Unable to be Arrogant [Entertainment Circle] | Chapter 47 | Evening at the Shore | Novela.app

After twenty minutes, the car finally reached the seaside. The designated parking area was still a short walk from the beach, separated by a traffic light and a set of stairs leading from the land down to the sand. Jiu Chang complained about the distance, but to Jiang Siyang, it didn't matter whether the path was long or short. Just as Zhang Jin’an had said, there were four sets of stairs leading to the beach, each with a large service booth beside it. These booths housed lockers and were managed by an elderly man wearing a vintage leather cap. Despite his age, his hair showed no signs of gray, giving him a youthful appearance. "Three hundred in total." Zhang Jin’an paused. "Three hundred? The price went down?" The administrator opened his thermos, blew on the water, and took a small sip. "Yeah. It’s been a while since you last came. The price dropped last year; a hundred per person is enough now." "Alright." Zhang Jin’an pulled his phone from his pocket and displayed his Alipay QR code. "Add three pairs of flip-flops to that." "That’ll be three hundred and nine then." The man set down his thermos and scanned the code with a handheld scanner. Zhang Jin’an’s phone vibrated with the confirmation. Jiu Chang was surprised, leaning over the counter. "Flip-flops for three yuan a pair? That’s so cheap!" "They’re disposable. If we charged a lot for these, who would ever come back?" The administrator pulled three brand-new pairs of flip-flops from a cabinet below and tucked them into a cloth bag. Jiu Chang sighed. "That’s not necessarily true. At some tourist spots, they charge ten yuan for a bottle of mineral water, and I still end up buying it like a good little customer." "We get tourists here, but fewer than other places. If we raised the prices any higher, we’d have even fewer people. Think about it, isn't that how it works?" The administrator stood up and handed the bag to Zhang Jin’an with both hands. "Here, Jin’an, take these." Zhang Jin’an accepted it with both hands. "Got it. Thanks, Uncle." Jiu Chang’s interest was piqued, and he wanted to chat with the man a bit more. "Doesn't Little South Mountain have Zhang Jin’an as its claim to fame? There should be plenty of people coming. Why would it be few?" Streetlights seemed to have been installed along the beach, so it wasn't pitch black; the path ahead was clear. There were indeed very few people on the sand. Zhang Jin’an counted only eleven, four of whom were already heading toward another set of stairs, seemingly on their way out. Zhang Jin’an maintained a smile and shrugged. The uncle glanced at Zhang Jin’an and nodded. "Hah, plenty of people do come here for him, but most tourists prefer the famous spots—the Forbidden City, the Oriental Pearl Tower, things like that, right?" "Oh, true. But don't worry, Uncle, this place will definitely get more visitors," Jiu Chang said, casting a mysterious glance at Zhang Jin’an before leaning in close to the man’s ear. "I’m just curious—did Zhang Jin’an use to come here often?" The uncle nodded. "Yeah, he came all the time during high school. I can't speak for other places, but there isn't a soul around here who doesn't know him." Jiu Chang’s eyes lit up as he caught the scent of gossip. "Oh? With a girlfriend?" The uncle shook his head. "No, it was always just him, alone." Jiu Chang let out a heavy sigh. "I can't believe the 'single for twenty-eight years' thing is actually true." The uncle sighed as well. "I know, right? Such a shame..." Zhang Jin’an: "...Are you two talking that loud because you're afraid I *won't* hear you?" Jiu Chang reacted instantly, pressing his palms together in a gesture of apology. "My bad, my bad!" The administrator leaned out slightly and pointed outside, asking Zhang Jin’an, "I’ve been meaning to ask, what’s that young man doing standing over there?" Zhang Jin’an and Jiu Chang turned their heads in unison. Jiang Siyang was standing on the steps not far away, looking down at his phone. The light from the screen illuminated his face, the glow reflecting in his eyes and catching on his long, slender eyelashes. A late-night breeze blew past, ruffling their hair with a cool, refreshing touch that felt incredibly pleasant. Zhang Jin’an couldn't help but smile. He turned back to the uncle and said, "He’s waiting for us. We’ll head out now, Uncle. See you in a bit." The uncle waved them off. "Alright, go on then." Jiang Siyang turned off his screen and held the phone in his hand. As Zhang Jin’an walked up to him, he handed him the bag. "Change your shoes first, then we’ll head down," Zhang Jin’an said. Jiang Siyang quickly slipped his phone into his pocket and took the bag. "Okay." Jiu Chang was already impatient to get down. Seeing them start to move, he took the first step down the stairs. "I’m heading down first to find some seashells!" "Don't trip," Zhang Jin’an called out. Jiang Siyang stepped to the side and crouched down to change his shoes. As he untied his laces, he said to Zhang Jin’an, "Gē, Sister Liu was looking for you earlier." "Oh? What for? Is it urgent?" Zhang Jin’an pulled out his phone and opened WeChat. Sure enough, he saw a message from Liu Wenping asking, "Are you there?" Jiang Siyang efficiently swapped one shoe and shifted his stance to start on the other. "It’s nothing urgent. She just ran into Ms. Zhang Qingyue, and Ms. Zhang wanted her to pass a message to you." "What did she say?" Zhang Jin’an asked. Having finished changing, Jiang Siyang stood up holding his shoes. "She wants you to take the delivery packages in the trunk back home. Miss Zhang Shuyu is at the house." "Oh, so she’s using me as a delivery boy," Zhang Jin’an couldn't help but laugh. This was exactly the kind of thing Zhang Qingyue would do. No wonder she had been so generous when he asked to borrow her car keys. "I was wondering why she was so willing to lend me the car." Jiang Siyang looked up at the sky. "Then we should probably head back a bit sooner later so it doesn't get too late." "It’s fine. Zhang Shuyu doesn't sleep until the early hours of the morning. She’s been extremely bored lately and practically begs for people to visit her." Zhang Jin’an looked at the shoes in Jiang Siyang’s hand. "You can just give those to the administrator. He’ll give you a ticket and a key." "Okay." Once Jiang Siyang had stored his shoes, the two of them walked down the steps together. Zhang Jin’an walked slowly with his hands behind his back, with Jiang Siyang following just behind. When they reached the sand, Zhang Jin’an paused noticeably. Knowing this was to wait for him, Jiang Siyang quickened his pace until they were walking side by side. The flip-flops were thin, allowing them to feel the softness of the sand beneath their feet. They didn't say a word, simply walking slowly in silence. Before they knew it, they had reached the edge of the beach. The sea was within arm's reach; if they took just one more small step forward, the waves would have lapped right against the hem of Jiang Siyang’s trousers.