ORCBRB – Chapter 56
Chapter 56
The speedboat drifting on the sea came to a stop. The two other escort boats were far away, forming only faint marks on the water.
The soft glow of the sunset illuminated their faces, seemingly coating the surrounding air with a gentle filter.
Jian Cenyu had just stopped the speedboat. When she turned to look over, her light-colored pupils seemed to hold an affection that could not be dissolved, clearly reflecting Sang Shi'an's face.
Sang Shi'an's heart couldn't help but skip a beat.
She took a deep breath. As Jian Cenyu extended a hand toward her, she glanced at the clear surface of the sea. Just as she was about to brace her hands on the edge of the speedboat in desperation, her other hand was suddenly grabbed.
Jian Cenyu asked, “Is being with me this awkward?”
“The winters in Yancheng are so cold, and it’s so hot here. Can’t I go for a swim? Don’t be so full of yourself.” Sang Shi'an blushed, but she didn't deny her intention.
Jian Cenyu tilted her head slightly to look at Sang Shi'an, her tone a mix of lecture and plea. “We’re already a hundred meters from the coastline. The water is too deep here, you can’t go in.”
“Who told you to bring the boat out here?” Sang Shi'an cherished her life and slowly retracted the hand that was holding the edge.
Jian Cenyu watched her quietly for a moment. Sang Shi'an shifted back a few inches until her back was completely pressed against the seatback.
“Weren’t you dissatisfied with the photos we took? Want me to take a few more with you?” Jian Cenyu asked.
Sang Shi'an said narcissistically, “No, you’ll lower the aesthetic value of my photos.”
As she spoke, she urged Jian Cenyu to drive the speedboat back. But as soon as her hand pointed toward the coastline, Jian Cenyu’s hand clasped over it.
Sang Shi'an discovered that Jian Cenyu’s body temperature was no lower than her own.
She trembled from the heat.
Then, with a taut face, she asked, “What are you doing? Hurry up and drive the boat.”
Jian Cenyu suddenly let out a short laugh and asked, “You put on such exquisite makeup this morning, and a swim would ruin it all. Before, you would have definitely asked me to find a place with air conditioning. Why are you so eager to play in the water all of a sudden? Is your heart burning a little too hot?”
Sang Shi'an: Ahhhhhhhhhh!
Jian Cenyu chuckled softly, her voice dropping a few degrees. “Then I’ll have someone buy a swimsuit for you.”
Upon returning to the shore, Jian Cenyu stepped onto the sand first and held out her hand. “Come.”
Her voice was clear and pleasant, like a refreshing spring on the scorching beach, endlessly addictive.
Sang Shi'an followed her back to the beach, where someone delivered several new swimsuits and pointed them in the direction of a changing room.
When they reached their destination, they found only one changing room available. Sang Shi'an asked, “You first or me first?”
“Either is fine,” Jian Cenyu said.
Sang Shi'an suddenly felt a little angry.
Angry at Jian Cenyu’s continued composure, and angry at her own pathetic panic.
She took a deep breath and said, “Aren’t you coming in to hold my clothes for me? I don’t want to hang my clothes on a strange hook.”
Jian Cenyu’s gaze clearly flickered, and the rustling of the swimsuit packaging betrayed the tightening of her fingers. “Is that so?”
Sang Shi'an, her face tense, nodded and walked in first. A moment later, footsteps followed from behind.
The seaside changing room was less than two square meters, very small and narrow, and just as Sang Shi'an had expected, it was a bit dirty and messy inside.
Sang Shi'an walked to the very back. The door of the changing room was closed, blocking out the late afternoon sunlight and making it almost impossible to see Jian Cenyu’s expression.
Perhaps it was the cover of the dim light that finally gave Sang Shi'an the courage to look directly at Jian Cenyu. Or perhaps it was because she had been in the wind on the sea for too long that entering a confined space suddenly felt unbearably hot.
“Do you know I hesitated for a long time outside just now?” Jian Cenyu’s voice was steeped in the humid, hot air. “This test is really too difficult.”
