◎ Where the Sea Water is Bluest ◎

The day to see the ocean was scheduled for the last day of July, at a county-level city called Wanling in the southernmost region.

It was midsummer, the off-season for tourism there. Due to its relatively remote location, after landing at Meilan Airport, they still had to transfer to a bullet train, traveling and transferring all the way. Both girls were utterly exhausted.

Chun Zao leaned against Yuan Ye’s shoulder, so tired she was lightly snoring.

As for Tong Yue, she lay directly on her side across Lu Jingheng’s lap, her drool even dampening a small patch of his gray pants.

Lu Jingheng completely didn’t notice this – he and Yuan Ye had been battling each other in King of Glory for over ten rounds.

Both boys wore earphones, fully absorbed, brows furrowed tight, swords flashing, fighting to the death.

Their phone batteries quickly ran low.

Yuan Ye ended the call and realized his power bank was in his suitcase, inconvenient to retrieve.

He couldn’t bear to wake Chun Zao, so he typed for help in the game’s all-chat: Ceasefire for one minute, lend me a power bank.

Lu Jingheng across the aisle glanced at him, pointed in the air at the head sleeping soundly on his lap, indicating he was also powerless to help.

Yuan Ye could only shrug slightly and ask his girlfriend for help.

Chun Zao opened her eyes at his small movement, rubbing them: “What?”

Yuan Ye held up his screen: “No battery.”

“Wasn’t it full when we came?”

Yuan Ye said quietly, “Gaming drains battery too much.”

Chun Zao was speechless. While pulling out a Kuromi power bank from her canvas bag and stuffing it in his arms, she complained: “Can’t you just catch up on sleep? You have to play games.”

“Oh, right away.” Yuan Ye plugged it in and immediately turned off his phone, resting his head on Chun Zao’s shoulder with his eyes closed.

“Hey.” Lu Jingheng called softly – he was still waiting in the Mohist Mechanism Path for a decisive battle.

But his opponent and gaming buddy seemed dead to the world, as if he hadn’t heard.

Lu Jingheng was completely convinced.

He pushed down Yuan Ye’s crystal as fast as possible and unhappily started watching live streams.

—

Finally arriving at their destination, the sea breeze’s faint saltiness and sweltering heat had penetrated everywhere.

Chun Zao breathed it in, intoxicatedly, feeling her soul had found salvation.

“Wow—is this what the ocean smells like?” she couldn’t help but sigh.

The other three, who weren’t first-time island visitors, all agreed.

The four young people were swept by the dark crowd to the exit, and Yuan Ye called the pre-arranged charter driver.

The chocolate-skinned middle-aged man had been waiting outside for a long time. Upon seeing them, he enthusiastically helped with luggage, opened the sliding door, and greeted them to get in the car in not-very-fluent Mandarin.

Small talk all the way.

The boys answered every question.

But Chun Zao had no mind for conversation. On one side were azure mountains like thick carpets, on the other was blue sea like silk fabric. She rolled down the window, letting wind pour in completely, swirling her hair and also carrying away the tears at the corners of her eyes that were easily defeated by the scenery.

Tong Yue frantically swiped her phone, switching between Xiaohongshu and Dianping, focused on researching local specialty snacks.

Along the way, Chun Zao took many landscape photos, carefully preserving them.

They planned to play for six days and five nights – the first three days staying at Nianyue Bay, the latter three days moving to Meizhou Bay.

Though Wanling couldn’t match Sanya’s year-round peak season, it was also a good island destination well-known to backpackers.

Lu Jingheng would be entering his senior year and had to return to school early in early August, so he couldn’t stay long. He would only play for three days before leaving early with Tong Yue.

Chun Zao naturally had to hide this fact; otherwise, how could her mother have agreed? She had solemnly patted her chest, promising she would share a room with Tong Yue.

But once they arrived at the homestay, the two couples tacitly went their separate ways.

Yuan Ye carried two suitcases and luggage bags with no free hands, so Chun Zao took the key to open the door.

The room’s decor was all-white minimalist style, tasteful yet not cold, because it was completely occupied by the humid sea breeze. Curtains flew about, and within the window frame was painted endless summer and endless blue, with palm trees swaying constantly.

