Chapter 73

“Oh, I see. No wonder we happened to meet here again.”

As You Changqing spoke, she gently pinched Bourne’s chubby little hand. Instead of getting upset, Bourne beamed and even pushed his pudgy hand into her palm, wanting her to pinch it a few more times.

This is how Pretty Sister shows she likes me—so I have to let her show it more.

Looking into his bright, shiny eyes, You Changqing grew even more fond of him. Cute kids were indeed lethal weapons.

“So, were you guys just traveling too? Judging by your age, I’d guess you’re still in high school?”

Anderson asked with a good-natured smile.

“Yeah, we just had some free time over the weekend, so we decided to go out and have some fun. Staying cooped up at home all the time gets boring,” Shen Lihuan replied.

The sea breeze lifted her hair, and poor little Ryan—snuggled in her arms—was suddenly hit in the face by strands of it. He reached out to push it away from his face. Shen Lihuan quickly asked in a soft voice if his eyes hurt, but Ryan just burst out laughing, “So funny! Ryan’s face got covered by hair!”

This little guy—he wasn’t the least bit timid, and his temper was surprisingly good too. Not even a hint of fussiness.

Shen Lihuan couldn’t help but laugh, and her affection for him deepened again.

She really didn’t like fussy people—except for Changqing.

“It’s such a rare coincidence that we’ve run into each other again. Why don’t we hang out together today?” Kate asked expectantly, a little afraid of being rejected.

“Sure, we’re building a sandcastle. Want to join us?”

You Changqing agreed readily. Before Kate or Anderson could respond, Bourne had already raised his chubby hand in excitement and said in his soft, milky voice, “Yes! Bourne wants to build a castle with Pretty Sister!”

Ryan clapped happily too. “Ryan also wants to build a castle!”

Of course, Kate and Anderson wouldn’t say no. So all six of them crouched down and started building a castle together.

Naturally, Bourne and Ryan were still little and didn’t really know how to build a sandcastle. So most of the time, they acted as adorable mascots, cheering Shen Lihuan and the others on.

By the time a magnificent castle stood finished, little angel Ryan was so tired he plopped down on the sand, panting.

Bourne, who’d been squatting the whole time, was exhausted too. He and his little brother sat on the sand without a care in the world. But when they saw the beautiful sandcastle, their smiles lit up their faces with pure pride—like they were the ones who’d built it themselves.

The two energetic little guys had only rested a moment before demanding to go swimming. So the group bought floaties and finally headed into the sea.

Kate and Anderson each held onto one little angel, teaching them how to swim, while Shen Lihuan and You Changqing swam off to another area and started splashing each other playfully. Both of them were great swimmers and didn’t need floaties.

“Lihuan, let’s race,” You Changqing proposed with a grin. “Whoever swims slower has to agree to do one thing for the winner.”

“Alright. Let’s use this spot as both the starting and finishing line. We’ll swim to that reef over there and back,” Shen Lihuan said, lifting her head to check the distance. The reef wasn’t that big and was about a few dozen meters away—so a round trip would be around a hundred meters, which was perfect.

“Okay. On the count of three, we start.”

You Changqing counted with sparkling eyes, “Three, two, one!”

On “one,” the two of them dove into the water like mermaids, gliding forward with graceful strokes.

Bourne and Ryan, splashing around nearby, immediately cheered for their favorite pretty sisters, flailing their little hands and feet even more enthusiastically.

Both girls were fast swimmers, but Shen Lihuan had no intention of winning, so she didn’t give it her all—just kept pace with You Changqing.

Seeing how effortlessly Shen Lihuan was swimming, You Changqing knew she couldn’t win. With a flash of mischief in her eyes, she suddenly grabbed Shen Lihuan’s arm and wrapped herself around her like a koala clinging to her back. Hehe, Lihuan never said cheating wasn’t allowed.

Feeling the soft warmth clinging to her back, Shen Lihuan smiled slightly, slowed down, and instead of turning back at the reef, she swam further—to the back of the reef.

There, she took You Changqing’s hands and turned her around to face her. “So you’ve learned to cheat, huh? Time for punishment.”

You Changqing smirked slyly. “You never said cheating wasn’t allowed. I just made clever use of the rules.”

“That won’t work. I’m still going to punish you.”

With no one around, a hint of mischief flickered in Shen Lihuan’s eyes. She untied the sheer scarf she’d wrapped around You Changqing and gazed at her now-glimmering shoulders and collarbone, made even more dazzling by the water. The swimsuit clinging to her body perfectly outlined her curves, and Shen Lihuan’s gaze grew so hot it could melt steel.

You Changqing had already guessed what she was thinking. She wrapped her slender arms around Shen Lihuan’s neck, looking at her with a seductive smile. “And how do you plan to punish me?”

“By swallowing you whole.”

Shen Lihuan whispered against her ear, blowing warm breath over her skin before gently biting the ear that she loved so much. You Changqing let out a soft “Mmm” and held onto Shen Lihuan’s waist tightly to keep herself from slipping under.

Once she’d had her fill of nibbling, Shen Lihuan’s lips finally moved lower, capturing You Changqing’s soft, rosy lips and kissing her tenderly. You Changqing closed her eyes and opened her mouth slightly, allowing Shen Lihuan to slip in and hook her smooth little tongue, dancing with it.

