Qi Bailu didn't ask Zheng Kunyu if he planned to meet Ruan Qiuji. After all, they were fair-weather friends who moved in the same circles; they were bound to cross paths eventually. Business dealings would inevitably bring them together, and they would maintain a superficial level of civility. But before he could even bring it up—not that he dared to—Lin Yuewei asked him just before the plane landed, "Did you know Ruan Qiuji is also in Tahiti?"
"I know," Qi Bailu answered dryly.
He was aware that Lin Yuewei had recently finished a project with Ruan Qiuji, and the funding he had provided had been a godsend. Since they were in the same place, it was only natural for her to go and greet him.
Lin Yuewei continued, "I mentioned it to him earlier. He said he’d come to pick us up, since he’s more familiar with the area. Zheng Kunyu shouldn't mind, right? I remember they’re friends."
"..."
Whether Zheng Kunyu minded or not, Qi Bailu didn't know, but he certainly did. No matter how much those two might glare at each other, they were just the two halves of a biscuit; they didn't understand the suffering of the cream filling caught in the middle.
Consequently, Qi Bailu fell into an absurd dream on the plane. He dreamed he had actually turned into a little gingerbread man. The scene felt like something out of the movie *Flirting Scholar*. Through a red bridal veil embroidered with mandarin ducks, he watched them come to lift the fabric. But when the veil was yanked away, there was only a gingerbread man standing there... The two of them stared at him in a long silence before Ruan Qiuji reached out and snapped him in half at the waist. Zheng Kunyu took one of the pieces...
It didn't end there. The gingerbread man had a heart-shaped chocolate embedded in its chest. Zheng Kunyu saw it and wanted to trade for that piece, but Ruan Qiuji refused to give it up. Then he heard them arguing—one mentioning "One Day Life-Ending Powder," the other countering with "Smiling Half-Step To Death." Just as they were at each other's throats, ready to strike, a voice announced: "Passengers, please..."
Qi Bailu snapped awake.
By the time he opened his eyes, the plane had already landed. Most of the passengers in the cabin had already left. Zheng Kunyu was standing in the aisle beside him, retrieving his backpack from the overhead bin. Lin Yuewei was also standing in the aisle, tidying her things.
Qi Bailu looked at the seatbelt cinched around his waist and reached out to unbuckle it. He had intended to ask Zheng Kunyu, who was handing him his bag, "Are we here?" but as soon as he opened his mouth, it somehow came out as a trembling, "Autumn Fragrance."
"Autumn Fragrance" paused mid-motion and dropped the backpack into his lap. Beside them, Lin Yuewei stifled a laugh before finally letting out a giggle. Zheng Kunyu looked down at him and said in a low, heavy voice, "What kind of ridiculous dreams are you having?"
Qi Bailu, now fully conscious of who was in front of him, stood up without a word and followed Zheng Kunyu out. He still remembered what Lin Yuewei had said—that Ruan Qiuji would be picking them up. After passing through the exit, he instinctively scanned the surroundings. Within a few steps, he saw Ruan Qiuji leaning against a railing, wearing amber sunglasses and a Hawaiian shirt, waving lazily at them.
Ruan Qiuji walked over as the three of them approached, a collision of worlds. Qi Bailu stared at the back of Zheng Kunyu’s head. Zheng Kunyu acted as if nothing were amiss, walking side-by-side with Ruan Qiuji and saying casually, "You're here?"
"Good afternoon. The car is waiting outside."
Judging by their reactions, it seemed they had both known they would meet today, perhaps even having spoken beforehand.
Qi Bailu quietly trailed behind with Lin Yuewei. The driver Ruan Qiuji had brought was a local, who enthusiastically handed floral garlands to the three newcomers. It was a local custom for welcoming guests. Lin Yuewei lowered her head to let him place the lei around her neck, saying "Thank you" in English. Qi Bailu did the same.
