It was a little after five in the evening. The sun, cloaked in brilliant red, was slowly sinking toward the horizon.
The azure sky was dotted with clouds like tufts of cotton candy, and in that mont, they were all dyed a brilliant red.
The boundless sea swelled gently, its shimring surface rising and falling.
Seagulls soared against the wind in small flocks, crying out from ti to ti before diving headfirst into the sea below to catch fish.
"Haaaah..."
Having just woken up, Lin Li yawned as he walked out of his room.
He went to the bathroom and splashed so water on his face to wash away the sleepiness. Then, with a re thought, he retrieved a crisp, tender cucumber from the Mysterious Small Island.
"CRUNCH, CRUNCH, CRUNCH..."
Munching on the cucumber, he ambled onto the balcony. He gazed at the beautiful sunset in the distance as the salty, humid sea breeze washed over him. In that mont, he felt utterly at ease, as if the stunning scenery could erase all his troubles.
"KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK..."
Hearing the knock, Lin Li, who was still on the balcony eating his cucumber, turned to look toward the door.
He hadn’t called for room service. He didn’t even have to guess who was knocking at this hour; there was a 99.99% chance it was Su Yue.
Quickly finishing the last little piece of the crisp cucumber, Lin Li walked to the door.
"CLICK."
The door opened. Lin Li looked at Su Yue, who stood before him wearing a stylish straw hat and dark sunglasses. "Where’d you get the hat and glasses?" he asked.
Su Yue said with a beaming smile, "Just a hundred-odd ters from the hotel entrance, there are a few street vendors selling hats and glasses. I got them there... Want a set? I can take you to buy one later."
Lin Li shook his head. "No, thanks. I brought my own."
"Huh?" Su Yue said, surprised. "You actually brought a hat and sunglasses with you to Qiong City?"
"I did," Lin Li nodded, though he had no intention of telling her the full story.
’Back when I was hunting Mutant Beasts in the wilds, the weather was scorching. I had to wear a straw hat and sunglasses to operate, so I’ve had them for over a month now.’
’And since my suitcase space was limited, I didn’t pack them. I just kept them on the Mysterious Small Island, ready to be taken out anyti.’
"You’ve rested all afternoon. You should be recovered by now, right?" Su Yue changed the subject, moving on from the hat and sunglasses.
"Recovered from what?" Having just woken up, Lin Li’s mind was still a bit foggy, and he didn’t imdiately catch her aning.
"Your energy!" Su Yue clarified. "Didn’t you say you were feeling a bit drained? You’ve been resting in your room all afternoon, so you should be all better now, right?"
Her reminder made it click for Lin Li. He imdiately nodded. "Oh, right. I’m all better. After resting the whole afternoon, I’m completely recovered."
"Great! Since you’ve recovered, let’s go for a swim at the beach!" Su Yue said.
"Huh? Go for a swim?" Lin Li had assud Su Yue just wanted to go for a walk, not actually go swimming.
"What’s so surprising about that? We picked this hotel specifically because it’s so close to the ocean. We can go for a swim anyti we want.
Wait a minute, Lin Li. Don’t tell you can’t swim, can you?" Su Yue asked.
"What kind of question is that? Of course I can swim. I learned years ago. It’s just... after I learned, I basically never went swimming again.
Going for a swim in the ocean now... it might take a mont to adjust. I’ll probably be a bit rusty..." Lin Li said.
"Don’t worry, I’m a great swimr. If you’ve forgotten how, I’ll teach you..." Su Yue said with a laugh, patting her chest confidently.
"..." Lin Li looked at the suprely confident Su Yue and shook his head. "I probably haven’t forgotten how. I’ll just need a mont to get used to the water."
"Let’s get going!" Su Yue laughed.
"Okay."
Su Yue then said she was heading back to her room to grab her swimsuit and told Lin Li to get ready as well.
「A little while later.」
A man and a woman, both wearing straw hats and sunglasses, erged from the hotel. They each carried a black bag which, if one were to look inside, would reveal a swimsuit.
"It’s so hot!" Having spent all his ti in an air-conditioned room, the wave of heat that hit Lin Li as he stepped out of the hotel felt absolutely sweltering.
"It’s not that bad!" Having been out and about during the afternoon, Su Yue had already grown accustod to the local climate.
"Let’s go! We need to get to the beach, fast." The blast of heat made Lin Li suddenly eager to get into the water. He hurried Su Yue along and started walking ahead toward the beach in the distance.
"Look at you! You were so reluctant to co out, and now you’re in more of a hurry than I am," Su Yue teased, quickening her pace to catch up with him.
"You’re such a nag! Just like an old lady..." Lin Li shot back, glancing at Su Yue. The words were barely out of his mouth before he broke into a run.
"You... How dare you say I’m like an old lady! Stop right there! Get back here if you have any guts!"
Su Yue froze for a second. When she snapped out of it, she shouted after Lin Li, who was already running away, and then sprinted after him.
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