Once Liang Zhiyi had a basic understanding, she went to work on another corner of the tent. However, she still seemed a bit confused, and just then, Pei Chen’s voice came from beside her, “That’s not how you do it.”
She looked up to see that the boys had already finished setting up their tent.
He walked over to her, took over what she was doing, and then glanced at her, asking lightly, “Why don’t you go organize your backpack first?”
She responded with a small “Oh,” then mumbled, “You must think I’m so clumsy.”
As he threaded the tent poles through the fabric loops, he replied, “You’re pretty honest with yourself.”
“…”
Liang Zhiyi glared at him, her cheeks puffed in annoyance, “I’m not talking to you for the rest of the morning.”
“It’s almost noon.”
Nearby, Liang Tongzhou, who had been drinking water, choked a little when he heard this.
Seriously, these two are so childish…
After setting up the tents, everyone wandered around the island. They came across a local resident who had set up a small farmhouse restaurant, doing a bit of business.
It was the middle of the day, so they decided to have lunch there.
After placing their order, they sat around a round table. Liang Zhiyi pointed to the refrigerator behind Pei Chen, “Pei Chen, could you grab me a coconut juice?”
Liang Tongzhou chuckled, “I thought I heard someone say they weren’t talking to Pei Chen. Was that just my imagination?”
Liang Zhiyi: “…”
The others laughed, and the frustrated girl kicked him under the table.
Eventually, Pei Chen got up to fetch the drink, and Liang Zhiyi glared at Liang Tongzhou, “No one would miss you if you didn’t talk.”
Liang Tongzhou grinned, looking thoroughly pleased with himself.
A little later, the dishes they ordered were served, mostly consisting of seafood.
The cooking was simple, but when they tasted it, they found it incredibly delicious.
The restaurant owner’s wife mentioned that the seafood was freshly caught that morning from the sea. “If you enjoy it, you can go gather some yourselves this afternoon when the tide goes out again.”
“Really? We have to go tonight!”
“Yes, yes! We definitely have to!”
Everyone happily agreed to the plan.
After lunch, the group headed straight to the beach.
Being at the beach, it was only natural to have some fun. They played in the sand, splashed in the waves, and had a water fight, enjoying themselves for a good hour.
Eventually, feeling tired, they returned to the campsite to rest. The boys snacked and played games, while the three girls happily took selfies and group photos.
As the sunlight cast shifting shadows on the beach, it felt as though time was slowing down, creating a peaceful and leisurely atmosphere.
At around four in the afternoon, Xuan Xia returned from a stroll along the shore and announced, “Hey everyone, I’ve got great news! The tide’s out—we can go gathering seafood now!”
“Let’s go! Time to gather some seafood!”
Everyone perked up instantly, grabbing their buckets and tools with excitement as they headed to the beach, eager to collect enough for a seafood feast that night.
However, after wandering around for a while, they were disappointed to find very little: “What’s going on? I only found some clams…”
“This isn’t right…”
Pei Chen glanced at the distant rocks. “There should be more around the rocks. We need to head over there.”
“Yeah, I’ve heard that a lot of seafood hides under the rocks.”
So they made their way to the rocky shore, turning over stones and, sure enough, uncovering a variety of treasures—crabs, sea snails, octopuses, and even sea cucumbers and sea urchins.
“Whoa, there’s so much stuff here!”
Fan Gao flipped over a rock and exclaimed, “Whoa, there’s a crab here! Don’t touch it, it’s mine!”
He excitedly reached out to grab it, only to shout in pain, “Ahhh, it pinched me!”
Xuan Xia burst into laughter beside him, “Serves you right, haha…”
Zhi Mian pointed out, “There are so many snails on the rocks.”
Ji Fei’er chimed in, “I see them too!”
At the front of the group, Liang Zhiyi followed closely behind Pei Chen, watching as he caught a crab. Her eyes lit up, and she mentioned that crabs were her favorite, “I want to catch one too.”
“Just don’t end up like Fan Gao.”
“Oh…”
Liang Zhiyi had never gathered seafood like this before and found it fascinating, so she continued searching with Pei Chen. After a while, she turned over a rock and found a large snail, exclaiming excitedly, “Pei Chen, look! I found a huge snail!”
Pei Chen glanced down, “That’s not a snail; it’s a hermit crab.”
A hermit crab means there’s no snail meat inside—just a small crab residing in the shell.
“…”
Her excitement deflated, feeling a bit disappointed.
After a moment, Liang Zhiyi noticed how quiet it had become. When she turned around, she saw that the others had moved quite a distance away from them without her noticing. “Huh? Why didn’t they come this way?”
Pei Chen quickly guessed the reason and said, “They probably think there’s more to find over there.”
Liang Zhiyi smiled, “Well, then we’ll just have to compete with them and see who finds more.”
The two continued searching for more treasures when Pei Chen decided to head to a steeper section of the rocks, telling Liang Zhiyi not to follow. He wanted to gather more crabs since she had mentioned earlier that she liked them.
Five minutes later, he had caught seven or eight crabs and felt it was enough, so he started heading back. As he approached, he saw Liang Zhiyi standing stiffly on a rock, looking a bit out of sorts.
“Let’s head back; I think we’ve got enough,” he said as he walked up to her.
