Chapter 3 (translated by nutty & edited by hoju)

Prior to dinner, they completed the hotel procedures for check-in. Their location was a garden-style hotel near Zhanshanda Road. They had booked their rooms online ahead of time so even though it was the national holiday, they did not encounter a situation where there were not enough rooms for them.

Shen Xi was sharing a room with the short-haired, pretty girl. The pretty girl’s name was Zhang Ran, and she had a baby face with blunt cut bangs, which made her look extremely young. However, when Shen Xi asked her how old she was, she found out they were the same age and were both second year students. Unlike her, though, was that Zhang Ran belonged to the top student type. Even travelling on vacation, she had brought a CET-6 vocabulary book, and once she set down her luggage, she sat on the small sofa and started memorizing words.

Shen Xi stared at her in astonishment. Zhang Ran lifted her head and explained in a few sentences, “The CET-6 exam is coming up soon. I’ve only memorized half of the vocabulary words. I had said I wasn’t going to come but Zhou Chen insisted……”

Zhou Chen was Brawny’s real name. It sounded learned and refined with an indescribable gracefulness to it but the actual person was a little bit big in size…

Zhang Ran asked her whether she was going to take the CET-6 exam this term.

Shen Xi blinked, a little embarra.s.sed to say anything. She hadn’t even pa.s.sed her CET-4 exam last term. But she still confessed honestly, “I’m still battling against CET-4.”

Zhang Ran encouraged her with a few words. Feeling that the air pressure in the room was low, Shen Xi took a shower, changed into a simple floral print blouse and a pair of shorts, and left to go find Lin Yu Tang.

Lin Yu Tang’s room was just next door to hers. He and He Zhi Zhou were staying in the same room. After Shen Xi had knocked and stepped inside, she glanced all around the room and discovered that He Zhi Zhou was not in the room. She could not help feeling a moment of exhilaration, and in high spirits, she told Lin Yu Tang about an embarra.s.sing story of hers from a couple days ago. Before she had finished recounting the embarra.s.sing story, she was already doubled over in chortles herself.

It had never taken much to make Shen Xi laugh. Even very old jokes could make her cheery for a long time.

Shen Xi had not finished with her laughing there in front of Lin Yu Tang when the bathroom door of the hotel room was pulled open and He Zhi Zhou stepped out from inside. There were tears at the corners of Shen Xi’s eyes from laughing so hard as she reined in her grin and greeted He Zhi Zhou.

He Zhi Zhou nodded, this action of his neither cold nor indifferent and could be considered appropriately polite. By chance, his mobile phone he had set on the bed rang right then, and he picked it up and headed directly to the balcony to answer the call. Shen Xi thought of her roommate, Xia Wei Ye, who had a crush on He Zhi Zhou, and softly asked Lin Yu Tang, “Does Mr. Cold, High, and Mighty have a girlfriend?”

Mr. Cold, High, and Mighty…… Lin Yu Tang’s eyes swept over Shen Xi and he asked in reply, “Why? You’re interested in him?”

Was there a hint of jealousy in that? Shen Xi hugged Lin Yu Tang’s arm. “Yup. Big brother, help me out and introduce us.”

Lin Yu Tang stared down at this look of hers that invited a beating and gave her a firm smack on the back of her hand. “Get back to your own room!”

While Shen Xi was rubbing that sore hand particularly hard so that it turned bright, bright red, Monkey happened to stop by the room. Seeing the red on the back of Shen Xi’s hand, he inquired about what had happened. She motioned with her eyes in the direction of Lin Yu Tang. “Tang Tang hit me there.”

With compa.s.sion for the fair maiden, Monkey said to Lin Yu Tang, “Third, you’ve gone too far, ah.”

That night, their entire group ate seafood at one of the seaside hawker stalls. The owner lit an orange lamp for each table, and one after another, the neon lights all around also lit up, the colors twinkling rather eye-catchingly.

