“So we clearly agreed to have steak at that open-air Western restaurant by the sea tonight. How did it suddenly turn into a barbecue?”
Inside the supermarket, Qin Yun pushed the trolley and questioned the man ahead of him, who was looking down as he selected meat from the shelves.
Without raising his head, Zhou Wu replied, “I suddenly felt like eating it.”
“Fine. But couldn’t we have sent someone else to buy everything? Why did the two of us need to come and choose the meat personally?”
There was no helping it. Zhou Wu had already said he would buy food when they collected the women. It would look strange if he arrived empty-handed.
He casually picked several of the most expensive packs of meat skewers and tossed them into the trolley.
“If you don’t want to shop, go back and wait in the car.”
“Forget it. I’ll buy some snacks while we’re here. We can eat them while watching a film tonight. Don’t women all like that sort of thing?”
Qin Yun continued muttering, “Especially Dou Yiqing. She used to secretly eat snacks in class every day in high school. Wait, why did she never write her own name down back then?”
A WeChat notification interrupted his complaining.
Qin Yun looked down at his phone and froze.
“What’s going on? Why did Duan Wei suddenly message me asking which woman you’ve been close to lately?”
Zhou Wu did not look up.
“Ignore her.”
“Even if I wanted to answer, I couldn’t. Apart from your secretary, what women have you had around you lately?”
Confused, Qin Yun typed back that he did not know.
“She’s asking where we are and says she wants to come and find us. Should I tell her?”
Zhou Wu calmly reminded him, “When you invited Dou Yiqing, you didn’t mention anyone else would be here.”
Qin Yun considered it.
“That’s true… Forget it. Judging by how little they spoke during the school anniversary, they probably aren’t close. It would be awkward if nobody enjoyed themselves.”
After brushing off Duan Wei, Qin Yun pushed the trolley after Zhou Wu and stared at his friend inquisitively.
“What?” Zhou Wu glanced at him.
“Nothing. I’ve simply noticed that you genuinely don’t seem as preoccupied with Duan Wei anymore.”
Zhou Wu replied, “Not as preoccupied as you are. Do I need to remind you that she and I broke up several years ago?”
“Then why did you continue living in the hotel where she held her wedding? And on the day she got married, you drank so much and even told her—”
A phone call interrupted Qin Yun.
Zhou Wu answered. It was a work call.
After briefly giving the caller a few instructions, he ended it and asked, “What were you saying?”
Deciding there was no point continuing, Qin Yun shook his head.
“Nothing. Come on. Let’s look through the snack aisle.”
…
After leaving the supermarket, they packed all the bags into the boot and reached the airport before the flight landed.
It was the peak summer travel season.
As Bincheng was a popular island destination, the airport was extremely crowded. Wave after wave of people poured through the arrivals exit.
Qin Yun lifted his phone and sent Dou Yiqing a voice message.
“Dou Yiqing, I’m here. I’m standing right outside arrivals—the most handsome man in the crowd. You’ll see me the moment you come out.”
A few minutes later, the automatic doors slid open and a stream of travellers emerged.
Zhou Wu immediately spotted Wen Ci among them.
She was wearing a fresh, loose-fitting strappy maxi dress. Her long hair fell over her shoulders, and the wisps beside her cheeks had been tucked behind her ears.
Her skin appeared several shades fairer than everyone around her.
Wen Ci also found him almost immediately.
Their eyes met.
Zhou Wu raised an eyebrow at her.
In the next instant, Wen Ci quickly turned her gaze away and looked towards Qin Yun beside him.
Zhou Wu:
“?”
Qin Yun immediately raised his hand.
“Dou Yiqing! Over here!”
Dou Yiqing was dressed lightly for the heat in a fitted white sleeveless top and simple shorts, revealing a healthy, well-proportioned figure.
Hearing her name, she rolled her eyes and strode towards them.
Wen Ci held the handle of her suitcase with both hands and hurried after her.
Wen Ci was barely 160 centimetres tall and rather slender. Even the twenty-four-inch suitcase looked large beside her, and pushing it appeared tiring.
Qin Yun gave a smug laugh.
“See? I told you. The most handsome man in the crowd. You could see me the moment you came out—”
Dou Yiqing agreed, “Yes, exceptionally handsome. Zhou Wu.”
Zhou Wu smiled.
“Thank you.”
Qin Yun laughed in anger.
“Dou Yiqing, do you have a conscience? I came all the way to the airport to collect you.”
