Chapter 27: Unromantic

Liu Yun was clearly in a great mood right now, so when she saw the youth looking at her with that faint, lingering gaze, she simply gave him a gentle smile and said,

“Oh, you’re awake?”

Lin Xiu, feeling a bit annoyed, opened his mouth and said,

“Secretary Yun, why didn’t you take me along when you went to work this afternoon?”

Liu Yun handed over the food she was holding and said,

“I saw you sleeping so soundly, I just couldn’t bear to wake you up. Besides, look, I even brought you a seafood set meal. How about you let this slide, just this once?”

Though she said it like that, her attitude was quite perfunctory, which made Lin Xiu even more frustrated.

But seeing the seafood set meal in front of him, his body was still very honest as he accepted it and said,

“Alright, since you were so thoughtful, I’ll forgive you this time.”

Hearing this, Liu Yun curled her lips. What a childish brat…

After Lin Xiu had eaten his fill, the sun was already slanting in the sky outside the hotel.

Lin Xiu glanced at Liu Yun, who was playing with her phone, and suddenly got an idea. He walked up to her and said,

“Sister Yun, let’s go out for a walk.”

Liu Yun shot him a look and turned away to refuse,

“No, I don’t want to go out right now.”

Lin Xiu, however, wouldn’t give up so easily. He started poking her with his finger, expressionless.

Liu Yun was speechless from his pestering. How could this guy be so annoying? Helpless, she could only glare fiercely at the youth and stand up.

“Fine, fine, let’s go. Where do you want to go?”

Seeing her agree, Lin Xiu finally looked pleased with himself and immediately grabbed her delicate hand, pulling her outside.

“Just come with me.”

Liu Yun instinctively tried to pull her hand back, but the youth’s grip was like an iron clamp; no matter how she struggled, she couldn’t get free.

This made Liu Yun even angrier as she glared at the shameless guy ahead.

“Let go of me, I can walk by myself!”

Lin Xiu chose to ignore her words, saying excitedly,

“Sister Yun, are you thirsty? Do you want to buy a bottle of water?”

“Then let go of my hand first.”

“Oh, so you’re not thirsty? Never mind, then.”

Liu Yun couldn’t help but laugh in exasperation. She realized this guy had no shame whatsoever, so she didn’t bother to struggle anymore and let him hold her hand.

Maybe it was because this guy had already done more outrageous things, so holding hands was actually easy for her to accept. And besides, his hand was really warm…

However, neither of them noticed that, as they stepped out of the elevator and brushed past a man, the man suddenly stopped in his tracks.

A strange frenzy flashed through the man’s once expressionless eyes, as if a zombie had spotted prey. He turned to stare intently at Liu Yun’s back, only looking away after a long while…

By the bay, the sun was setting, waves lapping at the shore, forming a picture of perfect beauty.

Lin Xiu led Liu Yun by the hand, smiling as he looked back.

“Sister Yun, we’re here.”

Liu Yun looked around in confusion and asked,

“What are we here for?”

Lin Xiu pointed at the sky and said,

“To watch the sunset, of course. I heard the sunsets in Sanya are the most beautiful. Now that I see it, it really lives up to its reputation.”

Liu Yun was stunned for a moment, then said with little interest,

“Oh. So now that we’ve seen it, can we go back?”

It wasn’t that Liu Yun didn’t appreciate romance—she really didn’t have the cell for it. Standing beside Lin Xiu, she didn’t feel any special atmosphere at all, only awkwardness…

Lin Xiu scratched his head, not understanding.

The internet said that bringing a girl here was a surefire way to win her favor. Why was this woman the complete opposite?

“Hey, Sister Yun, why don’t we stay a little longer? Maybe the evening clouds will be even more beautiful soon.”

Trailing behind Liu Yun, Lin Xiu kept chattering away, completely ruining the atmosphere.

Liu Yun quickened her pace, waving her hand as she spoke.

“If that’s the case, you stay and enjoy it yourself. I won’t keep you company. Goodbye.”

Even so, Lin Xiu wasn’t ready to give up. Wasn’t he just the type to shamelessly pester Liu Yun?

“Sister Yun, we’ve already come all this way. Wouldn’t it be a shame to leave now? Even if you don’t appreciate the view, you could take some pictures, post them to your Moments or something…”

Liu Yun felt like she was Sun Wukong, with Tang Monk following behind chanting the tightening mantra, giving her a headache.

So she sped up again—only for an accident to happen the very next moment.

“Mm…”

There was a round, slippery stone at Liu Yun’s feet. In her hurry, she lost her balance.

As the ground rushed up to meet her, Liu Yun was inwardly despairing. Why was she so unlucky? The guy behind her was definitely going to laugh at her later—falling on flat ground, of all things…

But the expected intimate encounter with the sand didn’t happen. At the crucial moment, Liu Yun felt her hand being yanked. Maybe due to inertia, both of them tumbled in another direction.

“Mm…”

It took quite a while before Liu Yun opened her eyes, which she’d squeezed shut, and found herself lying on top of the youth, gazing right into his faintly smiling eyes.

Ahead of them, the sun was just about to dip below the horizon, golden light blending with shades of orange and pink-purple, like an overturned palette painting the sky with wild colors.

The boundary between sky and sea was blurring, the two melting together in a magnificent swath of warm hues.

On the shimmering waves, a yacht and some seagulls became the most beautiful embellishments. For a moment, it was so beautiful Liu Yun couldn’t tell if it was a dream or fantasy. Her heartbeat even sped up a little, involuntarily…

“Sister Yun, you managed to trip on flat ground. You’re really a scatterbrain.”

Liu Yun blushed, struggling to get up.

“It’s all your fault…”

But as soon as she lifted herself, the youth’s arms tightened around her slender waist, pulling her back down.

“Mm… What are you doing?”

Instead, Lin Xiu leaned close and whispered in her ear,

“Shh, don’t say anything. Just hold me for a while…”

Liu Yun felt awkward at first, but gradually, feeling the youth’s heartbeat, the gentle sound of waves, and the occasional call of a seagull, ripples began to spread in her heart, before she even realized it.

Maybe the youth was right—this really was the most beautiful sunset…

When they returned to the hotel, Lin Xiu found that Liu Yun had been unusually quiet along the way, giving vague replies to whatever he said.

He couldn’t help but wonder, did this woman knock her head silly when she fell? But he was the one who cushioned her, wasn’t he?

Of course, Liu Yun wasn’t addled from the fall—she just felt her heart was acting a little strange.

But one thing was certain: she was even more annoyed with Lin Xiu now, because all these strange feelings were entirely his fault…