CH 116

Regret was real.

Jiang Yu overestimated her ability to bear with everything about Cheng Suran.

After several encounters, judging by her sensitivity to the same kind, Wen Ruoxian has a high probability of having feelings for Ranran. A person who wants to hide her sexual orientation may be able to pretend, but she will be betrayed by her eyes and small movements.

Wen Ruoxian's eyes looking at Ranran, her unconscious movements around Ranran, her initial reactions to situations... weren't they all clear enough signs?

Friendship was the best camouflage.

And she was consumed by jealousy.

Cheng Suran turned sideways to her, with the corners of her mouth slightly raised, pretending not to understand, "Isn't it normal for friends to be close? I've known Ruoxian for five years."

Then she mockingly added, "I never realized you were so petty, jealous even of someone else's friendship."

"That's right," Jiang Yu took the box and put it on the table, and wrapped her in her arms again, "I'm just petty, and my heart is as small as a sesame seed.

She buried her face in Cheng Suran's neck.

The temperature beneath the thin skin was scorching hot, a rhythm of life pulsating. She took advantage of the situation and pressed her lips against Cheng Suran's skin, giving a light and quick peck, causing Cheng Suran to shiver. "You..."

"Now do you realize how petty I can be?"

The gentle voice echoed in Cheng Suran's ears, making her tremble endlessly, as if something boiled in her body, burning her up. She wanted to push Jiang Yu away, but her hands didn't listen, and her face grew hotter and hotter.

She also regretted it a little.

She shouldn't have agreed to bring Wen Ruoxian along just to confirm her own suspicions. It wasn't fair to herself, to Wen Ruoxian, or to Jiang Yu.

But it's too late to regret it now.

As she regained her senses, Cheng Suran realized she had almost fallen into a passive role. She struggled slightly and pretended to put on a cold expression. "How long are you planning to hug me like this? I haven't finished organizing my things."

Jiang Yu, who was lost in the gentle moment, reluctantly released Cheng Suran and took a step back. "Go then. We'll go for a drive around the island at 4 o'clock."

"Mm."

Cheng Suran picked up the paper box and left.

Watching her figure disappear behind the door, Jiang Yu couldn't help but think of Wen Ruoxian again, her heart turning into a mess…

....

After resting for about an hour, the hottest part of the day had passed. Led by Pei Chutong and Ruan Mu, the five of them set off for a self-driving tour around the island.

Ruan Mu had been running the homestay for over four years and was familiar with the island's big and small businesses. She was also friends with the owner of the car rental company. Before their arrival, she had informed the owner, who had reserved three convertible cars for her – one white and two pink.

Pei Chutong and Ruan Mu ordered pink.

Cheng Suran also liked the pink car a lot, but each car only had two seats, and choosing who to ride with became a dilemma. She glanced at Wen Ruoxian, then at Jiang Yu. Her excitement for the trip suddenly dimmed.

"I'll drive the white one. The passenger seat is clear and won't obstruct the view, making it easier to enjoy the seaside scenery," Jiang Yu decided without giving Cheng Suran much time to worry. She opened the door of the white car and got in.

Wen Ruoxian watched from the side, feeling the guilt suddenly surging in her heart, she looked at Cheng Suran, "Ranran..."

She wanted to say, 'Don't worry about me', but as the words formed on her lips, she realized she had no right to say that. She was the one who deliberately came along, and it was her presence that had created the current situation. It was she who had placed Cheng Suran in the middle, feeling unhappy.

As the intensity of her emotions grew, Wen Ruoxian found it increasingly difficult to keep them under control. 

"What's wrong?" Cheng Suran asked, waiting for her to continue.

Wen Ruoxian shook her head. "I'll drive. You can sit in the passenger seat and enjoy the view." She opened the car door as she spoke.

"Oh, okay."

....

The island is in midsummer all year round, and as the sun began to set, it wasn't too hot or glaring. Cars of various colors are driving leisurely on the wide road around the island, one after another, like sweet macarons.

Pei Chutong and Ruan Mu were in front, Cheng Suran and Wen Ruoxian were in the middle, and Jiang Yu was in the back.

The wind ruffled her long soft hair.

Through the sunglasses, she watched the backs of the two people in the car in front of her and then held up her mobile phone to take pictures. Wen Ruoxian looked sideways at her from time to time while driving—or maybe she was looking at the sea view.

The two did not communicate.

