Qu Yanning was a decent swimmer. He’d only gone to the pool with Chu Zhou a few times before, but once in the water, he moved as if it were second nature.
He surfaced for a breath, then kept swimming with just his head above water.
“Kid, you’re not bad at this,” the man called, paddling over to him.
Qu Yanning’s wet hair clung to his face, and he grinned, showing a row of white teeth.
Seeing the man catching up, he swam even faster, almost as if challenging him.
The man raised an eyebrow, growing more intrigued by this elusive little tease.
He kicked hard and quickly followed.
Qu Yanning surged ahead, the man huffing and puffing behind him.
Like a nimble fish, Qu Yanning darted through the sea with fluid, carefree strokes, attracting attention from the tourists playing in the shallows.
The two of them— one in front, one chasing behind— raced each other back and forth.
No one knew who started it, but soon a group of onlookers began cheering them on.
Spurred on by the applause, Qu Yanning kicked harder and shot forward again.
The man chasing behind was nearly rolling his eyes as he cursed, “What a little shit!”
Qu Yanning reached the shore first, emerged from the water, and waved from a distance to a person and a cat waiting on the sand, his face beaming with triumphant excitement.
The man came up much later, his legs shaking as he stormed over to Qu Yanning.
“Your stamina’s awful,” Qu Yanning said with a bright smile. “I’m smaller than you and still swam faster.”
“You little—” the man glared, but choked on his words. Was this brat implying he wanted to be on top? And if he insisted… it might not actually be that bad?
The man’s tone softened. “You testing me just now? Fine. You win. If you want to be on top, go ahead.”
“?” Qu Yanning looked at him, completely confused. “What do you mean, on top?”
The man’s eyes widened again. “Wait a sec, kid. Are you messing with me?”
Qu Yanning stared at him blankly and asked, “Didn’t you have fun swimming just now?”
The man nearly choked on his own breath.
He shook a fist in frustration and stomped off. “Fine! Today’s just my unlucky day!”
Qu Yanning: “…”
He walked dazedly toward the beach, frowning in confusion. How did someone go from having a great time to storming off like that?
“Dry off. Why do you look like someone kicked your puppy?” Chu Zhou tossed him a towel.
Qu Yanning rubbed his head while recounting what had happened, finishing with a sincere, “I actually wanted to be friends with him.”
Chu Zhou laughed so hard he couldn’t straighten up, clutching his stomach and rolling on the lounge chair. His laughter probably echoed all the way down the beach.
“…?” Qu Yanning looked at him, then at the cat sitting coolly on the chair. “What’s he laughing about?”
Xie Qi turned away with a strangely sour look, ignoring him.
Qu Yanning: “…” He felt like he was being excluded.
When Chu Zhou finally stopped laughing, he patted Qu Yanning’s head affectionately. “Don’t worry. He probably just felt embarrassed about losing.”
Qu Yanning looked at him skeptically. “Really? But what did he mean by ‘on top’?”
Chu Zhou looked like he was about to burst out laughing again. He answered cryptically, “You’re still young. You’ll understand when you’re older.”
Qu Yanning gave him a look that clearly said, Are you crazy?
After drying his hair and putting on sunscreen, Qu Yanning picked up the cat and lay down, letting it curl up on his chest.
Xie Qi was in an inexplicably bad mood.
His tail flicked irritably, but the moment it brushed against Qu Yanning’s smooth stomach, he quickly retracted it.
He turned his head and stared at that soft, pale belly, then couldn’t help raising a paw and giving it a poke.
The belly was plush and springy— it sank slightly under his touch and bounced right back when he lifted his paw.
Instantly, Xie Qi was intrigued. Something instinctual stirred within him, and he turned around and pounced onto the belly, kneading it with both front paws like it was a cushion of cotton.
Every now and then, he hit a ticklish spot, making Qu Yanning laugh out loud.
His belly shook with every giggle, which only made Xie Qi even more excited.
Eventually, the entire cat sprawled out, limbs stretched wide, pressed flat against the belly.
His tongue poked out just a bit, paws still rhythmically pressing up and down.
Chu Zhou couldn’t even bear to look at the spectacle.
He clicked his tongue a couple of times, turned away, and snapped a few lonely selfies to post on Weibo.
They stayed on the beach for nearly two hours, and by then it was close to evening.
The two humans and one cat slowly made their way to the restaurant.
There was a buffet on the hotel’s first floor, and the online reviews were decent.
They decided to have their first dinner there.
Being on an island, seafood was naturally the star.
They ordered four signature dishes plus a soup— just enough for everyone.
Xie Qi was sitting on Qu Yanning’s lap. Qu Yanning peeled a big boiled shrimp and held it up to his mouth.
Xie Qi tilted his head and took a bite, chewing slowly while resting against Qu Yanning’s hand.
Only after feeding the cat to about seventy percent full did Qu Yanning start eating himself.
The seafood really was good— while eating, he even thought about learning to cook it himself when they got back.
He didn’t notice the intense stare coming from another table.
Zhao Dongqi had been glaring at Qu Yanning for a while now, but the other hadn’t looked over once.
The more he thought about what happened during the day, the more annoyed he got. Finally, he slammed the table, stood up, and stormed over. “Hey!”
Chu Zhou raised an eyebrow, ready to watch the show.
Qu Yanning looked up and recognized the face. He smiled and said, “Oh, it’s you! Have you eaten yet? Want to join us?”
…As the saying goes, you don’t hit a smiling face. Zhao Dongqi’s anger instantly deflated by half.
He mumbled that he’d already eaten, “Just saw you, thought I’d come over and say hi.”
Qu Yanning replied in his usual clueless way, “Oh, hi!”
Chu Zhou couldn’t hold it in anymore and burst out laughing.
That was when Zhao Dongqi noticed him. He was as bent as a corkscrew himself and had no interest in pretty women, but this time he gave Chu Zhou a few more glances.
Then he looked back at Qu Yanning and couldn’t help but whisper, “Bro, is that your girlfriend? You really shouldn’t be doing this…”
Qu Yanning blinked in confusion. “What shouldn’t I be doing?”
Zhao Dongqi gritted his teeth and glared. “You’re already like this—how can you still lie to a girl?”
Qu Yanning: “?”
Zhao Dongqi shot him one last glare, seemingly giving up on him entirely. “Guess I was blind.” With that, he stomped back to his own table, fuming.
Qu Yanning: “???”
He turned to Chu Zhou, bewildered. “What was he saying? I didn’t understand a word.”
Chu Zhou was already hiccuping from laughter.
Qu Yanning felt insulted. Hugging the cat in frustration, he began furiously petting it.
Full and satisfied, Xie Qi was in a great mood. He glanced sideways at Zhao Dongqi’s table and smirked with clear amusement.
After dinner, they continued their leisurely stroll.
The best part about going on vacation is that you don’t have to think about anything— just drift through time and let your youth waste away freely.
Qu Yanning held the cat in his arms, absentmindedly petting it while Chu Zhou walked ahead, snapping photos with his phone.
The night view on Moon Island was breathtaking.
Both sides of the walkway were lined with tropical plants, and the coastline in the distance was dotted with twinkling lights.
The warm yellow glow stretched out in a line, wrapping around the deep blue sea like a ribbon.
There were fewer people along the beach now. The white waves rolled in and out, and the only sound was the ocean gently slapping against the shore.
It was peaceful. But the peace didn’t last long. A child’s cry rang out nearby. Qu Yanning paused, listening closely.
It seemed to be coming from behind. He called out to Chu Zhou, but Chu Zhou, walking ahead, didn’t hear him.