Sang Shi'an asked dryly, “What’s too difficult?”
Jian Cenyu let out a slow sigh, her voice still clear, each word striking one’s heart with a searing heat. “I’m afraid I won’t be able to control myself and will kiss you until everyone can tell what we were doing in here.”
Sang Shi'an’s face was flushed red. In the faint light of the setting sun, she looked at Jian Cenyu, who was so excited, so joyous.
A person like a rainbow, you only know they exist when you meet them.
Sang Shi'an had never been good at hiding things, especially now. She realized she had reached a dead end; she couldn't wait even a second longer of the remaining six hours.
She wanted Jian Cenyu, a desire that was incredibly clear at this moment.
Just then, Jian Cenyu took two steps toward her, closing the already small distance between them until it was airtight.
“Haven’t you chosen which swimsuit to change into yet?” Jian Cenyu suddenly asked.
Jian Cenyu had someone buy many sets. Both of them held several swimsuits. Sang Shi'an looked up at the ones in Jian Cenyu’s hands and heard her ask, “When we got off the speedboat just now, several foreign men were staring at you, and some foreign women too. The security here isn’t as good as back home. Let’s not go swimming, okay?”
Even though the Chinese staff escorting them were professionally trained, and there would be no safety issues.
Sang Shi'an managed to temporarily suppress the craving in her heart and tried to answer Jian Cenyu. “Then didn’t I come to the changing room for nothing?”
Jian Cenyu chuckled and said, “It doesn’t have to be for nothing.”
Sang Shi'an understood the implication, and her heart instantly started racing again. The desire she had forcibly suppressed surged once more. She lowered her head and fiddled with the swimsuits, pretending to be choosing a style.
Jian Cenyu asked again, “So, do you want to go for a night swim?”
This question wasn't really about swimming. Translated, it should be: Do you want to change into a swimsuit here, or do you want to do something else with me here?
Sang Shi'an felt the air growing thinner and pursed her lips slightly.
She finally couldn't suppress it anymore.
“Jian Cenyu, you’re so bad,” she said softly.
Jian Cenyu looked up.
Sang Shi'an said, “Coming to Australia with you was a trap from the start. I should have expected it, yet I naively thought I could last until the New Year.”
“Because I’ve experienced your unique patience and indulgence toward Kitty, I thought, I should make you chase me a little longer, make you look at me every day while being forced to keep your distance. You’ve been in a relationship with ‘someone else’ before, and I’m so jealous. Why should I have to agree the moment you confess to me?”
Jian Cenyu’s lips moved, but Sang Shi'an made a hushing gesture and continued.
“But I found that I underestimated myself. When I saw you compromising and belittling yourself to coax me, saying things like you had ‘no name and no status,’ I felt terrible. I found that I can’t bear to see you suffer even the slightest grievance. But I was always hesitant. I’ve never been in a relationship or liked anyone before. There are too many same-sex relationships that are forced to part ways because of reality, so even if it’s a lie that a longer pursuit leads to a longer relationship, I wanted to believe in it a little more.”
At this point, Sang Shi'an gave a helpless laugh and looked at Jian Cenyu. “But what can I do, Jian Cenyu? I’ve discovered that I just really like you. I can’t even stand the remaining six hours. After falling for you, every moment without you feels like a waste.”
“So…” She tilted her head, her expression quite playful. “Wasting is shameful.”
Sang Shi'an thought to herself, forget it, what's the point of being reserved and restrained?
The moment the last syllable fell, she could no longer hold back and threw her arms around Jian Cenyu.
The swimsuit packages in their hands fell to the ground one after another, making a plastic rustling sound. The impact made Jian Cenyu take a step back, but she quickly steadied herself and hugged Sang Shi'an back. Their fiercely beating hearts gradually synchronized, and love surged and churned.
The moment their lips touched, they naturally began to kiss. Jian Cenyu’s lips pressed forward proactively, a silent response to what had just been said. Sang Shi'an’s eyelashes trembled, and she was on the verge of tears.
