100: Chapter 99 Island Tour, Yacht Party?

The elevator went down. Mu Qing looked at herself in the mirror, tucking a stray lock of hair behind her ear.

"Su Bai, where are we going to have fun today?"

"I'll take you around first."

Su Bai said, "Get familiar with the place."

The elevator doors opened. The lobby was cool, with the air conditioning running at full blast.

Stepping out the front door, a hot breeze rushed to meet them, carrying the salty scent of the sea and the sweet fragrance of flowers.

Mu Qing took a deep breath.

"So comfortable."

She opened her arms, as if to embrace the air.

Su Bai glanced at her, smiled, and headed toward the beach.

The sea was right behind the hotel, and a wooden boardwalk cut through the garden, leading to the beach.

Mu Qing hopped and skipped to catch up with him.

The beach was white, the sand fine and soft to step on; her toes sank in, feeling warm.

Waves surged in one after another, licking the beach before receding again.

In the distance, a few children were building sandcastles. Nearby, a couple was taking a selfie—the woman held up her phone, the man had his arm around her waist, and both were laughing happily.

Mu Qing took off her sandals, carried them in her hand, and stepped onto the sand barefoot. The seawater washed up, submerging her ankles, cool and refreshing.

"So cool!"

She flinched, then stuck her foot back in, giggling.

Su Bai walked beside her. Sand had gotten into his flip-flops, so he took them off too and carried them in his hand.

The two of them walked slowly along the coastline.

A middle-aged couple walked toward them from the left. The woman wore a floral maxi dress, and the man wore a white T-shirt and shorts.

Seeing them, the woman whispered to the man, "Look at that young couple, they're so good-looking."

The man took a look and nodded in agreement.

The voice wasn't loud, but Mu Qing heard it.

Her ears turned a little red, but she didn't explain and kept walking forward.

They strolled for about an hour. The sun climbed higher and higher, making their skin feel hot.

Sweat appeared on the tip of Mu Qing's nose, and her cheeks were flushed.

She fanned herself with her hand.

"So hot."

"Let's go find somewhere to eat."

They walked along the path by the sea toward the town.

Both sides of the road were lined with restaurants and small shops selling coconuts, grilled seafood, swimsuits, and straw hats.

The air was filled with the aroma of barbecue, mixed with the scent of garlic and lemongrass.

Su Bai picked a small shop that looked clean and sat down by the window.

Outside the window was the sea, where fishing boats could be seen drifting.

The landlady was a plump middle-aged woman with tanned, dark skin, and she had a hearty laugh.

"What would you two like to eat? Our seafood was caught just this morning, it's very fresh!"

Su Bai didn't look at the menu and said familiarly,

"Steamed grouper, garlic lobster, a stir-fried vegetable dish, and two servings of coconut rice."

The landlady noted it down and asked, "What about drinks?"

"Two chilled coconut waters," Su Bai said.

"Coming right up!"

Soon, the dishes arrived one after another.

The grouper was steamed just right; the meat was snow-white, falling apart at the touch of a chopstick, and it melted in the mouth.

The lobster was split in half, covered with a thick layer of minced garlic, grilled until fragrant and charred, and the meat was firm and springy.

The coconut rice was steamed with glutinous rice and coconut milk, sweet and carrying the fresh fragrance of coconut.

Mu Qing ate with great relish and asked while eating,

"Where are we going this afternoon?"

Su Bai thought for a moment.

"How about I take you on an island tour?"

Mu Qing turned her head to look at him.

"Island tour? Driving?"

"Yeah, I'll go get a convertible," Su Bai said, "to go for a drive."

Mu Qing's eyes lit up instantly.

She sped up her eating, shoveled the last few bites of coconut rice into her mouth, and put down her chopsticks.

"I'm full."

Su Bai saw a grain of rice on the corner of her mouth and pointed to his own mouth.

Mu Qing was stunned for a moment, then realized what he meant, stuck out her tongue to lick it off, her face turning a little red.

After the meal, Su Bai went to get the car.

A white BMW convertible was parked in the hotel's underground garage, prepared in advance by the Hainan branch.

He drove it out and parked it in front of the restaurant.

Mu Qing stood on the roadside, and when she saw the car, her mouth opened slightly.

The white body and blue soft top were dazzling under the sunlight.

Su Bai pushed the car door open, got out, and opened the roof.

The soft top folded up and retracted into the trunk; the car became a convertible, with white leather seats that shone softly in the sunlight.

"Get in," Su Bai adjusted his sunglasses and waved at her.