Liang Zhiyi mumbled a response, turning her body in his direction while keeping her hands behind her back. “You go on ahead…”
Sensing something was off, he asked, “What’s wrong?”
He noticed something was wrong. “What’s the matter?”
“Nothing…”
She hung her head, feeling miserable as she muttered, “I slipped earlier, and now… my pants are wet in the back… qaq.”
Since the tide had just gone out, some of the rocks were still wet. She hadn’t stepped carefully enough and had fallen on her bottom, making it look like… well, something embarrassing had happened. She felt so awkward, she could cry.
Pei Chen didn’t expect her to be so clumsy.
He pressed his lips together, “Are you hurt anywhere?”
“No…”
He noticed she was holding her hands behind her back and avoided looking directly at her. “Use my jacket to cover it.”
With that, he took off his sports jacket. Liang Zhiyi instinctively reached out to take it but then glanced at her dirty palms. Her hands had gotten dirty when she used them to break her fall on the rocks.
“My hands are a bit dirty…”
She wanted to wash them first, but Pei Chen, looking at her, moved his fingers slightly and spoke in a low voice, “Raise your hands.”
Half-dazed, she lifted her arms slightly. In the next moment, he took a step closer, leaned down, and brought the jacket around her waist, his body leaning in as if enveloping her in his embrace.
Liang Zhiyi froze, her heart suddenly pounding like a deer caught in headlights.
They were so close that the scent of gardenias from her and the fresh, soapy scent from Pei Chen’s clothes mingled together. Pei Chen could feel her shallow breaths, close enough to touch, and her face, fair as porcelain, was just inches away.
Emotions surged in his eyes, his fingers trembling slightly as he pressed his lips together.
He tied the jacket around her waist, the curve of her slender waist outlined by the fabric.
He quickly looked away, but an unexpected warmth flared in his chest.
After tying the jacket, Pei Chen looked up at her, his voice rough, “Now no one will see.”
“Mm…”
The jacket instantly made Liang Zhiyi feel more secure. She smiled sweetly at him and said, “Thank you, Pei Chen.”
They continued walking back.
After a while, Liang Zhiyi spoke up again, “Pei Chen, what if I slip again…”
He turned to see her walking cautiously, her eyes blinking playfully at him, a sly gleam in them like a mischievous little fox.
He caught the hint in her words.
But deep down, he couldn’t bring himself to refuse.
The boy extended his arm in front of her and said in a husky voice, “Hold on.”
Two seconds later, he suddenly felt a soft touch in his palm.
He had expected her to grab his arm.
But instead, she directly took hold of his hand.
Liang Zhiyi smiled brightly, her tone completely serious, “It’s easier to keep my balance this way.”
Pei Chen’s expression tightened, the warmth in his palm nearly scorching his thoughts into a blank slate. He remained silent, unable to find the words, as he led her forward.
After a while, they reached the slippery rocks, and Liang Zhiyi’s steps slowed, showing her apprehension. Pei Chen hesitated for a few seconds before, in the next moment, he tightened his grip on her hand.
It was the first time he had ever held a girl’s hand.
Unlike the rougher texture of a boy’s hand, her fingers were slender and delicate. The moment their hands clasped together, a surge of warmth shot to the top of Pei Chen’s head, spreading through his entire body.
It’s just to help her walk a bit.
He forced himself to stay calm, trying to suppress the emotions stirring inside him.
The girl silently curled her lips into a smile, feeling as though her heart was floating.
She glanced at the contents of her and Pei Chen’s buckets, noticing the stark difference in quantity. Feeling a bit competitive, she declared, “I still want to keep looking.”
Holding her hand, Pei Chen watched as she continued to turn over rocks without a trace of the delicate, pampered demeanor typical of a wealthy young lady. She wasn’t afraid of getting dirty at all.
After a while, she flipped over a rock and found something. Excitedly, she picked it up and said, “Pei Chen, look! I found a starfish!”
She held the starfish up to his face, her eyes sparkling with joy, her dimples deepening. “You didn’t find one, but I did! Hehe.”
At that moment, she looked just like a little child, pure and carefree.
For a moment, he couldn’t tear his gaze away from her face.
Liang Zhiyi smiled down at the starfish. “When I was little, my parents used to trick me into thinking starfish were stars that had fallen from the sky. I was so silly—I even wanted to stick them to my bedroom ceiling.”
As they walked back, she hummed a cheerful tune, her ponytail swaying in the sea breeze, and the bright smile never left her face.
Pei Chen glanced down at her, his voice soft, “It’s just gathering seafood. Is it really worth getting this happy over?”
Liang Zhiyi’s eyebrows arched, her smile unwavering. “Of course, I’m happy—because I’m with you.”
At her words, Pei Chen met her gaze, feeling a storm surge within his heart.
All of his emotions erupted in that moment.
He suddenly realized that his feelings for Liang Zhiyi were beyond his control.
Even though he had heard others say that he wasn’t worthy of standing beside her, even though he had seen how much more privileged her family was compared to his, making him feel insignificant and unworthy of even hoping to be with her—despite all of that, the intense restraint he had imposed on himself was ultimately defeated by his emotions.
He still found himself desperately wanting to get closer to her, even wanting to recklessly and wholeheartedly fall for her.