Another girl picked out a sunscreen from a box next to her, squeezed the whitening lotion onto her equally fair skin, and gently rubbed it in.
"Sister..." The person behind her pressed for a moment, then slid her hand to her waist, leaned down, and called out in an extremely deep and sexy voice.
With a sudden thought, Lingyan opened her eyes and turned her head to look over. She saw the cunning little fox with shimmering, watery eyes filled with barely suppressed desire.
"Let's go back to our room."
"Who was it that was shouting about going surfing today? No way."
Ling Yan refused the unreasonable request without hesitation. She closed her eyes again. The sun was shining brightly, the waves were crashing on the beach, and a beautiful woman was giving her a massage. Her long-dormant laziness returned, and she didn't want to move a single finger.
"Then, sister, do you want to stay here?"
He flipped over and jumped onto the recliner, his unruly hands reaching around to the front and sliding down further, his fingertips tracing the lines of the thin fabric.
"Gu Xiaozhong, are you a teddy bear that has come to life?"
Ling Yan quickly pressed down on the hands that were causing trouble and helplessly sat up. "We're outside, don't do anything reckless."
"Then let's go back~"
With a pitiful expression, Gu Zhong grabbed her hand and shook it repeatedly.
"...Alright, alright, let's go back."
Unable to resist Gu Zhong's constant pleading, Ling Yan finally gave in. Teasing her like this, she couldn't help but feel a little moved herself.
After tidying up their belongings and draping coffee-striped towels over their shoulders, the two headed towards the hotel not far away.
Lingyan hadn't taken two steps when she stopped and looked at the profile of a woman not far away.
The woman was wearing a black bikini that barely covered her vital parts, and her slender fingertips were painted with a nutmeg red nail polish.
Viewed from the side, her face is not visible, but she exudes an unconsciously alluring charm that makes one's imagination run wild. What a stunning beauty she must be.
The tall, blond man knelt before her, seemingly trying to curry favor and win her favor.
"Sister, what are you looking at?"
A face suddenly appeared in Ling Yan's line of sight, with a smile on its lips, looking sweet and innocent.
Knowing she was in trouble, Lingyan had no choice but to remain calm and reply in this way.
"I thought it was someone I knew, but I was mistaken."
"Oh, I see... Let's hurry up! The sun is so strong outside!"
Gu Zhong nodded, letting the matter drop without asking any further questions, seemingly only wanting to get back to the hotel.
During the time they spent together, Lingyan figured out the little guy's true nature.
The roguish nature etched deep in her soul remained unchanged, even intensified. She wondered what kind of trouble he would cause next, and was already considering the likelihood of her running away halfway through. Her old bones and limbs were simply no match for the younger generation.
Lingyan ultimately failed to escape and underestimated the little guy's vengeful nature. When she was pinned against the window for the third time, she couldn't help but let out a whimper of begging for mercy.
"Gu Zhong, no more..."
His hands were forced to rest on the wide French windows, his legs slid down weakly, but were forcibly lifted up again.
She closed her eyes, refusing to look at the endless beach and crowds below, and an indescribable thrill kept washing over her nerves, creating ripples in her mind.
"Sister, is there anyone else who looks familiar?"
The wicked fox bit her throat from the front, licking it gently while twisting it with its hand, increasing the pressure until she could hardly breathe.
No...no...
Her beautiful eyes lost focus, veiled in a thin mist, and the words that escaped her lips were difficult to form coherent sentences.
"Really?"
Gu Zhong, however, didn't believe it. Just as they were about to reach the finish line, he mischievously stopped and gently spun around. "Sister? What should we do now?"
She lightly kissed Lingyan's lips with boundless tenderness, yet she was doing the most difficult thing imaginable.
After taking a few quick breaths, Ling Yan tilted her head back, grabbed Gu Zhong's head with her other hand, and kissed him fiercely, mumbling two words, "Give it to me..."
As the clouds dispersed and the rain ceased, the two embraced and fell onto the soft, white mattress. The sweet, lingering scent in the air seemed to tell the story of what had just happened.
"Sister Yan..." Gu Zhong snuggled closer to her.
"Hmm?" Lingyan mumbled sleepily, trying to stay awake.
"How wonderful it would be to live like this forever..."
"Then for a lifetime."
Only after gazing at the azure coastline from the floor-to-ceiling windows of the king-size bed room until they were tired of it did the two leisurely pack their luggage, preparing to head to their next tourist destination.
Gu Zhong took the initiative to handle the check-out process—although all she had to do was return the room key to the front desk.
Standing in the hall waiting for Lingyan, an uninvited guest appeared before her.
"Isn't this Sister Ling? What a coincidence."
