A few quiet days passed, and Shen Xu did not appear again.
One day, Lin Qin’an had work to deal with, and Zheng Miaomiao, bored on her own, decided to go out for a stroll.
Her hometown, though a small county town, was a coastal one.
Although Lin Qin’an’s apartment was in the city district, it was also close to the seaside—only a twenty-minute drive away. As for the villa Lin Qin’an had bought separately, it sat on the mountainside overlooking the sea, with an exceptionally fine view.
As a child who had grown up by the sea, Zheng Miaomiao held a deeper affection for the ocean.
Since Lin Qin’an had things to do, Zheng Miaomiao decided to spend a day at her grandmother’s house, which was located right in the beach scenic area.
In Zheng Miaomiao’s memory, this area had barely been developed when she was little. When she came to visit her grandmother, they lived together in an old wooden house.
During the day, she would run wild along the beach, picking up shells and catching crabs, climbing onto the reefs to watch the waves of varying shades of blue crash against the shore. At night, she would help her grandmother wind fishing nets, or they would move the benches and bamboo cots into the courtyard, where she would drift off to sleep under the stars amid the chatter of a group of elderly people.
In spring, she went up the mountain with her grandfather to pick mulberries and feed the cattle and sheep. In summer, watermelons piled up throughout the wooden house, stacked all the way to the ceiling—the three of them, grandparents and granddaughter, nearly slept on top of the watermelons. In autumn, she followed her grandmother around the kitchen, cradling plump autumn crabs and eating until her mouth turned red. In winter, she picked up little fish and shrimp on the beach, and looking up, she could see every household stretching out big nets to dry their rows of salted fish.
Later, the government began to focus on tourism resources and carefully planned out this once-dilapidated little fishing village. It became a scenic area with a steady stream of tourists, and her grandmother’s little wooden house was uniformly renovated into a blue three-story Western-style building. The local residents also came to live comfortable lives thanks to the tourism income.
During the two years she was away, her grandparents worried about her, and she missed them dearly too.
Sure enough, as soon as she returned to her grandmother’s house, she was warmly welcomed by the two elderly folks. After catching up and exchanging affection, her grandfather picked out the sweetest black-skinned watermelon, about the size of a volleyball, and brought her a small iron spoon.
Zheng Miaomiao sat at the doorway like a street urchin, cradling half a bowl-shaped watermelon, scooping out mouthfuls with the iron spoon.
Mmm! So crisp, so refreshing, so sweet!
She was eating happily. The sea breeze, carrying sunlight, poured freely over her. Her little blue-and-pink tie-strap gauze dress brimmed with midsummer, and the golden sunlight wove into threads that lingered and wandered across her skin and dress. Light, shadow, and summer pulled at each other, drawing out a melodious, carefree song.
“Wow, Miaomiao-jie!” A little kid who looked about seven or eight passed by—a boy, the grandson of the grandmother next door.
Behind him trailed a string of little tykes, all carrying brightly colored plastic buckets and little shovels.
Seeing them fully armed like this, Zheng Miaomiao couldn’t help asking with a smile: “Haohao, where are you all going?”
“To catch crabs on the beach!” Haohao said coolly, chin raised.
“And pick up shells,” a little girl beside him added.
“Miaomiao-jie, do you want to come play with us?” Haohao invited her.
He still remembered how Miaomiao-jie always used to take him out for snacks when he was little, and now, seeing her, his mouth was watering a little.
Zheng Miaomiao saw the little brat’s eyes dart around and knew exactly what he was thinking. She finished her watermelon in a few big bites and nodded to the kids: “Alright, let’s go!”
So Zheng Miaomiao led a string of little munchkins to the beach. The beach was less than a hundred meters away from them, and the azure, crystal-blue sea was visible at a glance.
Over the years, this area had been developed quite well, with many shops and guesthouses lining the ring around the beach.
Sure enough, within a minute of reaching the beach, the little munchkins were rooted to the spot in front of the ice cream and grilled sausages at the small shop.
Zheng Miaomiao generously paid for them.
“Long live Sister Miaomiao!”
“Sister Miaomiao is a great beauty!”
Amid the cheers of the little munchkins, Zheng Miaomiao, like a queen, shouldered the little blue plastic shovel that Hao Hao “offered up as tribute,” and they all headed onto the beach together.
It was nearly four in the afternoon by now, the sunlight wasn’t harsh, and since it was a weekday, there were few tourists around—perfect for them to play around as they pleased.
Once on the beach, the little munchkins immediately split into two groups: one went to build sandcastles, and the other went to catch crabs and pick up seashells.
Zheng Miaomiao went along to pick up seashells too. She also loved these sparkling, beautiful little trinkets.
As they picked, they reached the end of the beach. In Zheng Miaomiao’s memory, this place used to be surrounded by a mountain, with jagged reefs and rocks standing stark against each other. At night, this was a dark, silent place where only the sound of waves rising and falling could be heard like breathing.
But now, at the foot of the mountain, a beautiful wooden garden cottage had appeared at some point. The cottage was built like an elf’s house from a fairy tale, surrounded by countless pale blue Endless Summer hydrangeas stretching on endlessly. A swing stood in the middle of the sea of flowers, swaying gently in the sea breeze.
The children froze the moment they saw this place.
“Wow, this place is so pretty!”
“Sister Miaomiao, let’s go take a look!”
The little munchkins tugged at Zheng Miaomiao.
Zheng Miaomiao was also stunned by the sight. Her first thought was that it was a new development project by the scenic area.
If this was indeed a new development project by the town government, one had to say the aesthetic was simply superb. Although it wasn’t a large-scale attraction, it was completely different from those clichéd, trend-chasing fairy-tale buildings at other scenic spots. One glance made you feel like you had stepped into another world.
She also wondered if some wealthy person had built a vacation cottage here.
Tugged along by the children, she walked up to the cottage as well. Although the cottage wasn’t big, its garden was enormous. Zheng Miaomiao had been worried that such a beautiful sea of flowers might get damaged without protection, but as she got closer, she discovered there was actually a fence protecting it.
However, for some reason, the entrance to the fence was half open at the moment.
Seeing that the fence was open, the children gleefully walked in. Zheng Miaomiao couldn’t stop them and could only follow them inside.
“Hey, this might be someone else’s property. You can’t just barge in,” she said, following behind the little munchkins.
She was just about to pull all the children away when another voice suddenly came.
“It’s fine. Let them play.”
The voice was calm and elegant, and it clearly belonged to a young man.
It even sounded somewhat familiar.
Zheng Miaomiao froze. She looked up at the man walking out of the cottage, and her whole body stiffened.
The man’s figure was tall and slender, his footsteps on the wooden floor unhurried. At first glance, one would be completely enveloped by his aura, as if falling silent in an instant, afraid of provoking his displeasure. It was a top-tier sense of pressure woven into elegance and refined nobility—the bearing of a born superior.
Only at second glance would one notice his otherworldly, immortal-like beauty. He seemed to stand apart from reality itself, yet also as if he controlled all things foul and pure, toying with the so-called notions of order.
“Miaomiao, it’s been a long time.” He walked over slowly and gave Zheng Miaomiao a faint smile.
Zheng Miaomiao looked at the man before her, handsome as a god, yet felt only wave after wave of nervousness.
“Qi Jin… it’s been a long time.” Her lips trembled as she spoke.
She was somewhat afraid of Qi Jin.
In front of Shen Xu, she could coldly refuse him, because she had never really been afraid of Shen Xu. Though Shen Xu held an illustrious position, he was at worst mean-spirited and bad-tempered toward her. He always wore his emotions on his face.
But Qi Jin and his kind were different.