The camping island had looked small from afar but once they stepped ashore, they discovered it was surprisingly vast. Everyone scattered to find their own spot to set up camp, each trying to choose a quieter place with fewer people for the sake of the experience.
Su Yi’an hugged the ingredients in his arms and followed behind Bai Yunchi. After walking for nearly ten minutes, they finally found a location that was sparsely populated yet blessed with beautiful scenery.
After pitching the tent, Bai Yunchi settled by the riverside to fish, while Su Yi’an rolled up his pant legs and wandered nearby searching for river shrimp and crabs. Before they knew it, an hour had passed and both of them had gained quite a satisfying harvest.
“Do you like grilled fish?” Bai Yunchi asked with a smile, lifting the fish in his hand.
Su Yi’an nodded. “I do but I’ve never grilled it myself.”
Watching Bai Yunchi, dressed in a casual suit, skillfully handle the fish from the basket, Su Yi’an couldn’t help but stare in astonishment.
“Teacher Bai, do you usually wear suits at home too?” he asked curiously.
“I’m used to it.” Bai Yunchi glanced at the boy. “I do have sportswear but I often get sudden calls from school to go handle things. Going home to change is too troublesome, so I just stay dressed like this.”
Su Yi’an crouched beside him and nodded.
A crab was wedged between the cracks of a rock. He reached out to grab it when Bai Yunchi suddenly asked, “Do you not like me wearing suits?”
His heart skipped a beat and he forgot what he was doing. Sensing danger, the little crab waved its pincers and darted out from the rock, fiercely clamping onto his finger.
Startled, Su Yi’an jerked his hand back. Before he could even examine it, Bai Yunchi had already walked over, taking his injured finger and carefully inspecting it.
“It’s fine. Just a crab that shed its shell not long ago. It doesn’t hurt, I was just startled.”
After checking and confirming there was no injury, Bai Yunchi’s furrowed brows finally relaxed.
“Be more careful.”
“I know.” I only got pinched because of someone, he thought.
Holding his finger, clutching at a wildly pounding heart, the tips of his ears flushed red.
Bai Yunchi did not continue the earlier topic but Su Yi’an felt restless, as if a cat were scratching at his heart. After a long inner struggle and only when all the fish had been cleaned, he finally murmured with reddened ears, “I like it.”
Bai Yunchi’s figure paused slightly. He lifted his head to look at the boy and saw him deliberately meeting his gaze with forced composure, though the ears hidden beneath his hair were red to the very tips.
Feeling uncomfortable under the gaze, Su Yi’an tugged down his pant legs and stood up. “Shall we grill the fish? I’ll go check how the charcoal fire is doing.”
Bai Yunchi watched the boy’s hurried retreating figure, the corner of his lips lifting faintly.
Bai Yunchi’s grilled fish turned out exceptionally good. Drawn by the fragrance, Su Yi’an’s stomach betrayed him with a soft rumble.
“Hungry?” Bai Yunchi asked with a smile.
Su Yi’an rubbed the tip of his nose in embarrassment. “Yeah.”
In truth, his stomach had been empty for a while. He hadn’t had much appetite in the morning and had only taken a couple of bites. Now, facing the aromatic grilled fish, his eyes could barely look away.
“Give it a try.” Bai Yunchi placed the freshly grilled fish before him.
The fish was piping hot. Su Yi’an couldn’t speak with his mouth full, so he simply nodded repeatedly, eyes shining. After swallowing, he praised again, “It’s super delicious, tender and fresh.”
Pleased by his reaction, the smile in Bai Yunchi’s eyes deepened. He turned the fish over the grill and placed another cooked one by Su Yi’an’s side.
“Let it cool a bit before eating.”
Su Yi’an said, “Teacher Bai, you should eat too,” though inside he felt as if bubbles of happiness were rising endlessly.
After finishing the grilled fish, they cooked some of the fresh meat and vegetables they had brought along as well.
Holding a cup of drink, Su Yi’an faced the river and let out a contented sigh.
Bai Yunchi sat beside him, relaxed, gazing at the bamboo raft drifting slowly across the water, guided by a pole.
Full and satisfied, drowsiness crept over Su Yi’an. He returned to the tent for a short nap and in that brief moment he unexpectedly began to dream.
In the dream, Teacher Bai looked handsome as ever, holding his hand as if about to confess. His heart raced with excitement but just as the confession reached its midpoint, someone interrupted.
