Chapter 4, The Storm (Middle)

Ye Fei was not afraid of Chen Jiajun. The people in the store listened to him obediently on major matters and often joked with him. If at the beginning of their acquaintance his attitude was tough and overbearing, instilling fear in others, now his threats held no power over her. Ye Fei's fear and hostility towards him had already faded. The reason she did not go to the monkey bar was not because she feared his interference, but because she felt that she no longer craved alcohol as much and did not need to deliberately seek out someone to chat with to fill the enormous void in her heart. The documentaries about the ocean in the store, along with various diving magazines, were comparatively more appealing. It was a wonderful and magnificent new world, free from deception, betrayal, and endless pain.

She lowered her head, and through the soaked white shirt, the outline of her bra and the lace pattern were clearly discernible. Ye Fei blushed: "What are you looking at? Pervert!"

Chen Jiajun has already started the motor, and the small boat has drifted about 10 meters. Ye Fei walked into the water, which reached her thighs, holding a raincoat, and threw it onto the small boat, saying, "Take this, it might be useful." As soon as she finished speaking, a wave came and soaked her halfway, her soft shirt completely wet, clinging to her body

Zheng Yunchang mediated, "Let's go, let's go to the monkey bar, today I will cover the bill"

Ye Fei glared at him, you have become quite modest

She is busy at the dive shop, addressing various customer inquiries, and has received appreciation and smiles, often forgetting the purpose of her visit to the island. The little notebook listing must-do items is tucked away in some corner of her backpack, and it has not been opened for many days.

This response left her in a dilemma, neither able to leave nor stay. Ye Fei thought he must have heard something, twisting her fingers, her expression awkward, "I already said, I was drunk that day..."

Chen Jiajun's stern face, "Have you become bolder? You are getting more and more demanding."

She wondered: "If you think the matters of the dive shop are more meaningful, why do you still invest in opening a bar? Is it just to make money?"

"So troublesome." Chen Jiajun curled his lips and glanced at Ye Fei, "Next time you come to work in the store, it would be best to wear a swimsuit"

"How about I go help out at the bar tonight? I could earn a bit more, right?" Ye Fei tentatively glanced at Chen Jiajun, "It will be quite busy over there as well."

It seems to be from Switzerland or Sweden, I didn't hear clearly... It seems they were playing some game in a bar, and Song Xi kissed her. Jasmine just heard this from a friend

"It's nothing, it's nothing," she said, waving her hand repeatedly, and then cautiously asked, "Um... you don't have anything to discuss with me, do you?"

Zheng Yunchang laughed and said: "Because he drinks too much, he can no longer afford it, so it is better to open one himself"

It is hard to say. Chen Jiajun did not glance sideways

Chen Jiajun shook his head: "Release the tiger back to the mountain"

This season is typically the local dry season, but there has been heavy rain for two consecutive nights. Some diving spots near the shore have been slightly affected, with visibility decreasing somewhat. The dive shop arranged for customers to go to diving spots further offshore, which requires nearly an hour by speedboat one way. On this day, Chen Jiajun went to town to buy fuel for the speedboat, and upon returning, he unloaded seven or eight large oil barrels from the car by himself. Ye Fei bought seafood fried rice, and he finished it in large bites before heading to the shower room at the back to rinse off. Ye Fei savored her meal slowly, tidied up the tableware for both of them, and took it to Joy's. Inda had mentioned that Joy's also offers disposable plastic food containers, but Chen Jiajun does not like to use them. In the past, if the dive shop got busy and no one came to buy lunch, he would have to wait until Joy's passed the peak dining hours before the staff would help him deliver it. Since Ye Fei came to help, he finally had a guaranteed meal time.

Chen Jiajun had already run up to the beach with a toolbox. He exchanged a few words with a local fisherman, and the two of them pushed a small boat that was docked on the beach into the water. The boat was quite rudimentary, lacking any cover, and the engine was not very responsive, requiring a strong pull on the rope. Ye Fei suddenly remembered something and shouted, "Wait for me for a minute." A few days ago, while organizing the equipment room, she had seen a rubber raincoat, so she hurried back to the dive shop to grab it, and then rushed to the beach in a hurry, running awkwardly towards the small boat.

It is all his fault. A few days ago, Jasmine went to apply for a visa, and he actually flirted with another woman.

Zheng Yunchang lamented: "I regret it, can I return her to the bar?"

They should return in about an hour. Chen Jiajun raised his wrist and glanced at his dive watch, It is likely to rain in about half an hour. You go to the front desk of the neighboring resort and borrow a few large towels, just say they are borrowed by me

Ye Fei felt a mix of excitement and hesitation, and turned back to look at Chen Jiajun inquiringly. He raised an eyebrow, prompting her to retreat and sit back at the table. "Thank you, but I still... won't go."

