Peninsula: My e-sports dream shattered, I chose to become an actor.

After dinner, the yacht slowly docked, the engine roared to a halt, and only the gentle lapping of the waves against the hull remained. Li Mingye and Lin Nalian walked side by side down the gangway and onto the soft sand.

"Is this also your home?"

Looking at the deserted beach in front of her, Lim Nayeon turned to him and asked. "You know, it's a holiday now; normally this place should be packed with tourists."

Li Mingye shook his head, a faint smile playing on his lips: "No, but I booked it for the whole night."

"Tsk tsk," Lin Nalian clicked her tongue, saying sourly, "It's good to be rich."

Li Mingye was amused by her appearance and suddenly reached out with both hands, pinched the soft flesh on both sides of her cheeks and gently pulled them outwards.

"Ouch! That hurts!"

Startled by the sneak attack, Lim Nayeon let out a short gasp, quickly slapped his hand away, and rubbed her cheek. Gritting her teeth, like a furious little rabbit, she pounced on Li Mingye.

Li Mingye had anticipated this and turned to run. He didn't run too fast, but controlled his speed, always keeping a distance that Lin Nayeon could reach out and touch but couldn't grab.

The sea breeze whistled in her ears, and Lim Nayeon's breathing grew heavier, but the smile in her eyes grew stronger.

After running for a while, just as Lim Nayeon was about to touch the hem of his clothes, Lee Myung-yeop suddenly stopped, turned around, and faced her directly.

The momentum caught Lim Nayeon off guard, and she crashed headfirst into his arms. She instinctively braced herself against his firm chest, then looked up in a daze.

She didn't know what he was going to do with her, but Li Mingye was running, so she chased after him.

"Oh! Have you finally given up on running away?" Coming to her senses a little, Lim Nayeon glared at him fiercely, her chest heaving from the exertion.

However, when she saw the look in Li Mingye's eyes, she swallowed back the harsh words that were on the tip of her tongue.

Those eyes, which always carried a hint of nonchalance and a smile, were now as deep and unfathomable as the night sea. Gone was the casualness of their earlier playful banter; replaced by a focused and affectionate gaze that made her heart skip a beat.

Lim Na-yeon's heart skipped a beat, and she panicked.

Actually, she had a vague premonition from the moment they met today. After all, Li Mingye wasn't usually this serious when they went out to play, so she had already made some mental preparations.

But even in this atmosphere, when the moment actually arrived, she still couldn't help but feel at a loss.

Just then, Li Mingye raised his hand to look at his watch, then his gaze returned to Lin Nayeon's shimmering eyes, which seemed ready to overflow with tears at any moment.

"Look over there," Li Mingye said in a low, gentle voice, pointing to the dark sea.

Lin Na-yeon turned her head stiffly.

"boom--"

With a soft bang, a dazzling firework exploded in the sky above the distant sea.

Then, a firework exploded on the sea.

The trajectory of the exploding gunpowder traced the shape of a round rabbit in the air, with long ears and still flashing golden sparks.

Immediately afterwards, fireworks burst forth one after another over the sea. Pink, purple, and silver lights painted the dark night sky in a dreamlike hue, reflecting on the sea surface as if the entire ocean were ablaze.

Nayeon stared intently, her mouth slightly open, her arms tightly clasped to her chest, momentarily speechless from the sudden surge of romance.

"Nayeon..." Lee Myung-yeop said earnestly.

Lim Nayeon turned her head, tears welling up in her eyes, threatening to spill over.

Seeing her so emotional, Li Mingye felt as if his heart had been struck hard by something.

He took a dark blue velvet box out of his pocket, took a deep breath, and suppressed the turmoil in his heart.

"I like you."

His voice wasn't loud, but it clearly pierced through the sound of the fireworks exploding, each word seeming to strike Lim Nayeon's heart.

"Will you be my girlfriend?"

The tears that had been welling up in Lim Nayeon's eyes finally spilled out and streamed down her cheeks. She didn't speak, but just kept nodding.

Li Mingye breathed a sigh of relief, his face beaming with the joy of his wish being fulfilled.

He opened the box, and inside lay a bracelet. It wasn't an expensive diamond, but a string of warm, white jade beads, with a delicately carved little rabbit hanging in the center, gleaming softly in the light of the fireworks.

"I lived in China for a long time, and people there say that jade can bring good fortune and peace."

