The car continued to move forward, the rain was getting heavier, and the roof was lowered, instantly blocking out the white noise such as the wind and rain.
The car sped forward, the tires rolling up the white, spicy rain into different shapes and disappearing in the rearview mirror in an instant.
Electronic music continued to ignite the restless atmosphere in the car. Liu Sijia stood up amid the deafening music and approached Ning Chao, asking in a hoarse voice:
"Where are we going?"
Ning Chao was startled and scratched his ear: "I don't know either, Miss, I just realized why you were so noisy."
Liu Sijia patted his shoulder and retorted, "You are the one making a fuss."
She sat back in the back seat, and everyone looked at each other in bewilderment. They had agreed to a great escape, but in the end they didn't even know where to go. The atmosphere was silent for a while, and they said in unison:
"seaside."
It was precisely because of the common idea that made him happy that Ban Sheng leaned against the car window and spoke slowly:
“It’s raining now.”
When a typhoon or heavy rain hits, the ports in the relevant sea areas will stop operating and tourists are prohibited from approaching.
This is Ban Sheng's style of doing things. When encountering something, he will consider the consequences first and then decide whether it is feasible.
The excited people seemed to be poured with a bucket of cold water. Ban Sheng's eyelids moved, and seeing Lin Weixia's frustrated face, he raised his hand and gently pinched her fair cheek, saying:
"Drive forward now. If the rain stops, we'll go to Aoi Chong."
"yeah!"
"Wow, sure!"
"Ning Chao, charge, charge!"
"Are you happy?" Ban Sheng asked her with a lazy face and raised eyebrows.
"Um."
Fortunately, even God was on the side of these young people. After the car drove around Daha Mountain, the heavy rain stopped and the sun came out.
This is summer.
The car turned a corner and drove along the foot of the mountain, heading straight for the sea. After driving for more than 40 minutes, they arrived at Kuichong, and a group of boys and girls jumped out of the car.
People stepped on the furry sand, and the salty and humid sea breeze blew. Lin Weixia took a deep breath. The air after the rain was mixed with the smell of coconut tree roots and was very fresh.
Looking around, everything seems new.
The group walked back and forth towards the sea. Halfway through, Ning Chao lit a cigarette. He remembered something and waved the hand holding the cigarette at them:
"I'm going to the service station to buy a lighter."
"Let's go," Liu Sijia took the girls' arms, her red lips opening and closing, "Let's go, leave him alone."
The gilded sunlight slanted down on the sparkling blue sea. The waves kept rising up and hitting their feet, making them feel cool all over. The girls screamed with joy.
Soon, they started a water fight.
Lin Weixia laughed happily and kept backing away, avoiding their attacks. Before long, their faces, arms, and hair were all stained with the salty smell of the sea.
Suddenly, a shout came from not far away. Ning Chao, with a white plastic bag hanging on his finger, called out, "Liu Sijia, come here."
Lin Weixia, who was playing around, stopped and noticed that Ning Chao was holding medicine. She joked, "Hey, I'm thinking about your injury."
The usually cold and beautiful Liu Sijia's expression became unnatural. She walked towards the beach and turned back to say:
"Don't talk nonsense."
Lin Weixia looked at the people around her. Everyone was happy to come to the beach, except Ban Sheng, who was wearing a black T-shirt and smoking to look cool.
White smoke floated over from his bulging arms and hit Lin Weixia's face in waves. He did nothing but stand there, exuding a sense of ease and rogueness.
People's eyes kept turning to him.
Ban Sheng was facing Lin Weixia, smoking alone and looking at the sea in the distance. She tiptoed behind him, bent down, took a handful of cold sea water and splashed it at Ban Sheng.
Only she dares to do this to Ban Sheng.
Ban Sheng was reaching out to gather fire, the scarlet flames outlining half of his sparse eyebrows. Suddenly, a shower of water drops fell and hit the burning cigarette butt. With a "sizzle", the cigarette started to steam weakly, leaving only scattered embers.
The broad back was supported by the black T-shirt, the fabric of which was dyed dark. Water droplets kept rolling down the cold white neck. Ban Sheng turned his back to her and calmly took the cigarette out of his mouth.
