wildflowers
"Why are you traveling alone?" Pan Yue asked casually, his tone as usual.
The tide lapped against the shore, much like the rhythm of her stroll, relaxed and carefree. Zhu Shiyi tapped her chin with her finger, stammering for a moment: "Want to go out? I get scolded every day at home."
"But I don't have any friends. My friends are either doing internships, taking driving lessons, or don't have any pocket money during the holidays and can't go out."
Pan Yue gave a soft "hmm".
He was somewhat curious about her.
"Have you ever come out alone before?" Strands of hair fluttered and occasionally bumped against his arm, but Pan Yue did not dodge.
“No, it’s the first time,” Zhu Shiyi replied.
A gust of wind blew by, and strands of hair clung to her skin, making her feel a little itchy.
Zhu Shiyi smoothed the hair at the back of her neck: "I've finished my driver's license test, and I'm so bored at home. I don't know what to do."
A hint of gloom crept into Pan Yue's eyes.
Her slender fingers parted her veil, revealing the nape of her neck, the crescent shape perfectly curved. Her skin was like solidified cream, smooth and lustrous like the Milky Way, shimmering and radiant.
His gaze involuntarily drifted down to the side of his neck, settling on a mole on his neck.
It is like a black rose blooming in the snow, extreme and aloof.
And there's a hint of sexiness.
She reached out and gathered her hair, the black veil swaying in the wind, the stars around her neck twinkling, sometimes bright and sometimes dim.
Pan Yue's heart skipped a beat, and he immediately looked away, unconsciously frowning.
Zhu Shiyi had just moved slightly, and unintentionally, the distance between the two of them increased a little.
Losing the slight teasing from his arm, Pan Yue straightened his mind and suppressed his inexplicable unease.
*
Zhu Shiyi finally realized someone was missing. She turned her head and saw Lin Changren standing behind her, holding up his phone as if he was about to take a selfie.
She stopped, turned to the side, and gazed into the distance, her mind filled with worries again.
She started talking to herself, not caring whether anyone was listening: "Actually, I'm just too bored and want to find something to do. But besides singing, all I want to do is travel. Anyway, my family supports me traveling, so I'll just go."
Pan Yue gave a soft "hmm" and stopped, leaning against the mast of the walkway: "Then they've been very good to you."
Zhu Shiyi remained silent for a moment.
Were her parents treating her "good" or "bad"?
Maybe that's a good thing.
Without hesitation, her father paid for the trip. When her mother called, she didn't scold her; instead, she offered words of concern and advice.
She barely contacts her father, except when she needs money. When she's not home, she doesn't talk much to her mother either, too lazy to engage in awkward WeChat conversations. Saying too much just gets her lectured, which is incredibly annoying, so she prefers to stay silent.
Zhu Shiyi didn't say much. She leaned over the railing and said to Pan Yue, "Maybe so. Every family has its own troubles."
Those nearby remained silent.
The two leaned against the railing side by side, shoulder to shoulder, neither of them getting any closer.
After enjoying the scenery together for a while, Pan Yue asked, "Then why did we come to Qincheng? Yuecheng also has the sea."
His voice was deep and magnetic, and his tone was calm, like that of an ordinary friend having a casual chat.
Zhu Shiyi immediately felt much more relaxed. Her mind wandered, and she recited a great poem: "Each mountain has its own beauty, and the fragrance of wildflowers is never as good as that of garden flowers."
Pan Yue raised an eyebrow and glanced sideways, his eyes revealing his doubt.
“Of course,” Zhu Shiyi said, looking at Pan Yue’s eager eyes. “After seeing so many southern seas, don’t you want to see the northern seas? Qin City is so beautiful.”
Pan Yue turned to the side, lowered his eyes slightly, and listened quietly as she spun her story.
Zhu Shiyi tilted his head and met Pan Yue's eyes: "Haven't you heard? People are always looking at what they have while eating what they have in their bowl. When you're eating, don't you think what's in someone else's bowl tastes better?"
Fearing the other party wouldn't believe her, she even gave an example: "When I was eating in the cafeteria, I saw my roommate eating noodles, and I felt that her food was better than mine."
