Chapter 88 - A Thrilling BeaChapter Day
The bus slowly ca to a halt in the parking lot near the beach. The forr students of No.12 High School cheered and ran towards the waters with their luggage on their backs.
This particular beach was famous in their province and was always full during the holidays. However, right now, it was neither a weekend nor an official holiday. Therefore, there weren’t many tourists visiting, and there were only a few cars in the parking lot.
Lin Qian woke up at their excited shouts, and drowsily asked: “We’ve arrived?”
“Yes, we’re here.” Zheng PingQing reached out a hand to lightly rub at Lin Qian’s eyes. Then, he gently pressed at Lin Qian’s temple and asked: “Have you slept enough? Do you want to go to the villa and sleep for another hour?”
Lin Qian stretched his arms and rubbed his forehead against Zheng PingQing’s shoulder. “No, I feel refreshed. Let’s get off.”
“Wait, you’re hair looks a little ssy.” Zheng PingQing ruffled Lin Qian’s hair in an attempt to straighten it.
This was the scene Xu Yao, who had intended to co over and call them, saw. Xu Yao imdiately turned around and shouted: “Jiang TingJun, wait for !”
Jiang TingJun still hadn’t forgotten Xu Yao’s previous provocation during the bus ride, so he huffed and said: “Go away! You’re no longer my friend, ah.”
Xu Yao: “....”
Because of those two gays, he lost so many of his friends one after the other. It was Lin Qian, then Dong MingEn, and now, Jiang TingJun...
Xu Yao felt a little sad, but gradually, his distorted ntality made him vengeful. He ran and caught up to Jiang TingJun, then told him: “If you stop being friends with , I’ll tell everyone you’re pursuing .”
Jiang TingJun: “...you’re so vicious.”
In the end, the reluctant Jiang TingJun was forced to reconcile.
There was another bus parked near their own bus and a group of laughing young girls got off. They seed to be in the sa age group as the tutoring group.
Dong MingEn’s expression brightened. “Wow, so many lovely girls.”
Next to him, a classmate admonished him: “Brother Dong, you already have Ah Yao, yet you’re still eyeing girls? You’re such a scum.”
Older brother Dong brushed away his bangs from his face and said: “I go for both n and won!”
Just then, a girl from the other group suddenly waved her hand towards them. “Dong MingEn, what a coincidence!”
Dong MingEn looked at the pretty girl and realized that she looked sowhat familiar. However, he couldn’t rember where he’d seen this sister. Instead, it was Gou XinDou who recognized her first. He said: “Eh, isn’t that girl from No. 9 High School?”
Dong MingEn hurriedly grabbed Gou XinDou and asked: “Hurry, tell who she is!”
Gou XinDou was silent for a mont, then said: “Last year, didn’t you teach her how to skate? Don’t tell you’ve already forgotten?”
At that ti, Gou XinDou helped Dong MingEn and Lou XingGuang get Zheng PingQing and Luo RunWei, a No.9 High School student, together. Gou XinDou rembered the girl waving at them because she had superb skating skills, but pretended to be a complete novice so that Dong MingEn would teach her.
Seeing this girl again put Guo XinDou in a complicated mood. It was this girl’s actions that made him realize Lin Qian and Zheng PingQing’s true relationship.
Dong MingEn made a surprised sound. “No wonder I found her so familiar. But what’s her na?”
Gou XinDou: “....”
If it weren’t for Dong MingEn’s sort-of good looks, Gou XinDou figured that Dong MingEn would have to say goodbye to any semblance of a love-life.
Gou XinDou, who had a good mory, replied: “Her na is Xu Shuang.”
The new group was students of No.9 High School who also planned to play on the beach after the college entrance exams. They didn’t expect to bump into students of No.12 High School.
Luo RunWei and You NiNi, the top beauties in their school, were also in the new group. When they saw Dong MingEn, their minds churned. You NiNi looked towards the group of No. 12 High School students and saw Lin Qian and Zheng PingQing in the back of the crowd next to a bus.
After the grueling college entrance exams, students usually beco bolder and less reserved due to their new-found freedom. You NiNi was no different. She walked past the No.12 High School students and stood in front of Lin Qian. With a sweet smile, she said: “Classmate Lin Qian, what a coincidence! I didn’t expect to see you here.”
Lin Qian politely nodded towards her and responded: “Hello.”
It’s been more than six months since Huo YeRui’s birthday party. Although You NiNi hadn’t seen Lin Qian since then, she often heard things about him. She heard that Lin Qian led No.12 High School in dethroning and replacing No. 1 High School as the new top school in Rong City. Not only that, but Lin Qian even got first place in the city-wide exams. It can be said that while Lin Qian lived a low-key life, stories and legends about him were widespread in the community.
So although You NiNi never saw Lin Qian again, she liked him much more compared to their first eting.
Especially now, when she finally saw him after a long separation. Lin Qian seed a little taller than before, and while his beautiful face seed to have lost so of its boyhood charms. Lin Qian’s more mature bearing made You NiNi, who was used to being surrounded by boys, suddenly nervous.
