章 88: Every Cloud Has A Silver Lining
After slaving for days at work, Feng Jiu finally finished up on all her work. It was Friday evening, and Feng Jiu was packing up for the day. She couldn't wait to enjoy her mini staycation over the weekend.
Si Ming's wedding ceremony would be held on Sunday at 11 AM, and everyone except Dong Hua and Su Moye would be staying the night on Saturday.
As much as Dong Hua wanted to join them, he couldn't do so since he needed to work on Saturday. Round two of the competition would also be held next week, just a few days after Si Ming's wedding day.
"I wish you'll be able to join us on Saturday, Dong Hua. But I know you're busy with work." Feng Jiu said to Dong Hua before leaving the office, and she frowned.
"I'm sorry, Xiao Bai. But I'm tied down with work. I still have a few meetings to attend." Dong Hua replied, and he continued typing on his computer.
"I guess I'll see you on Sunday morning then?" Feng Jiu pouted.
"Okay, I'll see you soon. Text me when you're home and have an enjoyable trip tomorrow." Dong Hua replied casually.
"Okay! Lian Song would be driving us there, and it would be a two hour drive. Si Ming and Yu Xi are already there." Feng Jiu replied excitedly, and then she took her belongings and headed back home to prepare for her staycation.
After Feng Jiu left the office, Dong Hua immediately called Chong Lin on the phone.
Dong Hua: Postpone two of my meetings to next week, and I'll just attend the one in the morning with West Sea Group.
Chong Lin: Yes, Sir. I'll immediately get that done before I leave work. Is there anything else I could do for you?
Dong Hua: No, that's all for now.
Chong Lin: Alright, have a good night ahead, Sir. I'll see you on Si Ming's wedding day.
Dong Hua: Wait, I actually have something to ask you, and it's strictly confidential. What do people do on the beach? This is just purely for research purposes.
Chong Lin: *cleared throat* Uhm... I think they play frisbee, volleyball or swim in the sea. Sun-tanning is also another one.
Dong Hua: Not that kind of beach activity. I was thinking more of the ... Um...
Chong Lin: Oh! 'That kind' of beach activities. Well, when I go to the beach with my girlfriend, we sometimes have a small picnic and then watch the sunset. Then we would hold hands and walk along the beach.
Dong Hua: Oh, I see. Thank you, and have a good weekend.
Dong Hua then hung up the phone and immediately went online to search for 'Romantic Beach Date Ideas.'
"Hmm... I guess I could surprise Xiao Bai at the resort and then find an excuse to have a date with her at the nearby beach? She would be happy to see me, right?" Dong Hua thought to himself.
Then he continued searching for ideas online and 'fantasized' how he would spend the lovely evening with Feng Jiu at the beach. He also booked a room at the resort for Saturday night.
----------------------------------------
The next morning, Feng Jiu texted Dong Hua the moment she woke up, but he was already in a meeting.
Then she quickly hopped into the shower and got ready for their staycation. Feng Jiu also prepared a beautiful red dress to wear for the wedding ceremony. After she was done preparing, she ate a quick breakfast while waiting for Cheng Yu and Lian Song to pick her up.
Not long after, she received a text message that they were on the way to her place after fetching Cha Cha. Feng Jiu then swiftly headed downstairs and waited for them to arrive.
"Good morning, everyone!" Feng Jiu exclaimed excitedly while Lian Song helped her with putting her bags onto the car boot. Feng Jiu then tried to carry her own bags onto the boot, and Lian Song immediately replied, "No. You shouldn't be carrying heavy stuff. I'm a man, so just let me do it."
Feng Jiu assumed that Lian Song was trying to impress Cheng Yu, so she allowed him to help her out. Then she hopped into the back seat, and the three girls started talking about the resort.
"I really can't wait for this staycation! Remember how we used to have those sleepovers at my place? This time, it would be at the resort!" Feng Jiu said excitedly.
"It's been so long since I last hung out with the both of you!" Cha Cha replied with a huge smile.
Cheng Yu immediately turned behind excitedly and replied, "Yeah, the three of us will be sharing a room too! I'm already excited!"
