Jiang Wenxiu dashed a few steps forward but hesitated when she realized no one was following her.
Shen Jiayu remained seated on the steps, her clothes billowing in the wind, making her appear even more frail. The iPad resting on her knees was turned off, and she sat, enveloped in shadow, looking thin and pitiful.
Pei Yujang had arrived late and didn't know what had transpired between the two, only that Jiang Wenxiu seemed very angry. But now that she was at the door, Jiang Wenxiu didn't go inside. She kept looking back as if she couldn't bear to leave Shen Jiayu alone outside.
Yet, Shen Jiayu didn't offer any explanation or try to stop her. Jiang Wenxiu, having been spoiled from a young age, couldn't tolerate being the one to constantly coax someone else. The fact that she had held on this long was already a miracle. With a huff, she finally turned and left without a backward glance.
The night wind was strong, and with the onset of autumn, the temperature difference between day and night was no longer as mild as in summer—it was getting quite cold. Even Pei Yujang, who had been standing still for a while, began to feel the chill, let alone Shen Jiayu, whose thin figure looked like it could be knocked over by a gust of wind. Her feet were still soaking in the pool, which, although clean and swimmable, would be uncomfortable after too long.
Pei Yujang hesitated whether to go over and get Shen Jiayu out of the pool. If she stayed there, she'd likely catch a cold.
Just then, she heard footsteps—Jiang Wenxiu came running back down the stairs, holding a coat, which she tossed onto Shen Jiayu's lap.
"Hey!" Jiang Wenxiu called out, "Are you stupid or what? Don't you know you'll catch a cold?"
Shen Jiayu looked a bit stunned as she accepted Jiang Wenxiu's coat.
Jiang Wenxiu, having delivered the coat, didn't linger. She huffed again and turned to leave, acting as if she wasn't the one concerned about Shen Jiayu. But before she could get far, Shen Jiayu seemed to snap out of her daze and hurriedly caught Jiang Wenxiu by the wrist.
"I was… learning to swim."
Her voice was slow and hesitant, but once she started, it wasn't as difficult to continue. Watching Jiang Wenxiu listen intently, Shen Jiayu's courage grew. She spoke with a mix of shyness and determination, shedding the calm demeanor that didn't suit her age:
"I was learning to swim so I could go with you tomorrow. I'm not as good in the water as you are, so I couldn't practice in the lake. I had to practice here in the hotel pool. I learn fast, but I can't let you go down there alone—I'd be too worried…"
As Shen Jiayu continued, Pei Yujang, crouched and eavesdropping, began to piece together what had happened.
Apparently, Jiang Wenxiu, always mischievous, had mentioned during a chat that she planned to sneak into the swimming area tomorrow while the teachers weren't looking. While it was technically okay to swim during this season, it would be easy to catch a cold if one wasn't careful. Shen Jiayu, knowing she couldn't dissuade Jiang Wenxiu, decided to accompany her instead. After all, if they were going to get punished, they might as well be punished together. She was cautious.
However, Shen Jiayu didn't tell Jiang Wenxiu any of this. To Jiang Wenxiu, Shen Jiayu always seemed indifferent, neither warm nor cold.
That afternoon, when Jiang Wenxiu saw Shen Jiayu sitting by the water, she approached her and accidentally knocked a grass ring out of Shen Jiayu's hand. The ring, woven layer upon layer, quickly sank into the water. Shen Jiayu didn't say anything at the time, but when Jiang Wenxiu looked again later, she saw her swimming in the pool.
Who swims in this weather? Shen Jiayu wasn't particularly healthy either. Jiang Wenxiu, thinking the grass ring had been given to Shen Jiayu by another girl, grew jealous and asked about it. Shen Jiayu didn't deny anything; she just gave her a strange look. Jiang Wenxiu took her silence as confirmation, feeling as if she had been struck by lightning, and lashed out with harsh words.
"But you know…"
"I know you like me. I like you too. Is that enough?"
Shen Jiayu suddenly interrupted, her straightforward confession startling Jiang Wenxiu. The girl at the door was taken aback by the directness of Shen Jiayu's confession, her face flushing red. She stammered in disbelief:
"What did you say?"
Shen Jiayu gripped her hand tightly, as if steeling her own resolve. She held Jiang Wenxiu's hand so tightly that it hurt, but her heart swelled with joy, which was clearly written all over her face. Jiang Wenxiu, practically jumping with happiness, grabbed Shen Jiayu and ran upstairs.
Shen Jiayu's voice could be heard faintly from within:
"What are you doing?"
"We're going to record it. Say it again—I'm afraid you'll take it back and say you were joking!"
Pei Yujang couldn't help but laugh.
