I was criticized on a dating reality show, but I retaliated and became an internet sensation.

He lowered his head, his profile clearly visible in the blazing sun, his movements slow and deliberate, even with a hint of... indescribable focus.

All the surrounding sounds seemed to disappear, leaving only the sound of flowing water and his heavy breathing.

Han Jingxue froze on the spot.

She looked at his face so close to hers, and felt a burning sensation on her wrist where he was holding it, the heat spreading rapidly.

After the water was used up and most of the sand was washed away, Shen Yihuai did not immediately let go.

His thumb lightly brushed against the softest spot of skin on the inside of her wrist, almost imperceptibly.

Han Jingxue's breath hitched, and her fingertips suddenly curled up.

Shen Yihuai then released his grip, looked up, and gazed at her.

A drop of sweat happened to slide down his forehead, running down his brow bone and onto his own arm.

He looked at her face and ears, which flushed instantly, and at her eyes, which were trying to remain calm but betrayed her panic. He slowly curled the corners of his lips into a smile.

The smile was faint, yet it carried an all-knowing, undisguised aggressiveness.

"It's clean," he said, lowering his voice so that only the two of them could hear him.

Then, he shoved the remaining half-bottle of water into her hand, picked up another unopened bottle next to him, unscrewed it, and tilted his head back to gulp down a few mouthfuls.

The Adam's apple moves up and down with each swallow.

Han Jingxue held the bottle of water, still warm and damp from his body, her fingertips trembling slightly.

The areas on my wrists that he had caressed felt like they were on fire.

She turned her face away, neither speaking nor able to utter a word.

[Holy crap! What did I just see?! Shen Yihuai grabbed Sister Han's hand! And even washed her hands!]

[Oh no! Is this something I can watch for free?!]

[Shen Yihuai's smile! That look in his eyes! He was clearly doing it on purpose! He knew what he was doing!]

[Han Jie, don't blush! Flirt back! Flirt back now!]

"It's clean..." Help! What kind of lewd words are those?! But why does it sound so erotic given the scene?!

[I could replay that handwashing scene a hundred times! How does Shen Yihuai manage to be so charming, alluring, and assertive all at the same time?!]

[Where did this sandcastle come from? It's clearly another publicly funded romance! Shen Yihuai, you're too good at this!]

After doing all this, Shen Yihuai acted as if nothing had happened and went back to patting his sand wall.

But as he turned around, he caught a glimpse of her profile, still frozen in place with her ears burning red, and his eyes darkened even more.

After several seconds, Han Jingxue took a deep breath, slowly unscrewed the bottle of water he had handed her, and took a small sip.

The water was lukewarm, and she didn't look at him again, only staring at the sandcastle base in front of her.

Fang Yutong and Yu Shize's construction process can be described as a "model of efficient cooperation".

Fang Yutong was in charge of design and direction; her voice was gentle yet clear and organized.

"Shize, widen the base a bit more for better load-bearing capacity."

"Yes, add more wet sand and tamp it down... We can build a small observation tower here at the corner; using that round mold to cut it out will make it more neat."

Yu Shize silently did as she said: shovel sand, pour water, tamp it down, and make the mold.

He worked hard, and sweat soon beaded on his forehead, leaving a small wet patch on the back of his T-shirt.

He didn't show much expression and didn't say much. He would only nod or briefly say "okay" or "great" when Fang Yutong pointed out where adjustments were needed.

The sandcastle gradually took shape, becoming a small European-style castle with a clear structure and even a touch of symmetry.

Fang Yutong carefully trimmed the texture of the exterior wall with a small shovel.

Yu Shize then went to the side to fetch freshly drawn seawater.

Fang Yutong was so engrossed in her makeup that she didn't notice her footing. As she took a step back, the thin heel of her high heel sank into the soft sand. She cried out softly, "Ouch!" and lost her balance, leaning backward.

"careful."

Yu Shize happened to be returning with a bucket of water. Upon seeing this, he immediately put down the bucket, strode forward, and reached out to firmly support her elbow, helping her to steady herself.

The movements were swift and the force was just right.

"Thanks."

Fang Yutong used his strength to steady herself, breathed a sigh of relief, smiled gratefully at him, and then looked down at her heels stuck in the sand.

Yu Shize released her hand, his gaze sweeping over her heels. He frowned slightly and asked, "Are you alright? The sand is soft, be careful."

After saying that, he turned around and went back to carrying the bucket of water, as if he had just helped to prop up a scaffold that was about to collapse.

Fang Yutong watched his retreating figure, then looked at her elbow that had been supported. Her smile remained gentle and polite, but her eyes seemed to have deepened a little.

His reactions are always so timely and so "standard".

Yu Shize helped her up quickly and steadily; he really knows how to take care of people.

[Yes, my brother has always been so thoughtful, welcome to the fandom!]

[Fang Yutong's smile and eyes... she definitely guessed it!]

[Hmm...why is she wearing high heels? And on sand?]

What Jiang Yunyou and Su Yanhuan did can no longer be described as "construction"; it was "performance art" and "the fuse of World War III."

Jiang Yunyou started off full of bravado: "Su Yanhuan! Watch me show you what I've got! I'll build a spaceship! The kind with stealth capabilities!"

Su Yan Huan scoffed:

"You? If you can even build a mound of dirt that doesn't fall apart, I'll change my surname to yours! I want to build a luxurious seaside villa! With an infinity pool and a private beach!"

Then the two started arguing about the "land ownership area".

Jiang Yunyou insisted on expanding to the left to occupy territorial waters, while Su Yanhuan insisted on moving to the right to expand the territory.

Finally, a strangely shaped, crooked "unknown structure" appeared on the sand.

Half of it looks like the nose of a spaceship that was flattened by a meteorite, and the other half looks like an illegal building that was blown down by a typhoon. In the middle, they dug what they called an infinity pool, but it turned out to be a hole that went through the bottom, and the water was leaking out like it was crying.

"Jiang Yunyou! It's all your fault! You dug through the earth!" Su Yanhuan jumped up and down, looking at the leaking "pool".

"It was clearly you who filmed the wall, it's a shoddy construction! It'll collapse as soon as it's soaked!" Jiang Yunyou retorted, sticking his neck out.

During the argument, Jiang Yunyou tried to reinforce the warship's gun emplacement with the wet sand in his hand, but whether it was a slip of the hand or intentional, the sand flew out with a "biu~".

Instead of hitting the wall, it splattered onto the back of Su Yanhuan's head as she squatted down trying to plug the leak with her foot.

Time froze for two seconds.

Su Yanhuan slowly turned her head, and on top of her head was a very conspicuous "fresh decoration" that was still shedding sand.

She stared at Jiang Yunyou, her eyes narrowed to slits, flashing with a cold light: "Jiang, Yun, You—you, are, dead, for good!"

"A misunderstanding! A huge misunderstanding! The sand started it! It had its own ideas!"

Jiang Yunyou immediately chickened out, dropped the shovel, raised his hands, and began to prepare to run away.

"Prepare to die!" Su Yanhuan grabbed a handful of sand and rushed over.