Chapter 4: The Island Where Four Exists

It turned out that he didn't remember her name.

So is he a bit stupid?

"My name is Xia Cun, the Cun of Existence."

Xia Cun always introduces herself like this, it is simple and easy to remember. If possible, she actually prefers to be called Xia Cun.

In fact, she was almost called that name.

As early as when she was born, Xia Lan suggested to Xia Qing to name her Xia Cunxin, but Xia Qing had some concerns. She thought that it would be a bit strange to say in the future when she said sentences like "What is Xia Cunxin doing?" For example, Xia Cunxin is thinking, Xia Cunxin is eating... It sounds like stuttering and looks like double vision, so she only kept the first word.

"exist?"

After Xia Cun introduced himself to Jiang Song again, he repeated the word in not very standard Chinese, pronouncing the words with confusion, sounding as if he did not understand the meaning of existence.

Xia Cun stretched out his index finger and slowly wrote the two words on the table.

Jiang Song came closer, looked intently, and finally said as if he suddenly understood: "そんざい."

The pronunciation of "existence" in Japanese. "Existence" in Japanese has the same shape as the Chinese character.

He seemed to understand her name and pushed the box of apple juice that he had not handed over to her, then took out a box for himself and inserted a straw.

The convenience store was well air-conditioned and lively pop music was playing. Two teenagers sat in the dusk, quietly sipping juice and looking at the street outside the window.

A golden retriever walked by the window with its owner, its fur fluffy. Xia Cun suddenly thought of Ren Yi, who had said she wanted to bleach and dye her hair blonde after graduating from high school.

She hopes Jiang Song dyes his hair platinum blonde so that he will look more like a sheep.

Her thoughts were wandering, and soon she heard the empty sound of a straw sucking in a drinks box, followed by a sizzling sound.

It was Jiang Song who drank up the apple juice.

He shook the empty box and muttered to himself, "Ah, I'm hungry."

Then he looked away and lazily asked the girl beside him, "Would you like something to eat, 営存ちゃん?"

The tone was natural and casual, but Xia Cun took a sip of apple juice and turned to look at him——

Existence sauce?

Was that what he just called her?

He was smiling, obviously not thinking that addressing her like that was too intimate. Xia Cun looked at him for a long time and shook his head. He then said regretfully, "Then I'll just have to eat something casually."

The shelves blocked the view of the young man who was looking for it, and Xia Cun's thoughts continued to wander.

Why did he call her that? Was he teasing her? If so, should she be angry with him?

Or maybe she shouldn't, after all, she...

As he was thinking, Jiang Song's figure appeared in the window again. He sat back by the window, but only bought an unheated triangular rice ball, two boxes of Pocky, and a tea egg.

He seems to eat very little, so how did he grow so tall?

Maybe it's genetics.

She had seen the widely circulated photo of his father online, showing his superior figure and handsome appearance. But he looked more like his mother than his father, and even though she couldn't find a photo of his mother online, she was sure of this.

Xia Cun ignored her watch's sudden vibration, because at the same moment Jiang Song handed her an unwrapped Matcha Pocky and asked, "Eat it?"

She blinked like a cat for a moment before reaching out and pulling one out, then stared at him as if he were a cookie.

He seemed to be able to naturally ignore everyone's gaze, lowering his head to eat cold rice balls, as quietly and calmly as a cat eating.

Xia Cun waited until he finished eating before calling him, "Student Jiang Song."

"Nun?" He turned his head, his smile faded, as if he was bored and had lost interest, but also as if he still had a hint of expectation.

"What kind of people and things do you think are interesting?" she asked suddenly.

He opened another box of cookies and seemed to be pondering the answer.

The faint scent of mint chocolate permeated the air. He pulled out a chocolate bar, took a bite, and mumbled, "Wakannai (I don't know)." Then, as if changing his mind, he added, "...maybe it's something elusive."

Xia Cun tilted his head and looked at him seriously: "Is there anything you can't catch?"

For him, there probably won't be any.

If so, what would it be that he couldn't catch?

"That's why you're always bored." His voice was a little contemptuous, which indirectly confirmed her guess about him. He also felt that there was nothing he couldn't grasp.

But after he finished speaking, he suddenly frowned and changed the subject with a transition word, "Demone (But), sometimes, things seem to float by that are impossible to grasp."

Xia Cun blinked and asked seriously, "Just like me?"

Just like he said just now that she was a more interesting person?

"Soso, just like you," he admitted without hesitation, his eyes instantly filled with inquiry, and he suddenly asked, "Why did you give apple juice to that dwarf?"

For a moment, Xia Cun frowned, perhaps even without realizing it. She replied, "Because he gave me a banana."

In response to this, Jiang Song only uttered a short, ambiguous syllable, as if he suddenly realized something, but also seemed dissatisfied with the answer. He took out another biscuit, but moved closer to her and said, "I have another question. Can you tell me the answer?"

Xia Cun's heartbeat suddenly accelerated.

Was he going to ask her if she was filming him?

"How did you join us?"

Oh, so that’s what it is.

Xia Cun relaxed his slightly raised shoulders and said expressionlessly, "This is a secret."

"ah……"

It seemed like something else was floating by.

The face is white.

-

The black Alphard drove slowly along the coastal boulevard. Outside the car window were rows of coconut trees, their branches swaying like the wind, or like a heat wave. It seemed as if even through the car window I could sense the salty, damp seawater and the scorching sun.

Xia Cun looked at the sea through the car window. The sea was blue, the waves were shining golden, and the tourists were like stones piled on the shore.

Soon she would go there and make a stone too.