She had been crouching in the same position for too long, and now that she stood up, she realized her blood circulation wasn't right. After putting Yu Zhiwan down, she winced in pain.
Yu Zhiwan, having been too absorbed in eavesdropping, didn't immediately realize:
"Am I too heavy?"
"No," Pei Yujang shook her head, "I just held the position too long. I guess next time I should switch it up more often."
She didn't realize that her words sounded a bit suggestive, and while she was doing some light stretches, Yu Zhiwan suddenly hugged her from behind, pulling her into an embrace. The tension eased from Pei Yujang's waist, and she leaned back into the warm softness, shaking her head slightly.
Actually, when Pei Yujang first tried to shake her head, it was an instinctive reaction, but Yu Zhiwan raised an eyebrow and immediately pulled back.
Pei Yujang nearly fell but quickly stabilized herself, thanks to her strong core muscles. Confused, she looked at Yu Zhiwan, who said bluntly, "You were rubbing against my chest, taking advantage."
Pei Yujang: "I wasn't. I just moved my head!"
Yu Zhiwan huffed.
Pei Yujang saw her reaction and said, "Who doesn't have one? You can rub against mine if you want. I'll let you get even."
She was joking, but Yu Zhiwan leaned in and carefully rubbed against her chest, from the top down to her abs. Through her shirt, Omega's soft cheeks pressed against her, and the familiar warmth in an unfamiliar setting had a different effect.
Pei Yujang couldn't take it anymore. Before she could stop Yu Zhiwan, she quickly grabbed her head, then let go and lifted her up by the shoulders.
Her voice was low and seductive in the dark:
"What do you want, hmm?"
When they returned, it was already past midnight. Pei Yujang quietly led the way, moving silently so as not to wake the other girls.
But as soon as she pushed open the door upstairs, she was greeted by laughter.
"We can't play with Shen Jiayu as the ghost. She's a total bug! No one can win!"
It was Jin Duo's voice, loud enough to be heard as soon as Pei Yujang reached the door. She was startled and checked the time on her phone. It was already around three in the morning.
These young girls seemed to have even more energy than she had expected.
Her first thought was that it was a good thing the pool water could be replaced. The girls would probably never guess what they had done.
Pei Yujang initially thought they were playing the card game they had played earlier. But she soon realized they were actually playing a horror board game in the dark.
The classic Japanese board game, "The Girl in the Box."
Someone even had their phone playing spooky background music, adding to the eerie atmosphere. Dim lighting cast shadows on the young girls' faces as Pei Yujang quietly made her way upstairs, trying not to disturb them. But suddenly, she heard Ding Fang scream:
"Whoa—what the—"
"You scared me, Sister Pei!"
"I thought the girl in the box really showed up, haha…"
Anyone brave enough to play a horror game in the middle of the night with only a small light on couldn't be that easily scared. Ding Fang, who had screamed first, patted her chest as if she had been terrified, but then joked:
"You two went on a date late at night and sneaked back in like this. I almost threw my prop at you."
In the game, one player acts as the girl in the box, who moves through various boxes, while the others play as visitors who might find items in the boxes.
In this immersive box set board game, the items weren't just simple cards. Pei Yujang noticed Ding Fang holding a tiny teddy bear, barely half the size of her hand. Though adorable, it looked eerie in the dim, yellowish light.
"Sister Yujang and Sister Zhiwan went on a date without us and didn't even bring anything back. So unfair."
Pei Yujang and Yu Zhiwan were both easygoing, so the
girls quickly warmed up to them. Jin Duo made a ghostly face to tease them, and Pei Yujang placed the golden pomelo on the table:
"Who said we didn't bring anything?"
As the others turned their attention to the golden pomelo, Jiang Wenxiu observed them, puzzled:
"Why are you both wet? Did it rain outside?"
The weather was clear, with a starry sky.
Pei Yujang fumbled for an explanation, but Yu Zhiwan quickly covered for them, calmly lifting her water-soaked hair:
"The lights were out when we came in, and I accidentally stepped into the pool."
The girls, full of curiosity, quickly moved on to discussing the poorly designed entrance to the villa. The lights turned off at midnight, and the door was flanked by two pools—one shallow ornamental pool and the other a swimming pool.
Stepping into the ornamental pool could mean stepping on fish, while falling into the swimming pool would be even worse. The water was about 1.2 meters deep—not enough to drown an adult, but definitely uncomfortable.
Realizing this, the girls gave the pair sympathetic looks, and Jin Duo earnestly advised:
"Be more careful next time. Don't be so careless. If you're going to be out late again, call Wenxiu. She can bring a flashlight or turn on the main lights."