You NiNi tugged the corner of her dress and cald down. Then, she shyly asked: “Well, where are you all staying tonight? If it’s close to our group’s accommodations, then maybe we can play together....”
You NiNi’s soft voice caused the chatter around her to gradually quiet down. The students of No.12 High School soon stopped talking one by one and secretly glanced at You NiNi from the corner of their eyes.
Pretty, so pretty.
And very, very, bold.
You NiNi couldn’t say anything else because she soon noticed the strange atmosphere. She didn’t know what happened, but her intuition was telling her to stop talking.
You NiNi was a little confused. She looked around and saw that the No.12 High School students not only stopped talking, but their bodies beca stiff. But even so, nobody actually turned and looked at her.
It can be said that no matter where You NiNi went, she attracted a lot of gazes. Whenever she took the initiative to talk to a boy, the people around her would often tease. So it wasn’t an exaggeration to say that sothing like this had never happened to You NiNi in the past ten years.
Her heart felt inexplicably scared. But before she could even attempt to understand, Zheng PingQing, who had been standing next to Lin Qian crossed his arms and angrily said: “Classmate You NiNi, there’s another handso guy next to Lin Qian, ah. Why are you greeting just him?”
Because of the skating rink incident, You NiNi didn’t have a favorable impression of Zheng PingQing and felt they didn’t really have the sort of relationship where they would greet each other. But in the end, Zheng PingQing was Lin Qian’s friend. With Zheng PingQing calling her out in such a blatant way, You NiNi couldn’t directly refuse him to his face. She had to reluctantly say: “Hello, classmate Zheng.”
After this perfunctory greeting, she turned back towards Lin Qian and asked: “...well? Classmate Lin Qian, what do you think of my suggestion?”
Before Lin Qian could answer, Zheng PingQing turned to Lin Qian and asked: “Yes, Classmate Lin, what do you think about her suggestion?”
The others nearby: “...” Tsk, tsk, was this the legendary ‘asking but not really asking’ special move?
Sure enough, it’s tough dating a tyrant.
Lin Qian smiled and replied: “We’re staying in a place Zheng PingQing booked, so you’ll have to ask him.”
You NiNi: “....”
The others: “....” They were wrong. It was only them that would have a tough ti dating a tyrant. For Lin Qian, it was too easy.
For a while, You NiNi was embarrassed. She didn’t know if Lin Qian really was unaware of things or if he was just pretending not to.
But then Zheng PingQing smiled and listed out an address. “...that’s where we’re staying. If your accommodations are nearby, then you’re welco to co and play.”
Everyone: “....” Ah, this was the so-called ‘confidence only attainable by a favored person in the imperial palace,’ right?
You NiNi’s eyes curved in delight. “Oh, we’re staying in a villa near that address. It’s very close, so we’ll definitely be able to et again later.”
She said this while smiling at Lin Qian.
Lin Qian raised his hand in a tily manner and shouted: “Li Gao, have you taken the box of seafood out of the bus yet? Let help you.”
At a loss of what to say, Lin Qian walked over to the passing Li Gao and took the foam box off his hands. He unhesitatingly left Zheng PingQing and You NiNi, who didn’t have a very good relationship with each other, alone together. The two stood there, looking at each other in dismay.
However, since the favored person was satisfied, he generously said to You NiNi: “Your group is welco anyti.”
You NiNi went back to her group and saw Lou RunWei looked at her with a disgruntled expression on her face. “When did you get so familiar with Zheng PingQing?’
At first, Lou RunWei figured she could stop being so aloof and cold towards Zheng PingQing. But as a result, Zheng PingQing didn’t even look at her. Instead, Zheng PingQing took the initiative to greet You NiNi. It seems that he got jealous when You NiNi ignored him for Lin Qian? And he even told her she was welco to play...
Lou RunWei felt deeply betrayed by her sister.
You NiNi quickly waved off her words. “I’m not. I don’t know why Zheng PingQing is acting this way.”
Although You NiNi was being truthful, in the end, seeing was believing. To Lou RunWei, You NiNi’s words were grating. Lou RunWei huffed and tossed her hair, then walked off.
You NiNi: “...”
......
When they arrived at the beach, it was noon. The sun was too high for them to go into the water, plus they just ca off a long drive, so everyone had a quick lunch before going to their rooms to have a small rest.
The villa Zheng PingQing booked was specifically for holiday tourists, so the rooms were divided into several small double rooms and two bunk bedrooms for several people to sleep in together. In addition to the bedrooms, there were also many recreation facilities that catered to people their age. The group took a brief nap in the afternoon, then, with their energy bars fully restored, decided to go crazy and play hard.
The sun was starting to slant towards the west, so it wasn’t so hot on the beach anymore. Everyone changed into swimsuits one after the other, and much like ducks eager to go into the water, they all ‘squawked’ as they rushed into the sea.
The chattering of male students could be heard:
“See my pumped up arms? It’s the symbol of manliness!”
“How is that a symbol of masculinity? Look at my four abs!”
