It was a dramatic night on Mermaid Island. The atmosphere was indescribably subtle, but everyone pretended nothing had happened for Yang Xiao's sake, and quickly sent her to her room to rest well.
The others traveling with her changed their plans because of her and were also invited by the owner to stay overnight.
Nothing else happened that night.
The next day, over breakfast with Kang Mu Cheng, Jian Jing caught him up on the full story.
It went like this: Si Yingjie had invited four friends - Kang Mu Cheng, her, Dong Xu, and Lin Yao - to vacation on the island.
Kang, Si, Dong, and Lin already knew each other and ran in the same circles, with relationships of varying closeness, but they were all friends.
Jian Jing addressed Dong Xu and Lin Yao the same way Si Yingjie did, calling them Brother Xu and Yao Yao.
Yao Yao and Si Yingjie's ex-girlfriend Yang Xiao were best friends. When she heard that Yang Xiao's fiancé had passed away, afraid that she would be plagued by grief, Yao Yao invited her on the trip to go scuba diving and relax.
At the dive site, they encountered two other travelers, including Si Yingjie's recent ex-wife, Ai Lina.
Halfway into the dive, Yang Xiao suddenly felt unwell, and they thought it was heat stroke, so had her rest on the boat. But she had terrible seasickness, felt even worse, and they had no choice but to cut the trip short and head back early.
On the way back, Brother Xu suddenly remembered that the island Si Yingjie had invited them to was nearby, so he contacted the island and asked if they could come up.
It wouldn't normally have been possible since they were three days early. But by pure coincidence, Si Yingjie had set off early to accommodate Kang Mu Cheng's schedule, and they just happened to run into each other.
And so, the most dramatic moment of their lives unfolded - the ex-wife and the ex-girlfriend, all in one place.
Jian Jing: [SealClapping.JPG]
She was very concerned about Si Yingjie's state of mind and specifically went to see him after breakfast, using his gift of a tropical fish tank as an excuse to thank him for it - it was beautiful.
Si Yingjie was lying on the huge terrace of his room, listless. He said weakly, "I'm glad you like it. My brother's room needs renovating, so the fish will stay in yours for a few days. They're all rare breeds you won't see outside.
"No wonder I've never seen such pretty fish before," Jian Jing remarked happily. "But seeing them in a tank doesn't compare to seeing them underwater. Weren't you going to teach me to scuba dive?"
Si Yingjie brushed her off, "I have a bit of diarrhea, let's do it another day, another day."
"Did you eat too much seafood yesterday?" Jian Jing asked seriously. "Have you taken any medicine?"
He glanced at her and heaved out a long sigh, "To be honest, aren't you here to see me make a fool of myself?"
Jian Jing looked baffled. "It's just diarrhea, what's there to laugh about?"
"Looks like Mu Cheng didn't tell you? That's just like him, he's very discreet." Si Yingjie muttered to himself for a moment before having an idea. He spoke solemnly, "Jingjing, has Brother Yingjie been good to you?"
Jian Jing nodded, "Pretty good." He had taken great care of her despite them being mere acquaintances, which was no easy feat.
"Ah," he sighed heavily again. "Brother Yingjie is having some trouble now. Would you be willing to help me out a little?"
Jian Jing smiled. "Pretending to be your girlfriend is out of the question."
Si Yingjie wailed and covered his face. "So Mu Cheng did tell you. What a mess."
"It's not that big a deal," Jian Jing sat in the lounge chair next to him, gazing at the distant blue sky and white clouds, in great spirits. "The scenery here is so nice. Oh, there are people over there."
She leaned over the railing and craned her neck to look. "Three women, who's that one?"
Si Yingjie lazily played along, "Which one? The one with short hair is Yang Xiao, long hair is Yao Yao, and the one with the great figure is Ai Lina."
Jian Jing narrowed her eyes and secretly peered at them through binoculars.
Of the three, Yao Yao had the sweetest, most beautiful face and fair skin. Yang Xiao's looks were slightly less striking, but her eyes were keen and she had an air of stubbornness about her that made her more memorable than the generic Yao Yao. However, neither compared in allure to Ai Lina.
She looked mixed-race, with deeper set eyes and a bewitching charm. Wearing just shorts and a tank top, her ample bosom and curvy hips attracted the gaze of even females.
Jian Jing ogled Ai Lina with great interest, but just then, she suddenly turned her head, surveyed the area, then locked eyes in their direction.
She waved at them.
Jian Jing was taken aback - the terrace was a good distance from the beach, only blurry figures could be made out without binoculars, faces unidentifiable.
How did Ai Lina know she was watching her?
Distracted by this thought, she didn't react at all.
Over there, Yao Yao turned her head curiously. "Ms. Ai, who are you waving at?"
"There's someone on the terrace," Ai Lina spoke fluent Mandarin. "I thought it was Yingjie."
Yao Yao laughed. "It's too far, they can't see you waving!"
"You're right," Ai Lina said. "Or maybe if he did see me, he'd pretend not to."
Yao Yao's eyes flitted toward Yang Xiao, though she just remarked, "You can't be lovers, but you can still be friends. What a coincidence running into you though, I had no idea you were Yingjie's ex before this!"
"It is quite a coincidence, but I dive around here a lot and that's how we met too," Ai Lina freely discussed the past, seeming perfectly at ease without a hint of awkwardness, just enjoying the sea breeze. "The scenery is so beautiful."
Yao Yao nodded lightly and asked the silent Yang Xiao, "Xiaoxiao, how are you feeling? Still uncomfortable?"
"I'm fine now," Yang Xiao likewise betrayed no emotion, and even thanked Ai Lina. "Thanks again for saving me. If you hadn't caught me when I got dizzy earlier, I definitely would've fallen into the ocean."