Careless Pei Yujang and Yu Zhiwan: "…"
Fortunately, they didn't ask any more questions and quickly resumed their horror game. The two of them headed upstairs for a shower and then fell into a deep sleep.
The next day, the school organized a tour of the island. After a full day of activities, Pei Yujang rented a fully automatic barbecue grill in the evening and bought some fresh ingredients, pre-skewered on iron sticks. This saved her some effort.
The students, having skipped dinner, sneaked away from the teachers to join Pei Yujang and Yu Zhiwan on the beach. Seeing the neatly arranged equipment, Jin Duo exclaimed:
"The service here is amazing. No wonder it's a tourist island!"
"No," Pei Yujang shook her head, looking at the people playing in the water nearby, and replied seriously, "It's because I have money."
She had bought the freshest ingredients, had them prepped, and placed them on the grill, ready to be cooked. Pei Yujang had also rented a few beach chairs. With no sun out, there was no need for umbrellas. Nearby, someone was carrying a tray toward them, bringing drinks.
Pei Yujang had arranged everything perfectly and now sat back to enjoy.
A gentle breeze blew across the lake, bringing the cool freshness of autumn. In the distance, the lighthouse had been lit, and the whitewashed tower was adorned with colorful lights, reflecting on the calm lake surface.
The sound of waves echoed in Pei Yujang's ears, reminding her of the previous night's intimacy. That had also taken place by the pool in the villa, where the water was clean and disinfected daily. Yu Zhiwan lay on the tiled edge while she stood in the water…
Pei Yujang blinked and pushed the strange thoughts out of her mind.
In the distance, a vendor was haggling with someone, and Pei Yujang closed her eyes, enjoying the peaceful moment. Then she heard Jin Duo shout:
"Sister Yujang, I'm going to buy some fish buns over there!"
Pei Yujang waved her off, indicating she could go. These high school girls weren't children, but it did feel like they treated her like a parent, informing her of everything.
Jin Duo took off like a shot, and Pei Yujang saw she was heading toward the lake. There were vendors by the lake, mostly selling fresh pomelo juice. A bun seller would indeed stand out.
The lamb skewers on the automatic grill gradually turned a golden brown, the aroma rich and mouthwatering, even without seasoning. Yu Zhiwan mixed a bowl of dipping sauce with some pomelo vinegar, preparing to grill some fish and taste the local flavors.
Jin Duo returned shortly, looking disappointed.
Shen Jiayu, who had been whispering to Jiang Wenxiu, noticed her expression and asked, "What's wrong?"
"The fish bun seller said they're out of buns today. The catch was really poor, just a few small fish fry. He asked if I wanted salted fish buns instead, but who eats salted fish buns? They stink!"
Pei Yujang had only heard of fish belly hotpot in Ningxiang and was curious to try fish buns. But hearing Jin Duo's story, it seemed it wasn't going to happen today. She consoled her:
"It's okay. We're here for four days and three nights. We can try again tomorrow."
"He said someone damaged the fish farm's net, and the king fish is gone. That fish weighed thirty pounds and was going to be put on display! Now they're checking the surveillance cameras to see if anyone tampered with the nets. Some even suspect the students did it."
"Nonsense," Pei Yujang laughed. "What student would go down and mess with the fish nets? Those nets must be really tough. It's not easy to break them without special tools."
"Ridiculous!"
They continued chatting and eating. After dinner, the students volunteered to clean up and return the barbecue grill. Pei Yujang and Yu Zhiwan took a stroll along the lakeshore, enjoying the cool evening breeze.
Pei Yujang held Yu Zhiwan's hand, and after a while, she suddenly chuckled. Yu Zhiwan asked her what was funny, and Pei Yujang, calming her laughter, said:
"I was thinking, when things settle down, we could travel and live in different places. Do you like the idea of traveling and living in different cities?"
Living like a nomad, staying in one city for a while before moving to another, experiencing the local culture and life. Pei Yujang had heard that many writers lived this way since they worked freely. She thought that maybe she could do the same once she was no longer tied to YueRong.
Without realizing it, Yu Zhiwan had already been included in her future plans.
But she also considered that Yu Zhiwan might prefer a more stable life:
"If you don't like it, that's fine too. We can stay in Yicheng and settle down, buy a nicer house with multiple floors, and move whenever we feel like it…"
Hearing Pei Yujang's far-fetched ideas, Yu Zhiwan's eyes twinkled with amusement. She playfully slapped Pei Yujang:
"You're so restless."
They were still young, and she was already planning for their old age.
"I saw all those couples with their kids today, and I couldn't help thinking about it!"
Earlier that day, they had met some of the other parents. Apart from Pei Yujang and Yu Zhiwan, the others were all married and nearly forty, making the two of them, not even thirty, seem out of place.
