The Twenty-second Song – 《Beautiful You》

We were probably the only ones who would come up with the idea of coming to the beach in the middle of winter, but there was no denying that an escape from the steel forest wasn’t a random indulgence, but a romantic getaway.

The sea view apartment that we booked in advance was in the fishing village, and because of the off-season, it was cheaper than the usual price by nearly half.

The owner was very kind-looking, and he received us with a smile. The room we stayed in was very big, with everything we needed, and when we opened the curtains, we could see the endless sea.

Yangji Island’s seawater had a particular hue in the winter, a hazy blue that was difficult to get with image retouching software. There were also sandy white beaches, and black mountains in the distance.

Lu Chengze was behind me, adjusting the floor heating and air conditioning, I turned around and asked insincerely: “Do you mind if I let in some breeze?”

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He stopped and turned his face to the side: “Feel free.”

He had not yet taken off his knitted beanie, his bangs were flattened on his forehead, and he looked like a child and well mannered.

I opened the window and let the sea breeze hit my face. The wind here seemed to be cold blue, you couldn’t see it, but you could smell it.

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“Zlp,” R alrzkle obkzl zlvvkdt xu obszl cseu zlyd ytykdpv bkp nblpv.
Nw Ubldtgl vbld pyke: “Rv’p y rkvu usw nyd’v ts kdvs vbl oyvla.”
R pyke: “Rv’p clywvkqwz qasx yqya.”

Nw Ubldtgl pyke: “Nlv’p ts qsa y oyzj sd vbl nsypv kd vbl yqvladssd.”
R dseele yde nzsple vbl okdeso.

Rv oyp yzalyeu 1:30 obld ol qkdkpble wdrynjkdt, ps Nw Ubldtgl yde R bye y pkxrzl zwdnb kd vbl yryavxldv. Mbl sodla’p okql oyp hlau tsse yv nssjkdt, yde Nw Ubldtgl raykple bla obkzl qkdkpbkdt sqq vbl qsse. Tl bye yzoyup bye y jdynj qsa xyjkdt vbl yvxsprblal qakldezu, yde vbl sodla’p okql, obs bye clld cypbqwz, cltyd vs csypv: “R vsze usw kv oyp aktbv vs nbsspl xu rzynl.”

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Xwa byae-osajkdt zkvvzl Pakhla Nw oyp hlau vkale, qyzzkdt ypzllr plnsdep yqvla zukdt esod.

Tl byed’v lhld bye vkxl vs pbyhl bkp xsadkdt pnawqq. R bwttle bkx, jkppkdt bkp nbkd, cwv qllzkdt vbyv kv oyp kdpwqqknkldv, R jkpple bkx ytykd.

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Rv nswze yzps byhl clld vbl pvkxwzyvksd sq y dlo ldhkasdxldv, ol jkpple kdvldplzu, yp kq vs elhswa lynb svbla. Yu pldplp olal qkzzle okvb bkp bsv, xskpv zkrp, vsdtwl, yde calyvb. Fsxlbso, ol ldele wr dyjle yde ldvokdle wdela vbl nshlap.

I gasped slightly at his movements: “We should go to sleep.”

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I think my words were a bit redundant and superfluous, belated advice.

It was four o’clock when I woke up, and I could only see the evening sea. Before I left the apartment, Lu Chengze found a large scarf of his own from his suitcase and gave it to me, wrapping me from head to neck, making me look like a grandmother.

I said: “I’m going to take tourist photos.”
He smiled: “Your beautiful face is still visible.”

Looking at the sea from up close, it was even more tranquil and calm, like a large piece of soft silk satin. The sunset in the horizon reflected on the sea, turning it into a pale golden orange. There were fishing boats, beach grass, and the view seemed like it was out of a painting.

The wind was strong and Lu Chengze’s black hair was swept up.

The sand on the beach looked extremely fine, making people want to take off their shoes and socks to walk on it.
There were also some black pebbles, Lu Chengze bent over to pick one up, nimbly skipped it over the water, and yelled out, “Wow” to the sea.

I was amused by his childishness.

Nearby, a few tourists looked at him. He was unaware of them and only turned his head to smile at me.

It was really too cold, Lu Chengze clutching my hand while walking towards the sentry tower. It became less crowded the higher we went, and from time to time, he turned his head to look at me. Then he said: “Now you know why I wrapped you up like this.”
His nose was frozen pink, and I poked it with my gloved hands: “You’re not doing much better.”

“Yeah, I’m freezing to death.” He wrapped his arms around me.
I also hugged him to keep warm, muttering: “Should we have gone to Hainan? At least it’s not so cold.”
Lu Chengze said, “But then we wouldn’t have the sea to ourselves.”

