Chapter Seventeen: To the Beach
“Sister Yameng, can I…?” Lu Li whispered, his little brother rubbing against her clitoris through the fabric of her panties. Zou Yameng’s face flushed, and she playfully scolded, “Don’t be too rough!” Lu Li pulled the thin fabric aside, and his penis, pushing past her labia, slowly entered her. Zou Yameng couldn’t suppress a moan of pleasure.
Lost again… The last vestiges of her rationality questioned whether she was being too indulgent towards her brother.
What was that noise?
The saleswoman glanced back, but everything seemed normal. Was it her imagination? Had she heard a woman cry out? And where was that handsome young man? She didn’t have time to dwell on it. The market’s management was lax at best. She picked up a brightly colored dress and began chattering away to the middle-aged woman in front of her, quickly forgetting her momentary doubt.
It was an hour later when Lu Li and Zou Yameng finally emerged from the market.
They walked arm in arm, like a young couple, unconcerned about displaying their affection. Lu Li carried the shopping bags, which contained a few new clothes and a pair of discarded panties. The thought made him glance at Sister Yameng’s lower body, clad in jeans.
“Li.”
“Hmm?” Lu Li turned, a flicker of guilt in his eyes.
“That foreign girl… do you like her?”
Lu Li’s heart skipped a beat. He feigned ignorance. “What’s wrong, Sister? Why are you asking?”
Zou Yameng was about to reply when her ankle twisted. Luckily, Lu Li caught her. “Careful, Sister.” Zou Yameng grumbled, “It’s your fault! My legs are still weak, and yesterday…” She trailed off, embarrassed, and stopped herself from saying more.
“Don’t change the subject. Do you like that foreign girl? Wen Hupo, I mean.” Zou Yameng leaned on Lu Li for support. “I can tell she likes you. Well done, Li. I’m only gone for six months, and you’ve already picked up another girl. My little brother is quite popular, isn’t he?” Her voice dripped with jealousy. Lu Li chuckled at her petulant tone. “Sister, this isn’t like you.”
“What do you mean, ‘not like me’?” Zou Yameng’s voice rose slightly. “I just want my brother to only have eyes for me! I want us to always be a family! I want to grow old with you! That’s what I’ve always wanted, and it will never change!” Her words carried a hint of resentment, surprising Lu Li.
Managing the relationships between the girls was becoming a serious issue. Lu Li frowned. The problem had arrived sooner than expected. Sister Yameng was a proud woman, as were Chu Jingyi, Wen Hupo, and even Chen Jianing. They weren’t like An Baili, an uncut gem; they were already polished jade. Yesterday’s card game had been a wake-up call: deep down, none of them wanted to share him.
Zou Yameng’s words sparked a train of thought. She pinched his cheek. “Li, are you angry?”
“Of course not.” Lu Li forced a smile, not wanting her to worry.
Worried that he was truly upset, Zou Yameng softened her tone. “I’m just a little jealous. Why should the little Li I grew up with end up with another girl? I know your likes and dislikes, your clothing size, and now even… everything about you. Is it just because I’m your sister? But we’re not blood-related. Sometimes I wonder, if I had been more honest about my feelings last year, would there even be an An Baili, a Chu Jingyi, a Wen Hupo?”
Sister Yameng’s heartfelt confession stunned Lu Li. The always strong and assertive Sister Yameng was now showing her vulnerability, her jealousy, her feminine petulance. Which one was the real her? Or were they both facets of the same person?
He tightened his grip on her hand. “Sister, no matter what happens, I will marry you—” He was interrupted by Zou Yameng, her face red. “Don’t be ridiculous! How can you marry me? What would people say? We’re registered as siblings!” Despite her protests, the joy in her voice was evident.
“Li, those words are enough for me.” After a moment, Zou Yameng regained her composure. “I can remain unmarried my whole life, maintain this relationship with you forever. But what about the other girls? Li, no matter what you choose, don’t hurt any innocent girls, okay?”