Seeing two single beds side by side, Yuan Ye raised his eyebrows slightly, then looked toward Chun Zao, who had rushed to the window with joyful cheers after entering.

The girl’s bun sat on her head like a small black fat chick, even bouncing slightly as she happily tapped the ground with her toes.

He smiled, set down the suitcases, pulled out a tissue to wipe sweat from his temples, then searched around the bedside table and desk for the air conditioning remote.

Beep—

Chun Zao turned back and pointed outside, reluctant to leave: “Should I close the window?”

Yuan Ye was adjusting the temperature: “I’ll turn on mine, you watch yours.”

“Oh, okay.” Chun Zao grinned in praise, like a little girl about to cut her first beautiful dress from blue satin: “The ocean is so beautiful—”

Yuan Ye walked over: “Is it the same as you imagined?”

Chun Zao was completely satisfied, yet felt emotional: “Not only the same as I imagined, but the same as in my dreams too.”

In the afternoon, they changed into swimwear. Chun Zao’s was a one-piece with a blue cherry pattern and a skirt, but even so, it exposed much more skin than ever before.

She walked out of the bathroom somewhat uncomfortably.

Yuan Ye, propped up on the bed watching TV, glanced at her once-just once, and felt that breathing became somewhat difficult.

Cherry cream cake – at this moment, his imagination was extraordinary.

He turned up the TV volume to mask the sound of swallowing and his body’s reaction.

Chun Zao stopped a meter away, asking somewhat shyly: “Does it look good?”

Yuan Ye looked over: “Can I answer with actions instead of words?”

Chun Zao guessed what he wanted to do and shook her head: “No.”

Yuan Ye turned away arrogantly: “Then I won’t answer.”

Chun Zao raised her hand in a fist.

Yuan Ye immediately stood up, walked over, hugged her tightly, holding her lovingly for a while before willing to relax.

The four gathered downstairs. Seeing Tong Yue’s hot pink-blue bikini battle armor, Chun Zao’s eyes lit up: “Yueyue—you’re so beautiful—”

“You too—my sweetheart—” Tong Yue also squealed in dolphin tones, wildly touching her friend’s shoulders, playing the pervert, panting heavily.

Both girls simultaneously looked at Yuan Ye and Lu Jingheng standing quietly to the side, watching their commercial mutual admiration.

Tong Yue deliberately teased her boyfriend, throwing out a deadly question: “Between me and Chun Zao, who’s more beautiful?”

Lu Jingheng was tongue-tied, just blinking.

Then he turned the gun on Yuan Ye.

The latter immediately looked down at his phone: “Let me see what time it is.”

Tong Yue snorted coldly.

Chun Zao laughed until her stomach hurt.

The four couldn’t wait to rush to the coast. The beach here was different from what Chun Zao had imagined – the color was between gold and silver, fine and dense. After walking a few steps, she couldn’t help but take off her sandals and sink her bare feet in. The sand felt like stepping on snow, sometimes deep, sometimes shallow, as she walked, reflecting glittering light particles in the strong light.

Tong Yue sprayed and smeared sunscreen lotion and spray on her body and face as if it cost nothing, then, hand-in-hand with Chun Zao, ran shoulder to shoulder to the shallows, letting the cool tide water cover their calves.

“Wow—” Chun Zao excitedly cupped her hands to her lips and shouted at the endless blue horizon: “Wow—ocean—I’m here—so happy to meet you—my name is Chun Zao—”

Yuan Ye took the ice-cold cola Lu Jingheng handed him, pulled open the tab with one hand, took a sip, and his lips curved upward.

He restrained himself, pretending to be composed, to avoid blurting out to his junior beside him, “She’s so cute.”

His girlfriend was so cute.

How could he be so lucky and happy to have such a cute girlfriend?

Chun Zao’s oceanic “Nice to meet u” ceremony came to an abrupt halt.

Because Tong Yue grabbed a handful of wet sand and threw it at her back, mocking: “Girl, you’re so corny.”

Chun Zao was both angry and amused, also squatted down to knead a bigger lump for retaliation.

The two girls played and fought on the sparsely populated beach, throwing sand, laughing constantly – a delightful sight.

Chun Zao didn’t have Tong Yue’s manga-style chopstick legs, but her muscle lines were even, and due to years without sun exposure, her skin color appeared extremely dazzling white under the strong light.

