Chapter 19: A Bad Influence
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Linqi City lies by the sea, and during holidays, many people come to visit, making it the ideal choice to head to the shore before the May Day holiday.
Though they grew up here and have seen the sea countless times, its beauty never fades with familiarity. Wonderful things never grow tiresome from repeated viewing.
This stretch of water is called Dawn Sea, locally famed as the place where the sun rises.
At dusk, seagulls fly from the island in the middle of the sea, circling above the shore, hovering over the crashing waves.
But today, unfortunately, a wind sprang up by the shore, and the sky darkened. Thick clouds looked like dirty cotton, blocking the sun, as if soon they might squeeze out a foul stream.
The seagulls arrived as usual, circling in the air, screeching, the swirling wind carrying the salty tang of the sea.
The Song family had invested in a seaside guesthouse here, so Song Jianli first placed their belongings inside before stepping out to see Lu Yu standing alone by the shore.
Lu Yu quietly watched the waves rolling in from the horizon. Today’s waves were not as clear as usual, yet each crest was bigger than the last.
It looked like rain was coming tonight, as the tide was rising.
The sand beneath his feet was gradually being soaked. Lu Yu stared at his toes, silently counting which wave would reach them first.
When a wave brushed over his toes, he bet the next would soak his shoes.
Then the following wave would submerge his calves, and finally, a massive wave...
Just as the water surged up, a strong, muscular arm suddenly wrapped around his waist from behind and pulled him into a warm embrace.
With ease, the arm lifted him up, his feet now dangling above the waves that should have soaked his ankles.
“What are you thinking about?” Song Jianli asked, one arm around him, the other holding a limited-edition instant camera, a souvenir from the hotel given by Lv Changfeng.
He stepped back several paces and set Lu Yu down on the dry sand beyond the reach of the waves.
Lu Yu was still dazed for a moment before turning to look at Song Jianli. For some reason, Song’s face looked pale, his lips unnatural, as if startled.
“Nothing,” Lu Yu shook his head.
Song Jianli didn’t believe him. “The water almost covered your feet. Didn’t you notice?”
“Ah—” Lu Yu glanced back. The spot where his foot had just been was now soaked. “I didn’t realize.”
“Sansan, please don’t do things that make me worry, okay?” Song Jianli’s voice carried a plea. He was still shaken, having called for Lu Yu many times from behind, but Lu Yu hadn’t heard.
Lu Yu stood there as the wind slipped through his sleeves, billowing his shirt, faintly revealing the sharp contours of his butterfly-shaped shoulder blades. His hair danced in the sea breeze, seagulls circling nearby, singing mournful songs.
It was as if the wind might shatter him in the next moment.
Or if the sea rose just a little more, it might sweep Lu Yu away from Song Jianli’s sight.
An inescapable, haunting stillness clung to Lu Yu.
“Jian-ge, what are you thinking? I’m just here to see the sea. How could I do anything dangerous?” Lu Yu suddenly laughed, revealing a charming tiger tooth and a row of neat, porcelain-white teeth.
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His eyes curved like a crescent moon, framed by long, curled lashes like fluttering butterfly wings, radiant with sunlight and cheer.
In the blink of an eye, the previous heaviness around him vanished as if it had been Song Jianli’s illusion all along.
It was half past two in the afternoon. As it was an ordinary weekend, the beach was not as crowded as one might expect.
“Hmm, I was just overthinking,” Song Jianli said, taking Lu Yu’s hand. “Let’s walk ahead. There’s a rocky outcrop where we can feed the seagulls.”
Lu Yu nodded in agreement.
The two walked side by side along the shore, their footprints—one large, one small—imprinted in the soft sand.
Feeding seagulls was second nature to someone raised by the sea.
Lu Yu cupped bread crumbs in his hands, while plump seagulls flapped their heavy wings, competing to peck at the morsels.
Song Jianli smiled quietly from behind, watching Lu Yu.
