Chapter 71: Watching the Sunrise with the School Beauty

By the sea, Fang Zhou and Chu Xinran were sitting side by side, waiting for the sunrise.

They chatted casually, like ordinary friends.

But as they talked, Chu Xinran suddenly fell silent, and Fang Zhou felt a fluffy head on his shoulder.

Chu Xinran had fallen asleep, leaning on his shoulder.

“Xinran?”

Fang Zhou called her name, but there was no response, so he didn’t call again.

The moon gradually disappeared, and the distant sky began to brighten.

Fang Zhou looked at the calm sea, recalling the events of the previous day.

Qiao Sisi’s behavior was very strange. They had been talking normally, but then she suddenly grabbed a knife.

At which point did things go wrong?

Fang Zhou thought for a long time and finally settled on the moment he said, “But I don’t love you anymore.”

After that sentence, Qiao Sisi changed completely. Her words and actions became bizarre, as if she had opened Pandora’s box and released an evil demon.

The wound on his arm was a real reminder of her intention to hurt him that morning.

If he hadn’t dodged quickly and had that red string, he might not have seen today’s sunrise.

Fang Zhou raised his hand and looked at the red string tied around his wrist.

Qiao Sisi mistakenly thought it was the one she gave him years ago, and that’s why she snapped out of it.

He knew the significance of this string. It was one of the first gifts Qiao Sisi had given him.

The string was worthless but held sentimental value.

Back then, the actress, who was running around for small roles, took the time to learn woodworking, crafting a wooden plaque and a small leaf.

The plaque had the word “Peace” carved on it, which they tied to a big temple tree during a mountain hike.

The small wooden leaf was woven into a simple bracelet that she gave him.

Fang Zhou had been deeply touched, proudly wearing the red string every day, while classmates thought he was trying to show off a luxury watch.

When they saw it was just a red string, they cursed Fang Zhou for being a lovesick fool.

After their breakup, Fang Zhou took it off and never wore it again.

Who knew that his sister’s childish act of putting it back on him would save his life today?

Fang Zhou couldn’t help but feel unlucky.

He never expected Qiao Sisi to be not only a lunatic but also dangerously possessive.

She wasn’t like this back then. She was a bit dramatic but in a cute way.

How did she become so twisted in just a few years?

Fang Zhou decided it was best to stay away from Qiao Sisi in the future.

She was too scary, pulling a knife on him at the slightest provocation. What if he wasn’t so lucky next time?

As he pondered how to avoid Qiao Sisi in the future, the sky brightened, and the sun began to rise in the east, casting orange light across the horizon.

“Xinran! Wake up! Look at the sunrise!”

Fang Zhou shook Chu Xinran, waking her to see the sunrise.

The girl groggily opened her eyes, first looking at Fang Zhou instead of the sky.

“Brother…”

Fang Zhou nodded, acknowledging her address, and pointed east, reminding her, “Look, the sun is rising!”

His voice was filled with excitement and joy, not hiding his happiness.

For an inland kid seeing the ocean sunrise for the first time, he was already very restrained not shouting like a monkey.

Chu Xinran followed his hand and saw the just-risen sun, immediately sitting up straight.

She happily stood up and ran towards the sun, as if trying to embrace the sunrise.

“Ah! It’s so beautiful!”

Fang Zhou stood behind, smiling as he watched her, reminding her, “Be careful, don’t get swept away by the waves!”

Chu Xinran slowed her pace, took off her shoes at the beach, and excitedly called out to Fang Zhou.

“Come and play!”

She lifted her skirt, leaving footprints on the sand, like a child stomping in puddles on a rainy day.

Fang Zhou smiled faintly, finding her actions funny yet endearing.

Chu Xinran must not have had many chances to play freely like this as a child.

In their time together, she had told him everything about her life, naively revealing all her secrets.

She grew up in an orphanage until she was eight, then was adopted into a new family where she slowly felt the warmth of a home.

But her new family had strict demands: top grades, winning dance and vocal competitions, and always maintaining a proper image.

As a result, Chu Xinran held herself to the highest standards everywhere, never doing something like taking off her shoes in public.

Fang Zhou saw her suddenly lower her head, thinking she might have been stung by a jellyfish, and rushed over to check.

“What are you doing?”

When he got closer, he saw she was writing in the sand.

“Look, I encircled our happiness, so it won’t escape.”

The girl finished writing and looked up at Fang Zhou with a bright smile, her eyes reflecting the sunrise, sparkling.

Fang Zhou looked down and saw their names written in the sand, encircled by a heart.

“Fang Zhou & Chu Xinran,” surrounded by a heart.

Though it seemed childish and cliched, coming from Chu Xinran, it wasn’t annoying.

In fact, her pure aura and unaware beauty made it endearing.

Fang Zhou felt his heart hit by something, heavy yet warm.

But he quickly snapped out of it, softly saying,

“But it’ll be washed away by the waves soon.”

He was hinting to Chu Xinran that their relationship, like the words in the sand, was transient and beautiful but couldn’t last forever.

Fang Zhou knew what it meant for Chu Xinran to stay with him through the night.

She probably still liked him.

A pure girl unable to forget her first love, even after two years apart, still so passionate upon seeing him.

From the first text, Chu Xinran never hid her feelings for him.

Fang Zhou wasn’t stupid.

But unfortunately, he couldn’t accept it.

“No problem, I’ll just take a picture!”

Chu Xinran cheerfully took out her phone and snapped a photo.

Fang Zhou couldn’t bear to say anything hurtful, so he led her back.

“Let’s go back. The nurse will be looking for us soon.”

Chu Xinran nodded obediently, following him for several meters, then turned to look at the writing, still untouched by the waves.

Her eyes curved into a happy smile: I knew Brother Fang Zhou is mine, even the sea agrees.