Yuan Ye watched intently, following her.

The boy wore a sky-blue loose short-sleeved shirt and white beach shorts, looking as refreshing as a bottle of iced blue margarita.

Lu Jingheng was moved by the chasing and playing atmosphere of the two, no longer watching from the sidelines. He took off his T-shirt and ran over quickly to join the battle.

The two-way split suddenly changed to a three-way standoff.

Yuan Ye saw Chun Zao’s sandals being washed and moved by the seawater, so he walked over to carry them back to shore, beside his beach chair.

While bending down, he vaguely heard Chun Zao praise: “Tong Yue, your boyfriend has such a good figure—”

Tong Yue proudly responded: “Right, right!”

Yuan Ye’s brow furrowed. He glanced at Lu Jingheng – the boy also had pale skin, was shirtless, and was being jointly attacked by two girls, dodging and running among the flying sand particles.

Who could tolerate this?

Yuan Ye went to the beachside shop and rented a beach volleyball.

He unbuttoned his shirt one button at a time, took it off, and strode toward them.

Yuan Ye threw the ball over.

Lu Jingheng caught it quickly with sharp reflexes, held it in his arms, and looked back in confusion.

Yuan Ye raised his hand:

“Want to play some beach volleyball?”

Tong Yue loved chaos – watching handsome shirtless guys compete, who wouldn’t love that? She immediately raised her arms and cheered: “Solo! Solo!”

Lu Jingheng was baffled but forced into battle.

But Chun Zao was stunned.

This was her first time seeing Yuan Ye’s naked body—no, accurately speaking, the first time witnessing Yuan Ye’s upper body. Even during their most immersive and bewildering intimate moments, his shirt had always stayed properly on his body.

Now fully revealed, it was so… heart-stopping. While walking and jumping, his waist looked thin and tight from the side, and there were abdominal muscle contour lines that neither the strong light nor his cold white skin could diminish, taut and full of power.

Her face flushed red, not knowing if it was from the sun or embarrassment.

…

They stayed at the coast until sunset. During high tide, when the sea turned the orange-pink color of oil pastels, they finally left the beach.

Tong Yue linked arms with Lu Jingheng, chatting and laughing;

Chun Zao and Yuan Ye walked behind with interlocked fingers, unhurried.

At this moment, the boy could finally take the opportunity to lean toward her ear and whisper: “You look beautiful.”

Chun Zao was stunned for a moment, then realized he was belatedly answering Tong Yue’s question from noon, and couldn’t help but smile.

With food expert Tong Yue leading the way, coconut chicken, qingbuliang, sour noodles, seafood hot pot… these three days, they feasted heartily. Touring around the island, they rented boards in the bumpy shallow waters to learn and compete at surfing, and during night walks, they serendipitously visited a triangular crystal tower-like glass church, praying devoutly: friendship everlasting, love sparkling bright, studies smooth sailing, forever loving and sincere toward the world.

On the last night at Nianyue Bay, Yuan Ye led the group to the market to buy fireworks, taking them to the beach to set off.

Tong Yue was all appetite but no skill – several times, lighting them, before the fuse was even ignited, she would cover her ears and scream while running away.

Lu Jingheng was helpless and took the lighter from her hands.

Under the night sky of silver flowers and fire trees, with endless surging tide sounds, four bright young people set up a tripod for timed group photos.

They stood shoulder to shoulder, brilliantly smiling as one, forming their scenic line. Passing tourists stopped and lingered, secretly sighing at how wonderful it was to be young.

The scene finally got out of control when Tong Yue started swinging a handheld firework like performing iron flower sparks, the range as wide as a golden burning snowstorm, making beachgoers flee.

Lu Jingheng also crossed his arms and stood ten meters away. Soon, he heard Tong Yue angrily shout his name: “Lu Jingheng—why are you standing so far away! Come here! Don’t you love me anymore!”

Yuan Ye pushed him with schadenfreude: “Go on, brother.”

Then he went to help light sparklers for Chun Zao, thinking: Mine is still better – at least personal safety isn’t so precarious.

…

Three days of fun passed like a white pony’s gap. With teary eyes bidding farewell to her sister, Chun Zao and Yuan Ye rented a car to go to their next destination – Meizhou Bay.

