After Dumping the Scumbag Top, I Was Relentlessly Chased by a Top-Tier Idol - Chapter 20.1

Lin Yizhou turned around to find Shen Xu standing there with a solemn expression, his eyes harboring an undercurrent of shifting emotions. He spoke slowly: “Where is the Captain heading?”

Lin Yizhou paused for a moment before telling the truth: “I did some research before coming here. They say if you place coconuts in dark, damp areas, there’s a high probability of catching coconut crabs. I want to give it a try.”

Shen Xu didn’t dismiss the idea, but his brows furrowed slightly: “Captain, have you already forgotten what you promised me just now?”

Lin Yizhou remembered, of course. Shen Xu had told him not to go off alone. However, he felt he would be back quickly; he had already scouted and marked two spots while looking for firewood earlier that day. He figured he could return immediately after setting the coconuts.

“It seems the Captain really does have a poor memory,” Shen Xu said, taking the coconuts from his hands. His tone carried a hint of playfulness mixed with gravity. “In that case, it seems necessary for me to emphasize a certain very important sentence every single day.”

Lin Yizhou remained silent for a moment, offering no retort. He simply said flatly, “If you’re coming along, let’s go.”

With that, he switched on his flashlight and led the way into the jungle.

Shen Xu said nothing more and followed closely behind.

Following the path in his memory, Lin Yizhou quickly located the two marked spots. Once the coconuts were set according to the method he’d researched, the two began their walk back, one behind the other.

Lin Yizhou walked in front, guiding the way with his light. As they neared the edge of the jungle, his wrist was once again grabbed by the person behind him.

Just as he was about to turn around, a warm breath brushed against his ear: “Captain, don’t look back. It’s nothing—I just wanted to say, I like you.”

“Get ready, because in case you forget, I’m going to say it to you once every day from now on.”

His tone was solemn and tender.

The warm breath made the edge of Lin Yizhou’s ear itch. He raised a hand to pinch his earlobe. He didn’t know why Shen Xu had suddenly appeared by his side, nor why he acted as if he couldn’t live without him.

He only knew that he might no longer possess the capacity to love another—that he might never be able to give an answer.

“Shen Xu, I’m serious. I won’t like you.” He didn’t remember how many times he had rejected Shen Xu already. His tone was even more stern than usual. “Stop wasting your time on me.”

Shen Xu let go of his hand and stood tall. His eyes, hidden in the shadows of the night, held the reflection of the man before him. He didn’t hesitate: “I know. You’re rejecting me because you think I’m just playing around.”

“Let time be the witness. Time will prove that I truly like Lin Yizhou.”

Lin Yizhou suddenly felt a twinge of regret. He shouldn’t have bothered wasting his breath. Just as he believed Shen Xu wasn’t being sincere, Shen Xu—currently in the heat of his passion—clearly wasn’t taking the rejection to heart.

A young man’s rebellious streak is often at its peak; he should have used the “cold treatment.”

As long as time passed and the other person’s interest faded, they would naturally return to their own separate paths and cease to cross.

The two returned to the campfire one after the other. Pei Yutai asked Lin Yizhou where he had gone, and the latter told him the truth.

Pei Yutai let out a cry of surprise and immediately clasped his hands in prayer: I hope we can eat coconut crab meat tomorrow.

Lin Yizhou added a few logs to the fire and addressed the group: “Tomorrow we need to find a place to set up a proper camp. We can’t stay here forever. It’s safe enough when it’s not raining, but if it rains and the tide rises, this spot will become very dangerous.”

“To be safe, everyone should get some rest early tonight. We’ll wake up early tomorrow and divide the work: three members to find a campsite, and two members to forage for food.”

“Does anyone have any objections to this arrangement?”

Shen Xu: “We’ll listen to the Captain.”

The others had no objections either.

Lin Yizhou: “Then everyone rest. I’ll take the night watch.”

As he spoke, he stood up and sat down next to where the coconuts were stored, his flashlight held firmly in his hand.

Shen Xu followed him and sat down right beside him: “Captain, let’s take turns. You rest first, and I’ll wake you up when it’s time.”

Lin Yizhou shook his head slightly: “It’s fine, I’m not sleepy. You’re at an age where you’re still growing; get more rest.”

Shen Xu chuckled, his voice sounding quite helpless: “Captain, I’m already twenty. Stop treating me like a growing child. Besides, I’m already 186cm; there’s no need to grow anymore. Listen to me this time—you rest first.” As he spoke, he reached out, grabbed Lin Yizhou’s shoulders, and gently pushed him down to lie back.

Lin Yizhou couldn’t win the argument, so he only emphasized: “Then make sure you wake me up.”

Shen Xu nodded with a smile: “Rest easy.”

Lin Yizhou glanced at him, said nothing more, and lay back on the beach. He gazed at the moon and the stars accompanying it. The sea breeze was gentle, bringing the salty scent of the ocean to his nose and whisking away his exhaustion. His body gradually relaxed, and sleepiness rushed over him like a tide. His eyelids grew heavy, and before he knew it, he had drifted into a dream.

Shen Xu watched him. He waved his hand over Lin Yizhou’s face, then lightly tapped his shoulder, whispering: “Captain? Are you asleep?”