Lian Song got up the car when she said that, and he replied casually, "I'm sure you girls will have lots of fun, but Feng Jiu needs to be careful while having fun too."
Cheng Yu replied in a puzzled tone, "Huh? Why does Feng Jiu need to be careful?"
Lian Song immediately thought to himself, "Wait, so Cheng Yu doesn't know about her pregnancy yet? Oh right, she's not supposed to reveal it until she's four months pregnant. We only found out about it because of the forum. I better not say anything then." Then he replied casually, "Oh, I just don't want to get into trouble. Dong Hua will fire me if Feng Jiu gets hurt under my care."
Everyone laughed out loud, and Cheng Yu replied sarcastically, "True. You probably won't walk out of Tai Chen Group alive if Feng Jiu lost a strand of hair."
Feng Jiu blushed and replied, "Dong Hua isn't that scary. He's actually really nice! I'm sure that you guys would have a change of impression when you spend some time with him tomorrow at the wedding ceremony."
"Let me know if you feel like vomiting, and I can stop by the roadside." Lian Song said to Feng Jiu.
"Huh? I don't have motion sickness." Feng Jiu replied confusedly. "Oh, just in case." Lian Song replied casually, and he drove off.
Then they continued on their 2-hours long journey to the countryside.
----------------------------------------
"Wow! The scenery is beautiful. Should we head to the beach after we checked in? It's nearby anyway." Feng Jiu said excitedly.
"I don't mind! It sounds like we will be having a fun day." Cha Cha exclaimed. Lian Song briefly looked over to Cheng Yu and replied, "You girls can have fun without me. I need to help Si Ming with some final preparations for the wedding ceremony tomorrow." Cheng Yu then nodded her head and replied casually, "That's fine. I'm sure Si Ming needs your help."
Soon, they arrived at the beautiful resort. Lian Song did the check-in process at the registration counter while the girls sat down in the lobby area.
"This place is really cozy, and the weather is far warmer here as well. It's definitely a nice place to get married!" Cheng Yu exclaimed. Feng Jiu chuckled and replied sarcastically, "Maybe you can get married to Lian Song here in the future as well?"
Cha Cha nodded her head and replied, "Yeah, I noticed that Lian Song seems a little different now. He seems more mature." Feng Jiu also nodded her in approval and replied, "Yeah, I heard that he has been helping Si Ming with all of the wedding preparations."
"That's true. We actually went to the florist together for the wedding flowers, and he seems to be really mature when it comes to 'work'. By the way, where's Yu Xi and Si Ming? I heard they were here since yesterday." Cheng Yu smiled.
"Probably having fun somewhere. I'll message her and let her know that we arrived." Feng Jiu replied casually.
Feng Jiu: Hey! We are here at the resort now. Are you guys in the resort too?
Yu Xi: Yes, I'm in my room, and Si Ming is out handling some stuff for tomorrow. I'll come to meet all of you in the lobby!
----------------------------------------
Lian Song walked over to the girls after he was done with the check-in process. Then he handed the key cards to Cheng Yu and said, "Here are your room's key cards. I'll head back to my room first, and I'll see you girls tonight for dinner. I'll be busy with the wedding preparations, but give me a call if you need help." Cheng Yu then nodded her head, and Lian Song swiftly headed to his room.
After a few minutes, Yu Xi also arrived in the lobby to meet up with the girls.
"Thank you for coming all the way to attend our wedding ceremony tomorrow!" Yu Xi said with a huge smile on her face. Feng Jiu immediately told Yu Xi to sit down, and she asked, "How are you feeling? The pregnancy and wedding preparations must be tiring you out."
"It's fine; Si Ming is the one handling everything. Pregnancy really isn't easy, and I get so sleepy nowadays. Luckily, I don't have any morning sickness." Yu Xi smiled and rubbed her belly gently.
"Oh! No morning sickness? Maybe you're carrying a boy." Cheng Yu replied excitedly. Yu Xi then frowned and replied in a soft tone, "It would be great if it were a boy. My parents would then accept our relationship since they would have a successor for their company. But I'll be happy as long as my baby is healthy."