Upon arriving there, the sadness of parting was completely washed away and dissolved by the vast seawater.

The ocean here was even clearer and bluer than at Nianyue Bay.

For the first two days, the weather was changeable between sun and rain, but the sea was always generous, only bestowing ever-changing beauty. When calm, it had a pure tile-blue color that could absorb souls into it; when wind stirred it into motion, it was like a choir’s harmony rising and falling; on sunny days with light streaming down, the sea became sky with billions of stars twinkling within.

At night, the sea was majestic and unfathomable, undulating like rivers, deep as an abyss.

Chun Zao and Yuan Ye each held an ice cream cone, strolling by the night sea. In the distance were lighthouses and fishing lights, while nearby bars flowed with music and song.

After Tong Yue left, the surrounding noise suddenly decreased, making the sound of tides especially distinct.

Water lapped over their feet, wave by wave.

Chun Zao finished chewing the last bit of crispy cone at the bottom, sighing lightly: “It seems a bit boring after Tong Yue left.”

Yuan Ye disagreed: “Why?”

Chun Zao said, “Not as lively anymore.”

Yuan Ye didn’t respond.

He stopped, suddenly bent down, quickly grabbed a handful of sand, and threw it at Chun Zao’s waist like a sandbag at close range, teasing: “Lively enough now?”

Chun Zao stared in shock and quickly retaliated. The sand ball chase battle resumed after four days.

She pursued Yuan Ye relentlessly. Midway, she tripped over a dune that others had built during the day and stumbled forward.

Yuan Ye saw this and hurried to catch her. But due to inertia, neither stood steady, and both tumbled into the gravel, rolling half a circle, their bodies and heads covered with half-wet sand particles that floated with white light under the moon like never-melting snow.

Chun Zao laughed in embarrassment.

Yuan Ye also laughed, and they ended up laughing while hugging together.

After laughing themselves tired, Yuan Ye cupped the back of her head and kissed down, gently sucking her lips. Chun Zao closed her eyes, thinking this was a kiss worth treasuring in her taste memory vault – sweet and cool, with vanilla ice cream flavor.

After returning to the hotel, cleaning off the sand and dust was the top priority.

Back, their toes were extremely uncomfortable from sand particles. Yuan Ye didn’t bother with the sand on himself first, but turned on the shower, adjusted to the right water temperature, and squatted to carefully rinse Chun Zao’s feet.

Chun Zao looked down, casually brushing off floating sand from his hair tips and white T-shirt shoulders, but the dirty spots remained, with little visible effect.

Yuan Ye looked up and asked: “Any more on your feet?”

The girl’s clean white toes emerged from her slippers, twisting against each other. Her toenails were like glazed jade, and she judged: “Seems like none left.”

She slightly lifted her white skirt above her knees: “There’s still some on my legs, might as well rinse them too.”

Yuan Ye glanced over, his Adam’s apple moving slightly. Without much thought, he reached out to scrub and wash for her. The girl’s skin was smooth and slippery, with a texture like cream that couldn’t be examined closely.

But with his thumb rubbing back and forth like this, Chun Zao’s heart felt like countless soft hairs were teasing it, so sensitive she could barely resist stomping her foot to shake free.

Water splashed in small areas on the tile floor.

“Ah.” Yuan Ye called out softly, standing up, covering his left eye with his wrist while his bright right eye looked down at her with annoyance.

Chun Zao was both apologetic and anxious: “Did it get in your eye?”

Yuan Ye responded faintly: “Mm.”

Chun Zao stood on tiptoe, wanting to see what happened, but unexpectedly, the boy’s wet, forceful fingers controlled her jaw. His mischievous smiling eyes and wet, hot lips all pressed down together, leaving no room.

Both their breathing rhythms were completely lost control.

Steam rose in the bathroom, creating a foggy sky on the mirror. Two blurred overlapping white shadows entangle, stumbling and bumping. During contact, Yuan Ye’s slipper caught the shower hose on the floor that hadn’t been turned off in time, and the spraying water column immediately went in the wrong direction, sweeping across their bodies and the cramped space.

Like being caught in a warm light rain by mistake.