He exhaled a puff of smoke.
Realizing that the atmosphere was not right, Lin Weixia turned around and was about to escape, but Ban Sheng didn't even turn his head back, as if he had a premonition, and stretched out his arm and pulled her in front of him.
Before she could react, Ban Sheng had filled his palm with icy sea water and poured it directly onto the back of Lin Weixia's neck.
Ban Sheng stared at her, his large palms resting on her soft waist. A burst of heat spread out, and drops of water dripped down her neck into her snow-white back and smooth spine. It was extremely cold, a mixture of cold and heat.
A strange feeling rose from the bottom of her heart. Lin Weixia avoided his gaze and subconsciously broke free and wanted to escape. But Ban Sheng grabbed her by the back of the neck and began to scratch her.
Lin Weixia, who had originally had a calm face, couldn't help laughing and kept dodging her attacks. The two were very close, and he put his lips next to her ear and laughed:
"Do you still dare?"
Lin Weixia clasped her hands together and begged for mercy with a smile: "I won't dare to do that anymore."
The two were playing around, and there were some water droplets on Ban Sheng's brow and lips. Lin Weixia stood on tiptoe and was about to wipe them off for him when she felt a strong force behind her. Ning Chao, who had finally joined the fun, pushed her from behind.
Seeing that Lin Weixia was about to fall into the sea, Ban Sheng quickly grabbed her, but most of her skirt was wet and she drank a mouthful of the extremely salty sea water.
Ban Sheng's expression suddenly changed.
He has a very strange logic - I can bully my people, but not others.
So a new round of water melee began.
Ning Chao was not afraid at all. 2 to 2 was fair, but he did not expect Fang Jiabei to join Lin Weixia's team. She was a little hesitant at first, but later she relaxed after she became familiar with the game.
Five boys and girls played water games at the beach. Everyone was embarrassed, but their laughter was genuine. Everyone forgot their worries for a short time and abandoned their hesitant decision.
Everyone laughed loudly and hard.
The piercing golden sunlight shines on everyone, freezing the moment.
Seventeen is so fearless, youth is so beautiful.
After more than an hour of fighting, the five men were soaked through and too lazy to find something to cushion their feet, so they just sat down on the beach.
They sat there to rest. Ban Sheng leaned back, resting his long arms on the beach, and spoke lazily:
"Sleep here tonight? We can set up a few tents."
Ning Chao snapped his fingers: "No problem, I'll go buy some wine and snacks later."
Liu Sijia shrugged her shoulders: "I'd love to, and I turned off my phone, hehe."
Lin Weixia and Fang Jiabei were responsible for sending messages to parents. After resting for a while to recover their strength, they each carried their own shoes, stepped deep and shallow on the beach, and walked towards the convenience store.
There are many mobile vendors in front of the convenience store, some selling T-shirts and sandals, and some selling flowers for taking photos. The boss saw that the tourists were all young handsome men and beautiful women, and smiled and said, "Come and buy couple T-shirts, buy one get one free."
It was actually a very simple white T-shirt. The stripe on the shoulder sleeves of the men's version was blue, while the stripe on the shoulders of the women's version was pink. Lin Weixia put her hands on the shirt and asked without thinking too much:
"Do you want to take it?"
"Take it." Ban Sheng gave a word.
Lin Weixia picked out two more pairs of slippers, and the two went to the locker room to change clothes. Ban Sheng followed her slowly.
When Lin Weixia turned her head to talk to Ban Sheng, she inadvertently saw Liu Sijia and Ning Chao still standing in front of the T-shirt shelf. Ning Chao looked generous, but the girl's face looked extremely unnatural.
Fang Jiabei had already picked out her clothes and slippers and was ready to change.
Ban Sheng caught the faint smile on Lin Weixia's lips and asked her, "What are you laughing at?"
"Nothing," Lin Weixia came back to her senses and looked up at Ban Sheng, "Hey, this seems to be the first time we wear this."
She was referring to the so-called couple outfits that her boss mentioned.