Ai Lina's lips curved. "Just lending a hand, no need to be so polite."
Caught in the middle, Yao Yao looked between them and said to the fourth person there, "Brother Xu, the sun's quite strong. Why don't you take Xiaoxiao back to rest first? I'll keep Ai Lina company and walk around some more."
Brother Xu immediately agreed, "Alright, let's head back first, Xiaoxiao."
Yang Xiao nodded lightly and left with him.
Yao Yao and Ai Lina continued down the small island paths.
Soon, they disappeared from Jian Jing's line of sight.
"Jingjing, what are you looking at?" Si Yingjie yawned and struggled to get up from the lounge chair. "The sun's too harsh now, let's go do something else."
15 minutes later.
Jian Jing stared at the beach volleyball net in the shade and was speechless. "Beach volleyball?"
"There's a cross breeze here and trees all around, perfect for some outdoor games," Si Yingjie said, bouncing a volleyball in his hands. "Come on, you and Mu Cheng both sit too much, you need more exercise."
The tropical sun could kill someone during the day, so the shade was a rare luxury. Jian Jing didn't have much to complain about on vacation, she couldn't just stay indoors the whole time.
"Fine, just the two of us?"
"What do you think about us joining?" Brother Xu and Yang Xiao eagerly came over from a small path.
Despite his earlier melodramatics, Si Yingjie now remained composed and greeted them casually, "Sure, 2v2."
Only then did he check with Yang Xiao, "Can you handle it? If not, I'll call Yao Yao over and you can rest on the sidelines."
"I'm fine now," Yang Xiao took off her cover up and stretched. "Haven't played in so long, hope my skills haven't gotten rusty."
Brother Xu deliberately asked, "You two used to partner up with great coordination, still on the same team?"
"Can't abandon Jingjing here," Si Yingjie just smiled. "Know the rules? Let's play a round first so you can watch me and get a feel for it."
He really had his own way with taking care of people, considerate and patient.
Jian Jing didn't know beach volleyball but quickly got the hang of it after he coached her a bit.
"Alright, lesson over, only real gameplay can be the best teacher now. Let the games begin!" Si Yingjie served to start the match.
Volleyball wasn't difficult, and with Jian Jing's high strength and agility stats, she quickly played decently.
On the other hand, Brother Xu and Yang Xiao's team didn't perform so well.
Maybe Jian Jing imagined it, but she felt Yang Xiao sizing her up several times.
After one set, Jian Jing and Si Yingjie's team scored.
Si Yingjie looked at Jian Jing with newfound respect, clicking his tongue in wonder. "You used to play tennis like a little kid, how did you get so good now?"
"In the past?" Ah Xu finally asked the key question, "Yingjie, this young lady doesn't look very old."
Si Yingjie rolled his eyes wildly: "What are you implying? This is Jian Jing, a writer signed by the Mu Cheng family. She has always been under his care."
"Mr. Kang has to work in the morning, so he asked brother Yingjie to take care of me," Jian Jing explained briefly, and threw up the volleyball, "I'm going to serve now."
It went much more smoothly this time.
Because Yang Xiao's body was still a little weak, and Jian Jing wouldn't drag them down, the two of them teamed up with Si Yingjie to win two sets out of three, successfully taking the match.
"Let's not play anymore, let's go get something to drink," Si Yingjie's face was towards Jian Jing, but his eyes frequently glanced at someone else.
Both Ah Xu and Jian Jing noticed this, and of course they wouldn't object.
The restaurant on the island was halfway up the hillside, and the sea breeze was very cool. Specially hired pastry chefs had made many exquisite desserts, and mixologists tailored different drinks according to each person's requirements.
Jian Jing took a glass of sparkling water with ice, and sat in a hammock to enjoy the scenery.
"You guys are all here," Lin Yao came in through another door of the restaurant, "I'm dying of heat, get me a mint soda."
Ai Lina also greeted Si Yingjie, praising, "This island is so beautiful."
"You haven't been here before?" Si Yingjie thought for a moment, and realized, "Oh, we met on another island."
"How heartbreaking, we just got divorced, and you've already forgotten everything about us," Ai Lina glanced at Yang Xiao with a smile, folded her arms, "Or are you just pretending to forget?"
Si Yingjie: "......"
Jian Jing sipped her sparkling water, thinking to herself, this is going to be dramatic, experiencing it for the first time, how exciting!
Lin Yao cleverly tried to defuse the situation for her friend, and was struck by inspiration, pointing at the two people strolling up: "Look, Coach Yin and Mr. Zong are here."
Who are they? The thought flashed through her mind, and Jian Jing immediately figured it out.
That's right, Kang Mu Cheng said last night a total of six people came, apart from friends Ah Xu and Lin Yao, exes Yang Xiao and Ai Lina, there were two other people.
"Yingjie, this is Coach Yin who went scuba diving with us," Lin Yao made the introduction, "This is Mr. Zong, who also went scuba diving with us, his profession is...photographer, right?"
Coach Yin was a young woman with short hair, tall and statuesque, unexpectedly beautiful. Reasonably, the men present, whether they were attached or not, would inevitably take a few more glances at her.
However, everyone's eyes were drawn to the man next to her.
He had a slender yet strong figure, honey-colored skin, wearing a very eye-catching pink shirt. His soft hair was slightly messy, but not slovenly. He wore colorful lens sunglasses, through which a pair of phoenix eyes could be seen.
"Yes, my name is Zong Xunmei," he took off his sunglasses and smiled faintly.
As usual, Jian Jing liked to use characteristics or professions as aliases for strangers. But for this newly acquainted Mr. Zong, she completely forgot about his occupation as a photographer.
The only thought in her mind was: which fox spirit is this from where!