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Psst! We're moving!
Sitting on a small swing inside the inn, gently swaying, I could observe the scenery outside through the large French window.
Night magnified the tranquility of the sea.
The full moon descended, revealing only its perfectly round half on the sea surface. Faint moonlight scattered sparsely over the water, tracing subtle, diminishing ripples.
In the distance, ships appeared as tiny dots, their bright lanterns hanging high, casting a warm glow on the cool night.
Stars were hidden within the heavy, dark clouds.
Lin Zhan swung her legs. A moment later, she jumped off the swing and brought over her foldable easel and canvas.
Just for practice, she painted a picture of the sea at night.
Her portable speaker, leaning lazily on the coffee table, was singing:
This lifetime This time is too short Not enough to prove the deep affection that melts ice and snow Then one day You suddenly appeared You are clear and mysterious Like Lake Baikal You are clear and mysterious Like Lake Baikal
The singer’s voice was clear and ethereal, rich in texture, narrating the song gently, adding a touch of tranquility.
Lin Zhan paused her brush slightly.
Shen Xi spoke from the side: “It seems you really like listening to this song when you’re with me.”
She smiled and dipped her brush into lake blue.
Actually, the first time she saw Shen Xi, she thought of this song.
“This song, you could say, was the background music when I met you,” Lin Zhan said. “And this song is very much like you, don’t you think?”
...
As she spoke, Shen Xi, bored, flipped through her sketchbook beside her.
Lin Zhan smiled at him, then turned her head back.
Her sketchbook contained personal sketches, naturally much more relaxed and casual than her homework sketches. She drew whatever she wanted, however she wanted, and named her sketches whatever she liked.
She mostly drew him: him studying, him napping, him bending down to tease a dog, him twisting open bottle caps for her.
Those sketches also had names:
Shen Xi on Fingertips Shen Xi Sleeping.JPG Shen Xi and Dog.GIF Shen Xi and Me.GIF
Although the file extensions were getting weirder, Shen Xi continued to flip through.
The paper rustled with a whoosh.
...Wait a minute.
Lin Zhan remembered something.
Her brush tip suddenly stopped. Lin Zhan threw down her palette and tossed the brush into the bucket.
“Wait a minute! Don’t look yet!”
Too late.
The smile on Shen Xi’s lips seemed to freeze at that moment. He saw the content of the next drawing: the scene of their brief kiss in the alley.
Upon seeing the name Lin Zhan had given it, Shen Xi frowned and incredulously read it aloud:
“Me and Shen Xi... AVI?”
...
...............
What’s it called when you’re speechless and can’t explain yourself?
This was it.
Lin Zhan futilely opened her mouth, stammered for a long time, and couldn’t utter a single word.
It felt like anything she said would just make her look more guilty...
It was frighteningly quiet.
Lin Zhan coughed, scratched her head, and desperately talked nonsense: “A.VI is a file extension, it means video, don’t overthink it.”
Shen Xi looked up at her, his eyes unfathomably deep.
“...”
Afraid that Shen Xi wouldn’t believe her, she quickly searched on Baidu and read it aloud to him: “A.VI, short for Audio Video Interleaved, is a multimedia container format launched by Microsoft in November 1992 as part of its Windows video software. A.VI files interleave audio...”
“Alright,” Shen Xi interrupted, “I know.”
Lin Zhan’s heart relaxed, and she chuckled awkwardly: “It’s good that you know.”
Shen Xi continued: “But only those whose tails have been stepped on would jump so much.”
Lin Zhan: “...”
Just as Lin Zhan pretended that nothing had happened and picked up her brush to mix colors, she heard Shen Xi behind her, tapping the edge of the chair and nonchalantly asking her—
“Lin Zhan, do you think I don’t understand anything?”
________________________________________
After their time by the sea ended, the two discussed exploring the surrounding areas.
Since they were changing travel locations, they also needed to change hotels.
Shen Xi was looking for travel guides, and Lin Zhan naturally searched for nearby hotels.
Lin Zhan pulled out her phone and started searching: “Then I’ll check where we’re sleeping...”
Shen Xi saw her fiddling for a long time and couldn’t help but lean over to take a look.
In the search bar of the app, she had typed: [Themed hotels].
Shen Xi’s tone deepened: “Lin Zhan! What kind of nonsense are you searching for again?”
Lin Zhan mumbled aggrievedly: “It’s a legitimate themed hotel...”
Four days later, standing in the hotel Lin Zhan had booked, Shen Xi surveyed the surroundings. It was almost the first time in his life that he gritted his teeth and finished a sentence.
“Lin, Zhan, would you explain this to me?”
“I think this themed hotel is pretty good...”
Before she could finish, Shen Xi dragged her out and forcibly changed hotels.
And booked two rooms.
Lin Zhan: “...”
After booking the rooms, Lin Zhan lectured him: “As long as we have a pure heart, we won’t be disturbed by external things. What does it matter if we sleep in the same bed?”
Shen Xi folded his arms and looked at her, his voice even: “You’re saying, what could happen if two people sleep together?”
