Drifting on a String - Chapter 43

Chapter 43

Chen Piaopiao had said she wanted to hug Tao Jin, and she meant by the sea in Nanli.

In her imagination, there was an azure sky and a vast ocean, and she would embrace the person beside her amidst the brilliant sun and sparkling waves. However, the sea in Nanli was ugly.

Because they had come at the wrong time. The original plan was for the end of November, but the trip was postponed due to scheduling conflicts, making it even colder. The sky was overcast, and so was the seawater, which looked murky and dark. If not for the slightly finer sand on the beach and the salty, damp smell in the air, it was no different from a river.

"It really doesn't look like a sea. More like it was born from a river," Chen Piaopiao concluded, standing on the scenic balcony.

Tao Jin washed her hands and was applying hand cream as she walked over. Chen Piaopiao turned and threw her arms around her. Tao Jin shifted her waist slightly, holding up her wrists. "I'm all dirty from sitting in the car for so long."

"Let me hug you for a bit. They're unpacking. It'll be harder to hug you later." Chen Piaopiao buried her face in the crook of her neck. She still smelled so good, not dirty at all.

Tao Jin gently wrapped her arms around her. "Are you tired? Should we unpack now, or wait until we get back tonight?"

"Tonight."

They were staying in a duplex suite. There was a king-sized bedroom upstairs and a standard room downstairs. The three from Hippocampus casually squeezed in together. The room had a great view and a nice environment, costing over 3,000 a night, which wasn't too expensive when split. Because she and Chen Piaopiao were taking one room, Tao Jin split the cost evenly with the other three. Xiao Ma was delighted, saying she loved hanging out with rich people like this.

In truth, she knew even better that if it weren't a group trip where everyone's spending level had to be considered, Tao Jin and Chen Piaopiao could probably have had an even more comfortable time.

After all, their dorm had defined this trip for the young couple as a "honeymoon."

After resting for a few dozen minutes, they changed into their travel battle attire. As the saying goes, when you're out and about, you make your own impression. Even if the sea looked like a river, they still had to dress beautifully.

Chen Piaopiao wore a long, blue-gray gradient gauze skirt with a small black leather jacket. Tao Jin wore a front-slit, washed, distressed-style denim maxi skirt. Her tight tank top and short boots were both black, and she wore a semi-sheer, off-white blouse over it. Her long, slender neck was also attended to, encircled by a choker made of layered leather and a thin chain. It was very cool and very stylish.

The two of them came down the stairs while the Hippocampus trio sat on the sofa, gnawing on oranges.

Xiao Ma slurped some juice from an orange peel and teased them about their getups. "Where's the magazine shoot?"

With their natural-born good looks, they made her, despite her careful dressing, look like a henchman.

Tizi also sighed. "I'm full. Why don't we just go to sleep?"

Lao Hai pushed up her glasses. "Seriously. I don't want to go out with celebrities."

Chen Piaopiao found it funny. She linked her arm with Tao Jin's and looked at her. Tao Jin was perplexed, tilting her head and saying softly, "I thought you were all used to it."

"Get lost!" Xiao Ma threw a cushion at her.

Tao Jin caught it with a smile and placed it on a chair. "Let's go."

They left noisily, chattering away as they looked for a place. Although the scenery was average, the Nanli community's planning and development were quite good. The buildings had a unified blue and white color scheme, the shop signs were black and gold, and the landscaping was well done. The varying heights of the plants added to the charm, and combined with the wide, clean avenues, it all had the air of a niche, artistic place.

Not only was the architectural planning and design beautiful, but the shops that had moved in also catered to the tastes of artsy youth. Several stages and exhibition areas were even preserved on the beach, some for brand promotions, others for drama performances.

As they were leaving the hotel, they happened to see an actress checking in at the front desk.

"Holy shit," Xiao Ma whispered, tugging on Chen Piaopiao. "That one, that one."

"Which one, which one?" Tizi leaned in to gossip.

"The one from Nameless Lover, Zhang Yuxuan," Chen Piaopiao said quietly.

"Oh, right, right, right," Xiao Ma said, stealing several more glances. She watched the woman get on the elevator before commenting, "How is she so dark in person? And so skinny. Not as good-looking as you two."

