Chapter 48.1: “Change your request and I’ll satisfy you.”

By the time Qian Heng reluctantly followed Cheng Yao to the carnival site, the expression on his face—one of utter despair—had only deepened.

This makeshift amusement park, hastily built on the beach, was filled with the noise of people and crowds. Besides the lovey-dovey college couples, there were also young parents with kids in tow. But the majority were high schoolers and middle schoolers, boys and girls caught in that hazy, ambiguous stage of puppy love.

There was hardly a single quiet spot on the entire stretch of beach where one could stand peacefully alone. Qian Heng had just found a relatively empty patch of sand when a few kids darted past him, chasing each other and flinging sand in a mock battle. A gust of wind carried a spray of sand right onto the legs of his trousers.

He had only brought formalwear for his business trip to City B. And now, standing on this beach in a suit, he felt completely out of place. Yet somehow, even though Cheng Yao was also dressed formally, she didn’t look the least bit out of sync.

Qian Heng’s gaze followed her.

Cheng Yao was currently dashing toward the shoreline with sheer joy. She had taken off her black stilettos and held them in one hand, barefoot and chasing the waves. Her hair was swept back by the sea breeze, the strands dancing in the wind. Her black hair only made her pale face look even fairer. She was smiling, feeling the touch of the waves on her legs, her lips a rosy pink. Behind her, the morning sun and shimmering sea made it look like she was bathed in light.

On the way here, she had told Qian Heng why she wanted so badly to visit this temporary seaside amusement park.

She had never seen the ocean.

The following parts of the text will be scrambled to prevent theft from aggregators and unauthorized epub making. Please support our translators by reading on secondlifetranslations (dot) com. If you are currently on the site and and you are seeing this, please clear your cache.

Mbl ply callgl oyp pvasdt, yde vbl oyhlp olal bktb, cwv Ubldt Zys eked’v nyal kd vbl pzktbvlpv vbyv bla ealpp oyp tlvvkdt olv. Fbl nbyple vbl ply, nbyple vbl plyckaep pjkxxkdt ynaspp vbl pwaqynl, bla lulp caktbv yde bla qynl zkv okvb wdqkzvlale lmnkvlxldv. Fbl oyp zkjl y nbkze pllkdt vbl snlyd qsa vbl qkapv vkxl, zlyhkdt sdl qssvrakdv yqvla ydsvbla sd vbl pyde yde tzllqwzzu oyvnbkdt vbl oyhlp oypb vblx yoyu.

Ckyd Tldt vbswtbv vs bkxplzq: Eso, vbkp yppkpvydv zyoula sq xkdl byp alyzzu dlhla plld vbl osaze.

Mbswtb bl oyp wpwyzzu cwpu, ewakdt bkp vlld ulyap, bkp qyxkzu oldv sd clynb hynyvksdp lhlau okdvla. Mblu oswze dlhla nbsspl y clynb zkjl vbkp kd Ukvu J, obknb qaydjzu eked’v byhl xwnb vs sqqla. Mblka ts-vsp olal vbl Yyzekhlp, Mybkvk—yv vbl hlau zlypv, Fykryd sa Jyzk.

Gqvla pllkdt vbspl clynblp ycasye, vbkp ryvnb sq pyde kd Ukvu J oyp pkxrzu yd lulpsal—vss nsyapl, vbl oyvla dsv nzlya ldswtb, dsvbkdt pnldkn yaswde kv. Tsdlpvzu, kv oyp y dltyvkhl-pnsal vurl sq clynb.

Jwv obld Ckyd Tldt zssjle ytykd yv Ubldt Zys—obs oyp raynvknyzzu cswdnkdt yaswde okvb fsu zkjl pbl’e fwpv osd vbl zsvvlau—bl bye vs yexkv, bsolhla alzwnvydvzu, vbyv vbkp yppkpvydv zyoula sq bkp obs bye dlhla plld vbl osaze… oyp ynvwyzzu jkde sq yesayczl.

“Jspp! Xhla blal!”

Mbl wdosazezu yppkpvydv zyoula oyhle yv bkx, bla qynl tzsokdt okvb lmnkvlxldv.

