Chapter Text
The spacious lobby of the Fengfeng Hotel had been packed since early morning. Guests rushed to check out while new arrivals crowded the reception desk, waiting for their rooms. He Xuan had squeezed himself into the farthest corner, nervously flipping through glossy magazines and brochures. The noise and the constant flow of people kept distracting and annoying him — but he had no other choice for his vacation.
At first, He Xuan had wanted to get as far from people as possible — some tiny island where crowds of tourists rarely ventured. He'd even found one — not far from Weizhou! — but at the last moment, someone bought up all the tickets, and the only decent option left was this small hotel on Hainan Island.
To He Xuan's deep regret, hotels on Hainan Island were popular all year round. But he wasn't about to give up that easily and ruin his first ever vacation.
He had arranged all the formalities in advance, trying to plan everything so he wouldn't have to interact with anyone more than necessary. His room was supposed to be ready exactly when he arrived on the morning flight from Shanghai.
And everything would have gone perfectly, if it weren’t for one small problem: the air conditioner in his room wasn’t working.
If it hadn't been for that annoying detail, he wouldn't have had to come down to reception, run into anyone else, and — most importantly — he could have avoided the fate of an average guest: he wouldn't have had to pick stupid activities for the coming week!
He Xuan ran a hand through his damp hair in irritation. Morning was slowly sliding into noon, and the stuffy lobby was only getting hotter.
He briefly tore his gaze from the glossy pages and met the eyes of an exhausted employee. The girl kept trying to discreetly adjust her branded vest, and the heat in the lobby had already soaked her tight blouse through. The hotel management clearly didn't spare its staff, forcing them to suffer in uncomfortable, form-fitting uniforms. All she could do was pray the air conditioning wouldn't break down and wait, with the torment of a sinner in hellfire, for her shift to end — or at least for He Xuan to finish making his choice.
The receptionist — Nangong Mao, according to her starfish-shaped name tag pinned to her vest — hadn't said a word in the last half hour while he flipped through brochures, but her expression had long since stopped being friendly. However much she might have wanted to offer help again, she knew perfectly well it would be pointless. The guest in front of her seemed to reject advice on principle and just kept circling through the same magazines over and over.
But it wasn't that He Xuan was rejecting her advice out of spite. Surrounded by noisy chatter, he simply couldn't concentrate. He was only aimlessly flipping through identical catalogs, unwilling to agree to any of the trips outside the hotel.
He Xuan had never been on excursions before. In his school years, such events always passed him by: the He family didn't have much money, and if a free trip did happen to come up, he would manage to get sick right before it. He Xuan couldn't remember if his parents had ever gone on vacation at all. Even holidays were always spent at home, with family. And when He Xuan got older, he completely forgot that a word like "rest" even existed — instead, he preferred to get a good salary bonus. He didn't even have days off! He worked like a machine, 24/7, wearing himself down, sustained by a single desire: to finish what he'd started.
It wasn't that He Xuan had never dreamed of a vacation — of course he had — but every time he pushed those thoughts away, postponing rest for later. He did it so often that in the end, he forgot how to relax altogether.
Driven by a single goal, he had slaved away for years like a man possessed, seizing every opportunity that came his way, often at the cost of his health and ignoring his own dwindling resources. But as soon as he finished the most important project of his life, he felt himself crash and burn: instead of the joy of a long-awaited victory, an emptiness hung in his soul; his habitually neutral tone turned irritable, and the pent-up anger burst out of him like oil on a hot skillet — so much so that his colleagues increasingly began to hint — or rather, one single colleague who dared to say something like this to his face — that it was time to take a long leave of absence.
He Xuan hadn't planned on going anywhere, but Hua Cheng, his business partner, insisted that in his case a seaside holiday wasn't a petty whim but a vital necessity. Otherwise, He Xuan would fry at work faster than a crucian carp at the Yuyuan market.
Under pressure from his old friend, He Xuan was forced to give in. He himself could already feel perfectly well that he couldn't do anything anymore: not eat, not sleep, not even work.
And so the trip to Hainan turned into an unplanned vacation — and perhaps He Xuan's only chance to relax for the first time in his life.
But as soon as he checked into the hotel by the sea, He Xuan shuddered at the mere thought that he would have to spend all his vacation days under the scorching sun, doing absolutely no-thing, slowly turning into a pan-fried flounder.
The excursion catalog promised to add variety to the long vacation, but the bright photos didn't spark even the slightest interest in him.
He Xuan ruled out the offers for people with children almost immediately: he was traveling alone, and the noise that always came from children made him flinch. He wasn't about to dash off to Macau to blow all his hard-earned money in casinos night after night. Bars — he didn't want those either: loud music and people intoxicated by alcohol and merriment irritated him no less than children.
