Chapter 38

Night falls and the stars twinkle.

Pyramid-shaped wood piles were piled up on the beach, and the burning flames were intertwined with the sound of waves hitting the rocks.

Xia Lanzheng changed into clean clothes, but her long hair, which had just been washed and not dried, looked less fluffy than usual.

"Where do you want to sit?" he asked, turning around.

Chu Linchuan was originally staring at the back of Xia Lanzheng's head. Suddenly, he met his gaze, glanced forward, and pointed at an empty seat.

The four of them squeezed into the circle of people, close to the campfire, and the sand under their feet was also baked hot.

It was Xia Lanzheng's first time to participate in this kind of activity. Her cheeks were slightly red with excitement, and when illuminated by the crackling sparks, she looked like a ripe apple.

Chu Linyu sat to his left, and to his left was Lu Yanqing. The two of them were chatting about a topic that Xia Lanzheng couldn't understand.

After sitting and listening to the guitar playing for a while, Xia Lanzheng suddenly turned to the right and asked, "Why are you always looking at me?"

Chu Linchuan's face, which was always difficult to read, showed a different expression, perhaps amusement or dissatisfaction: "I'm afraid you'll be cheated, so keep a close eye on you."

Xia Lanzheng's long hair fluttered in the sea breeze, flickering firelight flickered on the side of her face, and her eyes seemed to be filled with stars.

He laughed slowly amidst the sound of the waves: "I'm an independent adult, how could that be?"

Chu Linchuan's shoulder was stained by the drifting hair. His breath hitched at Xia Lanzheng's gaze, and he wanted to escape for the first time in his life.

Xia Lanzheng really didn't need this kind of protection, as he had many experiences that he didn't dare to think about deeply.

This realization only intensified Chu Linchuan's unease. He tried to grasp onto something, but found he couldn't hold on tight. This unfamiliar emotion mingled with the sea breeze, rising and falling with the waves.

Xia Lanzheng hummed along, her bent legs tapping the beat on the beach.

After a while, Chu Linchuan asked him, "Would you like something to drink? I'll go get some over there."

Xia Lanzheng saw the temporary bar not far away, and taking advantage of the current atmosphere, she suddenly wanted to have a drink.

Chu Linyu was the first to order after hearing this: "I'm not picky, I want a cup with a high alcohol content."

Xia Lanzheng followed closely behind: "Then I want one too."

Chu Linchuan stood up, looked down at him, then looked at Lu Yanqing on the other side: "Together? I can't take that much."

Lu Yanqing didn't say much and was about to stand up, but was stopped by Chu Linyu: "Forget it, I'll go myself. I have a feeling Chu Linchuan will help Ms. Yang keep an eye on me."

Chu Linyu didn't give Chu Linchuan a chance to refuse. He put his arm around his shoulders and walked away: "Come on, what are you standing there for? Did I guess it right?"

As the two walked away, Xia Lanzheng lowered her head and replied to a message. Everyone around her had been drinking, slightly tipsy, couples hugging each other, friends teasing and cheering.

Putting away his phone, Lu Yanqing moved to the empty seat on his left at some point.

"How are you doing recently?" He spoke in the tone of a leader who cares about his subordinates.

Xia Lanzheng got goosebumps and was a little embarrassed: "I'm fine, how about you?"

Lu Yanqing glanced at him and smiled: "It's fine... Have you and Cheng Lan reconciled?"

This sentence sounded like an elder caring about the younger generation. Xia Lanzheng was suddenly amused. Lu Yanqing's serious look was quite interesting.

"Cheng Lan," Xia Lanzheng propped up her head and thought, "You're right. He seems to be trying to show me his affection, but he hasn't contacted me."

At this moment, Lu Yanqing became a patient listener and nodded, indicating that he should continue.

"I don't like this," Xia Lanzheng tilted her head to look at him, as if seeking his approval. "Just say it directly if you have something to say. I don't want to guess at all those twists and turns... But the premise is that he considers me a friend."

He put his hands down, sat up straight, and blinked.

"Do you think he wants to break up with me?"

Lu Yanqing looked at him for a moment, then leaned closer. Xia Lanzheng suddenly felt a slight pain on the back of her head.

Before he could react, Lu Yanqing said naturally, "It's okay, it's just a little dirty."

“…”

Where on earth did all that dirt come from?

Lu Yanqing added, "Cheng Lan won't break up with you, he simply feels uncomfortable." He almost guessed Cheng Lan's intention, which made him unhappy, and for some reason he didn't want to tell Xia Lanzheng the details.

Xia Lanzheng wanted to say something else, but Lu Yanqing stood up and said, "I'm going to take a call and will be right back."

For Xia Lanzheng, having one person occupy three empty seats is a nightmare due to her social anxiety.

Xia Lanzheng frowned and called out to Lu Yanqing, but he was walking too fast to stop her.

In the center of the crowd, the fire cast flickering shadows on the beach, its top rising high, licking the endless night. Tonight the night sky was extremely high, and the stars were shining.

