Chapter 70 - Brown. Green. Blue.

It seemed like Feng Xuan's hands could not stop touching every surface she could reach. "Where did you even get this car?"

Qing Chen tapped his hands on the white steering wheel. "It's been in the family for decades."

"It looks so new," she said. It was in a shiny cream white color with the top folded down. The brown leather felt new under her fingertips and even the cassette player was still working.

"The house caretaker has a special interest with vintage cars," Qing Chen added. "Father sends the cars he loved most here."

The sun burned down on Feng Xuan's skin. The smell of the sea was already in the air. "Are we close?"

"Uh-huh," Qing Chen answered, easily maneuvering the car to turn on the bends of the steep road. They had passed by little fruits stores on the side of the roads, the products in vibrant colors.

Feng Xuan felt her stomach grumbled just at the sight of really red watermelon slices. They turned into a more isolated road and trees covered them on both sides. There was not a single hint of the beginning of winter in this place.

They encountered more splitting roads, leaves rustling behind as they drove past. Finally, they stopped in front of a gated property. Qing Chen pressed on the horn twice and a man in a floral shirt came out of the house with a huge smile on his face.

As she was getting out, Feng Xuan was surprised to hear Qing Chen talking in another language fluently. She stood next to him. "This is Alejandro," he said. "His family takes care of this property."

The man shook her hand and in his best, spoke in her language. "It is nice to meet you, missus."

"It's nice to meet you too," she said.

As the other two continued to talk as they made their way inside the house, Feng Xuan's eyes got busy with her surroundings. There was a water garden on the side to welcome the guests. The whole house was made with wood and floor-to-ceiling glass. The furniture was highlighted with white plush pillows and the green of the plants. It was spacious and airy. If it were not a glass window, there would be no windows at all. The wind came from all sides.

As soon as she stepped into the living room, she saw the blue-green water of the sea. It was weird for her to see a swimming pool at the edge of the house and an outdoor canopy bed. There was a deck on the other side of the pool and there sat a huge sofa large enough to be a bed.

She followed Qing Chen and Alejandro down the staircase by the sofa and saw the garage. Alejandro pressed a button and the roll-up uncovered several cars behind. They were wrapped in black cloths. Feng Xuan turned her attention to the sea and walked until the waves came for her sandaled feet. Her throat felt dry from the warmth but she had never breathed in fresher air since she arrived in Chengshi.

"How about some lunch?"

Feng Xuan turned and saw Qing Chen walking towards her with his hands in his pockets. "You brought me to the beach because we swam a few days ago."

"Swimming is one thing we have in common."

Feng Xuan walked back to shore with a smile. "You know what else we have in common?"

"Yeah?" Qing Chen fell in step next to her.

"We like each other."

A deep rumble of a laugh came from Qing Chen's throat. He pulled his hand out of his pocket and slipped his fingers through hers. "Yeah, let's start from that."

An electric feeling seemed to travel from their hands to every cell in Feng Xuan's body. If she had a hundred arms, she would make all her hands hold onto Qing Chen's.

They walked back to the house and went to the dining room. Food were already on huge plates with deep-colored sauces. She was most thankful when she found rice with beans in it. "I'm starving," she said and took her seat.

Qing Chen sat beside her and offered her a plate of chicken. "This is Jerk. It's a must try."

Feng Xuan took a piece and bit. She had already tasted this sweet yet spicy flavor as countries tried their best to recreate it. But somehow the taste felt new to her mouth. "That's really good," she nodded.

Another huge plate was taken out by Alejandro and it was crab cooked with green sauce. Qing Chen cracked open the shell and gave the meat to her, waiting for her reaction.

Feng Xuan took a breath to cool her burning mouth. "I'm gonna have to eat a lot of rice because of this."

"It's curry with a lot of hot peppers."

Feng Xuan proceeded to eat, her nose was already dotted with sweat and felt runny. Fortunately, before it dropped she was already through and had a napkin pressed to her nostril. "What are our plans for tonight?"