His eyes were bright yet calm as he looked at Lim Nayeon, gently taking her slightly cool left hand and softly placing the bracelet on her wrist. The jade beads touched her skin, bringing a slight coolness that was quickly warmed by his body heat.

"This rabbit will keep you company in my place from now on."

Lim Nayeon covered her mouth, too emotional to speak, nodding and shaking her head intermittently.

Then, she couldn't resist any longer and stood on tiptoe, tilting her head back to lean closer.

Their lips met.

It was a kiss with the salty smell of the sea breeze, somewhat sudden, somewhat clumsy, yet incredibly passionate.

Li Mingye was slightly taken aback, then quickly took the initiative. He cupped the back of her head with one hand and wrapped his other arm around her waist, pulling her closer to him. He patiently guided the somewhat inexperienced girl, his tongue lightly tracing her lips, pleading for deeper exploration.

Lim Nayeon reacted as if burned, instinctively trying to back away, but the strength from the large hand around her waist prevented her from escaping. She felt his tongue probe inside, with a hint of dominance and tenderness, hooking her bewildered little tongue.

"Well……"

Lim Nayeon let out a soft moan, her mind blank, and could only follow her instincts, clumsily responding to him.

For a long time, the lips are divided.

Their foreheads touched, their breaths mingling. Lim Nayeon still held him tightly, her head tilted back, her eyes watery and dreamy, her face flushed like a ripe apple.

The two stared at each other, their gazes gradually hardening.

"One more time," she whispered, her voice filled with coquettishness and longing.

……

After a long while, Lin Nalian, her body weak and limp from the kiss, leaned softly against Li Mingye's chest, listening to the strong heartbeat in his chest, her voice still sweet and lingering:

"You were so serious just now, for a second I thought you were going to propose to me."

Li Mingye gently brushed aside her hair, which was ruffled by the sea breeze, and said calmly:

"I don't know how to strike the right balance, after all, this is my first time confessing to someone."

"Really?" Lim Nayeon looked up happily, then looked at him suspiciously. "You're so skilled at it, you're not just kidding me, are you?"

"Why would I lie to you?" Li Mingye looked at her sincerely, his fingertips tracing her cheek. "You're different."

"Hmph~" Lim Nayeon gave a cute and charming hmph, buried her face in his chest and rubbed against him, which was considered as acknowledging his statement.

"It's a bit late to go back now. Sleep on the boat tonight, and I'll take you back tomorrow morning," Li Mingye said, glancing at the time.

Nayeon immediately lifted her head from her embrace, a wary expression on her face, and said, "You're not planning something bad, are you?"

Li Mingye was a little speechless, and flicked her forehead in an annoyed tone: "I'm not in such a hurry."

Lim Nayeon covered her forehead, breathed a sigh of relief, and then burrowed her head into his chest like a kitten seeking comfort.

"Hug me a little longer~"

……

The next afternoon, Lim Nayeon still went to the practice room.

"Nayeon, is your stomach hurting anymore?" The instructor came over, looking concerned.

"It's okay, it won't hurt anymore by noon." Lim Nayeon said with a happy smile, her eyes sparkling.

After the teacher left, Yu Dingyan approached like a ghost.

"Hey, hey, hey, what's going on?" Yu Dingyan lowered his voice, his tone full of unease.

Lim Nayeon nodded, her face flushed, her eyes brimming with undisguised joy.

"Wow, how far have you gotten?" Yoo Jeong-yeon asked in surprise.

"Let's... kiss." Lim Nayeon showed a rare shyness, which gave Yoo Jeongyeon goosebumps.

At this point, it seemed that her desire to confide had been completely aroused. Lim Nayeon pulled Yoo Jeongyeon aside and immediately began to share some things that happened yesterday:

"Let me tell you, his ship is huge..."

"Then he kissed me (nonsense), and held me tightly..."

"Yeah, he seemed really skilled at it. Thinking about it now, it's such a waste of my time; I didn't even realize it..."

"Hehe, he said it was his first time pursuing a girl. I guess I'm just that charming..."

Yu Dingyan listened quietly, occasionally responding.

Seeing Lim Nayeon completely smitten like a young girl in love, Yoo Jeongyeon was happy for her but also a little worried.

Is it really appropriate to have such a seemingly perfect relationship during the fiercely competitive and uncertain trainee period?

"Can a relationship started at this time really last?"

Looking at the gloomy sky outside the window, Yu Dingyan had this thought in her mind.