Chapter 38: 24 hours date (Part 2)
She hadn’t appeared these past few days. Why was she suddenly here again? Especially during this crucial moment…my date with Suyang…
“What’s wrong?” Suyang seemed to have sensed my strange behaviour.
“Ah? Nothing. T-there seemed to be a mosquito in the car. It just flew by.” I waved my arm; indicating for Xu Weishan to withdraw her hand.
“Were you bitten? I have an anti-swelling and itch cream in the car.” Suyang said as he began to shift his arm to locate it for me.
“No need. I wasn’t bitten. I’m fine.” Then, from the rear mirror, I gave Xu Weishan an annoyed look. I wanted to condemn her and hoped she would figure out a suitable time to excuse herself.
In my opinion, that suitable time was now.
She didn’t appear to want to leave, as she remain seated at the back with thick skin.
Suyang continued to drive along the highway. Gradually, I began to see the coastline. Through the weak glow of the street lamps, I could see a distant beach ahead of us. I slightly opened the window and a salty breeze blew in. I could vaguely hear the sounds of sea waves.
Could Suyang have….
In the dark, Suyang finally stopped the car, “We have arrived. You may get off.”
“Wait!” I pulled my hand out to stop Suyang from taking off his seatbelt, “Don’t get off yet.”
“Why?”
“Can’t we….stay in the car for a bit longer?” I pointed to the sky. “The stars are so beautiful.”
Suyang chuckled, “I thought you wanted to say something else. You want to look at stars?….” Suyang leaned over to me and unbuckled my seatbelt. Then, he slowly lowered my seat and opened the sunroof.
“Now you can have a clearer view.”
“Mm..” From the tiny sunroof, I had a panoramic view of the entire starry sky. It was very clear and made the stars appeared extra dazzling. I could never experience this type of serenity in a city.
At this moment, I felt like I could finally let go of all my problems and resentment.
“Do you think it’s true that after we die, we turn into stars?” I was feeling sentimental, and asked Suyang.
“No. After we die, we will become nothing.” Suyang calmly replied. I wasn’t satisfied with his response, so I gave him an annoyed glare for ruining the atmosphere.
I could see ghosts. Grandmother Meng said most of the ghosts remain on Earth due to resentment. But sometimes, I was curious. After they disappear, where do they go?
Was it what Suyang said? They turn into nothing? Or do they begin a new life elsewhere?
“I have a question…..” Suyang asked.
“Ask.”
“Why don’t we watch from the outside? If we go out, we can see the entire sky.” Suyang suggested.
I tilted to the side as I shook my head at Suyang, “It is too chilly outside.”
Suyang seemed to accept my reasoning as he nodded. Then, he followed me and reclined down to gaze at the starry sky.
His eyelashes were very long; his nose was straight and his lips were rosy. His side view was very attractive. I went from admiring the starry sky to admiring Suyang. I watched as he slightly opened his mouth. I had a feeling I knew what he was about to say.
“Hey, don’t you think this place would be a good place to commit a crime? The criminal can easily conceal his tracks.”
I instantly felt my blood running cold as I sat up straight and stared at Suyang in astonishment.
“There was no one around. The coast light was faint. A man was chasing a woman who was running barefooted. The woman had her hands bound together, and the seashells had cut through the soles of her feet; leaving traces of blood. However, her will to survive allowed her to temporarily forget the pain. She continued running as she cried for help. But the only responses she received were the sounds of the crashing sea waves. There was an endless amount of darkness in front of her; as if she was going through another dimension. As she ran across the sandy beach, the woman gradually lost all her strength. She turned around and saw the man approaching closer and closer. Her fear began to magnify. Ultimately, her hope turned into despair as she collapsed onto the sandy beach. The tide soaked through her legs, and the bone-chilling cold awakened all her senses. Finally, the man’s thick lower legs stopped in front of her. The next moment, her scalp felt numb as it was accompanied by mad laughter. The woman was pulled into the ocean; ankle, knee, waist, chest…chilliness enveloped her whole body. Soon, the oppressing water made it very difficult for her to breathe. By the time the man had forcefully shoved her head into the ocean, the woman suddenly began to wave her hands and feet furiously in the air despite no longer having the energy to struggle. It wasn’t because she planned to escape. However, when facing death, these were humans’ final acts of helplessness….”