"Xia Cun."

Someone was calling her in a flat voice. Xia Cun withdrew his gaze and looked at Tong Anyu who was sitting beside him.

The girl still had her ponytail tied up, looking fresh and natural. Meeting Xia Cun's puzzled gaze, she finally pursed her lips and asked, "Why did you join this group?"

It's clear that the "Summer Vacation Together" group is centered around Jiang Song—one could even say "Summer Vacation with Jiang Song." This is his first summer vacation in China since he grew up, and it will be the end of his brief return to Japan.

Except for He Shizhao, no one in the group could be called Jiang Song’s “friend”, but they were all people Jiang Song frequently interacted with on campus. Even if it was a bit harsh to say it, they were all considered Jiang Song’s followers.

But what about Xia Cun? They had never seen her before.

How did she fall from the sky?

She is just a student at the headquarters.

Tong Anyu's question caused Banli and another girl in the back seat to sit up straight, obviously they were also curious about the matter. Banli leaned his head to the middle of the seat, his eyes falling on Xia Cun's profile.

"It's a secret."

Xia Cun gave Jiang Song the same answer he had given him at the convenience store last night, word for word.

A trace of disappointment flashed across Ban Li's face, and then he took the opportunity to ask, "By the way, Xia Cun, what do your family members do?"

"My aunt is a cartoonist."

"Aunt? What about your parents?" Banli asked heartlessly.

"I don't have a father, and my mother is dead."

She spoke in a normal tone, but the car suddenly became silent, as if even the air had stopped flowing.

The coconut forest was retreating, and it took Ban Li a long time to digest this fact. He apologized to her, "I'm sorry..."

Xia Cun did not respond.

She had experienced almost the same scenario many times. In the past, she would ask those who apologized why they were apologizing, and in the end they all became more embarrassed without exception.

She asked Xiaolan about this, and she explained that it was a polite apology, meant to quickly smooth over an awkward situation, and that her questioning undoubtedly exposed their well-intentioned guilt and remorse. Xiaolan believed this apology served a self-soothing purpose, intended to alleviate her own anxiety. So Xia Cun decided she didn't need to respond to such apologies.

Banli silently retracted his upper body and looked down at his phone. Only Tong Anyu's gaze remained on Xia Cun's face, as if he had some unanswered questions.

The car went up the mountain road and finally slowly drove into a villa halfway up the mountain.

The architecture is minimalist and modern, with clean lines, and the vegetation in the garden has been carefully cultivated and laid out in a symmetrical pattern, without obstructing the view.

Xia Cun got out of the car and walked into the warm air.

The black shadows of the trees floated in the hot wind, like the witch KIKI's cat.

Several assistants were waiting in the garden. Tong Anyu and another girl got out of the car and walked towards the villa under the same umbrella. Banli followed them, but after a few steps, he turned back and asked her, "Why aren't you leaving?"

She was thinking about her luggage, but two men dragging it passed the answer to her: Someone will bring it in.

Others were already at the villa, having arrived by light helicopter after getting off the plane.

When Xia Cun and Banli entered the house, a cool breeze hit them in the face.

In the high-ceilinged ocean-view living room, He Shizhao and Lu Xu were playing Mario Kart. He Shizhao's expression was indifferent, while Lu Xu's competitive spirit was clearly written on his face, shouting at He Shizhao's lead. Jiang Song also lowered his head to play the game console, focused and calm. Zhuo Manyi and Zhou Yun were arguing again, apparently because Zhuo Manyi wanted to switch rooms with Zhou Yun, but he refused.

No one looked up to greet the four people who had just arrived at the door.

The villa's housekeeper took them to their respective rooms. Xia Cun's room was on the third floor, on the left side of the elevator, while the group of teenagers in the center of the living room all lived on the second floor.

Xia Cun could see the sea from the window of the room. After she went in, she took a photo and sent it to Xia Lan and Ren Yi.

Xia Lan replied, "Oh, remember to collect materials for me."

Ren Yi immediately replied with an angry beagle emoji, saying, "Xia exists! Please don't be corrupted!"

Xia Cun asked her, "What corrupted you?"

"Of course it's a sea view villa or something, damn it."

"Is that all?"

Ren Yi sent a string of question marks and said, "You're so arrogant! Eat some peanuts."

Xia Cun was thinking about Zhuo Manyi's complaints that morning.

She said, what's the point of going to the beaches in China? Why not go to the private island of the Jiang family or the Tanaka family?

Why can islands be privately owned?

Will she have her own island someday?

Maybe when the end of the world comes, Jiang Song and others will move to Mars and Venus, and there will be extra islands on Earth belonging to her.

Xia Cun waited in reverie for her suitcase to arrive, and she started to tidy up the room.

When she came downstairs, she heard Zhuo Manyi asking, "Jiang Song, if I go to Kamakura next summer, will you come and play with me?"

The voices were quiet, and even the air seemed to be waiting for Jiang Song's answer.

In the empty space, Xia Cun heard that Jiang Song was playing "Animal Crossing" because the little animal was slurring: "Imagine するだけで, ゾワゾワしますねえ叽婱山..."

"Next year?"

As if he was slow to react, or perhaps thinking seriously, he said after a long pause, "Maybe I'd already forgotten everyone by then."

The author has something to say:

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I'm already thinking about Jiang Song's move to Mars, かわいいね[touching head]

So how long will Jiang Song continue to deserve a beating?

If the little animals' lines need to be translated, it would be: Just imagining it makes my whole body numb... (But the correct way to say it is to say it in a lisp!)

I will comment and give feedback forever(^ ^)