You're dumping me, huh? Fine, then I'll just pick up the school beauty and make her my wif

"Want to go?"

"Yes!" Su Qinghe nodded vigorously. "I've seen it in videos. It's so beautiful underwater! There are so many colorful fish, corals, and starfish!"

When she got excited, she stopped counting on her fingers, and her eyes shone brightly in the dim room, even more like stars than the stars outside the window.

"Okay, I'll arrange it tomorrow," Jiang Che replied readily.

But as soon as they agreed, their minds automatically started making notes.

He remembered clearly that Su Qinghe had mentioned to him before that she had nearly drowned when she was a child.

Although she spoke of it in a very casual manner, saying only, "I fell into the river when I was little, and someone pulled me out," Jiang Che understood her—the more casually she described something, the deeper its impact on her often was.

The water isn't too deep when snorkeling, and there's usually an instructor accompanying you throughout, so it's actually quite safe.

Even so, Jiang Che still made a mental note to himself—he must not be more than one meter away from her the entire time tomorrow.

If she gets scared in the water, he will never let her stay a second longer if she wants to come back immediately.

Thinking of this, Jiang Che turned over to face her and reached out to tuck her hair, which was scattered on the pillow, behind her ear.

Su Qinghe's eyes were already drooping, and waves of drowsiness were washing over her.

But she stubbornly refused to close her eyes, her little hands tightly gripping his fingers.

It felt like the day wasn't over as long as I held his hand.

She was always reluctant to end each day she spent with Jiang Che so easily.

I don't know how much time passed.

The sound of the waves lapping against the beach outside the window was slow and rhythmic, like a lullaby without lyrics.

Su Qinghe's consciousness began to fade little by little.

In her dazed state, she suddenly uttered a sentence.

The sound was very soft, almost drowned out by the sound of the waves.

"Ah Che... I'm so afraid this is a dream."

Jiang Che, who had already half-closed his eyes, paused slightly upon hearing these words.

Su Qinghe's voice was intermittent, as she was about to fall asleep, so her voice was very unclear.

"I'm afraid that when I wake up... all of this will be gone..."

Her fingers unconsciously tightened, gripping his hand.

Jiang Che remained silent for a few seconds, then slowly turned over in the darkness to face her.

He didn't try to comfort her with any grand principles, nor did he say anything like "You're overthinking it."

He simply turned her hand that was holding his over, intertwined their fingers, and clasped them tightly.

Then, in a very calm and confident tone, he said, "It's not a dream."

"When you wake up tomorrow, I'll still be here."

Just that simple sentence.

But after listening, Su Qinghe's shoulders, which had been tense for a long time, suddenly relaxed.

She mumbled an "Mmm," then pulled his hand over and pressed it against her cheek.

His palms were warm and dry, which made people feel at ease.

Su Qinghe felt the warmth seep into her cheek, and the corners of her mouth involuntarily curved into a smile.

Then, with a smile on her face, she fell into a deep sleep.

My breathing gradually became longer and more even.

The only sound in the room was the sound of the waves outside the window, intertwined with her even, soft breathing.

……

at the same time.

In a hotel in an urban village in Atlanta.

Zhao Wenyu lay on the bed, his face flickering in and out of focus from the cold light of his phone screen.

The screen prominently displayed Su Qinghe's social media profile, which Zhao Wenyu was scrolling through one by one.

In the photo, Su Qinghe is wearing a beige floral dress, barefoot in the shallow water, her eyes crinkling into crescents as she smiles.

The location is clearly stated as "Asia City East Bay Resort".

Zhao Wenyu stared at the photo for a long time, his gaze slowly sliding from her face to her collarbone, and then to her slender ankles.

His eyes gradually turned dark and lewd.

Beneath that unsettling gaze lay an endless, overwhelming hatred.

The incident on graduation day was like a thorn stuck in his heart, and every time he recalled it, it made that thorn drill deeper.

Forced to wear a maid outfit and bow in apology in front of the entire grade...

Even after so many days, that sense of shame lingers like a leech, never fading for a moment.

Zhao Wenyu opened Jiang Che's WeChat Moments, and there was a photo of Jiang Che kissing Su Qinghe's head a few days ago, with only one word in the caption—"Her."

The comments section was full of well wishes and cheers.

The thought that he had been so incredibly stupid as to ask Jiang Che to help him pursue Su Qinghe made Zhao Wenyu feel like a clown even more.

Zhao Wenyu turned off his phone, then took a pack of cigarettes from the bedside table, lit one, and started smoking it.

He is a native of Atlanta. After his mother divorced his father, he went to Lincheng with his mother, where he attended junior high and high school.

But later, his mother remarried, and that man wouldn't allow him to come into his house with her, so his mother had no choice but to abandon him.

When Grandpa found out about this, he had my father come from Yacheng to Lincheng to take over as guardian.

But Grandpa didn't know that Father was an alcoholic who would beat people when he was drunk.

Zhao Wenyu endured three years of high school, and as soon as the college entrance examination was over, he ran back to Yacheng from Lincheng, thinking of getting away from that drunkard.

Unexpectedly, Jiang Che and Su Qinghe actually came to Atlanta for tourism, and they even stayed in East Bay.

He knew that resort; it was only a 20-30 minute taxi ride from where he was staying.

Zhao Wenyu sat in the darkness, a slow smile spreading across his lips.

The curve of the eye was indistinguishable as either a smile or something else; it just gave off a sinister feeling.

"What a golden opportunity..."

He muttered something under his breath, then turned his phone screen back on and took screenshots of every post Su Qinghe made that included location data, saving them to a separate album.

……

The next morning.

Su Qinghe was awakened by the seagulls.

She groggily opened her eyes and found Jiang Che still sleeping beside her.

After looking at him for a few seconds, Su Qinghe tiptoed out from under the covers and slipped barefoot into the bathroom.

Fifteen minutes later.

Su Qinghe stood in front of the full-length mirror in the bathroom, her cheeks flushed, feeling a little embarrassed to look at herself in the mirror.

The woman in the mirror was wearing the two-piece swimsuit she had secretly bought before.

It was white with a touch of lace, and it looked incredibly beautiful and ethereal against her fair skin.

Actually, she had previously bought a light blue outfit because the sea and sky are both blue, and she thought light blue would look better.

But then she saw a fashion post saying that people with fair skin could try white, as it would look very pure and innocent. After much hesitation, she still chose it.

I'll get both sets.

Only children make choices; she's an adult.

However, before setting off, she felt it was unnecessary to bring two swimsuits, so she abandoned the light blue one and only brought the white one.

Getting back to the point, Su Qinghe finally mustered up the courage to look at herself in the mirror.