Ruan Xi’s excuse about the “mosquito” was obviously not believed by Cheng Daichuan, but he didn’t press the matter either.
Instead, Ruan Xi had been worrying over Cheng Daichuan from start to finish—
Cheng Daichuan was just way too trusting!
He only treated her like Shi Chao, avoiding all sensitive topics.
Maybe it was because he knew no one else was as pure and naive as Shi Chao.
He thought of her as a friend, a good friend, and that was exactly what she was.
Ruan Xi glanced at Cheng Daichuan and silently muttered to herself:
This Ruan Xi, she’s got deep scheming. She covets my good friend and is always thinking about kissing him!
If she keeps being so unguarded, her improper thoughts will have to be reined in!
Cheng Daichuan, you better watch out!
Ruan Xi sighed softly.
Cheng Daichuan asked, “What are you thinking about now?”
She replied tiredly, “Hungry, I’m about to starve.”
During breakfast, Cheng Daichuan placed a cut piece of charcoal-grilled rib meat onto Ruan Xi’s plate, then suddenly asked, “Where did you learn that?”
They had long been used to sharing; eating alone was frowned upon and scolded. Ruan Xi also gave Cheng Daichuan some of her bacon soft-boiled egg salad.
She speared a soft-boiled egg and looked up. “What do you mean, ‘where did I learn it from’?”
Cheng Daichuan chuckled softly. “There are many moves, you know. You only know the Mount Tai Crush. Have you ever learned the Yilai Divine Palm?”
Among the three of them, there were always playful little gestures:
Tapping the forehead, patting shoulders, slapping backs, even throat locks…
But this was the first time Ruan Xi had slapped Cheng Daichuan’s back so hard—it actually sounded pretty loud.
After being asked “Where did you learn it from?”, she swallowed her soft-boiled egg carefully and put a piece of rib meat in her mouth while seriously pondering.
Why did she slap his back?
Who had she learned that from?
She remembered the couple she saw at the sunbathing area that day; at the time, she had envied them…
That gesture, it turned out, was so intimate?
Thinking that, Ruan Xi choked on the rib meat and had to drink half a glass of orange juice, then some warm lemon water handed to her by Cheng Daichuan before she finally calmed down.
Shi Chao got up early today and posted a link to the “Xixi Chuanchuan Chaochao Qun” group.
Both Ruan Xi and Cheng Daichuan’s mobile phones vibrated on the dining table simultaneously.
Ruan Xi picked up her phone and saw Shi Chao’s message: “Good morning, friends at sea, what’s up?”
Ruan Xi put down the lemon water and started typing “Eating breakfast” but hadn’t finished before the phone vibrated again.
Cheng Daichuan was quicker and replied, “Healing.”
Shi Chao immediately sent a barrage of exclamation marks and asked, “Why did our Chuanbao get hurt? Where exactly? Is it serious? Should I and Ace go swim over to check?”
Cheng Daichuan answered, “Got slapped by Ruan Xi.”
Ruan Xi looked up expressionless at Cheng Daichuan.
He lowered his head, the corner of his mouth curling into a smile, typing away on his phone screen.
Another vibration.
She saw the new sentence he sent: “Yilai Divine Palm.”
… How come this guy got slapped but seems to be in a pretty good mood?
Ruan Xi clicked open the link Shi Chao sent.
Coincidentally, it was a restaurant she had recommended.
Shi Chao said the flaming steak here looked really good, with high ratings and good reviews, and that if he visited Ruan Xi’s hometown, the first meal would definitely be there.
Ruan Xi glanced at Cheng Daichuan and typed, “I want to eat it, our Mr. Cheng seems interested.”
Shi Chao sent a string of long voice messages, each about sixty seconds, complaining about the two of them—
You two eat well and drink well every day on the cruise! Of course you’re interested when you see something new!
And your good friend Shi Chao is stuck alone, having gone through all the nearby spicy hotpot, beef noodles, wontons, fried pancakes, fried rice, and fried noodles nearly twice over.
He wants to eat flaming steak, is that so hard?
Huh? Is it really that hard?!
Can’t you consider your poor friend for once? Good friends have to keep each other company…
Ruan Xi and Cheng Daichuan each wore one Bluetooth earphone and sat in the restaurant, enduring Shi Chao’s complaints.