“Thank you. Don’t come next time. I genuinely don’t want the entire airport knowing my name.”
“Okay. Congratulations. You’ve successfully angered today’s driver—hey! Where are you going? The car park is this way!”
“To get a taxi.”
“That wasn’t exactly what I meant…”
As always, the two began arguing the moment they met, though the hostility between them was noticeably weaker than before.
Zhou Wu could not be bothered to join in.
He extended a hand towards the person beside him, intending to take her suitcase.
Wen Ci swiftly moved it to her other side, leaving Zhou Wu’s hand empty.
“I can push it myself.”
She smiled politely at him.
“Thank you.”
Wen Ci followed the two people arguing ahead of them.
Zhou Wu stared at her slender back for several seconds.
Then he seemed to understand something.
Turning his face aside, he gave a quiet scoff and leisurely followed her.
The airport exit was some distance from the car park.
It was shortly after midday, and the sun outside remained scorching.
Dou Yiqing shielded her forehead with one hand and felt thoroughly deceived.
How was this an escape from the summer heat?
It was clearly hotter than Jiangcheng!
She turned around to ask Wen Ci for a tissue, only to discover that the two people behind them had fallen far back.
Several passing cars blocked Wen Ci’s path through the car park.
She was also pushing the heavy suitcase, so her steps were slow.
Zhou Wu walked leisurely behind her with both hands in his pockets.
Despite his long arms and legs, he moved even more slowly than she did.
The sunlight stretched his shadow far ahead, perfectly covering Wen Ci and keeping her beneath it.
Qin Yun placed Dou Yiqing’s suitcase in the boot and glanced back at them.
Then he laughed.
“Zhou Wu, she’s your former classmate at least. Why don’t you help her push her suitcase?”
Zhou Wu replied without context, “I don’t know.”
“?”
Qin Yun was just about to ask what that was supposed to mean when Wen Ci quickened her pace and reached them.
“I can push it myself. It was only a short distance.”
She looked towards the boot.
“Is there still enough room?”
Qin Yun stepped aside, revealing the spacious boot.
“Are you joking? We could fit two more people inside.”
Wen Ci nodded.
She lowered the suitcase handle, gripped the side handle and lifted with all her strength.
The suitcase left the ground for one second before dropping back into place.
Wen Ci looked embarrassed.
Her luggage genuinely was overweight.
At the baggage carousel, Dou Yiqing had also needed to help her lift it down.
Wen Ci was about to try again when the weight suddenly disappeared from her hand.
A familiar lemon-and-wood scent approached.
Warm fingers briefly brushed hers before moving away.
Zhou Wu placed the suitcase into the boot and casually asked, “Why is it so heavy? What did you pack?”
Wen Ci:
“…”
“Books. A pile of books! And her work laptop!” Dou Yiqing said in disbelief. “What kind of person brings all of that on holiday?”
“…I only brought a few books,” Wen Ci said.
Zhou Wu praised her.
“Ms Wen remains as studious as ever.”
Wen Ci opened her mouth.
In the end, she could only produce a stiff, “Mm.”
Dou Yiqing felt slightly airsick, so after discussing it, she sat in the front passenger seat.
“Dou Yiqing, you genuinely have a split personality. You dress one way when you teach, and now you’re…”
While driving, Qin Yun glanced at her legs, then looked away again.
Dou Yiqing crossed them.
“Don’t interfere in the life of a beautiful woman.”
“Beautiful woman? Who? Wen Ci?”
Qin Yun returned the insult, then glanced into the rear-view mirror.
Zhou Wu and Wen Ci sat in the back seat, one on each side, both staring out of their respective windows.
A considerable distance separated them.
“I saw you going home together before, and you were holding each other so tightly at the party. I thought you were quite close.”
Qin Yun broke the silence in the back.
“So you aren’t?”
“Going home together?” Dou Yiqing asked.
“My niece is in Wen Ci’s class. Something happened before and we troubled her, so I treated her to dinner. Zhou Wu drove her home afterwards.”
“We live fairly close to each other,” Wen Ci immediately explained.
“And at the party… I only behaved that way because I was drunk. We aren’t very close.”
Zhou Wu raised an eyebrow.
As expected, she had started pretending not to know him again.
“By the way, why did you suddenly video-call Wen Ci earlier? And without wearing a shirt?” Dou Yiqing turned around and looked curiously at Zhou Wu.
Qin Yun exclaimed, “Without a shirt?!”
Feeling the person beside him tense her shoulders, Zhou Wu explained calmly, “I called the wrong person. But since the call had already connected, I asked her anyway.”
