Prank.
Gu Jiao Wu pointed at the red snorkelling suit on the bed.
‘Where did you get it?’ Qiao Tan Yuan asked.
‘You’re not going to wear it?’ Gu Jiao Wu asked.
‘No,’ Qiao Tan Yuan said.
‘I don’t mind helping you put it on,’ Gu Jiao Wu said.
‘Go outside,’ Qiao Tan Yuan said.
‘Nothing I haven’t seen before,’ Gu Jiao Wu said.
‘You…’ Qiao Tan Yuan said.
Qiao Tan Yuan quickly changed, and ignored Gu Jiao Wu’s l.u.s.ty stare.
Gu Jiao Wu praised himself for choosing the right snorkelling suit for Qiao Tan Yuan. Red made her milky skin shine, and the tight fabric outlined her b.r.e.a.s.t.s and legs.
Qiao Tan Yuan saw Gu Jiao Wu taking off her clothes, and she took a step back.
‘What do you want?’ Qiao Tan Yuan asked.
Qiao Tan Yuan couldn’t believe Gu Jiao Wu didn’t eat his full before sunrise.
‘Changing clothes,’ Gu Jiao Wu said. ‘Let’s go.’
‘Go where?’ Qiao Tan Yuan asked.
Gu Jiao Wu thought it was obvious where he wanted to take Qiao Tan Yuan since they were both wearing snorkelling gear.
Qiao Tan Yuan acted like she wasn’t interested in snorkelling in the deep rock pool. But when she and Gu Jiao Wu dived underneath the water, she was amazed by the underwater world. The sunlight shimmered like a halo under the water surface. The tropical fishes were colorful and beautiful. They snorkelled for more than half an hour. Then she thought of a way to take revenge on him for scaring her last night.
Gu Jiao Wu panicked when he saw Qiao Tan Yuan stopped kicking her flippers and closing her eyes. He swam to her, wrapped an arm around under her chest and pulled them toward the water surface. Usually she was light to carry, but the water pressure made him struggle to pull them above the water surface.
After Gu Jiao Wu dragged Qiao Tan Yuan’s body onto the white sandy beach, she wasn’t breathing and she didn’t move her body.
‘Qiao Tan Yuan,’ Gu Jiao Wu called and took off her goggles. ‘Qiao Tan Yuan, Tan Yuan…’
Gu Jiao Wu pressed his hands on her chest, but she still didn’t breathe or move. When his lips touched her lips, she opened her eyes and laughed.
‘Qiao Tan Yuan!’ Gu Jiao Wu said.
‘What?’ Qiao Tan Yuan asked. ‘Were you scared?’
Gu Jiao Wu held Qiao Tan Yuan’s arms tightly.
‘You pranked me,’ Gu Jiao Wu said.
‘Serves you right,’ Qiao Tan Yuan said. ‘Last night you scared me first.’
Gu Jiao Wu hugged Qiao Tan Yuan.
‘Promise me you won’t scare me in this way again,’ Gu Jiao Wu said.
Qiao Tan Yuan didn’t expect Gu Jiao Wu to be worried about her to that extent.
‘Promise me,’ Gu Jiao Wu said.
Gu Jiao Wu was scared he had lost Qiao Tan Yuan.
Qiao Tan Yuan listened to Gu Jiao Wu’s racing heart. He was actually scared about her drowning. A little warmth and happiness crept into her heart.
‘Let go of me,’ Qiao Tan Yuan said. ‘I can’t breathe.’
Gu Jiao Wu loosened his hold on Qiao Tan Yuan.
‘Qiao Tan Yuan, promise me you wouldn’t prank me like this again,’ Gu Jiao Wu said.
‘Alright,’ Qiao Tan Yuan said.
Qiao Tan Yuan was worried she would change her mind after seven days being alone with Gu Jiao Wu. How could she protect her heart against the man she loved the most in the world?
‘Qiao Tan Yuan, you’re not allowed to risk your life again,’ Gu Jiao Wu said.
‘I heard you,’ Qiao Tan Yuan said. She pushed Gu Jiao Wu’s arms off her. ‘I’m tired, I want to sleep.’
‘Don’t think about escaping,’ Gu Jiao Wu said. ‘You can’t escape.’
‘I…’ Qiao Tan Yuan said. She was frustrated Gu Jiao Wu wrongly accused her of thinking about escaping. ‘Where can I escape to? Would you let me escape?’
‘No,’ Gu Jiao Wu said. ‘We have another five days together on this island.’
‘I know,’ Qiao Tan Yuan said. ‘You don’t need to remind me.’
Gu Jiao Wu lost his thought after Qiao Tan Yuan stood, and walked back to the house because he wanted to touch what was underneath the tight red snorkelling suit. He followed her to the bathroom, they bathed and walked to the living room. She napped on the sofa while he cooked in the kitchen.
