Ruan Xi’s heart was pounding so fast, it felt like a delicate wind chime was tied inside her chest.
Whenever the sea breeze blew gently, the wind chime jingled and trembled incessantly.
To hide her awkwardness, after Cheng Daichuan put her down, Ruan Xi didn’t look back. She immediately adopted a sprinting stance and hurriedly dashed toward the rocks.
Cheng Daichuan called from behind, “Slow down.”
Although the ordinary beach on Xiaoyu Island had coarse sand and the occasional small, sharp pebble, it was generally flat and even.
Ruan Xi still felt a trace of Cheng Daichuan’s body heat lingering on her calves, making her whole leg go numb. Embarrassed, she replied, “The sand won’t make me fall!”
One must never underestimate their surroundings.
No sooner had she said this than she twisted her ankle, letting out a sharp “Ouch!” as she fell face-first into a pile of sand.
Ruan Xi was utterly embarrassed. When Cheng Daichuan hurried over to help her up, she didn’t dare raise her head.
Holding onto Cheng Daichuan’s arm, she hopped on one foot to a nearby large rock and sat down.
Cheng Daichuan squatted down in front of her, arms crossed, inspecting her knee with a hint of helplessness. “Where does it hurt?”
Her ankle hurt, her knee hurt, even her elbow hurt— but maintaining her image in front of Cheng Daichuan was more important!
Ruan Xi started making excuses, “It’s this skirt; it kind of restricts my stride, I couldn’t lift my legs properly, otherwise, I wouldn’t have fallen…”
Cheng Daichuan smoothed out the flipped-up corner of her skirt and brushed off the sand hiding beneath it. “Ah, the skirt is at fault.”
“This pair of shoes aren’t sneakers either— pretty but useless…”
Cheng Daichuan used his hand to wipe the dust off her knee. “The shoes are guilty too.”
Ruan Xi craned her neck to look at the sandpit she’d made. “There was a stone over there that tripped me…”
“Stone’s the death penalty.”
Ruan Xi stomped her foot. “Cheng Daichuan!”
Cheng Daichuan grinned slyly. “Who’s bothering you? Tell me, and I’ll throw you and the stone into the sea later to drown.”
The sea surface glittered in the sunlight, seagulls noisily squawking atop the rocks, and the greenery beside the beach radiated a refreshing shade of green.
Cheng Daichuan’s playful teasing, tinged with indulgence, took them back to their high school days.
Ruan Xi joined in the teasing. In that moment, she threw all her embarrassment to the wind, opening her palm covered in sand. “This fall wasn’t completely in vain— I found this. Isn’t it pretty?”
In her palm lay a smooth, pale blue piece of sea glass. Cheng Daichuan said, “It’s beautiful.”
Then, he took her ankle in his hand.
Her ankle was slender, with a delicate, raised bone on the outside. When he held it, she couldn’t help but wince, “Ouch, ouch, ouch, Cheng Daichuan, it really hurts!”
Her elbow and knee were just scraped by the sand and stones, burning but unbroken.
Her ankle, however, genuinely hurt.
Cheng Daichuan released his grip. “There’s medicine in the suitcase. Want to go back to the Cruise Ship?”
Ruan Xi had heard the Staff say the island had delicious fisherman’s restaurants that made seafood porridge, and that along the shore you could spot hermit crabs and jellyfish…
The weather was this nice.
She thought for a moment. “This is a fishing village, lots of people live here, so there should be a pharmacy, right?”
Cheng Daichuan said, “Got it. No going back.”
Ruan Xi smiled, eyes sparkling. “I didn’t even say anything.”
Cheng Daichuan replied, “It’s written all over your face.”
“No way!”
He stared at her as if he could really see the subtitles floating above her head and summarized, “You’re tired of Western food, craving the local dishes, and want to explore the island before going back.”
Ruan Xi happily brushed the sand off her palm. “You know me best!”
She cleaned the sea glass and said, “This is really beautiful, like a gem. I’ll give it to you.”
Cheng Daichuan took off his sun-protective jacket worn over his short sleeves and draped it over Ruan Xi’s legs.
Her palm still held the sea glass. “What are you doing?”
“Weren’t you going to explore?”
“I put on a lot of sunscreen.”
Cheng Daichuan scooped her up in a horizontal carry. “With that ankle, how are you going to walk around?”
Ruan Xi’s heart tightened. Her voice lowered. “Cheng Daichuan, you… are you going to carry me around the whole island? We ate so much breakfast, you’ll be exhausted.”