He looked up just in time to see Zheng Kunyu frowning slightly, holding a garland in his hand, looking as though he had no intention of wearing it. Seeing how elegant and fresh the white flowers were, Qi Bailu asked what they were. Ruan Qiuji turned back and said with a smile, "Tahitian Gardenias. They suit you."
Without a word, Zheng Kunyu turned around, staring at Qi Bailu as if he had figured out how to dispose of the unwanted item in his hand. He raised his arm and looped his own garland over Qi Bailu’s neck, like a ring in a toss game. Qi Bailu’s eyes widened in surprise. Zheng Kunyu gripped the garland, tugging him a step forward before letting go.
The garland was a bit crooked, so Zheng Kunyu adjusted it for him. This silent gesture felt more... heartwarming than a thousand words.
Ruan Qiuji watched their interaction, his expression shifting. Even Lin Yuewei noticed it; there was no way he could miss it. He could see that the dynamic between Qi Bailu and Zheng Kunyu was no longer what it used to be.
After having lunch together at the hotel, Ruan Qiuji invited them to go sea fishing in the afternoon on a friend's private yacht. They walked to the pier under the scorching sun. Ruan Qiuji and Zheng Kunyu walked in front, both wearing Hawaiian shirts with large, complex prints that made one's eyes blur if they stared too long. The two of them were discussing local hotel management. Qi Bailu had nothing to contribute, so he followed Lin Yuewei’s lead, shielding his forehead with his hand and looking out at the shimmering harbor filled with masts.
The fierce sunlight beat down, and Qi Bailu soon felt his face growing hot. Although he had applied sunscreen before leaving, the intensity of the sun made him worry he might lose a layer of skin. The sea breeze brushed against his face like a warm, gentle hand. Looking out, the moored boats looked like white shells floating on the surface of the vast blue water.
The captain was already waiting for them on the yacht. Ruan Qiuji greeted him familiarly. Qi Bailu entered the cabin and saw it was fully equipped; even one of Ruan Qiuji’s jackets was tossed inside. Ruan Qiuji poured each of them a glass of liqueur. Watching the churning waves outside, he said, "I haven't had much luck these past few days. I hope we can catch a big fish today."
Lin Yuewei and Qi Bailu had little interest in fishing, so they sat at the bow to talk. Qi Bailu reclined on the deck, thinking it was quite nice just to lie there and watch the clouds. Initially, as the yacht sped forward, the clouds seemed to race along like schools of small fish, their shadows flickering across his sunglasses.
Far away from the turmoil back home, in a foreign land where no one knew him, Qi Bailu unconsciously relaxed. Eventually, the yacht reached the deep-sea area and slowed to a gentle rock on the boundless ocean. The clouds followed suit, coming to a halt like clumps of cotton rooted in the sky.
The sounds of mixed Chinese and English conversation drifted to his ears, mingled with the splashing of the seawater—discussions about generators, headings, and fish. In this relaxed state, Qi Bailu used his arm as a pillow and slowly fell asleep under the sun.
He didn't know why he was so prone to sleeping lately, but he slept for a long time. When he woke up naturally, Lin Yuewei was no longer beside him. Feeling thirsty, he reached for his glass. He remembered it being half-full before he drifted off, but his hand didn't find the glass; instead, it touched someone’s thigh.
Qi Bailu looked up to see a hand holding his glass. Zheng Kunyu was sitting beside him, sunbathing in a lazy, motionless posture. If Qi Bailu hadn't seen that his eyes were open behind the amber lenses, he would have thought the man was asleep.
Zheng Kunyu didn't mind Qi Bailu’s hand resting on his thigh. He took a sip of the drink, then finally looked down at Qi Bailu before unhurriedly finishing the entire glass.
Qi Bailu’s face and neck were flushed from the sun. He was desperately thirsty and in no mood for talk, so he irritably slapped Zheng Kunyu’s thigh. Zheng Kunyu was wearing beach shorts, and the sound of the palm hitting bare skin caused the person sitting opposite them to look up.
