There were seafood restaurants on the beach shore that allowed guests to bring their own seafood, only charging processing fees. So some seafood suitable for stir-frying had been sent to that shop for preparation. By the time plates of fully processed seafood were delivered, Xu Yifen had already finished treating her burn.

She followed behind Jin Yiken down the steps. They seemed to have also stopped by a pharmacy—a plastic bag with the pharmacy logo hung on her wrist, and ointment had been applied to the red patch on the side of her leg.

At that moment, Long Qi was joking around with Ban Wei.

Ban Wei was talking about his new album, insisting she continue being the female lead in his MV. She said the price had to go up. Ban Wei then shifted topics and asked if Wu Jiakui was interested. Long Qi said forget it, friendship price. Ban Wei said okay, it’s settled then. Long Qi looked at him, looked for three seconds. Ban Wei said just kidding, just kidding, calm down, calm down.

Then Fang Xuan, having eaten and drunk her fill, said she wanted to skinny-dip.

The girl was truly bold. Originally she was provoking Wu Jiakui, saying didn’t she always want to skinny-dip—letting slip some girlfriend talk. Wu Jiakui counter-provoked: you go naked first. Fang Xuan said if I go in the water, will you go in? Wu Jiakui lifted her chin: “Go ahead, am I stopping you?”

Ban Wei blew a loud whistle, clapping vigorously. Fang Xuan walked straight toward the sea without looking back, pulling off her top and holding it high: “Don’t chicken out! If I go in, you all have to go in!”

Then as she entered the water, she reached back to untie her bikini straps, undoing them while twisting her waist a few times. Wu Jiakui was laughing now too, lazily propping herself on the beach chair, saying: “Crazy.”

Then Fang Xuan really did remove her bikini top with her back to everyone, flung it away, let out a liberating shout, and dove into the water. Zang Siming’s whistle was loud and clear. In less than three seconds, Fang Xuan’s head popped up from the white foam, neck down submerged in water, pointing here and shouting: “Come on, chickens!”

Long Qi was sitting under a beach umbrella at the time. The umbrella edges flapped noisily in the sea breeze. Jin Yiken was walking over with his hands in his pockets. Xu Yifen followed silently behind him, especially obedient. Zang Siming was provoking Wu Jiakui, but Wu Jiakui didn’t respond. Long Qi watched Fang Xuan shouting and laughing in the sea for a long time. After smiling faintly along with them, she placed her phone on the table.

Ban Wei and Zang Siming both caught the hint and looked at her.

She walked around the wooden table toward the sea, stepping on the wet, fine soft sand. As she walked, she swept up her long hair at the nape of her neck, fingers hooking the thin dress straps at her shoulders, pulling them aside lightly. The black dress slid smoothly down her body and legs, falling onto the beach. She kept walking. Fang Xuan saw her and pointed, saying “Long Qi, I respect you.” Jin Yiken slowly entered the barbecue area, slowly looking over. She continued untying the bikini straps tied at her back. Zang Siming’s whistle was louder than all the previous ones, excitedly clapping hard. She walked on, seawater covering her calves. Long hair fell back over her shoulders. The bikini top passed over her neck, her back bare. Fang Xuan swam in the water while shouting that she loved her. The bikini top fell onto the sea surface. She entered the water, warm seawater soaking her entire body.

After swimming twice, she surfaced, breathing. The distant lighthouse flashed on and off. She couldn’t see Jin Yiken’s expression on the beach clearly. The sea surface rose and fell at her nose and mouth. He stood in place. Then Fang Xuan hugged her from behind: “Haha, I saw your chest!”

Her hands were quite unruly, grabbing until she nearly choked on water. She said you’re perverted. Fang Xuan said: “Oh so soft, you smell so good.”

“I’ve liked women before.”

As soon as those words came out, Fang Xuan immediately withdrew her hands. Long Qi flicked water droplets at her, splashing her face.

…

Pulling open the can tab—a hissing sound, bubbles rising.

Six in the evening, deep blue dusk. The sea breeze was cool and refreshing. Firelight illuminated everyone’s faces. The skinny-dipping was over, bikinis back on, wrapped in bath towels. Hair half wet, half dry, scattered over shoulders. She sat with bent knees in front of the bonfire, drinking beer. Beside her, a plate of clams had been swept down to a third remaining.

Ban Wei retrieved a guitar from the car. Rarely not rapping, he began singing his self-written love ballad from before he became famous. In the distance were fishing boats returning to the pier with their nets, and also brightly lit yachts. The sea breeze blew gently. Twilight changed from blue to dark. She sat beside Wu Jiakui. Wu Jiakui sat across from Ban Wei. Hair strands flying in the wind.