Ban Sheng raised his eyelids and glanced at the T-shirt on his arm, smiled as if remembering something, and replied: "No."
"What?" Lin Weixia didn't hear clearly.
"No." Ban Sheng replied.
The group quickly changed their clothes and came out. Not long after, the sun sank into the sea. Large patches of pink and purple clouds spread across the sky like fish scales, as if a layer of gold powder was sprinkled on it.
Where the sea and the sky meet, there is always a magnificent beauty.
Lin Weixia stood there. As the sky darkened, the emotions that she had deliberately buried deep in her heart seemed to come out. Worry flashed across her beautiful eyebrows and her face was covered with a hint of sadness.
Ban Sheng carefully noticed that something was wrong with her mood and asked her:
"What's wrong?"
Lin Weixia's thoughts were pulled back, and she smiled and shook her head. Ban Sheng didn't make things difficult for her. Just then, the sea breeze blew over and made Lin Weixia's hair messy.
A few strands of hair stuck to her face. Ban Sheng leaned down, raised his hand and pushed the hair away from her face and put it behind her. His movements were intimate and natural.
A faint smell of tobacco came over her. Lin Weixia raised her eyes to look at Ban Sheng and indeed saw herself in his pupils.
He really likes her, Lin Weixia thought sadly.
"Go and catch some seafood with them before it gets completely dark." Ban Sheng touched her head habitually.
"good."
Lin Weixia borrowed two bamboo baskets from the convenience store owner and went to the lighthouse with Fang Jiabei to catch fish. Liu Sijia took the initiative to suggest helping the boys set up the rented tent.
Ning Chao had a cigarette next to his ear and was threading the rod and tightening the screws neatly without any hesitation. He was quite good at this kind of work, but there was a young lady standing next to him and he was afraid of poking her if he was not careful.
Liu Sijia was just making things worse for him by standing there.
"Please, go fishing with Lin Weixia and the others. Wouldn't it be fun to catch crabs and pick up shells? You have to rely on me instead." Ning Chao raised his chin.
Liu Sijia rubbed her ears uncomfortably and raised her chin: "Who is getting close to you? Stop being narcissistic."
As the sky darkened, the administrator kept whistling to drive away the tourists who were still in the deep waters and those who were still checking in at the lighthouse.
The tide is about to rise.
The place where Lin Weixia and the others went to catch seafood was not easy to walk to and from, as there were many reefs along the way. Ban Sheng was afraid that someone would fall, so he went to pick them up with a cigarette between his lips.
After fishing in the sea for half a day, Lin Weixia only picked up two small crabs and three shells, with a look of joy in her eyes.
After finally picking up the crabs, Lin Weixia took her companions to release them.
Ban Sheng stood aside, looking up at Lin Weixia who was releasing crabs. She was bending over, her expression serious and focused, with hair falling from her forehead, and the crescent-shaped white light falling on her ears, showing a faint tenderness.
After everything was ready, the group had dinner at a nearby restaurant. The dish was all seafood, and Lin Weixia ate half a bowl of rice.
Ning Chao was talking to Ban Sheng. He saw him listening nonchalantly while naturally moving the soup that Lin Weixia was about to drink in front of himself. The latter looked at him with confusion.
"Aren't you allergic to oysters?" Ban Sheng looked at her.
Lin Weixia reacted and smiled embarrassedly: "Yes, I forgot."
Ban Sheng held the handle of the spoon and drank Lin Weixia's soup slowly. When he heard the voice, he raised his eyebrows and asked:
"Why don't you say anything?"
“… What the hell can I say?” Ning Chao was speechless, feeling like he was eating a mouthful of dog food.
When it was Liu Sijia's turn to eat, everyone stared at her.
"It's so fierce." Liu Sijia complained, but still stuffed the food into her mouth obediently.
Night fell quickly, and five boys and girls sat on the beach, drinking and singing. Ban Sheng played a song on his phone. Lin Weixia glanced at it. It was called "Paradise". An ethereal female voice sounded, and the lead singer sang in a very melodious way, with charming Cantonese pronunciation:
Everyone is looking for a happy garden
A paradise free from worries
Everyone longs for a happy garden
A paradise for making beautiful dreams
The group of people leaned against each other and were soon enveloped by the light and hazy atmosphere of the song. They stared in a daze at the undulating sea not far away. Everyone thought of their own hidden thoughts, and some confusion or pain was evoked by this intoxicating song.