Chu Linchuan stood under the brightest star. When Xia Lanzheng looked over, he happened to turn his head. The two looked at each other, and Chu Linchuan mouthed "right away".

Suddenly, a figure appeared beside her. Xia Lanzheng thought it was Lu Yanqing who had returned: "Brother Lu..."

As he turned around, his voice stopped abruptly.

He saw a pair of deep blue eyes.

Su Cheng blinked.

"Zheng Zheng, long time no see."

*

"Brother, this is my friend. He came..." Xia Lanzheng hesitated for a while and asked Su Cheng, "Are you here for vacation too?"

Su Cheng shook his head: "I'm here to collect folk songs."

Chu Linchuan was squeezed out of his seat and silently looked at Su Cheng's profile. If he hadn't studied this person's background in advance, Chu Linchuan really couldn't tell what country he was from.

In short, this guy is even more annoying when you look at him up close.

Su Cheng raised the corner of his mouth, shook hands with Chu Linyu and Lu Yanqing, and then extended his hand to Chu Linchuan: "Hello, my name is Su Cheng."

Chu Linchuan lowered his eyelids, feeling extremely resistant to these hands.

Xia Lanzheng looked at him eagerly, as if silently urging him.

Shake hands quickly, this is my friend.

"Hello." Chu Linchuan touched Su Cheng symbolically with his finger, then retracted it and sat still.

In fact, Xia Lanzheng was also nervous.

Except for Cheng Lan, the two main characters are here, but there is no sign of Song Xinghuai.

Song Xinghuai hasn't appeared for a long time, and Lu Yanqing and Su Cheng have never mentioned him once.

Is the plot going smoothly... Xia Lanzheng took a sip of wine. It didn't taste as spicy as she had imagined, but surprisingly smooth, like drinking orange juice.

"The last painting is almost finished." Su Cheng suddenly approached, his deep voice blending into the sip of sparkling wine Xia Lanzheng had just swallowed. "Would you like to see it when the time comes?"

Chu Linchuan and Lu Yanqing were silent, quietly looking at the bonfire in the middle.

"Okay," Xia Lanzheng said cheerfully, "I'd really like to see it. This is the first time someone has praised my hands for being beautiful."

Chu Linchuan turned around and glanced at Xia Lanzheng, looking past Su Cheng and asking knowingly, "Have you ever been a model for him?"

Lu Yanqing remained calm, his gaze fixed on Xia Lanzheng's hand. Her slender, white palm resting lightly on the sand reminded him of the cool cream on an ice cream cone.

Xia Lanzheng didn't care much: "That happened a long time ago... By the way, Su Cheng likes plants too, right? I remember the walls of your studio were covered with green plants."

Su Cheng recalled the scene of that day. After two seconds, he understood the word "也" in Xia Lanzheng's words. He turned around and saw that Xia Lanzheng was not looking at him.

Su Cheng sat in the middle and immediately felt an unusual atmosphere and Chu Linchuan's inexplicable hostility towards him.

He came back to his senses and heard Chu Linchuan chuckle, but he didn't hear anything else he said.

The bonfire party was halfway through and people around started to stand up and gather around the fire.

Xia Lanzheng just watched without moving, and neither did the others around him. Chu Linyu wanted to join in the fun and encourage them, but no one responded. So he gave up and went up to dance on his own.

There was really nothing much to talk about among the remaining three people, so they drank their own wine, and Lu Yanqing started to deal with the messages on his phone.

In fact, when Xia Lanzheng was alone, her words would not fall into place. But when several men got together, the atmosphere was completely different.

Being able to stay in the same space for two hours is a miracle.

A subtle aura drifted by like the wind. Xia Lanzheng took a sip of wine and ignored it. After all, in the original book, the protagonists didn't get along.

At this moment, Lu Yanqing looked away from his phone: "Lan Zheng, you are drinking my wine."

With a clinking sound, the ice cubes swayed on the wall of the glass.

Xia Lanzheng stared at the empty cup in her hand in amazement: "Sorry, I didn't notice."

Chu Linchuan probably did it on purpose. The cup he gave to Xia Lanzheng had a low alcohol content, but his own cup was different.

Lu Yanqing saw that his face was much rosier than before.

"It's okay," Lu Yanqing bent his legs, reached out, and covered the rim of the glass with his palm. He took the glass from Xia Lanzheng without much force. "Drink less. The alcohol content is very high."

Xia Lanzheng said "Oh" and suddenly felt that she had drunk too much water: "I'm going to the bathroom."

Chu Linchuan was the first to speak: "Do you know where the bathroom is?"

Xia Lanzheng felt dizzy for a moment as she stood up, but she felt okay. "Of course I know. I'm not stupid."

He quickly ran towards the hotel, away from the crowd, towards the light. Entering the lobby, the lights inside were very bright, a bit like the scene he had just crossed over from that night.