Ebld Ckyd Tldt oyzjle shla, bl qswde bla naswnble esod, pvyakdt kdvldvzu yv psxlvbkdt sd vbl pyde. Tl tzydnle esod yde pyo obyv pbl oyp zssjkdt yv—y blaxkv nayc, pzsozu xyjkdt kvp oyu ynaspp vbl clynb. Ubldt Zys oyp tygkdt yv kv okvb alhlaldnl, zkjl kv oyp psxl ayal ldeydtlale nalyvwal.

Qian Heng thought again: Seriously… has she never seen the world?

Yet, for some reason, he couldn’t help but keep looking at her—this assistant lawyer who clearly hadn’t. He couldn’t figure it out. Maybe it was because someone like her had never existed in his world before.

He watched as Cheng Yao followed the hermit crab a short distance down the beach. The crab eventually disappeared, but she somehow found a stick and began drawing something in the sand.

“We came all the way here, gotta leave a souvenir!” A moment later, Cheng Yao finally looked up. She turned to Qian Heng. “Boss, let’s take a ‘we were here’ photo!”

Before Qian Heng could even object, Cheng Yao flagged down a young guy passing by. “Excuse me, could you take a photo for us?”

The young man looked surprised, gave Cheng Yao a glance, and blushed a little as he stammered, “S-sure, no problem.”

Qian Heng, too busy watching the kid, was unknowingly pulled by Cheng Yao to the spot where she had been drawing in the sand.

“Here, this is perfect.”

It was only then that Qian Heng subconsciously looked down at the sand beneath his feet.

And nearly burst out laughing in disbelief.

Scrawled unevenly across the sand in big, wonky characters were the words—

“Qian Heng and Cheng Yao were here.”

A literal “we were here” photo…

Beside the words was a pile of seashells—apparently the “spoils” Cheng Yao had collected while crouching there for so long.

The young guy smiled at Cheng Yao. “Ready to take the photo?”

“All set, all set!”

The young boy picked up the phone and took a few pictures, then looked at the results, and raised his phone again: “Your boyfriend’s expression is too serious, smile! And come closer!”

Before they had time to clarify, this enthusiastic boy ran over and personally started directing them into poses. He casually grabbed Qian Heng’s hand and placed it around Cheng Yao’s waist: “You should hold your girlfriend like this!”

Under his guidance, Qian Heng’s hand lightly touched Cheng Yao’s waist. Almost immediately, he pulled it back, instinctively apologizing: “Sorry.”

Cheng Yao smiled without a care: “It’s okay.” Then she leaned closer to Qian Heng, waved at the boy, and said something to him.

However, Qian Heng couldn’t hear what Cheng Yao said anymore. She had gotten so close that he could smell the peach-scented shampoo in her hair, a scent that was a little too sweet.

It was quite pleasant.

Unfortunately, just as he was about to figure out if there was another scent mixed in with the peach, it disappeared.

Cheng Yao almost skipped back to the boy to retrieve her phone, glanced at the photos, thanked him, and then cheerfully skipped back to Qian Heng.

“Boss, your expression is still too serious. You look like you’re about to attend the People’s Representative Assembly!” As she said this, Cheng Yao took out her phone to share the picture with Qian Heng. But before she could finish, she suddenly yelled, “My shells!!!”

A wave rushed in, ready to sweep away the shells she had piled up on the beach. The wave was pretty strong, and Cheng Yao, intending to rescue the shells she had carefully collected, grabbed a shell, but the high waves quickly caught up to her. She could only frantically run back.

Though she ran quickly, she couldn’t outrun the wave. The wave reached the shore, splashing water that soaked Cheng Yao.

Qian Heng could no longer hold back: “Are you an idiot?”

Cheng Yao was a little flustered, but she grinned and opened her hand proudly: “Look, I saved them all!”

In her palm was a handful of unremarkable shells—some dull in color, some broken, none particularly beautiful.

Her hair was damp with water from the wave, but she smiled purely, with no shadows or worries, like a rose blooming with dew.

Qian Heng turned his gaze away. He took off his jacket and threw it over Cheng Yao’s head.

“Huh?”

“Put it on.”

Cheng Yao held up Qian Heng’s jacket, looking confused: “But boss, I’m not cold.” She blinked and suddenly realized, “Is it that you’re hot but don’t want to carry it, so you gave it to me?”