Next than five meters next to them, there was an open-air KTV, which resounded with some singing that sounded like wails of ghosts and howls of wolves as well others that were clear, soft, and stirring.

s.h.i.+mmering lights and flickering shadows accompanied the bright moon. Off in the distance, it was very quiet while all around close to them, it was noisy. Together, they conversed, drank alcohol, and played drinking games, and inadvertently, it became easy for them to become high from the fun. Shen Xi did not regard beer as real alcohol, so without even noticing it, she ended up drinking quite a bit. When she rose to go to the bathroom, Lin Yu Tang was a little worried and asked Zhang Ran to accompany her.

But the result of this was, when Shen Xi stepped out from the bathroom, she could not find Zhang Ran.

Shen Xi walked over to a wooden fence to allow the wind to blow on her. Beside her was a person whose stomach was bare to the air, a round, belly that was also white. It was extremely cute. Impulsively, she stretched out a hand and patted “her” stomach, asking,“Is this your belly?”

The person who had lifted his clothes to reveal his bare stomach to the wind was a hefty, middle-aged man. Looking down at the delicate, slim hand that was patting his stomach, he was shocked and frightened, and in a quavering voice, he answered, “Of course……”

Shen Xi gave another pat. The smell of alcohol was on the air she exhaled from her nostrils, and in a very sincere voice, she asked, “Since it’s yours… Tell me, how many months along you are……”

What did she mean, how many months along?! The middle-aged man’s face instantly turned red. He glared at Shen Xi and stuttered, “You…… You……”

Shen Xi’s eyes seemed glazed, and she planned on carefully studying the belly for a while……

On the other side, He Zhi Zhou happened to be walking by when, not far from him, he saw a woman acting like a lunatic. He had planned on pretending he did not know her and just continue pa.s.sing by. He took two steps forward but could not restrain himself from turning his head to look back. What he saw, in the end, was that woman who was surnamed Shen still wanted to bring her face even closer to the man’s stomach. The middle-aged man’s face grew pale from shock at this, and even when the words, “crazy nutcase” slipped from his mouth, they were not spoken very cleanly.

“You… cra-zee… nuh…case!”

He Zhi Zhou steeled himself and walked over.

Meanwhile, Shen Xi was poking at that rounded belly with her finger, but just as she was about to say something, someone had already grabbed her hand. Then, a rather low, young-sounding voice apologized to the middle-aged man. “Sorry, she’s a little drunk.” When this sentence was done, she was forcibly dragged from there.

Shen Xi lifted her head to look up at the person gripping her tightly, her mind now slightly clearer. She wanted to say something, but He Zhi Zhou had already unpityingly dragged her back to Lin Yu Tang.

……

After everyone had finished dinner, they had planned on strolling the beach. Nighttime on the beach was beautiful and was both noisy and peaceful at the same time. Shen Xi’s mind was basically sobered up, but her steps still weaved a little staggeringly. Every so often, Lin Yu Tang, who was walking beside her, would reach over to support her with his hand. Shen Xi felt as if she was stepping on soft, fluffy cotton, and she had a faint urge to dance.

She remembered, one time, when she was a child, she was hopping and skipping by the roadside and then she had turned back to ask Lin Yu Tang, “Tang Tang, when I grow up, I’m going to marry you, okay?”

At the time, Lin Yu Tang’s face had reddened slightly. “Xi Xi, wait until you grow up and then we’ll talk about it again, okay?”

Above the night sea, the entire sky was filled with constellations. Off in the distance on the beach, a group of people were dancing around a blazing bonfire. Monkey quickened his pace and made his way into the group. Shen Xi was itching to go, too. By chance, a man dressed in black asked her to dance, and without any hesitation, Shen Xi accepted his invitation.

Shen Xi felt as if she was immersed in a slightly intoxicating, warm breeze, feeling a little tipsy as well as eager. Her feet stepped across the sand, and with each step, her legs felt weak. However, she had danced for more than a dozen years, and to her, dancing was as simple as eating. Even though she could sense that she was drunk, she was still able to dance along with the music.

