Chapter 35
The sea breeze carried a salty, damp scent. Wen Zhiling stepped onto the rough sand and looked down at the navigation.
Why did you leave back then?
Li Xu's voice came from behind. The young man's voice was beautiful, an amazing presence on any music platform, but at this moment it was like a persistent sea breeze, sticky and chasing after people.
Wen Zhiling remained silent.
"Why did you leave without saying goodbye!" Li Xu repeated in a deep voice.
“I didn’t leave without saying goodbye,” Wen Zhiling adjusted her direction according to the guide and walked to the left. “I wrote a letter.”
The letter was addressed to Uncle Wen, not to him! Li Xu suppressed his dissatisfaction. "You didn't even say goodbye. You know I even had to beg my dad's friend to find you..."
Wen Zhiling interrupted him calmly: "Then you should also know that if Aunt Lin finds out that you've followed me out like this, I'll be in big trouble."
Li Xu: "She didn't see it."
Wen Zhiling glanced at him, "We might see it when it airs."
Li Xu said earnestly, "I will protect you."
Wen Zhiling nodded: "Thank you."
However, anyone could hear the sarcasm in those words and read the unspoken message: "You couldn't even protect your friends back then."
Li Xu was deeply hurt.
He stood in front of Wen Zhiling, blocking her path like a mountain. He held her shoulder, a faint sorrow in his eyes, and said, "Little Lingzhi, I have been looking for you all these years."
The sea breeze ruffled the boy's hair, the slightly curled ends brushing against his cheeks. Beneath his lowered eyelashes were a pair of eyes filled with bitterness, hiding resentment and longing.
Years ago, the spirited young man didn't have this expression. He would simply give orders without hesitation, asking her to accompany him to the football field in the middle of the night to see the stars, chat, and take a walk.
Wen Zhiling: "What did Aunt Lin say?"
Li Xu leaned forward. "What?"
Wen Zhiling calmly asked, "Did I leave because I stole something? Or did I do something bad? Like revealing the location of your safe? Stealing important documents?"
Li Xu: "..."
Wen Zhiling thought for a moment, "It can't be cheating on someone, can it?"
Li Xu opened his mouth, his expression somewhat strained, "A diamond necklace..."
Wen Zhiling nodded: "As expected."
She looked at him, her tone calm, "You believe me now, don't you?"
The girl's expression didn't change much, and she wasn't using a question, but rather a very certain tone of affirmation.
“I did have a period of time… I was too angry then… but later…” Li Xu tried to express his thoughts: “…after we met again, I knew you weren’t that kind of person!”
At the corner of the stone road, there was a wooden sign with an arrow pointing to the road, which read "Old Chen's Fishing Gear" in a somewhat awkward manner. Wen Zhiling took out a mask from her pocket and gave it to Li Xu, saying, "Put this on."
Li Xu recalled the scene she had seen Pope Lin Han making dumplings before, and said coldly, "You wear it."
Wen Zhiling threw the mask at him, saying, "Wear it or not, it's up to you."
She walked past him in the direction the arrow indicated, crumpling her mask into a ball in Li Xu's palm. He pressed her for an answer: "What is your relationship with Zong Linhan?"
Wen Zhiling disappeared into the tin shack, and Li Xu put on a mask and followed closely behind.
The shop was cramped, but the items were neatly arranged and clean, and the air was filled with the smell of fish and seawater.
An elderly bald man was drinking strong tea from an enamel mug, while a documentary about island fishing was playing on the television.
"Boss, how much is the fishing rod?" Wen Zhiling asked.
"That one costs eight hundred." The boss didn't even lift his eyelids.
“It’s too expensive,” Wen Zhiling said, examining the fishing rod. “The guides are so-so, and the rod walls are thin.”
The boss finally looked at her properly, "Young lady, you know a little bit about this? Then name your price."
Wen Zhiling: "One hundred and fifty."
Boss: "Let's go, let's go."
Li Xu made a gesture to take out money, but Wen Zhiling stopped him and focused on negotiating with the shopkeeper, "Add another twenty, or we'll go to the next one."
The boss sized her up, then looked at the tall, wealthy man behind her.
Wen Zhiling: "I'll buy it and I'll pay for it."
Boss: "Two hundred and twenty is the lowest I can go!"
Wen Zhiling: "One hundred and eighty, I'll buy two more rolls of thread."
Li Xu couldn't stand haggling. It was a waste of time to do something that didn't cost much. Several times he wanted to take out his wallet, but Wen Zhiling pressed him down, which was more difficult than haggling with the shop owner.
The fishing rod was sold for 188.
The shopkeeper grumbled, "You got a good deal. I don't even get this low a price for myself. I only did it because you're a girl..."
The girl paid quickly and decisively, with a subtle smile playing on her lips. Li Xu judged that this was a price that both parties were quite satisfied with.
He asked, "When did you learn to fish?"
Wen Zhiling instructed the boss on how to write receipts. "I used to work at a Japanese restaurant. The owner liked fishing and would invite everyone to go fishing on the bridge on weekends. The person who caught more fish than him that day would get an extra 200 yuan in salary that month."