Dou Yiqing nodded.
“I see.”
Qin Yun laughed.
“F*ck, that happened too?”
Then he said, “It doesn’t matter. After spending this holiday together, you’ll all become familiar with one another. Right, Zhou Wu?”
Looking through the window at the palm trees rushing past, Zhou Wu smiled without quite smiling.
“I suppose.”
…
Zhou Wu did not speak again for the entire drive.
Occasionally, Dou Yiqing asked Wen Ci something.
After answering, Wen Ci could not resist secretly glancing at the man beside her, only to see the cold line of his jaw.
When they reached the resort, Wen Ci got out to collect her luggage.
By the time she reached the boot, Zhou Wu had already removed it and handed it to a hotel employee.
“Thank you,” she hurriedly said.
Zhou Wu had his back to her and did not look around.
He gave only a faint hum.
Wen Ci stared at his broad, straight back.
A familiar yet long-absent sense of distance washed over her.
She remained dazed for a moment until Qin Yun interrupted.
“I’m hungry.”
He suggested, “I’ll have them take your luggage to the rooms. Let’s go to our place for the barbecue first.”
The main reason Dou Yiqing had accepted Qin Yun’s holiday invitation was because he said he would cover the food, accommodation and activities.
However, before arriving, she had not expected the hotel to be so luxurious.
Every suite was an individual beachfront villa equipped with a private infinity pool and hot spring.
Each even had a lawn garden half again the size of a classroom.
They held the barbecue on a platform in the centre of the garden.
Since she was benefiting from Qin Yun’s generosity, Dou Yiqing took responsibility for grilling.
Wen Ci stood beside her, opening packages and helping prepare everything.
By the time the food reached the table, the sky was gradually darkening.
Sunsets by the sea were far more brilliant than those in the city.
Crimson clouds hid behind dark ones, allowing golden light to spill through.
Several skewers remained on the grill.
Dou Yiqing and Qin Yun were discussing the following day’s schedule, but Wen Ci was not listening carefully.
Under the cover of the dim light, she glanced towards the person beside her.
Zhou Wu lounged lazily in his chair, looking down as he played with his phone.
His long legs were spread casually.
Since sitting down, he had neither spoken nor eaten and appeared completely uninterested.
For some reason, Wen Ci felt that he was unhappy.
He had been perfectly fine during the video call that morning.
Had something happened in between?
Wen Ci bit into the corn in her hand and resisted the urge to message him.
Zhou Wu was playing a numerical mobile game.
After casually breaking the record, he immediately became bored.
When he looked up, he noticed that the plate in front of him seemed to contain more barbecue than before.
He began another round.
Halfway through, he raised his eyes discreetly.
Just in time, he saw Wen Ci carrying another plate of food from the grill.
While Dou Yiqing and Qin Yun were distracted by their argument, she secretly transferred the food onto the plate in front of him.
Zhou Wu laughed quietly.
The person beside her still sat unmoving and refused to eat anything.
After considering it, Wen Ci set out again and began her third covert delivery.
This time, she selected several vegetables and some grilled oysters with garlic and glass noodles wrapped in foil.
The latter was very hot, and the foil bowl contained boiling oil and juices.
Wen Ci used a tissue as insulation so she could barely hold one corner of it.
Just as she prepared to place it in front of Zhou Wu, the person beside her unexpectedly lifted his hand and collided with hers.
Before Wen Ci could react, the entire little bowl of oysters, garlic and glass noodles spilled over Zhou Wu.
Zhou Wu drew in a very quiet breath.
“I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I wasn’t paying attention…”
Wen Ci’s mind went blank.
She immediately pulled out tissues and brushed the food from Zhou Wu’s clothes.
Then she lifted the hem of his shirt, wanting to check whether he had been scalded.
The lighting was too dim to see anything.
So she instinctively used her fingers to search for the hot area, checking his lower abdomen inch by inch.
“Did it burn you? Where were you burned? Does it hurt?”
When she received no answer, she anxiously raised her head and met Zhou Wu’s eyes.
He no longer looked cold and indifferent.
Zhou Wu appeared as he usually did, with a trace of lazy amusement in his eyes as he stared directly at her.
“I’m fine. It didn’t burn me. It’s only—”
Zhou Wu lowered his gaze towards his lifted shirt and Wen Ci’s fingers resting lightly against his abdomen.
Then he asked politely, “Ms Wen, we aren’t very close. Isn’t this a little inappropriate?”
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