Using an SLR camera, Monkey took several photos of Beautiful Maiden Shen before turning to He Zhi Zhou beside him and sighing, “Dang, I’m seriously jealous of Third, ah. How come I don’t have such a pretty girl who I grew up with?”

He Zhi Zhou glanced indifferently at Shen Xi, not giving any comment.

The result was, Monkey wanted to drag him in to “partic.i.p.ate together in the vile actions.” He nudged He Zhi Zhou’s shoulder. “Leader, I feel like lately, you’ve been especially unfriendly to Miss Shen there. Tell me honestly, have you taken a fancy to her and that’s why you’re acting in the completely opposite way? Like what little primary school kids do. ‘I like you so much I have to pick on you…’”

He Zhi Zhou: “……” After some time, he pulled his lips up in a faint smile and glance over Monkey’s face. “You really have such an imagination.”

Faced with Monkey’s curiosity, He Zhi Zhou tried his best to control his tone. This topic, though, was just too unthinkable. Even being aloof, introverted, and impa.s.sive as he was, his words still revealed traces of displeasure.

After he finally pulled his gaze back, he swept another look over at Shen Xi, who was caught up in her dancing. He Zhi Zhou’s contact with Shen Xi had only started not long ago, but besides the one positive trait about her that she was pretty, he was already able to make a long list of her bad traits: used her beauty to do bad things, liked to show off, was narcissistic, shameless, and not smart, and was childish and wild when with people……

He Zhi Zhou’s requirements of women had always been very straightforward and simple: her good traits did not need to be very showy and her bad traits did not need to be too obvious.

When Shen Xi returned to the hotel, she lay down for a little while, drank a few sips of the strong tea Lin Yu Tang had brought to her, and then pulled herself out of bed to wash up. Finally, she crawled back into bed, feeling muddle-headed. That entire night, she was in a befuddled state. The next morning, when she was still asleep on her bed and hugging a pillow tightly, Brawny was already knocking at the door.

Shen Xi went into the bathroom to change while Zhang Ran opened the door. Brawny was pursuing Zhang Ran right now, so he was very, very kind and enthusiastic. He had come to ask what Zhang Ran wanted for breakfast so he could go to the restaurant and get it for her.

Walking out from the bathroom, Shen Xi said to Brawny, “Zhou Chen, in the future, when you come here to fawn and display your attentiveness, could you ask Lin Yu Tang to come along? As his roomie, please try to encourage him to take initiative, okay?”

“Sorry. I didn’t think it through very considerately. I’ll go get Third to come over right now.” Brawny pressed his palms and fingers together apologetically, and, bent over in a bow, he left the room.

Shen Xi continued to wash her face. Zhang Ran grinned and sidled up to Shen Xi’s side, probing discreetly, “How did you and Lin Yu Tang end up being together?”

Shen Xi let out a long sigh and answered, “I pursued him. As for the relations.h.i.+p between us, whatever it looks like to you, that’s what it is.”

Zhang ran was silent for a moment. “He’s playing hard to get?”

Shen Xi cried out an “ah,” and said, “No way. Couldn’t be. That’d be too low of him. I’ve only heard of women playing hard to get with men. I’ve never heard of a man doing it to a woman.”

Zhang Ran dropped her head down in a laugh. “I’m just joking.”

Today, they were heading out onto the sea. The sun shone brightly, and Shen Xi remembered the line she had frequently written in her essay journal when she was in primary school: “In the clear blue sky floats several white clouds.” The blue sky of Qingdao was actually clearer than S City’s and was so azure it seemed as if it had filtered out all other colors.

That afternoon, Shen Xi stood on the deck of the yacht’s second level, feeling the breeze and basking in the sun. Zhang Ran invited her to take a selfie together with her. Beaming, Shen Xi leaned her head over and raised her fingers up against her cheek in a “V.” With a “click,” their two smiling faces were captured onto the screen of the mobile phone. Then, she and Zhang Ran exchanged their various social networking contact information.