With no more hesitation or reservations, her teeth were parted from the very beginning. The wet, lingering, and urgent kiss led their tongues to entangle and caress, every inch of contact exceptionally clear, from the tip of the tongue deep to the root, over and over again.
Jian Cenyu’s kiss carried a soothing quality, as if sensing Sang Shi'an’s anxiety. It was exceptionally gentle, yet it also carried her possessiveness toward Sang Shi'an, making the kiss remarkably deep.
All the swimsuits in their hands had fallen to the ground. The soles of their shoes accidentally stepped on the packaging, and every sound it made seemed like a protest.
But no one paid it any mind.
Sang Shi'an was simply too excited. This feeling of abandoning all principles and suddenly winning over her beloved made her feel light-headed and unable to stop. She stumbled on her feet, and even Jian Cenyu couldn't hold her steady.
The two of them kept bumping into the walls in the small changing room; sometimes it was Jian Cenyu, sometimes it was Sang Shi'an.
Perhaps they had been inside for too long, as a bodyguard’s voice came from outside, asking if they needed any help.
The noise they were making inside wasn't loud, but these people often had sharper hearing. They must have heard something. So, had they been heard? Heard that they weren't changing into swimsuits, but were doing all sorts of intimate things here like other open-minded foreign couples?
The more she thought about it, the more this kiss took on a thrilling, forbidden excitement.
Jian Cenyu was the first to stop. She turned her head, steadied her voice, and said “one moment” to the person outside. The person at the door replied with an “okay” and returned to their original post.
When Jian Cenyu’s gaze fell on her again, their eyes met. They were both panting, a little disheveled, and their eyes held lingering emotions.
Sang Shi'an stared at Jian Cenyu without blinking, the corners of her eyes flushed red from emotion. As if seeking confirmation, she began, “So now we are—”
Jian Cenyu cut her off before she could finish: “In a relationship.”
Sang Shi'an smiled, but before the sound of her laughter could escape, it melted in her mouth. This kiss was clearly more passionate and fiercer than the last. Their tongues intertwined and ground against each other. Sang Shi'an let Jian Cenyu control the pace, indulging her completely.
During a pause in their kissing, Sang Shi'an opened her eyes. Her pupils reflected Jian Cenyu’s cool and elegant face. Even while doing something like this, it was hard to detect any abnormality on Jian Cenyu’s face.
She was as rigorous, cold, and indifferent as the laboratory equipment she handled. Any improper thoughts toward her seemed like a kind of blasphemy.
If the twenty-two-year-old Jian Cenyu was the bright moon in the sky, brilliant and splendid, then the nineteen-year-old Sang Shi'an was the summer evening breeze, vivid and unrestrained.
The bright moon fell to the mortal world to embrace the summer breeze, never to return to her peak among the clouds. No one could refuse this passion and beauty.
She willingly lingered in the world of love, her submerged heart filled with endless, irrational fervor and impulse.
After a long while, the wave of passion gradually receded.
Mixed with the humid air, the ambiguity in the atmosphere was still everywhere.
Sang Shi'an looked down at the swimsuits scattered on the floor, quickly let go of Jian Cenyu, and squatted down to pick them up one by one.
Jian Cenyu also squatted down to help her. In the dim environment, their hands soon landed on the same spot. Their eyes met again, and Jian Cenyu pulled Sang Shi'an into another embrace. This time, she didn't hold her too tightly, just a gentle, affectionate press.
“If we don’t go out soon, the people outside will really think we’re, um, doing something.”
After the dizzying passion, they had to return to reality. That bit of shame slowly crept back in.
Sang Shi'an didn’t even dare to meet her eyes.
Only then did Jian Cenyu release Sang Shi'an.
The floor of the changing room was as dirty and messy as imagined, and the packages they picked up were covered in a thin layer of dust.
“Dinner nearby or in the city? I was planning to take you to St. Peter's Church. They have New Year’s fireworks and a music festival, so it’s more lively,” Jian Cenyu said.
