The afternoon sun fell straight down from overhead.
The surface of the pool shimmered with a thin layer of heat haze, dazzling the eyes.
When we came down from the top deck and passed the stairwell on the twelfth deck, wind rushed up from below, carrying a mix of disinfectant and sea salt.
Dianzi paused. I paused too.
"Sister, let's go for a swim," she said.
"Didn't you just change your clothes?" I asked.
"This young lady brought her bikini." She pulled the white bikini out of her bag and waved it in front of me. "Lychee wants to see the sea too."
Lychee poked its head out of the bag. Its black‑bean eyes were round and shiny. Its mouth was crooked, looking like it was spacing out.
I glanced at my JK uniform. The white cropped top was a little damp with sweat. The dark blue tie at the collar hung down my chest. The small gear on the X‑shaped ties on my back reflected the sunlight.
"Then go back and change," I said.
"No need," Dianzi tugged at my sleeve. "You look good in this. This young lady will go change herself. You save a spot for her."
She ran off towards the changing room.
Her skirt lifted and fell. The cuffs of her white over‑the‑knee stockings were dazzlingly bright in the sunlight. The pink crystal anklet on her ankle flashed a glint of light.
I stood where I was, watching her back disappear around the corner.
There were fewer people by the pool than yesterday, but the regular area was still crowded.
The VIP area was still empty.
The towels on the loungers were folded neatly, the numbered tags swaying gently in the breeze.
The seagull had come again. It crouched on the top of a backrest, tilting its head to look at the regular area.
I found an empty spot near the edge and took off my jacket, draping it over the railing.
The hem of the white cropped top stopped just below my ribs, exposing my waist.
The X‑shaped ties on my back cast fine shadows in the sunlight. The small gear swayed gently at the intersection on my spine.
The hem of the navy pleated skirt just covered the top of my thighs.
The cuffs of my black over‑the‑knee stockings stopped six centimetres above the knee.
I opened the floating interface and aimed the lens at the water.
"My treasures, good afternoon. There are so many people by the pool today."
[chat] Good afternoon 🌊
[chat] JK again today
[chat] The skirt is so short
[chat] Those ties on the back are amazing
I was about to speak when my peripheral vision caught a figure walking in through the entrance.
White shirt. Camera bag slung across his shoulder.
Lin Yuan.
He stood at the entrance, scanning the pool. His gaze paused on the crowd for a moment, then he walked towards me.
"We meet again," he said, the corners of his mouth moving.
"Yes," I said. "Are you here to swim too?"
"No," he said. "I'm here to take photos."
He stood beside me, took his camera out of the bag, aimed it at the pool, and pressed the shutter.
"Where's your sister?" he asked.
"She went to change," I said.
He nodded and continued taking photos.
Dianzi came out of the changing room.
White bikini, Y‑shaped ties on the back, transparent cover‑up unbuttoned.
Her hair was tied back again – a fluffy purple‑pink bun with wisps of bangs on each side. Mother‑of‑pearl hair clips in her hair. Tiny mother‑of‑pearl flowers on her earlobes swaying gently.
She jogged over, her feet still wet, leaving a trail of shallow footprints on the non‑slip mat.
"Sister, this young lady is ready," she said. She looked at Lin Yuan, her eyes brightening. "Oh, you're here too."
"Here to take photos," Lin Yuan said.
"Then take some for us," Dianzi said.
Lin Yuan nodded and raised his camera.
Dianzi stood beside me, one hand on my shoulder, the other making a peace sign.
The shutter clicked a few times.
"The light is good," Lin Yuan said, looking down at the screen.
"Let this young lady see," Dianzi said, leaning in. "Wow, this one is so good. Sister, look."
"Can you send this to us?" Dianzi asked.
"Yes," Lin Yuan said. "I'll send them to you later."
"Then let's exchange contacts," Dianzi said.
Lin Yuan opened his QR code. Dianzi scanned it.
"Done," she said. "You keep taking photos. This young lady is going swimming."
She ran towards the pool and jumped into the water, making a big splash.
Lychee was held in her hand. Its grey fur was plastered to its face.
I stood by the edge of the pool, watching Dianzi splash around.
Lin Yuan was taking photos beside me, his lens constantly aimed at the pool. But I noticed his gaze kept drifting slightly in my direction.
"Are you done?" I asked.
"Almost," he said. He lowered the camera. "A few more and I'll wrap up."
He walked to the edge of the pool, crouched down, and aimed the lens at the water.
