Ruan Xi was about to collapse from exhaustion, her whole body sprawled out like Ais, limbs flung everywhere.
She had originally wanted to crawl a couple more steps closer to Cheng Daichuan, but when she heard what he said, she froze where she was.
She reflexively shot back at him, “…How did you know I watched it with Zhang Xu?”
Cheng Daichuan replied calmly, “Friend Circle post.”
The day they went to the theater, Ruan Xi had been in a terrible mood, so she hadn’t posted anything at all—there was no way she could be mistaken about that.
Only Zhang Xu had posted a photo of their Ticket Stub…
But what could you even tell from a Ticket Stub? There wasn’t a name printed anywhere on it.
Besides, how did Cheng Daichuan even see Zhang Xu’s Friend Circle post?
Ruan Xi mulled it over for a moment, still unable to wrap her head around the situation. “You two… know each other?”
“Yeah.”
Zhang Xu was the guy Ruan Xi had suddenly dashed out to stop, just to ask him where he bought his jacket.
Back in high school, Zhang Xu had attended the neighboring affiliated school; he wasn’t even at the same school as Ruan Xi and the others.
Ruan Xi’s knowing Zhang Xu was already a coincidence, but now, what shocked her even more was:
Cheng Daichuan actually knew Zhang Xu too.
But even if they did know each other, it wasn’t like they would just go around telling everyone who they’d gone to the theater with, right?
Ruan Xi’s thoughts started to tangle. “Are you two… friends?”
Cheng Daichuan spat out two words: “Not really.”
“Oh.”
Ruan Xi had no desire to talk about anything beyond the play itself, nor did she want to recall that awful, bone-chilling winter.
Her phone was pressed under her palm, buzzing for a long while.
She too fell silent in the midst of the vibration, and after a while, she remembered— she had brought up going to the theater herself.
Her intention hadn’t been to say “I went with someone else,” but rather, she wanted to tell Cheng Daichuan about how that Stage Play had moved her.
Stage Plays really were magical.
Ruan Xi had been so down that day, but in the end, she was drawn into the story by the actors’ performances and moved to tears.
And after leaving the theater, her mood had improved a lot, and she could even chat with Zhang Xu about the plot.
It was because of that experience that Ruan Xi wanted to take Cheng Daichuan to the theater on the cruise.
She wanted to say, if Cheng Daichuan wasn’t too against it, maybe he’d have an unexpectedly good time—at the very least, the story would be a distraction.
But somehow, the conversation had ended up focusing on Zhang Xu instead.
Ruan Xi decided to steer back to the topic. “Cheng Daichuan, about that theater…”
“Do we have to go?”
Ruan Xi paused. “Not necessarily, it was just a plan for after dinner. Actually, Stage Plays aren’t as hard to understand as you might think…”
Cheng Daichuan slowly opened his eyes, his gaze landing on Ruan Xi’s face, then quietly sliding down to the phone clutched in her palm, which had finally stopped vibrating.
She and Shi Chao had agreed that if she suddenly stopped replying, it meant Cheng Daichuan was with her, so not to worry.
So she didn’t pay much attention to the vibrating phone and kept trying to persuade Cheng Daichuan. “This is an original show on Dusk, only performed twice in total. Once we get off the cruise, you won’t be able to see it even if you pay, and I made a reservation last night.”
Cheng Daichuan asked, “Did you download the APP?”
Ruan Xi grinned, “No, I couldn’t find a download link and was afraid of getting a scam APP, so I went downstairs and asked the Service Desk staff to help me book it.”
“You went downstairs after I left?”
“Yeah, before bed. I was hoping I might run into you, but I didn’t.”
Ruan Xi scooted a bit closer, her face full of hope. “So, let’s go see the Stage Play, okay?”
Cheng Daichuan pinched the bridge of his nose.
Ruan Xi was wearing a loose cotton T-shirt suitable for sports, the neckline a bit wide.
With her hands propped in front of her and her head tilted up to look at Cheng Daichuan, her delicate collarbones and the hollow at her throat were exposed.
Cheng Daichuan was already getting a headache from the buzzing phone, and his gaze couldn’t help but glance over Ruan Xi’s neckline.
There was a patch of pinkish scrape at her throat, and there were more on her arms and near her knees—clearly fresh injuries, probably from rock climbing or trying to surf.
