Chapter 26 "I love you".

After going down the mountain to the pharmacy to buy medicine, He Yanzhou sat on the bench at the entrance and disinfected Zhu Xu's wound and put on a band-aid.

It was already afternoon when they returned after lunch. Zhu Xu asked the shop owner for two empty wine bottles, casually stuck the columbine he had picked into them, and placed them on the table, maintaining a rustic charm reminiscent of the mountains.

He Yanzhou had some work to do, so he sat down in the chair at the foot of the bed and unfolded his laptop on his folded laps.

Zhu Xu tried not to disturb him. Feeling sleepy in the afternoon, he lay down on the bed to take a nap.

She lay on her side, her eyes slightly lowered, just enough to see his slightly furrowed brows and serious expression. Outside the window, the sky was azure, and sunlight streamed in, etching his sharply defined features.

She observed him silently for a while, and the sound of him typing on the keyboard actually had a sleep-inducing effect; she unknowingly fell asleep.

I felt like I slept exceptionally soundly. When I opened my eyes again, the sun had already sunk below the horizon, its warm glow filtering through the glass, filling the room with a gentle light.

Zhu Xu rubbed his eyes and looked around; He Yanzhou was not in the room.

The air conditioner was set to a comfortable temperature, and she had a thin blanket draped around her waist.

After a moment, Zhu Xu got up and saw him through the window leading to the roof.

He sat in that old rattan chair, looking at something, his back to us. Next to him, on a low table, was a closed laptop and a glass of water.

Zhu Xu bent down and went out.

He Yanzhou turned around as if sensing something: "Awake?"

"It's already past six o'clock, why didn't you wake me up?"

He Yanzhou said considerately, "You didn't rest well last night, so it won't hurt to sleep a little longer."

Zhu Xu paused, realizing the culprit was right in front of her. She walked over to the wicker chair next to him and sat down: "Aren't you hungry?"

I'm starving.

Zhu Xu said apologetically, "Then let's go out to eat."

"No rush." ​​He Yanzhou pressed her hand down. "Sit a little longer."

Zhu Xu leaned back in his chair. On another rooftop, intersecting with this one, several young people were grilling meat, thick smoke drifting in on the breeze, carrying an enticing aroma.

Zhu Xu withdrew his gaze and looked into the distance; the sky looked like a spilled bottle of orange soda.

She brushed the hair from her forehead, the salty sea breeze blowing on her face, feeling exceptionally pleasant.

The two still didn't exchange words, sat for a while longer, then got up and went downstairs.

After passing through the front hall on the first floor, the shop owner warmly told them, "There is a night market on the back street. You can go and have a look after your meal. There is also a bonfire party on the beach at the end of the street. These are all activities that young people like."

Zhu Xu thanked him and went out with He Yanzhou.

Aside from seafood, there wasn't much special food on the island. He randomly walked into a restaurant and ordered shrimp porridge, meat pies, and a grilled fish. He also asked the restaurant to stir-fry a plate of seasonal vegetables.

But he noticed that Zhu Xu hadn't touched the dish, but he had slowly eaten quite a bit of the grilled fish.

He couldn't help but worry: "Eat some more vegetables."

Zhu Xu looked troubled: "I can't swallow it."

He Yanzhou chuckled to himself, thinking to himself, "How old is she to still be such a picky eater?" He didn't press her further.

After eating, I took a walk on the beach across the street. The sky was half bright and half dark, with only a last ray of orange light remaining where the sea met the sky.

The tide has receded, revealing some small reefs.

He Yanzhou, carrying her slippers, was still standing on the dry beach waiting.

Zhu Xu turned around and saw that his attire of trousers and casual shoes was too formal. He was the only one dressed like that on the beach, which made him look strange and out of place.

She picked something up and walked towards him: "Look, it can move! I've never seen anything like it before."

He Yanzhou pulled his hand out of his pocket and lowered his head slightly to look at her palm.

