Chapter 254: Summer, Beach, Fireworks, and a Confession

By the time the eight of them had washed up and were dressed to go, dusk had completely swallowed the last trace of daylight.

A deep, inky blue spread up from the horizon, dyeing the sky a tranquil night.

The winding path to the secret cape had long since sunk into pitch-black shadows.

The path they had taken during the day seemed to have transformed in the night.

The distinct shadows of the palm trees from daytime were now looming, swaying silhouettes. The wail of the sea breeze whistled through the gaps in the leaves, carrying a depth it lacked during the day.

The magnificent daytime seascape was replaced by an endless inkiness. All that remained was the sound of the tide below, deep like the breathing of a colossal beast, rumbling as it crashed against unseen reefs and creating a heart-pounding sense of emptiness.

Eight figures moved along the barely discernible mountain path, their footsteps shattering the silence. The beams of their flashlights cut across the dry stone surfaces and hanging vines, creating dancing patches of light.

The awe they felt upon their first arrival that day was gone. In its place, a heavy, unspoken anticipation flowed silently through the group.

"Did everyone spray mosquito repellent? The mosquitoes here are vicious at night," Zhao Yueyue’s concerned voice rang out.

Huang Mao, who had been as noisy as a sparrow during the day, was now unusually silent.

"Mhm, I’ve already sprayed it," Zhao Yuanyuan replied softly, hugging a soft cushion to her chest.

As she spoke, her gaze landed on Lin Yu’an’s silent back a few steps ahead. Although she couldn’t see clearly in the darkness, she could still make out a blurry, yet reassuring, silhouette.

Zhou Hao walked on Qu Danwan’s outer side, his arm occasionally brushing against hers unintentionally.

Each slight touch was like a pebble tossed into the lake of her heart, creating secret ripples.

Chen Mo and Su Yuqing walked at the very front of the group.

The high-powered flashlight in Chen Mo’s hand steadily cleaved the darkness, illuminating the path ahead.

Su Yuqing stayed close to him, her thin knit cardigan warding off the growing night chill as her feet stepped on his shadow.

Aside from what Zhao Yueyue had just said, no one else spoke. There was only the shasha sound of their soles scraping against the stone slabs and the sound of the distant waves, growing ever clearer.

"Careful, it’s a bit steep here." Chen Mo’s deep voice suddenly sounded from the front of the group, his high-powered flashlight steadily illuminating a rugged, steep slope ahead.

He naturally turned to the side and extended a hand back toward her.

Without the slightest hesitation, Su Yuqing placed her cool fingertips lightly in his warm, broad palm.

The familiar, lightly calloused feeling of his hand instantly dispelled the unease she felt from walking in the dark.

With his steady pull, she stepped up easily.

He didn’t let go right away, only pulling his hand back quite naturally once she was standing firmly on a flatter stone slab.

In the darkness, Su Yuqing’s cheeks grew slightly hot, her heartbeat thrumming to the rhythm of the waves.

She subconsciously turned her head, looking at Chen Mo’s calm profile in the flickering light and shadow.

Suddenly, scenes from the past semester began to surge uncontrollably through her mind—that desperate night of the torrential downpour, the warm light that spilled from behind him when he opened the door, like a sharp sword cleaving through the gloom of her world.

After moving into his home, he had quietly adjusted his schedule to accommodate hers. The scent of milk and oatmeal drifting from the kitchen in the morning, the peeled fruit he’d leave by her desk, those eyes that could always see through her vulnerability but never pointed it out, offering only silent support...

They lived under the same roof, breathed the same air, shared dawns, dusks, and silence. The bond between them, which had long since surpassed friendship, had settled and fermented through their daily interactions, seeping deep into her very bones.

...Countless silent moments rushed through her mind. ’This is far beyond a simple "like" now.’

Tonight, these feelings that had been brewing for so long would finally find their release under this starry sky, far from the clamor of the world.

Subconsciously, she raised a hand, her fingertips lightly brushing the skin of her collarbone beneath her cardigan. She could almost still feel the warm, calloused touch of his fingertips from earlier that day, when he’d helped her with her sunscreen and his hand had occasionally grazed her skin.

"Watch your step." Chen Mo’s deep voice sounded as a warm, strong hand firmly gripped her elbow.

His palm only lingered for a moment, but the sense of strength and security it conveyed instantly dispelled the slight chill from the sea breeze and the last trace of anxiety Su Yuqing felt from the darkness.

The warmth of his palm seemed to brand itself onto her skin through the thin fabric. Su Yuqing’s heart skipped a beat, then began to pound even more powerfully against her ribs.

She could feel his eyes on her, a silent, protective watch.

Finally, they reached the hidden cape.

Their view suddenly opened up, only to be enveloped by a deeper, ink-black darkness.

Enormous black reefs surrounded the small platform like silent, slumbering beasts.

The eight of them stopped walking in unison, their breathing growing softer.

Below them was an abyss that had swallowed all light. The roar of the waves crashing against the reefs was magnified countless times—muffled, powerful, and carrying a primal force as it surged up from below, pounding against everyone’s eardrums and hearts.

But looking up revealed a completely different sight. Far from the lights and voices on the beach below, the night sky here was astonishingly clear.

Countless stars seemed densely embedded in a curtain of deep blue velvet. The Xinghe was a ribbon of flowing, shattered diamonds stretching across the sky, so clear it seemed within reach, so magnificent it left them speechless.

The evening wind howled past without obstruction, carrying a bone-piercing chill and the strong scent of the ocean, making their clothes flutter and their hair dance wildly.

"Hiss... the wind is so strong here at night!" Zhao Yueyue wrapped her jacket tighter, her voice breaking in the wind. But when she looked up, her heart was instantly filled with a sense of solemnity in the face of the vast universe, her expression one of pure shock. "Wow, the night sky is so beautiful tonight!"

"It is." Huang Mao’s voice was much deeper. His gaze swept over Zhao Yueyue’s profile, outlined by the starlight. His playful mood from the daytime had vanished, leaving only his heart pounding like a drum in his chest.

Without a word, they all instinctively looked for a spot sheltered from the wind.

Zhou Hao and Qu Danwan spread out the thin blanket they’d brought, sitting down on the same large rock they had occupied during the day.

Zhou Hao carefully tucked in the edges of the blanket to ward off the cold seeping from the stone.

Qu Danwan handed him a bottle of water. Their fingertips brushed briefly as she passed him the bottle. They both trembled slightly, then exchanged a knowing, warm look under the starlight.

Lin Yu’an and Zhao Yuanyuan walked toward the depression next to the large rock they had discovered during the day.

The wind was much weaker here.

Zhao Yuanyuan took out soft cushions and quietly handed one to Lin Yu’an.

The two sat down side-by-side, gazing up at the boundless sea of stars. Their quiet conversation about seabirds and fish from the daytime had now transformed into a deeper silence. Strangely, it wasn’t awkward at all, just a tranquility that flowed around them, enveloped by the beautiful night.