A soft laugh escaped his chest: "Homegrown flowers aren't as fragrant as wildflowers."
Pan Yue's eyes flickered slightly. He looked down at her directly and gently shook his head: "Is this how you use these words?"
"It's not important!" Zhu Shiyi waved his hand dismissively. "The point is, Qin City is so wonderful."
Acting on, she closed her eyes, covered her chest, and exaggeratedly added, "Ah—except... the cake at your cafe that costs 138 yuan."
Heartbreaking! So heartbreaking!
"I'll give you a free meal." Pan Yue's words were truly the most witty and insightful statement of all, deserving of a Nobel Prize or Oscar for his kindness!
“Then that won’t be necessary…” Zhu Shiyi grinned.
I thought about it, but I decided against it.
With 138 yuan, a free meal, and two more travel buddies, why would she be greedy?
If they continue to be greedy, they might have to consider whether the other party is planning to human traffickers.
...
"Hey!" A loud shout suddenly appeared.
Lin Changren had appeared behind them without them noticing; he had just been admiring himself on the mast.
He waved and walked over, saying, "Want to take a picture? Let me tell you, this scenery is absolutely stunning."
Lin Changren casually put his arm around Pan Yue's shoulder: "I looked really handsome in that picture. Come on, let's take one too."
Zhu Shiyi, who was standing to the side, moved aside. The two brothers were taking pictures; it probably wouldn't be her turn.
There are two and a half people in the front-facing camera, but half of Zhu Shiyi is missing from the frame.
“Shiyi, you’re here to take pictures too,” Lin Changren said, already very familiar with her. “Why are you hiding so far away when you’re so pretty?”
"Ah," Zhu Shiyi was a little surprised, unconsciously smoothing her hair, "No thanks, I look terrible in photos, you two can take them."
She didn't expect Lin Changren to call her.
Lin Changren uttered a four-word proverb that no Chinese person could refuse: "Since we're already here."
"Let's keep this as a souvenir."
......
Zhu Shiyi is on the left, Lin Changren is in the center, and Pan Yue is on the right.
"Three, two, one, cheese!" The shutter clicked, and Lin Changren grinned widely.
"Let me see!" Zhu Shiyi felt a secret anticipation. It was rare for her to have her picture taken, and she was posing so earnestly.
Lin Changren generously handed over his phone.
On the left side of the photo, Zhu Shiyi is smiling so broadly that her eyes are squinting; because she's smiling so wide, her face seems a bit big; and with that peace sign, the whole thing makes her look like a silly goose!
She gave a dry, forced smile. Good heavens, she looked absolutely awful in that photo.
"They all look good!" Lin Changren glanced at the two bodyguards in the photo, confirmed that they were real people, and then began to admire his own handsome profile. "My God, from this angle, with that jawline, I'm absolutely manly!"
"A shoehorn angle, a crooked tree." Pan Yue spared no effort, only wanting to rhyme.
"Pfft—" Zhu Shiyi couldn't help but chuckle.
"Get the hell out of here," Lin Changren punched Pan Yue. "You're just jealous. Look at that deadpan expression in your photo, you never even smile. You might as well evolve into a robot vacuum cleaner."
"Look, look, look—" Lin Changren quickly shoved his phone into Pan Yue's face.
Pan Yue dodged aside, turned sideways, put one hand in his pocket, and squinted in the backlight: "You're jealous."
The repeated three words were enough to break the defenses of the naive Lin Changren.
Lin Changren was on the verge of tears, and turned to Zhu Shiyi for comfort: "Shiyi, you be the judge, am I not more handsome than that pretentious guy?"
Zhu Shiyi gave a forced laugh and replied, "Yes, yes, it looks good, it looks good, haha..."
She didn't want to see that photo a second time and just wanted to change the subject as soon as possible.
Zhu Shiyi raised his finger and pointed to the crowd in the distance: "Isn't Fengqin Island over there?"
“Yes,” Lin Changren was successfully swayed, “Let’s go to the bathhouse and soak our feet.”
......
Fengqin Island is very close to the city center.
