Chapter 216: Winter Seaside |
After paying respects to Mazu, everyone followed the stairs back down.
Leaving the temple, Lin Yilin immediately put some distance between herself and Jiang Linyuan, sticking with Zhang Juntang and the others while chatting about their moon block results.
Walking down the steps, the crowd was still thick, flanked by bare trees on either side—ones that would surely be lush and green in spring and summer.
"Hehe, I just asked Mazu if my husband will ever cheat on me in the future. Guess what the answer was?"
Su Muzhi let out a sarcastic laugh and shot a glance at Jiang Linyuan.
"Xiao Su, you shouldn't ask it like that. You should ask if your husband will always stay with you forever. I bet Mazu would give you a holy cup."
Jiang Linyuan knew she was getting jealous again.
Su Muzhi turned her head to look at the ones trailing behind, then suddenly said:
"Yesterday, my mom messaged me, saying she wants me to go back to Shanghai before the semester starts."
Jiang Linyuan didn't ask what for; he just said it plainly.
Su Muzhi squinted her eyes with a smile:
"What if I said I'm going back tomorrow?"
"Then I'll go with you."
Hearing this, Su Muzhi glanced back at Lin Yilin and said:
"I'm going back for a routine checkup. It's not a big deal."
Oh, it's about Xiao Su's heart condition, huh.
"Seems like in your book, nothing is ever a big deal. You should be more careful."
Jiang Linyuan passed by a stall, bought some fried rice cakes, and handed them to Su Muzhi.
"Hehe..."
Su Muzhi took a bite of the rice cake, then watched as Jiang Linyuan passed the rest to Lin Yilin and the others.
"Mm... thank you, Senior."
Lin Yilin glanced at Su Muzhi, noticed everyone got a share, and accepted it.
Su Muzhi looked away and went back to eating her rice cake.
"How about we head to the beach next? Let's relax a bit, then soak in hot springs tonight?"
Lin Zhu stared at the rice cake in her hand, finding it way too awkward to hold—couldn't eat it, couldn't just toss it—so she quickly changed the subject.
"Sounds good."
"Hehe, fine."
"I... I brought a camera. We can... take pictures."
"Rather than the beach, I'd rather eat!"
Lin Zhu automatically ignored Lin Lan's comment.
This kid, when she gets food cravings, she's about as useful as a trash bin in Fiji—completely pointless.
Eat, eat, eat—that's all she knows!
"Then it's settled! Beach it is!"
Lin Zhu quickly made the decision, and Lin Lan, being ignored, gritted her teeth in frustration.
Sister Linlin gave me a red envelope, and I'm working hard for her. What about you, Sister Bamboo?
She rolled her eyes and said:
"Then let's go to Pingtan. This time of year, it's pretty empty—off-season! Perfect for a walk!"
Jiang Linyuan shot Lin Lan a look.
Pingtan, one of the world's three major wind tunnels. End of February? Going there meant nothing but cold wind.
"Hehe, fine by me."
Su Muzhi said indifferently.
"Xiao Su, the sea breeze is strong right now."
"Isn't that what you're for?"
Su Muzhi looked at him with a faint smile.
Jiang Linyuan didn't argue further. For Xiao Su, this might actually be a rare experience.
So they rented a car and set off for Pingtan.
By the time they arrived, it was nearly evening. The sun was sinking, the sky ablaze with a magnificent sunset, rows of giant white windmills slowly turning. A light breeze blew, not too cold—looks like they'd caught a good moment.
The road was almost empty, as calm as the distant sea.
Su Muzhi stepped onto the sand, gazing out as the waves quietly washed the shore. No one else was around, only the soft whisper of the wind in her ears.
"Senior Su, have you seen the sea before?"
Lin Yilin walked up beside her and asked quietly.
"When I was seven or eight, my family dragged me here once. Not exactly a fond memory."
Su Muzhi turned to look at Lin Yilin, squinting with a smile.
"Little Yilin, how about you walk with me for a bit?"
"Huh?"
Lin Yilin was still trying to figure out how to salvage her earlier comment, her brain lagging, and she looked over at Jiang Linyuan.
"There's something I want to talk to you about. No need to look at him."
Su Muzhi let out a soft laugh, staring at Lin Yilin.
She was like a little kid, her neck wrapped tightly in a scarf. The usually lively, spirited face now wore a complicated expression.
"Mm... what does Senior Su want to talk about?"
Lin Yilin turned her face away, not daring to meet Su Muzhi's eyes.
"Let's talk as we walk."
"Okay."
And so the two strolled along the beach, one after the other, leaving a trail of footprints.
"Lin Yilin, do you like Jiang Linyuan?"
"Mm..."
She's not straightforward at all. That's exactly why you can't even bring yourself to hate her.
"Do you like him?"
Su Muzhi pressed again.
"Mm..."
Lin Yilin first let out a nasal sound that could mean anything—acknowledgment or nothing—then gave a heavy nod:
"I like him."
She lifted her face, meeting Su Muzhi's gaze.
They stared at each other.
"I like him."
Lin Yilin widened her eyes, as if breathing through her pupils.
"Hehe..."
Su Muzhi curled the corner of her mouth and said:
"Knowing full well he's my boyfriend, and you still like him?"
Lin Yilin couldn't look at Su Muzhi anymore. She whispered:
"I'm telling you this now, Senior. I just like him, that's all. I won't act on it."
Even though just thinking about someone else's boyfriend was already pretty immoral.
The sea breeze blew, lifting Su Muzhi's hair. She tucked it behind her ear and said:
"Then when the semester starts, I'll have Jiang Linyuan cut off all contact with you. Do you have a problem with that?"
"...Can't seniors have female friends?"
"Hehe, female friends who like him?"
Su Muzhi countered.
Lin Yilin fell silent. Deep down, she had some dark thoughts.
Like, what if? What if one day Senior and Senior Su broke up—wouldn't she have a chance then?
Every time she thought about it, she couldn't help cursing herself as a bad woman. How could she harbor such wicked thoughts?
She couldn't bring herself to destroy someone else's relationship, so... waiting patiently wasn't so bad, right?
Life is long, and she's still young. She can afford to wait.
If she doesn't get to see them break up, she'll wait for a divorce. If there's no divorce, then she'll just wait her whole life away.
"You, you're such a spineless one."
Su Muzhi saw she wasn't talking and raised an eyebrow.
Shen Wanyu, Yu Songsong, even Jiang Zhiyao—any one of them wouldn't stand here speechless in front of her like this.
"I do have some backbone!"
Lin Yilin shot back.
She was already prepared to wait for the right moment to swoop in! Wasn't that a brave move?
Sure, she hadn't done anything yet, but she'd made up her mind!
"Hehe..."
Su Muzhi chuckled, then suddenly said:
"Actually, the reason he came to find you this time was because I insisted on tagging along."
"Oh."
Lin Yilin replied.
Why bring that up? Isn't it normal for a girlfriend to accompany her boyfriend?
Su Muzhi looked at Lin Yilin, feeling like her reaction wasn't quite right.
"What I mean is, this whole trip to Southern Fujian was for you."
"...Oh."
Senior Su is being sneaky. She's definitely trying to trick me into slipping up, so she can cut off all contact between me and Senior.
I'm not falling for it.
Lin Yilin thought.