‘Let’s eat,’ Gu Jiao Wu said.
‘I’m too tired to eat,’ Qiao Tan Yuan said. ‘I want to sleep.’
Qiao Tan Yuan opened her eyes, because she thought she could smell noodles.
‘Noodles?’ Qiao Tan Yuan asked.
Qiao Tan Yuan wondered if Gu Jiao Wu made noodles from scratch.
‘I thought you would be hungry so making noodles was the fastest option,’ Gu Jiao Wu said. He sat on the sofa and put the bowl of noodles on the coffee table. ‘Are you waiting for me to feed you?’
‘No,’ Qiao Tan Yuan said.
Qiao Tan Yuan picked up the bowl of noodles before Gu Jiao Wu fed her like he did at the cafe and restaurant. She ate the noodles, and another wave of warm happiness crept into her heart. She admitted Gu Jiao Wu had put in a lot of effort to show her how much he cared about her. Away from the city, they were like newlyweds on an island honeymoon. He cooked, she washed dishes and he was attentive to her needs.
‘If you stare at me in that way, I can’t promise you’ll finish the bowl of noodles today,’ Gu Jiao Wu said.
Qiao Tan Yuan blushed. She didn’t know how long she stared at Gu Jiao Wu. She lowered her head, and quickly ate the whole bowl of noodles. Afterward she put the empty bowl on the coffee table, and slept in the bedroom while he worked in the office.
In the evening Gu Jiao Wu woke Qiao Tan Yuan up for dinner. At the dining table, she felt like she was turning into a pig. She ate, slept, ate and slept again. She washed the dishes after dinner, and was happy she didn’t break any dishes. He praised her, and took her to the sofa. He put cream on her swollen fingers, and turned on the Discovery Channel. There were many international channels, she didn’t understand why he wanted to watch a snake swallow a frog. She grabbed the TV remote, and switched to a variety comedy channel.
‘What are you doing?’ Gu Jiao Wu asked.
‘It’s not suitable for us to watch violent shows after dinner,’ Qiao Tan Yuan said.
Violent? A snake eating a frog was violent? Gu Jiao Wu took back the TV remote.
‘You’re not acting like yourself,’ Gu Jiao Wu teased.
Gu Jiao Wu thought Qiao Tan Yuan did have common feminine traits like most other women. She was scared of ghosts, and didn’t like watching nature doc.u.mentaries.
‘I was watching the comedy show,’ Qiao Tan Yuan said.
‘What’s good about watching a bunch of MCs acting like fools?’ Gu Jiao Wu asked.
‘What’s good about watching animals eat?’ Qiao Tan Yuan asked.
Qiao Tan Yuan switched the TV back to the comedy show.
Gu Jiao Wu watched Qiao Tan Yuan laugh at the MCs’ slapstick comedy acts. He pulled her onto his lap, and stared at her tantalizing neck. She was distracted by the MCs so she didn’t immediately notice his hands were slowly taking off her clothes, and his lips kissing her neck.
‘Gu Jiao Wu…’ Qiao Tan Yuan said.
A moment ago Qiao Tan Yuan was laughing hysterically, and a moment later her body melted under Gu Jiao Wu’s body. She lost count of how many times he made her body come on the sofa. She couldn’t hear the laughter in the background either, because she focused on the sounds of her heart softening faster than her expectations.
The next couple of days past quickly like the tropical winds on the island. During the day Gu Jiao Wu cooked, he showed Qiao Tan Yuan how to prep vegetables, she washed dishes after meals then they read books and watched TV together. In the evening they gazed at stars, and slept together in bed.
Qiao Tan Yuan was getting used to showing her hands to Gu Jiao Wu after she washed dishes, he would rub cream on her swollen fingers and let her choose the TV channel. If they watched a singing compet.i.tion show, they would disagree about which singers sang better. She didn’t want to lose to him, and provoked him by saying at least all the male singers sang better than him. But he would win in the end by making her sing sounds under him on the sofa.
If Gu Jiao Wu and Qiao Tan Yuan swam in the evenings, he would carry her back to sh.o.r.e and frolic with her under the stars. What promise? He tricked her, he always had a way to get her to let him touch her. If they bickered, they would laugh together afterward. She thought he looked the most handsome when he was laughing. But she warned herself that their honeymoon bubble would burst after they returned to the city.
On the sixth night, Gu Jiao Wu and Qiao Tan Yuan laid on the beach chairs, they held hands and gazed at the stars. She saw a shooting star, let go of his hand and sat up.
‘What are you doing?’ Gu Jiao Wu asked.
End of Chapter Ninety-Six