For the first time, Sheng Xia felt a gathering wasn’t long enough. Their group was among the last to leave the KTV. Everyone planned to go for late-night snacks, but seeing how late it was and after multiple reminders from Wang Lianhua, Sheng Xia declined.
They accompanied her while waiting for Wang Lianhua to pick her up. Sheng Xia let go of Zhang Shu’s hand and winked at him. Zhang Shu understood. She moved to stand beside Xin Xiaohe.
When Wang Lianhua arrived to pick up Sheng Xia, the group waved goodbye saying “Bye, Auntie!” Wang Lianhua couldn’t bring herself to scold them about staying out late.
She understood her daughter. Gentle but not particularly outgoing, in all these years she could count her close friends on one hand. Who would have thought she’d make such a good group of friends in her senior year? Perhaps Affiliated High School had been the better environment for her after all.
“How did your classmates do on the exam?” Wang Lianhua asked.
“They should all have done pretty well,” Sheng Xia replied.
Today, everyone had tacitly avoided mentioning scores, but judging by their mood, no one seemed to have done poorly.
“What about Zhang Shu? How did he do?” Wang Lianhua continued.
Sheng Xia tried to glimpse her mother’s expression in the rearview mirror but couldn’t get the right angle. She carefully answered, “He should have done well too.”
Heaven knows how happy she’d been to hear “See you at River Banquet” after worrying all day. If he said it was fine, then it wouldn’t be bad.
“If he could do well under those circumstances, that young man is quite something,” Wang Lianhua remarked.
Sheng Xia was surprised. Hearing her mother praise someone was rare enough, but praising Zhang Shu was even more unusual.
Back home, Sheng Xia saw that Hou Junqi had created a group chat with everyone from earlier, minus Lan Lan and Yang Linyu’s roommates. Surprisingly, Lu Youze was included.
Lu Youze had gone abroad on a business trip with his father after the college entrance exam, missing both the score estimation and the teacher appreciation banquet. Adding in the fact that he’d rarely been at school during the final sprint, some people had almost forgotten there was such a person in their class. During dinner, someone had mentioned him, joking that the young prince had gone ahead to familiarize himself with his family’s business empire.
Why suddenly create such a group chat?
Just as she was about to send a private message to ask, Hou Junqi tagged her in the group.
Hou Junqi: @ShengXia Everyone here is confirmed for Fiji, little Sheng Xia come too!
Xiaomai: @ShengXia Come come come!
Xin Xiaohe: @ShengXia Come come come!
Sheng Xia was confused. Why suddenly Fiji? What had they discussed during their late-night snack?
Hou Junqi: @LuYouze This rich uncle here, and @ZhangShu’s sister, chartered flight!
Just as she saw the message, Zhang Shu called to explain everything. Sheng Xia finally understood.
During their late-night snack, everyone had discussed taking a graduation trip together. Zhang Shu had mentioned he probably couldn’t join as he had to attend his sister’s wedding in Fiji.
Everyone had expressed their envy, saying they also wanted to visit an island.
It had started as just talk, but unexpectedly, Zhang Shu had called to confirm.
Lu Zheng had been incredibly generous, saying since they were both Zhang Shu’s and Lu Youze’s classmates, having more young faces would make things livelier. He immediately decided: that whoever could go should come, there was plenty of space on the chartered flight, and hotel arrangements would be taken care of.
Who would turn down such a windfall?
However, since they were attending a wedding, nobody would truly freeload despite getting free flights and accommodation. The costs would be factored into the wedding gift money.
So they still had to spend money, but it was a lucky coincidence and they could share in the joy of the occasion.
Lan Lan was short on money and didn’t have a passport, so she couldn’t join.
Yang Linyu and Xin Xiaohe both planned to apply for expedited passports the next day.
Sheng Xia already had a passport from when Wang Lianhua had taken her traveling after middle school graduation.
Traveling with so many people would probably be fun, right?
Of course, Sheng Xia wanted to go, but she figured Wang Lianhua probably wouldn’t agree.
“If you want to travel, go by yourself. Why take advantage of others?” Sure enough, Wang Lianhua had many concerns.
Sheng Xia explained, “We’re not taking advantage. We’ll combine the flight and hotel costs into the wedding gift money.”
“And with all of you going together, they’ll be busy with the wedding and won’t be able to look after you. What if you all get out of hand with no one watching!”
“Mom, we’re about to start university. We can take care of ourselves.”