Feng Jiu furrowed her brows and tried to console Yu Xi, "So I heard that Si Ming went to beg for your parents' blessings, but it didn't go well... I hope you feel better, Yu Xi. You're going to be the most beautiful bride tomorrow, and it won't be good for the baby too."
"My parents are really stubborn. Si Ming went down on his knees to beg them for their blessings, but they refused to attend our wedding. I really want them to attend our wedding. Si Ming doesn't have any family, and his grandmother raised him. He left his hometown at 21 years old after she died." Yu Xi frowned again.
"Let's just hope for the best. Hopefully, they will change their minds." Cha Cha replied.
Yu Xi then started yawning, and she replied tiredly, "I'm getting sleepy again. I guess I'll head back to my room and take a nap. What are you girls going to do today?"
"Oh! We are heading to the beach later in the day. You should head back and rest now! We will see you tomorrow morning to help you prepare for your big day!" Feng Jiu replied.
Then the girls headed back to their own rooms to unwind and enjoy the day.
----------------------------------------
On the other hand, Dong Hua was busy with his meeting all morning. Finally, he was done with work, and he checked his phone. It appeared that Feng Jiu had sent him a few pictures of the resort and informed him that they arrived safely.
Feng Jiu: We are here at the resort! Look at these photos, isn't it beautiful?! I love the weather here, at least it's not too cold! We are heading to the beach later in the day, and we will be having our lunch soon. Don't work too hard!
Dong Hua immediately replied to her text message, "That looks nice, I wish I was there. What time are you heading to the beach?"
Feng Jiu: I wish you were here too! Maybe near evening time since it's still a little too windy now. Okay, we are heading to lunch now, and I don't think I'll be able to text much today. I'm busy spending time with my friends so I'll see you tomorrow?
Dong Hua: It's okay, Xiao Bai. I want you to enjoy yourself, and I'll be busy with work as well. See you soon.
Feng Jiu then headed towards the Resort's Cafe to have lunch with her friends. Dong Hua looked at the time briefly, "Oh, it's past noon. I'll quickly pick up some stuff and drive to the resort. I'll probably reach there by 4 PM, so I'll have ample time to surprise Xiao Bai with a beach date." Dong Hua then packed up and left his office.
He was 'well-prepared' for his romantic beach date with Feng Jiu after reading some articles online. Dong Hua packed some candles, wine glasses, and a beach blanket into a picnic basket. He smiled and thought to himself, "Xiao Bai would be so touched to know that I prepared all these things for her. Maybe she would even kiss me on my cheek. Or... on the lips?" Then he smiled even more happily.
First, he went to the wine store to get a bottle of wine for the date. Then he went to order some of Feng Jiu's favourite finger-food, and he even put it in a thermal food container to keep them warm.
After he was done buying everything, he drove straight towards the resort since he already had everything packed last night.
"Wait for me, Xiao Bai. I'll be there soon." Dong Hua smiled and thought to himself. He kept imagining how Feng Jiu would react when she sees him later on, "I can't wait to see her reaction. Usually, in those romance dramas, the girl would hug the guy when he surprises her. Maybe Xiao Bai will hug me too?"
----------------------------------------
After driving for two hours straight, Dong Hua finally arrived at the resort. He quickly proceeds with his check-in process and swiftly headed to his room.
After he gathered everything that he needed to surprise Feng Jiu, he headed towards the beach. Then he texted Feng Jiu to lure her to the beach.
Dong Hua: Xiao Bai, what are you doing now?
Feng Jiu: I'm just hanging out with my friends in our room. Are you still at work?
Dong Hua: Oh, I see. Are you heading to the beach soon?
Feng Jiu: Not yet. Cheng Yu is taking a short nap, and Cha Cha wanted to wait since it's still windy.
Dong Hua: Maybe you can head to the beach first and send me some pictures of it?
Feng Jiu: Oh! I guess I could do that since I'm feeling a little bored! I also want to check out the surrounding areas after that too.
