Chapter 40: The Color of the Sea

"You should still wear it," Pei Jiayin said, gripping the steering wheel. "Otherwise, wouldn't the symbolism be lost?"

"Besides, if it breaks, I can always buy you another one."

Yu Youchu tightened her grip on her bag.

"But the next one would be new. All the meaning was invested in the previous one... just like people. You can't just replace someone because they're broken, right?"

She suddenly felt the gap between herself and Pei Jiayin.

"What are you thinking about?"

Pei Jiayin looked at the road ahead, his eyes dark and inscrutable.

"To me, whether a thing or an event has meaning depends on the person, not the object. The most precious things in the world would lose their luster if the person they correspond to were lost."

Yu Youchu’s heart began to pound violently. Was the alcohol starting to take effect again? She felt as if she wanted this car to keep driving forever, never reaching a destination.

"Do you want to go home, Pei Jiayin?"

Pei Jiayin turned the wheel, and at the next intersection, he steered in the opposite direction.

"I don't."

The car picked up speed, and the scenery before them shifted dramatically. Where was this car heading? Yu Youchu didn't want to know. She rolled down the window, and gusts of wind poured in, pressing heavily against her arms and wrists. A wave of burning emotion surged from her stomach, scorching her wounds. A salty, briny scent rushed up; the smell of the sea seduced her.

She looked up. The Inner Sea was right before them. The water, dyed vibrant colors by the lights, rolled over the reefs on the shore, the sea foam spraying around like the heavy snow in Jing City a few months ago.

The sea breeze grew fiercer, lifting Yu Youchu’s hair into the air. The pressure felt as if it were stealing her breath away. Pei Jiayin brought the car to a stop.

Yu Youchu flew out like a seagull escaping its cage, the distance between them widening in an instant. The full expanse of the Inner Sea lay before their eyes.

"Tomorrow morning, the sun will rise from this sea. This will be both the darkest and the brightest place in all of Jing City."

Pei Jiayin’s rich voice carried over the sound of the wind.

"Why?" Yu Youchu shouted.

"In a few hours, the surrounding lights will all go out. It will be pitch black, the moonlight will fade, and when the sun rises, there will be nothing on the surface of the sea to obstruct it."

"The sunlight will cover the entire surface."

Pei Jiayin’s features were blurred by the night and the wind; Yu Youchu couldn't see him clearly. Once he had explained, he didn't stop.

"If you want a fresh start, isn't this the perfect place?"

His gaze was like a torch, piercing through the deep sea mist, unwavering as it fixed upon her, forcing Yu Youchu to follow and capture his eyes.

"My life has already started over."

From the day she broke things off with Shen Wang, she had already begun anew. Although everything was still in the early stages, it was all moving in a good direction.

Pei Jiayin shook his head. Beneath his messy black hair, his dark eyes began to shine with a captivating light, cutting through the layers of haze until the surrounding scenery seemed to pale in comparison.

He had removed his crisp black suit jacket and hung it over his arm. His white shirt collar fluttered in the wind, and his tie swayed loosely—a look of asceticism mixed with disarray.

Yu Youchu stared at him, transfixed, not wanting to miss a single frame of the beauty before her. She swallowed hard, thinking that such beauty was truly a distraction.

"I mean, a new romantic life—would you like to start it with me?"

Yu Youchu stood frozen. It was already past ten-thirty, and most of the lights were gradually turning off. The surroundings grew darker, until only the streetlamp behind Pei Jiayin remained.

Backlit, his features were unclear, but as he moved closer, step by step, the contours of his face were etched into her vision. He stopped just one step away from her.

"If you refuse, I won't press the matter of pursuing you. To ignore your refusal would be to ignore your will."

His gaze was sincere and gentle. With her back to the ocean, the vast sea and her own reflection were captured in Pei Jiayin’s eyes. The scent of vetiver and oakmoss, mixed with the cold, damp breath of the sea, swirled around her.

"Isn't this moving a bit too fast?"

Her face was already flushed, her heart beyond her control, and her thoughts were spiraling.

Pei Jiayin chuckled. "If you count, it is indeed moving quite fast."

Yu Youchu naturally knew what he was referring to, and a battle raged within her. Did he even know what he was saying?

A montage of memories flashed through Yu Youchu’s mind, all involving Pei Jiayin, and she realized she had no desire to refuse him. His care hadn't been expressed through words, but had slowly seeped in through his actions, like spring rain—moistening without a sound.

Pei Jiayin raised his hand toward his chest, leaving the choice entirely to her. In the surrounding silence, their heartbeats gradually began to synchronize.

Yu Youchu placed her hand in his.

"I won't let go again."

Pei Jiayin closed the final distance, his scent instantly overcoming the ocean and occupying all of Yu Youchu’s senses. He leaned down and left a gentle kiss on her hair.

"Shall we go? We need to head home now."

Yu Youchu nodded, clearly disoriented, because she suddenly realized: by this logic, was she moving in with Pei Jiayin just like that? Was he really that bold?

"What's wrong? You don't want to leave yet?"

On the cooling beach, the temperature was becoming unbearable. Pei Jiayin draped his suit jacket over her shoulders, looking as if he would stay there forever if she didn't move.

"No..."

Yu Youchu thought for a moment. With her self-control, she was sure she could hold her own. She raised her head, the blush on her face having vanished, and said with a straight face, "Let's go, or we'll catch a cold."

Pei Jiayin smiled helplessly and took her hand as they walked forward. He hadn't failed to consider that she might refuse him, but when he asked himself if he could bear that result, the answer he found in his heart was that he was willing to wait until she liked him.

He hadn't hesitated then. Luckily, she hadn't refused.

Pei Jiayin tightened his grip on her hand.

When Yu Youchu woke up the next morning, she found that breakfast had been prepared as usual.

"Why did you have the housekeeper come to make breakfast when there was no special occasion?"

The scene she had imagined didn't play out the night before; after Pei Jiayin gave her a goodnight kiss, they had both simply gone to their separate rooms to sleep.

Yu Youchu, face burning, had tossed and turned in bed for a long time, unable to figure out where things had gone wrong.