Su Zhinian"s heart was twisted with pain, causing his breath to escape his body. The next second, he pulled Song Qingchun into his embrace, hugging her tightly. She cried for a long time in his arms before her emotions stabilized.
Su Zhinian then slowly released her from his embrace. He used his finger to wipe away her tears before pulling her along as they strolled down the beach. When they pa.s.sed the public restroom, Su Zhinian stopped and said, "I need to use the bathroom. Do you mind waiting for me?"
…
Su Zhinian left for about half a minute when Song Qingchun was accosted by a random pa.s.ser-by to ask for directions.
Song Qingchun was not a local, so she was unfamiliar with the place. She apologized to the person several times. However, the strong sea breeze overwhelmed her voice, and the person seemed to be weak in hearing. He asked her the same question several times before nodding and leaving after hurriedly giving his thanks.
The sea at night was rather chilly. Song Qingchun paced around the sandy beach, trying to work some warmth into her limbs. The time pa.s.sed by slowly, but Su Zhinian still had not exited the restroom.
Song Qingchun could not help but wander toward the restroom. Even though it was already night, Song Qingchun did not dare trespa.s.s into the male toilet. She stood at the door and yelled, "Su Zhinian?"
There was no answer, so Song Qingchun raised her voice and yelled once more. There was still no answer. Song Qingchun stared at the entrance to the male bathroom with consternation. She took two steps toward it before retreating one step back. Just as she was hesitating, a man walked over. The blus.h.i.+ng Song Qingchun quickly took a step back and turned around.
The man, however, also turned around to face her. He stood before her and said, "I"m sorry, but are you Miss Song Qingchun?"
"Huh?" Song Qingchun had been in too many "accidents" to count, so she was wary of this strange man. She narrowed her eyes at him, and her brain screamed with alarm. I don"t know this man, should I just run away and scream for help?
Even though Song Qingchun had gone quiet after a single confused grunt, the man continued. "A gentleman by the name of Su Zhinian wanted me to come and tell you to follow this path forward. When you reach the end, turn right, and you"ll see him after another hundred meters…"
So, it"s Su Zhinian"s man. Didn"t he say he needed to use the bathroom? Why did he wander off to such a distant spot?
Song Qingchun was lost in her thought before she realized she still had not thanked the man. Song Qingchun followed the man"s instructions. She walked down the path to the end and then turned right.
That stretch of the beach did not have any lights, so Song Qingchun could only see her way using the weak light of the moon. She did not have a ruler on her to gauge the exact distance of one hundred meters. When she felt like she had walked one hundred steps, she stopped. She looked around, but she couldn"t see Su Zhinian.
Just as she was about to yell the man"s name, she heard the sound of something sizzling coming from behind her.
Song Qingchun turned around unconsciously. Before she could realize what the source of that sound was, there was a great explosion in the sky. She t.i.tled her head up and saw the sky above the sea filled with endless fireworks.