All this, just to keep him company. She hadn’t even complained once.
Seeing Ruan Xi so worn out, Cheng Daichuan wanted her to rest for a bit, but who could have guessed she’d be so insistent about the Stage Play.
Was her experience with Zhang Xu at the theater really that good?
Last night, after tucking the Paper Crane and Note into her Wallet, Ruan Xi had slept soundly wrapped in her blanket.
Cheng Daichuan frowned at Ruan Xi, and really did make a decision.
On one hand, he couldn’t let down Ruan Xi’s value of friendship; on the other, he knew that the closer he got, the deeper he’d fall.
If he let himself keep going like this, there might be no turning back.
Cheng Daichuan resolved to interact with Ruan Xi only as a good friend, and it had been working well.
But there would always come a day…
Ruan Xi’s eyes were clear, her tone almost like she was begging. “Cheng Daichuan, let’s just give it a try.”
Cheng Daichuan said helplessly, “I never said I wouldn’t go.”
“If it’s not good, we can just leave early.”
Ruan, I’m not tired at all. With my current energy, I could run a Marathon.
There was a pause, then Cheng Daichuan got up and reached out his hand. “Come on, Marathon runner.”
Ruan Xi looked up at him. “Get up and go where?”
“If you’re tired, go lie down.”
Finally, time to rest! Yes!
Ruan Xi was overjoyed, trying hard to keep her smile in check. “Oh, then I guess I’ll just have to reluctantly go lie down with you.”
She hummed a little tune while following him to return the tennis racquet, still putting on an act. “Why do I get tired so easily around you? Really, there’s just no dealing with you.”
Cheng Daichuan shook his head with a smile.
Feeling refreshed, Ruan Xi flopped onto the Single Bed and continued checking Shi Chao’s messages.
Her legs dangled in the air as she replied to each one.
Ruan Xi and Shi Chao were the kind of friends who roasted each other all the time, never holding back. Her fingers tapped away at her phone:
“Of course we’re eating dinner first.”
“Three hours and thirty-seven minutes from now, Xixi and Chuan-chuan are going to the theater~”
“Chuan-chuan doesn’t seem to hate the theater that much.”
“Maybe he just doesn’t want to go with Chao-chao, 【shrug】.”
“WAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!”
Shi Chao sent the same sticker over a dozen times in a row, all using a photo of Ais—
Ais giving a wicked lick to the corner of his mouth, with the caption: “I’ll slice your kidneys.”
It was an absolutely hideous photo. If Ais could understand, he’d sue Shi Chao.
Ruan Xi burst out laughing again.
After she finished, she suddenly covered her mouth and, very slowly, turned her head to look at the other Single Bed.
Cheng Daichuan was fiddling with his phone.
She was terrified he’d ask, “Who are you chatting with?” so she cleared her throat and blurted out, “Um… Cheng Daichuan, what are you up to?”
Cheng Daichuan looked over. “Playing Hearthstone.”
“Oh, you play, you play, it’s nothing, I was just asking…”
She rolled over on the bed, lying on her side, and tapped into Friend Circle to check the latest posts.
Last night, the post she’d made had gotten lots of likes and comments from friends— including Zhang Xu, whom they’d just mentioned.
Ruan Xi only remembered that she’d tapped on Zhang Xu’s avatar out of habit, then entered his Friend Circle and saw a background photo of the three dogs he kept…
And then, she’d fallen asleep.
She slept all the way until dinner time, when Cheng Daichuan woke her up.
Cheng Daichuan squatted by Ruan Xi’s bed and asked whether she wanted to eat at the Restaurant or order room service and have staff bring the food over.
Ruan Xi got up slowly. “Let’s just go to the Restaurant.”
Cheng Daichuan liked cleanliness.
Whenever they had hotpot or other strong-smelling food at his house, he’d always close the bedroom door.
With such a small room, it probably wouldn’t air out well.
Ruan Xi rolled around on the bed, searching everywhere under her pillow and in her blanket. “Weird, where’s my phone?”
Cheng Daichuan pointed at the nightstand. “You dropped it there while you slept. I charged it for you.”
“Oh, thanks.”
“Ruan Xi.”
“Yeah?” Ruan Xi unplugged the charger. “What’s up?”
Cheng Daichuan said, “Don’t force yourself. If you’re tired, just rest.”