Feng Jiu immediately informed Cha Cha that she was going to take a stroll and told Cha Cha to text her once they were ready to head to the beach. Then she swiftly grabbed her cardigan and headed out of the room.
There was only one entrance towards the beach, so Dong Hua stood around a corner and waited for Feng Jiu. Not long after, he spotted Feng Jiu, and she started taking photos of the beach. The beach was also pretty empty since it was windy, and not many people wanted to be out at the beach now.
While she was busy taking pictures of the area, Dong Hua slowly crept towards her while trying to avoid letting her notice him. After she took a few pictures, she looked down on her phone and started sending those pictures to Dong Hua.
Dong Hua smiled upon receiving her text messages, and he replied, "Look behind you." Feng Jiu immediately turned around to see Dong Hua standing right behind her.
"WHAT?! Why are you here?! Shouldn't you be at work?!" Feng Jiu exclaimed. She was in shock, and she couldn't stop smiling.
Dong Hua smiled warmly, but he tried to act cool, "Well, you sent me those nice pictures of the resort, and I wanted to see them for myself." Then he thought to himself, "No hugs from Xiao Bai...?"
Feng Jiu then stared at the basket that he was holding onto. "What's that?" She asked curiously. Dong Hua then replied calmly, "Xiao Bai, let's find a nice spot to sit down before I show you what's in there."
They walked along the beach but couldn't find a 'good spot' since the sand was flying everywhere. Then they decided to take their shoes off and walk in the shallow water.
"Xiao Bai. I thought you're afraid of the water." Dong Hua said concernedly. Feng Jiu smiled and replied, "It's just shallow water, so it's fine. What's more, you're here as well. If I fell into the water, you will definitely save me."
Dong Hua chuckled and replied sarcastically, "Of course I will save you, Xiao Bai. If you asked me the question, 'If your mother and I fell into the water, who would you save first?', the answer would definitely be 'you' since I don't have a mother."
Feng Jiu laughed out loud and replied lovingly, "I would do the same for you as well. Since my dad would be the one saving my mom."
All of a sudden, Dong Hua remembered about the articles he read online, and he decided to try some of the 'romantic beach date' ideas. Then he gently kicked the water, and it splashed on Feng Jiu.
She immediately turned around and asked, "Why did you kick the water at me?" Dong Hua didn't know how to answer Feng Jiu's question since he didn't expect that reaction from her. "Xiao Bai should be splashing me back with some water playfully, and we will start running on the beach. I saw that in a romance movie." Then he replied awkwardly, "I thought this is what people do at the beach."
Feng Jiu chuckled and replied playfully, "Oh! You want a water fight, huh? Watch this!" Then she kicked the water hard, and Dong Hua's shirt was partially drenched. He rolled up his sleeves and started splashing her with more seawater. Feng Jiu immediately started running since she was 'losing' the water fight.
Dong Hua instantly thought to himself, "Oh, it's the same as the romance movies. Xiao Bai is running now, and then I would chase her. Sometimes, the female lead would fall, and the male lead would fall on top of her. Wait, am I being too dirty-minded? Nevermind, nobody knows what I'm thinking of anyway."
Then he started running after her, but Feng Jiu ran too fast. What he didn't know was that Feng Jiu won a few trophies back in school for running. "This isn't the kind of romantic date I imagined." He thought to himself.
Feng Jiu then noticed Dong Hua was far behind her, and she ran back to him. "Should we find a nice spot now? It seems to be less windy now." Dong Hua immediately nodded his head and thought to himself, "Finally. Although there's no hugs and hand-holding, we would still enjoy a nice romantic picnic. I shouldn't have believed those romance movies."
----------------------------------------
They walked around the beach and found a nice and quiet spot. Dong Hua then took out the picnic blanket from the basket and placed it on the sand. Feng Jiu peeked into the basket and said excitedly, "Wow! You prepared so many things for a picnic. You secretly planned this, didn't you?!"
Dong Hua smiled sweetly and replied lovingly, "Xiao Bai, I noticed that you were stressed out with the competition. So I planned this surprise for you so that we could both enjoy ourselves before the stressful period."