I felt a cold breeze blowing by me as I listened to Suyang’s words. I began to lean my back closer towards the car door as I fearfully stared at him.
What was the purpose of his words?
Suddenly, Suyang lifted his head and declared, “I’m going to write these words into my new novel.”
“These words are for….”
“It’s a scene where the MC is recalling his past memories.” Suyang took out a notebook and began to scribble down his words.
“Recalling past memories? How is this considered recalling past memories?” But I felt a sigh of relief. Earlier, when he was talking, he sounded like he was going to commit the crime himself.
After Suyang was done jotting down his words, he put his notebook away and said to me, “Let’s get off the car now. We can’t remain in the car the whole time.”
The moment we came out, a stronger sea breeze than I had expected surrounded me. It was making me very disheveled. After taking a few steps, I felt the soft sand against my feet.
Just as I was about to take off my shoes, Suyang stopped me.
“It is difficult to see the seashells at night. Keep your shoes on to prevent injuries.”
“So, what are we doing now?” I looked around our surroundings. There was only darkness. It didn’t feel romantic at all. In fact, the setting was very horror-like.
“It is currently 3:16am. At approximately 4:50am, we will be able to see the sunrise.” Suyang gazed at his watch as he spoke.
“So you’re saying we have to stand here for another hour and more?” I glanced to my left. Xu Weishan was crouching next to me as she stared off into the distance. She appeared to be deep in thought.
I sighed, “I don’t care. I’m returning to the car. It is too chilly here.”
“Wait.” Suyang grabbed my hand, “Rather than watching the stars from the tiny sunroof inside the car, why don’t we withstand a bit of wind so we could experience the entire sky instead?”
Out of nowhere, Suyang took out a blanket and spread it across the beach. He sat on it and then patted the spot next to him, “Come here.”
I sat next to him as I shook my head and said in a pitiful manner, “Is this your idea of a date? No wonder boss has never had a girlfriend before. It’s not because you didn’t want one. It’s because you can’t get one. You poor soul….”
Suyang was lying down. He reached and pulled me down with him. He wrapped his arms around my arms. I was tightly protected in his embrace. Suyang had his chin on my head.
“You talk too much. Stop talking. Now that we’re cuddling, you’re not cold, right?”
“Mm…” I closed my mouth as I gazed at the sky. The sky appeared so close, it felt incredible. I felt like I could touch it if I reached my hand out.
I breathe in the air. Apart from the salty scent of ocean water, I could also smell Suyang’s lemon scent. The mixture of the scent was messing with my mind.
“Boss…I’m really sleepy….” My eyelids were starting to feel heavy. After all, it was past 3am. Most normal people would be asleep by now.
“From now on, don’t call me boss. During this 24 hours date, we are not in a boss subordinate type of relationship.” Suyang whispered in my ears. “If you’re tired, then take a nap. I’ll wake you up when the sunrise begins.”
Then, he tightened his grip and I felt so much warmer in his embrace.
“Let me sing you a lullaby.” Suyang suddenly suggested.
“Lullaby? Why lullaby…?”
“Isn’t it common for couples to sing to each other? I read it online.” Suyang explained. Before I gave him consent, he began to sing, “Pig…..your nose has two holes…”
I smacked Suyang, “What type of lullaby is this?”
“Stop interrupting. I purposely chose this song for you. You’re ruining the atmosphere.”
“You’re the one ruining the atmosphere!” I couldn’t help but giggle hysterically. I turned over and saw how serious he was. It made me laugh even harder.
“Stop being so funny!”
“Funny?! How?”
I sat up as I touched my warm face, “Because of you, I can’t sleep!”
“If that’s the case, let me teach you something!” Suyang also sat up next to me. “Give me your left hoof.”
“What hoof….?” I felt my mood turning sour, but I still obediently reached out my left hand. I wanted to know what he was going to do. He better not be playing a joke on me.