The next morning, Xu Yuanjia took Shi Luyu to the marine area behind the hotel to go snorkeling.

Shi Luyu came out after changing into her diving suit, her hair tied in a bun, revealing a section of her fair nape.

The wetsuit wrapped around her body, from her neck to her ankles, and the black fabric made her skin appear even whiter.

Xu Yuanjia stood at the dock, wearing the same black diving suit, the zipper only pulled up to his chest, revealing a glimpse of his collarbone. He held two sets of snorkels and masks in his hands, watching her walk over, his eyes scanning her from head to toe.

"Come here, let me help you put it on." He took the breathing tube and walked behind her.

He slowly slipped his fingers around her ear and put the strap of the face mirror over her head, so slowly that his fingertips lingered on her temples for a while.

His fingers adjusted their position along the edge of the mirror, his fingertips brushing against her cheekbones, the ends of her eyebrows, and the bridge of her nose.

Shi Luyu's eyelashes trembled, but she didn't dodge.

He held the mouthpiece of the breathing tube to her lips and told her to lower her head and take it in. The moment she took it in, his thumb brushed against her lower lip.

Shi Luyu blushed, biting her lip and unable to speak, she could only glare at him.

His hand moved away from her lips and landed on her waist to adjust the buckle of her wetsuit.

His fingers hooked the buckle and slowly tightened it. His body pressed against hers, his chest against her back, and his chin rested in the crook of her shoulder.

"If you're scared, just hold on to your brother." His voice came from behind her ear, low and tinged with laughter.

Shi Luyu, with her mouth full of saliva, mumbled, "I'm not afraid."

"The buckle is on backwards."

A flat, emotionless voice came from the side.

Xu Yuanjia stopped moving. His fingers were still on the buckle, and he seemed to have been paused.

He slowly turned his head. Dong Wenlin stood two steps away, wearing a blue diving instructor T-shirt, his fins tucked under his arms, holding two floats in his arms, his expression exactly the same as yesterday at the front desk—

No expression.

Shi Luyu turned her head and saw him, and the bit in her mouth almost fell out.

Dong Wenlin walked over, bent down, and precisely hooked the buckle on her waist with his fingers, unfastening it and then fastening it again. His movements were professional and disciplined, and his fingertips did not touch any part of her body that he should not have touched.

After buttoning up, the boy straightened up and looked at Shi Luyu:

"Don't grab people randomly after you get in the water; if you're nervous, grab the float board."

Xu Yuanjia withdrew his hand from Shi Luyu's waist and put it in the pocket of his diving suit. The smile on his lips was gone: "She can just grab me."

Dong Wenlin glanced at him, his tone remaining calm: "You're not as stable as a float."

The scene was unusually quiet.

Shi Luyu bit her lip, her shoulders starting to tremble. She held back for three seconds, then couldn't help but burst out laughing.

Xu Yuanjia looked down at her. She smiled, her eyes crinkling and her cheeks puffing out, like a cat that had stolen a fish.

The man's expression darkened further: "If you don't want to run this place anymore, just say so."

Dong Wenlin placed the buoy by the dock and said businesslike, "We're in the water now, stay close to the buoy."

—After entering the water, the seawater was crystal clear, and sunlight shone through the surface, casting dappled patterns on the sand.

Shi Luyu floated on the water, looking down at the fish. A group of small yellow and black striped fish swam past her feet. She excitedly reached out to reach them, but couldn't.

She turned to look for Xu Yuanjia, wanting to call him to watch together, only to find him swimming towards her.

He reached out to take her hand.

Then—somewhere, a starfish appeared and was handed to me from the side.

It's purple, has five corners, and is a model with a waterproof label on it.

Dong Wenlin held it up, floating between Xu Yuanjia and Shi Luyu, his face expressionless. "It's for taking pictures," he said.

Shi Luyu reached out to take it, but Xu Yuanjia's hand froze in mid-air, missing its target.

"Five hundred thousand." Xu Yuanjia had absolutely had enough! "Take your plastic trash and get out of here."

Dong Wenlin acted swiftly and decisively, taking the starfish model back from Shi Luyu, stuffing it into his waterproof waist pack, and turning to swim away. His flippers splashed twice on the water's surface, and he was already several meters away.

He remained expressionless the entire time, never turning around, as if completely unaware that he was ruining the romantic atmosphere between the couple.

Watching his retreating figure, and then glancing at Xu Yuanjia's ashen face, Shi Luyu whispered, "Does he not like us?"

Xu Yuanjia intertwined his fingers with hers, gripping them tightly: "Does my darling really like him?"

"I didn't say that," she said reproachfully.

"So what if he hates us?" He didn't care.

Shi Luyu couldn't help but laugh, scratching his palm with her fingers. He didn't let go; instead, he gripped her hand even tighter.

……

That evening, Xu Yuanjia booked a candlelight dinner at a beach restaurant. The table was set on the sand, surrounded by white curtains, with flower petals scattered on the ground and white roses and champagne on the table.