The atmosphere suddenly became sentimental, and Liu Sijia hated this the most, so she suggested, "How about playing a card drawing game?"
"Sure." Lin Weixia said, hugging her knees.
Liu Sijia took a handful of cards and opened them in a fan shape. Before Ning Chao drew his card, he kept chanting "Heaven and earth, please don't let me draw a card that I shouldn't draw." The former rolled her eyes at him.
Ning Chao drew out a card and saw that it was a knight card with the words - What is your dream
He breathed a sigh of relief, lowered his head to meet the curious eyes, and touched his head uncomfortably: "To be honest, no."
Several people looked surprised. You looked at me and I looked at you. No one could believe that such a beautiful girl would not have any dreams.
"In fact, everyone has changed since entering the third year of high school. They are all working very hard. Even my basketball friends who don't have much hope of going to college have said that they will stop playing basketball and want to give it a try. What about me—" Ning Chao laughed at himself, his tone revealing a hint of confusion, "I am still the same lazy person, because I have no motivation. I don't know what I will be like in the future? A social scum? Or the owner of a food stall on Goldfish Street?"
"I don't know. You've heard the fable about the donkey pulling the millstone and the farmer tying a carrot on its head. I feel like that donkey now. I go to class as planned, go home to help with the chores, and then I lift the blindfold. In fact, I have nothing, not even the motivation to move forward. I don't even know what my dream is."
When his companion wanted to comfort him, Ning Chao waved his hand and regained his rogue look, urging the next person to smoke, "You—quickly."
Everyone held their breath. Liu Sijia drew the witch card - Tell me about your recent situation.
The atmosphere fell into silence. Ban Sheng sat aside, his elbows on his knees, holding a can of beer in one hand, and said:
"You don't have to say it if you don't want to."
"It's okay," Liu Sijia shook her head. She reached out to wipe off the bright lipstick on her lips and began to speak. "My parents divorced very early, and I grew up with my dad. He was very good to me, but he didn't care about me much. My mom has high demands on herself, and she also has abnormal demands on her own daughter. I always force myself to try hard to satisfy her, as if this is the only way to gain a little love from her."
"I have forgotten when I started dieting. It seems that my mother stopped attending my parent-teacher meetings and became more and more distant from me after we moved. My father got a new girlfriend... All these made me feel out of control. Later, I found that controlling calorie intake and watching the numbers on the scale within the predetermined numbers, everything was within expectations. I felt as if I could control my life and nothing would happen. After dieting to a certain extent, I developed anorexia. I was indeed very extreme and had a strong sense of self-loss of control."
Ning Chao was silent for a while and then suddenly asked her: "Have you tried to communicate with your mother? Have you tried to express yourself?"
"What?" Liu Sijia opened her eyes wide, looking surprised.
She and Wen Liyan both have intense personalities and are strong-willed. They would always start arguing after just a few words and end up parting on bad terms.
Seeing Liu Sijia's expression, Lin Weixia knew that the mother and daughter had never communicated with each other, so she spoke softly:
"You can try to communicate with your mother and tell her that you need her. But the premise of all this is that you must love yourself first and stop making your body suffer. Give her a chance. If it doesn't work, forget it. Some parents believe in fate."
"Yes, you still have a long life ahead of you, so make peace with yourself first." Ning Chao continued.
Liu Sijia hugged her knees and lowered her head without saying a word. A tear fell on the beach and then melted into the fine sand. She drank the beer in her hand and sniffed:
"good."
It was Ban Sheng's turn to draw a card. He casually drew the third card on his left hand. Everyone was looking forward to it. He opened his palm and saw a shark card with the words - What would you do if the person you love left you
A group of people were making noises and looking at the two of them with teasing eyes. Ban Sheng chose a big one, and if they didn't answer it well, the two of them would definitely have a conflict.