The gastronomic tour looked tempting, but, much to He Xuan's regret, his habitually bottomless appetite had cut out the very moment he finished that "most important project of his life."
A yacht trip involved a dozen or more strangers trapped in a small space surrounded by water — no matter how much one might wish to, there was nowhere to escape from them except by jumping overboard. A gondola ride and a trip to some village with temples looked like decent options, but He Xuan didn't feel like dragging himself around town from early morning, nor did he — what was this? — want to try his hand at baking an almond pie? Who would willingly agree to do such nonsense on vacation?!
No, none of it was right.
Among the options, there was even a nudist beach. He Xuan certainly did want to experience new sensations on holiday, but something like that had always seemed wild and alien to him, so he quickly flipped the page, feeling his ears burning with embarrassment.
Having found nothing of interest, He Xuan snapped the magazine shut, making the girl at the front desk flinch and then force a strained smile.
"Zhujiang Nantian will do." He Xuan jabbed at a more or less acceptable listing, eager to free himself (and, perhaps, the receptionist) from this pointless choice as quickly as possible.
"Hot springs? A good choice," the receptionist said mechanically, taking the guidebook and tossing it under the front desk.
And before He Xuan could leave, she slid a desk calendar towards him and asked:
"What date should I book you for?"
At first, He Xuan was about to jab at any random date without looking, but out of habit he pulled a planner from his pocket and stared blankly at the pristine empty pages. The realisation that his schedule for the next couple of weeks was unaccustomedly free cut unpleasantly inside him. Maybe having at least an excursion written in would rid him of this feeling of emptiness, He Xuan thought. Yet for some reason choosing a date turned out to be no less agonising than picking the excursion itself.
He didn't want to waste his vacation or accidentally pick the worst possible day and ruin any chance of a decent rest. Going into town this week — stupid. Closer to the end of the vacation — just as bad. And on weekends there'd be far more tourists than on weekdays. That left five days, and He Xuan dragged his pen back and forth across them, still unable to commit. He could have sworn that on the umpteenth pass he heard a despairing groan from the receptionist, but someone else's discomfort wasn't worth the misery that would follow if he chose the wrong day and ruined his first — and probably only — vacation in life.
"Enough!" came a loud male voice from the direction of the hotel entrance.
"It was your idea!" a female voice answered him.
He Xuan winced, feeling irritation at the excessive commotion.
The voices that flew into the lobby along with the hot sea breeze drew the attention of the entire hotel. Even the receptionist, no longer resembling an indifferent corpse, craned her neck to catch sight of the noisy guests.
"Why is it my idea all of a sudden? You're the one who wanted to take a carshare! I can't figure out what you've got against a taxi."
"A taxi takes longer. We're already terribly late as it is!"
He Xuan forgot all about choosing a date, distracted by the ongoing squabble, which flared up even louder once the noisy guests appeared right behind him.
"Carry my suitcase!"
"Our suitcase."
"Mine. There's more of my stuff in it!"
"Stop claiming it all for yourself! You know perfectly well the stuff is s-h-a-r-e-d!"
Something crashed loudly nearby, and He Xuan turned around in irritation, hoping that something heavy had fallen on the noisy guests, unable to withstand their bickering. But, to his disappointment, it was just an ordinary small suitcase; and it hadn't even fallen on the quarrelling pair, but onto the floor, rolling across it and bursting open right at He Xuan's feet.
Women's swimsuits, sheer beach cover-ups, satin robes, and other items scattered across the floor, with no men's things in sight at all. He Xuan thought he spotted a semi-transparent dildo at the very bottom of the suitcase, covered by a lime-green T-shirt, but he immediately averted his gaze, barely restraining his curiosity.
"My favorite outfits were in there!" the girl exclaimed, and, nearly colliding with He Xuan, she hastily began gathering the lingerie back into the suitcase. "How could you?"
"Your turn to deal with it," her companion smirked, and before He Xuan could get a proper look at him, he disappeared into the crowd. "I'm off to the bar."
"At least take the suitcase with you!"
"I'm not your bellhop!"
He Xuan inwardly sighed, hoping the sudden squabble was over, and his gaze involuntarily slid over the girl. She was sitting with her back to him, gathering up her things with deft movements and tossing them haphazardly into the mint-coloured suitcase. He Xuan noticed with surprise the stickers stuck at random on the inside of the suitcase and couldn't wrap his head around how one object could combine such revealing items with childish stickers of cartoons, rabbits, fish, hearts, kissy lips, and other sugary nonsense.
