Chapter 64: Reunion of Mountains and Seas (1)
Half a month later.
When the plane landed at the airport in Hawaii, a heavy rain was pouring from the sky.
Lin Yiyang and Yin Guo led the group out of the airport and contacted the pre-booked taxi.
This time, he had no plans to visit the volcanoes on the Big Island again, opting instead to stay on the main island—Oahu, the most tourist-heavy destination.
Once in the car, Jiang Yang took the front passenger seat.
Lin Yiyang sat in the first row with Yin Guo and Lin Lin, while Wu Wei, Fan Wencong, and Chen Anan squeezed into the back row. Exactly seven people—just enough to fill the taxi.
This was the first time since childhood that all of them had gathered so completely for a vacation.
Among the people from East New City, apart from Wu Wei, who came from a relatively well-off family, the rest had grown up in hardship. Over the years, they had occasionally traveled on their own, but never all together.
"Didn’t we bring it up once before?" Fan Wencong asked. "Who was it that said it wouldn’t be fun if we couldn’t get everyone together?"
The remark was clearly directed at Lin Yiyang.
Jiang Yang turned around to scold Fan Wencong: "We’ve got family here—watch your mouth."
"Rainbow," Chen Anan suddenly murmured. The quiet, reserved man’s unexpected exclamation—something more fitting for a little girl—drew laughter from everyone in the car.
The hotel was a Hilton by the coast.
The lobby was open on both sides, and as soon as they stepped out of the car, they could already see the beach and ocean through the gaps between the hotel buildings. Chen Anan, a man completely unaccustomed to vacations, was seeing the ocean for the first time. Staring at the endless blue, he blurted out in awe, "Another rainbow?"
This time, even Yin Guo laughed, remembering how she had been exactly like Anan during her last trip with Lin Yiyang, marveling at rainbows again and again.
Lin Yiyang had everyone wait while he and Yin Guo went to check in.
When the hotel front desk confirmed with Lin Yiyang whether it was "Rainbow Tower," Yin Guo thought she had misheard. Leaning against the counter, she whispered, "Rainbow Tower?"
"Right."
This was the building with the best views of Waikiki Beach.
Of course, there was another reason—he also remembered Yin Guo’s love for rainbows. Coming to the Rainbow State and staying in Rainbow Tower had been his plan even before the Asian Games training camp. He had already booked the room back then; otherwise, it would have been impossible to stay here during peak season.
The guys took their room keys and agreed to meet up at the pool and beach.
Lin Yiyang, worried that Yin Guo might be too tired, wasn’t in a hurry to head down. With over ten days ahead of them, he set a dinner meeting time with the group and took Yin Guo to their room at the far end of the 22nd floor.
After her shower, Yin Guo hung her dresses one by one in the closet. Behind her, Lin Yiyang stripped off his T-shirt, took a cold shower, and came out bare-chested.
Yin Guo was still adjusting a hanger for a spaghetti-strap dress when his hands began kneading her shoulders. "How much longer are you planning to hang things?"
"Just two more," she said, pointing to the suitcase. "And yours aren’t hung yet."
Lin Yiyang didn’t respond. Instead, he pushed open the balcony door, letting in a wave of heat.
She thought he was going to admire the view, but she was mistaken. He then drew the curtains halfway to shield the bed from the harsh sunlight before returning to her.
The warmth of his touch brushed beneath her ear—first his fingers, then his lips.
The tie at the back of her waist loosened... He had already figured it out on the plane—this dress had to be untied at the back before it could be removed. Lin Yiyang rolled the hem of her dress up to her waist.Yin Guo was still thinking about how this older man had no qualms about hiding his intentions—whatever he wanted, he went for it without hesitation. But with her forehead pressed against the closet door and his beautifully tattooed arm wrapped around her waist, she surrendered instantly. His tattooed arm was too attractive, always an irresistible temptation for her...
Lin Yiyang took advantage of the situation, kissing her ear while getting started.
At first, the angle by the closet was awkward, so he had her lean against the door and lifted her up. The sliding closet door soon hit the wooden frame with a loud "bang." Yin Guo shuddered, not too keen on continuing there.
