Chapter Eight
Drinking too quickly can easily make you drunk, but it also makes your mind more active. Su Xian lay in bed, feeling embarrassed by her frequent lapses in behavior that night. She thought about all sorts of things for a long time before finally falling asleep, and naturally, she woke up later than usual the next day.
Around 9 a.m., Zhi Ran was still sleeping in, while Su Xuan changed into her workout clothes, went to the gym on the first floor to do her training, and then took a shower before going down to the outdoor dining area on the third floor for breakfast.
Surprisingly, everyone had already arrived. Su Xian was the last one there. After greeting everyone, she sat down next to Zhi Ran. The maid placed the tray on the table, and Su Xian laid out her napkin and took a sip of milk.
"Why are you so late today?" Zhi Ran asked.
"I just finished exercising." Su Xian put down her milk glass and cut the croissant with a knife.
"Hey." Zheng Yu, sitting diagonally opposite Su Xian, glanced at Lin Zhiyuan. "You guys exercise together?"
Su Xian sandwiched the cheese and ham into the croissant, took a bite, and pretended not to hear.
Zhi Ran, standing beside her, suddenly yelled, "Hey! What do you mean by 'exercise together'? Can't you talk properly?"
"Cough cough cough." Su Xian choked on the bread crumbs in her mouth, quickly grabbed a napkin to cover her mouth, and turned to face a deserted place to cough.
He lost his composure again.
Zhiran, understanding doesn't necessarily mean you have to say it.
The person Su Xian was mentally complaining about was patting her back to help her catch her breath.
"Miss Su's workout time is different from mine," Lin Zhiyuan explained seriously, as if he hadn't understood.
Su Xian finally managed to stop coughing and returned to the dining table, but she didn't dare to look at Lin Zhiyuan sitting at the other end. She took a big gulp of milk and lowered her head to eat her breakfast silently.
"I saw on the internet yesterday that Antibes has a gelato that I absolutely have to try; their ice cream is shaped like a flower," Zhi Ran said while eating, talking about where she would go after getting off the ship.
"It's so great to go out with Zhiran; she's done all the planning for the trip," Fang Hui praised.
“That’s right, they’re experts at eating, drinking, and having fun,” Zheng Yu replied.
Zhi Ran paused, the fork she was using to pick mushrooms stopped, and Su Xuan was about to say something when Fang Hui across from her spoke first.
"Isn't there a saying, 'Work hard, play hard'? You workaholics should really learn how to have fun. We're all going to follow you in a bit, Zhiran."
Zhi Ran smiled at Fang Hui, and Zheng Yu changed the subject and started talking to Lin Zhiyuan about other things.
The yacht docked back at Port Vauban, and the group of five disembarked and walked into the alley. Lin Zhiyuan and Zheng Yu were in the lead, Su Xuan and the others were behind, and two bodyguards followed at a distance.
Su Xian had been worried about Zhi Ran's mood and wanted to find an opportunity to ask her, but once Zhi Ran started shopping, all her worries were forgotten. Zhi Ran loved browsing various small shops, and with Fang Hui accompanying her today, she was even more enthusiastic about choosing what to buy. Su Xian wasn't keen on shopping, so she followed along absentmindedly, occasionally picking out some small trinkets to take back as souvenirs for Bai Lin and the others.
Zhi Ran and Fang Hui lingered in a shop selling blankets for the end of the workday for a long time. Su Xian got bored while waiting, so he went outside the shop and strolled along the alley.
"Teacher Su." A timid female voice came from behind. Su Xuan turned around and saw a girl with a blushing face, her voice filled with excitement, "It really is you! Excuse me, um... can I take a picture with you? I've been watching 'A Kind Heart' lately, and I really like your portrayal of Mao Ruoruo."
Su Xian nodded, and the girl excitedly took out her phone and leaned forward to take a selfie with her.
"Could you sign your name again?"
Su Xian agreed, and the girl hurriedly opened her bag and took out paper and pen.
Su Xian didn't take the blank notebook from the girl's hand, but only picked up the pen. "It's rare to see people carrying paper and pen with them." She took out the postcard that Zhang Zhiran had given her in the small shop earlier from her bag.
"I just finished class, so I have it." The girl blushed.
"What's your name?" Su Xuan asked.
"Zimu."
"A very nice name." Su Xuan wrote her name on the postcard stroke by stroke, wishing her happiness every day, and handed it to her after signing it.
"Thank you, Teacher Su. Have fun too." The girl took the postcard and waved goodbye vigorously.
In the direction the girl had gone, Su Xian saw Lin Zhiyuan standing at a short intersection, smiling at her. For some reason, she felt a strange embarrassment from the girl.
Su Xian lowered her head and walked forward on her own. Turning the corner, she saw strings of pale purple flowers hanging all over the mottled wall, like a waterfall of cascading butterflies. In that moment of pause, Su Xian suddenly understood why so many people were so drawn to the romance of southern France.
"It's beautiful, isn't it?"
Lin Zhiyuan stood beside her. He was wearing a blue casual shirt today, the grayish-blue of the sky before the rain, but the sunlight shone into his smile, making him no less radiant than the wisteria flowers covering the wall.
Su Xian suddenly felt a pang of sadness. "Even the most beautiful flowers eventually wither, and all that will remain here are dilapidated brick walls."
"But at least you and I will remember it."
Su Xian didn't reply. She would remember this decadent yet dazzlingly beautiful romance, just as she would never forget this trip to the South of France.