Lu Li’s heart trembled, and he remained silent for a long time. Words had power, but that power had its limits. Vows and promises felt hollow at this moment. He hadn’t realized Sister Yameng had reached this level of understanding. How many sleepless nights had she endured over this?
They intertwined their fingers, holding hands like lovers.
“Sister, it’s still early. Let’s walk around some more.”
“There are other girls waiting for us at home.”
“They’re probably busy. I want to spend more time with you today, Sister.”
He saw a happy smile bloom on Artemis’ face and thought, So even goddesses can smile.
Lu Li’s prediction was correct. The girls back at the apartment were in the midst of a heated argument, even the usually calm Wen Hupo had joined the fray. It had started because Chen Jianing found Miss Lu, who was darting around the apartment, annoying and wanted to put her outside—she had always preferred dogs to cats.
Wen Hupo didn’t care about many things, but Lu Li and Miss Lu were exceptions.
The girls had been playing cards, but their tempers flared, and they were on the verge of a physical altercation when someone knocked on the door. An Baili opened it to find the class president, dressed in casual clothes, standing on the doorstep. She asked sweetly, “Baili, good morning! Is Lu Li here?”
“Lu Li went shopping with his sister. They haven’t come back yet.”
“Oh.” Silly Goose peered inside, counting the girls. “Why are you all still here?”
The question, coming from Silly Goose, was particularly ironic.
Chen Jianing turned away, feeling a pang of insecurity in Chu Jingyi’s presence. The image of Lu Li and Chu Jingyi kissing in the hospital still surfaced in her mind during quiet nights. Lu Li never belonged to her; it had all been a delusion. Even this current bickering was just a way to vent her sadness.
As the atmosphere grew increasingly tense, Wen Hupo’s phone vibrated. She took it out and, after a moment, said, “Lu Li is asking if we want to go on a beach vacation.”
Chapter Eighteen: The Real Princess
A trip to the beach.
It wasn’t a spontaneous decision. It all started half an hour ago. Lu Li and Sister Yameng, wanting a nice dinner, decided to stop by the supermarket. The supermarket was running a promotion: spend over a thousand yuan and get a raffle ticket. Sister Yameng casually scratched off a ticket and won the grand prize—a seven-day trip to the Maoming Tourist Resort in Linbin.
Lu Li watched numbly as the supermarket staff showered them with confetti. He had always been unlucky. He never won “try again” caps on soda bottles, and he was always called on in class. Sister Yameng, on the other hand, was the opposite.
Linbin was a small coastal city in the neighboring province, and the Maoming Tourist Resort was relatively unknown. Lu Li wasn’t sure if it really qualified as a “grand prize.” Hesitantly, he sent a message to Wen Hupo.
He didn’t like beaches, sand, or the scorching sun. He preferred the ocean in autumn, cool and calm. Most people associated beaches with bikinis and scantily clad women, maybe even wild parties, but all he could picture were discarded cans, noisy crowds, and beaches so packed there wasn’t even space for a beach umbrella. The bikini-clad figures were more likely to be middle-aged women with inflatable rings around their waists than graceful young ladies.
“Li, we’ve never been to the beach, have we?” Sister Yameng was excited. Her understanding of beaches came from ten-yuan magazines sold at school newsstands. Lu Li believed that ninety percent of monthly magazines shouldn’t exist. They were filled with meaningless platitudes and pretentious articles, their only purpose to deceive naive teenagers with false expectations.
He looked at Sister Yameng’s ample bosom and imagined her in a swimsuit. She would probably wear a red one, the thin fabric barely containing her curves, a hint of cleavage peeking out from the sides. And An Baili? She would choose a mature-looking black lace swimsuit, if it could even be called that. Wen Hupo would probably wrap a beach towel around her waist, wear oversized sunglasses and a sunhat, and sit on a lounge chair reading.
“It’s too crowded during summer vacation. The beaches will be packed. I don’t really want to go.” Lu Li felt like a killjoy. He saw the excitement drain from Sister Yameng’s face and felt a pang of guilt.
“I guess so…”
Lu Li checked his phone. Wen Hupo had finally replied with a short message:
“Everyone wants to go.”