Zhu Xu suddenly clenched his fingers and then quickly flicked them back, causing several drops of water to fall onto his chin and neck.

She looked into his eyes, pursed her lips, and smiled silently.

He Yanzhou said with a serious expression, "Are you getting too tight-lipped?"

"No," she quickly admitted defeat.

He Yanzhou reached out to grab her, but Zhu Xu, unusually quick-witted, ducked and darted away. On the wet, hard sand, some small crabs crawled around, their transparent shells and adorable claws making their sideways walk particularly amusing.

Zhu Xu reached out and touched it, then looked at He Yanzhou not far away: "What kind of breed is this?"

He Yanzhou ignored him.

She held her hands in her lap and walked towards him.

He Yanzhou looked wary and took a step back.

Zhu Xu walked further ahead, saying, "Take a look for me."

"I don't know him."

“You grew up by the sea, how could you not recognize me…” Her brows suddenly furrowed, and her shoulders shrank: “Hiss!”

She instinctively flung the object from her hand and looked down to examine the base of her ring finger.

"What's wrong?" He Yanzhou realized she wasn't joking, so he strode forward and took her hand.

Zhu Xu flicked the water again quickly, and even more water droplets fell on his face than before.

She whispered, "There's nothing there."

He Yanzhou didn't move for a moment, but then he laughed in exasperation. Her usually quiet and obedient nature had turned into something quite mischievous. He wiped his face, reached out to grab her, but she dodged to the side and ran off into the distance.

He Yanzhou strode forward, wrapped his arm around her waist, pulled her into his embrace from behind, and whispered a warning in her ear: "Believe it or not, I'll throw you into the sea to feed the sharks?"

Zhu Xu shrugged: "Then it can have a good meal."

He paused, then changed his mind, "Never mind, I don't know what a full meal tastes like yet."

Zhu Xu pretended not to understand and twisted his body in protest: "Look at you, standing there like an idiot, not moving an inch."

She struggled to turn in his arms, then poked his waist twice with her backhand.

"Tsk." He Yanzhou frowned, reacting strongly, and the arm around her waist loosened slightly.

It was during the last trip back from Jilin Island that Zhu Xu inadvertently discovered he was ticklish in the taxi.

She laughed and turned to run away while he wasn't looking, but before she had taken two steps, her foot slipped and he caught her again. This time he turned her body so she was facing him, wrapped her restless arms behind her back, held them with one hand, and pinched her cheek with the other.

Zhu Xu turned her head to hide, but unintentionally snuggled against him.

At one point, both of them stopped moving.

As night fell and visibility became increasingly blurry, the lights on the watchtower suddenly came on, illuminating the beach.

There were still many people playing, taking pictures, and digging in the sand around...

"This is bad, isn't it?" He Yanzhou smiled helplessly, still keeping her tightly bound.

Zhu Xuzhen sensed something: "Then why aren't you letting go?"

His voice was lazy: "What will I do if I let go of you? What will others think if they see this?"

Zhu Xu's heart was pounding, but she also found his disheveled appearance somewhat amusing. She became more obedient and buried her head in his chest to calm down for the time being.

The surrounding noise of people and the sound of waves filled my ears.

Suddenly, music drifted in from an indistinct direction, distant and ethereal. Listening closely, the melody seemed familiar, and the name on the tip of my tongue took me a long time to recall before I remembered it was the song He Yanzhou had sung in the bar back then.

Zhu Xu pursed his lips, slowly raised his eyes, and fell into his gaze.

He Yanzhou's hand was still on her neck. He lifted it up, brushing the back of his fingers across her cheek and tucking a few stray hairs behind her ear. He looked down at her, his hand moving downwards to lift her chin slightly, his gaze unconsciously shifting to her slightly parted lips.

His Adam's apple bobbed, and he bent down to kiss her.

Zhu Xu's heart trembled as she felt him gently sucking and biting her lips, again and again, moist and soft.

She dared not respond easily, afraid that her heartbeat would burst out of her throat. Her legs felt weak and feeble, making her unsteady on her feet.