Wang Lianhua was stumped by this response. After half a minute of silence, she said, “If you want to relax, wait until A-Xuan finishes her exam, and I’ll take you both.”
Sheng Xia calculated the timing, “By the time A-Xuan finishes her exam, I’ll need to start driving school. Dad already registered me.”
Wang Lianhua knew about this and was quite supportive, believing it was better to learn skills sooner rather than later.
“Then ask your father for money!”
Sheng Xia: “Huh?”
Wang Lianhua said irritably, “If you want to go, ask your father for money!”
Did this mean she agreed?
Seeing her daughter’s shocked expression, Wang Lianhua continued irritably, “Don’t cause trouble for others when you’re there, and video call daily to let us know you’re safe.”
“Yes, Mom!”
…
Over the next few days, Sheng Xia attended several gatherings, both large and small.
One with Tao Zhizhi, one with her Second High School classmates, and another with Xin Xiaohe and the others.
After eating, Sheng Xia went shopping with Xin Xiaohe and Xiaomai for pre-trip supplies.
Under their sweet talk, Sheng Xia bought some dresses she’d never worn before, as well as swimwear, and nervously embarked on the journey.
After more than ten hours on the plane and another half hour by speedboat, they finally reached the small island where the wedding would be held.
They arrived at night, unable to see the full view of the island, but the humid sea breeze had already made everyone feel parched.
Lu Zheng and Zhang Sujin came out to welcome them, with Lu Youze following behind—they had arrived earlier.
“Long time no see,” Lu Youze greeted, seemingly addressing everyone but looking at Sheng Xia.
“Long time no see,” Sheng Xia waved.
Qi Xiulei, being closer to Lu Youze, tried to make conversation: “Youze, have you gotten your offer yet?”
“Not yet, but it should be soon,” Lu Youze answered.
“Well, congratulations in advance then, haha!”
That “haha” brought the awkwardness to an extreme.
Fortunately, the concierge arrived to show everyone to their rooms.
Zhang Shu had been pushing Sheng Xia’s suitcase the whole time. He stepped forward, ignoring the current awkwardness, handed her luggage to the concierge, and said, “You’ve been in the air conditioning all flight, don’t set it too low tonight.”
Sheng Xia: “Oh, okay.”
Zhang Shu: “Let me know your building number later.”
“Mm.”
Everyone followed their respective concierges to their rooms.
Sheng Xia shared a room with Xin Xiaohe and Xiaomai. Only upon reaching their room did they understand why Zhang Shu had asked for the “building number” rather than the room number.
The accommodation consisted entirely of independent villas separated by gardens. It took seven or eight minutes by golf cart just to get from the lobby to their room.
The building was a small two-story structure with bedrooms upstairs and a living room downstairs. Opening the door revealed a pool, and beyond that, the beach glowing white in the night.
The sea stretched endlessly.
Xiaomai connected to the WiFi and searched for the hotel prices using the logo on the welcome card. She was stunned.
“This hotel can’t be found on Ctrip, Fliggy, or Booking.com!”
“Holy crap, it’s a private island, not open to the public, only accepting regular guests, rooms starting at 5000 USD…”
Xin Xiaohe was shocked: “Per day?”
“Yeah, per day.”
“We underestimated this, folks. How much wedding money would we need to give to make up for this?”
Sheng Xia was also dumbfounded. It seemed they had no choice but to accept this generosity now.
She had just sent the building number to Zhang Shu when he sent a voice call request.
As soon as she answered, Zhang Shu said, “Come outside, by the pool.”
Sheng Xia was puzzled. She opened the glass door and went out. The pool glowed with fluorescent light in the night.
“Here.” His voice came simultaneously from reality and the phone.
Sheng Xia turned her head. Through the shadows of the trees, the fluorescent glow from the neighboring pool filtered through. And his silhouette.
He was staying next door.
They were separated by a row of lush greenery.
The same beach lay beyond their rooms.
“Want to take a walk?” he invited.
Sheng Xia glanced inside at the mess, “Need to unpack things.”
Zhang Shu compromised: “Then sleep early, don’t catch a cold.”
“Mm.”
“Go inside.”
They both walked back to their rooms. As Zhang Shu was closing his door, he said naturally, “You’re right next door. Just thinking about it makes it hard to sleep.”
Before she could react, sounds of retching and vomiting came from the other side.
Hou Junqi shouted: “Go, go right now! Don’t come back, it’s too crowded here!”
Yang Linyu: “Oh wow, how am I getting goosebumps in the tropics!”