Lu Li looked at the bright red prize ticket in his hand, the girls’ expectations weighing on him. “How do we get to this Maoming Tourist Resort?” Sister Yameng’s eyes lit up. Before she could answer, the supermarket staff chimed in, “We offer a thirty percent discount on plane tickets booked through our supermarket chain. Please scan this QR code…”
When Lu Li finally emerged from the supermarket, it was already one o’clock in the afternoon. He didn’t know how he’d been persuaded to book tickets for a week later, with the added expense of meals and service fees. There was no such thing as a free lunch.
This Maoming Tourist Resort sounded more and more like a scam.
Oblivious to his doubts, Zou Yameng excitedly outlined their seven-day itinerary, even planning to invite her best friend, Zhou Wen. Lu Li checked his phone and suddenly handed the shopping bags to Zou Yameng. “Sister, you go back first. I have to meet someone.” His sudden seriousness surprised Zou Yameng.
In her memory, Li was always easygoing, rarely serious about anything.
“Li, is it a friend?”
“I guess… you could say that.” Lu Li wasn’t sure.
Zou Yameng raised her arm and flexed her fist. “Li, if anything happens, just call me! If anyone tries to bully you, I’ll beat them up!”
Her words transported him back to his childhood. Sister Yameng had said the same thing back then, and she’d always followed through.
“Sister, there are some problems that can’t be solved with fists. Don’t worry, it’s really just a friend, not a bad person.” Despite his reassuring words, Lu Li’s heart pounded in his chest. Was she really not a bad person? From what he knew, very few people were “worse” than her.
After bidding farewell to the worried Zou Yameng, Lu Li took the subway downtown.
He had a message from an unknown number on his phone:
“Mr. Producer, I’ve arrived at the south entrance of Chuanhai Central Mall~”
He’d be lying if he said he wasn’t nervous. In both his lives, the most powerful person he’d interacted with was probably his future father-in-law, Chu Xiaodong, the man who appeared unconditionally kind but could calmly say, “If you can’t do it… stay away from my daughter.” But in terms of status and identity, no one in his circle could compare to the Fourteenth Princess.
Zhu Xi. In his past life, her name and title had become internet censored terms. People referred to her as the Fourteenth Princess, the Yama King who rewrote the mythology of the underworld.
He never thought he would meet Zhu Xi.
But as he arrived at the south entrance of Chuanhai Central Mall and saw the woman standing proudly in the wind, like a defiant rose, the thought vanished.
Unlike her image on television, the real Zhu Xi had short, stylish hair. She wasn’t wearing cumbersome traditional robes but a youthful and vibrant outfit of a short skirt and T-shirt. Her stunning figure drew glances from passersby, some wondering if she was a celebrity. Lu Li estimated that her bust was at least as impressive as Sister Yameng’s, if not more so. Even more striking were her long legs, which, combined with her height, commanded attention.
Only then did Lu Li realize that the female fan he’d been chatting with online was actually Zhu Xi.
Zhu Xi pushed her sunglasses up her nose and tilted her head, her nostrils pointing towards Lu Li, as if commanding him to approach.
How rude, not even a greeting.
Lu Li mischievously asked, “Are you Cute Little Corgi?” Cute Little Corgi was the online name “Zhu Xi” had adopted on the Valve platform. One of the three great tortures in life was being called by your online name in public.
“Hmm?” Zhu Xi paused, then seemed to understand. She lowered her sunglasses and glared at him. She had fox-like eyes, the corners slightly upturned, making her look alluring even when angry.
“Are you Cute Little Corgi?” Lu Li repeated, deliberately teasing her.
“Yes! I am!” Zhu Xi practically growled the words. “Cut the crap and come with me.”
Lu Li clicked his tongue. The real Zhu Xi was quite unpleasant. Was she really the same cute and occasionally coquettish “Cute Little Corgi” online? How could her personality be so different in person?
What Lu Li didn’t know was that not far from them, the real Cute Little Corgi, wearing a large sunhat, was secretly observing him.
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