But the parents who brought their kids to events like this were generally open-minded, and several had approached them to chat. They even invited them to join in gathering wild vegetables the next day while the kids were busy, planning to make a wild vegetable porridge.
Pei Yujang was in a great mood that day. She had planned to live stream in the evening but decided against it, finding it too troublesome. Instead, she organized the photos she had taken, intending to create a Plog later.
On the third day at Qianshui Island, the weather was bright and sunny. The group hiked up the mountain, with Pei Yujang and Yu Zhiwan taking the cable car. Yu Zhiwan's legs were still not strong enough for a long hike, and the heat made the cable car ride more appealing.
They stood at the mountaintop, taking in the view. Pei Yujang used her binoculars to look around and suddenly noticed a tall, rusty iron tower, unlike the white lighthouse. She frowned.
As she studied it more closely, Yu Zhiwan asked what she had found, and Pei Yujang handed her the binoculars.
Yu Zhiwan looked through the binoculars:
"Oh, that's probably a signal tower."
"A signal tower?"
This was a bit beyond Pei Yujang's knowledge.
She knew of such towers but had never seen one. The tower was old and fully enclosed, resembling an ordinary, abandoned observation tower.
Yu Zhiwan explained:
"It's an old signal tower used to transmit signals and maintain WiFi. Now, with AG networks, there's no need for constant WiFi, so these towers have been gradually phased out."
Pei Yujang nodded.
They wandered through the mangroves for a while, and when Yu Zhiwan grew tired, they decided to wait in a nearby rest area for the group to catch up. The others had hiked up the mountain, which was over 300 meters high, but it didn't take too long. A small pavilion offered shade, where people were already resting.
Pei Yujang bought two bottles of ice water, opened one for Yu Zhiwan, and then drank from her own. She drank slowly, letting the cool water flow into her mouth, feeling refreshed.
A few minutes later, Pei Yujang heard a commotion. Initially, she thought it was the main group arriving, but then she noticed something seemed off. In the pavilion, a vendor selling oden noticed a man carrying large bundles and a long fork, and he cursed:
"Holy shit, what are you doing with that thing up here?"
The long fork was tangled with water plants and had a fishy smell.
It was rarely used, even for fishing, as most people used nets.
"Something's wrong in the sea. I ran up here. Damn, could it really be the end of the world?"
Pei Yujang paused mid-drink and turned to look at him. Her keen hearing picked up faint sounds from below. Yu Zhiwan quickly put away her bottle, stood up from the stone she had been sitting on, and grabbed the binoculars to look down the mountain.
Through the dense greenery, it was hard to see clearly. The binoculars weren't a telescope or military-grade, so the view wasn't that sharp. Yu Zhiwan could barely make out some people packing up, but the sky was clear, with no signs of an impending storm.
The water rippled gently, but Yu Zhiwan couldn't detect anything unusual for now. She asked Pei Yujang if they should go down and check it out. Pei Yujang thought about it and decided against it. If she were alone, she would definitely head down, but she couldn't leave Yu Zhiwan alone here, nor could she take Omega into a potentially dangerous situation.
So, Yu Zhiwan continued observing. Meanwhile, others who had heard the commotion came over to investigate, asking if they could borrow the binoculars, but Pei Yujang politely refused.
"Stingy."
The person muttered before walking away, but Pei Yujang didn't care what she thought, remaining focused on her task of guarding Yu Zhiwan.
"Ah!"
A sharp scream erupted from the seaside, like a spark igniting a fire. The sounds reached them, though muffled. Yu Zhiwan adjusted the binoculars to their farthest setting, squinting as she looked closer. She barely made out the outline of a dark gray fin in the lake.
"A shark! There's a shark at Qianshui Island!"
A sentry at the beach blew a sharp whistle, and the tower guard quickly reported the sighting. Nearby staff grabbed megaphones, urgently directing the crowd to move inland.
Jiang Wenxiu vaguely heard the broadcast. She was currently hiking and had fallen a bit behind. The group wasn't very enthusiastic about climbing, so they were moving lazily.
The broadcast jolted Jiang Wenxiu into action.
Sharks could only survive in freshwater lakes, so if a shark had appeared, had seawater also invaded? Could this lead to flooding? Terrified, Jiang Wenxiu grabbed Shen Jiayu, urging her friends to run uphill.
The previously orderly crowd panicked at the sudden turn of events, pushing and shoving in a chaotic scramble up the mountain. The cable car was slow, with one end connected to the lakeside, looping around the mountain. Amid the shoving, Jiang Wenxiu clung tightly to Shen Jiayu to prevent her from being swept away by the crowd:
"We'll take the shortcut. Hurry!"