No matter how many times she kissed You Changqing, Shen Lihuan never tired of it. On the contrary, it was like she had developed a craving for it—each kiss made her want more, made her feel insatiable.

It was the same for You Changqing. After kissing Lihuan, she could only think about wanting a hundred more. The feeling of their lips and tongues entwining was so intoxicating that she couldn’t bear to be apart from her.

She never imagined she could love someone to the point of madness. Ever since she was a child, her personality had been cool and detached. The adults around her always told their kids to cozy up to her, hoping to gain favor with the You family. Watching those kids smile sycophantically at her from such a young age, she found it impossible to feel any genuine fondness. Their smiles weren’t sincere.

So growing up, she didn’t have many friends—and only one she truly confided in. But that friend had moved to the Pink Country for school due to their parents’ job, and their contact had grown more and more infrequent.

Until she met Lihuan, from the very first moment she laid eyes on her, a voice inside her had been saying—This is the person I want.

So she didn’t treat her with the coldness she usually showed others. In front of Lihuan, she revealed her true self—she would get shy, smile, act spoiled, get angry, and throw little tantrums. And Lihuan didn’t disappoint her either. She was gentle only toward her, cared for her attentively, and spoiled her like a child.

If she had never met Lihuan, she would never have known what it felt like for a heart to burn hot with passion, nor understood how beautiful love could be.

People often say love brings pain and madness, but all she ever felt in love was sweetness and happiness.

Sometimes, when you love the right person, your life is filled with joy and tenderness—because someone who truly loves you would never be willing to see you unhappy.

Their kiss finally ended. Shen Lihuan gently wiped away a silver thread at the corner of You Changqing’s lips with her fingertip and said, “Changqing, you know, the more time passes, the more I love you. Our love is like wine—the longer it lasts, the richer it becomes.”

You Changqing’s smile was full of sweetness. “I really hope time flies by so we can get married sooner. Then we’ll have two kids, one named Muhuan and one named Muqing. The two of us will raise them together, fumbling at first, then gradually getting the hang of it. When they grow up, they’ll sweetly call us Mom. We’ll dress them up beautifully and take them out to show off, letting everyone see how adorable our children are.”

“And then, when the kids grow up and take over our careers, the two of us can travel the world together. Whether it’s the ends of the earth or the edge of the sea, we’ll be together. When we’re old and can’t walk anymore, we’ll settle down somewhere scenic, planting flowers and watering them every day, experiencing the whole cycle of life and death together. I hope I can go before you, so I won’t have to face your death—because in a world without you, I’d be afraid… I’d be in despair.”

You Changqing gently caressed Shen Lihuan’s face with a misty gaze. Shen Lihuan held her hand and smiled, “You don’t have to be afraid. Whether I’m in this world or not, I will always love you.”

You Changqing’s eyes turned red, but she raised a breathtaking smile. “I will always love you too.”

The two of them were so wrapped up in each other it was as if the world had narrowed down to just the two of them. Unfortunately, someone swam over, breaking the spell, and they suddenly remembered the race from earlier. You Changqing smiled and rushed ahead, “Lihuan, I’m definitely going to win!”

Shen Lihuan smiled indulgently behind her. “That might not be certain.”

With that, she chased after her. Seeing Shen Lihuan catching up, You Changqing sped up again, swimming toward the finish line like a beautiful mermaid.

Shen Lihuan deliberately let her win—but in order not to make it too obvious, she lost by just a sliver.

When Kate and Anderson saw them taking so long to return, they looked at them with meaningful expressions—especially since both their lips were red, and You Changqing’s were even a little swollen. The two adults couldn’t help but smile knowingly.

Shen Lihuan didn’t try to hide anything and said directly, “We’re young. It’s perfectly normal to get carried away in the moment.”

Kate chuckled kindly. “Oh, you two are such a perfect match. You’ll definitely grow old together.”

“Thank you for the blessing. I believe we will,” You Changqing said, happily accepting the blessing.

Kate’s family was also staying at the Four Seasons Hotel, so they arranged to have lunch together at the hotel restaurant. Luo Yi and Luo Er weren’t sure if they had gone swimming, but as soon as Shen Lihuan and You Changqing returned, the two showed up right away.

Everyone went back to their rooms to shower and change. Since their hair was already wet, Shen Lihuan and You Changqing also washed their hair.

Whenever they stayed together, You Changqing never had to dry her hair herself. With such a thoughtful girlfriend like Shen Lihuan, why would she need to lift a finger?

As You Changqing enjoyed Shen Lihuan’s attentive care, she scrolled through her phone. Suddenly, she saw a piece of news—Qin Aochen had won Green Nation’s highest music award, the Best Male Singer at the Huasheng Music Awards. Naturally, his fans were beaming with pride, and they now had more ammo in fan wars.

It would’ve been just another celebration for the fans—but no one expected that this frenzy would drag up Qin Aochen’s past scandals. Not only did his ex-girlfriend Lin Ruyu get pulled into the spotlight, but You Changqing got caught up in it again as well.