Chapter 43

After taking a shower and coming out of the bathroom, Shu Shirand discovered that Ji Xi was not in the room, and she had no idea where he had gone.

By the time she finished blow-drying her hair, Ji Xi still had not returned.

She stared at the bed for a few seconds, turned back the duvet on her side, and got into bed first.

Having woken up early and spent the entire day out and about, Shu Shiran felt sleepy not long after sitting against the headboard.

It was already half-past eleven.

If she fell asleep before Ji Xi returned to the room, the awkwardness of sharing a bed would hopefully be lessened.

With this thought, Shu Shiran put down her phone and prepared to sleep.

Her gaze swept across the small box on the nightstand, and her face grew warm once more.

She pulled open the drawer and shoved it inside, only to see another box already resting there.

"..."

Shu Shiran closed the drawer and lay down.

The side near the door was left for Ji Xi; she slept on the opposite side, her back turned toward the door and facing the curtains not far away.

Despite being extremely tired, Shu Shiran found it difficult to fall asleep once she lay down, her mind spinning in a chaotic mess.

After a long while—or perhaps only a short moment later—she heard the sound of the door opening.

Ji Xi had returned.

Shu Shiran instinctively clutched the edge of the duvet.

A brief silence followed. Ji Xi seemed to stand completely still, and she had no idea what he was doing.

Then, she heard footsteps, followed by the sound of the door closing.

A very soft click echoed through the room.

Even with her eyes closed, Shu Shiran could feel the light shining against her eyelids vanish.

He had turned off the room's lights.

In the darkness, Shu Shiran, now entirely wide awake, opened her eyes.

Listening to the faint movements behind her, her vision gradually adjusted to the dimness, allowing her to make out the folds of the curtains.

Suddenly, she felt the duvet covering her shift slightly.

It was Ji Xi pulling back the cover.

Next, the mattress behind her sank.

Ji Xi had gotten into bed.

As he lay down, the movement of the quilt stirred the air, creating a faint breeze between them. The ends of Shu Shiran’s hair swayed gently before settling back into stillness.

Having never shared a bed with a man before, Shu Shiran’s body grew uncontrollably taut, her back particularly rigid and stiff.

Beneath the covers, their bodies did not touch, but Shu Shiran could feel that cool, familiar, uniquely masculine scent drawing very close to her.

Seconds ticked away.

The tension in Shu Shiran’s body began to ache slightly, especially along her back and legs.

She wanted to shift her position, but having no idea how much distance lay between her and Ji Xi, she was afraid a sudden movement might cause them to brush against each other.

Besides, the room was dead silent, and she did not want Ji Xi to discover that she was still awake.

"Still not asleep?"

Ji Xi’s voice suddenly sounded right behind her, low and soft.

"..."

He had noticed after all.

Shu Shiran let out a soft "mm" and shifted slightly, producing the faint sound of fabric rubbing against fabric.

Ji Xi said nothing further, and Shu Shiran had no idea what to say either.

A profound silence stretched between them for a long time, though both knew the other was awake.

After a moment, catching sight of the aloe vera gel on the nightstand and remembering Ji Xi’s sunburn, Shu Shiran spoke up, "Do you want to put some more aloe vera gel on the back of your neck?"

When she finished, there was no response from behind.

Just as Shu Shiran began to wonder if he had fallen asleep, Ji Xi asked, "Will you help me apply it?"

Shu Shiran started to sit up, reaching out to turn on the lamp.

As her body lifted just an inch, the duvet slipped from her shoulder, and a hand suddenly pressed down upon her.

Through her pajamas, she felt the warmth of his palm—an illusion of scorching heat that made her feel as though she had been lightly scorched.

In the depth of the night, the yacht felt like an isolated island cut off from the world. With only the two of them in the room, even worldly constraints could be cast aside, leaving a space where forbidden things could freely take root and grow.

Pressed back down onto the bed, Shu Shiran froze in brief bewilderment before her heart leaped into her throat.

That hand had already been withdrawn.

