In London in the summer, it gets dark very late.
At 9:30 in the evening, the sky still shone a faint blue, like a canvas stained with watercolors. The wind from the Thames, carrying a slightly intoxicating heat, ruffled Su Xinghui's hair.
She stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling window of the apartment, holding a cup of iced lemon tea in her hand, her fingertips tapping lightly on the glass, making a crisp sound.
The phone screen lit up - it was a message from Ye Fanshuang.
"Are you asleep?"
Su Xinghui's mouth corners rose unconsciously, and she immediately made a video call.
The call was connected, and Ye Fanshuang on the other side of the screen seemed to have just taken a shower, with water dripping from the ends of her hair. She was wearing a loose white T-shirt, and the background was her minimalist study.
"Not asleep yet?" Ye Fanshuang's voice came through the speaker, with a bit of laziness.
"It's not even dark in London yet!" Su Xinghui smiled and shook the lemon tea in her hand. "It should be four in the morning over there, right? Why aren't you asleep yet?"
Ye Fanshuang said "hmm" lightly, without giving a direct answer, but just asked: "How was your day?"
Su Xinghui's eyes lit up, and she immediately sat cross-legged on the soft sofa and began to talk non-stop: "Today was wonderful! Our class played a tennis match with the class next door, and I won!"
Ye Fanshuang raised an eyebrow: "You? Tennis?"
"Hey! What's that look in your eyes?" Su Xinghui puffed up her cheeks. "I've been secretly practicing this for a long time!"
Ye Fanshuang chuckled: "Well, it seems that you have been working hard while I'm away."
Su Xinghui blinked, then suddenly leaned closer to the screen and lowered her voice, "Actually, it's because... the loser has to treat the whole class to afternoon tea, and I don't want to lose face."
Ye Fanshuang shook his head, his tone helpless: "...As expected."
Outside the window, London's night finally slowly fell.
Su Xinghui walked barefoot onto the soft carpet and onto the balcony. The summer evening breeze, carrying moisture from the Thames, gently brushed her cheeks.
She turned her phone camera towards the London Eye in the distance, its dazzling lights slowly spinning in the night.
"Does it look good?" she asked.
"Yeah." Ye Fanshuang's voice was very soft.
Su Xinghui suddenly sighed: "It would be nice if you were here too."
There was silence on the other end of the phone for a few seconds.
"...Missed me?" Ye Fanshuang's tone was still calm, but Su Xinghui keenly caught the subtle softness.
"Of course!" Su Xinghui answered without hesitation, and then added with a smile, "Especially when I want you to help me write my paper."
Ye Fanshuang snorted softly: "Dream on."
Su Xinghui laughed loudly, and her crisp laughter blended into the summer night breeze.
Back in the room, Su Xinghui threw herself onto the soft bed and turned over while hugging the pillow.
"Fanshuang, guess who else I met today?"
"who?"
"Lucas! That's the transfer student I mentioned last time!" Su Xinghui's eyes sparkled. "He actually took the initiative to chat with me!"
Ye Fanshuang's expression instantly turned colder: "...Oh?"
Su Xinghui pretended not to notice her change in tone and continued excitedly, "He said I was a great tennis player and asked if I wanted to go to the club with him this weekend!"
Ye Fanshuang was silent for two seconds, then said lightly: "It's up to you."
Su Xinghui suppressed her laughter and deliberately asked, "Are you...jealous?"
"Boring." Ye Fanshuang turned his face away, but the tips of his ears were slightly red.
Su Xinghui finally couldn't help laughing out loud: "I was kidding! I rejected him!"
Ye Fanshuang turned his head and narrowed his eyes: "...Su Xinghui."
"It's his fault because his perfume smells so strong!" Su Xinghui imitated her previous tone and shook her head proudly.
Ye Fanshuang was stunned for a moment, then held his forehead helplessly: "...You really are..."
It was late at night, and only a warm yellow bedside lamp was on in Su Xinghui's room.
She curled up in the quilt with her cell phone against the pillow. Ye Fanshuang on the screen was already a little sleepy, but she still held on and didn't hang up.
"Fanshuang," Su Xinghui said softly, "I dreamed of you yesterday."
"…What did you dream about?"
"I dreamed about our junior high school graduation trip, the time we went to the beach." Su Xinghui's voice was filled with nostalgia. "You were obviously afraid of water, but you still went with me to the sea. In the end, we got soaked by the waves and looked unhappy..."
Ye Fanshuang snorted softly, "How dare you bring that up?"
Su Xinghui chuckled: "But you still helped me build a sand castle later."
Ye Fanshuang sighed softly from the other end of the phone, followed by an almost inaudible sentence: "...Idiot."
Su Xinghui felt warm in her heart and closed her eyes.
"Fan Shuang."
"Um?"
"Good night."
"……Good night."
After the call ended, Su Xinghui put the phone on the bedside, but did not fall asleep immediately.
She looked at the ceiling and listened to the faint noise of the city coming from outside the window. Suddenly, she felt that the summer night in London did not seem so lonely anymore.
————————————————————
When Li Zhou awoke in the feathery darkness, the first thing he felt was a weight on his left wrist. He slowly rolled his eyes—the platinum case of his Patek Philippe shone a cold blue in the morning light, the strap hanging loosely on his thinner wrist.
The bedside monitor made regular "beeping" sounds, reminding him that the intravenous infusion was still continuing.
"woke up?"
Zhou Hui's voice came from the suite's reception area, accompanied by the soft sound of a coffee machine.
Li Zhou tried to stand up, but his muscles felt sore and weak as if they had been melted by high temperature.
The movement caused the silken sheets to slide down, revealing the silk pajamas he had changed into - clothes that were definitely not his own.
My dear, there is more to this chapter. Please click on the next page to continue reading. It will be even more exciting later!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
