Chapter 55
Chapter 55: Luoxia Town (1)
After having breakfast, Anran changed into a comfortable yet casual outfit and headed out with Su Yicheng. Instead of his usual business attire, today, Su Yicheng was wearing a casual trench coat, khaki trousers, and with his slightly ruffled hair, he appeared somewhat like a Korean male idol.
Anran stared at him dazedly before they headed out, and for a while, she couldn’t move or speak.
Seeing her reaction, Su Yicheng asked, “What’s the matter? Is there something wrong?”
Anran shook her head, then finally uttered in awe, “It turns out that my husband is really handsome, indeed.” She said this with a serious and solemn expression on her face, without the slightest hint of joking or teasing.
Su Yicheng was amused by her serious tone and expression. He lowered his head and kissed her seductive red lips for a while. Then, he finally let go of Anran when he thought she was about to lose her breath. Embracing her gently with his hands on her back, he moved his mouth close to her ear and whispered, “I, on the other hand, have always known how beautiful my wife is.”
Anran blushed upon hearing his loving words and felt an inexplicable sensation of sweetness inside herself.
The weather that day was great. The sun was shining, yet the temperature wasn’t too warm. There was a slight breeze, and the feeling of wind blowing on their faces felt soothing.
Su Yicheng didn’t drive and simply walked along the street while holding Anran’s hand. Anran held on to his hand but had no idea where he was going to take her. She turned to ask him, “Where are we going?”
Su Yicheng smiled but didn’t speak. Their apartment was in central downtown and wasn’t that far from the passenger terminal. Only when Su Yicheng led her into the passenger station did Anran realize that they were going on a long journey today.
“Is it far away?” Anran whispered as she looked at the long line in front of them.
Su Yicheng shook his head, “Not far.” After the person in front of them in line left, he stooped down to say into the ticket window, “Two tickets to Luoxia Town, please.”
Luoxia Town was a small town affiliated with Jiang City. The sunset there was particularly beautiful, so it was named Luoxia Town.
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In its earliest days, Luoxia Town was known for its particularly developed marine industry. Due to its proximity to the sea, the sun slowly rose above sea level every day, then slowly set again. The evening sky was always red and mixed with golden light to produce sublime scenery. A freelance photography enthusiast had once used a camera to take a photograph of Luoxia Town’s beautiful sunset, and allegedly that photograph won a national competition, which led tourism to flourish in a previously unprosperous area. Many people in the nation travel thousands of miles just to see the blazing sun slowly set against the sea’s horizon.
The journey wasn’t that long and was only about a two-hour-long driving distance. Anran and Su Yicheng sat in the back, and since she hadn’t gotten a good night’s sleep and had gotten up early in the morning, not long after they boarded, Anran quickly fell asleep with her head leaning against Su Yicheng.
Su Yicheng shook his head slightly as he looked at her, then he adjusted his position to allow her to sleep more comfortably.
In her semi-conscious state of stupor, Anran could hear someone beside her murmuring in a low voice, and she opened her eyes slightly to see Su Yicheng on the phone with someone. From the content of the phone call, she guessed that it was a work-related phone call.
Seeing that she had woken up, Su Yicheng smiled at her, then said a few more words to Secretary Zheng over the phone and hung up.
“Did I wake you up?” Su Yicheng reached out to tuck away from messy strands of hair on her forehead.
“You have work today?” She had just overheard him talking to Secretary Zheng about some documents concerning land development, and she knew that, due to the nature of his work, to him, there was no such thing as weekend breaks.
“No.” Su Yicheng shook his head firmly, then looked out the window and said, “Why don’t you sleep a little while longer? There’s still another half an hour.”
Anran shook her head and stared at him with a little guilt. She knew that he was taking time off for her sake because of what had happened last night. As she thought of this, she lowered her head and said, “To be honest, you don’t have to purposely take time off to stay by my side.” Then, looking up at him, she smiled and said, “I’m fine now.”
Su Yicheng nodded, “I know, but I simply wanted to go out today, and I wanted you to accompany me. Secretary Zheng told me earlier that the morning glow and dusk here are breathtaking. He took some photos here with his girlfriend before, and it really did seem beautiful. Before, I simply didn’t have time or anyone to go with. Now that I finally have the time, and since you are also free, this is the perfect opportunity.
Anran watched him as he explained this to her in a matter of fact way with an innocent expression on his face, and she couldn’t help but giggle. But then, she started to worry and asked to confirm, “Are you sure that everything is all right with your work?”
“I’m not an iron man; of course I need to rest,” Su Yicheng said matter of factly.
They arrived at Luoxia Town at exactly ten o’clock. Since it was the first time here for both of them, they weren’t familiar with their surroundings. Anran said that she wanted to go to the beach, but since they weren’t familiar with the area, the two of them paid five yuan for a ride in a coach. They had just stepped onto the coach when it turned around a corner and they caught sight of a large, golden beach, then discovered that they had arrived already.
The two of them sat in the coach and simply couldn’t react for the moment. The coachman thought they weren’t planning on giving him money, so he undid two of the buttons on his shirt dramatically to expose his tanned body and toned muscles for intimidation purposes. “You guys are the ones that said you were willing to pay the full price. We’re here now. Get out and give me my money; I’m a busy man”
Su Yicheng looked at him and couldn’t help laughing. He raised his hand and motioned him to calm down. Then, he took out a five-yuan bill from his wallet and handed it to him, “Thank you, brother.” Then, he held Anran’s hand as she got off the coach, and the two of them walked toward the golden beach.
Anran stared at him with a smile on her lips the entire way and couldn’t help but tease him a little by saying, “Why does it feel incredible to be scammed for the first time?”
Su Yicheng shot her a look, then held her hand tightly and joked as well. “Five dollars taught me a lesson. From now on, no matter where I go in the future, I won’t ask any drivers for directions.”
Anran stared at him in amusement, then turned and ran toward the vast sea. The last time she was on a beach had been many years ago. At that time, she was in college and had come with her classmates. After she entered the workforce, she had been working day after day. It seemed as if she hadn’t been to the beach for a long time.
Anran ran toward the expansive sea, put her hands to her mouth, then shouted, “Ah! The sea!” Then she turned around and waved at Su Yicheng cheerfully.
Su Yicheng stared at the figure with her back against the sunlight. Her ponytail swayed in the wind, and with the dazzling smile on her face, Anran appeared breathtakingly irresistible in Su Yicheng’s eyes, and he couldn’t help but be mesmerized by the sight.