“Anything is fine. The most important goal for today has already been achieved, so anywhere is fine. Going back to celebrate the New Year with Auntie Luo is also fine,” Sang Shi'an said.
Talking about these things after getting together felt wonderful.
It was as if nothing else mattered. No beautiful scenery or lively event could compare to Jian Cenyu. As long as she was with Jian Cenyu, everything was perfect.
Only people in love could find this feeling.
“Even just staying here and watching the moon is fine…” For the first time in her life, Sang Shi'an was so un-picky, she said in a small, blushing voice.
Jian Cenyu suddenly pulled her over and gave her a firm kiss on the lips.
Sang Shi'an almost lost her balance while squatting and nearly fell to her knees, but she was unwilling to push away. Fortunately, Jian Cenyu had no intention of lingering there any longer. She took the bags of swimsuits and led her out by the hand.
The bodyguards were very perceptive and professional. Their gazes didn't even linger for a second on the women's lips, where their lipstick had faded.
Jian Cenyu first went to give some instructions to the waiting bodyguards. When she returned, she asked, “Have you decided where to eat?”
“Anywhere is fine, you can just pick a place,” Sang Shi'an said. “I’m not hungry.”
After all—she had been filled up by kisses.
As it was their first day together, Sang Shi'an felt like she was walking on air. As she was led toward the car, the tingling numbness in her body hadn't completely faded. Everyone and everything she saw seemed particularly beautiful, with an unreal, dreamlike quality.
She wanted to get into the car quickly to sit for a while and calm her emotions.
In the end, they had dinner at a Western restaurant along the road. The guitarist inside was playing love songs, creating a very romantic atmosphere.
After eating for five minutes, Jian Cenyu seemed to lose her appetite. She turned to Sang Shi'an and asked, “How much longer are you planning to stare?”
Caught in the act, Sang Shi'an’s tone was stiff and awkward with feigned indifference. “What’s wrong with looking at my girlfriend? Is it illegal?”
Jian Cenyu laughed softly and passed the mixed tuna salad to Sang Shi'an. “You can. You can look for as long as you want. You can look for a lifetime.”
Sang Shi'an froze, not expecting Jian Cenyu to suddenly say something so sentimental. It was like another layer of honey had been drizzled over her heart, so sweet it was almost suffocating.
Sang Shi'an snorted coldly. “Don’t say such exaggerated things.”
Jian Cenyu smiled, neither coaxing nor refuting the idea of a ‘lifetime’.
Related to this ‘lifetime’ was the ‘two years’ of pursuit that Sang Shi'an had been fussing over. But since they had just gotten together, Sang Shi'an magnanimously decided not to dwell on it.
After dinner, Jian Cenyu went ahead to get the car. When Sang Shi'an paid the bill, she left a tip no less than the cost of the meal to thank the guitarist for his music. The owner happily wished her a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
Just then, the shop door was pushed open, and a gust of warm wind blew in. As if sensing something, Sang Shi'an turned her head and saw Jian Cenyu, who had gone to get the car, returning with a bouquet of flowers in her hands, walking toward her.
The owner beside her immediately applauded and offered a few words of congratulations. The other diners in the restaurant also started cheering. After saying thank you, Sang Shi'an quickly ran toward Jian Cenyu.
She pulled Jian Cenyu out of the restaurant before asking, “Is this for me?”
“Yes. My girlfriend said flowers are needed when pursuing someone. I thought that giving her flowers after we got together would also make her very happy.” Jian Cenyu handed the fiery red roses to Sang Shi'an. “Happy relationship.”
The roses were delicate, blooming with a breathtaking beauty, just like the passionate affection between them.
Another voice fell by her ear. “Even though we’re together, I can continue to pursue you. You don’t need to worry about the six hours you gave up. Sang Shi'an, you only need to remember one thing.”
Sang Shi'an hugged the roses tightly and asked, “What is it?”
Jian Cenyu said in the same clear and rigorous tone she used for academic reports, “I will always like you.”
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