Ruan Xi felt a bit schadenfreude but didn’t want to show her gloating expression.
She held back her pride and said, “What should we do, Cheng Daichuan~”
Cheng Daichuan looked up. “Hmm?”
“Shi Chao wants to eat the flaming steak you’re interested in.”
“Do you want to eat it?”
Ruan Xi said, “Of course, the steak is so tender and delicious.”
Cheng Daichuan made a “hiss” sound, helplessly saying, “Then eat.”
Seeing Cheng Daichuan admit defeat, Ruan Xi smiled like she’d hit the jackpot, shaking her head and happily shared the little video in the group chat for Shi Chao, typing, “Boss Cheng says it’s on him.”
Boss Cheng made another “hiss.”
The sea was overcast, clouds heavy.
The sky and ocean blended into a dull, faded picture.
With such weather, the sunbathing area, outdoor swimming pool, and Viewing Garden all looked dim and lifeless.
They hadn’t watched the movie last night, so after breakfast, they checked the Movie Theater’s schedule and then watched a film about family at the Star Cinema.
The plot was especially touching; by the end of the movie,
When the credits rolled and the ending song played, clear and lingering, others gradually left.
Ruan Xi stayed seated in the middle row, clutching the paper towel Cheng Daichuan handed her, tears streaming uncontrollably.
Her phone’s paper towel was soaked; she balled it up tightly.
Cheng Daichuan reached over and took it, handing her a fresh one.
Her nose was slightly red, squeezing the paper ball and blinking to hold back her emotions.
Cheng Daichuan took out the last paper towel he had and wiped away the tears at Ruan Xi’s eye corner. “Why are you crying like this?”
“Cheng Daichuan, I miss my grandmother.”
“What?”
“Grandmother has a hospital checkup today, I’ll call her later.”
With the paper towels all used up, Cheng Daichuan wiped away a damp spot at her eye corner with his index finger.
His fingertip was wet with tears, and under the starlit ceiling, tiny specks of light reflected.
Ruan Xi looked tearfully into Cheng Daichuan’s eyes.
The light on the screen flickered dimly; their gazes locked, both momentarily lost in thought.
A passenger nearby accidentally knocked over popcorn while leaving and apologized while speaking with the staff.
The mood was broken.
Ruan Xi sniffled, quietly blaming herself for losing control because of Cheng Daichuan’s indulgence.
She straightened her posture. “Shall we… go out?”
“Let’s go.”
Cheng Daichuan took the dirty paper ball from Ruan Xi’s hand and walked out of the Star Cinema side by side with her.
Passing by the trash can at the theater entrance, he tossed the paper balls in and asked, “Do you want coffee or ice cream?”
She muttered, “Don’t want either.”
Cheng Daichuan chuckled softly. “Okay.”
Once outside, they noticed it was drizzling lightly on deck.
Cheng Daichuan led Ruan Xi to a café they hadn’t explored before.
He ordered three desserts for her:
A mocha coffee topped with chocolate sauce and cream, a vanilla ice cream ball drizzled with fruit syrup, and a cheese cake.
She said, “There’s cake?”
“If you like it, you can eat it.”
“I like it.”
Ruan Xi’s eyelid twitched; she rubbed off a stray eyelash. “Is this special treatment for sad people?”
Cheng Daichuan leaned closer. “Don’t move.”
She blinked, uncomfortable. “Hmm?”
“Your eyelash fell off.”
Ruan Xi sat stunned, waiting for Cheng Daichuan to gently wipe away the long, thin eyelash.
Then she heard him say, “The waiter recommended it. He said girls like to eat cake when they’re happy.”
“Oh, no wonder.”
“No wonder what?”
“I think that waiter guy is quite handsome, even more than the ones in the bar.”
Cheng Daichuan gave a light “hmph.”
Ruan Xi sat under the canopy, gradually drifting away from the sad movie’s mood thanks to Cheng Daichuan’s little sound.
The latte art on the hot mocha coffee was pretty, like the only little sun on a rainy day.
She didn’t want to ruin it, so she saved it until the end and then took a small sip along the cup’s edge.