Qing Chen was finishing up the last of the crab, patiently opening the shelled limbs. "I'm not telling you," he smiled.

"Why not?"

"Where's the surprise in it if I will keep on telling you every single thing?" he wiped his hands on the napkin, staining it with the curry. But then he saw her pouting face and knew he must give in. "Okay just this once, it has a lot of games that you might win plush animals. You wanna go wash up and sleep a little?"

"I slept a lot on the plane," she said with an excited glint in her eyes.

Qing Chen stood up from his seat and stretched his back. "Right," he said cracking his neck. "Well, our next agenda does not open until six. What do you want to do?"

That was how they ended up in the water around twenty minutes later. Feng Xuan was already waist-deep in the sea when Qing Chen got there. It looked like she was examining shells on the palm of her hand. "What do you got?"

Feng Xuan turned to him. "These are beautiful, right?"

She was holding two shells in the color of light caramel. It spiraled and the spires jutted out like a key's ridges. "Yeah," he answered, taking his eyes off them as it gave him a view of her well endowed chest.

Feng Xuan gently tossed them to the side. "It's sucks I can't really keep them." She squinted her eyes. "What are you looking at?" there was nothing on the horizon.

"It is what I am not looking at."

"And what you are not looking at is me," she said. "What is it?"

Qing Chen turned away from her but she only jumped in front of his view.

"Wait, hold there," she said.

"What?"

Feng Xuan took a look at the sun's position. "In low light settings like in the elevator your eyes looked brown. But in a well-lit room they look green. And now with the sea behind you…" she sandwiched his face and tilted it down, she melted a little when she saw, "they look blue."

His eyes bore down on her, but it seemed like it was straining and then finally, it flicked down on her chest before Qing Chen looked elsewere.

Feng Xuan took a look at her chest covered in a striped swimsuit. Suddenly, her face was hotter than the sun-scorched sand. She crossed her arms over her chest. "Is something wrong?"

"What? N—no," Qing Chen said and tentatively placed his fingers on top of her forearms. Feng Xuan felt like a bolt of lightning hit her. "It's just… you really look… beautiful."

Feng Xuan took a quick look at the mirror before she went out, this pair of swimsuit did not make her look beautiful. It was why she wore this. "You mean s.e.xy?"

"And that," he sighed.

Feng Xuan's toes tingled as she felt something golden dropped in her stomach. She shyly smiled. "Is it bothering you?"

"No," Qing Chen answered. "It's just I have not seen this much of you. It is really new to my eyes."

"Maybe I should start wearing all that lingerie Wang Yimin bought me on the night we got married."

"No," Qing Chen chuckled. Then more seriously, "No."

Feng Xuan grinned. "We'll see about that tonight. I'm going to go wash up so you could see how I'll win a bigger stuffed toy than you."

"Oh yeah? What would you bet on that?" he challenged.

Feng Xuan looked over her shoulder. "A kiss, perhaps." She winked.

She left Qing Chen there who just felt like he was brought back to life.

****

It was a short ride to the carnival and before they even got there, Feng Xuan already saw the circle of the ferris wheel. She almost jumped out of the car in excitement. "When was the last time you were in a carnival fair?"

"Uh, when I was a teenager I think?" Qing Chen answered as they walked through the entrance. The sun was just beginning to set and was coloring the sky in warm orange. "You?"

"Same, I think."

"I hear fairs were popular in the West."

"Yeah," she answered. "But not in the city."

Dozens of booths were lined up and rickety looking rides were in operation. She could hear the screams and the jovial laughter of the people failing at the games.

"What do you want to try first?" Qing Chen asked.

Feng Xuan leaned forward, taunting. "Well, I would like to try all the games and see which one of us gets the most wins."

"Hmm, I would hate to see you cry when you lose. Let's limit our time here, I have something to show you in the house."

Feng Xuan was in dread. "I wish you had not told me that. Now that would all I be thinking about."

"So," Qing Chen looked around. "You bet a kiss in this," he grinned. "Where should we start?"