"Shu Shiran."

Ji Xi spoke her name, drawing it out leisurely, a deep, raspy undertone hidden within that made her nerves tauten.

"If you keep this up, I'll start thinking you're trying to seduce me."

"..."

Shu Shiran’s face flushed crimson.

She inched toward the edge of the bed, pulled the duvet higher, and covered most of her face.

A few seconds later, unable to hold back any longer, she whispered a mortified and exasperated curse: "Jerk."

Ji Xi let out a low chuckle. "Go to sleep."

This time, after the heat on her face slowly faded away, Shu Shiran drifted off to sleep.

Hearing her steady breathing, Ji Xi sat up.

Her quilt was pulled up high, and her long hair was scattered across the pillow in tangled strands. One of her hands extended from beneath the covers, resting on the pillow with her wrist exposed.

He watched her for a moment before leaving the room.

On the deck, the sea breeze swept by in gusts beneath a massive moon.

***

The next day, when Shu Shiran woke up, Ji Xi was not in the room.

She tidied up and stepped out of the cabin, running into Sandy first.

Sandy mentioned that Ji Xi and Luke were out fishing.

Shu Shiran grabbed a bite of breakfast before heading to the main deck.

The sun was as brilliant as the day before, and both the sky and the sea were a dazzling blue.

Ji Xi and Luke were sitting beneath a sun umbrella.

Luke held a fishing rod, looking thoroughly patient and relaxed.

Ji Xi wore sunglasses, leaning back in his chair with his face tilted slightly upward. The daylight carved out the high, sharp bridge of his nose, and his fishing rod was propped up nearby. He looked as though he were asleep.

Seeing Shu Shiran, Luke greeted her.

Hearing the voice, Ji Xi turned his head.

Through his sunglasses, Shu Shiran could feel that he was looking right at her.

She couldn't help but think of the previous night.

Averting her gaze, she asked Luke, "Did you guys catch any fish?"

"You'll have to ask Jaziel," Luke replied. "He's been sleeping the whole time."

Luke’s eyes flickered with amusement as he added, "What were you two doing last night? He's this exhausted."

Shu Shiran: "..."

"Don't mind him," Ji Xi said lazily.

"What do you mean, don't mind me?" Luke protested. "I ask you, and you say nothing—of course I'm going to ask your wife! Surely your wife knows what you were doing last night!"

Shu Shiran looked at Ji Xi.

She had fallen asleep early last night.

Had he not slept well?

Ji Xi showed no intention of entertaining Luke further.

He reached out, dragged a chair sitting under the harsh sunlight into the shade, and said to Shu Shiran, "Sit."

Shu Shiran sat down, the hem of her long dress trailing on the deck.

Luke watched them, a mischievous glint in his eyes.

"Sharon, do you know what Jaziel—"

Ji Xi glanced at him.

Even through the dark lenses, Luke could feel the warning in that look.

Luke smiled. "I caught you a big fish."

Unaware of the silent exchange between the two men, Shu Shiran’s attention was instantly captured by the mention of a big fish.

She asked Ji Xi, "Really?"

Ji Xi opened the sea-fishing cooler.

A puff of cold air drifted out.

Shu Shiran looked inside and saw, sure enough, a large fish resting within.

She turned back to Luke. "And what about the one you caught?"

Ji Xi gave a soft laugh. "He got skunked."

Luke: "..."

"You've been fishing longer than I have. Of course you caught one."

Ji Xi said offhandedly, "Even if I gave you more time, you still wouldn't catch anything."

Luke raised an eyebrow. "No way! How about this—let's disregard the one you already caught. Starting from now until lunch, let's have a competition to see who catches more. If you lose, you give me that P1 you just had shipped back to the country."

The P1 Luke referred to was the McLaren P1—a globally limited edition—that Shu Shiran had seen in the ChuanSong Number One garage a few days prior.

Luke continued, "And if I lose, I'll give you my—"

Ji Xi interrupted, "Just give me that watch you bought last month."

