Lin Qing walked out and thoughtfully closed the kitchen door.

"Um." Jiang Shuyi watched Lin Qing slowly turn to leave the kitchen, accidentally letting a sound escape her throat.

Outside, she could hear Lin Qing talking to Zhou Jingtang. Jiang Shuyi looked at Wen Yao, somewhat at a loss.

"I thought no one was here."

"It's fine."

Wen Yao quietly turned off the stove and ladled the cooked dishes into bowls. Her movements were smooth and uninterrupted as she served.

Calmly, Wen Yao handed Jiang Shuyi the bowl and chopsticks. "Take these out and put them away."

"...Oh."

Jiang Shuyi could only obediently carry the bowls and chopsticks out to put them away. Halfway through, Zhou Jingtang also came over to help.

Jiang Shuyi glanced at Zhou Jingtang, whose reaction was the same as usual.

It seemed that Lin Qing hadn't told Zhou Jingtang...

---

After dinner, the group went for a walk together by the seaside.

Since it was already evening and the sun was about to set, the night sky was tinted purple by the fading light.

Zhou Jingtang hummed "Red Sun" as he watched the sun about to set.

Upon hearing this tune, Jiang Shuyi and Song Jinxi joined in singing along with him.

Walking behind the others, Wen Yao seemed uninterested in participating, observing their antics.

Lin Qing smiled and walked over to Wen Yao's side.

"It sounds pretty good."

"Really...?" Wen Yao replied noncommittally.

Apart from being off-key, the people in front were singing everything wrong, mixing up nonsensical lyrics. Although they were singing the same song, it felt like they were each singing their own tune.

The only redeeming quality was their passion, all emotion and no technique.

Wen Yao stood with her arms crossed, her long hair gently swaying in the sea breeze, her emotions unreadable as usual.

Lin Qing couldn't help but feel that Wen Yao exuded a more serene and detached atmosphere compared to the last class trip.

"Aren't you going to join them?" she asked.

Wen Yao glanced at her, then naturally looked ahead at Song Jinxi and the others.

Wen Yao's voice was ice-cold.

"Huh?" Lin Qing stared at Wen Yao's face, seemingly not understanding what she was talking about until Wen Yao took a few steps forward.

Lin Qing quickly caught up with her, taking two steps at a time. ". . ."

She was actually more curious about the relationship between Jiang Shuyi and Wen Yao.

In fact, she had always felt that compared to Yan Jingshu and Jiang Shuyi, Wen Yao and Jiang Shuyi seemed more like a pair, she really liked that combination.

However, she had kept those thoughts to herself, staying within her own imaginary world.

She never expected to witness Jiang Shuyi being affectionate with Wen Yao in person.

Wen Yao didn't seem unwilling either.

She was sure that they had shared such moments many times before.

Thinking about how no one in the class knew about this, only she did, Lin Qing felt a shift in her mood. Just thinking about it made the corners of her mouth involuntarily curl up.

"Class monitor, don't worry, I won't tell anyone." Lin Qing whispered like a little guard.

Wen Yao remained silent, recalling how Lin Qing had been watching them with a smile when Jiang Shuyi had served her food at dinner.

"Mm." She didn't want to delve deeper, whether out of politeness or just to brush it off, she replied to Lin Qing.

"But, now that I know you two are together, I feel much closer to you." Lin Qing smiled.

Wen Yao turned to look at Lin Qing as if asking why.

"Actually, I've always thought you were very mature, like an adult, not like a high school student." Lin Qing continued.

Wen Yao's fingers slightly curled. "Is that so?"

"When we're hanging out, you don't seem to participate much, right? It's like you only join us out of obligation." Lin Qing explained.

"But when I see you and Miss Yi together, you look really happy, so I think you two make a great pair."

"I'll support you both."

The sun was about to set, and the sky hung low like a bruised skin.

Wen Yao felt a hidden unease in her heart, something she couldn't put into words.

This unease was as much as Lin Qing's assertion of her happiness.

---

The weather in Haishi has been consistently good. Even on rainy days, the temperature never dropped below 25 degrees.

Zhou Jingtang remarked that the only flaw in Song Jinxi's home was the lack of air conditioning.

For some reason related to their interior design concept, Song Jinxi's home only had wooden ceiling fans, no air conditioning.

The ceiling fan designs were quite attractive, but when turned to the highest setting at night, they were still a bit noisy.

Of course, Jiang Shuyi still slept comfortably, she claimed that such small sounds didn't bother her.

These days, Jiang Shuyi basically spent her mornings in her room being watched by Wen Yao as she did her homework, and in the afternoons, she went to the beach with Song Jinxi and Zhou Jingtang.

Because of the heat, Wen Yao usually stayed inside the villa in the afternoons, reading or writing, as if she would melt if exposed to the sun.

Although Song Jinxi and Zhou Jingtang had invited Wen Yao to join them at the beach, after a few refusals, they stopped asking.

"Everyone has different ways to enjoy themselves. Wen Yao probably prefers reading." Zhou Jingtang said, understanding.

Upon hearing this explanation, Jiang Shuyi felt a strong sense of guilt creeping in.

---

In the afternoon, Jiang Shuyi returned to the villa, finding Song Jinxi and the others still playing volleyball by the beach. She headed up to the second floor.

"...Wen Yao."