The fine rain fell over the vast sea, giving off a feeling like The Old Man and the Sea.
After the movie, Ruan Xi’s mood was as gloomy as the weather; Cheng Daichuan was quieter than usual.
Ruan Xi put down her coffee cup, glanced at the iced American coffee opposite her, then at Cheng Daichuan, who was silently staring at the sporadic raindrops.
She tapped her chest and asked, “Do you also feel like this place is stuck?”
Cheng Daichuan stared at the raindrops hitting the deck, shifted his gaze to where she tapped, then to her face, and let out an “ah.”
Chocolate sauce and milk foam clung to Ruan Xi’s lips.
She stuck out her tongue and licked it off, “I should’ve known better than to watch this movie. It’s so sad, right?”
Cheng Daichuan lowered his head, pulling out his phone’s screen. “I’m not stuck because of the movie.”
Ruan Xi frowned, “Then what are you stuck on?”
Could it be the rainy day blues made Cheng Daichuan think of that bastard Cheng Guangkai?
But instead, Cheng Daichuan said, “I just saw you crying.”
Ruan Xi held the coffee cup handle quietly for a few seconds.
“Getting emotional from the movie isn’t embarrassing. If I told Shi Chao, you’d just quietly admit it!”
Cheng Daichuan said nothing, keeping his head down, staring seriously at his phone.
What was he looking at?
Curious, Ruan Xi shifted closer, stretching her neck over the small coffee table toward Cheng Daichuan.
He noticed the movement. “Hmm?”
“What are you looking at?”
“Thinking of buying something. Help me choose?”
Ruan Xi moved her chair closer to him. “What? What is it?”
Cheng Daichuan’s phone displayed a shopping app screen filled with exquisite wooden boxes.
Clearly, these were items for women. Ruan Xi was taken aback. “You want to buy… a jewelry box?”
“Yeah, these two. Which one looks better?”
Cheng Daichuan handed her the phone. Ruan Xi took it and flipped through the two jewelry boxes.
His taste was always good—whether in fashion or buying things, he had his own aesthetic and style.
Both jewelry boxes were made of red sandalwood, finely crafted and very beautiful.
The prices were painfully expensive.
Palm-sized, they looked like they could only hold a ring or a pair of earrings, yet cost four figures.
The more Ruan Xi looked, the more complicated her feelings became.
Counting the dates, Aunt Shang’s birthday had long passed.
Which guy could make Cheng Daichuan spend so much effort and money?
She shoved the phone back to him. “I won’t pick, you decide yourself.”
Cheng Daichuan didn’t say anything, just looked back and forth again, then added one of the jewelry boxes to his cart.
The rain fell lightly again for a while before stopping.
The deck grew lively once more.
In the distance, someone played on a water slide in the splash pool, flying out from the winding slide and splashing into the water with joyful screams.
Ruan Xi followed the laughter and noise but remained lost in thoughts about the jewelry box.
Behind that red sandalwood jewelry box were a few other keywords—
New Wedding Gift, Engagement Prop, Dowry.
Marriage, marriage, so annoying.
Ruan Xi watched as Cheng Daichuan submitted the order and paid with his fingerprint.
Suddenly, she thought of Chen Tang.
Could Chen Tang’s birthday be in the summer?
Even if it was Chen Tang, Cheng Daichuan’s university campus had so many outstanding and lovely girls.
Maybe he had already met Zhang Tang, Wang Tang, Li Tang, Zhao Tang…
After shifting her chair, Ruan Xi sat very close to Cheng Daichuan, almost elbow to elbow, but her heart felt very comfortable.
She picked up her phone and quietly liked all the newest updates in her social circle.
Then she couldn’t help but ask, “Cheng Daichuan, is this jewelry box a gift for someone?”
He said, “Yes.”
Liar, liar, liar, liar.
Not noticing her sour tone, she huffed and took a bite of the cheese cake, biting it like it was a person. “A gift? Or are you going to use it yourself?”
Cheng Daichuan put away his phone and let out an “ah.”
Ruan Xi was a little stunned and pressed on, “You? For yourself?”
He said, “Of course.”
“But it’s a jewelry box. What would you use it to hold?”
“To hold the blue glass you gave me.”