“Not at all. We can rent a tour bus.”
“Oh.”
Though Cheng Daichuan’s hands were gentle and gentlemanly, Ruan Xi could feel the warmth of his forearms pressed under her legs, and her heart began to pound faster and faster again.
She shyly said, “The tour bus station seems quite far too.”
“Where’s your glass?”
Ruan Xi pulled it out. “Here. Want it?”
Cheng Daichuan glanced at it. “Yeah, I’ll take it as payment.”
Ruan Xi held the sea glass up to the sunlight. “This was a lucky find. Maybe it really is a gem—you better cherish it.”
“Got it.”
Suddenly, silence fell between them. The touch of their skin felt more intense.
Body heat pressed against body heat, and with sweat trickling down, the sticky sensation made their hearts race unevenly.
The weather was hot. Cheng Daichuan’s neck glistened with sweat. In this almost princess-carry position, it would have felt safer if Ruan Xi wrapped her arms around his neck.
But she didn’t dare.
Her gaze flickered— once, twice, three times…
Her eyes traced down from his brows to his nose, then from his nose to his lips.
What would it feel like to kiss him?
It was like an electric current running through her.
Cheng Daichuan suddenly broke the silence, “What are you looking at?”
Ruan Xi stiffened for a moment, the electric shock dissipating, and said dryly, “Other passengers move faster than us. What if all the tour buses are rented out?”
“You want to explore the island?”
“Yeah.”
Her mind was elsewhere; in truth, there was something else she wanted to do right now.
“Then do it the way you just said.”
“What did I say…”
“I’ll carry you around.”
Ruan Xi’s feelings were complicated.
On one hand, she was genuinely happy to be with Cheng Daichuan like this; on the other, his gentleness always stirred her heart.
When the heart is stirred, it becomes greedy, always wanting more…
So she muttered, “If there are no tour buses, we’ll just go back to the Cruise Ship. I wouldn’t dare trouble you, Mr. Cheng.”
Cheng Daichuan said, “What is there to dare?”
Ruan Xi felt he meant more than he said. When she asked again, Cheng Daichuan avoided the topic.
Fortunately, the tour buses were plenty.
Ruan Xi sat in the waiting area, drinking a beverage, watching Cheng Daichuan at the counter inquire and scan payment codes.
Once everything was settled, Cheng Daichuan came back, saying, “All set,” and pretended to scoop her up.
Ruan Xi knew herself well. Knowing she couldn’t resist this barrage of temptations, she quickly waved the half-full bottle of orange juice in her hand. “It’s just a few steps. You better help me walk.”
The island’s tour buses were pedal-assisted, somewhat like bicycles, but with four wheels.
Ruan Xi and Cheng Daichuan sat side by side inside, but Cheng Daichuan did all the pedaling, covering nearly half the island.
The scenery was beautiful, with a red-and-white lighthouse and fishermen hauling in their nets.
Next to the fisherman’s restaurant was a pharmacy. Ruan Xi’s injury wasn’t serious. After spraying anti-inflammatory and pain relief spray, she could walk normally without support.
The Staff had been right— the seafood porridge was indeed delicious, and the homestyle stir-fried dishes whetted the appetite.
After lunch, they sat in the shade watching the scenery.
Ruan Xi said she wanted to find a photo filter suitable for the sea view and stared intently at her phone screen. Suddenly, she slapped her phone onto her leg. “So frustrating!”
The slap was hard enough to leave her leg red.
Cheng Daichuan raised his eyebrows. “What’s wrong?”
Ruan Xi had been getting data push notifications about other Cruise Ship travel routes. The prices were about the same as theirs, but the trips were shorter— mostly between five and seven days.
She pouted. “I checked. Other cruise routes at this price can go overseas. Sorry, Cheng Daichuan.”
Cheng Daichuan said, “It’s all the same.”
“No, it’s not. I saw people complaining about our route, with many bad reviews saying it’s poorly done.”
Cheng Daichuan leaned back in his chair wearing sunglasses, looked up calmly at Ruan Xi, and said, “Maybe, but I’m in a good mood.”
The frustration of wasting money, the guilt of not planning well enough to bring a good friend out, the envy of other routes…
All those feelings vanished with Cheng Daichuan’s words.
Ruan Xi looked at him too.
No matter how fine the cruise trip, it only lasted five to seven days— not nearly as long as theirs.
If she had the chance to choose again, maybe she’d make the same decision.