Su Xuan lowered her head. "Where are the others?"
Lin Zhiyuan looked at the slope ahead, "Zhiran took us up to find that gelato shop. Do you want some ice cream?"
Su Xian shook her head.
She and Lin Zhiyuan walked up the slope. The narrow alley could barely accommodate two people walking side by side. The gravel path narrowed further, and he could only turn slightly to the side. His exposed, strong arm would occasionally brush against Su Xian's skin. Su Xian straightened her back, her eyes fixed on the path beneath her feet.
"I guessed so, I noticed you didn't eat dessert last night."
A seemingly casual remark carried weight in Su Xian's heart. It turned out that it wasn't her imagination; he really was paying attention to her.
Su Xuan gently bit her lip and gave a soft "hmm" in response.
"However, the scenery on the mountain is quite nice and worth seeing."
In the alley where the sun didn't shine, the wind blowing on my face was not only refreshingly cool, but also carried the fresh scent of cedar on him. Even the arm that occasionally brushed against me was slightly cool, but perhaps it was just because of the dampness in her palm.
After turning a few corners, the view suddenly opened up. Standing on the edge of the cliff, one could see the bay in the distance. Su Xian chose a spot on the stone steps to sit down. The entire sky was dyed a gradient of orange-pink by the setting sun, and the azure coastline was as clear as jelly. Su Xian closed her eyes and breathed in the moist air deeply.
"Do you like it here?" Lin Zhiyuan's gentle voice came from beside me.
"I like it." Su Xian answered without hesitation. She opened her eyes and saw Lin Zhiyuan sitting on the stone steps, gazing into the distance where a red sun hung low on the sea. She was then surprised to realize that she had been wandering around here for most of the day.
"This place is great for hiking. Climb to the top of La Garoupe, where there is a church with a view overlooking the entire coastline. It is the most beautiful viewpoint in Antibes."
"Do you come here often?"
"Actually, it was my first time." Hearing Lin Zhiyuan's answer, Su Xuan turned her head in surprise, "But I did some research before setting off, so I just learned it on the spot."
Su Xian couldn't help but laugh out loud, and Lin Zhiyuan laughed too. His eyes were as gentle as spring water, and Su Xian suddenly felt very reluctant to leave his tender and affectionate gaze.
"Ms. Su, I'll stay here for now. I hope you had a pleasant trip with Antibes these past two days."
When Zhi Ran said she was only staying for a day and a night, she thought it was a bit long, but now she feels that time is passing too quickly.
"Thank you, I'm very happy." Su Xian lowered her head, maintaining the smile on her lips.
"Let's go find them."
Lin Zhiyuan stood up, with Su Xian following behind. Neither of them walked fast, but even if they walked slowly, they would eventually arrive. Zhi Ran walked over, took Su Xian's arm, and turned back to say goodbye to Lin Zhiyuan and the others.
"I took a picture of that ice cream and I'll show it to you." Zhang Zhiran handed her her phone as she walked forward. Su Xian glanced at it; the ice cream on the cone was shaped like a green flower.
“It’s very special,” Su Xuan said casually.
"But the taste was so-so, and it melted too quickly, leaving my hands all over them..."
Zhang Zhiran muttered something, but Su Xian couldn't hear it. They had already walked quite a distance, and the slope beneath their feet was almost at the end; after another turn, they would be leaving this alley.
He must have left by now.
Su Xian took a step forward, but couldn't help turning back.
The tall, slender figure remained in the same spot.
Su Xian took another step and turned his body, his eyes always fixed on that spot. Even though they were already some distance apart, his gaze seemed to be right in front of her.
With his final step, his body was blocked by the brick wall, and he disappeared from her sight.
"Xiao Xian." Zhang Zhiran took her arm.
"Hmm?" Su Xuan came back to her senses and looked at Zhi Ran.
"What do you think about the oyster restaurant I saw while shopping earlier tonight?"
"Can."
"Hmph, you forget your friends for the sake of a pretty face." Zhang Zhiran pouted. "What I just told you was that I saw a seafood restaurant while shopping this afternoon, but I didn't mention oysters at all."
"Sorry, I was thinking about something just now," Su Xian said, making an excuse to cover it up.
"You're not thinking about things, you're thinking about a person, am I right?" Zhang Zhiran said confidently, and Su Xian, having his thoughts exposed, had no way to refute her.
“Last night when you went upstairs to change clothes, I was going to call you down to watch a movie, but Zheng Yu stopped me. He said that Brother Yuan had looked at you many times all night, and probably even figured out your food preferences. He also told me not to disturb your time together and to let you cultivate your relationship.” Zhang Zhiran said with a grin, “Looks like you two cultivated your relationship very well last night.”
"Don't talk nonsense." Su Xian tried to shake off Zhi Ran's hand. "We just chatted for a while."
"Tsk tsk tsk, don't you just exchange pleasantries with people you're not familiar with? I haven't seen you talk much with Zheng Yu either." Zhi Ran raised an eyebrow at her, a mischievous grin on her face. "But speaking of which, Yuan Ge is tall, handsome, and rich. And you, you've been single for a few years since Lu Ran, it's about time you got some pampering..."
If Zhi Ran continued talking like this, the topic would go further and further astray, so Su Xian quickly stopped her.
"Don't worry about me. Didn't we say we wanted to eat seafood? Are we still going?"
"Go away, go away!" Zhang Zhiran said with a grin, dragging her along as they continued walking.
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