Chen Jiajun replied: "Not at all, there is still a need for training"

Ye Fei teased him: "What defeated you was emptiness, and also alcohol"

Ye Fei did not take it to heart, thinking that he was just drunk yesterday and still suffering from a hangover. It was not until she entered Joy's that she noticed the atmosphere was somewhat strange; the low pressure that had just been at the beach had spread into the restaurant. Yinda came over to greet her, taking the plate and cutlery; Jasmine, who usually greeted everyone with laughter, stood gloomily at the counter, holding a stack of menus and tapping away at the calculator. Her lips were downturned, and it was hard to tell whether she was feeling wronged or angry. She pressed the keys with great force, as if she wanted to poke a hole in the table.

Ye Fei let out a long sigh, feeling a layer of sweat on her forehead. She wiped it with the back of her hand, saying, "It is better not to play such games."

Ye Fei quickly stepped aside and found herself facing Song Xi. In the past, he would have called out her name from a distance, smiling and greeting her, but today Song Xi appeared disheveled and almost bumped into her. Only then did he sidestep, forcing a smile and squeezing out a "hi" from his throat. He said nothing more and walked towards the monkey bar with a listless expression.

Ye Fei stretched her neck, and in that direction, the fluffy clouds resembled white cotton candy. It required great effort to discern a faint line of light gray on the horizon. She could not tell whether it was a mass of dark clouds or the indistinct outline of a small island. Only after he mentioned it did she feel that there seemed to be a hint of coolness mixed in with the sea breeze

Ye Fei wanted to say, "I am just the servant girl of the landlord's family." She couldn't recall the exact English phrase at the moment and could only paraphrase her boss's original words, "shop slave." Fortunately, Joy's offers top-notch smoothies, and like the dishes, the staff at the restaurant can enjoy a 50% discount. Since it's all about keeping accounts, a few extra bites don't matter to Ye Fei. Every noon, after returning the dishes, she would order a smoothie and chat with the restaurant staff for about ten minutes.

Ye Fei looked up at the scorching sun, feeling a mix of belief and doubt. Nevertheless, she responded affirmatively and went to prepare as instructed, returning with a stack of dry towels.

At this moment, she was walking down the street, contemplating whether to have another glass of mango smoothie, or perhaps coconut, pineapple, or passion fruit. This decision was exceedingly difficult; she was so lost in thought that she nearly collided with a passerby coming from the opposite direction

Ye Fei felt a tingling sensation on her scalp, rendered speechless and at a loss. She was not yet prepared to become the gossip of others. When she opened her mouth, her voice came out stammering, "W-what kind of woman?"

Ye Fei works diligently, arriving the earliest every day. If it were not for the boss who loves to keep the empty shop open at night, she would certainly be the last to leave as well. After all, she is left with no money (only two hundred dollars, but the ownership no longer belongs to her). Not to mention going to a bar, she can only swallow her saliva when passing by the fruit stall and seeing mangoes and mangosteens. One day, Zheng Yunchang passed by the dive shop and saw the busy Ye Fei, praising her: "Ah Fei is quite smart and hardworking; she has only been here for a few days and is already doing quite well."

Ye Fei recalled Song Xi's sullen expression, sensing a connection between the two. She glanced at Mo Li, her lips moved slightly, but she felt it inappropriate to pry into others' private matters. Yin Da misunderstood her intention, tugging at her sleeve and pulling her aside, whispering: "Mo Li just had a quarrel with Song Xi, it's best not to talk to her for now"

The phone rang, and Chen Jiajun answered it. After saying a few words, his brow furrowed. "The scar-faced man's boat has some issues. I will go pick them up. You should close the doors and windows as soon as possible."

She walked back along the beach, quickening her pace as she passed the monkey bar, feeling a lingering fear. Upon seeing the sign of the dive shop in the distance, she finally let out a sigh of relief. Just as she stepped onto the stairs, she saw Chen Jiajun standing on the porch, arms crossed, with a stern expression. Ye Fei felt a bit guilty, lowering her head to avoid his sharp gaze, and attempted to bypass him. As they brushed past each other, he surprisingly did not speak to her. Ye Fei took a few steps, sensing something was amiss, and could not help but stop and turn back. Chen Jiajun seemed to sense her hesitation, shifted slightly, and asked, "Is there something?"

Chen Jiajun cast a glance at Ye Fei, wearing an expression that seemed to say, "What are you mumbling about?" He then turned his head away. Following his gaze, Ye Fei realized that he was not staring at her, but rather gazing at the distant horizon. The sun shone brightly, and the gently rippling sea was a clear and deep blue. In the distance, white clouds were piled up, hanging low above the water's surface, puffed up as if they were within reach.

Ye Fei said: "Both ships have set sail, how do we proceed? Should we wait for Wen Ka to return?"

Do you have time? He glanced over and said, "Why not do something more meaningful?"

Chen Jiajun scoffed, "What is there to see?" He revved the engine and surged forward, cutting through the waves

Zheng Yunchang shook his head with a smile, "Look at you, you've scared the young girl like this. You are her boss, not her father"

"There is no time, I will go rent a boat." He pointed to the sea surface in the front left, "The storm is coming from that direction and should have already reached South Island."

Ye Fei nodded, "I saw Song Xi on the way."