The relations.h.i.+p between the two of them was subtly becoming better.

Monkey’s older brother’s private yacht was not very large, but it was equipped with everything: bedrooms, bathroom, a KTV room…… There was a jet ski on the yacht so they could go out on the water at any time and show-off with it.

During the day, they were all fis.h.i.+ng, barbecuing, or playing cards…… In the evening, the held a small party on the main deck of the yacht.

The night air was a little humid and had the fishy, salty taste of the ocean water in it. The sea breeze that blew into their faces and wound around their ears carried a faint coolness on it. When eventually they were all tired from their frolicking, they sat on beach chairs, counting stars and exchanging exaggerated stories.

Youth is such a wonderful thing.

Monkey said, in preschool, a girl had already kissed him, but at the time, he had beat the girl up instead. Now as he thought back on it, he felt it was such a pity.

Brawny had Zhang Ran with him so he very simply stated that ever since he was young, he had spent his time on his studies and that was why he had gotten into S University. Growing up, life had not been easy for him.

He Zhi Zhou’s brief “pffft” sounded out very quietly, betraying Brawny and his words in such a way that was worthy of a beating.

Lin Yu Tang peeled a mandarin orange for Shen Xi, who ate it happily, feeling a sweetness in her heart. Monkey threw a question at her and Lin Yu Tang. “Third, tell us about the love story between you and Beautiful Maiden Shen, hey?”

“Us?” Lin Yu Tang chuckled and was just about to answer when his mobile phone rang. Glancing at the phone number that came up, he stood and walked inside to take the call.

The male lead had left but the female lead did not act shy or blush. In fact, she started to tell the story for the male lead with vivid and lively descriptions, as if she was retelling the plot of a romance novel.

Monkey and Brawny were relis.h.i.+ng in it.

Shen Xi summarized her and Lin Yu Tang’s story: the chronicles of the difficult journey of a girl pursuing a boy. But the end result was, she did not even know if she had successfully pursued him or not.

“D*mn! You’ve pursued Third for seven years?!” Monkey asked.

Her hand supporting her chin, Shen Xi nodded. “Actually, it’s been more than seven years.”

“Third is not worthy of being a man!” Monkey patted himself on the chest. “You come pursue me. Seven seconds will be enough!”

Brawny scoffed at Monkey with a sentence: “And that’s why you have no principles.”

Shen Xi burst out in peals of laughter.

He Zhi Zhou gently exhaled out the irritation he was feeling. The night sky over the sea was deep and boundless, but the stars, so clear and bright above his head, seemed as if they were within reach. He felt he was being a little senseless because just now, he had actually listened attentively to Shen Xi’s rambling.

This stuff about the girl pursuing the boy, about ten years pa.s.sing as if it was only a day, about love that would last even if the seas were to run dry and stones were to crumble! He really had never seen a girl glorify herself so much before.

While everyone was talking enthusiastically, the yacht’s cook brought up a cake he had made, an eight-inch cake, garnished in fruits, that looked beautiful and delicious. Shen Xi let out a whoop and excitedly jumped out of her beach chair, hurrying away to find Lin Yu Tang. She wanted to find Tang Tang and bring him back to have some cake.

Lin Yu Tang should be in the bedroom on the second level, and Shen Xi headed up there. She was wearing a pair of soft leather slippers, and as her feet walked up the steps of the wooden spiral staircase, the sound they made was so soft only she could hear it.

The second level guest room’s door was slightly ajar. She was about to push it open and walk in, but Lin Yu Tang’s voice caused her steps to halt.

–––– “Okay. Whatever you want to eat, when I get back, I’ll make it for you.”

Lin Yu Tang was on the phone, and his voice was so gentle it sounded like water would drip from it. He even laughed, although it was only two short chuckles.