The scene was as beautiful as a shot from a film, with Lu Yu as the leading actor.
Song Jianli raised the instant camera—
“Sansan,” he called softly.
“Huh?” Lu Yu turned at the sound, and at that moment, “click”—a perfectly composed photo emerged from the camera.
The wind swept away stray hair from Lu Yu’s forehead, the seagulls gathered around his hands, his eyes gently curved in a smile, white shirt billowing in the breeze, collarbone faintly visible, his expression a blend of youthful innocence and slight bewilderment.
Later, passersby took many more photos of them together, but none captured that same feeling. Lu Yu’s shyness and insecurity stripped away any charm from the pictures, even Song Jianli’s reassurances couldn’t help.
The weather turned grim; from the dirty cotton clouds, foul rain soon poured down, hammering the ground.
They crowded under a tent by the shore, waiting for someone from the guesthouse to drive them back.
Lu Yu knelt inside the tent, stretching his hands out into the rain, letting droplets the size of beans fall into his palms until they formed a small pool of water.
Darkness settled as the waves grew fierce.
Rolling black clouds pressed down, suffocating.
The sea wind blew wildly; they were soaked through. Though the day was hot, so even with the rain, it wasn’t cold. The wind through their damp clothes felt refreshing—at least, that’s how Lu Yu felt.
Song Jianli, however, didn’t think so. He pulled Lu Yu’s outstretched hands back, frowning. “Be careful not to catch a cold. The guesthouse people will be here soon. Let’s come back after the rain stops.”
“It’s so much fun—” Meeting rain by the sea wasn’t new, but being trapped in such a small space was a first.
Lu Yu seemed to be the first to be excited by this, the roaring waves and the noisy rain giving him courage. Then—
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“The sea! I’m going to be brave!” Lu Yu cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted loudly outside the tent.
Song Jianli laughed and joined in, “Okay, I remember. Sansan, you have to remember what you said too.”
Lu Yu seemed to realize what he had said and quickly protested, “Sea, I’m lying to you—”
Actually, I can’t do it.
Then he burst into laughter, throwing himself into Song Jianli’s arms, shaking all over with laughter. The rain soaked their clothes; pressed close together, skin to skin, there was no difference.
He really seemed to be laughing—his laughter was clear and pleasant, like a mountain spring; yet it also carried sadness, as it faded into silence.
Song Jianli sensed something was off, but in the next moment, Lu Yu lifted his head unexpectedly. Song Jianli, looking down, found their noses only inches apart.
His Adam’s apple bobbed.
Lu Yu’s eyes shone brightly as he asked, “Jian-ge, did I lead you astray?”
He didn’t understand why Lu Yu asked this, but the warm breath on his face instantly filled the narrow space with an intimate atmosphere.
His lips moved, trembling lashes stirring Song Jianli’s heartstrings.
Song Jianli’s gaze dropped; looking into Lu Yu’s beautiful, clear eyes, he said in a husky voice, “It’s me who led you astray.”
Lu Yu smiled again, burying his face in Song Jianli’s chest, whispering, “I’m a bad kid…”
He had thought about whether the roller coaster might derail or if the safety bar might fail, leaving him to die unexpectedly.
He had imagined glass breaking, and himself falling through it.
He had pictured that last massive wave suddenly crashing over him, tossing him into the sea, finally burying him in the Dawn Sea.
Even the night the trophy fell, he wondered if it might strike his head, so no one would notice and he would quietly die like that.
But Jian-ge said such thoughts only made him worry and fear.
He’s a bad kid.
“Sansan isn’t a bad kid. He’s the best Sansan in the world.” Song Jianli realized his beloved Sansan hadn’t been happy all day.
Lu Yu muttered gloomily, “No one likes me.”
Song Jianli shook his head sadly. “On April 27th, Lu Sansan was officially diagnosed as not human.”
“Huh?”