She was like a kid trying to avoid a scolding from their parents. She pressed her head against the car roof and struggled to crawl from the passenger seat to the back.
Curling herself into a ball, she nestled in the corner, hugging her knees. Through the gap between the seats, she grinned triumphantly at Lu Luochen.
He still had a long way to go if he wanted her to give in obediently!
Straightening his bent body as he got out of the car, Lu Luochen stood by the vehicle for a moment in silence. Then he turned around and walked towards the beach behind him.
Was he just leaving like that?
Wen Sining couldn't quite believe it. She inched her lower body towards the car window.
Lu Luochen walked dejectedly through the lively crowd and sat alone on the beach, facing the blazing sun.
Retracting her gaze, Wen Sining didn't care about Lu Luochen's feelings at all. She held her phone above her head with both hands.
The signal was still very weak, at most one bar. It would disappear completely if she tilted it even slightly.
She couldn't make a call, and she couldn't just stay here and waste time with him.
Wen Sining looked out of the window again, squinting her eyes as a mischievous idea came to mind.
She got out of the back seat and circled around to the driver's seat. After rummaging around, she found that the car keys weren't in the car.
She glared angrily at Lu Luochen's back and slapped the steering wheel hard.
Fine, so he took the keys. It didn't matter. She had plenty of ways to get out of here! Thinking this, Wen Sining abandoned the car and headed back the way they came.
She didn't waste any time. As she walked, she held up her phone to look for a signal. As long as she could make a call, she could ask for help from someone in the city center.
The sun by the sea was big and round, hanging high in the sky, pouring out its light.
Sweat kept streaming down Wen Sining's forehead, and she kept wiping it away. She gasped for air, exhausted and hot. After walking just a few hundred meters, her feet felt like they were about to melt, and the temperature of her shoes was the same as that of the ground.
The road ahead was shimmering under the sun, and there was nowhere to take shelter from the heat. Wen Sining was now parched and her urgent desire to leave had turned into a longing for a drink and a rest.
As time ticked by, instead of getting away, she ended up back where Lu Luochen was.
Facing the refreshing sea, Wen Sining swallowed her saliva embarrassedly. She had seen coconut vendors on the beach on the way here, but with a phone that had no signal and no money for a coconut, she had been delusional to think she could go back.
She stood behind Lu Luochen for a long time before shamelessly sitting down beside him.
"It's quite hot today," Wen Sining said, trying to strike up a conversation.
Lu Luochen's face remained turned towards the front and didn't change at all because of her words.
The atmosphere fell silent. Wen Sining lowered her head and grabbed the sand under her. Her eyes darted around, and she spoke up again, "I just saw there were coconut water vendors up ahead. Are you thirsty?"
Please, please say yes...
Praying silently in her heart, Wen Sining tilted her head and stared at Lu Luochen hopefully.
Everyone around them was holding coconuts and lying under beach umbrellas, enjoying the sun. Compared to them, Wen Sining and Lu Luochen looked extremely shabby. They had nothing but the sunlight bestowed by nature, and they were at risk of getting sunburned or tanned at any time.
Just as she was about to give up, Lu Luochen turned around and looked at Wen Sining, whose face was flushed. He opened his coat and took out his wallet.
One bill, two bills. Wen Sining's eyes were filled with the sight of money. Before Lu Luochen could even hand it to her, she had already stretched out her hands.
"Do you want one?" Wen Sining asked Lu Luochen before she got up to leave.
After all, the money was his. No matter how reluctant she was, she had to be polite. If she pleased him, she could get back to her accommodation sooner.
There was a handsome young man at the coconut stall. The coconuts on the simple table had all been sold out, and he was lowering his head to take out unopened ones from the basket.
"How many?" The young man looked up at Wen Sining briefly.
"Two," Wen Sining thought for a moment.
She felt obligated since she was using his money. It was just a small thing, and she thought it was quite convenient.
She put the money in the cash box on the table and stood aside, quietly watching the man open the coconuts.
Perhaps because Wen Sining was there, the coconuts at the stall seemed like a rare treat, and the place instantly became lively.
People around were chattering. Some women in bikinis were playing with their phones and gossiping.
"Do you think the handsome and wealthy Young Master Lu would really take a fancy to a little clerk?"
"Why not? Isn't this a typical Cinderella story?"
Realizing that they were the topic of the gossip, Wen Sining turned sideways, trying to avoid the others' gazes.
"However, I heard from a friend that Young Master Lu has a crush on Amanda, that actress with a curvy figure and a pure look."
"Come on, all men are scum, especially the rich ones. Just think about the status of the Lu family in Licheng. There are so many women lining up to be with him that the line could stretch all the way to other countries. How could Young Master Lu be as uninterested in women as people say? It's just that he hasn't found the right one. If he really did, do you think he'd be so cold?"
These women were used to being around different men. After hearing this explanation, her companion nodded in agreement.
"Miss, your two coconuts are ready," the coconut vendor said. The gossiping women immediately turned to look at Wen Sining.
"Thank you!" Wen Sining said, leaning over to take the coconuts.
Although they didn't look very big, they were quite heavy. Wen Sining almost dropped them. Fortunately, a woman nearby saw the round coconuts slipping and reached out to hold them.
The woman touched the edge of the coconuts and kindly walked up to Wen Sining to adjust them in her hands.
"Thank you," Wen Sining said again, lowering her head.
"You're welcome," the woman waved her hand and picked up a tissue prepared by the vendor to wipe her hands.
Wen Sining's eyes were fixed on the coconuts. She was so afraid of dropping them that she completely forgot about the conversation the woman had just had.
"What's going on?"
One woman pointed at Wen Sining's back and said to her companion excitedly, "Look, doesn't she look like the one in the photo?"
The one in the photo?
At this reminder, the companion immediately took out her phone from her pocket and found the article. She opened the photo, and the back view quickly matched.
"She does look like her."
"Let's go follow her. Maybe we can even see Young Master Lu."
The two women were so excited that they left their coconuts behind and followed Wen Sining.
There were a lot of people on the beach, but only these two women really noticed Wen Sining and Lu Luochen.
"Do you want some?" Wen Sining came up to Lu Luochen and placed the coconuts in front of him. "Buy one get one free. I can't drink that much by myself."
The coconuts were quite heavy. Wen Sining held them for a long time, and her forearms started to ache and tremble.
"Just put them there," Lu Luochen still didn't take them.
Seeing how cold he was, Wen Sining didn't want to keep chasing after someone who didn't seem interested.