Ignoring the curious stares, the girl snapped the suitcase shut and handed it over to the staff.
"Mao-Mao, we're back!" With these words she walked up to the hotel counter and leaned against it.
He Xuan's gaze caught on the white top clinging to the girl's chest, with the English phrase screaming "kiss here" and an arrow drawn downwards. Underneath the top, little hearts poked out where her nipples would be — pasties, no doubt. He Xuan's eyes slid lower, over her bare waist with two moles on the side, and stopped at a ripped denim skirt — so short that he had to lift his gaze right back up.
The girl, catching his appraising look, smiled coquettishly and, winking, went on chatting with the receptionist:
"It's so hot outside, and in the car it was even worse! The weather's gone completely off the rails this year, don't you think?" she jabbered without pause, not letting the receptionist Nangong Mao get a word in edgewise. "It must be so awful for you here, poor thing... Go on, loosen up a little, okay? You'll see, no one will notice even if you're in just your underwear, tee-hee!"
Every word the girl said was accompanied by lively gestures, so that He Xuan couldn't help studying her well-groomed hands with turquoise nails and various thin rings on her fingers. At one point she tucked her hair behind her ear, where a cuff in the shape of an elegant silver vine glinted, and once again shot her eyes in He Xuan's direction. He couldn't look away from her, feeling a strange and unfamiliar knot tying itself inside him. He Xuan wanted to leave as soon as possible, but at the same time he wouldn't have minded if she were chatting with him rather than with the receptionist.
"Qing-Qing," the receptionist interrupted her awkwardly, seizing the pause, and nodded towards He Xuan.
The girl noticed the open magazines on the counter and immediately perked up:
"Oh, choosing excursions? We've been here a few days already; I can give you a tip."
With these words she leaned in, brushing lightly against He Xuan, confidently flipped a couple of pages, and, opening to the right one, poked her finger at the page. Only He Xuan didn't see what exactly she had pointed to — he couldn't tear his eyes away from the girl and much preferred looking at her lips, glossy with lip gloss, than at the glossy pages.
"Take this one instead. There won't be so many tourists on Wednesday," she suggested, then turned to the receptionist. "Pass me our key card, would you? Thanks, Mao-Mao, have a nice day!"
Nimbly snatching the key card for room 523 from the receptionist, the girl headed towards the lift. He Xuan swallowed heavily only after she had disappeared behind the elevator doors.
"So, have you decided?"
He Xuan twitched involuntarily and stared at the open magazines. He felt like a complete idiot who had agonised over choosing activities as if his whole life depended on it. Why had he taken so long? Choosing between which breakfast and supper to slot the excursion into, sacrificing lunch? Ridiculous.
"Yes, book it the way that girl suggested. Could you remind me of her name?"
"Whose?"
"That girl... In that top with..."
The receptionist's lips curled almost imperceptibly.
"I'm sorry, but we cannot disclose information about our guests," she answered coldly.
"Fine, forget it," He Xuan threw out, and running a palm over his sweat-dampened hair, he recalled why he'd come down in the first place. "And what about the air conditioning?"
"It should be fixed within the day."
He Xuan grimaced with displeasure and, not answering, hurried out of the hotel. Not wanting to swelter in the stuffiness any longer, he couldn't think of anything better than to get out closer to the sea. He had never been a fan of sunbathing, but spending even one more minute in the stuffy hotel seemed like horrifying torture.
***
It turned out to be far better by the sea than He Xuan had expected. Despite the scorching sun, a soft breeze cooled the air pleasantly. The glassy surface of the water sparkled under the bright sunlight. Waves licked the scorching sand, and the air was steeped in sea salt and the seaweed washed ashore.
He Xuan pulled off his shirt and, searching for a spot in the shade, settled on the furthest lounger, hoping that none of the other tourists would take the place beside him and disturb his antisocial peace.
For a while, He Xuan lay there, listening to the rustling breath of the water. Lulled by the sea's rhythm, he nearly dozed off, imagining fish splashing in the blue waters, transparent jellyfish rising to the surface — stinging, yet helpless in the noisy waves — while a lurking shark watched the serene marine life, barely showing its sharp dorsal fin.
Sleep had nearly blurred away when, amidst the whisper of the waves, He Xuan distinctly heard footsteps approaching on the sand.
"Is this spot free?"
He Xuan drowsily opened his eyes, wondering who on earth would think to show up here at this hour, and, pulling off his sunglasses, tried to make out the intruder disturbing his rest.
