Chapter 1-7
7
As soon as Qiao Ruo stepped out of the alley where the guesthouse was located, she spotted He Yajun. He was facing away from her, talking to Hong Yantao. Hong Yantao's sister, Hong Mengqi, was also standing beside them, listening attentively to their conversation.
Qiao Ruo originally thought it would only be her and He Yajun, but she didn't expect it to be a trip for four, which made her a little disappointed.
"Hi, Qiao Ruo, we meet again." Hong Yantao saw her first and waved to her with a smile.
Qiao Ruo quickly composed herself and replied with a smile, "Hello."
He Yajun noticed her too, but he only smiled and nodded at her without saying a word.
Hong Yantao pushed Hong Mengqi in front of Qiao Ruo and introduced them: "Qiao Ruo, this is my sister. She sang on stage last night. You should remember her." He then turned to Hong Mengqi, "Mengqi, this is Qiao Ruo, Ya Jun's fellow villager and also my friend."
Qiao Ruo took the initiative to greet Hong Mengqi: "Hello, Mengqi, you sing very well, I like it very much."
Hong Mengqi had been observing Qiao Ruo without any attempt to hide it. Her sharp gaze was so direct that it went beyond mere curiosity; it even carried a hint of aggression. However, as a dentist, Qiao Ruo dealt with strangers every day and was used to all kinds of stares. She wasn't afraid of Hong Mengqi's silent scrutiny.
Hearing Qiao Ruo's praise, Hong Mengqi slightly lowered her gaze and smiled, "Thank you."
“Let’s go,” said He Yajun, gesturing with his chin forward. “If we don’t go now, we’ll miss the sunset.”
Before Qiao Ruo could speak, she saw Hong Mengqi walk quickly to He Yajun's side.
"Comrade He Yajun, thank you for watching the sunset with me." Hong Mengqi smiled happily.
"Don't be disrespectful."
"How am I being disrespectful? Do you expect me to call you Brother Ya Jun?" Hong Mengqi pretended to vomit. "You don't want me to call you Brother He, do you? That would be too weird."
"Okay, you can yell as much as you like," He Yajun smiled helplessly, and then touched his face seriously, "I know I'm much more handsome than your brother, but if you act like a coquettish girl to me like this, your brother will think that I'm kidnapping you and have to beat me to death."
Hong Mengqi was taken aback, and her voice immediately rose eight octaves: "Who's being infatuated or acting cute? I want to watch the sunset, and you're willing to come with me, can't I even say thank you?"
In stark contrast to her slightly aloof demeanor when she first met Qiao Ruochu, Hong Mengqi was now radiant, constantly turning to talk to He Yajun, who listened attentively.
Qiao Ruo listened intently to the sounds ahead and suddenly realized that she had been eavesdropping on other people's conversation without her noticing, and she couldn't help but feel ashamed.
She deliberately slowed her pace and moved a little further away from them, finally unable to hear their words clearly, and her mind calmed down.
The place she was going to was Mei Hua Beach. She had seen the name of the place when she was studying the island map before she came out.
Meihua Beach wasn't close to her guesthouse, and after walking for a while in high heels, her feet and legs started to feel the strain. She had initially considered wearing flats, but thinking about He Yajun's height, she decided against it. This was practically the only time she would ever see him again, and she didn't want to expose her physical flaws to him. She only hoped that one day in the future, when he happened to remember her, he would only remember her good qualities.
"Do you want to take a break?" Hong Yantao had slowed down at some point and was walking alongside Qiao Ruo.
Qiao Ruo tried to ignore the discomfort in her legs and shook her head: "No need, I also want to see the sunset as soon as possible."
"Haven't you seen this before?"
"I've seen it." However, He Yajun wasn't there then, she thought silently.
“I live on this island and have seen countless sunrises and sunsets, but today feels very different,” Hong Yantao said with a smile, watching his sister and friend’s backs as they walked away.
"What's different?"
He hesitated slightly, and when he reached a certain corner and waited for the nearby tourists to leave, he suddenly turned to look at her and said, "I think it's because you're here today."
Qiao Ruo stopped in her tracks, almost unable to believe her ears. She looked at him, trying to convince herself that he was just joking, but his eyes were very sincere and there was no hint of teasing.