"You're the best, Dong Hua!" Feng Jiu immediately gave him a light hug, and then she started to unload the basket. Dong Hua thought to himself, "What? Did I just get a hug from Feng Jiu? I guess it happens when you least expect it." Then he patted her head gently and replied, "I bought your favourite food."
"Wow! You even brought candles!" Feng Jiu exclaimed. Dong Hua nodded his head and replied, "Yes, I know that you're afraid of the dark. So if the sun goes down, we could use those candles."
Feng Jiu smiled and thought to himself, "Dong Hua is really so thoughtful. He knows that I was stressed out, and he planned all this for me."
After they were done setting up their picnic, it was almost sunset. Dong Hua then took out the wine glasses and poured some wine into it.
"We shouldn't drink so much since we have a wedding to attend tomorrow." Dong Hua reminded Feng Jiu. She nodded her head and replied, "You're right! Should we start eating? I'm hungry!" Then she opened the thermal food container and saw that Dong Hua prepared Pork Dumplings and Crispy Salted Chicken. "Wow! Those are my favourites!" She exclaimed excitedly.
"You should eat more then. I also brought some Salt and Vinegar Chips and Chocolate Wafers Sticks." Dong Hua replied casually. "Those are my favourite snacks too! You know me so well, Dong Hua!" Feng Jiu couldn't stop smiling.
Dong Hua chuckled and replied sarcastically, "I need to take good care of our food baby." Feng Jiu pouted at him with her mouth filled with dumplings. Then she swallowed it slowly and replied, "Are we really going to continue letting them misunderstand that I'm pregnant?"
Dong Hua immediately replied without thinking, "Unless you want to make it come true." Then he quickly turned away when he realized that he actually blurted out what he was thinking.
Feng Jiu blushed and thought to herself, "Did I hear that wrongly?" Then she replied shyly, "I know that you're just joking. But should we explain ourselves to everyone?"
"How? Wouldn't that make it more awkward? We should just let them be. Once they see that you don't have a baby bump after a few months, they would know that it was a misunderstanding." Dong Hua replied calmly.
"I guess you're right. It would be worse if we explained ourselves." Feng Jiu replied softly.
Feng Jiu then started munching on the snacks, and she even fed Dong Hua some snacks. "Have some too!" She said.
At this moment, the sun was setting, and the atmosphere was getting more romantic. Dong Hua thought to himself, "Now the romantic part starts." Then he took out the candles from the basket and began to light them.
"I wish time would stop here. Facing this beautiful sunset and Dong Hua is beside me. We even have food here." Feng Jiu thought to herself while looking at Dong Hua. Then she teasingly asked him, "Where did you learn to do all this?"
Dong Hua immediately thought to himself, "Oh no. Did Xiao Bai found out that I learned all of this online and through romance dramas? I can't let her know." Then he replied calmly, "I guess I'm a genius, I just know."
Feng Jiu laughed out loud and replied sarcastically, "Maybe it's not your first time doing this. Are you secretly a womanizer like Su Moye?"
Dong Hua smirked and replied sarcastically, "Oh? How did you know that?" Feng Jiu glowered and stared at Dong Hua upon hearing that. He immediately chuckled and said, "Xiao Bai. This is my first time doing this, and I won't ever do it for anyone else."
Feng Jiu smiled and replied sweetly, "I knew that. Thank you for doing all of this for me." Then she stared deep into Dong Hua's eyes.
Dong Hua thought to himself, "Our romantic beach date seems to be going well. Most importantly, Xiao Bai seems really happy, and she looks like she's really enjoying the date."
All of a sudden, Dong Hua felt a drop of water on his face. He immediately looked up the sky, and more water drops started hitting his face. Then it started drizzling. "Oh my gosh! It's going to rain heavily." Feng Jiu exclaimed, and she noticed dark clouds are approaching.
They immediately packed up their stuff and started running towards the resort. Dong Hua sadly thought to himself while he was running, "What bad timing. We were just enjoying a nice date, and it started to rain heavily." Feng Jiu turned back and saw Dong Hua frowning face, and she thought to herself, "Dong Hua must be really upset that the rain ruined his surprise for me."