"She's naturally dark. I've seen a lot of exposés. And she has a bad temper. In one behind-the-scenes clip, she had to film a horse-riding scene, but she couldn't ride and blamed the staff for preparing bad props." Chen Piaopiao quickly and quietly dished out the gossip.

A hand gently rested on her shoulder, guiding her forward.

"Persona," Tao Jin reminded her softly.

Chen Piaopiao was a little annoyed with herself. It was her first time seeing a celebrity, and she hadn't controlled herself. She glanced back at Xiao Ma, who was walking with a stunned expression, dragging her feet as if she hadn't processed it all.

It was hard to tell if she was processing the gossip, or processing Chen Piaopiao.

Lunch was at a place with equally high ratings for its ambiance and its per-person cost. Aside from the braised rice with crab legs, which was decent, everything else was terribly unappetizing. Xiao Ma was heartbroken over the money, wondering if there were any honest food bloggers left in the world. All those reviews claiming their "eyes lit up from the food"—every single one of them was a menace.

They should be arrested for fraud.

Chen Piaopiao had been smiling ever since they left. Even though the trip wasn't what she had imagined, she still found it very interesting.

Just leaning against Tao Jin while walking down the street, seeing a pretty gelato shop, and having Tao Jin buy one for her—she found all of it very interesting.

"Pat me Pet me…" Chen Piaopiao read the sign on the side, licking her jasmine and iced soy milk-flavored ice cream. "What does that mean?"

"Pat me, pet me," Tao Jin translated.

"Oh, okay." Since she's asking so eagerly. Chen Piaopiao patted her on the shoulder and walked on, eating her ice cream.

"Piaopiao."

Walking on the beach, she heard the spring breeze calling her name.

Chen Piaopiao turned her head and was captured in Tao Jin's lens.

She smiled, then tilted her head, generously letting Tao Jin take a few pictures. Her bright, eighteen-year-old face was the best light. If the sea couldn't reflect the sun, it could at least treasure the brilliant, smiling eyes of a passerby.

After the photoshoot, Chen Piaopiao ran over to look. She tucked her hair back, very satisfied, and asked Tao Jin to send her the photos.

For the next two hours, Xiao Ma and the others went into the sea to play, while Chen Piaopiao and Tao Jin sat at an open-air bar by the beach, ordered two drinks, and started editing photos.

The sea breeze was sticky, as if it carried a sound with it. Each gust felt like a slightly annoying, clinging kiss. Tao Jin listened to the drum music nearby—it sounded Spanish in style—and rested her arm on the back of her chair. She said to Chen Piaopiao, "Let's go to Tahiti next time."

The sea is prettier there.

"When's next time?" Chen Piaopiao didn't look up, skillfully using the photo-editing app.

"Your birthday? Or mine?" Tao Jin drank calmly, trying to find a legitimate excuse to take Chen Piaopiao on a trip.

Chen Piaopiao understood her intention, so she said, "I don't want to see the sea again so soon. Let's wait until you graduate. I'll go with you on your graduation trip."

She calculated the time. A little over a year. That was doable. She should be able to save up enough money.

"Okay." Tao Jin smiled, pleased.

The longer the little fox planned for, the happier the whale was.

Chen Piaopiao finished editing the photos, thought for a moment, then added the tags #OOTD, #Nanli, and #TravelGuide before posting them on social media.

She chewed on her straw. When she had searched for Nanli travel guides earlier, she'd discovered that some bloggers with enough traffic could get paid for promotions. And at lunch, Xiao Ma had mentioned that some shops invite bloggers to review them.

Xiao Ma also said… that she was quite good-looking. ^_^

What if? A tender sprout of an idea took root in Chen Piaopiao's heart. She felt she really needed to save some money, especially since Tao Jin would be entering the workforce soon, and her spending level might change again. When they went out, she couldn't just let Tao Jin pay for everything all the time.

This time, Tao Jin had paid for the hotel room directly. She hadn't mentioned it to Chen Piaopiao, and Chen Piaopiao had played dumb. Because even if they split it, her share of 750 yuan—1500 for two nights—was still enough to be a burden.

She still wanted to earn money. And she wanted to try every possibility.

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