Qi Xiulei: “We’re tired enough from the flight, can we act human?”
There were so many of them.
Sheng Xia searched for something to say, “Are you all staying together?”
“Yeah, and Lu Youze too, he’s here.”
Sheng Xia: …
“Oh, your place seems big.”
Zhang Shu: “It seems wider than yours, we have a family room here, with three bedrooms.”
Sheng Xia: “We only have two.”
Zhang Shu: “Then you should sleep alone, let the other two share a room.”
Sheng Xia: “But Xiaohe wants to sleep with me?”
Zhang Shu: “Not allowed!”
That “not allowed” was probably too loud, as Xin Xiaohe heard it.
“LOL, Zhang Shu, who are you to control this? Try saying ‘not allowed’ again, want to bet I’ll take a bath with Sheng Xia tonight!”
Sheng Xia: …
Zhang Shu: …
All spectators on both ends of the phone: …
Sheng Xia hung up first, cutting off the potential explosion.
As a result, that night, not only did Xin Xiaohe sleep with Sheng Xia, but Xiaomai also crawled into her blanket.
In the hot weather, three people squeezed into one bed, none willing to sleep alone.
Fortunately, the bed was big enough and the air conditioning was cold enough.
Suddenly Xin Xiaohe let out an “Oh shit!”, and simultaneously Sheng Xia screamed in shock.
Xiaomai, sleeping on the edge, sat up and turned on the light, looking panicked: “What happened, what happened?”
Xin Xiaohe looked both apologetic and shocked: “Sorry, accident, I touched it.”
Sheng Xia’s face turned bright red.
Accident! An accident that included a squeeze?
“Xiaohe!!” She was angry.
Xin Xiaohe apologized with a smile: “It was an accident hahaha I’m just used to hugging something while sleeping, but then, you know, unconsciously, just, you know, unconsciously grabbed, I repent!”
Xiaomai understood now too, and Sheng Xia didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.
The three of them looked at each other, and a “pfft” broke the awkwardness, inexplicably dissolving into laughter, each rolling around.
“Hahaha, you did what Lan Lan and I wanted to do, look how scared Sheng Xia was hahaha!”
“I’m sorry I was wrong hahaha if I had another chance, I would grab twice, no, three times hahaha!”
Finally calming down somewhat, they turned off the lights and tried to sleep again.
In the darkness, Xiaomai suddenly spoke: “Are you asleep? I can’t sleep, I also want to know what C feels like…”
“Hahahahahaha!”
“No way!”
“I’m just saying… if not then not…”
Silence again.
After who knows how long.
Xin Xiaohe suddenly spoke again: “Are you asleep? I can’t sleep, I’m so envious of Brother Shu, wonder if he knows what C feels like…”
“Hahahahahaha!”
Sheng Xia felt hot all over and threw off her blanket.
Damn it, would they be able to sleep tonight!
The next day, Sheng Xia caught a cold, here in the tropics.
So while everyone else changed into swimsuits and played in the sea, she could only sit wrapped in a bathrobe on the shore, drinking coconut juice out of boredom, and video-calling Wang Lianhua. Of course, she didn’t tell her mother about the cold, just showed her the nearby scenery and reported her itinerary to confirm her safety.
When she hung up, she noticed someone sitting in the lounger beside her.
Zhang Shu wore boxer-style swim trunks, probably not one for exposure, and had already dried his upper body and put on a thin T-shirt as soon as he got out of the water.
But because his body was wet, the white T-shirt was half loose and half clinging, creating a visual effect that was, if anything, more striking than being shirtless.
Sheng Xia looked away, put down her phone, and picked up the huge coconut to continue sipping the juice.
Zhang Shu stared at her steadily, until the straw made empty slurping sounds. Only then did he stand in front of her and take away the coconut, “Drinking a whole coconut in one go, aren’t you full?”
“It’s delicious, I could drink another one.”
“Stubborn. Don’t let your stomach act up before your cold gets better. Didn’t you cover up properly last night?”
“I did.”
“If you covered up, why are you getting worse? Everyone else came to travel, did you come to recuperate?”
Sheng Xia fell silent, realizing this person always said unpleasant things and was a bit nagging.
By evening, Sheng Xia was feeling groggy. She didn’t dare use the air conditioning anymore, so she slept alone in one room, but it was hot, her whole body felt sticky, and she couldn’t fall asleep.
Tossing and turning, she could only pick up her phone again.
Only then did she notice Zhang Shu had sent her a message two hours ago.