We took a few photos at the top of the guard tower, landscapes and group photos, and the light at this time of day was just right, not too strong but not too dim. The sun was half plunged into the sea when I walked back with Lu Chengze, and while I was looking down and choosing photos. Lu Chengze made me realize that the devilish potential of the Apple phone was not a threat to him at all, and in fact, he still looked good.

Tell me, isn’t it just too unfair?

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After dinner, we strolled aimlessly through the fishing village. There were a little more people on the road than during the day, mostly young men and women, both tourists and locals.

Lu Chengze and I stopped in front of a popular small bar.

Because the music sounded from inside, like a pair of invisible hands, pulling both of us at the same time.

It was a bar with an ordinary interior, but it was almost full, probably because the resident singer had a great voice, slightly hoarse, sounding a tad bit like Joanna Wang. She was playing the guitar, and a few guys standing at the side of the stage were singing along.

At the end of the song, we all applauded for her, and the guys cheered even more.

Then, the girl jumped off the stage and was replaced by another young man who went up.
After tuning the guitar and adjusting the mike stand, he smiled with a bit of embarrassment: “I don’t sing as well as the beautiful lady from before.” After saying that, he shot a look in the direction of his friend’s booth.

Everyone in the audience laughed.

His friends were even more enthusiastic, raising their glasses, howling and whistling.

The bartender happened to push the wine over at this moment. Feeling curious, Lu Chengze asked: “What are they doing?”
The bartender asked: “First time here?”
Lu Chengze nodded his head.
The bartender raised his chin, indicating towards the stage: “We do not have a fixed resident singer here singing for guests. It’s just as you saw, the ones who go up are guests who volunteered to perform.”
I took a sip of wine: “Your boss is very good at doing business.”
The bartender said, “That’s right.”

Lu Chengze then looked back a few times and then at me, eyes shining brightly, eager to try: “Can I?”
At his boldness, I stared at him for a moment: “Do you want to go up there too?”
Lu Chengze: “Yes.”
I smiled: “Then go ahead.” Why stop him, music was like daylight, a wonderful and impartial sermon, where everyone could be a priest and a believer.
The bartender urged: “Hurry up, it doesn’t look to me like anyone will be waiting.”

Lu Chengze, on the other hand, gave me his white jacket to look after and quickly left.
As he stood at the edge of the stage, he looked back at me several times, and I clenched my hands into fists to cheer him on.

The man on the stage sang two songs with great dedication, and although his skills were not as good as that of the previous girls, he had good stage presence and chose songs that could move the atmosphere.

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The enthusiastic atmosphere extended to Lu Chengze on stage.
His black turtleneck sweater set off his handsome and refreshing self.

He lowered his head to study the guitar, presumably to tune the pitch, and then plucked the strings a few times. A light tune immediately flowed out, making people almost want to begin moving along to it.

He also knew how to do this? How many more surprises did this guy have that I didn’t know about? I looked at him incredulously, unable to close my mouth.

He looked a little shy, but not lacking in confidence.

He replayed the melody from just before, and then opened his lips:

　　“All the oceans and the seas know the sound
　　Of Your beautiful voice
　　And if You tell them to be calm and be still
　　They have no other choice

Perhaps it was his clear voice, eye-catching face, or the smile which rendered him harmless, the men screamed louder than the girls, and more people lifted their heads and raised their hands to clap for him.

He only looked at them briefly, and soon locked his gaze onto me:

　　“I can’t imagine life without You
　　Beautiful You
　　I can’t imagine being alone
　　Beautiful You
　　The only thing I ever wanna do
　　Beautiful You
　　Is have You hold me in Your arms

Beautiful voice, beautiful you, are you sure this song was not sung for himself?

I turned on the flashlight on my phone and waved, supporting him, and vowing to be the most prominent and hardest working of the cheering crowd:

　　“Every ocean, every sea
　　Every morning’s a symphony
　　Every drop of rain, every waterfall
　　All the stars in the sky are so beautiful
　　Every breath I breathe, every beat of my heart
　　I feel so alive ’cause of who You are

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The bartender placed his hands on the table and joked, “You guys look like you’re on your honeymoon.”
Suddenly, I thought of a scene in 《Before Sunrise》 where a passerby asks Celine and Jesse what they are doing in Vienna, and their reply: “Yeah, we’re here for our honeymoon.”
The bartender was a little surprised.
I smiled: “Can we not?”

After getting off the stage, Lu Chengze quickly ran over to me. I wanted to jump off the high chair and hug him, but he pushed me back and leaned in to hug me.

We embraced for a long time as if no one was watching.

He breathed in my ear, with a slightly fast rhythm and a clear smile.

Once he was released and seated, the bartender served a glass of wine: “Happy wedding.”
Lu Chengze paused in surprise, and looked at me in confusion.

I leaned in and whispered to him, “It’s okay to lie for a glass of wine, right?”
He immediately understood and smiled with a slight shrug of his shoulders: “It doesn’t matter, anyway, it’s just a practice in advance.”