Jin Yiken still stood in front of the barbecue grill, grilling large shrimp. The collar of his tank top blown by the wind, lazy.

Fang Xuan was telling cold jokes that only amused herself.

Zang Siming was coaxing girls to stay overnight at the villa.

Another girl was recording live video on her phone, her long dress fluttering in the wind.

The sound of waves entered her ears. In that instant, there was a feeling that youth was good, being young was good. She asked what Ban Wei’s just-finished song was called. He replied: “Haven’t named it yet. How about ‘May Twenty-sixth, Six O’clock Sharp, The Girl I Love Is Across From Me’?”

This moment, this time, this person.

Quite smooth too. Wu Jiakui made a faint “pfft” sound. Long Qi thought this was awesome, immediately clinked glasses with Ban Wei, laughing. Wu Jiakui threw a handful of sand at her, then helped brush it off. Ban Wei said: “I didn’t sing this song for nothing. At my rate, one song—you understand—not cheap. Come on, don’t listen for free. Give me a truth in exchange.”

Wu Jiakui drank her beer.

Ban Wei pestered her for a long time. After a while, she finally compromised. Setting her beer can down beside her, she said one line: “I’m very unwilling to accept it.”

Slowly glancing at Jin Yiken who was grilling with his head down, then withdrawing her gaze, tilting her forehead. Okay, that was her truth. Ban Wei pouted and nodded, looking toward Long Qi.

She sat with her knees drawn up, drinking beer.

After a long while, she said: “I used to think that when I grew up I could do what I wanted to do. Only after growing up did I discover it’s not like that. There’s nothing I want to do, only some things I can do. There’s no one I want to love, only some people I can go through life with. Love is something,” enunciating, yet enunciating very softly, “very unruly. Two people with rules together, inexplicably becoming unruly, feeling happy—that’s when love is produced.”

Xu Yifen, who was dividing coconuts, looked over.

Jin Yiken also looked up.

Half her long hair tucked behind her ear, half her long hair loose by her cheek. Long Qi gently rubbed the sand with the bottom of her can: “It’s very unwilling, having lived twenty years by the rules, why should I not follow them just because I say so? But there’s no way around it—I just like him.”

Ban Wei looked at her quietly, without his previous disruptive manner. Not long after, he looked toward Jin Yiken’s direction with deep feeling. Long Qi then swept back her hair: “Those lines from Wu’er’s script—hearing her talk about willingness and unwillingness reminded me. How did I do?”

Ban Wei’s drink sprayed out with a pfft.

Jin Yiken inconspicuously withdrew his gaze, rubbing his face.

She punched Ban Wei’s shoulder: “Say it, how was the emotional impact?”

But before Ban Wei could respond, he was interrupted by Fang Xuan’s “holy shit.” She looked over. Fang Xuan stood up pointing toward a pile of rocks not far away: “Forgot we need to take group photos. While it’s not completely dark yet, let’s go take a few over there. The lighthouse is in the background, perfect. Quick, quick.”

“It’s high tide now,” Wu Jiakui said.

“Not yet, hasn’t reached there yet. Oh come on, quick. Ladies, I’m begging you, move. Long Qi!”

While speaking, she pulled her arm, dragging her toward the rocks. She’d just drunk three cans of beer. Being pulled like this made it go to her head a bit, dizzy. She called for Fang Xuan to slow down. Wu Jiakui also stood up. Xu Yifen and those two girls were all herded by Fang Xuan toward the rocks. Ban Wei was designated by Fang Xuan as photographer.

The rocks had been beaten by waves year-round—quite slippery. Walking up barefoot was somewhat dangerous.

It was high tide. Fang Xuan pulled her to stand at a slightly higher spot. Then it was over—entering photo mode. That meant not stopping until thirty or forty photos were taken. Fang Xuan would think her legs weren’t showing long enough, then think her hair wasn’t flowing elegantly, then think her expression wasn’t right. Wu Jiakui was used to it, arms folded, one expression the whole time. Long Qi’s eye-rolling was about to flip to the back of her head. After shooting for a full quarter hour, Jin Yiken also came.

By now the tide had risen to their feet. He walked along the shore. Passing behind Ban Wei who was busy taking photos, he glanced at the camera screen, then at the sea level line, saying: “I’ll take them.”

Ban Wei turned around, relieved to hand over the camera. He held it with one hand, other hand in his pocket. Fang Xuan hurriedly said: “Wait, let me fix my hair. Jin Yiken, wait, wait!”