He Yanzhou pulled away slightly, his voice hoarse as he brushed against her lips: "Are you stupid?"

“…No.” She then realized that He Yanzhou had let go of her hands at some point. “There are a lot of people watching.”

"Who recognizes you?" He gently pecked her lips.

After a moment's hesitation, Zhu Xu reached out and hugged his waist tightly, closed her eyes, and gently parted her teeth. He Yanzhou's tongue entered her mouth, licking and sucking, his breath hot.

The two kissed passionately in the crowd, oblivious to everyone else around them.

It's as if the night is full of magic, capable of lowering people's psychological defenses and cleverly concealing their inner worries and anxieties.

After a long kiss, Zhu Xu stayed in his arms until his emotions had calmed down and his body showed no signs of discomfort before pulling away slightly.

"Want to go play for a while?" He Yanzhou wiped her mouth for her.

Are you going over there?

“In the past.” He hadn’t waded in the sea for years since he stopped living on Ji Island. He took off his shoes and socks, bent down and curled up his trouser legs: “There might be sea urchins in the crevices of the rocks, let’s catch a couple to play with.”

The reefs were incredibly sharp, especially at night when visibility was poor, making it much easier to twist an ankle or get cut. So the two of them only searched the edges. Zhu Xu held up his phone for light, while He Yanzhou flipped over a reef and, sure enough, found a small sea urchin clinging to its back—it was pitch black, with long, thin, and hard spines.

He Yanzhou took it off and carefully placed it in her palm.

Zhu Xu: "Does it bite?"

"It's okay to lift it gently."

She looked down and observed carefully, then exclaimed, "It's moving!" This was especially novel for someone who had grown up in the mainland.

He Yanzhou looked into her bright eyes and said with a faint smile, "It can also walk."

Back on the beach, we put the sea urchin down, and it did indeed move its body little by little.

He Yanzhou asked, "Do you know which part of the sea urchin we're eating?"

Zhu Xu only knew that the yellow stuff inside was edible, but he didn't know what part it was.

"Reproductive glands".

Zhu Xu: “....”

“Its gonads are at their most plump during the breeding season.” He Yanzhou touched the sea urchin’s shell, and it shrank back: “When I was a kid, I would pick them up and just chisel them open with a stone to eat them fresh.”

Zhu Xu looked disgusted.

He Yanzhou smiled and pinched her cheek: "Want to give it a try?"

Zhu Xu shook his head and refused.

The sea urchins were released back into the sea, and the sea level has already begun to rise.

After lingering for a while, as the sky darkened to a deep black, the two decided to stroll through the night market in the backstreet.

This street is in the center of Jidao Island. I thought there wouldn't be many tourists, but it turned out to be very lively.

Ahead were various food stalls, seemingly all the same across the country, lacking any distinctive features. Further on were stalls selling trinkets and local specialties: colorful seashells, pearl necklaces, photo frames, fridge magnets, dried fish and seaweed... a dazzling array of goods, making it quite interesting to walk around.

Zhu Xu walked ahead, stopping from time to time to look around.

He Yanzhou wasn't very interested in these things, but he patiently followed behind her.

Zhu Xu stopped in front of a silver jewelry stall, asked the owner, picked up two rings, and couldn't decide which one to choose.

He Yanzhou suddenly said, "The left hand."

"This one?" Zhu Xu shook the one he was holding in his left hand.

He Yanzhou nodded.

Zhu Xu put the ring on her index finger, opened her palm under the light, and the thin, plain band with its tin foil texture made her hand look especially delicate and slender: "Does it look good?"

"nice."

Zhu Xu paid for it, glanced at it, paused, and then turned back to say, "Let me give you something."

He Yanzhou: "Okay."

Zhu Xu took off an open-style men's silver bracelet from the upper right corner. The bracelet was concave in the middle and slightly raised at the edges, with a brushed finish throughout and no patterns.