Only then did Qi Bailu realize Ruan Qiuji was sitting right across from them. Ruan Qiuji was leaning back on his elbows, holding a book. Qi Bailu awkwardly averted his gaze, meeting Zheng Kunyu’s eyes through their sunglasses. "You finished it. What am I supposed to drink?"
Zheng Kunyu pushed his hand away and stood up to pour him more. Qi Bailu sat halfway up, watching Zheng Kunyu walk toward the cabin while Ruan Qiuji remained in his original position, watching them. Qi Bailu couldn't see his eyes or discern his emotions; he could only see that the corners of his mouth were pressed into a flat line.
A moment later, Zheng Kunyu and Lin Yuewei emerged one after the other, the latter holding a bottle of sunscreen. Lin Yuewei sat next to Ruan Qiuji and began applying it. "They just caught a huge fish," she said. "I'm surprised that didn't wake you."
Qi Bailu took the liqueur from Zheng Kunyu and asked, "How big? Is it edible?"
"Big enough to feed you for three days," Zheng Kunyu remarked dryly.
Qi Bailu shot him a glare, though through the sunglasses, the look lacked any real force or threat.
Lin Yuewei tossed the sunscreen to Qi Bailu, and he began applying it to his arms and legs. Noticing Ruan Qiuji was reading, Lin Yuewei casually glanced at the open page. Finding it interesting, she read a line aloud: "'Slavery, preferably with a smile, is inevitable, but it must not be admitted...'"
Qi Bailu looked up and saw the cover of the book facing him. The title was clearly visible: *The Fall*, a novella by Albert Camus.
For some reason, he felt those words were directed at him, carrying a certain irony—or perhaps they were mocking all three of them.
Lin Yuewei also felt the quote was somewhat inappropriate to mention to Qi Bailu. She seamlessly changed the subject with a smile. "Reading in this bright sun isn't good for your eyes."
Ruan Qiuji closed the book and smiled. "I've only been reading for a bit, but you're right."
"You could go read in the cabin."
"I'd rather have a drink first."
Ruan Qiuji stood up, set the book aside, and went to pour a drink, politely asking Lin Yuewei if she wanted one. She thanked him and accepted.
*Slavery, preferably with a smile.* Qi Bailu hadn't forgotten the phrase. He drank his liqueur in silence, finding that even the cloyingly sweet liquid had lost its flavor.
Zheng Kunyu’s gaze swept over his face. Though he remained seated, he reached out and pulled Qi Bailu’s hand to make him stand up. Qi Bailu asked, "What is it?"
"Are you still fishing? If not, we're heading back."
"I don't want to fish."
Zheng Kunyu called out in English that they were returning. The captain heard him and shouted back for them to sit tight and put on their life jackets. Ruan Qiuji happened to be coming over, so he distributed the life jackets, handing one to Lin Yuewei first.
Qi Bailu took his own. Just as he was about to sit back down, Zheng Kunyu placed a hand on his hip, keeping him in place, so Qi Bailu had to take Zheng's jacket as well.
Ruan Qiuji’s expression remained neutral as he sat back down to put on his own life jacket. The yacht began its return journey, slicing through the water toward the coast and kicking up snowy white foam on both sides of the hull. Qi Bailu sat directly across from Ruan Qiuji. Every time he looked up, he met his gaze—though "met his gaze" wasn't quite accurate, as it was merely sunglasses facing sunglasses, blocking any real exchange of looks.
This time, even the "smile" was gone.
As the yacht made a turn, Qi Bailu’s body swayed with the centrifugal force, his shoulder bumping into Zheng Kunyu’s. Using his sunglasses as a shield, Ruan Qiuji seemed to keep his face turned toward Qi Bailu. Qi Bailu felt that looking away suddenly would seem too deliberate, so he simply lowered his eyelids.
And so, before the next bump could occur, Zheng Kunyu firmly grasped Qi Bailu’s hand.
***
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Countless Blossoms: The Actor's Gamble | Chapter 61 | Under the Tahitian Sun | Novela.app | Novela.app