The sea breeze blew in through the gaps in the curtains, creating an atmosphere of extreme ambiguity; even the air tasted sweet.

Xu Yuanjia cut a piece of steak and held a fork to Shi Luyu's lips. She opened her mouth to take it, chewed a couple of times, and her eyes lit up: "Delicious."

Xu Yuanjia cut another piece and put it in his mouth. Shi Luyu was embarrassed by this indirect kiss, and watched as he slowly chewed it and wiped his mouth.

"Shall we sleep in the same room tonight?" He asked casually, as if he were asking what we'd have for breakfast tomorrow.

Shi Luyu opened her eyes wide in a panic, lowered her head and poked at the salad on her plate with her fork several times before whispering:

"No, we have to have two separate rooms. I... I can pay for it."

Xu Yuanjia chuckled softly, leaning closer to her, his voice low: "Sweetie, you think it's about money?"

Shi Luyu blushed to the roots of her neck and was about to say something when a figure walked in from outside the curtain.

The waiter wore a white uniform and a black bow tie, carrying a tray. On the tray was a plate of sea urchin pasta, beautifully presented and sprinkled with gold leaf around the edge.

Dong Wenlin placed the plate on the table and announced the dishes expressionlessly: "You ordered the sea urchin pasta."

Shi Luyu stared wide-eyed at his cold face. "What, it's you again?"

Dong Wenlin lowered his eyes, his tone as calm as if he were reading a menu: "There are more job opportunities in Phuket."

She thought this person was practically the king of wage earners.

Xu Yuanjia leaned back in his chair, his fork resting on the edge of the plate, making a soft sound.

The look in his eyes when he looked at Dong Wenlin was no longer just impatience, but a look of utter disbelief that seemed to ask, "Are you serious?": "How many jobs do you actually work a day?"

Dong Wenlin thought for a moment: "It depends on my mood."

Xu Yuanjia's lips twitched: "So, coming to bother me and my wife makes you feel good?"

Dong Wenlin lowered his eyelids, his tone remaining flat: "No, I'm in a very bad mood."

Shi Luyu couldn't help but laugh again. She covered her mouth, her shoulders shaking with laughter.

Xu Yuanjia turned his head to look at her, his eyes both fierce and helpless.

She laughed until tears almost streamed down her face, reached out and tugged at his sleeve, whispering, "He's so funny."

Xu Yuanjia took a deep breath, shifted his gaze from Dong Wenlin's face to Shi Luyu's.

He reached out and gently wiped away the tears from the corner of her eye with his thumb, his movement soft but his tone sharp: "What's so funny about him?"

Dong Wenlin then handed over the menu, his tone professional yet distant: "Would you like some dessert?"

"No." Xu Yuanjia didn't even look at him. "Get out of here."

Shi Luyu whispered, "I want coconut milk mango sticky rice."

Dong Wenlin immediately took out a pen and wrote on the order form, his movements so fast it was as if he was afraid Xu Yuanjia would change his mind. "Okay."

Xu Yuanjia's face darkened.

Dong Wenlin left. Xu Yuanjia sat there, tapping his fork against the edge of his plate intermittently.

Shi Luyu stole a glance at him, then reached out and grasped the hand he was using to tap the fork: "Brother, it seems like you have a problem with him?"

Xu Yuanjia put down his fork and bluntly stated, "He's everywhere."

Just then, Dong Wenlin returned, standing beside the curtain with a cup of coconut milk mango sticky rice in his hand. He neither came in nor left.

He stood there, like a silent statue, waiting for the time to serve the food.

Xu Yuanjia saw him too. He put down his fork, took out a black card from his pocket, held it between his fingers, and waved in Dong Wenlin's direction.

Dong Wenlin walked over with the bowl of glutinous rice and placed it in front of Shi Luyu.

Xu Yuanjia handed the black card to him. The black card gleamed coldly in the candlelight. It had no credit limit, no bank logo, and the only features were a serial number and a gold-embossed Xu family crest.

"You're short on money, aren't you?" Xu Yuanjia's voice was very low, only Dong Wenlin could hear it. "I have a money-making job for you. Once you've done it, this unlimited credit card is yours."

Dong Wenlin looked down at the black card, thought for a few seconds, then reached out and snatched the card from Xu Yuanjia's fingers, the movement as natural as withdrawing money from an ATM.

"Boss, please give your instructions."

Xu Yuanjia's lips slowly curved into a smile. It wasn't a large smile, but it carried the satisfaction of finally placing a chess piece in the correct position. He looked down at Xu and said:

"Tonight, I'm going to have some alone time with my girlfriend."

He paused for a moment, then said, "You make the arrangements."

Dong Wenlin put the black card into his pocket, confidently saying, "Easy."

He glanced at Shi Luyu, then leaned close to Xu Yuanjia and whispered:

"The hotel you're staying at has a high-end couples-themed suite—a punishment-themed one, complete with chains and a waterbed. We'll move you there for free tonight."

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