A light, sheer cover-up fluttered gently in the wind, shielding fragile girlish shoulders from the mercilessly blazing sun. Small artificial shells on her still-damp swimsuit swayed faintly in the light breeze, and her wet skin glistened in the sun like the surface of the sea, so that He Xuan thought a mermaid had walked out of the ocean and onto the shore before him.
The girl tucked her hair behind her ear and smiled at him just as carefree as she had not long ago in the hotel lobby.
He Xuan, recalling the pasties visible beneath a top no less provocative, couldn't help but glance at her chest — the bright swimsuit barely covered the answer to his question.
Not in the least embarrassed, the girl straightened a twisted strap of her bikini top.
"Mind some company?" she repeated, nodding at the neighbouring lounger.
He Xuan nodded reluctantly. He had no intention of sharing his secluded spot with anyone else, but he couldn't find a single reason to refuse this sweet girl.
She smiled and, casually stepping around his lounger, settled down beside him, pulled a bottle of sunscreen from her beach bag, and began spreading the white sunscreen all over her body, all the while keeping her eyes fixed on He Xuan, forcing him to turn away towards the sea with an impassive expression.
He Xuan found it hard to hold up under her interested gaze. He knew there was nothing special or attractive about him, unlike her: he had no athletic build — though he was tall, he was also lean and slightly stooped, office days having taken their toll on his back, and the nerve-wracking work having eaten away a couple of kilos — and the only person who'd ever called him handsome was probably his mother, back when he was about six, no older.
"What's your name?" the girl asked.
"Ming Yi," he answered, for some reason blurting out the false name.
"And I'm Qingxuan!" she smiled. "But for friends, just Qing-Qing is fine."
"We're not friends," He Xuan corrected her. The girl might be pretty, but he wasn't planning on starting any flings on holiday.
"It's never too late to become friends," Qingxuan remarked and winked at him coquettishly.
He Xuan turned away, hiding his gaze behind his sunglasses. He wasn't burning with the desire to continue the conversation with Qingxuan, but, hearing no more questions directed his way, he still stole a glance at her.
Having finished rubbing the sunscreen into her bikini area, Qingxuan relaxed on the lounger, drawing one leg up towards herself. Patches of unblended sunscreen remained on her skin here and there, and He Xuan's gaze involuntarily traced the thin white line extending upwards from the too-low edge of her bikini bottoms. He noticed a small navel piercing in the shape of a blooming flower in the hollow of her stomach, and, completely forgetting himself, shamelessly studied every sparse dark spot visible on her slender body. Her skin seemed incredibly soft and tender, especially the small breasts rising and falling with her steady breathing. He Xuan could not tear his eyes away from the swimsuit top that had shifted to the side, beneath which the dark areola of a nipple was barely visible. He swallowed the saliva pooling in his mouth with difficulty and regretted not having brought any water with him.
"Been here long?" Qingxuan asked so suddenly that He Xuan nearly jumped on the lounger.
"No," he answered curtly, and clearing his throat, added, "just checked in."
Qingxuan turned to him with interest. Her bikini top had treacherously slipped.
"So how do you like the hotel, Ming-xiong?"
"No worse... than others," He Xuan mumbled awkwardly and turned away, not wanting to embarrass either her or himself.
Only now, staring like a statue at the monotonous waves felt tiresome and unnatural. He Xuan swept his gaze over the empty loungers standing in a lonely row on the beach and looked back at the girl, but that only made it worse. Her light smile and interested gaze seemed incredibly intoxicating, and He Xuan caught himself wishing he could hear her soft voice again.
"To be honest, this is my first holiday," he added.
Qingxuan nodded understandingly and, breaking into a smile, asked jokingly:
"Burnt out at work and now decided to burn under the sun?"
"What?" He Xuan blinked in confusion. All his thoughts were occupied by the girl, not by the sun at all.
"You have such pale skin," she observed. "Aren't you afraid of getting sunburnt?"
He Xuan shrugged helplessly. He had no sunscreen on him — it had stayed in his room — and he had no desire to go back for it into the hotel's infernal heat.
"Want to borrow mine?" Qingxuan reached into her bag and pulled out another tube.
"Thanks, but..."
"No 'buts'! You'll burn!"
It didn't take Qingxuan long to persuade him. Perhaps it was all because of the sun, which was slowly roasting He Xuan even under the beach umbrella stretched above him. Or perhaps it was all because of Qingxuan, whose charm had so deftly struck the unsociable He Xuan.
"Fine," he said, reaching out his hand for the sunscreen.
Qingxuan, without a second thought, moved over onto his lounger.
"Let me help," she offered, and, opening the tube and squeezing some sunscreen into her palm, commanded, "Turn around."
