Chapter 189: Fun at the Beach

Zhang Yurong wasn’t particularly thirsty to begin with. She only said that and drank some water to cover up her slight awkwardness. But she realized the cap of the bottle of mineral water was already open! The store wouldn’t sell opened water, so the only possibility is that Li Yan had opened it and drunk some.

She stole a glance at Li Yan and saw him looking at her with a smile, saying, "Yes, stay calm, you’ll stay calm."

She was at a loss for words. This guy did it on purpose! He deliberately gave her the bottle he drank from, wanting to see her and him drink from the same bottle in front of everyone!

She felt a bit helpless. It wasn’t that she minded him; they had kissed more than once, and sharing a bottle wasn’t a big deal. It’s just... with others around, if they found out...

But as Yurong took a tiny sip from the bottle, she watched Li Yan pass it to Wen Qianyi and Hai Fu, feeling a strange mix of excitement and sweetness inside. If it gets noticed, it would be embarrassing, but if not, then it doesn’t matter! Sitting right next to them yet unaware, wasn’t it like an indirect public kiss?

She felt a thrill of covert intimacy and nervousness, carefully closing the cap so as not to leave any evidence.

Meanwhile, Wen Qianyi and Hai Fu, who sat down on the mat, also received the mineral water passed by Li Yan. Hai Fu politely thanked him. Not wanting to disappoint Li Yan’s gesture, they both prepared to take a symbolic sip.

Soon, they too were startled to find the cap twisted open easily, as if it wasn’t sealed. Did Li Yan get tricked by a fraudulent vendor?

Not being foolish, both of them, having a rather close relationship with Li Yan privately, quickly understood that it was Li Yan’s doing. His polite offer of water was deliberately made with a slight twist that only they understood, undetected by others.

Hai Fu felt a slight thrill; even at such a time, Li Yan could play such a trick, making her feel delighted and gratified, although nothing showed on her face.

But at this moment, Wen Qianyi exclaimed, "Li Yan, about this water..."

Just as everyone settled down, Li Yan was opening some snacks to invite them to eat, when he heard this and was startled. He glanced over, indeed catching the eyes and attention of Zhang Yurong and Hai Fu turning that way.

Hearing Wen Qianyi’s exclamation, he inwardly groaned. He should have anticipated that this little troublemaker wasn’t easy to handle.

Yurong, discovering it, might not be too happy but wouldn’t say anything, keeping it a secret; Hai Fu, finding out, might think it’s amusing and funny. But student Wen, finding she was being pranked, would only retaliate more fiercely!

His spur-of-the-moment idea, joining them till now, hadn’t made room for deeper conversations, having strolled and chatted on a less crowded beach rather than a packed event. Not even a hand-holding opportunity. So, he thought of this idea, subtly letting them know their relationship with him wasn’t ordinary.

After buying the water, he secretly took a sip from each. Making the store owner sweat, wondering if this guy was from the Quality Control Bureau, testing expiration by taste for a mere bottle of water?

To ensure they knew it was meant for them, he couldn’t leave them to randomly pick on their own. Thus, Li Yan handed it over before they wanted a drink. Everything went smoothly, plan perfect, but never expected Wen Qianyi to break the silence!

Li Yan initially believed they wouldn’t openly reveal the secret, but forgot Wen Qianyi’s cunning. On discovering it, she announced it when unscrewing the cap, without needing a drink, revealing his intentions by labeling it as exposing the fraudulent vendor!

Wouldn’t be such a big deal if just one noticed, they could blame the vendor then. But now she spoke up, with all three having the same situation, could they deny it given their cleverness?

Previously, Li Yan pressed people into the sand. Now, it’s he who wished he could bury his face into the sand!

"What’s wrong? Is there a problem?" Zhang Yurong asked somewhat suspiciously.

As everyone looked at the bottle in Wen Qianyi’s hand, Wen Qianyi’s gaze was on Li Yan. His awkwardness and urgency didn’t escape her discerning eyes, making her secretly chuckle.

After pranking Li Yan a bit, she didn’t genuinely put him in a tight spot and had no intention of revealing the whole scene. So she smiled at Zhang Yurong and Hai Fu, saying, "This water’s so cold... I haven’t preferred too cold drinks these days."

"Oh..." Zhang Yurong and Hai Fu immediately got the hint. Not wanting cold drinks these days, being women as well, they understood what that meant. "Then should we..."

Wen Qianyi shook her head with a smile, "No need, I’m not thirsty either, let’s eat something!" Putting down the water, she took advantage of reaching to get snacks from Li Yan, winking at him, as if saying, "I’ve seen through your little scheme; I’m not falling for it!"

After his scare, seeing her smooth it over, Li Yan finally felt relieved. He then pretended not to understand, asking, "Why not prefer cold drinks these days?"

Zhang Yurong shot him a glance, thinking, what kind of question is that? Does he expect her to announce ’that time of the month’ has come? They accepted Wen Qianyi’s words as they weren’t really thirsty, just taking a sip because Li Yan offered.