Wen Yao was resting her chin on one hand, sleeping at her desk.

Oh, what a rare sight.

Jiang Shuyi squatted in front of the desk, watching Wen Yao's sleeping face.

The temperature in Haishi was also quite high today, and perhaps because of the heat, a bit of sweat had formed on Wen Yao's forehead.

Jiang Shuyi glanced at the shirt Wen Yao was wearing.

It was only natural to feel hot when napping in a shirt in this weather, and her posture while sleeping wasn't very relaxed either.

Feeling considerate, Jiang Shuyi gently unbuttoned Wen Yao's shirt collar, hoping to make her feel cooler.

---

Taking a nap was rare for Wen Yao.

She hadn't been sleeping well at night these past few days, so unknowingly, she had fallen asleep on the desk.

She was not a deep sleeper. Usually, she slept lightly, and even the slightest movement or sound could wake her up.

In a half-dream state, she felt someone enter the room and felt a tickling sensation on her neck.

After a moment, she lifted her head and discovered that Jiang Shuyi was unbuttoning her collar...

The ceiling fan was turning slightly.

". . ." Wen Yao felt sticky and uncomfortable from the sweat.

"Jiang Shuyi." She called Jiang Shuyi's name, her eyes gesturing towards Jiang Shuyi's hand, as if asking Jiang Shuyi, "What are you doing?"

". . ." Jiang Shuyi looked into Wen Yao's eyes, then looked at her own hand, and suddenly seemed to understand what Wen Yao wanted to say, feeling a bit at a loss for words.

Jiang Shuyi hurriedly explained, "I-I wasn't trying to..."

Wen Yao narrowed her eyes.

As Jiang Shuyi spoke, she felt like she was digging herself into a deeper hole.

Wen Yao let out a soft, helpless sigh and wrapped her arms around Jiang Shuyi's neck.

"Is the door closed?"

Her soft nose gently brushed against Jiang Shuyi's neck, her voice faint.

". . ."

Jiang Shuyi froze for a moment, and the next second, her explanation turned into a compliant, "Mm, it's closed."

---

The wooden ceiling fan slowly turned, Wen Yao's mind feeling a bit hazy. Just a moment ago, she had felt hot all over, sticky, but now she felt a completely different kind of emotion.

She turned her head weakly, letting out a sigh as she looked at the floor-to-ceiling windows behind Jiang Shuyi, where the golden sunset was visible.

The sunset cast a warm glow over Jiang Shuyi's shoulder blades.

Jiang Shuyi's fair back was tinged with a fiery hue, radiating a warm heat.

Wen Yao couldn't help but wrap her arms around Jiang Shuyi's neck and close her eyes.

The overwhelming comfort made her temporarily set aside her thoughts.

Wen Yao felt like a small boat floating on the sea.

The waves occasionally lapped against her, gently rocking her body with the sea...

---

The two of them stayed close until it was almost time for dinner.

Jiang Shuyi took a bath and returned to her room, about to blow-dry her hair when she heard the phone on the table ringing.

She reached out to check the phone's LCD screen and pressed the answer button.

"Jiang Shuyi." It was a call from Tang Wenzhen.

"Mom, what's up?" Jiang Shuyi cleared her throat and answered the phone.

"Are you having fun over there?"

Jiang Shuyi tucked her phone between her neck and shoulder and slowly pulled out some clothes from her bag. After a moment, she took the phone down and switched to speaker mode.

"Yeah... it's pretty fun here. You and Dad should come visit if you have time."

"If we have time." Tang Wenzhen replied.

"By the way, Mom, I checked the weather forecast, and it seems like Huan City is getting colder. You and Dad should take care of yourselves."

Jiang Shuyi lowered her head as she put on a new tank top.

"...Mm, we will take care."

"Jiang Shuyi, it's great that you're having fun, but don't forget that the New Year is coming up soon."

Tang Wenzhen's tone was serious.

"You haven't forgotten to buy your plane tickets, have you?"

Unlike Zhou Jingtang and Lin Qing, who planned to stay and celebrate the New Year here with Song Jinxi, Jiang Shuyi's family had strict traditions for the New Year. They had to gather as a family during this time since they didn't have many chances throughout the year.

Her family typically celebrated the New Year at their ancestral home, Jiang Shuyi's grandfather's house, where only family members gathered to celebrate.

"I forgot..." Jiang Shuyi had completely forgotten about this.

Tang Wenzhen sighed. "Don't cut it close when coming back. Buy your tickets quickly, if something goes wrong, it'll be too late."

"...I understand."

Jiang Shuyi nodded and hung up the phone.

She placed her phone back on the table and turned around to see Wen Yao standing behind her.

Wen Yao looked at her, silent for a few seconds, and finally lowered her gaze, quietly saying, "Dinner is ready."

Her voice was low, devoid of much emotion.

Watching Wen Yao turn to leave, Jiang Shuyi reached out and grabbed the hem of Wen Yao's clothes.

"My mom said I have to go home early for the New Year..."

"I really wanted to spend a few more days with you here."

Wen Yao felt her hand empty, hugged her own arms, feeling a bit at a loss.

"Wen Yao," Jiang Shuyi squeezed Wen Yao's hand,

"Do you think it's more appropriate for us to go back a few days early? It seems like if we don't buy the tickets soon, it might be too late..."

---

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