Yuan Ye paused this somewhat out-of-control kiss, turned off the faucet, and smoothly removed his water-stained, sand-marked short sleeve.

Looking closely at the girl nearby, her eyes flickered, not daring to linger on his body, and her dress was also a mess.

He took down a pure white bath towel from the high shelf and wrapped her up, carrying her to the bed.

Unexpected sounds.

It seemed difficult to stop both parties’ desire and determination to continue getting closer.

The boy’s torrential kisses were like a world-shaking, sudden rain, making Chun Zao suffocate.

Crushing lips and teeth, scalding breath, and his young, hard body. She could feel his rapidly alternating back muscles.

Yuan Ye found a trace of clarity in the girl’s whimper that seemed like begging for mercy, wanting to roll away and leave.

Otherwise, staying here any longer, on the same bed, he couldn’t guarantee he wouldn’t do something destructive.

But his wrist was clasped by her warm fingers, her tone displeased: “Where are you running off to again?”

Yuan Ye looked at her, his voice slightly hoarse: “Wash my face.”

Chun Zao paused, muttering: “Oh… I thought you were going to buy…”

Yuan Ye frowned, half-understanding: “Hm?”

But the girl’s next bold action made him blush from face to ears.

She opened the bedside drawer and, like treasure hunting, pulled out a square, water-blue sealed box from between the hotel brochures, holding it between her fingers to show him.

Then she seriously explained: “Tong Yue insisted on leaving this for me before she left, saying to prepare for emergencies. I think now seems like just the right time.”

Yuan Ye’s hands hanging at his sides began trembling involuntarily, and he could only clench them tightly.

“Are you sure?” Great, his voice was also starting to tremble. How embarrassing.

“Mm.” Chun Zao nodded vigorously. Her tone didn’t seem entirely certain, but she was concerned about something else: “Just… do you know how to use it?”

“…Should do.”

Both started laughing simultaneously, embarrassed yet very genuine.

After a quiet moment, Chun Zao made one last request: “Can you turn off the lights?”

—

Chun Zao would forever remember the scent of this night.

It was wet saltiness.

The sweat dripping from the youth’s forehead to her lips, the physiological moisture seeping from her eyes due to swelling pain, and the surging sea breeze that filled the entire room, the slippery touch, the oxygen-deprived feeling in deep water, two fish clumsily exploring in the shallows.

They were all related to wet saltiness.

All the bedroom lights were off, with only light from the night road outside filtering in.

Yuan Ye’s arm was positioned very close to her face, muscles, bones, and tendons prominent, tensing and relaxing with restraint, like vaguely outlined reefs after the sky half-darkened.

Unclear in light and shadow, full of hidden dangers.

But she still couldn’t help leaning over, ashamed and unable to bear it, urgently seeking a support point.

Her face was turned back, falling into his devoted yet fierce eyes.

…

Outside the window, waves in the black sky beat against the reefs, over and over, again and again, shattered into snow foam, then falling back, returning to liquid flowing water. Then the wind completely went wild, sky and sea like inverted, losing all direction like a whirlpool, returning to the deepest, indescribable place.

…

—

Near the second half of the night, both were too excited to contain themselves. Every cell screamed signals of exhaustion, but their brains remained highly excited and leaping.

They snuggled together, occasionally saying a few words or laughing while pecking each other’s lips and chins.

Finally Yuan Ye put on clothes and pants, left the bed to find water to drink. Continuing such uninhibited contact, they probably wouldn’t settle down all night.

Chun Zao also put on a nightgown, sitting quietly at the bedhead, reading the instruction manual in the blue box.

Yuan Ye was both amused and exasperated, handing her the opened mineral water bottle, hesitating: “What are you…?”

Chun Zao folded it neatly and stuffed it back: “Just curious.”

“Then you do it next time.”

“…”

They hugged back onto a single bed, unable to sleep no matter what.

The two gave up resistance, waiting together for dawn.

Finally, the room’s dark tone shifted from thick to light, and a gap of crimson light entered through the curtain seam, folding from windowsill to floor.

Yuan Ye saw this, went to the window, and pulled open half the blackout curtain to observe.

He smiled lightly and turned back, uttering three words: “Sunrise.”

Chun Zao couldn’t wait to get out of bed, shuffling in slippers and flying to his side.