“Not waiting.”

“Wait!”

“Three, two, one.”

Fang Xuan quickly struck a pose. Click—the photo was decisively captured. After shooting, he said: “Come down. Perfect.”

“I so don’t believe you.”

“Don’t believe me? Come down and look.”

“I’m looking!”

Fang Xuan was immediately fooled into coming down, grabbing Ban Wei’s arm and jumping onto the beach. Those two girls also successively walked forward, descending the rocks, all assisted by Ban Wei. By now the highest rock had been thoroughly soaked by waves. She let Wu Jiakui and Xu Yifen go ahead. Jin Yiken waited on the shore. After Wu Jiakui came down, he looked in her direction, walking onto the rocks.

Xu Yifen was still ahead of her.

“Slowly, don’t rush your feet.”

But just after hearing him finish this sentence, when she was still one step away from him, a large wave suddenly crashed onto the rocks. Ice-cold seawater surged up with a splash. The rock surface became extremely slippery. Originally it wasn’t alarming, but Xu Yifen got a huge fright, almost instantly falling downward. Instinctive emergency reaction—her hands grabbed both Jin Yiken and Long Qi. Jin Yiken reacted quickly, swiftly and steadily supporting her from the arm. Xu Yifen’s knees didn’t hit the ground, but Long Qi had it terrible. She didn’t react at all. After Xu Yifen grabbed her, she also fell. When she instinctively reached for Jin Yiken, he caught Xu Yifen first. Her knees and palms hit the ground in succession. The rock surface was uneven—skin scraped off. Then she almost slid into the sea. Only then did Jin Yiken grab her wrist. But at that moment from the friction, a large patch of skin scraped off her calf and arm. She groaned dully, the pain nearly knocking her senseless. Fang Xuan, who had been chattering, immediately fell silent, covering her mouth and looking over. She couldn’t stand up.

Xu Yifen’s face went pale with fright: “Are you okay, Qiqi?”

Wu Jiakui and Ban Wei both gathered around but didn’t step onto the rocks. On the rocks were just her and Jin Yiken. Jin Yiken’s follow-up reaction was quite fast. He held her calf, half her body in his embrace. While supporting her to prevent the wound from having secondary contact with seawater, he called for Ban Wei to go find a pharmacy on shore. She felt the dampness of his palm, but it was immediately covered by the severe pain of broken skin and injured tendons. Her bleeding palm pressed against the rock surface. The intoxication accumulated from three cans of beer also dissipated completely in this moment. Everyone was asking if she was okay, but at this moment in her mind, there was nothing else—all of it was damn replays of him supporting Xu Yifen just now.

And him applying medicine to Xu Yifen, him going down the mountain with Xu Yifen, him letting Xu Yifen sit in the passenger seat, him telling Xu Yifen to do well—playing like a roller coaster, one after another. She even recalled the harsh words he’d said to her a month and a half ago. The negative energy accumulated over two full days reached its peak at this moment, maxed out. Her finger joints trembled. Jin Yiken was busy treating her post-injury, thinking she was dazed from the fall, stroking her forehead and face. She said: “I’m fine.”

Gritting her teeth, saying these words.

But tears forced out by emotion began to fall, silently dropping onto the rocks. He saw it. Everyone gathered around saw it. Even Ban Wei paused his steps toward finding a pharmacy. Seeing her cry for the first time, he patted Fang Xuan’s shoulder, feeling this was serious. Jin Yiken called her: “Qi.”

After hearing this word, she became even more agitated. Her scraped palm directly hit his shoulder: “Don’t call me!!”

Xu Yifen’s body trembled.

Jin Yiken didn’t dodge, holding her elbow area. Her hand still pushed at his shoulder, glaring at him: “Didn’t you want to mess with me! Satisfied yet! Keep going!!”

Eyes very red, very red. Nose also red. Mentality and emotions completely collapsed. Every blow she landed on Jin Yiken was forceful. He silently received the force. Long Qi then yanked her hand free, staggering to stand. Jin Yiken still supported her, hands never leaving for a moment. She irritably shouted: “Let go!”

Down to the beach, her ankle also hurt piercingly. Fang Xuan was also scared confused by her reaction, cautiously saying comforting words beside her, cautiously following, asking if she needed a car to take her to the hospital. She didn’t listen, didn’t hear. Limping, she walked toward the pier. Jin Yiken followed closely behind, saying one line: “None of you follow.”