Lin Zhan leaned forward slightly, confidently stating: “You’re afraid you can’t control yourself?”
After a moment, Shen Xi finally spoke.
“I’m afraid you can’t control yourself.”
“...”
“Oh.”
________________________________________
The night deepened inch by inch. Shen Xi was planning tomorrow’s itinerary.
First, they would visit a certain drum tower, then experience and appreciate intangible cultural heritage.
Knock knock, the door was knocked.
He frowned, unsure who was outside.
“Who is it?”
Lin Zhan licked her lips and said, “It’s me.”
Shen Xi didn’t open the door, asking her through it: “What are you doing here?”
Lin Zhan, outside the door, was utterly speechless. Why was he still so wary of her? She wasn’t going to eat him...
Lin Zhan: “I came to bring you hot milk.”
The door lock clicked. Shen Xi opened the door a crack, calmly looking at Lin Zhan outside.
“Where’s the milk?”
Lin Zhan stuck her hand in the crack, pushed the door open, and slipped inside.
She stood in front of him, pointed to the corner of her mouth, and smiled slyly: “I just drank it.”
Shen Xi had already guessed she would say that, so he didn’t pay much attention and turned to pack his things for tomorrow.
Lin Zhan stood behind him, watching him squat down with his back to her, organizing things item by item, very methodically.
When he tossed the souvenirs into the suitcase, Lin Zhan finally became displeased.
She stood up straight, looked down, and asked him, “Shen Xi, don’t you think my nightgown looks really good?”
Shen Xi’s brows furrowed almost imperceptibly. His fingertips paused for a moment, then quickly resumed their movement.
“Hmm, it looks good.”
Lin Zhan was unconvinced: “You didn’t even turn around to look?!”
He symbolically turned his head for a glance—it really was just a symbolic glance, only catching the hem of her nightgown barely covering her upper thighs, before he turned back.
“It’s alright.”
Lin Zhan: ???
“Is your suitcase better looking than my nightgown?”
Shen Xi, unable to bear it any longer, stood up and looked down at her: “What exactly do you want to say? Hmm?”
Lin Zhan looked up, smiling: “I want you to look at me.”
“My new nightwear, it looks really good, doesn’t it?”
Shen Xi raised an eyebrow, looked at her, and said, “I’ve seen it... Can you go back now?”
She pouted, looking aggrieved: “...You’re actually chasing me away.”
“Don’t stay in a man’s room for too long,” Shen Xi bit down lightly, implying something, “You’re still too young.”
Lin Zhan reached out, her tone puzzled as she looked down: “I’m not small...”
Shen Xi felt someone light a fire that spread upwards from his spine.
There was no time to think further; the fire burned away all reason, leaving only instinct.
He pressed her against the wall, his breath growing hotter, even letting out a faint, almost inaudible chuckle.
“Do you know what you’re doing?”
He spoke almost against her ear.
His unique scent instantly filled her every breath; she inhaled his scent, and exhaled his breath.
His breath on the back of her ear made her legs instantly weak.
Lin Zhan’s entire body was arched. The moment she realized what was happening, she immediately felt something different and instinctively pushed him away.
...She couldn’t move him; the person in front of her only intensified.
She started to tremble.
Lin Zhan bit his shoulder hard, a layer of mist covering her eyes, and struggled: “Let me off this bus! This isn’t the bus to kindergarten!”
She wasn’t ready yet...
Hearing her whimper, Shen Xi finally couldn’t help but chuckle softly. Only then did he ease his grip a little, and the person in his arms slipped away like the wind.
Leaving behind a very faint, faint scent of peach blossoms.
Hearing the door close with a heavy thud, Shen Xi leaned one hand on the wall, the other hanging by his side, smiling inexplicably.
He moved his thumb and forefinger, rubbing their pads together, as if savoring the moment.
After he stopped laughing, he rubbed his neck and sighed.
She seduced him and then ran off, so easily.
In the end, he was left alone... resigned to taking a cold shower.
________________________________________
Lin Zhan returned to her room, still shaken, and sat on the bed to calm herself down.
...
Too cowardly.
Shen Xi’s movements were too fast, so fast that she didn’t have time to react or mentally prepare, which was why she kept pushing him away.
Who knew Shen Xi was so easily provoked... She just wanted to give him a hint and some preparation... Why did she end up being embraced and kissed when things came to a head...?
Lin Zhan felt like crying a little...
Now it’s over, the cooked duck flew away.
:(
________________________________________
The next day, the two went to the Drum Tower.
Summer vacation was peak tourist season, and pedestrians were almost shoulder to shoulder.
Lin Zhan only looked around for a moment before she was swallowed up by the bustling crowd.
She stood on her tiptoes, preparing to look for Shen Xi.
Soon, a pair of distinct, bony hands reached out from a gap in the crowd and were offered to her.
Shen Xi was carrying all the bags, so Lin Zhan felt light and was quickly pulled out of the encirclement by him.
As he pulled her close, Shen Xi continued to earnestly instruct her: “Don’t run off again.”
“I wasn’t running off,” Lin Zhan pointed into the distance. “I was looking at the mountains, and you walked too fast.”