He Xuan, unused to such heightened attention directed at himself, didn't argue and silently did what she asked. Before, he would have simply left, cutting off all her blatant attempts to get closer, but now he simply couldn't find the strength to refuse Qingxuan.
"You're so tense." Qingxuan ran her fingers over his stiffened shoulders and moved closer, making He Xuan freeze, feeling her soft chest press against his back.
He shifted away slightly, trying to keep some distance between them, but Qingxuan pulled him back, pressing on his shoulders.
"Don't rush. You could do with loosening up a bit," she whispered in his ear.
Qingxuan slid her palms over his back, gently rubbing the sunscreen into his skin. He Xuan felt her trace every muscle with her fingers, move down from his shoulders to his shoulder blades, run her long nails over his skin, making him exhale quietly.
Qingxuan was playing with him, doing whatever she pleased, and for some reason He Xuan didn't mind at all. She playfully counted his protruding ribs with her fingertips, and from her touches He Xuan felt a pleasant wave of goosebumps ripple through him. Sometimes Qingxuan would drag the sharp tips of her nails down his back, making him lean forward, but as soon as he did, she would immediately press the pads of her fingers against his shoulders, pulling him back.
Under the rhythmic movements of someone else's hands, reminiscent more of a good massage than light touches, the muscles of his back gradually became less tense.
Once she even playfully traced her fingers along the edge of his shorts, and He Xuan felt a pleasant tightening of the muscles below his waist.
"What are you doing?" he breathed out, barely audibly, feeling his mouth go treacherously dry. He wanted her to go further, to touch him lower and, perhaps, not only with her hands.
But as soon as He Xuan thought about it, Qingxuan exclaimed:
"All done!" — and the massage stopped as abruptly as it had begun.
He Xuan freely rolled his shoulders. The lightness in his body made him think that it hadn't been such a bad idea after all, and that he should thank Qingxuan for it some time later.
"Thanks."
"Don't mention it," she answered easily. "It was my pleasure too, Ming-xiong."
Qingxuan was in no hurry to return to her own lounger. Sitting beside him, she studied the thin bracelets on her ankles, digging her toes into the hot sand.
"Any plans for today?" she inquired, as if between other things. "Going to spend the whole day roasting in the sun?"
"To be honest, that kind of rest isn't really my thing," He Xuan admitted, chuckling mirthlessly. He really had grown bored after a couple of hours of mindlessly lying in one spot.
"Then, maybe we could take a walk? There's a park not far from here!"
He Xuan didn't object.
"Lead the way."
***
The damp sand crunched pleasantly and gave way beneath their feet, while the warm waves, rolling onto the shore, lapped at their heels. He Xuan stared pensively at his feet, occasionally glancing at the girl's bright sandals. Colourful braided straps wound delicately around her slender feet, the turquoise nail polish contrasting against the peachy skin of her toes. Qingxuan seemed not to notice his gaze and chatted carefree, telling him about her past trips, of which there turned out to be an incredible number.
"Hainan may be a popular enough destination, but for the most part it's rather dull. You're lucky you stopped at the Fengfeng — here you can find a holiday for every taste," she shared with pride.
"And do you holiday here often?" He Xuan asked.
"Mmm," Qingxuan bit her lip thoughtfully, "once a year, if I'm lucky."
"Quite often."
"Actually, it's my older brother's favourite spot. I prefer other resorts."
"I see," He Xuan dropped, puzzled, not grasping what she was hinting at. "And what kind are those?"
"Mmm. The kind where you can spend time in pleasant company and allow yourself things you've never tried before," Qingxuan smiled. "The selection here is mu-u-uch smaller. But since it's your first time here, I can pick something out for you. If you want, of course. I know absolutely everything here!"
"I'm not too fond of noisy company," He Xuan replied.
"There are plenty of spots for seclusion here, too," Qingxuan winked at him.
"An interesting offer," He Xuan responded. "I'll think about it."
"Shall we take shelter from the sun over there?" Qingxuan asked when they reached a small beach park. Only the sun there wasn't beating down much less than by the sea. The only spot of shade beneath the spreading palms was occupied by an ice-cream vendor.
As soon as they stopped beside him, Qingxuan fixed her gaze with interest on the largest cone.
Without much thought, He Xuan bought each of them a sweet treat: the most ordinary one for himself, and for the girl — mint with toppings of colourful sprinkles and jelly candies.
Qingxuan was glowing with happiness, and even with the cone in hand she chatted no less, managing to nibble the top of the ice cream bit by bit. He Xuan, listening in silence, meanwhile studied her figure. His gaze kept sliding over her firm breasts, hugged by the thin swimsuit, dropping lower to her flat stomach, lingering on her rounded hips.