She looked at the silver bracelet back and forth, then turned to look at He Yanzhou, feeling a pang of regret. She was afraid that giving him this gift would have complicated implications and also seem stingy.

Just as she was hesitating whether to put it down, He Yanzhou reached out and said, "Try wearing it."

“…Okay.” Zhu Xu slightly widened the opening, slipped it onto his wrist, squeezed it a few times, and then turned the front to the back of his hand. His skin was a healthy tan, and every bone was hard and full of strength. The prominent veins on the back of his hand complemented the bracelet perfectly, creating a kind of restrained beauty.

He Yanzhou mimicked her gesture, raising his hand under the light and asking, "Does it look good?"

"It's not good-looking."

He Yanzhou smiled enigmatically: "So you're just reluctant to spend the money?"

"I'm afraid Mr. He might not like something that costs around a hundred yuan."

He Yanzhou found the silver bracelet on his wrist quite pleasing to the eye: "It's only a hundred or so yuan, be generous."

Zhu Xu silently clicked his tongue and scanned the code to pay.

The beach is just ahead, and the sound of the waves is right next to you.

Seeing that it was still early, we continued to wander around.

A fire was burning brightly beside a rock, and groups of two or three people sat around it, some playing guitar and singing melodious tunes.

The two stood at the back and listened for a while. Not long after, the people in front noticed and made room for them, warmly inviting them to sit down.

Zhu Xu looked at He Yanzhou for his opinion.

He Yanzhou raised his chin: "Sit for a while."

The sand was still warm, making it quite comfortable to sit on. The night breeze was originally cool, but the campfire in the middle made us sweat a little.

He Yanzhou leaned his shoulder towards her: "Can you play the guitar?"

Zhu Xu has a grade eight piano certificate. I often hear people say that if you learn the piano well, you can learn other musical instruments on your own.

She didn't think so, "I can play a few notes."

He Yanzhou: "I'll go borrow it from over there, why don't you give it a try?"

Zhu Xu was startled and quickly grabbed his arm: "Don't do that, are you deliberately trying to embarrass me? I haven't touched a piano in ten years, let alone a guitar. You might as well let me fluff cotton."

Seeing her nervous expression, He Yanzhou couldn't help but chuckle. Her hand was wrapped around his arm, and her body temperature always seemed to be a little higher than his. In an instant, she let go.

After one song was finished, someone requested another.

Time flows by quietly, and it seems that doing nothing at this moment is not a waste.

Someone in the crowd suggested playing a game of "charades". Zhu Xu and his companion were not familiar with them, but they were invited to join in order to make up the numbers and were assigned to the red team.

Each team has three pairs, red and blue. Within a limited time, it's best two out of three games, and the losing team treats everyone to a late-night snack.

He Yanzhou had never been exposed to this kind of casual competitive game before. After reading two entries, he understood that the game itself was not difficult, but it tested the level of understanding between teammates.

He turned to look at Zhu Xu: "You're going to demonstrate?"

Are you sure you can guess it?

"As long as your movements are clear and you don't panic."

Zhu Xu rubbed his hands nervously: "I'll try my best."

The first round ended quickly; the red team guessed three questions correctly, while the blue team guessed six. The blue team won.

As the second round began, everyone unconsciously became tense. If the blue team won again, then the outcome was already decided, and Zhu Xu and He Yanzhou would not need to play.

Surprisingly, the red team narrowly defeated the blue team by just one question.

The score is tied at one to one.

Someone brought over the question board for the third round, and the teammates applauded and cheered them on.

He Yanzhou stood with his back to the questions in front of him, while Zhu Xu stood opposite him.

For the first question, Zhu Xu said, "Three words." Her palms were sweaty: "A kind of toy."

Zhu Xu slightly extended his arm, hooked his wrist back, and stiffly swayed his body from side to side.

He Yanzhou chuckled, finding her movements comical and adorable. "A roly-poly toy."

Zhu Xu's eyes widened in surprise. She was still wondering if her expression was accurate when he guessed it correctly.