Their shore excursion time ended at dusk, with the sun retreating, hanging low in the western sky.
They returned to the tour bus and headed back to the Cruise Ship.
After showering, Ruan Xi suddenly remembered their conversation and realized she had overlooked something—
No matter how long the cruise trip was, it was only five days at most, and after the trip ended, they would go their separate ways.
She wiped her half-dry hair, suddenly pushed open the door, and ran out of the bathroom. “Cheng Dai…”
Ruan Xi wanted to ask Cheng Daichuan if he had any other plans for the summer, but she came out at the wrong time. He had just changed into loose pants.
Standing shirtless by the mini-fridge in the room, he poured ice cubes into a glass. Hearing the noise, he turned his head to look at Ruan Xi.
Cheng Daichuan’s phone was on speaker on the table, and Stone Chao’s voice came from it: “…There’s nothing fun nearby. Unlike other tourist cities, with mountains, water, and old towns, they have starry sky camping bases, summer resorts, all that. It’s so barren here!”
Having been to the pool with him before, Ruan Xi quickly withdrew her gaze from Cheng Daichuan’s abdomen.
She hesitated a bit, inhaled, and put on a calm expression like someone well-traveled. “Are you talking to Stone Chao?”
Stone Chao asked, “Is that you, Xi Zi? Why didn’t you send me photos?”
Ruan Xi stared at her reflection on the glass and saw the shadow put on a white short-sleeved shirt.
She said, “Oh, I twisted my ankle. Didn’t take any photos.”
Someone knocked on Stone Chao’s side of the line. Ruan Xi asked who it was. Cheng Daichuan casually answered, “Probably the delivery guy.”
Stone Chao said, “Only Chuan Bao understands me.”
The three of them knew each other pretty well. Ruan Xi guessed Stone Chao must have stayed up all night gaming and probably just woke up this afternoon.
That takeout was likely his first meal of the day.
Stone Chao looked like a starving ghost, tearing into the delivery without caring about the call.
The call ended shortly after.
Ruan Xi continued drying her hair. “What were you just talking about?”
Cheng Daichuan sat on the sofa, casually scrolling through his phone. “Stone Chao is bored and wants to find somewhere to hang out together after we get back.”
Ruan Xi sat on the single bed opposite the sofa and casually asked, “Then… do you want to go check out my hometown?”
Cheng Daichuan saw Zhang Xu’s avatar, clicked into his Moments, and suddenly furrowed his brows.
The towel covering Ruan Xi’s eyes hid his expression completely.
She cautiously hid her selfishness and recommended her hometown—
Ruan Xi said that although her hometown wasn’t as picturesque as the ancient towns in Jiangnan, the outskirts still had mountains and water, and there were summer resort hotels on the mountain tops.
“Zhang Xu said it’s not bad when he went.”
Cheng Daichuan silently lowered the phone volume to zero, the icon showing a muted speaker.
While Ruan Xi spoke, he was watching a video Zhang Xu had posted.
In the video, a group of guys and girls gathered at Zhang Xu’s place, standing quite close to the girls beside him, raising their glasses to the camera with innocent smiles.
Cheng Daichuan locked the phone screen and tossed it onto the sofa. “When did Zhang Xu go to see you?”
Ruan Xi had almost finished drying her hair. She grabbed the towel and walked toward the bathroom, talking as she went, “I think it was during the Qingming holiday. I even treated him to a meal.”
Speaking of that meal, Ruan Xi’s eyes lit up.
The restaurant they ate at was really nice, one of the more boutique fusion cuisine places near her hometown.
She had thought at the time: if there’s a chance later, she’d bring Cheng Daichuan and Stone Chao to try it.
Ruan Xi put down the towel, ran back to the sofa, and excitedly dug out a short video taken at the meal to show Cheng Daichuan.
A handsome waiter placed a steak on the table, sprinkled something on it, and used a blowtorch to light it.
The steak instantly became a fiery mountain, flames shooting high.
The waiter sprayed a vintage-looking little bottle onto the flames, making golden sparkles erupt like magic.
The sparks and flames faded, and the steak was cut into small pieces, crispy on the outside and tender inside—simply irresistible.
When the video finished playing, Ruan Xi felt she had shown it to the wrong person and decided it would be better to send it to Stone Chao instead.
Cheng Daichuan’s expression was calm and neutral, showing neither surprise nor appetite, almost as if he found it a form of torture.
After watching, he said only one thing: “Did the steak hit on you?”