Mu Qing happily hopped into the passenger seat and fastened her seatbelt.

The sea breeze blew over, her hair fluttering and brushing against his arm.

Su Bai started the engine, and the car drove onto the seaside road.

Mu Qing lifted her feet and placed them on the passenger dashboard, her fair, delicate toes exposed, wiggling slightly in the wind.

Her hair was blown into a mess, but she didn't care; she tilted her head back, closed her eyes, and smiled.

"So awesome!" she shouted, her voice scattered by the wind.

They drove for another stretch. By the road was a grove of tall coconut trees, their leaves rustling in the wind.

Su Bai parked the car on the side of the road. Mu Qing jumped out, ran into the coconut grove, and looked up at the tall coconut trees.

"Su Bai, do you think there are coconuts up there?"

Su Bai followed, took a look, and said,

"Yes, but you can't pick them."

Mu Qing pouted. She wandered around the coconut grove, picked up a few coconut shells that had fallen on the ground, lined them up, and took a photo.

Then she ran back to the car.

"Let's go, let's go!"

The car continued driving forward.

The sun slowly moved westward, the light changing from white to gold, covering the sea with a layer of shimmering gold.

Su Bai drove along the coastline.

When passing a beach, several cars were parked on the side of the road, and a group of people on the beach seemed to be preparing something.

Some were moving speakers, some were setting up a canopy, and others were sticking torches into the sand.

Su Bai's gaze paused on the group of people, and then he hit the brakes.

Mu Qing almost fell forward. She steadied herself and turned to look at him.

"What's wrong?"

Su Bai didn't answer. He was looking at a young man among the group, who was shirtless, wearing floral shorts, and directing a few people to move things.

He wasn't tall, but he was sturdy, with bronze-tanned skin, a buzz cut, and a gold chain around his neck.

He had his back to the road, gesturing and speaking loudly; he could be heard from over a hundred meters away.

Su Bai parked the car on the roadside and honked the horn.

The man turned his head and squinted toward them.

He looked for two seconds, and then his expression changed from impatient to surprised, and from surprised to delighted!

He dropped what was in his hands and ran over, his flip-flops leaving deep footprints in the sand.

"Holy crap!"

He ran to the car, looked at Su Bai, his eyes wide.

"Su Bai? Old Bai! It really is you!"

Su Bai leaned back in his seat and smiled.

"Wang Zheng, long time no see."

Wang Zheng leaned on the car door, looking Su Bai up and down, looking jealous.

"You kid, how many years has it been? Still so handsome!"

He patted Su Bai's shoulder, with heavy force.

"How come you came to Hainan? And you didn't even tell me!"

"It was a last-minute decision," Su Bai said. "Just here for a few days."

Wang Zheng straightened up and only then noticed Mu Qing in the passenger seat.

His gaze paused on her for a moment, then he withdrew his eyes, looked at Su Bai, winked, and lowered his voice, but Mu Qing still heard it:

"Old Bai, you've got game. You've never been short of gorgeous women by your side."

Su Bai smiled.

"Don't talk nonsense. This is my classmate, here to hang out."

Wang Zheng raised an eyebrow, clearly not believing it, but didn't press further.

He straightened up, stepped back, and waved at the group on the beach.

"There's a party tonight on my yacht. Want to come over and hang out?"

Su Bai glanced at Mu Qing, then at Wang Zheng.

"Can I bring a female companion?"

Wang Zheng coughed dryly and winked at Su Bai.

"Sure, since you're bringing a female companion, I won't call any girls for you."

Su Bai raised his hand and said,

"Hey! You still need the vibe squad." He looked at Mu Qing.

"We are just classmates, not what you're thinking."

Wang Zheng patted the car door, his expression changing from winking to a meaningful "I get it, I get it."

"Don't worry, I have plenty of people for the vibe squad here, no need for you to worry."

Su Bai: "Alright, we'll come over tonight."

Wang Zheng nodded, a smile on his lips.

"Alright, Old Bai, see you tonight! Let me see if your tolerance has dropped!"

He turned and ran back to the beach.

Mu Qing sat in the passenger seat, watching the shrinking figure in the rearview mirror, and asked puzzledly,

"Is this... your friend?"

Su Bai started the engine.

"Met him back when I was investing... I mean, hanging out in Hainan. A local. His dad, Wang Xiong, is a local kingpin here, quite influential."

Mu Qing nodded and didn't ask further.

Tonight... a yacht party?

She hadn't been to one before, looking forward to it!