There was no response.

He then gently squeezed Lin Yizhou’s fingers. After waiting a moment and seeing no reaction, he carefully interlaced his fingers with the other’s, holding his hand in a tight, close grip.

He looked at the peaceful sleeping face beside him with satisfaction, whispering his inner thoughts into the gentle sea breeze: “Zhouzhou, I’ve liked you for a long, long time.”

It was never a whim.

The night faded as the day stretched longer; the moon dived into the sea to fish up the sun.

Sunlight spilled over the horizon, and the morning glow stained the sky.

Shen Xu released the hand he was holding and lightly patted Lin Yizhou’s arm, whispering: “Captain, wake up.”

The person being called opened his eyes instantly. His hazy pupils cleared in the blink of an eye. He looked at the person in front of him, sat up, and frowned slightly when he saw the orange-red clouds rising from the sea.

He pinched the bridge of his nose, his voice raspy from sleep: “Sorry, I slept too soundly.”

Shen Xu shook his head, a smile spreading across his face that was brighter than the morning sun. He turned to look at him: “Don’t apologize. The fault isn’t yours; this was my choice.”

“I originally wanted to let you sleep until you woke up naturally, but the sunrise was so beautiful, I didn’t want you to miss it.”

The two sat side-by-side. The sunrise was silent; the waves were murmuring.

After an unknown amount of time—perhaps a long while, perhaps only thirty seconds—Shen Xu broke the silence: “Captain, actually,” he turned his head to look at the man beside him and confessed, “I didn’t wake you up because the sunrise is beautiful. It’s because I wanted to watch the sunrise with you.”

Lin Yizhou remained unmoved, responding flatly: “Mm. Good morning.”

“Captain, look at the rising sun on the horizon.” Shen Xu looked back at the sea level dyed red by the dawn, his tender tone scattering in the cool morning breeze. “You don’t need to think about what lies beneath the surface of the sea.”

Lin Yizhou’s hand paused as he went to brush back his hair. He still didn’t speak, only watching that dazzling sun on the horizon.

Shen Xu stopped talking and stared at the sea.

He wasn’t in a hurry; he could wait for Lin Yizhou to be ready.

He had spent years looking for this person and years waiting for him. He wasn’t going to rush now.

Time flowed quietly; the moment was peaceful.

Suddenly, a “click-clack” sound broke the silence.

The two reacted simultaneously, looking at each other with looks of shared surprise.

Lin Yizhou was the first to get up, but just as he stood, his wrist was caught.

He turned back to see Shen Xu holding his hand as he stood up, facing him directly.

The morning glow reflected on their profiles and on their joined hands. Shen Xu’s voice, tinged with a slight skip of excitement, carried through the wind—

“Lin Yizhou, I like you.”

“That is today’s share of ‘I like you’.”

Having said that, he let go of Lin Yizhou’s hand and was the first to walk into the jungle.

Lin Yizhou glanced at the sun hanging in the sky before following him inside.

They arrived at one of the spots where the coconuts were placed. As expected, a fat coconut crab was perched on the coconut, intently gnawing at the small opening.

Their eyes met again in mutual understanding, filled with joy.

Lin Yizhou stepped forward to grab the coconut crab. They then headed to the second spot, but unfortunately, no crab was found there.

It’s 6:00 AM! Hubby Shen Xu, wifey is here! Ugh, if it weren’t to camp out for the livestream, what sane person would wake up at 6:00 AM on a weekend?

Are they roasting a coconut crab? Where did that come from? What happened last night? What did I miss! Why can’t they just livestream 48 hours a day!!

Hahaha, look at Baby Pei. Is he dreaming about eating meat?

Pei Yutai was lying on the sand, rolling over uncomfortably. His nostrils flared, and he smacked his lips, muttering, “Smells so good.”

Seeing him like this, a mischievous smirk curled on Shen Xu’s lips. He snapped off a crab leg, stood up, walked over to him, and crouched down, waving the crab leg back and forth in front of Pei Yutai’s nose.

As Pei Yutai’s nose followed the scent, Shen Xu moved the leg further away.

Lin Yizhou glanced at him and said calmly, “It’s roasted. Wake everyone up to eat.”

Shen Xu nodded and immediately slapped the person in front of him. Pei Yutai woke up instantly, his eyes snapping open in terror. Seeing the scene before him, he flopped back onto the sand in annoyance, grumbling, “Brother Xu, are you childish or what? Using a crab leg to… wait, a crab leg!”

He bounced back up like a tightly coiled spring. He rubbed his eyes and looked at the object in Shen Xu’s hand, shouting in surprise: “It really is a crab leg! It’s really meat! You actually caught one!”

“Mm-hmm.”

Shen Xu gestured for him to look over at Lin Yizhou.

Pei Yutai scrambled up instantly, reaching Lin Yizhou in three strides. He threw his arms around him in a wide embrace, rubbing against him with a face full of adoration: “My dearest Captain, it seems you’re not just the God of Versatility, but also the God of Luck—and of course, my god!”

Shen Xu stood up. He had intended to wake the others, but seeing this, he pivoted mid-step and returned to the fire. He peeled Pei Yutai off Lin Yizhou and commanded: “Go wake the others first.”

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