Song Jiang: “Are you asleep?”
After she hadn’t replied, he probably thought she was sleeping.
Sheng Xia replied: “Not yet.”
It was already 2 AM local time, but Zhang Shu replied instantly: “Not feeling well?”
“A bit hot.”
Song Jiang: “Come out for a bit, to the beach behind.”
Sheng Xia tiptoed downstairs and out the door, not bothering to change clothes, just wearing the bathrobe from earlier.
Zhang Shu also wore a bathrobe, waiting for her at her yard’s entrance.
As soon as she got close, he reached out to feel her forehead, muttering: “Shouldn’t have a fever, but better take your temperature.”
She let him lead her to their yard, where the evening breeze, neither cold nor hot, helped disperse some of the stuffiness.
On the table beside the lounger were a kettle, cups, and a box of medicine with Chinese labels.
Zhang Shu handed her the thermometer and then prepared some cold medicine granules.
Sheng Xia was confused: “Where did you get this from?”
Zhang Shu: “Went looking for it during dinner.”
“They sell Chinese medicine here?”
“No, got it from someone else,” he said casually.
While the hotel did stock common medicines, he worried that she, being delicately raised, might not handle them well. So he had gotten the guest list from Zhang Sujin and asked almost everyone individually if they had brought medicine from home. Fortunately, one auntie had brought cold medicine.
“Oh…”
She quietly watched him prepare the medicine, swirling the cup until the granules completely dissolved, then adding cool water. He took a sip first before handing it to her: “Drink up.”
She obediently took it, the temperature just right, and slowly drank it down. The medicine wasn’t bitter, even had a slight sweetness.
She sat while he stood, his gaze fixed on her the whole time as if he would get angry if she didn’t finish it all.
Sheng Xia had never seen Zhang Shu like this before.
She couldn’t quite describe it.
Even though they were in a foreign country, even though she was sick, she somehow felt an illusion of peaceful contentment.
After she finished the medicine, he took her hand and walked her back.
“Stop playing with your phone, go to sleep, you can use the air conditioning but not too cold, wrap up well in the blanket, don’t throw it off even if you sweat, bear with it, you’ll feel better tomorrow…”
She heard him nattering on.
At her yard entrance, he let go of her hand, “Did you hear what I just said? Also…”
Before he could finish, Zhang Shu felt a tightness around his waist as someone rushed into his arms.
Sheng Xia didn’t know why, but looking at his broad chest, she just wanted to lean against it. Maybe she was a bit dizzy, making her braver, and she just hugged him.
This was her first time initiating.
Zhang Shu was completely stunned. After a long pause, just as he was about to hug her back, his arms were empty as the girl ran off, disappearing into the house in an instant.
When closing the glass door, their eyes met, but she hurriedly looked away, not daring to look at him anymore.
Zhang Shu came to his senses, feeling like he’d missed out.
He smiled helplessly and walked slowly back to his room.
When would she stop being so shy? This question had bothered him for a long time.
Zhang Shu didn’t see Lu Youze standing on the upstairs balcony, his gaze dejected.
Sheng Xia took medicine for another day, and her cold finally improved in time for the wedding.
The wedding planners were brought from China, and the ceremony combined Chinese and Western styles.
The sending and receiving of the bride followed Chinese tradition, the lunch was a Western-style beach wedding, and there would be a party after the evening banquet – quite a rich schedule.
Sheng Xia and her friends were assigned to the bride’s sending party, so they got up at dawn to do makeup and dress up. Though not bridesmaids, they still needed to look beautiful.
The boys were all assigned to the groom’s receiving party. After many challenges, when the auspicious time came, they burst through the door with red envelopes flying everywhere.
Only then did Sheng Xia see Zhang Shu’s appearance today.
He wore a well-pressed suit with a perfectly tied bow tie, his hair styled, the boy’s face taking on a touch of maturity.
Very different.
“Sheng Xia’s eyes have gone straight…” Xiaomai muttered.
Xin Xiaohe: “Why does it look like Zhang Shu came to receive his bride.”
While everyone in the bride’s room was busy challenging the groom and his groomsmen, no one noticed in the corner, the suited young man and the girl speaking softly.
“What kind of wedding do you want in the future?”
Sheng Xia was focusing on whether the groom and groomsmen could find the wedding shoes, and answered casually: “It’s not important.”
The person is what’s most important.
Zhang Shu: “Think carefully, take your time, you have four years to think about it.”
Sheng Xia: …