Li Xu scoffed: "Only 200."
The air seemed to freeze subtly. Wen Zhiling slightly lifted her eyelashes, then let them fall back down as usual.
The shopkeeper shook his head, tore off the receipt, and took off his reading glasses. "Two hundred can do a lot of things, young man. Two people from the next village fought tooth and nail over two hundred yuan. One even pushed the other down the mountain. Let alone two hundred, when people are broke, they'll fight you to the death for fifty yuan."
Li Xu realized he had said the wrong thing and shut his mouth tightly.
No navigation was needed on the return trip. Wen Zhiling walked quickly, while Li Xu, holding a fishing rod, walked slowly. "In the competition later, if I catch more fish than Zong Linhan, we'll start over."
Wen Zhiling paused, turned to look at him, and asked, "What do you mean by starting over?"
Li Xu raised his chin slightly. "The literal meaning."
The sea breeze blew from the southeast, coming from behind Li Xu, and ruffled Wen Zhiling's long hair. She pressed down the fluttering hem of her skirt. "You just asked what my relationship with Zong Linhan is..."
Li Xu interrupted her, "I don't want to hear it now. No matter what your relationship is, as long as you're not boyfriend and girlfriend, why can't I start over with you?"
Wen Zhiling: "Why can't it be?"
Li Xu shook his head: "Don't joke around. If that were the kind of relationship he would have taken you on a variety show."
Li Xu noticed Wen Zhiling's fingers curling unconsciously, and he said calmly, "Zong Linhan is not the kind of person who would cause trouble for himself. How many people are watching this show? You two are calling each other brother and sister now. If you are caught being lovers after the show airs, will he be ruined?"
"It's not just him; his parents' reputations are being jeopardized as well. I'm not kidding. You should know who his parents are, right? They worked diligently and were respected their whole lives, and now that they've semi-retired, their reputations are being ruined because of their son?"
"You've seen a lot of news, haven't you? That's how this industry is. Scandals are like nutrients, attracting a large number of corrosive, predatory monsters who will swarm in, skinning and tearing at your flesh. Do you think Zong Linhan would use something like this as a bargaining chip? Then you really don't understand him at all."
“I don’t know why you came to the show with him, but after it’s over, stay as far away from him and all this trouble as possible.”
Gravel and sand were scattered between the cracks in the stone path, leaving footprints of varying depths. Near the path outside the villa, Wen Zhiling said to Li Xu, "You compete with me. If you can beat me, we can start over."
Li Xu readily accepted: "Okay!"
Wen Zhiling glanced at him. "Do you believe I can't beat you?"
Li Xu: "Impossible."
"Ahhhhh, congratulations to Zhiying on winning! You're amazing!"
Lu Siyi squatted by the bucket, and after counting the number of fish caught by Tao Tao, she screamed.
The little fish splashed and thrashed about, sending water flying everywhere. Li Xu's handsome face was even blacker than a burnt iron pot. "I didn't miscount, did I?"
Lu Siyi laughed: "Sister Zhiling and Brother Linhan have two or three times more than us, so there's no way they could have miscalculated."
Li Xu slammed his fishing rod to the ground, incredulous. He had caught twelve fish, which was already quite good!
Wen Zhiling and Zong Linhan stood around the small blue bucket watching the fish.
Wen Zhiling: "No doubt about it."
Zong Linhan: "Yeah, fishing is such an easy thing to do."
Li Wan walked over with her hands behind her back, her gaze shifting between the two faces. "No, you two really didn't have any special training?"
Wen Zhiling smiled and said, "No."
Zong Linhan smiled in the same way: "Indeed, no."
Zong Linhan turned his head and said, "But you can actually catch a few more. It's still early, so you don't need to cast your line too early."
Wen Zhiling feigned modesty, "Don't be too high-profile."
Zong Linhan smiled at Li Xu, "Leaving room for maneuver in our dealings with people and things is our family tradition."
Li Xu: "..."
Lingzhi was corrupted by him!!
"Are there any other activities later?" Lin Li put down her fishing rod and asked the director next to her.
"The evening's plans are pretty relaxed; we'll cook dinner together and chat..."
"Is it over just like that?" Lin Li interrupted the filming, saying regretfully, "I was really looking forward to whether there would be a treasure hunt, like those island adventure shows we watched when we were young, where you search for treasure on the beach."
The photographer glanced at his colleagues, then hesitated before asking, "What do you mean?"
...
After dinner, just as the sun was setting over the sea, the impromptu island exploration activity began.
The production team buried ten treasures on the beach in front of the villa and around the flower house behind it. The first person to find the most treasures wins. The competition is a solo competition, except... Lin Li and Wen Zhiling are paired up.
Lin Li's original words were: "I want to be in a group with Zhi Ling. I liked her the moment I saw her, and we can chat about gardening on the way."
Lin Li: "I'm too old to keep up with the pace of young people, so please don't look down on me, Zhi Ling."
To create a sense of ritual, the production team distributed black blindfolds to everyone and took them to different places to begin the search.
