Chapter 5 Island Escape
Su Qi raised his hands. "I surrender. Let's not hurt each other anymore, okay?"
We sat in gloomy silence for a while. Su Qi recovered first. "Stop moping. Go pack. We leave tomorrow night!"
I said okay.
The next evening, Su Qi and I boarded the plane. Destination: the Southeast Asian island he picked.
When I woke up the next morning and saw the clear blue sea, for a brief moment I really forgot about Chi Wen and all the pain.
"How is it? Beautiful, right?" Su Qi looked smug. "Wasn't my decision super right?"
I gave him a thumbs-up.
Life on the island was relaxed.
I loved staring at the sea. I could sit there for half a day.
Su Qi was different.
A few days in, he had already visited every bar on the island, made friends everywhere, and collected enough phone numbers on little notes to build a small mountain.
We each did our own thing and judged each other. He judged me for coming on a heartbreak vacation but still scrolling through my chat history with Chi Wen. I judged him for being a playboy who would get wrecked sooner or later.
Su Qi snatched my phone. "Stop looking at Chi Wen, little sister. Look around you. None of those handsome guys I photographed caught your eye?"
I took my phone back and stared blankly at the chat page with Chi Wen.
Three days. I hadn't messaged him, and he hadn't messaged me either.
Su Qi opened his gallery and showed me the sneaky shots. "Look at this one. He's from our country too, on vacation. Seems pretty rich."
"Or this one? Foreigner, but hot! Date him and practice English at the same time. Win-win!"
I pushed him away speechlessly. "No thanks. Keep them for yourself."
"You think I don't want to?!" Su Qi looked heartbroken. "I asked. They're all straight!"
Me: "..."
Su Qi tried to show me more. I stopped him. "Enough. Sit down and watch the sea with me for a bit, okay?"
"It's pitch black at night. What's there to see?" Even so, he sat on the lounger next to me.
After lying down, he actually stayed quiet and looked at the sea for a while.
"Su Qi." I called softly. "You don't have to be sad either."
"Me? Sad?" Su Qi scoffed. "I'm fine. Heh. You know how popular I am. If Gu Shang doesn't appreciate me, it's his loss!"
"Yeah, yeah." I went along. "You're great. Gu Shang just has bad taste."
Su Qi stared at me with wide eyes. "Damn, why are you suddenly praising me? Did you tell Mom I killed her succulent by overwatering it?"
Me: "..."
I really meant it.
To outsiders, Su Qi always looked like a playboy—flirty, charming everyone, peach blossoms everywhere.
But I knew better.
He might seem to have dated a whole basketball team of exes, but he'd only seriously dated one person.
He might flirt with every good-looking guy, but only Gu Shang got real pursuit.
He received so many invitations, but never accepted a single one.
No one believed him. Gu Shang included.
Gu Shang was just like his serious appearance—cold, rigid. So of course he disliked someone as butterfly-like as Su Qi.
No matter how Su Qi chased him, Gu Shang thought it was just a game.
Gu Shang once told him, "If you want to play, find someone else. I don't have time for your nonsense."
Su Qi spread his hands innocently. "I'm serious. Why won't you believe me?"
Gu Shang stared coldly at the shirt buttons undone to his chest, exposing a large patch of pale skin. A little note someone slipped into his pocket stuck out—someone's contact info with a big heart drawn on it.
Gu Shang gave a cold snort and walked away.
Su Qi: "?"