The camera bag slipped off his shoulder and sat on the ground. The zipper was not fully closed. The corners of the stack of paper inside showed.
I walked over and stood beside him.
"That photo you took of the resumes," I said. "What happened to it later?"
He paused, not looking up.
"What do you mean, what happened to it?" he asked.
"After you took it," I said. "What did you do with it?"
He was silent for a few seconds. Then he pressed the shutter.
"Nothing," he said. "Just kept it."
"What's the use of keeping it?" I asked.
"I don't know," he said. He finally looked up and met my eyes. "But at least someone remembers what they looked like."
Then he looked back down and continued taking photos.
I stepped back with my right foot and stepped on the strap of his camera bag.
Not deliberately.
But not without intention.
I pulled it.
The camera bag slid off the ground, down the slope by the edge of the pool – slowly, unstoppably, towards the water.
"Hey—"
Lin Yuan reached out, but he was half a beat too slow.
The camera bag slid into the pool, splashing a small spray of water, and began to sink.
He froze. His hand was still outstretched, his fingertips just a few centimetres from the water's surface.
I crouched down and reached my arm into the water. My sleeve got wet. Water ran down my arm. I felt the strap of the camera bag, grabbed it, and pulled it up.
The bag was dripping.
Water seeped in through the gaps in the zipper, soaking the edges of the stack of paper inside.
Lin Yuan took it, looking down.
He unzipped the bag and pulled out the stack of paper.
The paper was half wet. A blue stamp on the top sheet was bleeding, the words "Already Passed" becoming blurred.
He flipped through them one by one.
When he reached the third sheet, his fingers stopped.
On that sheet was a photograph of a young woman with her hair tied very tight, wearing a white shirt.
I recognised that face.
Yunai.
He pulled that sheet out, set it aside to dry, then stuffed the rest back into the bag.
"It's okay," he said, his voice flat. "Only a few got wet."
He crouched there, spreading the wet sheets one by one on the non‑slip mat by the edge of the pool.
His movements were very slow – as if doing something very important.
I crouched beside him.
"I'm sorry," I said. "I accidentally stepped on your bag strap."
He did not look up.
"It's okay," he said.
"Is the camera okay?" I asked.
"It's in a waterproof case," he said. "It's fine." He spread out the last sheet and stood up. His knee made a cracking sound. "It's just these resumes…"
He looked at the wet paper on the ground and fell silent.
"Your life will not stay soaked in water forever," I said.
He turned his head and looked at me.
He paused.
Then he smiled.
Not the kind of smile from before where the corners of his mouth just moved. A real smile. His eyes curved.
"Thank you for the good wish," he said.
——She repeated it. Not because she hadn't heard, but because she wanted to be sure she hadn't misunderstood.
He crouched down, gathered the wet resumes one by one, folded them neatly, and put them back into the camera bag.
He pulled the zipper shut and tightened the strap.
"I need to go deal with this," he said. "These papers need to be dried."
"All right," I said.
He turned and walked a couple of steps, then looked back.
"I'll send you the photos tonight," he said.
"All right," I said.
He walked away. His pace was a little faster than when he had come. His back was straight, but his shoulders still slightly slumped.
I turned off the interface, picked up my jacket from the railing, and put it on.
Dianzi climbed out of the water. Her hair was wet. Lychee was held in her hand, grey fur plastered to its face.
"Sister, what happened?" she asked.
"His camera bag fell into the water," I said.
"Fell into the water?" she said. "How did it fall?"
"I accidentally stepped on the strap," I said.
Dianzi looked at me, then at Lin Yuan's retreating back.
"Is he okay?" she asked.
"He should be okay," I said.
She squeezed the water out of Lychee's face. Lychee's expression went from blank to even blanker.
"Lychee says it feels sad for him," she said.
"How does it say that?" I asked.
"It didn't say," she said. "But being a girl, this young lady can tell."
[chat] That guy just now was so unlucky
[chat] Wife, you stepped on it?
[chat] Hahaha, accidental
[chat] Is the camera bag waterproof?
[chat] Were those papers resumes?
I closed the interface.
"Let's go," I said. "Time to change."
Dianzi nodded and stuffed Lychee back into her bag.
As we walked past the regular area, that young mother was not there.
The people by the pool had changed, but the expressions on their faces were the same – the expression of waiting.
Back in the room, Dianzi went to take a shower first.
I sat by the window.
Outside the window, the sea was dark.
The navigation light blinked on and off.