When I realized this, the back of my head tightened and the halo of light projected onto the floor began to waver.

Xia Lanzheng was no stranger to this feeling.

He drank too much.

Drunkness always comes quickly, and when he came out of the bathroom, he lost his way.

First floor and second floor.

They lived in a room on the second floor. On the wall opposite the door hung an abstract painting that he couldn't understand. Chu Linchuan had lied to him, saying it was a sheep squatting on the lawn.

Xia Lanzheng took a photo and identified the picture. It was clearly written on the Internet that this was a painting of a sunset.

He suspected that Chu Linchuan was red and green color blind.

On the second floor, he couldn't find his room. Forget it, he went to sit in the lounge. Chu Linchuan would come to see him anyway.

The lounge also has a seaside style, with white floors resembling waves and pink curtains resembling corals...

The door opened and footsteps approached behind me.

Xia Lanzheng's head felt so heavy that it took a lot of effort for her to turn it around.

Before he could fully see who was coming, he couldn't help but say, "Brother..."

No, not Chu Linchuan.

The man in front of him looked familiar...his skin was a little dark and he was big, but he was not Chu Linchuan.

Xia Lanzheng squinted slightly, the figure before her still out of focus. He approached vaguely, and reached out vaguely.

The man's voice was clear, a little rougher than Chu Linchuan's, and his tone wasn't as good as Chu Linchuan's: "Xia Lanzheng, why are you here alone?"

Xia Lanzheng still couldn't remember who this person was: "Who are you?"

Cheng Landun stood there. He smelled the scent of alcohol on Xia Lanzheng and looked around but couldn't find anyone else.

He was looking for an opportunity to meet Xia Lanzheng recently. He had just finished recording a variety show, and he didn't expect that it would be such a coincidence that he saw Chu Linyu's circle of friends location.

Cheng Lan is a materialist, but at this moment he firmly believes that everything is destined.

He was destined not to be able to escape anymore, he had to confess to Xia Lanzheng.

He endured it for almost half a month, but he really couldn't hold it any longer.

"Why don't they care about you?" Cheng Lan took a step forward and squatted in front of Xia Lanzheng, looking up at him from below. "Where's Chu Linyu? They just let you stay here by yourself?"

Xia Lanzheng saw the sequins on Cheng Lan's hair, reached out and pulled them, and Cheng Lan grimaced in pain.

"I'm waiting for my brother."

"Where's your brother?"

Xia Lanzheng didn't respond. Cheng Lan's hair was so hard that it pricked her hands, and several strands of hair were stuck together.

"How long has it been since you washed your hair?"

"What?" Cheng Lan reacted, feeling so angry that he wanted to laugh. "This is hairspray... Never mind. I can't explain it to a drunkard."

Speaking of drunkards, he realized that Xia Lanzheng couldn't hear anything now.

In other words, no matter how outrageous his words were, Xia Lanzheng wouldn't understand them. Even if she did, she wouldn't necessarily remember them the next morning.

This gave Cheng Lan great courage.

The words that had been brewing for a long time seemed less difficult to say.

Xia Lanzheng's eyes were moist and bright. Cheng Lan forced himself to concentrate and clear his eyes of irrelevant things.

Just treat it as a rehearsal, Cheng Lan thought. If Xia Lanzheng doesn’t remember it, just treat it as a rehearsal.

He took a deep breath and held Xia Lanzheng's warm hand. He felt a thin layer of sweat on his hand, but he quickly let go and wiped it on his clothes.

"Zheng Zheng." Cheng Lan called his name.

Hearing this, Xia Lanzheng finally recognized the person in front of her: "Cheng Lan, are you on vacation here too?"

Cheng Lan didn't answer, but swallowed and said, "I have something very important to tell you."

Xia Lanzheng nodded: "What is it?"

Cheng Lan lowered his eyes, his eyelids twitched, and he raised his eyes again: "Zheng Zheng, I like..."

Bang--

The door not far away was pushed open, and the words that were not yet spoken were abruptly interrupted.

If you look closely, you'll see that the door wasn't pushed open, but kicked. Chu Linchuan stood there with his hands in his arms, looking down at him, his right leg barely able to retract.

Xia Lanzheng suddenly stood up from the sofa, and with another bang, some part of her body hit Cheng Lan's forehead.

So he fell back and saw many figures, overlapping and chaotic.

Cheng Lan was hit so hard that he covered his head. At that moment, he almost suffocated.

The tension of confessing and the guilt of being discovered intertwined, now turning into a muffled groan, neither light nor heavy.

Chu Linchuan glanced at Cheng Lan coldly, and without saying anything more, he quickly stepped forward, his tone somewhat helpless: "Xia Lanzheng, why are you drunk again?"

Xia Lanzheng was still analyzing his words, but Cheng Lan, who was squatting on the ground, heard the rest of Chu Linchuan's mumbling.

The sound was neither light nor heavy, intermittent.

"Only ten minutes, I didn't pay attention..."