Qingxuan lightly brushed him with her arm, snapping him out of his aimless ogling, but as soon as He Xuan lifted his eyes, he met her attentive dark gaze. Her burning look only made everything clench tighter inside him.
The longer He Xuan looked at Qingxuan, the more a hot fog drove out all his thoughts. He was even beginning to wonder why not sleep with her just once — she was making it abundantly clear that she wasn't against having some fun with him on holiday — but he immediately shoved the thoughts aside. What the hell was he even thinking? Sleeping with the first girl he met wasn't part of his plans!
He Xuan tried to distract himself, looking around feverishly, but his gaze still returned to Qingxuan. Among the shells on her swimsuit he noticed a small starfish-shaped badge that, for some reason, he hadn't spotted before.
"Do you work here?" He Xuan asked offhandedly, cutting off her story about all the ice cream flavours she'd managed to try.
"What makes you think so?" Qingxuan wondered, and, deftly snatching a little jelly candy sliding down the melting ice cream, she caught it with her lips.
"The star on your..." He Xuan swallowed, unwittingly envying the jelly candy, and corrected himself with a deadpan expression, "swimsuit."
"Ah, you mean this?" She tugged at the edge of the badge, making the bikini top shift slightly and reveal part of her chest.
"Yes..." He Xuan barely managed to tear his gaze away — Qingxuan was openly seducing him! — it was obvious even for someone as uninitiated as he was.
Qingxuan beamed and adjusted the little star with pride.
"What do you think I could work as here?"
"I don't know. A lifeguard?" He Xuan blurted out without thinking.
"Wrong guess." Qingxuan laughed lightly, then winked at him. "Though, I have to admit, I'm quite good at giving mouth-to-mouth."
With those words she bit into her cone and, without taking her eyes off He Xuan, took the tip into her mouth with her lips, then slowly ran her tongue along the soft ice cream. She was openly teasing He Xuan, making everything inside him turn over and tighten into a tense knot.
"Qingxuan..."
"Qing-Qing," she corrected him, and bit into the cone, leaving drops of ice cream on her lips.
"Ahem, your boyfriend must be very lucky," He Xuan said unexpectedly. It seemed to be the last thing holding him back from giving in to her provocations right here and now and making her the wildest proposal of his life.
"My boyfriend?" she asked, licking her lips.
He Xuan nodded and coughed awkwardly before asking:
"Didn't you arrive with him today?"
"Ah! You mean that noisy scoundrel who dropped my suitcase?" she asked, licking her ice cream. "No, he's not my boyfriend."
Qingxuan pursed her lips; she still seemed to be sulking at her companion. He Xuan couldn't help but smile. For some reason, he liked how her genuine emotions reflected so easily on her face.
"And have you ever thought about..."
"No. Definitely not! I have never in my life thought of him in that way," she cut him off sharply, and He Xuan felt a weight lift from his chest. "After all, I'm a free girl, and even if he were my boyfriend... Oh!"
Over the course of their walk, the ice cream had melted considerably, and Qingxuan hadn't noticed the sweet liquid beginning to run down her fingers until it finally dripped onto her chest.
"How did that happen?!" she exclaimed, spinning around as she tried to fish a tissue out of her bag. The ice cream dripped again, landing under her bikini top and making Qingxuan wince. "Cold! Ming-xiong, could you hold the ice cream for a moment?"
He Xuan awkwardly took the melting cone. Qingxuan, having pulled a napkin from her bag, tried to wipe the sticky white droplets off herself, but only smeared them further across her skin.
"Oh, come on!" she groaned in frustration. "Oh, Ming-xiong, you too..."
He Xuan had been so absorbed in watching her try to clean the ice cream off her chest that he hadn't noticed the melting treat dripping onto him as well. Cold droplets fell onto his torso, and He Xuan shivered, feeling a sticky trail sliding down towards his swim trunks.
Watching the ice cream slowly creeping downward, Qingxuan unconsciously licked her parted lips. She gazed at He Xuan hungrily, and his breath caught at the mere thought that she might want to lick that sweet trail off him. He Xuan was about to take a couple of napkins from Qingxuan, but she stopped him:
"No, wait — I see a shower. Come on, there's even a stall over there!" Grabbing He Xuan by the elbow, she pulled him towards the beach shower, forcing him to discard the remains of their cones along the way.
A beach shower was usually just a thin post with a tap, meant for rinsing off sea salt and sand. But the one they approached was enclosed on three sides by thin plastic walls.
