38: playing at the beach

Initially, the two were quite "well-behaved"; everything was honestly confined to the oversized bed in the bedroom.

The curtains were only half-drawn, and the dappled light from the sea outside the window fell on the bed, outlining the messy blankets and intertwined shadows.

But somehow, the boundary was silently broken.

Later, there were intertwined breaths on the soft sofa in the living room, a hastily discarded piece of clothing draped over a chair by the dining table, and the lounge chair facing the sea in front of the floor-to-ceiling window also became a place where they briefly lingered.

Even in the bathroom, mist swirled, and hazy water vapor condensed into tiny droplets on the mirror, vaguely reflecting two silhouettes too close together.

The entire 180-square-meter suite seemed to have been "walked through" by them little by little.

The lights flickered on and off, ocean waves crashed ashore with the night, and the gasps and heartbeats inside the room seemed to be sealed within that thin layer of air, lingering for a long time.

In the end, even Gu Xinyu herself couldn't tell if it was the alcohol at play, or if emotions suppressed for too long had finally found an outlet.

She only knew that every time he pulled her back into his embrace, the feeling of being certainly caught and treated seriously made that perpetually cold place in her heart gradually begin to warm.

After an unknown number of surges, the room finally quieted down.

Only the sound of the sea, faint and intermittent, could be heard from beyond the floor-to-ceiling window.

The next day, when they woke up, sunlight had already streamed through the curtains, filling the entire room.

Jiang Yuan turned his head, looking at Gu Xinyu, who was still sound asleep beside him, and a complex emotion surged within his heart. The memories of last night still felt close, making him feel a little...

He gently pulled up the blanket for her, got dressed, and walked to the living room, lighting a cigarette. He quietly looked at the blue ocean through the window, exhaling a puff of smoke.

"Brother Jiang, good morning, have you eaten?"

His phone vibrated. Jiang Yuan looked down; it was a message from Liu Zhuoyun, simple and direct, with not much emotional color in the text.

"Not yet, just woke up. Have you eaten?"

Jiang Yuan smiled, recalling Liu Zhuoyun's pure face; that innocence and vitality warmed his heart.

"Yes, I'm in class."

Liu Zhuoyun replied quickly, her tone still relaxed and calm.

"Is Qingdao fun?"

Seeing that Jiang Yuan didn't reply immediately, Liu Zhuoyun sent another message, with a hint of anticipation in her tone.

"It's not bad. I'm planning to go out on the sea later."

After Jiang Yuan replied, he picked up his phone and took a picture of the sea outside the window. The photo showed sparkling waves, and the sea and sky blended into one, like a painting.

"So beautiful, I've never seen the sea before!"

"Next time, when there's an opportunity, I'll take you to the Maldives to see the sea."

Jiang Yuan's reply carried a hint of ease and playfulness.

"Okay, Brother Jiang, I'm going to study now!"

Liu Zhuoyun's tone became much lighter, as if he could feel her smile on the other end, and his heart also felt a inexplicable warmth.

A slight movement came from behind him.

The blanket on the bed stirred, and Gu Xinyu turned over, slowly waking up after a while.

She first paused for two seconds, as if recalling where she was, then looked down at the blanket carefully pulled over her by him, and then at his back, leaning against the floor-to-ceiling window, puffing smoke not far away.

Last night's scenes flashed through her mind, and her ears silently grew hot.

"Brother Jiang."

Her voice was a little hoarse, and her just-woken voice carried a slightly nasal, sticky sound.

Jiang Yuan turned around, seeing her exposing a sliver of her fragrant shoulder, lazily nestled in the blanket, like a kitten just waking up.

"Awake?"

He pressed the cigarette into the ashtray and smiled, "Still tired?"

"A little."

Gu Xinyu answered honestly, then realized the words sounded a bit off. She paused, then quickly added, "Mainly because I went to bed too late yesterday, and I drank alcohol."

"Alright."

Jiang Yuan smiled, not exposing her.

Gu Xinyu threw off the blanket, and her legs felt weak when she got out of bed.

She herself was stunned for a moment, quickly grabbed the edge of the bed, and muttered, "The hotel bed is too soft, I'm not used to sleeping on it."

Jiang Yuan saw it, found it amusing, but very discreetly pretended not to notice.

"Go wash up first."

He said, "Later, I'll take you for a walk by the sea."

As he said the words "by the sea," he subconsciously thought of Liu Zhuoyun, and then suppressed that inexplicable emotion.

After washing up, Gu Xinyu had regained her usual neat and tidy appearance, though her eyes still had a faint redness at the corners. She seemed to have shed some of her usual professional distance, replaced by a more genuinely feminine aura.

"Let's go."

Jiang Yuan glanced at her and picked up the room card.

"Mm."

The elevator descended, and outside the glass cabin was a full sea view.

The sun was just right, and the sea breeze seemed to be cut into fine threads, swaying in the distance within their sight.

The two walked from the hotel all the way to the beach.

As they got closer to the sea, the wind noticeably picked up, carrying a damp, salty scent.

Gu Xinyu subconsciously raised her hand to hold down her skirt, while her other hand held her shoes. When her toes touched the sand, they recoiled slightly, seemingly startled by the sand's temperature.

"It's a bit cold."

She said softly.

"Then let's walk slower."

Jiang Yuan casually held his flip-flops in his hand, walking barefoot beside her, the sand slowly sinking beneath his feet.

Waves rolled in, then receded, leaving irregular water marks at their feet.

At first, they chatted on and off, but later their conversation dwindled, and instead, the quiet companionship wasn't awkward at all.

"What about you?"

After walking for a while, Jiang Yuan suddenly spoke.

"Have you been to the beach before?"

"I've seen the sea a few times when I was traveling for work."

Gu Xinyu thought for a moment, "But walking by the sea like this... watching it slowly move, this is probably the first time."

She paused, then smiled again: "I never had the right person to come with before."

The words weren't heavy, but they were very real.

Jiang Yuan turned his head to look at her.

The sunlight outlined a faint glow on her profile, a few strands of her hair were disheveled by the sea breeze, but she didn't bother to fix them, just squinted at the distant horizon.

"Then if you want to see it in the future, just tell me."

Jiang Yuan said, "The sea doesn't have legs, it won't run away."

"That depends on whether you have time."

Gu Xinyu replied casually, her tone much more relaxed than usual.

"Don't you know if I have time or not?"

Jiang Yuan said faintly.

After walking along the beach for a while, the two headed towards the yacht marina.

This area specializes in sea activities, with jet skis, speedboats, sailboats, and surfboards lined up, and a white medium-sized yacht waiting for guests in the distance.

"Which one first?"

After the staff enthusiastically introduced the options, they smiled at them, clearly recognizing their "high-spending customer" aura at a glance.

"Let's start with the speedboat."

Jiang Yuan looked at Gu Xinyu, "Do you dare?"

"With you here, what do I have to be afraid of?"

She said it very naturally.

The moment the speedboat shot out, the sea wind slapped against their faces in sheets.

Gu Xinyu was a bit tense at first, her hands subconsciously gripping tightly, but after half a minute, she adapted to the rhythm and relaxed.

"Actually... it's quite fun."

She whispered into his ear, her voice slightly carried away by the wind.