Lin Weixia looked at Ban Sheng and found that his expression was cold. She couldn't tell whether he was willing to say these private emotional words in front of others, so she wanted to smooth things over.
Ban Sheng suddenly said, "Sing a song."
His companions were stunned for a moment and then said yes. They all thought that they didn't expect that someone as cool as Ban Sheng could sing. However, there was no guitar or accompaniment on the scene, so how could he sing well
Isn't there a saying like this? "When God opens a door for you, he will definitely close a window." Even handsome guys can't sing well.
Ban Sheng still had a cigarette in his hand, turned his head and said:
A sudden dream
It's the bubbles you rolled up when you left
The group of people who were playing suddenly stopped, and said, "Fuck, kneel down!" As he sang, the playful expressions on their faces disappeared, and they began to listen to the song seriously because of the emotions brought out by his voice.
Lin Weixia buried her face in her knees, opened her eyes and looked at Ban Sheng, listening to him singing attentively.
Ban Sheng's voice was slightly hoarse from smoking, his posture was relaxed, his pronunciation was clear, low and pleasant, he sang with great emotion, and his tone was extremely tender.
Kicking stones and walking silently
The bus passed by
A sudden thought
Imagination turns you and me into shooting stars
Bright night dark universe
All from the night sky
Lin Weixia was listening to him singing when Ban Sheng suddenly turned his head and looked at her singing. His dark eyes were fixed on her, and every word he said was full of deep affection:
I will miss you day and night
I will move forward regardless of my own safety
The fireworks in the distance are getting more and more sad
Staring at the distance ahead and behind
Every line of the lyrics and the look in Ban Sheng’s eyes are saying—this you is Lin Weixia.
The night sea breeze blew over. The night always tends to magnify people's emotions. Lin Weixia's heart felt sour and swollen, as if it was entangled by a thin thread. She stared at Ban Sheng in a daze, and her dark eyelashes seemed a little wet.
"Give me a kiss, give me a kiss!" Ning shouted at them.
"It would be unreasonable not to kiss one."
"Come on, don't be shy."
Ban Sheng turned his head, raised his hand to pull up Lin Weixia, who had buried her head in her knees, and looked at her. There were screams and boos all around.
Lin Weixia met a pair of deep eyes and her heart trembled. Ban Sheng held her face with one hand, chuckled, lowered his neck, and touched his forehead with hers intimately.
He neither made things difficult for her nor expressed his feelings once again.
Lin Weixia looked at this boy who seemed to be carefree but only had eyes for her.
He is always so thoughtful and proper.
Gentleness is only for her.
Lin Weixia felt a sore eye and a tear fell. Ban Sheng saw her red eyes and felt his heart burned. He asked softly:
"What's wrong?"
Lin Weixia sniffed, smiled and shook her head, and answered in a muffled voice: "The wind and sand are too strong, it blinds my eyes."
Everyone just thought that Lin Weixia was moved to a certain point and cried because of her emotions. Ban Sheng also thought so.
It was Lin Weixia's turn to draw a card. She drew a double-sided card and asked the people around her to ask each other a question. Lin Weixia raised her eyes and asked Ban Sheng:
“What do you want to be?”
"Shark," Bensheng said slowly, and asked, "What about you?"
The wind blew up Lin Weixia's long hair. She raised her hand to tidy up her hair and didn't say anything. Just when everyone thought she would not answer.
Lin Weixia looked towards the distant sea, her fingers tugged at the corner of her clothes, pulling so hard that her fingertips turned white, and she said:
"Fish tank."
The world suddenly became quiet, even the sound of the wind stopped.
Lin Weixia felt the silence of the boy next to her and the low pressure he was feeling.
Everyone knows that sharks cannot live in fish tanks. Sharks belong to the sea, but when they encounter a fish tank, which is made of glass, the two collide head-on.
The fish tank will be shattered and the shark will escape with injuries.
Ning Chao didn't understand their twisted words and felt that the atmosphere was becoming weird. He spoke up to smooth things over: "What shark tank? Sharks are already in the sea. The fish tank is made of glass. These two are not the same kind at all."