Qingxuan quickly stepped inside the semi-open stall and deftly slipped off her cover-up, passing the thin fabric to He Xuan, then unhooked her bikini top and hung it on a hook, and after that, ignoring the people walking past and He Xuan standing right there, for some reason began pulling down her bikini bottoms as well.
He Xuan turned away, shielding her with his body from prying eyes. He pretended he wasn't looking either, but he couldn't help stealing glances in Qingxuan's direction. He wanted to touch her soft, sun-kissed skin, down which thin rivulets of water were already running, and at that thought alone he felt the blood rush to his body.
Shit, He Xuan cursed inwardly, exhaling heavily. He should have quickly said goodbye to Qingxuan and left before she noticed his hardening cock, but he couldn't move from the spot while she stood behind him under the cool water, completely naked.
The sound of water quickly died down behind him. He Xuan let out a barely audible breath, but immediately tensed, feeling Qingxuan press against his back with her wet breasts and wrap her arms around him tenderly.
"Thank you, Ming-xiong, you're so thoughtful," she breathed hotly and brushed her lips lightly against his cheek, giving it a peck.
"Don't mention it," he answered hoarsely, turning his face away.
Qingxuan pressed her lips softly to his neck and, parting her mouth just slightly, traced her tongue along his skin, stoking the fire inside him even hotter.
"Qingxuan?.." He Xuan forced out with difficulty. People were already starting to gather on the beach, and this kind of mischief looked out of place.
But Qingxuan didn't care. She pressed against him, rubbed her hip against him, playfully ran her fingers along the edge of his swim trunks and tugged lightly at the waistband.
"Qingxuan?!" He Xuan asked more insistently, covering her hand with his palm.
"Care to join me?" she asked bluntly, her free hand barely brushing against his cock, which was shamelessly straining the fabric of his trunks.
"We can't here... Not in front of people..."
"Come on, you could do with cooling off too!" she answered playfully and pulled back, allowing him to turn towards her.
He Xuan had never expected that a bit of light-hearted chat with a girl would lead to showering together naked. And on a public beach, no less!
Turning to face her, He Xuan could think of nothing better than to drape the cover-up he had been holding this whole time over her shoulders.
Qingxuan laughed, her smile was captivating and her laughter bewitchingly light. And she pulled him towards her.
The beach shower stall was so cramped that even one person barely fit, leaving He Xuan no choice but to press himself against Qingxuan. His heart began to pound, and when some holidaymakers walked past nearby, the adrenaline rushed straight to his head.
Qingxuan's face was covered with a faint blush, and her smile had turned deceptively innocent — only her eyes betrayed a playful spark. He wanted to lean in closer still, to kiss her cheeks and neck, to cover her lips, glossy with moisture, with his own. He reached out to turn the water on, but Qingxuan stopped him, taking him by the elbow, and gently nudged him against the wall.
"Wait," — before he could say anything, she rose onto her tiptoes and pressed her lips to his.
He Xuan tasted the sweetish cherry flavour of lip gloss combined with refreshing mint — it was so delicious that he couldn't help but lick along her soft lips. Qingxuan parted her mouth pliantly, letting him caress her lips, venturing deeper. But the moment He Xuan touched her tongue, she caught his with her lips and began sucking on it just like that little gummy bear from the ice cream cone.
Qingxuan had lured He Xuan into a trap and played with him however she pleased, giving him no chance to take the initiative. Without ceasing to caress him with her lips, she ran her hand over his trunks across his hardened cock, forcing an involuntary exhale from him. Deftly catching the edge of the fabric, she tugged his trunks down just enough to free the flushed tip, then let the tight waistband snap back near the base. Her teasing movements stoked the fire inside He Xuan; her reckless boldness drove him mad. He wanted her to touch him, to run her fingers over him once more, but she wrapped her arms around his shoulders and went on kissing him greedily, barely letting him catch a breath.
The scorching air burned his skin, heating the walls of the cramped shower stall. He Xuan pulled Qingxuan closer, scooping her up under her thighs and pressing her against him. He couldn't have cared less about anything anymore — he wanted to take her right here and now. But Qingxuan wouldn't let him do even that. She buried her fingers in his hair, tied back in a short ponytail, and, pressing her stomach against his cock, began grinding up and down, forcing a groan from He Xuan into her lips.
Breaking away from the kiss, she pressed her lips to his neck. He Xuan swallowed involuntarily when she licked his Adam's apple. Her hot breath seared his skin, making him break out in goosebumps with every touch. He wanted more, wanted to go further, but Qingxuan only teased him.
He Xuan reached for her lips, but she covered his with her fingers and asked quietly:
"Has anyone ever given you a blowjob in a shower stall?"
