Due to the delay caused by Mahjong, when the group finally arrived at the beach, it was already evening.
The sky was a dull gray, and the sun’s lingering glow quickly faded at the horizon. The street lights along the promenade had already been switched on, casting bright light over the surroundings.
The evening sea breeze hit Ning Chu’s face, and she shivered from the cold, quickly retreating behind Wen Yang to shield herself from the biting wind.
"So cold..."
In May, the daytime temperature here usually hovered around 25-26°C, and at night, it was just above 20°C. Typically, a light jacket would suffice, but near the sea, she could definitely feel the temperature was a little lower than usual.
However, Yan Xinya’s enthusiasm wasn’t dampened at all. As soon as they got out of the car, she eagerly grabbed Lily and headed toward the shopping street. "Where can we rent a tent? Let’s get one quickly!"
Lily, almost tripping from being pulled along, reluctantly followed the wolf girl’s frantic pace. Qianqian, looking at their backs, glanced over at the other couples, then quickly picked up her pace to join them.
Rather than staying here to watch couples’ "dog food," she’d rather go with Yan Xinya and the others.
The shopping street ran along the beach, and it only took two steps down from here to reach the sand.
Ning Chu curiously observed this unfamiliar environment, mumbling, "It’s no different from the beach near my house~"
She looked up at Wen Yang, but saw that he was staring blankly at the coastline.
"Never seen it before, huh? Pretty, isn’t it?"
"Mm, it’s nice."
"When I was little, Grandpa often took me to the beach to collect shells and crabs, sometimes filling a whole bucket. At night, we’d boil them to eat, though there wasn’t much meat, it was just for the freshness."
Ning Chu hooked her arm around Wen Yang’s, chattering about her childhood. "I was about five or six years old when my mom took me camping by the beach too. I think my brother and the neighbor’s aunt were there... I don’t really remember, but I think it was really cold at night."
"Sounds fun?"
"Mm, but after that, my mom had to work, so she rarely took me out."
From this perspective, Ning Chu’s childhood wasn’t filled with many outings, and it was all because of that suddenly missing father.
If not for that, her mom wouldn’t have had to work all the time, and Ning Chu and her brother wouldn’t have had to grow up with little to no attention from her.
"When summer vacation comes, I’ll take you to the beach again."
Wen Yang smiled warmly and asked.
"You just want to see girls in swimsuits, don’t you?"
Ning Chu raised an eyebrow, then shook her head. "Forget it, I’m not interested in that anymore."
Nightfall quickly descended. Apart from the bright area around the shopping street, the beach was already engulfed in darkness. Only the inky black sea could be vaguely seen, resembling a deep abyss.
The sea breeze was strong, causing Ning Chu to stay close to Wen Yang, treating him as her windbreak.
The shopping street was somewhat quiet. From the entrance, one could see straight to the end of the street, and Ning Chu quickly spotted Yan Xinya’s figure.
She jogged over, and Yan Xinya noticed her approach, excitedly pointing to a tent rental shop. "Ning Chu! Let’s rent a huge tent, five of us can sleep together!"
"Uh..."
"You want to sleep with Wen Yang?"
Ning Chu hesitated for a second, but the wolf girl was already teasing her, getting closer. "Oh~ doing that on the beach is pretty exciting, huh~"
Her face instantly turned bright red, and she lunged at Yan Xinya. "Stop talking nonsense! I would never think of such things!"
"You said the same thing last night! You only came back with Wen Yang at dawn!"
"I was just shopping with him!"
"Yeah, sure, no one believes that!"
After some teasing, the group decided to rent one large tent and two smaller ones, worried about the cold at night. They also rented sleeping bags.
On the beach, there was a designated camping area near the promenade, and only a few tents were set up here, leaving plenty of space to enjoy.
The three tents were quickly set up in a circle, and in the middle, they spread out a waterproof, fireproof picnic blanket, placed a camping stove, and pulled out the pre-bought semi-cooked skewers.
Though there were also self-serve barbecues on the promenade, with tables and chairs set up right on the sand and plenty of lighting, Yan Xinya was so excited that it was impossible to refuse her enthusiasm.
"The fire’s too small."
Lily sat in front of the stove, watching the flame swaying in the sea breeze, shaking her head. "Can’t cook with this."
"How can it be!" As soon as Yan Xinya heard, she panicked, moving closer and blocking the direction of the wind with her body. "If I block it, will it help? Qianqian, come help block the wind!"
She turned around, only to see Qianqian had already run off to play with the sand in her slippers.
"Why are you playing with sand, so childish..." She muttered, glancing at Ning Chu and Wen Yang, and waved, "Come help block the wind! Otherwise, we won’t have dinner tonight!"
"Coming."
Ning Chu wasn’t too worried about dinner. The shopping street was right there, and they could get anything they wanted, even if it was a bit pricey.
She and Wen Yang sat down together, fully blocking the wind, which helped stabilize the fire on the stove.
Lily then set up a grilling pan on the stove, slowly brushing oil on it and placing the marinated semi-cooked meats.
The sizzling oil and the gradually spreading scent of grilled meat soon filled the campsite. Yan Xinya, eyes glued to the meat, kept urging, "Is it done yet? Why is it taking so long?"
"Is it done?"
"Slow..."
Lily was patient, not bothered by Yan Xinya’s impatience. She answered slowly, "The fire’s small, no rush."
"You guys cook, I’ll go tidy up the tent."
Seeing that the grilling would take some time, Ning Chu got up and walked toward her tent.
The wind had caused the tent to shake a bit. She walked around to check if it was securely fixed, then unzipped the entrance, crouched down, and crawled inside.
Once inside the tent, away from the wind, she immediately felt more comfortable. She plopped onto the sleeping bag and started rummaging through her bag for her belongings.
The triangular tent wasn’t very spacious, ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) just enough width for Ning Chu and Wen Yang to lie down, with the height only allowing Ning Chu to crouch while entering, unable to stand straight.
She pulled out the mosquito repellent lamp, mosquito spray, power bank, and small lamp—items she had prepared in advance.
These were all borrowed from Lily’s house without spending a penny, though she’d have to return them tomorrow.
"Isn’t this a bit small?"
Wen Yang crawled in after her.
He was tall and broad, and the cramped space was not enough for him to move around, so he had to be extra careful.
"It’s fine, the big tent is expensive~"
While talking, Ning Chu smeared some mosquito spray on her exposed neck and arms. "When you’re done, give this to Lily and the others, don’t let them get bitten by bugs."
"Okay."
"The train ticket for tomorrow afternoon at 3 PM is already booked."
She paused for a moment, then lowered her head, her face slightly flushed as she continued, "I probably won’t sleep well in the tent tonight... Maybe we can book a hotel tomorrow morning and take a nap?"
"And also check your body, don’t get weak and not even be able to beat that guy."
Wen Yang immediately understood, realizing that the little succubus needed to vent some pressure.