“I’ve said it eight hundred times already, I’m not tired!”
“Really? You were snoring.”
“Impossible! Slander!”
Ruan Xi kept arguing with Cheng Daichuan all the way.
To make sure she wouldn’t get sleepy in the dimly lit theater and give him a chance to tease her, she even grabbed a bowl of chocolate Ice Cream Ball from the free ice cream stand on the way.
Even so, once she was in the theater, Ruan Xi still dozed off…
Halfway through the show, Ruan Xi had already closed her eyes countless times, until finally her head tipped over onto Cheng Daichuan’s shoulder.
When she next opened her eyes, the actors were already standing hand-in-hand in a row on stage, bowing to the audience amidst thunderous applause.
Embarrassed, Ruan Xi lifted her head off Cheng Daichuan’s shoulder and sat up straight, suddenly wishing she could crawl into a hole.
As Cheng Daichuan clapped, he leaned toward Ruan Xi and teased, “Perfect timing.”
Ruan Xi: “…”
She was still racking her brain for something to say to ease the awkwardness.
She pulled out her phone to turn off silent mode, only to find it flooded with messages from Shi Chao and a bunch of Missed Calls.
Ruan Xi’s expression froze. She looked at Cheng Daichuan, who was also frowning at his phone.
From Ruan Xi’s perspective, Shi Chao definitely knew they were at the theater, so calling so many times could only mean it was urgent.
Was Ais feeling unwell?
Did something break at Cheng Daichuan’s house?
Had Shi Chao run into some trouble?…
The more Ruan Xi thought about it, the more anxious she became.
The theater was noisy. There was exit music, safety announcements over the PA, and audience members discussing the show…
Following the crowd, it was impossible to get out quickly. Cheng Daichuan grabbed Ruan Xi’s wrist and tilted his head in the opposite direction.
He led her toward the Smoking Area, dialing Shi Chao as they walked.
Shi Chao didn’t pick up twice in a row, and Ruan Xi started sweating as she watched Cheng Daichuan redial.
Once they got to the Smoking Area, the call finally connected.
Shi Chao was even more frantic than the two of them, shouting, “Are you guys okay?!”
Shi Chao had searched for Dusk online and seen someone mention a gale warning.
He thought it was happening right now and freaked out, terrified his friends were in danger.
Ruan Xi’s eyes got a little red. “Shi Chao, you really scared us!”
Cheng Daichuan patted Ruan Xi’s shoulder in comfort.
Ruan Xi explained that when the waves hit, they’d taken motion sickness pills, so they hadn’t felt too bad and had been sleeping most of the time.
“Don’t worry so much, the cruise is great, and they even gave out free Ice Cream.”
Shi Chao, the foodie, didn’t even sound jealous when he heard about the Ice Cream— just shocked. “You guys don’t know about the cruise and the Ice Cream, do you?”
Shi Chao liked reading supernatural horror stories and legends, and followed a lot of those accounts.
According to Shi Chao—
Big cruise ships like this always had a morgue, just in case, but not many.
“If they suddenly hand out Ice Cream, it’s probably because there aren’t enough of those rooms, and they need to clear out some freezer space to store…”
Ruan Xi shoved her phone back into Cheng Daichuan’s hand and covered her ears. “I didn’t hear anything!”
This was a night destined to be sleepless.
Ruan Xi tossed and turned under her blanket, her mind full of Shi Chao’s stories.
The night light was already set to its dimmest, and Cheng Daichuan’s side had been quiet for a long while.
Ruan Xi couldn’t hold back any longer. “Cheng Daichuan, are you asleep?”
Cheng Daichuan’s voice was tinged with laughter. “Scared?”
“Who’s scared!”
Cold air kept pouring out from the AC vent, making the dim room feel chilly.
It had always been like this before.
Ruan Xi felt cool drafts at the back of her neck and pulled the blanket tighter. “Cheng Daichuan.”
“Hm?”
“I admit… I’m actually a little scared, just a little.”
“It’s not like you’re alone in the room. What are you afraid of?” @Unlimited great stories, all on Jinjiang Literature City
Ruan Xi burrowed deeper into the blanket. “Of course I’m not alone in the room, but who knows if there’s something in the bathroom. There’s only me on the bed, but who knows what’s under the bed…”
Cheng Daichuan cut off her muttering, asking, “So, should I come over to your bed?”