"No," he admitted, closing his eyes — his gaze was swimming, dissolving in the hot beach haze.
"Then let me do it," — her hushed voice made everything inside He Xuan clench with anticipation.
Not without reluctance, he carefully lowered Qingxuan onto the wet floor. His sweaty palms slid over her soft, damp skin like melting ice cream; his fingers slipped and grasped at her again — as if he feared she might melt away in his hands, vanish, and leave behind only a sweet memory.
Qingxuan playfully kissed the corner of his lips and, sliding her lips lower down his chest, descended towards his stomach. He Xuan was tormented by the energetic, teasing movements of her wet tongue. Reaching the dried trail of ice cream, Qingxuan began to lick it off. Following the sweet path lower and lower, she made her way to his cock and, barely touching it, ran her tongue over the tip.
He Xuan twitched at the sensation of her hot breath.
"Qingxuan... It's not too late to stop," he breathed out, and tensed, feeling his trunks slowly slide downwards.
Qingxuan's venture was so risky and wild that the fear inside He Xuan mingled with his arousal. Inwardly, he prayed that no one would walk past right now and accidentally catch them in such an inappropriate state.
Qingxuan narrowed her eyes slyly, kneeling before him, and licked the base of his cock. He Xuan shuddered, his hips jerking forward involuntarily. Another kiss from Qingxuan drove out whatever remained of his reason. He wanted her to touch him again, wanted her to keep kissing him with those tender lips. And as if in answer to his wish, Qingxuan, barely grazing his flesh with her lips, began covering his cock with slow kisses, teasing the sensitive skin with her soft, wet mouth.
He Xuan barely held back his moans as Qingxuan playfully nipped at the prominent veins with her plump lips, her fingers massaging his balls. By now he couldn't give a damn that they barely knew each other, or that passers-by could catch them at any moment. He Xuan was losing his mind more and more from what was happening, and the only thing he wanted right now was for it never to end.
Wrapping her hand around his cock, Qingxuan slowly stroked upwards, her fingers brushing the flushed tip, making He Xuan draw a deep breath and brace one hand against the slippery plastic wall of the stall. Qingxuan massaged the sensitive head with the soft pads of her fingers, gently pulling back the skin. She moved with such confidence, as if she knew how to pleasure him better than he did himself. Sticking out her tongue, she traced it along his cock just as she had with the ice cream.
She wrapped her lips around the head, sucking lightly as if it were an ice cream cone. He Xuan felt himself sinking completely and irrevocably into the depths of debauchery. Qingxuan teased him, taking his cock into her mouth, squeezing it with her lips and immediately letting go. He Xuan thrust forward impatiently, wanting only for her to take him deeper — and she yielded to him obediently. He felt his cock press against the back of her throat, and the sensation made him instinctively stroke her fluffy crown, burying his fingers in her hair.
He Xuan opened his eyes a fraction, and the sight of the girl on her knees before him, doing the very thing he had subconsciously been dreaming of throughout their entire walk, blew his mind. For a moment he thought Qingxuan was a deity descended from the heavens. She had appeared out of nowhere, as if a goddess had bestowed her caress and her grace upon him — so charming and incredibly beautiful, her beauty blossoming in his eyes all the more without all that vulgar clothing she had been wearing. Her peachy, lightly tanned skin now seemed bronze, like that of an elegant statue still standing in an ancient temple. He Xuan gently traced his fingers along her cheek, wanting to assure himself that everything happening was real, but a bright flash from the direction of the beach blinded him. He blinked several times and glanced towards the beach — the shore was still empty, only a white yacht slowly sailing somewhere in the distance, its transparent windows glinting.
Qingxuan squeezed his balls in her palm, forcing him to look only at her. To watch as her lips ringed his cock, as she slid along it. He Xuan felt waves of pleasure washing over him, felt the warmth slowly spreading through his belly from the rhythmic movements of her tongue. She let his cock slip from her mouth at the very moment he came, and the semen that spilled from her lips ran down her chest to the exact same spot where traces of ice cream had been just moments before.
Another bright flash made He Xuan squeeze his eyes shut.
Brushing the sand from her knees, Qingxuan stood up, shielding him from the irritating glare beating against his eyes. She ran a finger over her chest, gathering the bodily fluid, and brought it to her mouth.
"That was the most delicious ice cream I've ever tasted," she said, licking her finger, so sweetly and unnaturally that He Xuan doubted whether giving in to lust here and now had really been such a good idea.
Qingxuan deftly leaned past him and turned on the shower. The cold streams of water washed away the remnants of arousal and any hint of their little indiscretion.