Hard to Escape

Chapter 42 END

Yin Li quickly proposed to me but I turned him down. I felt like I still needed some time. I was uneasy. The last time I accepted the proposal, I discovered it was a sham. That experience left a shadow in my heart.

"I'm guessing you still didn't recover from that. I'm sorry, it was my fault." Yin Li was very understanding. "Then why don't we go and take some time off. We rushed back from Mexico and didn't have the chance to see Cancun and the Caribbean. Why don't we do all the things we didn't do on our itinerary last time?"

I kind of wanted to go to the Caribbean so I nodded my head.

Hence, we resumed our Mexico travels.

This time, we set foot in a small town near Cancun: Playa del Carmen. It was the afternoon, and we walked the streets. Colorful stores lined the avenue and the sky was incredibly blue. The sun shone on the bikini-clad women in their bright swimsuits, and the contrast against the blue sky made them all the more beautiful. Ten minutes of walking and we were at the beach and the Caribbean sea.

We drank wine and strolled across the beach in the dusk light. The wind was cool and refreshing, and the blue of the sea calmed one's heart. The gentle, lapping tides kissed our feet, and our toes sunk into the fine sand. We had come back to Mexico within half a year but it felt like things had already changed with time. Yin Li didn't bring up marriage. He just casually chatted with me.

"Do you remember how in Faust, Mephistopheles would give all the good things in the world to Faust? And if Faust was satisfied with anything that Mephistopheles gave him, then Mephistopheles would take his soul?" Yin Li took my hand as we waded in the sea. The wind ruffled his hair, disheveling his whole appearance. He didn't look as sharp as before. On the contrary, he seemed more kind. "I feel like my soul is about to be taken by the devil."

Though Playa del Carmen was in Mexico, it was the American tourists' backyard. Many young English-speaking American couples passed us. They were laughing and fooling around, splashing water on each other. They did not worry about the world. Further inland, beachside hotels were already preparing the outdoor candlelight dinners with red table cloths and flickering candle flames. Even further inland, a lone blonde guy was basking in the sea breeze drinking alone.

This was what peace looked like.

"Tomorrow, I'll bring you to the beach in the daytime. It'll feel different than right now." Yin Li smiled. "There's a lot to do at the beach." He gave me a goodnight kiss. "Let's meet here tomorrow at nine."

I couldn't sleep for the whole night.

The second day I arrived at the beach on time. There were a decent number of people. Some bikini-clad women were reading books and sunbathing on towels with their legs crossed. Others were sleeping on lounge chairs. It had already been thirty minutes since our agreed-upon meeting time. But Yin Li still didn't appear. I called him but it didn't go through. I went back to the hotel to find him but he wasn't there either. The person at the front desk spoke minimal English and handed me a cup of coffee. I was beginning to feel a little worried, but I still sat in the lobby and waited. Yin Li would come back to the hotel sooner or later. Another ten or so minutes passed like this, and I was anxious with every passing second. I had a bad premonition. After all, this was a foreign country. As time passed, I was so worried I almost wanted to scream.

I fixed my gaze on the hotel entrance but Yin Li still didn't return. However, a blonde guy rushed in with a panicked expression. "Does the guest in room 306 have a travel companion? He's Asian. Does he have a friend here? He's gotten into an accident."

I stood up in a flash. My ears were buzzing. Room 306 was Yin Li's room.

The blonde guy was still speaking but his voice seemed to undergo distortion by the time it reached my ear.