Chapter 18
Even for beachcombing, Jiang Xian dressed very appropriately. She wore a gray racerback tank top with an oversized black shirt layered over it, camouflage cargo pants on her lower half, and a pair of black waterproof boots that reached over her knees. Her makeup was lighter than usual, and she wore narrow, slim sunglasses. The bridge of the glasses accentuated her tall nose, showing off her perfect side profile.
In her mind, the system could see her preening in front of the mirror. While cutting her down, it asked, “Are you sure Jing Lian will go beachcombing with you?”
“I’m sure.”
Right now, Jing Lian was living under someone else’s roof and had no other choice. On top of that, she should have seen Jiang Xian’s changes, so she would definitely go beachcombing. Some things had to be understood from the smallest signs, and Jiang Xian happened to have that ability—to discover secrets in the details.
For example, Jing Lian being willing to come downstairs and eat with her today was actually a positive signal.
Without explaining to the system, Jiang Xian strode out and arrived outside Jing Lian’s door.
She was just about to knock. Her hand had only just lifted when she heard the lock turning inside. The door was pulled open from within, and Jing Lian unexpectedly entered her sight. She had changed into a green French-style doll-collar dress, the hem falling past her knees and just brushing against her pure white waterproof boots. She wore no makeup. Her face was so pale it seemed to glow, her lip color was faint, and her brows and eyes were faint as well. Only the tip of her small, delicate nose carried a trace of red. Such extreme paleness combined together actually created an extreme cold beauty.
Thump, thump. Jiang Xian seemed to understand why the original owner had fallen for her at first sight, stunned by a single glimpse.
Only, before her heart could start pounding wildly, Jing Lian lifted her eyes. There were blades tempered in them as she looked over at Jiang Xian with dislike. Then she slipped cleverly past her side, as if afraid of touching her clothes, and stood far away.
The door closed automatically, leaving Jiang Xian alone facing the air.
…
For this trip to the sea, Jiang Xian drove an orange convertible Ferrari. Jing Lian sat in the passenger seat. After fastening her seat belt, she quietly leaned against the other side.
Jiang Xian was in charge of driving. Her wheat-colored arm rested lightly against the steering wheel, forming a sharp contrast with Jing Lian’s fair, slender arm.
She was so pale, like a vampire that had not seen sunlight for years. Purple veins showed through her skin, and her arm looked as if it would snap with one pinch.
The car drove out of the underground parking lot and climbed the slope to the road. Early morning sunlight poured down, neither too warm nor too cool as it scattered over the two of them, pleasantly warm.
Jiang Xian took the initiative to find a topic and chat with her. “It really is different coming out to feel the breeze. Your mood can improve too.”
“Do you like crabs or prawns? There are the most crabs this season. Maybe there’ll even be octopuses and starfish.”
“But octopuses aren’t easy to catch. You need tongs and gloves, then use food to lure them.”
After she talked for ages, Jing Lian did not even give her a side profile, nor did she make a sound. It made Jiang Xian look as if she were talking to herself.
But Jiang Xian did not feel awkward. Instead, the more she spoke, the more energetic she became. “When the time comes, just watch me. I’m very good at beachcombing.”
That little mouth kept babbling on and on, like a bee buzzing beside Jing Lian’s ear. Bees always liked beautiful flowers, madly gathering nectar, always forgetting that flowers carried poison. They would only quiet down after tasting bitterness.
“Drive quietly.”
Jing Lian looked straight ahead. A bucket of cold water poured over Jiang Xian’s head, choking her into speechlessness.
Her fingers awkwardly tightened around the steering wheel. Jiang Xian indifferently raised a brow and looked straight ahead.
Up ahead was a tunnel that would take one minute to pass through. She coldly adjusted her glasses, pressed down on the accelerator, and the car shot out like an arrow.
This was not driving out of anger. She was simply using this chance to bring out the power of a sports car. Feeling the strong push against her back and hearing the car roar, her entire body felt the same thrill as riding a pirate ship.
But in Jing Lian’s eyes, this behavior seemed deliberate. She thought Jiang Xian was driving angrily.
Her body had not fully recovered yet and could not withstand strong wind. At this moment, the wind came slicing toward her like knives, scraping over her head and skin, stirring up a wave of nausea. It was not that Jing Lian was afraid of Jiang Xian. She simply felt uncomfortable. Her arms could not help wrapping around herself, her slender fingers rubbing the goosebumps that had risen on her arms.
Jiang Xian was immersed in the joy of speeding. She had originally thought Jing Lian would feel refreshed and exhilarated like her.
The one-minute tunnel had been completed by her in half a minute. When the car rushed out of the darkness and returned to the sunlight, Jiang Xian instinctively glanced at the person beside her.
Jing Lian looked uncomfortable, as if she had fallen into that stretch of sea. Her chest felt tight, and her body sank downward. She worked hard to suppress her body’s reaction, but still uncontrollably began to tremble.
Her face was waxy white, as though another gust of wind would knock down her paper-thin body.
Just as she was feeling awful, she heard a soft thud behind her. The car roof slowly closed, sealed tight without letting even a strand of wind in. She could clearly feel the car slowing down. The wind by her ears gradually dispersed, and the goosebumps on her body also eased. Jing Lian recovered from the dizziness and nausea.
“Are you uncomfortable?”
A concerned voice came from beside her. Jing Lian’s pupils tightened, and she was somewhat surprised, but she stubbornly said, “I’m fine.”
After the car arrived at their destination, Jiang Xian did not hurry to call her out. Instead, she first prepared the fishing net, bucket, tongs, anti-slip gloves, and other tools, then went to scout the nearby waters.
The goal was to let Jing Lian calm down.
Only after everything was ready did Jiang Xian return to the car and open the passenger door. “I found the best nearby area. Get out.”