The door was right beside them, and beyond it was the hallway.
Lin Yiyang understood every little thought of hers without needing to ask. He simply carried her to the bed.
His body pressed against her back as waves of heat from the balcony door clashed with the cool air conditioning. The dampness from his shower, still un-dried, transferred onto her skin.
Not long after, someone suddenly knocked on the door.
Lin Yiyang paused and asked who it was. A voice in English replied—room service delivering fruit. He initially wanted to send them away, but remembering Yin Guo loved fruit and had just gotten off a long flight, he figured she needed the refreshment. So he pulled away, wrapped a towel around himself, and opened the door to retrieve the fruit.
He tossed the fruit plate onto the table.
Learning from the experience, he quickly pressed the "Do Not Disturb" button.
Yin Guo, drowsy from jet lag and waiting for him, obediently lay on the bed.
She stayed in roughly the same position, only now holding her phone, trying to set an alarm to avoid oversleeping and missing dinner with Jiang Yang and the others.
He tossed the towel aside and returned to her, exerting force at her waist. "Couldn’t even wait that long?"
"Just setting an alarm, in case I fall asleep," she murmured, her fingers slipping, unable to press "confirm." She whispered, "Slow down."
"Don’t bother." His hand covered hers, pressing the annoying phone into the white sheets. Sleep was the last thing on his mind.
He stopped talking and got back to business.
...
Later, Lin Yiyang showered again.
He walked around the room naked, soon returning with cut fruit to feed her a few bites.
Yin Guo barely ate any before falling asleep in his arms.
Lin Yiyang leaned against the headboard, placing the plate on the pillow. He finished the remaining watermelon and mango, spearing them with a fruit knife. The tissue box was on the nightstand—he’d brought it earlier to wipe her down. He wiped the knife clean, wrapped the blade, and set it aside.
Yin Guo felt cold as the sweat dried under the AC’s breeze. Seeking warmth in her sleep, she instinctively clung to Lin Yiyang, her limbs fumbling against him.
Thinking the blanket would be too hot, Lin Yiyang lifted the top sheet and draped it over most of her body.
He looked down at her sleeping face—the red spots on her nose that she’d fretted over in the airplane mirror, blaming them on stress. Lowering his gaze, he noticed her lips were flushed, pressed against the outside of his arm, the corners slightly upturned. Was she having a good dream?
He bent down to kiss her—first just her cheek and the corner of her lips, but it soon deepened.
Yin Guo had no strength when half-asleep, not even in her tongue. After a while of his teasing, she turned over, only to be pulled back.
She didn’t know why, but today he was especially relentless.
Never satisfied, he’d start again just as she was about to drift off.
...By around six in the evening, seeing Yin Guo too exhausted to move, he called Jiang Yang. Using jet lag as an excuse, he said they wanted to sleep a bit longer and suggested everyone go to the seafood buffet on the first floor where he'd already reserved seats.
Lin Yiyang went alone to a nearby food street and bought a pineapple rice and ice cream. When he placed the food container on the desk, Yin Guo finally got out of bed wearing a beach dress. She slipped her hands into his back pockets from behind and half-embraced him. "Where did you go?"
"To get food for you," he said, tapping the container.
Yin Guo smiled. "Feed me then."
Lin Yiyang opened the container and used a white plastic fork to pick out pineapple chunks and seafood from the rice, feeding her bite by bite. He had already eaten downstairs.
At half past six, they went downstairs.
The group finally reunited.
Not wanting to swim in the ocean at night, Yin Guo ordered a slushie by the poolside. After two sips, she nearly died from the sweetness.
"It's so sweet," Yin Guo complained to Chen Anan, the non-swimmer sitting beside her.
Chen Anan eyed the large cup, thinking it would be a waste not to finish it, but since Yin Guo had already drunk from it, she couldn't help finish it.
"I'll drink it later," Yin Guo said, not wanting to admit she didn't like it.
Lin Yiyang swam two laps and came up, dripping wet as he walked over to Yin Guo. He wiped his wet hand across her face, making her laugh and push him away while wiping her face.
Seeing the untouched slushie, he asked directly, "Not good?"
