"Hahaha!"
"Zhan Hong, can you kiss for ten minutes?"
"That's hilarious! How about ten minutes with breaks in between?"
Zhan Hong laughed too. "Alright then, one minute. Just one minute, that should be doable for you two, right?"
Of course it was. Chi Yan immediately wrapped his arms around Chu Yang, leaned in sideways, and then quickly turned his body to shield them from everyone else.
Chu Yang didn't even have time to react before Chi Yan pulled her into his embrace.
"Wow! Wow! Wow!"
The people around them cheered and even started counting down: "...40, 39, 38...5, 4, 3, 2, 1! Ahhhh!"
"Wow! Wow! Wow!"
Chi Yan released Chu Yang as soon as the time was up. He wiped the corner of her mouth before allowing her to face the others.
Chu Yang's face was bright red—she had been holding her breath the whole time.
In the next round, Chu Yang rolled a decent 8, while Chi Yan did even better with 9. Zhan Hong and another guy tied for the lowest roll.
Chi Yan tapped the table lightly with his finger. "Well then, you two should share a kiss."
"Hahaha!"
"Kiss! Kiss!"
Zhan Hong: ...
The other guy: ...
"Quick, quick, get a picture!"
"Hahaha!"
Finally, Zhan Hong and the guy slowly leaned in, puckering their lips... They barely touched before jumping apart, both pretending to gag. "Blegh! Blegh!"
"Hahahahaha!"
Everyone burst into laughter. Even the people singing karaoke came over to join in the fun.
After a couple more rounds, Chu Yang stopped playing. Chi Yan let others take over while he went with Chu Yang to sing karaoke. He even deliberately chose romantic duets.
Chu Yang: ...
As it got late, Chu Yang let out a big yawn. She was tired. Checking the time, she saw it was already past midnight.
Chi Yan gently wiped away the tears from the corner of her eyes. "Ready to head back?"
Chu Yang nodded. "Mhm."
Seeing how adorably sleepy she looked, Chi Yan patted her head. "Alright, let's go home now."
"Okay."
Chi Yan said goodbye to Yuan Zhi and Zhan Hong before leaving with Chu Yang. Since they had been drinking, they called for a designated driver.
The next day, life returned to normal. Chu Yang immersed herself in her books for a week until Chu Luo messaged her: "Sis, aren't you coming home for summer break this year?"
Chu Yang finally realized what she had forgotten.
She had forgotten to go home. She had told Chu's Mom earlier that she would be back a bit later this year, but now it had been over half a month.
That evening when Chi Yan came home, he saw packed luggage.
"Where are you going?"
Chu Yang replied matter-of-factly: "Home, of course."
Chi Yan smacked his forehead. "I completely forgot." Life had been so blissful that he imagined they would always be like this—him going to work, her doing whatever she pleased at home, and him coming home to see her every day after work.
Chi Yan frowned. He had several urgent meetings the next day and couldn't easily take time off.
Chu Yang could tell what he was thinking. "I'll drive back myself. You focus on work."
Chi Yan went over and hugged her. "Why don't we invite your parents and brother to come visit instead?"
Chu Yang: "Then who will take care of the fields and crops back home? Let them rot?"
Chi Yan: "We could hire someone?"
Chu Yang: "Young master, even if you hire someone, the owners should still keep an eye on things. Don't worry, I'll be back soon."
Chi Yan stared at her intently. "How soon?"
Chu Yang pushed him away. "About a month and a half."
Chi Yan: ...
Although reluctant, Chi Yan let Chu Yang drive home by herself the next day.
As soon as she arrived, Chu's Mom was surprised to see her daughter driving back.
"This car?"
Chu Yang handed the keys to Chu's Mom: "I bought it. I bought this car with my own money!"
Chu's Mom's eyes widened: !!
A moment later, when Chu's Dad and Chu Luo found out: !!
Their dear Yang Yang (big sister) had made it!
"How... how did you earn it?" Chu's Mom stuttered. Although Chu Yang often sent money home, ten or twenty thousand at a time, once even fifty thousand, they had assumed she was sending all her earnings for them to save.
Chu Yang shrugged. "Just like that. Oh, and I also interned at a big company before. I've been writing promotional copy online for people too. So you don't need to worry about me not having money to spend."
Chu's Dad and Chu's Mom kept touching the car excitedly. "How much was it?"
"Just over a hundred thousand." It was actually two hundred thousand.
Chu Yang turned to Chu Luo. "When you learn to drive in the future, I'll buy you one too."
Chu Luo shook his head. "I don't want you to buy it for me. I'll earn money and buy it myself in the future."
Life at home was filled with good food, drinks, some chores, and occasional long phone calls with Chi Yan. The days passed beautifully. In the distance, wispy white clouds floated by. A plane's trail split the blue sky in two. The rice swayed in the sunlight, and the small grass blades bowed...
...
Time flew by, and senior year began. Since there weren't many classes left, many students applied for off-campus internships instead of returning to school. Those preparing for graduate school entrance exams studied hard, while others got ready for civil service exams or other qualifications. Some who hadn't decided yet took advantage of the free time to travel and have fun.
"We've never really gone on a trip together, have we?" Chi Yan suddenly said while flipping through a National Geographic magazine. He wasn't as busy lately and could take some time off.
Chu Yang didn't even look up, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "Doesn't going to Sophia's place count?"
Chi Yan cupped his face in his hands. "That doesn't count. We went there for a reason. We've never gone on a purely fun trip together."
"What about going to North Looking Mountain Amusement Park and places like that?"
"Those were all in Jing City. We've never left Jing City to travel together. How about we go to Nanhai City? The beaches there are beautiful. I checked your class schedule—you don't have any classes from Wednesday to Friday. What if we leave on Wednesday and come back on Sunday?" Chi Yan looked at Chu Yang expectantly.
Chu Yang glanced up at him. "You really want to go that badly?"
Chi Yan nodded vigorously. "Mhm, mhm, mhm. I want to go with you. We can see the ocean, collect seashells. It should still be quite warm in Nanhai City now."
Chu Yang picked up the calendar from the table and flipped through it. "Alright then, next week works."
Chi Yan immediately grabbed his phone. "I'll book the flights and hotel right away."
"Okay."
Early Wednesday morning, the two left Jing City. After a three-and-a-half-hour flight, they arrived directly in Nanhai City. The hotel sent a car to pick them up. They reached the hotel in the afternoon, first went out for a nice meal, then returned to take a nap for the rest of the afternoon.
They were staying in an ocean-view room. Looking out from the balcony, they could see the sea directly. As the ocean breeze blew in, it carried a damp, salty scent.
In the evening, the two of them went out directly to the famous food street, where all kinds of seafood were cheap and fresh.
Chu Yang ate so much she could barely walk, and Chi Yan had to carry her on his back to return to the hotel.
The next day, after having breakfast at the hotel, they went to the seaside.
Chu Yang wore flip-flops and a long spaghetti-strap dress, her hair braided into two plaits. Chi Yan also wore flip-flops, with a simple T-shirt and shorts. They left the hotel hand in hand.
They took off their shoes and let their bare feet touch the beach, leaving a trail of footprints. Chu Yang walked in front, laughing, while Chi Yan followed a step behind, using a camera to take photos of her.
Chu Yang became wildly excited, laughing as she suddenly started running. Chi Yan quickly chased after her. However, just as the two were having a great time, laughing heartily, someone suddenly shouted from nearby, "Help! My daughter has been swept away by the waves!"
Chu Yang and Chi Yan exchanged a glance and immediately rushed over.
