilling squid and said, “This one’s yours.”
Xia Yu nodded, “Yeah, it’ll be done soon.”
“Are your octopus balls tasty?”
Xia Yu was momentarily surprised.
“Delicious. Want some?”
Xu Baiyan put his hands in his pockets, lowering his gaze to her.
“I want some.”
Without thinking, Xia Yu, like how He Jiasen had kindly fed her earlier, picked a round, plump octopus ball and handed it to him.
At the same moment, both froze.
One hadn’t expected her to feed him.
The other suddenly realized he had hands and could have taken one himself.
Snapping back to reality, Xia Yu awkwardly tried to pull her hand back, but her wrist was held.
The warm, dry touch seemed to carry a slight electric current, controlling her direction.
Her heart skipped a beat as he lowered his head and bit the octopus ball.
“Hm, not bad.”
He finished and calmly released her wrist.
“Yeah, right.”
The slight warmth where their wrists touched left behind a subtle, unfamiliar feeling.
Xia Yu bit her lip and involuntarily exhaled.
Yet she didn’t even know why she was so flustered.
“Little bride, your squid skewers are ready!”
The vendor called out.
Shaking off the confusion in her head, Xia Yu immediately stepped forward.
“Thank you, I’ve already paid!”
“Tonight, I’m treating everyone. No one fights me over this.”
Nearby, at a beachside bar, Cai Weihao was handing out drink menus.
“Order some more; this isn’t enough to drink.”
Xue Enjin sat beside Song Yu’an, resting her head on her hand with a smile.
“We still have to go to the Couple Market later. Aren’t you afraid of getting drunk?”
“This little bit of cocktails won’t get anyone drunk.”
Cai Weihao patted Song Yu’an.
“Yu’an, you order.”
Leaning back in his chair, Song Yu’an’s phone screen showed the WeChat page, but he seemed distracted.
“You guys order, I’m fine with anything.”
Cai Weihao handed the menu to the others and then leaned in to ask, “It’s so lively here today. Xia Yu really isn’t coming?”
Song Yu’an had recently messaged her, saying they rented a car and could pick her up if she wanted to come.
She declined, saying no need.
Song Yu’an said, “I guess she’s not coming.”
“Well then, we’ll have to have fun ourselves.”
Cai Weihao shrugged and nudged him quietly, “So later at the Couple Market, is it just you and Enjin going, or all of us?”
“Of course all of us. Why split up?”
“But that’s the Couple Market. Enjin might not want us tagging along as a third wheel. Of course, if you think you’re not at that level yet, brother, I can join and stir things up.”
At first, Cai Weihao was sure Song Yu’an and Xue Enjin were a thing, and Xia Yu was definitely single-heartedly in love with Song Yu’an.
But after these days, he suddenly started doubting.
Are Song Yu’an and Xue Enjin really together?
Is Xia Yu truly just one-sided?
Not necessarily.
He felt his brother hadn’t really looked clearly at his own heart.
Drinks and dinner arrived, and the group chatted and drank along with the music.
At first, Cai Weihao was confident he wouldn’t get drunk, but as time passed, it was obvious he couldn’t hold his liquor.
Outside, the sky had completely darkened.
Xue Enjin put down her glass and looked at Song Yu’an.
“Almost done eating? Shall we go out for a walk to help digest?”
Song Yu’an nodded and asked the group, “Have you all eaten enough?”
A few guys were tipsy, playing games enthusiastically, showing no intention to leave.
Song Yu’an sighed and pulled Cai Weihao up.
“You’ve had too much. Let’s go out for a walk.”
Xue Enjin froze for a moment, a smile frozen on her lips.
She had originally planned to spend the latter part of the evening just with him.
But obviously, Song Yu’an had no intention of strolling the Couple Market alone with her.
The Couple Market was mostly a gimmick.
Walking through it, one would find just some small interactive games for couples and stalls selling couple’s accessories and trinkets.
Still, many people came for the hype. Even locals like kk and Cheng Li had left the group for their own world.
Xia Yu stayed with Xu Baiyan, He Jiasen, and the others, but as the only girl, she couldn’t really play along with the guys.
So while they played balloon-popping games, she wandered alone by a stall selling pendants.
It was a stall selling couple pendants, exquisitely crafted.
According to the shop owner, these were handmade by him and his wife at home.
Xia Yu was interested in a little rabbit pendant inside, but the owner said their items were sold in matching pairs—if you bought the little rabbit, you had to buy the little fox as well; the pair couldn’t be separated.
Xia Yu really liked the little rabbit, but after hesitating, she simply bought the little fox too.
Holding the bag happily, ready to check out the next stall, she suddenly heard someone call her name.
Before she saw who it was, her smile froze.
Getting caught in a lie—that was the second time.
She gripped her bag tightly, watching Song Yu’an walk toward her from a short distance. Behind him were Cai Weihao, chatting happily, and Xue Enjin with a pale expression.
A fleeting thought crossed Xia Yu’s mind: “Why isn’t he alone with Xue Enjin right now?” But soon her attention was pulled in by Song Yu’an’s gaze.
He looked serious—signs of anger.
Xia Yu took a deep breath and greeted instinctively: “Brother Yu’an, what a coincidence…”
Song Yu’an stopped in front of her.
“Why are you here? Didn’t you say you weren’t coming?”