Before putting on the blindfold, Zong Linhan looked at Wen Zhiling with concern. She shook her head almost imperceptibly, giving him a reassuring look.
After following the production crew for a long time, when they took off their blindfolds, the two were standing on a rugged stone path, with the beach below.
As soon as the competition began, Lin Li started giving her pointers.
“Come on, let’s go up this way first.” Lin Li pointed to a path that was obviously difficult to walk and easy to slip on. “When you’re exploring, you should go where ordinary people dare not go.”
Wearing high heels, she had only taken two steps uphill when she stumbled on the gravel. Wen Zhiling instinctively reached out to help her, but she subtly avoided her.
Wen Zhiling didn't say anything, but followed behind her, her eyes scanning the surroundings. She noticed obvious trampling marks around a tree and walked towards it.
Lin Li frowned: "Are you sure? Don't wander off. Is it because you have a bad sense of direction that you're going that way?"
The person following him glanced at Lin Li upon hearing this.
Wen Zhiling stopped in her tracks. "Teacher Lin, there seems to be something over there."
Lin Li denied it, saying, "That kind of place is too obvious. The production team wouldn't hide it there. What were you thinking?"
The reporter was completely baffled; it seemed like Teacher Lin's tone had darkened as darkness fell.
Wen Zhiling walked straight over and found the first target under the grass: a simply folded origami crane. Lin Li's expression darkened.
During the rest of the treasure hunt, Lin Li offered even more advice: "Are you sure about this clue?" "You were too hasty in your judgment. I was just talking to you, and you were already gone." "I thought you were a pretty composed young lady, but you're a bit careless. Young people, you need to be more careful."
Every word struck precisely at Wen Zhiling's past, accurately evoking many memories she had almost forgotten. If it were six years ago, she would have been at a loss, hiding under the covers and crying. Now, Wen Zhiling listened silently, recognizing the footprints on the beach and finding the target behind the rocks.
but……
Wen Zhiling picked up the origami crane; half of its body was soaked by the waves, drooping and swaying in her trembling hand.
The waves crashed against Wen Zhiling's back, but all she could smell was the overwhelming scent of citrus. Thirsty, so very thirsty.
"Teacher, we're running out of time. Let's split up and search in two groups."
Before Lin Li could answer, Wen Zhiling placed the origami crane on the rock and turned to look for the next clue.
There was only one photographer following her, but Wen Zhiling ran very fast and left him behind.
She returned to the path leading to the first target, her throat and eyes itchy. She had taken the medication just days ago; it shouldn't have worn off so quickly. A pungent odor suffocated her, like carbon dioxide squeezing out the last bit of oxygen.
With trembling hands, she took the pills out of her pocket. She couldn't take too many of the suppressant pills; according to the dosage, she wouldn't be able to take them again for at least ten days.
Should she go find Zong Linhan? Her fingertips gripped the tin foil, and after a slight hesitation, Wen Zhiling put the pill back in her pocket.
She heard soft footsteps behind her. She turned around warily and saw Lu Qin emerge from behind a tree, a perfectly relaxed expression on his face. "I thought I'd been caught being followed by paparazzi."
Lu Qin chuckled and sat down next to Wen Zhiling. "So you're here to slack off too?"
"I'm exhausted after filming all day. I was just going to watch a movie and chat tonight, but we have to go on an adventure. I'm so sleepy." Lu Qin complained in a gentle voice, his words and actions a stark contrast to his cold expression.
Lu Qin took out a small medicine bottle without any label from his pocket, took out a small bottle of mineral water from another pocket, poured out twelve white pills, put them into his mouth in three portions, and drank them with the water.
Wen Zhiling had never seen anyone take so many medicines at once, and she was stunned for a moment. "You didn't make a mistake with the dosage?"
Lu Qin smiled: "No, two tablets at a time, twice a day, and you can't take them for more than three days."
Wen Zhiling: "..."
He just ate twelve pills, which is a lethal dose, right?
She stammered, "I...I'll call 120 for you..."
As she reached for her phone, Lu Qin stopped her hand and chuckled, "I know, it's just that I have a high tolerance for medication, so this is the only way I can take it."
He put the bottle back in his pocket. "This medicine was developed in my lab with a friend. It mainly relieves stress. You wouldn't believe it, but I get stressed very easily and then I can't do anything. The standard dosage is for the average person. I'm a researcher, so I adjust it according to my personal situation."
Wen Zhiling: "Twelve tablets is too many. Every medicine has some toxicity and there will be side effects."
Lu Qin said calmly, "It's not necessarily true, because everyone's situation is different. For one person, half a pill is enough, but for another person, twelve pills are enough. For example, with this special medicine I have, I once took twenty-four pills when I had a severe headache."
He smiled at Wen Zhiling, like a gentle older brother, "You know, sometimes to ensure everything goes perfectly and there's no chance of things going wrong, using medication to suppress the symptoms is the best way. A slightly higher dosage is just for peace of mind; there are always things you can't afford to lose or take risks about, right?"
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Author's Note: Lu Qin is talking nonsense. You can't just take medicine randomly! [Angry]
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