The sea was a brilliant azure blue and tranquil in the breeze, reflecting the light of the sun in glittering waves. The air was balmy and pleasant, laced with the smell of salt and summer, whilst fluffy, pearl white clouds drifted lazily across the sky. The entire place screamed relaxation, however, Daoming Si was anything but calm as he surveyed the open water from his perch at the bow. The tall young man was tensed tighter than a spring; Shancai was here, in Sanya, so close, yet so far, and he ached to go seek her out. The thought of her cozied up, alone, in a villa with Qinghe the Annoyance was more than he could stand; he felt like he was going to go insane at any moment. Ah Si knew that his behaviour could be construed in two ways; Shancai would either be touched by his tenacity, or she would be creeped out entirely and run screaming for the hills. Ah Si longed for the former but based on Shancai's usual manner, ssuspected resignedly that it would most likely unfold as per the latter; he really had to start thinking things through before he acted on his impulsive decisions! Nonetheless, it was too late to regret his choice; he was here in this quaint little seaside village, and he would be damned if he let fricking Qinghe romance his tiny woman in any way! Over my dead body he snarled internally, taking a deep swig of the aged Glengoolie whisky that had been stocked aboard the yacht he and F4 had managed to charter. His teeth were on edge as he scoured the horizon, fervently willing Shancai to appear in front of him.
"I still can't believe you cancelled our trip to Hawaii to come to Sanya of all places," Meizuo muttered once again, disbelief leaking into his voice as he poured a drink for the pretty female cuddled up to his side. His friends were not thrilled that their plans had caved in; Ah Si at least had the good grace to feel slightly sheepish, as he hadn't exactly disclosed to them the reason he had been so desperate to reach Sanya. He had driven like the devil was on his heels to make good time, his frustration at both Lei and Qinghe fuelling his haste. Ah Si was still smarting from Lei's cold hearted betrayal; every time he looked at his mild, unobtrusive friend, the pain and irritation pulsed anew through his veins and and disappointment glued his tongue to the roof of his mouth. However, Xi Men and Jing had talked Lei into accompanying them, and Daoming Si hadn't had the heart to turn him away; he couldn't be that callous towards the softer, gentler boy. Yes, Ah Si was was hurt and annoyed, but Lei was his brother for all intents and purposes and their bond ran deep. If he would only apologise to him, he would be able to move past this and forgive him. However, Lei's apology hadn't been forthcoming; he had taken Ah Si's words to heart and hadn't uttered a single word to him since the incident. It chafed on the handsome young man's nerves; all he wanted was for Lei to acknowledge that Shancai wasn't any of his business! Was it really so hard?
The yacht swung gracefully into the harbour, the sleek chassis slicing through the water like a dolphin. The girls his friends had brought along were rowdy and slightly tipsy, giggling loudly and vacuously. Ah Si was conscious that once again, he was the only one who hadn't brought along a companion. He knew his friends often mocked his lack of interest in the opposite sex. They had told him often enough that he was slow to 'blossom'; but why would he possibly want to spend time with women so vapid that all they wanted to talk about was makeup and shopping? Jing was the only remotely bearable female onboard, however, Ah Si had more tact than Lei; he would never interrupt the quality time his two friends were spending together just to make himself feel comfortable. He took another slug of his whisky, the smooth liquid sliding down his throat as his eye was caught by a splash of colour to his left. Ah Si had to blink to clear his vision, pushing his sunglasses up the bridge of his nose as he focused on the figures in the distance. The Daoming heir had never been particularly religious, but it seemed his earlier wish had been answered by an obliging deity; Shancai stood aboard a tiny vessel in the harbour, directly in his line of sight, gaping at the magnificent yacht in horror as it passed.
She had definitely spotted him; the Daoming heir couldn't tear his eyes from the petite female as he sailed past, her disgruntled expression burning into his retinas. His vision had all the intensity of a laser beam as it focused on her arm resting so casually on Qinghe's shoulder; Ah Si could scarcely stomach it. A humourless smile twisted his lips as relief simultaneously crashed over him at the sight of her. Yet again, he found himself caught in a whirlwind of emotions because of Dong Shancai; he was thrilled he had found her with so little effort but he was aghast at the easy familiarity between her and The Annoyance; he wanted to tear the guy's arm off and beat him about the head with it until he passed out. Ah Si was positively jade green with irrational jealousy - how dare Qinghe have the audacity to touch her!! "Hey, pull the boat over!" He yelled authoritatively at the captain without looking away from the tiny girl, leaving no room for argument. He was worried that if he lost sight of her, she would disappear off the face of the earth as she fled from him. He watched in distaste as Shancai visibly stiffened, obviously realising his intentions. She seized her friend's hand as she dashed away, positively dragging the poor fool behind her in her haste to escape. Ah Si had known deep down that she would run at the mere sight of him, but a small part of him had hoped she would be pleased to see him; reality hit him like a punch to the gut. It seemed that Shancai spent the majority of her time running as far away from him as possible, and his heart felt like it was scratched by claws on each and every occasion.