The outside world was already rose-colored, spreading out, extending.

Pure white seabirds circled in mid-air, everything covered in oil paint, romantic yet solemn.

Chun Zao was covered in goosebumps, tears filling her eyes.

Yuan Ye put his arm around her shoulders, squeezed, then let go and stepped away to retrieve something from the suitcase that he had treasured until now, presenting it before her.

The morning glow reflected the tin box into a mixed pink color.

Chun Zao’s eyes widened as she caught it with both hands, her heart buzzing: “How is this with you? I thought my mom had already gotten rid of it.”

Yuan Ye smiled brilliantly: “Mm, she got rid of it for me.”

He said, “Check and see if anything is missing.”

Chun Zao excitedly lifted the lid to examine the contents. Nothing was missing, but some items didn’t belong to her yet also came from her – receipts with blurred ink, cheering scripts with changed handwriting… and osmanthus branches that had long dried but were properly treasured… She took them out one by one, equally discovering they had also been artificially marked with a small bird wrapped in a heart.

Hmph!

Copying her creativity.

But also so moving.

She looked at Yuan Ye, laughing through tears: “You also…”

The youth looked slightly proud, waiting for her praise: “Hm?”

Too wonderful.

As wonderful as this moment’s sunrise, even more wonderful than this moment’s sunrise.

She couldn’t control her tears, and he hurriedly wiped them for her.

When emotions stabilized, the deep red round sun also emerged from the sea level. Yuan Ye, like revealing an easter egg at the end of a film, produced a postcard from the very bottom of the box.

It was new yet familiar, with the ocean on the front, blank on the back.

As if quietly waiting, waiting for new verses and new scenes.

Yuan Ye handed over a pen: “Please, ladies first. This time let’s write together.”

Chun Zao smiled and pushed it back, yielding: “I wrote first before, how about you go first this time?”

Yuan Ye thought for a few seconds and agreed: “Alright, then I’ll—don’t mind if I do.”

—

That azure and transparent sea was hung high in the window frame, echoing with the real sea in the distance. It was blown back and forth by the wind like a blue and white bird about to take flight.

On its back were two closely adjacent lines of vision. The handwriting was both restrained and bold, but filled equally with hope:

The upper line read: Sea water at its bluest, youth brilliant and bright; All hopes and thoughts, shared pursuit and encouragement.

The lower line followed: What fear of danger and difficulty, sailing through waves with cloud sails; There will be days when wind comes, and spring mountains beyond the wild.

(Main Story Complete)

Author’s Note: The final “cloud sails” and “spring mountains beyond the wild” are adaptations of two lines of poetry: “Sail straight with cloud sails across the blue sea” (Li Bai’s “The Road is Hard, Part One”) and “Where the flat meadow ends are spring mountains.” (Ouyang Xiu’s “Treading on Grass – The Plum Blossoms at the Inn are Withered”)

—

It’s finished.

Quite emotional. This is my first time truly writing such pure campus fiction. Previous longtime readers should know I mostly write urban men and women. Campus fiction isn’t my comfort zone. After deciding to start this story, during the manuscript preparation period, I had various self-doubts and breakdowns; my state would collapse at any moment, constantly scratching my head. The “advanced age” mentioned in the first chapter’s author’s note wasn’t said casually, because it’s been over ten years since I was in high school. I was really afraid of not handling character and plot development well. Before starting, the story was quite bumpy – I once rewrote 40,000 words because I wasn’t satisfied, which led to the Chun Zao and Yuan Ye you see now.

Special thanks to friends who helped me check and encouraged me.

Special thanks to everyone reading – your reading and comments gave me immeasurable confidence and motivation. Otherwise, I probably couldn’t have smoothly completed this story.

This work will start reverse V on the 28th.

I’ll rest for two or three days, then update extras – I’ll write both college and urban parts.

Red envelopes for all comments within 48 hours of this chapter as “extra funds” (not really)

Also: “Fall into Eternal Night”/”Only Love-ism”/”With Autumn” in my column – I’ll choose 1-2 to write in the second half of the year. If interested, collect according to your preferences.

Finally, thanks again!

Little “King” is amazing with all of you!

May you all have your own bluest sea waters, vast and transparent. If you haven’t reached there yet, you’re definitely on the way.