“Hah, so what? I used to have six abs back when I did martial arts. But guess what? All my abs rged into one. Hahaha, look, it’s this!”
“Ooh, so powerful. I think you can get at least six catties of lard from your ‘ab’!”
“Haha, in that case, when we do a barbecue this evening...”
“Hm, if we roasted him, we wouldn’t need to brush oil onto him...”
“Slow down, wait for , ah!” Towards the end of the crowd, Dong MingEn, with an inflatable duck ring around his waist, ran towards them.
The others had a disgusted expression on their faces as they said: “Don’t co near , ah. I don’t want to play with a duck.”
Dong MingEn angrily replied: “Hah! Don’t co begging to borrow my inflatable ring later!”
......
Lin Qian and Zheng PingQing didn’t go into the water. Instead, they changed into more casual clothes and slowly walked along the beach hand in hand.
The two had known each other for a very long ti, but most of that ti was spent hurting each other. They had few dates, even if you included their marriage trip in their last life. Zheng PingQing had planned a romantic honeymoon, but they ultimately hadn’t been able to make the trip.
So this relaxing date was a rare and precious opportunity for them.
The sea breeze gently blew, and occasionally, the seawater tickled their feet. The sounds of the waves, coupled with the sll of salt, made the experience pleasant.
When the couple arrived at a relatively deserted spot, they looked at each other and tacitly decided to sit on the sand. They put their heads close to each other and kissed.
The white sandy beach, the gentle spray of water, the scattered seashells along the shore...
Their hair fluttered over their young, but slowly maturing faces. This was the best years of one’s life. It might be short and fleeting, but it would be sothing forever cherished and never forgotten.
“The water feels nice.” Zheng PingQing watched the waves roll in and from the bottom of his heart, said: “I want to take a mandarin duck bath.”
Lin Qian turned to look at him and smile. “Alright.”
Zheng PignQing’s eyes lit up, and he rubbed his hands together in excitent. “You said it. You can’t take it back later.”
Lin Qian chuckled. “Of course.”
Zheng PingQing couldn’t help but wrap his arms around Lin Qian. Then, he rubbed his cheek against Lin Qian’s neck to calm himself down.
“There’s one other thing I’ve always wanted to do.” After a while, Zheng PingQing perked up once more.
Lin Qian looked at him, curious.
Zheng PingQing shifted his position and picked up a smooth seashell that had swept towards them. He crouched down on the sand and began to draw.
Lin Qian watched as Zheng PingQing wrote ‘Lin Qian’ on the sand, then ‘Zheng PingQing’ next to it. Then, he drew a big heart around the two nas.
Lin Qian: “....” He thought this kind of thing only appeared in a young girl’s fanciful mind.
After Zheng PingQing finished, he stood up and looked at Lin Qian with an expectant gaze.
Lin Qian...chose to applause.
Lin Qian gave Zheng PingQing a sincere look and skillfully coaxed him: “No wonder I felt sothing missing. It turned out this was the final thing needed for the perfect beach date!”
Zheng PingQing embraced Lin Qian from behind and looked down at the two nas surrounded by a heart. He felt very proud. “My heart is drawn so perfectly, ah.”
Lin Qian nodded and praised: “Yes, both sides are symtrical, and the line is unbroken. Only a heart full of love can draw such perfection, ah.”
Zheng PingQing’s heart was tickled. He was about to bend down and take advantage of the situation, but suddenly, Dong MingEn’s voice could be heard. “Duck, my duck–”
The ambiguous atmosphere was interrupted, and the two embracing n looked up towards the sound. Dong MingEn’s inflatable ring sohow slipped off his waist and was now drifting rapidly towards the sea. Dong MingEn was chasing the inflatable ring, and after a while, he finally managed to stop the inflatable ring on a shoal not far from the couple.
But Dong MingEn didn’t calm down. Instead, he cried out in an even more sad tone: “My duck is leaking!”
He picked up his inflatable ring and ran towards the shore. “Where’s the pump station-”
“Oh! Hello Boss! Hello, big brother Qian!” Dong MingEn walked up the shore, only to find the two n holding each other near the water. Feeling a sudden sharp pain in his eyes, Dong MingEn greeted them and hurriedly tried to pass.
“Get back here.” Zheng PingQing’s cold voice could suddenly be heard.
Dong MingEn wanted to quickly run away, but at Zheng PingQing’s icy tone, his legs subconsciously turned back around. He could only say: “Yes, Boss, what’s the matter?”
Zheng PingQing was still holding Lin Qian, and his hands hadn’t loosened. However, the expression on his face was obviously unhappy. “Look down at your feet.”
Dong MingEn was confused but obediently looked down.
Then...
‘Plop!’ Dong MingEn fell on his butt.
He saw what was under his feet. It turned out to be a heart with two nas inside it.
However, there was now a deep, well-defined footprint inside the heart.
Dong MingEn clung to Zheng PingQing’s leg and exclaid: “Boss, forgive my foot, ah. It wasn’t intentional!”
The author has sothing to say:
Dong MingEn: My duck, my duck betrayed !
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