Luke balked. "Since when do you like watches?"

Although Luke was quite fond of that watch, its value was less than a third of the P1. Low risk, high reward—it was a great deal by any calculation.

"Deal," he agreed readily.

Sandy walked over carrying a tray with drinks, handing one to each of them, explaining that she had mixed them herself.

Luke told her about the wager, boasting that once he won, he would take her for a spin in the P1.

Delighted, Sandy gave him a quick kiss on the cheek, calling it a "lucky kiss" and cheering him on.

Feeling immensely pleased with himself, Luke glanced at Ji Xi and Shu Shiran and got an idea.

"Sharon, aren't you going to cheer your husband on? That P1 is Jaziel’s pride and joy."

"..."

Suddenly called upon, Shu Shiran paused and looked at Ji Xi. Her gaze landed on his profile, involuntarily recalling the kiss from the truth-or-dare game.

Just as Ji Xi was about to say it wasn't necessary, out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of fluttering strands of hair carrying a faint fragrance.

Shu Shiran untied the silk scarf binding her hair, letting it tumble down freely. The strands brushed against the skin of her shoulders and arms, dancing in the sea breeze.

As she leaned forward, all her hair fell to one side, piling up like soft clouds against Ji Xi’s left arm and leg.

She tied the silk scarf around his right wrist—the hand he primarily used to hold the fishing rod.

The scarf was a pale purple, matching the color family of her dress, adorned with delicate and intricate botanical patterns. It wrapped round and round just below his protruding wrist bone.

Beneath the man’s well-defined knuckles, the soft silk wrapped around him like gentle water.

After tying it into a neat bow and making sure it was neither too tight nor too loose, Shu Shiran raised her head, meeting Ji Xi’s gaze through his sunglasses.

The wind fluttered the soft strands of hair against her face.

With a slight flutter of her eyelashes, she tucked a lock of hair behind her ear and said, "Yuan Yuan told me purple is the lucky color this year."

She couldn't quite remember whether it was on the way to a business trip that Yuan Yuan and Wu Tianqi had mentioned it in conversation.

Luke, standing nearby, let out a whistle and evaluated, "Not bad at all."

Ji Xi lowered his gaze to his wrist and curved his lips. "Of course it's good."

After that, Ji Xi and Luke fished while Shu Shiran and Sandy sat nearby, watching them.

Shu Shiran reclined in a lounge chair with the backrest half lowered. Breathing in the sea breeze in such weather was wonderfully pleasant, though the sunlight was a bit dazzling.

Unwilling to move, she didn't bother going back to the room for her sunglasses, choosing instead to keep her eyes half-closed.

Suddenly, a weight settled onto the bridge of her nose.

The glare of the sun vanished, and the world before her dimmed.

She turned her head, her nose brushing against Ji Xi’s hand as he started to withdraw it.

He had put his sunglasses on her.

Luke let out a teasing click of his tongue. "Still flirting at a time like this? Jaziel, your car is definitely mine."

"..."

A wave of heat rushed to Shu Shiran’s face, and she turned her head away.

Who was flirting?

What on earth was wrong with Luke today?

In the end, Ji Xi narrowly won the contest with a tiny fish.

Deeply unconvinced, Luke protested, "Does this even count? The ones I caught were definitely heavier than yours."

Unmoved, Ji Xi replied, "You were the one who said it was based on quantity. A bet is a bet."

"Fine, fine."

Luke glanced at Shu Shiran and joked, "Looks like your wife's lucky scarf actually works. If I'd known, I would've tied one on too."

Shu Shiran: "..."

***

Following lunch, the yacht turned back toward port.

Since the next day was Monday, Shu Shiran had a mountain of work waiting for her at the firm.

Luke planned to travel elsewhere for a few days and did not return to Nancheng with them.

Upon landing in Nancheng, a distinct chill could be felt in the air.

Nancheng was still experiencing the lingering cold of early spring; the low temperature that day was only three degrees Celsius, and it had been raining earlier.