They all involuntarily followed anyway. After three steps, he also directly exploded, turning back to drop words: “I said nobody fucking follow! Are you deaf?!”

They all stopped in place.

…

She just wanted to go back now. Didn’t want to audition anymore, didn’t want the role anymore, didn’t want to get involved in all these messy things. Hated Jin Yiken. Knew he was following behind. Didn’t look back. But still got scooped up by him when climbing the stairs. An uncompromising embrace around the waist. Legs suddenly suspended. Long hair tangled around his arm. She immediately clawed at his shoulder, but he just wouldn’t let go.

“Get lost!”

He didn’t respond with a single word.

Soon she was brought by him to the pier parking area. Passenger door opened, she was placed in the seat. As he straightened up, she forcefully closed the car door, locking it from inside. His reaction was also quick. He immediately pressed the car key to unlock. As he prepared to pull the car door, she quickly locked it again.

This time, pausing for two or three seconds, the two of them faced each other through the car window. In her eyes was stubbornness like she wanted to kill someone. He slowly nodded, also releasing a breath, lowering his head to pick up his phone and dial, putting it to his ear.

Her phone in her pocket rang.

Putting it to her ear, he said: “Open the door. I need to take you back.”

“Let Ban Wei drive. Don’t want to see you, don’t want to be in a car with you.”

“Ban Wei doesn’t drive as fast as me.”

“Then let Zang Siming come up. Anyway, I don’t want to see you.”

Confronting through the car window, throwing these words. Jin Yiken’s hair was blown by the sea breeze. Then his gaze briefly moved away, squinting to look elsewhere. Just in this moment when attention slightly relaxed, but damn—a click of unlock inside the car. His speed pulling the car door this time was extremely fast. Before Long Qi could react, he directly bent into the car. Their lips directly touched, kissing her off guard. Just an unreasonable forced kiss, leaving her dazed. The back of her head pressed tightly against the seat back. Hands not knowing where to grab. Eyes not even having time to blink. Then by her ear she heard the swoosh of a seatbelt being pulled, then heard a “click.” Her abdomen tightened, successfully captured by the seatbelt. After finishing, he withdrew and closed the car door. She was still stunned in the seat from the sudden taking of advantage. Jin Yiken walked around the car hood to the driver’s seat in two or three steps. Opened the door, got in the car. After closing the door, he started the car. The whole process smooth as if rehearsed in advance.

In the distance, Ban Wei, Fang Xuan and the others had just walked onto the pier, looking this way while successively getting into their respective cars. Before her next thought could form, her left hand on her knee was grasped by him. Palm pressed very tightly. Wouldn’t let go. She asked what for. He replied: “Preventing you from jumping out of the car.”

At the same time, his other hand turned the steering wheel, stepping on the gas.

On the mountain road back, he drove one-handed the entire way. Hand always held by him, never separating for a second. Held until they were both sweating. But even so, her mood didn’t calm down. Not even a bit calmed down. On the road, Jin Yiken said things to her that she didn’t respond to at all. It hurt so much—arm, calf, knee all stinging with pain. Not looking at the wounds was fine, but looking at those areas where skin and flesh were stuck together hurt even more. She started thinking about scarring. Thinking about that, then thinking about all this entangled mess with him, she felt especially tired. Tears silently fell. Jin Yiken looked at her from time to time, saying: “I was wrong.”

“Stop crying. It’s all my fault, all my mistakes.”

“Stop crying, Qi.”

He kept saying it.

She couldn’t listen.

After arriving at the villa, she pulled her hand free and got out of the car. Ban Wei and Zang Siming’s cars also arrived one after another. Jin Yiken still followed behind her. She said don’t follow. He turned a deaf ear. So when going upstairs, she directly turned back: “Don’t come upstairs! Said I don’t want to see you!”

After supporting herself on the railing and walking two steps, she turned back again: “If you dare come upstairs today, I’ll immediately book a plane ticket and leave.”

…

…

After dropping those words, Jin Yiken really didn’t come up again.

It was Fang Xuan and Wu Jiakui who came up with the medical kit to apply medicine for her. Wu Jiakui had filmed medical dramas before, so she had some experience with post-injury treatment. Long Qi sat on the sofa edge, lost in thought. Gauze wrapped around her calf circle by circle. Fang Xuan was beside her searching online for precautions about not leaving scars after injury, reading them to her from time to time. In a gap after reading, Wu Jiakui spoke: “He didn’t say anything, but I want to ask for him—when do you plan to let him come upstairs to sleep?”

It was now eleven at night.