She gently extended her hand, signaling that Jing Lian could support herself on her while getting out of the car.
Of course, she was ignored by Jing Lian again.
It did not matter. She was a magnanimous person and would not care about the other woman’s attitude at all.
Besides, from the original owner’s perspective, Jing Lian was her woman. Since she was her own woman, Jiang Xian could still tolerate a little temper from her.
The beachcombing area was different from a vacation beach. This place was covered in dark, craggy reefs. Algae crawled patchily over the rocks, and tiny grains flowed through the seawater. Every step had to be taken carefully to avoid stepping on slippery stones and falling.
Jiang Xian followed behind Jing Lian, paying attention to her movements at all times. Jing Lian was already very weak. If she fell again and had a serious tumble, the loss would outweigh the gain.
The seawater covered their calves. Each step felt unsteady, and they could feel the heavy push of the water as it rose and fell. Just as Jiang Xian thought this, water splashed beneath Jing Lian’s feet. It seemed she had stepped on a hidden reef. She staggered, like a butterfly with broken wings, falling forward. In that instant, the fishing net, tongs, and bucket in her hands scattered into the water with clear splashes.
“Careful.”
Jiang Xian strode forward. Her right hand wrapped around Jing Lian’s waist, pulling her toward herself. Jing Lian’s waist was so slender it barely filled one armful, and her body pressed softly against Jiang Xian. Her full hips leaned against Jiang Xian’s thigh. In an instant, that soft body turned stiff. Jing Lian straightened her back, her hands falling rigidly. Coldly, she pushed Jiang Xian’s arm away and took two steps forward.
“I’m fine.”
The soft fragrance in her hands suddenly withdrew. Jiang Xian could not help feeling a little awkward, but she quickly recovered her arrogant aura. “I was afraid you’d fall to your death and cause trouble for me.”
Jing Lian clearly understood that Jiang Xian had brought her out beachcombing just so she could have physical contact with her. No matter how she put it, she was only changing methods to get close to her.
She turned her head and glanced at Jiang Xian, her eyes stubborn. “I can walk by myself. You don’t need to mind me.”
After saying that, she bent down and picked up the tools from the water, then strode forward on her own and began beachcombing by herself.
Jiang Xian put both hands on her waist and cursed noisily, “Hey, don’t blame me for not warning you. If you fall, I won’t help you.”
Jing Lian did not listen to her. Her attention was focused on the crabs and shells hidden among the reefs. In the half-transparent water, a small octopus of the same color swam along.
The octopus was the size of a palm. Its eight tentacles clung seamlessly to a massive reef, and its smooth, round head held two bean-sized eyes. After it spotted Jing Lian, it hurriedly made a little popping sound, dropped its limbs into the sand, swayed its body, and hid itself. The clear water was quickly stirred muddy, and the cunning octopus could no longer be seen.
A trace of unwillingness appeared in Jing Lian’s brows and eyes. She followed the stretch of murky water forward. Around the corner, where the water became clear again, she saw the octopus once more. It lightly twitched three tentacles, not noticing at all the chilling gaze of the hunter behind it.
Jing Lian raised the fishing net. With one hand supporting herself on the reef, she bent down. Sunlight shone on her back and cast her shadow into the water. Animals in nature were extremely alert to changes in temperature and scent. When the octopus felt the sunlight disappear and darkness descend, it instinctively sensed danger.
It had just raised a limb to flee when Jing Lian brought the net down. In an instant, water splashed everywhere, and mud clouded the water. The net felt heavy. She lifted it up, but there was no octopus, only a lump of mud.
Jing Lian looked toward the route the octopus had escaped through, and interest could not help fading from her brows.
She shook her head, no longer intending to chase it. Then she saw that fleeing little thing pass straight by Jiang Xian. The other woman’s eyes and hands were quick. She bent down and grabbed it, actually catching the octopus’s head easily.
“Haha, caught it.”
Jiang Xian held up the octopus and walked toward her with a smile, offering it with both hands. “For you.”
Jing Lian took a shallow breath and did not accept her gift. She firmly believed she could catch one herself, so she ignored Jiang Xian, turned around, and continued searching for prey.
Jiang Xian placed the octopus into the little blue bucket and continued looking for seafood.
Along the way, she picked up quite a few crabs, octopuses, sea cucumbers, razor clams, and the like. Happily carrying the little bucket, she prepared to show off to Jing Lian, who was not far away.
When Jiang Xian got close, she saw Jing Lian staring seriously at a crab beneath the reef. Just as Jing Lian was preparing to capture it, the crab escaped again. The bucket in her hand was empty, with only a few thumb-sized shells shaking crisply inside.
Jiang Xian restrained the urge to show off. She quietly snuck behind Jing Lian and, with a very sneaky feeling, took a brown crab from her bucket and silently placed it behind Jing Lian’s heel.
“Jing Lian, there’s a brown crab here.”
She patted Jing Lian’s shoulder, signaling for her to turn around.
Jing Lian immediately came back to herself. Seeing a crab scuttling sideways by her feet, she quickly reached out and caught it in one grab.
The little thing struggled nonstop in her palm. Jing Lian tightened her grip through the anti-slip glove, steadily picked it up, put it into her small wooden bucket, then closed the lid. Her palm lightly patted the bucket.
The corner of her mouth curved into a faint line, but it was very pale. Especially when she raised her head and looked at Jiang Xian, that wisp of a smile vanished like calm spring water without the slightest ripple.
Just like that, after successfully opening her haul, Jing Lian always seemed to “happen” to find crabs, octopuses, little starfish, and other things by chance. The sunlight was infinitely beautiful, and she did not think too much about why her luck had suddenly become so good.
And every single time, Jiang Xian happened to see it.
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