"You..." She was so shocked that she couldn't finish her sentence.
He looked at her intently, his tone very serious: "I'm sorry, I startled you. I wasn't planning to tell you so soon. But I figured you're not a local, you're just here for tourism, and you'll definitely be leaving in a few days. If I don't say anything, I'll definitely miss out on you; if I do, there might still be a tiny chance."
Qiao Ruo was speechless, completely baffled as to why she had been rejected by one man that morning, only to receive a confession from another man she had only met twice in the afternoon. What's worse, these two men were friends.
“The way you stood outside the bar last night, listening intently to the music, had a kind of beauty that’s hard to describe in words, and it really captivated me. I don’t know why, but I just couldn’t help wanting to get closer to you and get to know you.” Hong Yantao lowered his voice and gazed intently into her eyes. “Qiao Ruo, I’m not the kind of man who just goes up and chats up any pretty woman I see. I hope you don’t misunderstand my sincerity.”
Qiao Ruo involuntarily stepped back until her back was against the wall, where she felt she had found some support: "Mr. Hong, thank you for your... appreciation, but I have no intention of being in a relationship. And as you said, I will be leaving here soon, so we are not suitable for each other, both in terms of our thoughts and practical considerations."
Hong Yantao's smile remained unchanged, as if he had expected her to list these reasons: "Regarding the first point, if you don't dislike me, I think you might as well try to spend more time with me before you leave. You don't need to deliberately do anything; just agree to meet me when I ask you out and you happen to be available. You might find that I'm someone worth spending time with. As for the second point, it's not an obstacle for me. My bar isn't just managed by me alone; my father and sister also help out. Even if I leave for a while, the business can still operate smoothly. Besides, I don't plan to run a bar for the rest of my life; I have other ideas and plans."
Qiao Ruo was at a loss for words, but she couldn't very well just say: "I'm sorry, I have someone I like, and it's your good friend. I can't possibly like you."
She looked around, hoping that a large wave of tourists would soon arrive and break the awkward situation.
Hong Yantao took a step back, creating some distance between them, and withdrew his focused gaze. He said softly, "Qiao Ruo, don't be bothered by my words. If you don't intend to have any further contact with me, then do as you please. I just... met someone who moves me, and I don't want to miss out, so I'm trying to win them over. I'm not forcing you to cooperate with me. You are free."
At that moment, Qiao Ruo seemed to see herself in He Yajun, having confessed her feelings to him and been rejected, and she felt a sense of shared misery. She suddenly realized that in He Yajun's eyes, she was also someone he had only met a few times and knew nothing about except her name. It would be abnormal for He Yajun to accept her confession.
“Mr. Hong, no matter what, I’m very grateful for your appreciation and understanding.” She decided to end the topic quickly. “Let’s go, don’t miss the sunset.”
By the time Qiao Ruo finally reached Mei Hua Beach, the sun had already set nearly halfway, but the scene was still spectacular. Half of the fiery red sun steadily occupied the horizon, visibly merging into the sea, its orange-red halo spreading across the horizon, making the sea shimmer with golden light. As the sun completely disappeared, the afterglow still lingered on the horizon, gradually fading from intense to a gentler hue, and the sea surface then took on a transparent indigo blue.
Qiao Ruo stared intently at the changing colors of the scene, her mood surprisingly calm. Even when tourists occasionally wandered in and disrupted her view, even when Hong Mengqi whispered intimately in He Yajun's ear, and even when a man who had just confessed his feelings to her and was practically a stranger was standing next to her, she did not feel disturbed at all.
At that moment, He Yajun, who was standing not far away, unexpectedly turned around and looked at her, a faint smile on his lips. However, he quickly looked away, and she didn't have time to discern his expression.
My once calm heart was suddenly stirred.
She turned her head and smiled at Hong Yantao: "It was beautiful, but it was too short-lived." Then she looked ahead again.
Hong Yantao smiled and said, "If the weather is nice tomorrow, we can come and see it again."
She remained noncommittal, glancing out of the corner of her eye at the two people standing side by side to her right, their figures appearing remarkably aligned. Suddenly, an idea struck her: "Mr. Hong, would you mind if I came to your shop for a drink later?"
Hong Yantao was slightly surprised, but immediately nodded: "Of course I don't mind. You can come anytime you want."
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