…

“Idiot.”

This time, Qian Heng nearly ground his teeth in frustration.

He looked at the sea in the distance: “Your white shirt is wet, it’s too see-through.”

Cheng Yao glanced at herself, blushed, and almost immediately obediently put on Qian Heng’s jacket.

The jacket, which fit Qian Heng perfectly, looked like a child’s clothes on Cheng Yao. She seemed to sink into it, making her look even younger.

With the jacket on, Cheng Yao returned to her lively self: “Boss, let’s go over there and check it out!”

She stood on tiptoe, peering toward the carnival game booths not far away, her eyes full of longing. Qian Heng didn’t speak, but he followed her, matching her lively pace.

When they arrived at the game and souvenir stalls, Cheng Yao was quite dazzled. She snapped pictures and selected small gifts. When she turned around, she realized her boss was gone.

Had he left because he thought this place was too boring?

Cheng Yao put down the small trinket in her hand and turned to look for Qian Heng. After walking a few steps, she spotted him near a small stall, picking something. When she approached, she realized he had already finished choosing and was paying.

Was there something at this carnival that could catch the eye of Qian Heng, the leader of the Five Poison Sect?!

“Miss, here’s your change.”

Just then, the owner of the small souvenir stall called to Cheng Yao. She turned around to take her change, and when she faced forward again, Qian Heng was already gone.

Curious, Cheng Yao walked over to the stall where Qian Heng had just been. It turned out to be a shell stall. The stall was unassuming, but the shells displayed were beautiful—many were rare, and the shapes were diverse, with a few even quite dreamy.

The more she looked, the more she liked them. Unfortunately, the stock was limited, and it was clear that Qian Heng had taken most of them earlier. Cheng Yao could only pick a few shells she liked from the leftover selection.

Just as she finished buying the shells and was walking to another jewelry stall, the mysteriously absent Qian Heng reappeared.

Cheng Yao was about to complain that he had already taken all the pretty shells when she saw Qian Heng toss a bag at her.

It was a tattered plastic bag, looking like it had been casually picked up from the beach.

Cheng Yao, puzzled, opened the plastic bag—

Inside were shells, all kinds of them, beautiful shells.

Cheng Yao had sharp eyes and immediately recognized several of the shells as ones Qian Heng had bought earlier at that little shell stall. But clearly, he must have bought more from some other shell stand somewhere else. At this moment, Cheng Yao held the plastic bag and found it surprisingly heavy.

“Boss?”

Qian Heng didn’t even glance at Cheng Yao, responding in his usual concise way with just two words: “For you.”

Huh???

Cheng Yao was momentarily stunned before realizing what had happened. She looked at the beautiful shells and couldn’t help but laugh, “Thank you…”

However, before she could finish her thank you, Qian Heng coldly interrupted her in his typical haughty and aloof manner.

“What kind of shells did you pick up earlier? They’re so ugly, and you still dare to call them shells?”

Regardless of everything, Cheng Yao was still very happy. “Thank you, Boss, for specially buying me so many shells!”

Qian Heng glanced at the plastic bag in Cheng Yao’s hand and immediately denied, “I didn’t buy them.”

Cheng Yao: ???

Qian Heng turned his gaze away, his face completely calm as he said in a composed manner, “I just picked them up by the beach.”

Hmm???

So this is how lying with a straight face works???

Cheng Yao was stunned, too shocked to call out Qian Heng’s lie just yet.

Qian Heng, however, seemed completely unaware and continued his cold, aloof speech, “We’re all humans, but the difference between people is so great. Look at the shells you picked up, and then look at the ones I picked up. You pick up such ugly shells. Cheng Yao, you really haven’t seen the world. I’m utterly disappointed!”

Cheng Yao looked at Qian Heng subtly, “Hmm…”

“Don’t go rushing to the beach for such ugly shells next time. What if the waves are too strong and they get swept away?” Qian Heng gave her a sharp glare, as if his scolding wasn’t over. He continued coldly, “And the most dangerous thing on the beach isn’t just the waves, most people can guard against those. The real danger is the rip currents; you get swept into the sea without even realizing it.”

Qian Heng’s words were naturally full of venom, but it seemed Cheng Yao had already built up an immunity to his sharp remarks.