Chapter 9: Azure

At night, after returning to her place, Xia Yu searched online for some Surfing videos.

Actually, these past few nights, whenever she was bored, she would watch a few.

The more she watched, the more she felt she wanted to keep learning.

Of course, this time her motivation no longer came from others.

She no longer wanted to learn just because someone else liked it, but simply because she found it interesting.

Speaking of which, it would be great if Xu Baiyan weren’t so expensive.

He was the one who taught her Wakesurfing, and she’d gotten used to his way of teaching. If he could keep teaching her, that would be ideal.

Sigh.

Blame her for not being that rich.

The next day, Xia Yu worked her morning shift. In the afternoon, Kk had arranged some time off for her.

After lunch, she went for a stroll around Hai Cheng’s famous Food Street. Next to the Food Street, she spotted a huge Fruit Market.

She wasn’t sure if this Fruit Market was the one Song Yu’an had mentioned, but she wandered around inside anyway.

After sampling a few fruits, she bought some that tasted good and took a taxi back to Summer.

She divided up the fruit among the people in the shop, then took a Coconut for herself and sat outside, leisurely gazing at the distant sea.

“Xia Yu, how come you’re here right now?”

A Coach from the shop walked by.

They often came to the juice bar for drinks, so his face was familiar.

Xia Yu smiled at him.

“I’ve got the afternoon off.”

As soon as she finished speaking, she saw Xu Baiyan walking past beside him.

Today, Xu Baiyan was wearing a professional black Surfing suit and sunglasses, carrying a Surfboard in his right hand.

His Surfboard was white, with a bright lemon-yellow stripe along the edge and down the middle.

The color was striking against his all-black outfit.

Is he going Surfing?

Xia Yu raised her hand in greeting.

“Hello, Coach.”

Xu Baiyan nodded slightly. Because he was wearing sunglasses, Xia Yu couldn’t tell if he was looking at her.

He always seemed a bit aloof, and soon he and another Coach headed off toward the beach.

Xia Yu sipped her Coconut juice, feeling a bit lost.

But she didn’t think much of it.

Xu Baiyan’s personality was always like this—being reserved was normal for him.

Just as their figures receded into the distance, she suddenly realized that although she’d been taught by him, she’d never actually seen him Surf.

She wondered if he was really that skilled.

With nothing better to do and her curiosity piqued, Xia Yu couldn’t help but get up and walk toward the beach.

There was a row of paid beach chairs set up on the sand.

After spotting Xu Baiyan, Xia Yu settled into the chair nearest to him and watched as he carried his Surfboard into the sea.

Beach Wave Surfing is different from Wakesurfing.

Wakesurfing uses the waves created by a boat in calm water, while Beach Wave Surfing happens in the natural ocean, where the size and shape of the waves are unpredictable and influenced by wind and tide.

The waves were pretty big today, so most beginners were being taught near the shore.

The experienced ones ventured farther out, riding the waves freely.

The sun blazed overhead, and the sea breeze carried a sense of freedom.

Xia Yu saw a new white wave slowly rise not far away.

Xu Baiyan lay on his lemon-yellow Surfboard, paddling forward with both hands.

As the water swelled and the wave line reached him, he suddenly leapt up and cut into the wall of the wave with lightning speed!

So fast…

Unconsciously, Xia Yu put down her Coconut.

This wave was huge. Compared to this, Wakesurfing was child’s play.

But Xu Baiyan moved as if he were walking on flat ground, the board beneath his feet obeying his every command as he deftly adjusted his direction.

His movements were powerful and fluid—every jump precise, every turn perfectly following the surge of the wave.

Sometimes he dived, sometimes he spun.

If not for that flash of lemon yellow, he could have easily blended right into the blue.

Xia Yu was transfixed.

She’d watched a lot of Surfing videos by experts recently, but still felt that Xu Baiyan’s performance was even more impressive and beautiful.

Like a bold adventurer, and also an artist dancing on the crest of a wave…

It was as if the sea had been completely conquered by him.

So amazing.

Xia Yu’s heart raced as she watched, unknowingly spending over an hour at the beach.

It wasn’t until Xu Baiyan came ashore with his board that she realized how much time had passed.

“Coach! You’re finished?”

She was so close to Xu Baiyan that he noticed her as soon as he walked up.

“What are you doing here?”

After watching for so long, Xia Yu was a little excited. She hurried over.

“I was sitting there watching you Surf just now. I even filmed some videos—do you want them?”

Xu Baiyan glanced at her flushed face.

“…No need.”

He paused, then asked, “Why were you watching me Surf?”

“Because I’ve never seen it before… After watching, I realized you’re really amazing.”

Xu Baiyan’s eyebrows moved slightly, and suddenly he said, “So, am I better than He Jiasen?”

Xia Yu was stunned, feeling like his tone was a bit odd.

“I’ve never seen Jiasen Surf, so I don’t know if he’s any good.”

“Didn’t you say yesterday that he teaches better and that you wanted to learn Surfing from him? Now you say you don’t know if he’s any good?”

Xu Baiyan’s expression was calm as he spoke, but Xia Yu sensed something was off.

Specifically, his tone was rather sarcastic.

Ah…

Did he think she thought he wasn’t a good teacher and wanted to switch to learning from He Jiasen?

So, he’s upset?

No wonder he was so cold when she greeted him today.

Xia Yu quickly waved her hands.