In the moment of distraction, the question had already been turned to the next page.

She held up her finger: "Four characters. It's an idiom."

He Yanzhou nodded, his hands behind his back.

Zhu Xu thought for a moment, then raised two fingers to each of his hands and placed them on his head. He jumped around a few times, then clasped his hands together, placed them against his face, and closed his eyes.

It's clearly a rabbit... and it's sleeping...

He Yanzhou said, "Waiting for a rabbit to run into a tree stump?"

A cheer erupted from his teammates behind him. Zhu Xu was overjoyed, stole a glance at him, and quickly looked away.

The next few questions went smoothly.

Turn the page again.

Zhu Xu said, "These five characters are the title of a movie. It's Indian."

There are only a handful of well-known Indian films. He Yanzhou roughly knew the answer in his mind: "Let's go."

Zhu Xu was stunned on the spot, not knowing how one person could play two roles and express the action of "wrestling". He could only say: "The last two words are one identity".

He Yanzhou: "Doctor."

Zhu Xu shook his head.

"teacher."

Zhu Xu quickly waved his hand, "I'm not referring to profession."

He Yanzhou remained calm and unhurried: "Brother? Sister? Mother?"

Zhu Xu nodded vigorously, signaling him to continue.

He Yanzhou: "Grandpa? Grandma? Uncle? Aunt?"

He had wasted too much time on this question, guessing but missing the correct answer.

In his anxiety, Zhu Xu blurted out, "Dad."

Her voice was soft and gentle, her brows furrowed, and she dragged out the last syllable of her voice in annoyance.

He Yanzhou felt something tickle his chest twice, a prickly itch.

He didn't move, his gaze fixed on her face, the smile on his lips growing ever deeper.

Those around them, belatedly realizing what was happening, started to jeer and cheer.

Zhu Xu then realized he had been tricked, and his cheeks flushed red like ripe tomatoes.

She raised her hand to cover her mouth and gave the person opposite her a light, dismissive look.

He Yanzhou smiled silently again, looking at her, then lowered his gaze. A thought rushed into his mind, stronger than ever before. He might act impulsively, although he never made decisions without certainty.

The correct answer to this question is "Dangal," but Zhu Xu has already said it, so no points can be awarded.

The scores are currently tied; guessing one more question correctly will allow them to overtake the other.

Zhu Xu turned to look at the timer, his whole body tense, until he saw the question and then he breathed a sigh of relief.

She looked at He Yanzhou: "This question is easy, you can definitely guess it. Three characters. The name of a song, and also a kind of fruit."

He Yanzhou simply said, "Continue."

Zhu Xu said: "The first character is the antonym of 'big'."

He Yanzhou gave a soft "hmm".

Zhu Xu paused, his demeanor no longer relaxed as before. He stood there with his hands in his pockets, looking at him with extreme formality.

Those eyes were dark and deep, and even from several meters away, they still carried a burning heat.

A sense of unease flashed through Zhu Xu's heart, and he vaguely felt that something was about to happen.

The timer was now counting down to ten seconds, and the teammates were getting impatient.

Zhu Xu mechanically raised his arms, bending each palm into a semicircle before bringing them together.

Her mind was in turmoil, and unconsciously she repeated her earlier words: "Three words..."

"Three words, right? I love you." His tone was indifferent, devoid of emotion.

Zhu Xu felt a sudden "boom" in his mind, as if a tall building were collapsing.

She suddenly dared not look him in the eye, and turned away to avoid his gaze.

The outcome is already decided.

The scene fell silent for a moment, then some cheered and some sighed.

A teammate stood up: "She's gesturing an apple, not a heart. The answer is 'Little Apple'!"

He Yanzhou didn't listen to what the man said. He looked at Zhu Xu from a distance and caught a fleeting look of fear in her eyes, but nothing else.

She had returned to her previous seat, with several figures standing between them.

He Yanzhou stopped trying to see her through the gaps in the crowd, turned his gaze away, and gave a sarcastic smile.