Xia Yu bit her lip, feeling awkward as if she’d done something wrong.
“I… suddenly got time off. Sister kk said the shop isn’t open tonight, so I came to check it out.”
Song Yu’an: “Then why didn’t you call me?”
Xia Yu’s gaze swept over Xue Enjin’s face behind him.
“I thought maybe you were busy.”
Song Yu’an frowned. Just as he was about to speak, Cai Weihao suddenly stepped forward.
“Ah! Xia Yu?!”
Seeing his flushed cheeks, a bit drunk, Xia Yu raised her hand to greet.
“Senior Brother Cai, were you guys drinking?”
“Yes! At that bar over there… Hey, is that really Xia Yu?”
Cai Weihao squinted, looking toward Song Yu’an in confusion.
“Something’s different today. How come she looks prettier?”
Song Yu’an had already noticed Xia Yu’s difference, not only wearing a skirt she usually wouldn’t but also light makeup.
Song Yu’an: “Be quiet. Don’t say anything.”
But Cai Weihao, half out of it, completely ignored the command, chuckling: “Brother, I told you if you coaxed her enough she’d come. I knew she liked you! Look, here she is!”
Cai Weihao thought he was whispering to Song Yu’an, but his voice was loud enough for everyone nearby to hear.
A thunderclap out of nowhere.
No one expected drunk Cai Weihao to say something so startling.
Xia Yu stood frozen, mouth open, her mind numbed by surprise and panic.
How did he know she liked him?
Wait, does that mean… everyone knows?
She saw Song Yu’an say nothing, just his face tightening.
She also saw Xue Enjin’s cold, indifferent gaze settle on her, completely devoid of her previous warmth.
Suddenly, her heart sank, overwhelmed by confusion, helplessness, and shame all at once.
This shouldn’t be happening…
Song Yu’an was already with Xue Enjin.
She didn’t want to interfere, nor did she want Song Yu’an to know she had ever liked him.
Her mind scrambled: “No, no, I don’t like…”
“Like who?” At that moment, a hand rested on her shoulder from behind.
A familiar scent wafted over.
Turning around, Xia Yu saw Xu Baiyan lowering his eyes at her, his tone lazy yet carrying a faint hint of accusation.
“Xia Yu, you’re not chasing me, are you?”
People passed by around them, light and shadow flickering.
The chaotic moment pressed pause, but subtly, she felt something even more chaotic creeping in.
Xia Yu swallowed and stared blankly at him.
What was he saying?
“Chasing who?”
The first to react was the drunk Cai Weihao, stepping forward with suspicion, looking at the pair side by side.
“Me.”
Xu Baiyan said calmly.
“What’s wrong? Got a problem?”
Xia Yu felt the palm on her shoulder tighten slightly. Looking into Xu Baiyan’s eyes, she understood his meaning.
“No, no problem.”
Xia Yu felt like a malfunctioning robot, spitting out words mechanically.
“I like you, so don’t listen to his nonsense… Senior Brother Cai must have misunderstood.”
“Oh, so it was a misunderstanding.”
Xu Baiyan smiled at Song Yu’an and Cai Weihao.
“You scared me. I thought she was teasing me every day, shouting she liked me.”
Xia Yu: “…”
“Xia Yu.” Song Yu’an clenched his fists tightly, calling her name.
Xia Yu looked over. His face was even more tense, but she believed it was just surprise, nothing else.
“Brother Yu’an, although I don’t know why Senior Brother Cai said that, it must be a misunderstanding.”
She explained.
Song Yu’an’s brow twitched hard, emotions impossible to describe—surprise, irritation, disappointment, even… anger.
His gaze fixed on the hand Xu Baiyan had placed on Xia Yu’s shoulder, saying nothing further.
“So you really do like idols, huh?” Xue Enjin smiled faintly and stepped forward.
“I told Weihao and the others before, but he didn’t believe it. Xia Yu, don’t blame him for saying nonsense, he’s just drunk tonight.”
Cai Weihao was sobering up and wisely kept silent.
Xia Yu nodded and gave a dry smile.
“Yeah, I could tell Senior Brother Cai had too much. It’s fine.”
Xue Enjin said, “So you all came out to the market together tonight? Since you ran into each other, why not stick together?”
Xia Yu was about to refuse when her phone suddenly rang.
It was kk calling, saying they’d grown tired of walking and had gone to a bar called “Tinghai,” inviting them to join for drinks and chatting.
After hanging up, Xia Yu hurriedly declined Xue Enjin’s suggestion to stroll together, saying she wanted to meet everyone at the bar.
Xue Enjin: “Alright, you guys go then. We’ll keep on walking.”
“We’re going to Tinghai?” Song Yu’an’s expression was grim. Ignoring Xue Enjin, he said, “We were already drinking there earlier. Xiao Qiang and the others are still playing there. Let’s go together.”
With that, Song Yu’an turned and headed that way.
Xue Enjin’s smile vanished completely.
After a few seconds of shock, she turned and walked away.
Xia Yu remained where she was, feeling suffocated.
“What’s wrong, scared?” Xu Baiyan asked after a while.
Xia Yu: “… Scared of what?”
“Scared of exposure.”
“No, I’m not scared…”
Xu Baiyan chuckled, loosening his grip on her shoulder. “If you’re not scared, then let’s go. Pursuer.”