There seemed to be an unfamiliar tension between them, a contrast to the intimacy she had once envied.

Did something happen?

Jiang Yu's face was solemn, she slowed down the speed of the car a little, and she was no longer in the mood to look at the scenery.

After going around the island for half an hour, the sun gradually set to the west. They came to the beach with fewer tourists on the island, parked the car, and walked down. The sound of waves hitting the rocks could be heard from a distance, and many seagulls were circling in the sky.

Cheng Suran excitedly raced ahead, so delighted that she even abandoned her sandals and ran barefoot.

"Ranran, don't take off your shoes. The sand is really hot..." Wen Ruoxian hurriedly cautioned her.

But it was too late.

Cheng Suran stepped on the soft sand, and the soles of her feet instantly jumped up as if they were scorched by a red-hot iron sheet.

"Ah, it's hot, it's hot—"

Wen Ruoxian picked up the sandals she had thrown by the stone, ran over in three steps at a time, pulled her into her arms, put down the shoes, "Put them on quickly."

Cheng Suran grinned from the scald, not caring much, leaning on her with most of her body weight, shakily putting on her shoes.

"This beach... We could bury the mutton skewers in it, take it out, and sprinkle some cumin on it to eat."

"Hahahaha!" Pei Chutong couldn't stop laughing.

Jiang Yu frowned.

"We can go to the main beach to have a barbecue in the evening. I asked the staff to bring the stove and tools there." Ruan Mu, who had been silent all this time, opened her mouth.

Cheng Suran immediately forgot about the pain, and nodded repeatedly: "Okay!"

After she finished putting on her sandals, Wen Ruoxian let go of her hand in time, and everyone continued to move forward. There are a few tourists scattered on the beach, men and women, wearing big underpants and swimsuits, chatting and laughing in the coastal waters.

Walking along the beach, they reached a steep coastal cliff. 

The waves rolled in, wetting the fine sand, and crabs emerged from the sand, wielding their large claws as they scurried away quickly.

"Wow, there are a lot of crabs here." Pei Chutong walked cautiously holding her skirt.

Ruan Mu took her by the hand, looked down at the mud and sand under her feet, and when she saw the crabs, she kicked them away, for fear that their big, eyeless claws would hurt her. Two or three crabs were kicked and they turned over, belly up, kicking their eight legs randomly.

Cheng Suran was amused by their funny appearance, bent down, and kindly reached out to turn them back: "I don't know if they can be eaten, they look quite fat."

Ruan Mu replied promptly: "Yes, these are ordinary crabs, there are many around, and no one bothers with them."

“Spicy, steamed, my mouth is watering…”

Jiang Yu was two or three steps behind them. Seeing Cheng Suran's eager and hungry expression, she glanced at the crabs and had an idea. The sunset gradually painted the sky orange.

They played in the water on the beach for a while, took some photos, walked back towards the sunset, and came to the main beach with more tourists. Ruan Mu called the staff of the hotel and asked them to bring barbecue tools and ingredients.

"Tongtong..." Jiang Yu pulled Pei Chutong aside.

"You guys prepare the barbecue first, I'm going to the small beach now, and I'll be back soon."

Pei Chutong was still wearing sunglasses, afraid of being recognized. She looked puzzled upon hearing Jiang Yu's words, "What are you going to do?"

"Ranran wants to eat crabs, I'll catch some." Jiang Yu said seriously.

"..."

Pei Chutong blinked, looked left and right, looked back at her face, and suddenly burst out laughing: "Can you catch crabs? Make sure you don't let the crabs catch you." She clicked her tongue a couple of times and shook her head, "For the sake of pursuing someone, really..."

"Doesn't your Mumu do the same?" Jiang Yu chuckled.

Pei Chutong turned to look at Ruan Mu. It happened that Ruan Mu was also looking at her, knowing that they were having a private conversation. She kept her distance and watched without approaching.

"She's just as stupid too."

"Okay, I'll go first, cover for me."

"Be safe."

Jiang Yu turned around and climbed onto the road, and drove away.

It was a perfect time to watch the sunset. The beach was now crowded, and the sea shimmered with waves. The red sun was slowly descending into the meeting point of the sea and sky. Cheng Suran and Wen Ruoxian were busy taking photos with their phones, completely unaware that someone was missing.

The barbecue grill and cooking utensils were gradually being delivered.

"Hey, where's Jiang Yu?"