A tall, beautiful woman in a beige trench coat took off her sunglasses, revealing an elegant and poised smile as she politely greeted everyone.
"Qu Yinghou? What a coincidence."
Upon seeing who was approaching, Ling Yan suppressed her displeasure and annoyance, and put on a formulaic, polite, fake smile.
"Since Sister Ling is here, Miss Gu must be here too. Is there any work arrangement?"
Qu Xiaoran casually inquired about Gu Zhong, seemingly inadvertently probing their itinerary.
"I'm just here on vacation..."
Ling Yan still smiled faintly.
"Xiao Ran~"
A soft, seductive call interrupted their conversation.
Looking in the direction of the sound, a woman in a fitted red dress walked gracefully towards them. Her chestnut brown curly hair exuded a mature and sophisticated aura, and a beauty mark at the corner of her eye adorned her captivating eyes, which seemed to sparkle like stars. Her swaying figure stirred the heart, making one want to hold her in their arms.
Such a beauty is beyond compare.
"Xuan Hu?"
As the woman approached, Lingyan tensed up, as if facing a formidable enemy, and tentatively uttered two words in a low voice.
"Miss, what were you saying just now?"
The woman raised an eyebrow in confusion and looked at Qu Xiaoran again.
"Mr. Xia, this is Ms. Ling Yan, the agent of Xingguang Gu Zhong."
"Sister Ling, this is President Xia of Chenxi."
Qu Xiaoran readily agreed and became the intermediary.
"Ling...Yan?"
It's an ordinary name, but when she says it, it seems to take on an extraordinary meaning.
"I've heard so much about you, Miss Ling. Hello, I'm Xia Xiange."
She stretched out her hand, her slender, jade-like fingertips tinged with a rosy hue, creating a striking contrast with her skin and adding a touch of allure.
Stunned by those three words, Lingyan finally managed to squeeze out a sentence with a bitter smile, and gave her a perfunctory handshake.
"...Hello, Mr. Xia."
"It seems that Miss Ling knows me?"
Xia Xiange withdrew his hand dismissively, looking at Ling Yan with interest.
Ling Yan stared intently at the woman in front of her, her hand unconsciously curling up at the seam of her trousers, her slightly long nails digging into her palm, causing a slight pain.
It seems that Xia Xiange's curiosity and unfamiliarity are not feigned at all.
Anger surged within her without reason. The familiar face, those eyes, the identical beauty mark at the corner of her eye, the same name—it was undoubtedly Xuanhu. But how could she forget everything that had happened without any remorse or burden? Forget the sins she had committed?
"Mr. Xia looks a lot like an old friend."
Trying her best to calm the turbulent emotions in her chest, Ling Yan spoke again, her voice unconsciously carrying a hint of coldness, "...Now it seems that President Xia and I have long been acquainted in spirit."
Another point is that Xia Xiange is Chenxi's person, so it's hard to say that Chenxi's actions against Gu Zhong weren't her doing.
"That's true."
Understanding her unspoken meaning, Xia Xiange narrowed her eyes and readily admitted it, her expression inexplicably showing great pleasure.
"Sister Yan, what's this?"
Gu Zhong, who had returned at some unknown time, stepped between the two people facing off, looked at Xia Xiange with a hostile expression, like a golden retriever guarding its food.
"President Xia of the Dawn".
Ling Yan spoke succinctly, pushing Gu Zhong aside and pulling him behind her. The one who should be worried now is this little guy.
"Miss Gu, you seem to have a problem with me? That's interesting."
Xia Xiange looked at Gu Zhong with eyes that grew brighter, as if she had discovered something new and exciting, yet her gaze remained filled with unfamiliarity.
—She had forgotten everything; she didn't even remember Gu Zhong.
"I wonder if Mr. Xia and Ms. Qu are also here for tourism?"
Put aside your complicated feelings. Since you've forgotten the past, what matters now is what's happening in this world. What you urgently need to sort out right now is the matter of Dawn.
"Business cooperation".
"yes···"
Xia Xiange and Qu Xiaoran spoke at the same time, but their answers were completely out of sync.
Qu Xiaoran glanced at Xia Xiange, her eyes filled with apprehension and resentment, before quickly changing her words, giving herself a way out.
"We can talk about work while we're traveling."
"That's quite rare."
With just one sentence, Ling Yan understood the hierarchy between the two. Xia Xiange was undoubtedly superior and seemed quite arrogant, completely unconcerned that Chenxi and Qu Xiaoran's collaboration was known to others in advance.
As for what kind of collaboration it is, considering the previous casting controversy, Lingyan had a guess in her mind.
For a film queen to enter the Chinese entertainment industry is not an easy thing; she must have exchanged some conditions for Chen Xi to pave the way.