“I never said anything like that, and I don’t think he teaches better than you—I swear.”

Xu Baiyan snorted and strode ahead.

His long legs covered twice her distance in one step, so Xia Yu had to jog to keep up.

“I really didn’t say that. Yesterday, I just asked about his rates, that’s all.”

“Oh, you even asked about his rates.”

Sweat beaded on Xia Yu’s forehead.

“Uh, that’s because, because… Okay, honestly, I did originally think about asking him to teach me.”

Xu Baiyan: “…”

“But that’s only because you’re too expensive,” Xia Yu said quietly.

“Five thousand an hour is really over my budget. If it weren’t for the price, I’d much rather be taught by you… Ah!”

The sand was too soft, and she was walking too fast.

Her foot twisted and she nearly lost her balance.

Luckily, Xu Baiyan reacted quickly and caught her with a sidestep.

Sand got into her flip-flops from twisting her ankle, but Xia Yu didn’t care. Both hands instinctively grabbed his arm as she earnestly tried to make amends.

“I think you’re better. Coach, please don’t be mad…”

Her voice was soft and gentle—not so much an apology as a plea.

Xu Baiyan’s brows twitched slightly, and he looked down at her.

He was drenched, water droplets beading on his sleeves. Her hands still held onto him, their skin pale against the black Surfing suit, nails neatly trimmed and healthy pink.

“Who told you I charge five thousand an hour?” he asked.

Xia Yu: “You said so yesterday in the shop.”

Xu Baiyan was taken aback.

“I just said that offhand because I wasn’t in the mood to teach yesterday.”

“So… you don’t actually charge five thousand an hour? Then how much do you usually charge?”

Xu Baiyan was at a loss for words, because he hadn’t really thought about it.

“Coach, can you make it a bit cheaper? Since I’m your first student, could you give me a discount?”

After watching him Surf today, Xia Yu truly felt he was amazing, and her desire to Surf was at its peak. She’d never felt so eager to learn before.

So she just went for it and asked boldly, “How about forty percent off? If not, seventy percent off is fine too.”

She let go of his hand but gazed at him pitifully.

How come even when she’s not crying, her eyes are still so watery?

Xu Baiyan looked away.

“Forty percent off—you’re really daring. But… it’s not impossible.”

Better than letting people know his first student ran away.

“Really?!”

“You said it yourself—you’re my first student, so you represent my reputation. So the discount comes with the condition that you work hard and don’t embarrass me.”

Xia Yu’s eyes lit up at once.

“Of course! I’ll study hard—I definitely won’t ruin your reputation.”

Xu Baiyan gave a slight “oh,” the corners of his mouth curving up at her look, though the smile quickly vanished.

“Remember what you said.”

“Mm!”

“He Jiasen is only doing his first part-time job as a Coach this year, and you’re not embarrassed to learn from him?”

“…Ah.”

“What I mean is, don’t go learning from other Coaches at random.”

“Mm-hmm!”

As they talked, the two walked back toward Summer.

Halfway there, Xia Yu’s phone suddenly vibrated.

She glanced at Xu Baiyan, then stepped aside to answer.

“Hello?”

“Xiao Yu, what are you doing?”

“Just, uh, out for a walk.”

“Walking?”

Song Yu’an sounded surprised.

“Hangzhou’s pretty hot now, right? Be careful not to get heatstroke if you’re out walking.”

Xia Yu pressed her lips together and, on impulse, told a lie.

“No, I’m walking around inside the mall.”

Xu Baiyan glanced at her when he heard this, and Xia Yu noticed, giving him an apologetic look.

Song Yu’an said, “I’m sitting by the seaside now.

It’s nothing special, I just wanted to ask if the fruit tasted good, or if you wanted me to send you anything else?”

“No, no need, the fruit is definitely good. But there’s already so much, if you send more I’m afraid I won’t be able to finish it before it goes bad.”

Song Yu’an: “Alright, then if you want anything else, just let me know. By the way, are you doing a part-time job this summer? Did you look for another tutoring gig?”

“No…”

People were coming and going around her, and the sound of the waves was close by.

Xia Yu worried he might figure something out, so she hurried to hang up.

“Um… Yu’an-ge, Ying Ying is still waiting for me to go shopping, so I’ll talk to you later.”

“Okay then… Take care and get home early.”

“Mm.”

After hanging up, they were almost back at Summer.

“Lying again?”

A sudden voice came from beside her.

Xia Yu looked up and saw Xu Baiyan watching her with a half-smile, and her face immediately heated up.

But she couldn’t argue, because she really had lied.

“I have my reasons…”

“Oh? What reasons?”

His leisurely manner made Xia Yu even more embarrassed.

She touched her nose and said, “Um… Coach, I’ll help you put your board inside!”

The subject change was abrupt.

Xu Baiyan watched as she tried to take the long board that was much taller than her, and found it funny. He pressed a hand to her forehead.

“Forget it, I’ll do it myself.”

“It’s fine, let me help! You can just go shower.”

“Trying to curry favor? There’s no extra discount for that.”

Xia Yu cleared her throat.

“That’s not what I meant…”

“You’d better not. Anyway, it’s up to me whether I give you a discount.”

Xia Yu stubbornly took the board and started walking toward the room where they stored the Surfboards.

Just then, a surprised and familiar voice called out from not far away.

“Xiao Yu? What are you doing here?”