Then she immediately held out her hand and grabbed Dong Hua's hand. Dong Hua was screaming with joy internally. "Our dream date did go well even though it rained in the end. Xiao Bai is holding on to my hand, and we are running on the beach. It's everything like what I imagined." Then he smiled widely while staring at Feng Jiu. "I wish we will never stop running like this."
----------------------------------------
Feng Jiu and Dong Hua finally ran back to the resort. They looked at each other and laughed heartily. "It was fun!" Feng Jiu said. Dong Hua nodded his head and replied lovingly, "It's another 'first' for me."
Suddenly, Feng Jiu remembered that her friends were still in the room, and she quickly checked her phone. Cha Cha left a text for her, and Cheng Yu called her twice. "Oh no, my friends are waiting for me! I totally forgot about them while we were enjoying ourselves."
"Quickly head back to your room and take a hot shower, Xiao Bai. I don't want you to fall sick." Dong Hua said worriedly, and then he walked her to her room.
"I had a lot of fun, Xiao Bai. Too bad the rain ruined the fun for us." Dong Hua said to Feng Jiu when they arrived outside her room.
Feng Jiu looked at the rain, and it seems like it was stopping soon. Then she turned to Dong Hua and replied, "I have an idea. Meet me in the lobby area after you're done with your shower." She said.
"Oh? Are we going somewhere?" Dong Hua asked curiously.
"It's a surprise! You surprised me, and now it's my turn to do so." Feng Jiu smiled sweetly.
"Okay, Xiao Bai. I'll head back to my room and take a quick shower. I'll wait for you in the lobby." Dong Hua smiled. "Go now!" She pushed Dong Hua to get back to his room.
After that, she headed into her room, and her friends were worried about her.
"Where did you go?!" Cheng Yu asked worriedly. Feng Jiu frowned and replied, "I'm sorry, I went to the beach. I know we were supposed to go together..."
"You went to the beach alone?" Cha Cha asked curiously.
"No... Well, it's a long story. So, Dong Hua is here, and we went to the beach together." Feng Jiu replied.
"Dong Hua is here?! Wait! Did you guys have a date at the beach?!" Cheng Yu exclaimed with a big smirk on her face.
"I guess we could call it a date. I'm really sorry; I didn't mean to forget about our beach outing." Feng Jiu frowned again.
Cha Cha smiled and replied, "It's okay! Both of us walked around the resort, and we went sight-seeing as well. We didn't go to the beach since it was too windy."
"Wait, so how did the date go?!" Cheng Yu asked excitedly.
"It was nice! Dong Hua prepared a picnic for us, but it started raining heavily." Feng Jiu replied shyly.
"He even prepared a picnic for you?! Wow, he must really like you! I mean, it's Dong Hua! From what I heard from Lian Song, he doesn't ever do those things for anyone." Cheng Yu replied.
"I'm still not sure about his feelings for me." Feng Jiu furrowed her brows.
"You should ask him about it." Cha Cha replied.
"It's hard to do so now, especially when the competition is nearing. It would be so awkward if he rejected me. But... I think I am going to confess to him about my feelings after the competition." Feng Jiu smiled.
"Really?! You should do it! Judging by his actions, I'm sure he has strong feelings for you too. Actions speak louder than words." Cheng Yu said. Cha Cha also nodded her head in agreement.
"I guess you're right, Cheng Yu. His actions indeed tell me that he has feelings for me, but I still need to hear it from him personally. I'm still afraid to get hurt..." Feng Jiu said.
"Don't overthink about it now and head into the shower. You're drenched from head to toe, and you won't want to get sick." Cha Cha said worriedly.
"Oh, right! I need to take a quick shower. Well... I'll be meeting Dong Hua afterwards." Feng Jiu smiled.
"Oh? Another date?! You should go quickly then." Cheng Yu excitedly pushed Feng Jiu towards the bathroom.
Feng Jiu then grabbed her clothes and headed into the bathroom.
"Will Dong Hua like my surprise?"
- Feng Jiu
週次パワーステータス
-- 推薦
ランキング 
-- 推薦
チケット