Chapter 5
Chapter 5
It was the rainy season on the islands in the south.
The damp summer heat mingled with the fine drizzle, settling over my wilted, dispirited heart.
Wang Shuang’s family had partnered with a travel agency, so aside from the usual sightseeing spots, they’d arranged quite a few recreational activities too.
The winner of each activity would receive a reward.
To be honest, the prizes were nothing special-ice cream vouchers, little souvenir plushies, that sort of thing.
Everyone else participated half-heartedly.
I was the only one going all out.
On the first day, we played volleyball by the beach. I jumped three feet into the air and nearly spiked the ball straight into Wang Shuang’s face.
Still shaken, Wang Shuang said, “Qiao Xiaoyu, do you secretly pump iron at home or something??”
On the second day, during the sea-fishing contest on the yacht, I put on a wide-brimmed bucket hat and sat there like a living fossil for almost three hours.
Everyone else had long since given up. They were enjoying the sea breeze, drinking cocktails, and listening to EDM.
Yan Fei got seasick to begin with. She tried to talk to me, but before she could, she gagged, so I sent her back to the cabin to rest.
Only Jiang Zhouyuan was still lying beside me.
At first, he’d been fishing next to me too.
But it didn’t take long before he tossed aside his fishing rod and complained like a sore loser, “Bite or don’t bite, whatever. You rotten fish!”
Then he stretched out his long legs and lay down in one smooth, effortless motion.
I held back my laughter and said nothing, continuing to fish.
He lay there on his own, head turned in my direction.
A big straw sun hat covered his face, making it look like he’d fallen asleep.
A very, very long time passed. The dark clouds scattered, and the sun grew even more vicious.
I tested the waters and called softly, “Jiang Zhouyuan?”
He didn’t respond.
After hesitating for a moment, I gently lifted the hat from his face.
What came into view was a pair of bright, shining eyes.
They met mine at close range.
A sea breeze suddenly swept up. I shivered, and the hat slipped from my hand, blown to the other side.
So he hadn’t been asleep…
“Qiao Xiaoyu, why are you working so hard for something this small?”
His voice was lazy, but the question caught me off guard.
Jiang Zhouyuan’s eyes were clearer and deeper than the blue sea.
His gaze was a little too direct, unlike his usual loose, careless manner.
I thought about it, a little puzzled. “Does there have to be a reason?”
I was actually enjoying myself quite a bit.
Besides, it let me temporarily forget some unnecessary, distracting thoughts.
Before I could say that out loud, someone spoke behind me.
“Xiaoyu really is pretty impressive~”
Chu Siwei was wearing a short floral dress, and her words sounded like they carried some hidden meaning.
Beside her stood Pei Zhiyu, silent, only looking in our direction.
This was the first time since the trip began that I had been this close to him.
I really wanted to question him, to ask why he had told Chu Siwei about what happened in our second year of high school.
But I couldn’t get the words out.
Because his expression was far too grim.
Pei Zhiyu had always been distant in the past too, but never like this. He had clearly come along on the trip, yet his entire body seemed to be written over with indifference, as if he were determined to keep everyone a thousand miles away.
Just like now. He hadn’t said a single word.
Yet I could feel the coldness around him growing stronger and stronger.
“Right? We’ve been fishing together this whole time, and I’ve got nothing to show for it. Xiaoyu already has a whole bucketful.”
Jiang Zhouyuan flashed a grin, his teeth dazzlingly white.
“Should we praise her parents for giving her such a good name… Right, Pei Zhiyu?”
Why was he suddenly cueing Pei Zhiyu!
I lightly tugged at the corner of Jiang Zhouyuan’s shirt.
Pei Zhiyu blinked, very lightly and very slowly, his eyes fixed only on me.
“But you don’t even like eating fish, do you?”
He actually knew?
My eyes widened in astonishment.