“An’an, wake up.”
Su Yi’an frowned and burrowed his head deeper into the blanket.
Don’t disturb him, Teacher Bai was confessing to him.
“An’an.”
Hm? The voice sounded so familiar. It was Teacher Bai!
Su Yi’an abruptly opened his eyes. Seeing the handsome face before him, identical to the one in his dream, he momentarily thought he was still dreaming. Only when the sound of rain pattering loudly outside reached his ears did he finally come back to his senses.
“It’s raining?” He turned his head toward the tent entrance.
Several tourists camping closer to the river were hurriedly pulling their tents in the rain.
Noticing the concern on his face, Bai Yunchi reassured him, “Our campsite is on higher ground. It won’t get flooded.”
Relieved, Su Yi’an looked back at Bai Yunchi.
“How long will the rain last? Will we still be able to go back today?”
It was already close to 6 in the evening. If the rain didn’t stop before nightfall, they wouldn’t be able to leave the island and would have no choice but to stay overnight, waiting until morning to take a boat back to shore.
To prevent such situations from becoming a problem, the island had a small shop that rented and sold various daily necessities, so survival wasn’t a concern. Still, the thought of spending the night alone with Teacher Bai made his heart inexplicably flustered.
Bai Yunchi assumed he was afraid and his tone grew even gentler.
“There are supplies for sale on the island and since it’s a private island, there won’t be any wild animals. You don’t have to worry about danger.”
“Mm.”
Su Yi’an wasn’t afraid of that. What he feared was losing control of himself, dreaming in the middle of the night and reaching out to touch someone. A lone man and another lone man sharing a tent… it was far too easy for something to happen.
No, wait. Wouldn’t it be better if something really did happen?
Su Yi’an’s mind spun wildly.
This was a rare opportunity, he absolutely couldn’t miss it!
He quickly said, “I’m not scared. When I was little, I always dreamed of surviving on a deserted island. Now the chance is finally here.”
He had to seize it.
Seeing the smile on his face and hearing him optimistically talk about survival videos he had watched, Bai Yunchi couldn’t help but smile as well.
Just as Su Yi’an had hoped, half an hour later the rain not only failed to stop but grew heavier, drumming noisily against the tent roof in a relentless clatter.
By eight or nine that evening, the downpour still hadn’t eased. After a simple dinner, the two lay side by side in the tent, waiting for sleep to come.
Su Yi’an couldn’t fall asleep. Staring at the tent ceiling, his thoughts drifted aimlessly.
The arm pressed against Bai Yunchi’s felt faintly warm and his heart thumped endlessly in his chest. He didn’t even know when he eventually drifted off to sleep.
As the temperature dropped during the night, Su Yi’an curled into a small ball from the cold, instinctively moving toward the nearby source of warmth. Bai Yunchi slept lightly; sensing the boy’s movement, he opened his arms and pulled him into an embrace.
When Su Yi’an woke the next morning, he found himself wrapped in Bai Yunchi’s arms. The corners of his lips lifted uncontrollably. Pretending he was still asleep, he buried half his face into the hollow of the man’s neck, until a soft kiss landed on his forehead.
His heart seemed to stop for a beat and his entire body instantly stiffened.
✦ ✧ ✦
Fleurveil
[Translator]
☕ A LITTLE SOMETHING FOR THE TRANSLATOR
Emergency! Someone feed the translator. 🚨☕
☕ BUY THEM A COFFEE →
✧ (づ｡•ㅅ•｡)づ ☕ ✧
✦ thank you for reading ✦
← PreviousNext →
ChaptersChapter 1 · New neighborsChapter 2 · Let’s just wash it.Chapter 3 · Pretty little girlChapter 4 · It’s impossible for us.Chapter 5 · Not as handsome as Teacher BaiChapter 6 · Happy cooperationChapter 7 · Making breakfastChapter 8 · LostChapter 9 · He’s hopelessly in love.Chapter 10 · Three CloudChapter 11 · Am I Old?Chapter 12 · Victory celebration banquetChapter 13 · Power outrageChapter 14 · Online dating meetupChapter 15 · Am I really that bad?Chapter 16 · Boyfriend?Chapter 17 · ConcertChapter 18 · Use Privileges.Chapter 19 · A night AloneChapter 20 · Do You Like me?Chapter 21 · The End