Outside the window, a gentle breeze blew. Summer cicadas chirped softly. She could also vaguely hear the teasing joke sounds of Zang Siming and the girls downstairs. She slowly raised her eyes.

“If you don’t let him come upstairs, he won’t even go to the second floor. From just now until now, he’s been sitting on the first-floor sofa. Ban Wei brought him a blanket. He won’t sleep either. Looks like he’s waiting for you to say the word.”

…

“The medicine, the gauze—he went down the mountain again to buy them all. Thought I didn’t understand, but he specifically taught me how to help you treat it, told me to be patient, told me to go along with you.”

She said this, looking at Long Qi: “Do you know how complex my feelings are right now? I could throw in the towel and not do this. But if I don’t, Fang Xuan is clumsy with her hands, Ban Wei is foolish, Zang Siming has ulterior motives, and if Xu Yifen came up, she could directly make you die of anger. If I don’t do it, who will? If I don’t do it, who will tell you how nervous Jin Yiken is right now, afraid you’ll really book a plane ticket and leave. Not daring to come upstairs one step. Really never seen him act so cowardly.”

Long Qi listened, saying nothing as she swept back her hair.

Wu Jiakui began collecting the medicine bottles at hand, saying one more line: “You two are really sickening enough.”

She still didn’t respond.

The door gently closed.

In the night that followed, she finely felt the slight pain on her body, blowing in the evening breeze, staying in the room, spacing out. The emotions from when things first happened, after time’s settling, had calmed considerably. Wu Jiakui’s words actually also had a slight effect. She propped her forehead, fingers gently pulling open a can tab.

Took a sip.

The record player on the first floor kept automatically playing music. Jin Yiken must not have turned it off. The music faintly drifted up—Kingsfoil’s “Grapevine Valentine,” on loop. For some reason, the more she listened, the more she felt a sense of fated appropriateness. She listened to the lead singer’s sandy but not hoarse voice, taking a second sip.

The commotion on the second floor gradually grew lighter as night deepened. Then the lights went off too. She took a third sip, drinking continuously.

Then pulled open the tab of a second can of beer.

…

When she opened the door, it was about two in the morning.

The entire villa only echoed with music coming from the first floor. On the table by the window already lay four beer cans. Her cheeks and neck were somewhat red from drinking. Her ears burned. Supporting herself on the railing, she went downstairs. At that moment, the door of the opposite room also happened to open. Xu Yifen heard the sound, came to the stairs, saw her, softly calling: “Qiqi?”

She ignored her.

Didn’t have the mood to look back at whether Xu Yifen was following her either. Head quite dizzy, approaching that point where she’d black out. At the moment, she wasn’t quite sure what she was doing. Alcohol controlled reason. Single-mindedly walking down. Then, upon reaching the first-floor living room, she really saw Jin Yiken still in the sofa area.

He wasn’t sleeping. He just sat there.

On the coffee table were alcohol and an ashtray. His elbow rested on his knee, hand holding a half-smoked cigarette. The living room’s dim night light shone on his shoulders and body. He seemed to be thinking about something, thinking very seriously. But he looked quiet and lonely. Until hearing her descending sound, he turned his head.

Their gazes met across a sofa, in the lonely night, wordlessly.

A calm him.

A her reeking of alcohol throughout her body.

Smoke drifted around them. He said: “Who gave you the alcohol?”

…

“Bought it myself. Put a case upstairs.”

“Does it still hurt?”

“Yes.”

She hiccupped lightly.

By that time she was already sitting on the sofa, separated from him by one seat’s distance. Her body was soft, leaning sideways on the sofa. The two of them facing each other, her gaze somewhat unfocused.

She watched him take a drag on his cigarette.

“I know in your current state you’ve already blacked out. When you black out, you can’t remember things. Whatever I say to you is wasted.”

…

“But Qi,” he still said, “when you cried today, I wanted to give you my entire fortune, my life, everything.”

…

“Last time was my fault. This time is also my fault. Don’t be angry with me anymore. I really want to be with you.”

Tapping off ash, he finished speaking, looking at her.

“I also want to be with you.”

She replied softly.

“I heard it, but you won’t remember tomorrow.”

Jin Yiken said.

…

…

The thin T-shirt slanted at her shoulder. Long hair scattered loosely over her exposed half-shoulder. She said: “Then let me remember.”

Jin Yiken turned his head to look at her.

Looking at her face flushed crimson from intoxication, her unfocused eyes, and her body with its frame almost gone soft. He withdrew his gaze. The last drag of smoke drifted around. He pressed the cigarette butt into the ashtray.

“Okay.”