Scrolling through her social media, Yin Guo nodded gloomily. "Yeah, didn't expect it to be this sweet."
Lin Yiyang brought the drink menu over and placed it in front of her. "Order something else."
"But it's such a waste not to finish this," she said, eyeing the huge cup.
Lin Yiyang pulled out the straw and drank half of it in a few gulps before putting the straw back. "I'll drink it. You get something else."
Chen Anan watched their interaction, her jaw nearly dropping.
So Lin Yiyang would actually eat or drink after his girlfriend??
He'd always been particular since childhood—never liked touching others' things or having his things touched, let alone sharing food or drinks. But clearly... it was different with his girlfriend.
After seven-thirty, crowds began streaming toward the beach.
The poolside was packed too, with hotel guests from all over heading to the shore. Watching the sea of people by the pool, Yin Guo asked Lin Yiyang, who had just gotten out and was drying off before putting his swim trunks and T-shirt back on, "What's everyone doing?"
"I'll show you." He finished the rest of the slushie and told his friends to disband for now, meeting later at the bar where he'd reserved seats.
Holding her hand, he led her into the crowd, pushing toward the open space under Rainbow Tower.
At first, people on the beach were standing, but as they moved forward, the view gradually opened up—the first twenty or so rows were all sitting scattered on the sand. Lin Yiyang barely found a spot and had Yin Guo sit in front of him. He wanted to squat, but being too tall would block those behind, so he wrapped his arms around her from behind.
Other couples sat side by side, but thanks to their height difference, they looked like Russian nesting dolls...
His legs perfectly framed where she sat.
"Is there a performance?" she whispered.
Before she finished speaking, fireworks burst across the sky. Yin Guo thought she was seeing things, her heart pounding.
One after another, without pause, the night sky over Waikiki Beach was soon filled with fireworks.Yin Guo tilted her head back, resting it on his shoulder, watching the fireworks in the sky. To her left were people taking photos, to her right were those recording videos—everyone had their phones raised, capturing the moment. Exclamations of awe blended seamlessly with the bursts of fireworks.
Every time she saw a beautiful pattern, Yin Guo would laugh and tug at his arm. Her flip-flops lay discarded nearby, her feet covered in white sand, her legs too—and she was even rubbing the grains onto his legs.
Two minutes later, it suddenly dawned on her why he had specifically brought her here to see the fireworks.
Because when she looked up, it wasn’t just the fireworks—it was the Starry sky.
The Hawaiian night sky held a different meaning for them.
Yin Guo turned to look at him, and Lin Yiyang met her gaze. “Why are you looking at me instead of the fireworks?”
She smiled without answering, reaching for the arm wrapped around her, tracing the tattoo there with her fingers. She lowered her head and kissed the constellation inked on his skin.
Truthfully, Rainbow Tower offered the best view. Lin Yiyang had originally planned to take her to the balcony, to look down at the crowded beach, the deep blue ocean under the night sky, and the countless fireworks exploding in brilliant colors.
But then he reconsidered—being among the crowd made it livelier.
The last time he came, he had coincidentally arrived on a Friday and learned that Waikiki Beach held fireworks shows every week.
Back then, he was single, without a girlfriend, and couldn’t afford to stay at Rainbow Tower. He had walked all the way from a distant hotel to this beach, glanced at the fireworks with little interest, and then, noticing the overwhelming crowd, worried about the risk of a stampede. He ended up sitting at a bar by the pool instead.
Now, holding his precious girl in his arms, he thought that in the future, he should explore more, gather more experiences—they’d come in handy for spoiling his girlfriend.
The fireworks ended quickly—just fifteen minutes.
The tourists who had flooded the beach gradually dispersed, like a receding tide, the sea of people quietly retreating.
Yin Guo scooped up a handful of sand, waiting for the crowd to thin before leaving.
Suddenly, she felt a warm breath against the back of her ear, followed by a ticklish kiss. She nudged him with her elbow. “What’s gotten into you today…? You keep kissing me.”
He chuckled.
No answer.
Yin Guo thought for a moment—was it because of the heat?
OpenNovel