Although it's called an island, it's too small and connected to the main city by a boardwalk, so it doesn't feel as independent as it would be if it were surrounded by the sea. However, it does have a beach, and it's well-maintained, making it even cleaner than the Third Bathing Beach I visited yesterday.
Lin Changren took off his shoes and threw them aside, then ran off into the sea.
Zhu Shiyi was speechless.
How can a person have so much energy? Who exactly is this energetic college student?
Being around highly energetic people is always infectious.
Zhu Shiyi even wanted to take off his shoes and run off to play.
But there was also Pan Yue next to him.
Zhu Shiyi glanced at him sideways.
The man was no different from usual, his eyes fixed straight ahead, standing as straight as a pine tree, like an old cadre coming to inspect sanitation.
Zhu Shiyi pouted. She always felt that Pan Yue was a little aloof; he always looked very serious.
She felt that Pan Yue probably wouldn't go swimming. But wouldn't it be a little awkward to leave him standing there like a bodyguard?
Zhu Shiyi was about to get conflicted again.
Unexpectedly, the pine and cypress trees in front of him moved. He bent down, untied his shoelaces, threw his shoes next to Lin Changren's shoes, and walked forward without looking back.
Zhu Shiyi blinked twice.
“If we’re not going into the water,” Pan Yue suddenly turned around, his voice rising slowly at the end, “then please do us the trouble of looking at our shoes.”
Zhu Shiyi: "..."
"Impossible, I don't smell stinky feet." That was a powerful statement. People from the southern coast love to wear flip-flops everywhere. Right now, Zhu Shiyi only needed to kick off her flip-flops.
Pan Yue turned around, tilted his head slightly, stood still without arguing, and had a slight smile on his lips.
Zhu Shiyi caught up with Pan Yue, and the two walked side by side toward the sea.
Lin Changren, who was in front, had long since become a wild horse galloping forward, leaping and shouting incoherently.
"It's been so long since I've had a swim in the sea, I really want to sit right in the water!" Lin Changren took a few steps to the left and a few steps to the right, like an excited little dog, splashing around and swaying in the biggest waves. "It's a pity I didn't bring my swimming trunks."
"You still care about your swim trunks?" Pan Yue stood behind Lin Changren, side by side with Zhu Shiyi, his hands in his pockets.
Zhu Shiyi was wearing a long skirt, and out of habit, she kept the skirt pulled up.
She suggested to Lin Changren, "Go buy one, they sell them on the beach."
“Forget it, I still have to go to the seaside road to change, and then I have to take a shower,” Lin Changren turned around and shouted loudly amidst the commotion, “I didn’t bring any toiletries, and I’ll make a mess of them when I take a taxi later.”
"You actually think about all this?" Pan Yue said in a low voice.
"There's nothing I can do, I'm getting old." Lin Changren pouted, feeling melancholic.
A huge wave surged up to his right. Lin Changren jumped in as if he had seen gold, chasing after the next tide.
All thoughts from the previous second were thrown to the back of their minds.
Zhu Shiyi laughed as the grown man darted around, saying, "He says he's old? Is there anyone more energetic than him? He's the most college student-like person in a crowd."
"And you?" Pan Yue put his hands in his pockets and glanced sideways. "A college student, not going to have fun?"
The waves gently lapped against my ankles, cool, familiar, and comforting.
Zhu Shiyi suddenly had a feeling—
It feels like going back to...my childhood.
As for how young I was when I was a child.
She thought, maybe eight years old.
My younger brother, the year he was born.
“When I see the ocean, most of the time I don’t even bother to step into the water,” Zhu Shiyi said calmly. “It’s too much trouble. Let alone swimming.”
"Perhaps it's because I've seen too much." Pan Yue lowered his eyelashes, casting a faint shadow, lost in thought.
Zhu Shiyi nodded: "Yes. When I was a child, I really enjoyed swimming at the beach."
That time, when she was eight years old, seemed to be the last time she swam in the sea.
"Feeling it's not fresh anymore?" Pan Yue shifted his neck, his tone suddenly softening. "After all—"
"Homegrown flowers are not as fragrant as wildflowers."
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