Cheng Suran looked around and finally realized that one person was missing.

Ruan Mu was setting up a barbecue grill. Hearing this, she glanced at Pei Chutong. Pei Chutong showed the most exquisite acting skills in her life, and said with a blank face, "Huh?"

"She was here just now..." Cheng Suran frowned.

Pei Chutong continued to perform, looking around: "Yeah, she was still here just now, where is she? Where did she go..." Ruan Mu turned her face away and snickered.

As the sky darkened and there were unfamiliar faces around, Cheng Suran glanced around, feeling a little anxious. She took out her mobile phone to call Jiang Yu, it kept ringing, but no one answered.

"Why don't you answer..." She bit her lower lip and stomped her feet anxiously.

Wen Ruoxian patted her on the shoulder reassuringly: "Maybe she went to the bathroom."

As soon as she finished speaking, Cheng Suran saw a tall person coming down from the side of the road, wearing a familiar red dress, holding a plastic bag in one hand, and one hand tucked to the side.

"Jiang Yu!"

She hurriedly ran over.

Without hesitation, she rushed towards that person.

Wen Ruoxian's hand was pushed away, left hanging in the air.

Not far away, Jiang Yu's footsteps paused slightly, and the hand that was hidden at her side moved to the back.

"Where have you been?" Cheng Suran looked her up and down.

"...catching crabs."

"?"

Jiang Yu curved her lips, and a gentle smile appeared in her eyes: "Didn't you say you want to eat crabs?" She raised the hand holding the bag, "Look, I caught nine of them. There's only a plastic bag in the car, so I used it temporarily to hold them."

A few big black guys were moving around in the bag, Cheng Suran was both surprised and happy and the dimples on her cheeks sunk slightly: "My God-"

I'm not sure if it's enough."

"It's enough. We have other ingredients too."

The two walked back while talking, and came to the barbecue pit.

Dim street lights were lit on the beach, and Ruan Mu and the others had already set up equipment, tools, and ingredients. Seeing them approaching, Miss Pei quickly entered into a performance state: "Coco, where have you been?"

"Catching crabs. Didn't..."

The second half of the sentence, 'Didn't you know?' was choked back by the meaningful gaze.

Wen Ruoxian watched them silently.

"Oh, catching crabs, you didn't even say a word. Ranran was worried about you..." Pei Chutong complained, her gaze inadvertently sweeping over her hidden hand at her side, catching a glimpse of a crimson hue.

"What happened to your hand?"

She grabbed Jiang Yu's hand and brought it closer to her eyes.

In the dim light, she could see specks of blood on her fingers, a dark red liquid trickling down her fingertip, a distressing sight.

Jiang Yu retracted subconsciously and glanced at Cheng Suran in a panic.

Cheng Suran's face turned pale.

"It's okay," Jiang Yu tucked her hand back to her side. "I accidentally got pinched by a crab."

Pei Chutong: "..."

Wen Ruoxian: "..."

"There is a clinic next to the homestay, let's have it treated." Ruan Mu said next to her.

Cheng Suran came back to her senses, and grabbed Jiang Yu's hand without thinking: "I'll take her there, you guys go eat first." Then she took the bag of crabs and set it on the ground.

Wen Ruoxian wanted to say that she would go too, but before she could say anything, she was called by Pei Chutong:

"Come, come, let's deal with the crabs."

....

The big sandy beach is not far from the clinic, Cheng Suran drove fast and arrived in a few minutes. There were people in the clinic who were getting IV drips and bandaging wounds... Cheng Suran held Jiang Yu's other hand tightly, stepped in, explained the situation to the doctor, and then the nurse brought a medicine tray to disinfect Jiang Yu's wound.

Jiang Yu remained silent, sitting quietly on the chair. "Do you need a tetanus shot?" Cheng Suran asked nervously.

The crab's pincers are not clean, maybe there are parasites or something, in case of infection... She couldn't help but start thinking wildly.

The nurse shook her head seriously: "No need, the wound is not deep, just be careful not to get it wet."

"Oh..."

Her tightly furrowed brow finally relaxed.

The nurse moved skillfully and handled it quickly. She wrapped a thin piece of gauze around Jiang Yu's slender index finger, looking a bit funny.

"It's done."

"Thanks."

Cheng Suran stood up and scanned the QR code to pay, taking Jiang Yu's hand without raising her gaze: "Let's go."

Jiang Yu's heart sank.