After thinking for a moment, Lin Zhan asked him, “Oh, by the way, is there another joint event between the two schools next semester?”
Shen Xi hummed: “Why?”
Lin Zhan: “I heard them say you’re hosting?”
He got a headache thinking about it: “The director insisted on arranging it for me. I don’t want to go.”
“You should, though. You excel in all aspects at school. If they have to pick someone to represent the school, you’re the most suitable,” Lin Zhan tugged his sleeve. “I was afraid you’d be bored alone, so I also signed up to host.”
Shen Xi looked at her steadily: “You’re hosting too?”
“Yeah,” Lin Zhan pouted. “What’s with that expression?”
She put her hands behind her back and said, word by word, with emphasis: “Don’t you want me?”
Shen Xi looked at her, speechless for a moment, then turned towards a nearby convenience store.
“I’m going to buy something, I’ll be right back.”
Lin Zhan pouted: “Hmm, you go, I’ll wait for you here.”
The convenience store was too far; she didn’t want to walk and preferred to rest where she was.
________________________________________
After almost ten days of traveling, the two finally prepared to head back.
Lin Zhan looked at the nearly ten-hour drive and lamented to her phone: “Making me sit in a car for ten hours, my God, I’d rather die...”
Shen Xi thought for a moment and said, “How about we find a place along the way, rest there for a few days, and then go back?”
“If we go back, where do we go back to?” Lin Zhan thought seriously. “Back to school? There’s hardly anyone at school.”
He glanced at her and asked, “Do you want to go back to W City?”
After all, it was her hometown, carrying so many years of her memories. Although she didn’t often go back for various reasons, he understood that she must miss W City deeply.
When she was at Weida University, he often heard her mention W City.
“I kind of want to go back...” Lin Zhan mused, “But if I go back, where would I stay? You can go home, but I can’t go to your house...”
“Why not? You can stay at my place.”
Lin Zhan shook her head and said, “We agreed to visit during the New Year. If I suddenly go now... I’m tired, not in my best state, haven’t bought gifts, haven’t prepared what to say, and it’s too sudden. Besides, if I go to your house, would I sleep with you? Will Auntie think I’m...”
“Alright,” Shen Xi interrupted her when she started rambling again, pinching his brow. “Then, we can book a hotel near the commercial area. Stay for a few more days, and we won’t have to keep packing and unpacking.”
...It wasn’t just that she wasn’t ready.
He wasn’t ready either.
Thinking of the expression on Ye Qian’s face the moment she saw Lin Zhan, thinking of how Ye Qian would passionately recount his childhood humiliations to Lin Zhan, thinking of these two hitting it off...
He had a headache, no, truly a headache.
“Booking a hotel is great, why are you making that hesitant, wanting-to-speak-but-holding-back expression?” Lin Zhan reached out and turned Shen Xi’s face back. “What are you thinking about?”
“Things you can’t imagine,” Shen Xi patted her shoulder. “Well, I’m going back to my room first.”
Lin Zhan watched his back disappear down the corridor.
Leaving promptly at nine, he really left faster than after school.
:)
________________________________________
Finally, after a long time, they settled in W City. Lin Zhan chose a hotel in the Third Ring Road, and Shen Xi stayed with her to accompany her.
There was a small bookstore downstairs from the hotel. As Lin Zhan passed by, she unexpectedly found a magazine inside with her exclusive interview.
...Since this magazine was quite famous and distributed in W City, would Lin Zhengping see it?
Without thinking too much, she entered the hotel.
That evening, after eating out, Lin Zhan returned to her room and received a call from Luoluo.
Lin Zhan, with her back to the door and facing the bed, answered the video call.
“What’s up?”
Luoluo’s raised eyebrow looked particularly comical on the video call.
“Do you have good news to share?”
Lin Zhan pretended not to understand, blinking innocently: “Huh? Jaguar? Who bought a Jaguar?”
Luoluo ate an orange, saying as she ate, “Stop pretending you don’t understand.”
Lin Zhan eyed her: “You, you, you’re not having fun on vacation, just worrying about me.”
Lin Zhan didn’t notice that at this moment, her carelessly left open room door was pushed open.
Shen Xi stood behind her, initially unaware she was on the phone. He just wanted to remind her to remember to close the door in the future, as it was dangerous otherwise.
However, before he could speak, he heard a conversation related to himself.
He simply stopped there.
“My summer vacation is so boring, eating and sleeping every day. You’re different from me, right?” The person on the video winked. “You’re so carefree, with a beauty by your side, long-distance travel, dark and windy night, rubbing guns...”
“Please,” Lin Zhan scoffed, “Rubbing guns? Non-existent.”
Shen Xi folded his arms, leaning against the doorframe, his eyebrows slightly raised.
Lin Zhan seemed a bit troubled. She started to speak, then coughed twice, hesitated for a while, and finally lowered her head and said:
“To be honest with you...”
“I think Shen Xi... might have a problem in that area...”
Shen Xi’s fingers, which had been tapping his arm, paused. He was a little stunned.
...What?
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