The 60s Island: The Daily Life of a Capitalist Young Lady with the Army - Chapter 60: Had She... Worn This Before?

Chapter 60: Had She… Worn This Before?

Xu Xiangsi twirled in front of the mirror, quite satisfied with her outfit as a deeper smile graced her lips.

Swimwear—wasn’t this how everyone dressed at Shanghai’s beach resorts?

Yet her nonchalant demeanor became the most lethal trigger in Long Peiye’s eyes.

“Boom!”

The last thread of rationality in his mind snapped completely.

His nose grew warm, and he tilted his head back in embarrassment, desperately trying to prevent the heat from surging forth.

The next second, like a lion defending its territory, he stormed into the room!

Long Peiye snatched the neatly folded thin blanket from the bed.

With a swift motion!

He draped the blanket over her head without a word, wrapping the woman—who had been admiring her own figure—from head to toe, bundling her up like a zongzi.

“Ah!”

Startled by the sudden assault, Xu Xiangsi let out a shriek. The straw hat on her head tilted sideways before tumbling to the floor.

Wrapped tightly in the blanket, her vision went dark, and she could only smell the intense, sun-kissed scent of the man.

Furious and flustered, she struggled fiercely in Long Peiye’s embrace.

“Long Peiye, what are you doing? Have you lost your mind?”

“The sun hasn’t even set yet—it’s sweltering! Let me go!”

But the man held her even tighter, as if trying to meld her into his very bones.

Long Peiye’s handsome face flushed crimson, the heat spreading to the tips of his ears. His voice was urgent and angry, laced with a barely detectable panic.

“Xu Xiangsi!”

He growled through gritted teeth.

“How could you dress like this?!”

“If… if someone else saw you, it would be disastrous!”

His roar echoed like thunder in her ears.

Xu Xiangsi was momentarily stunned, then a wave of anger surged within her.

“What do you mean, ‘dress like this’?”

She squirmed more vigorously in his arms, like a mermaid caught in a net.

“Long Peiye, be reasonable! This is a swimsuit—clothes for swimming!”

Long Peiye’s gaze instinctively swept around the room.

The curtains were drawn tightly, not a sliver of light seeping through.

The taut string in his heart loosened just a fraction.

Thank goodness… thank goodness no one had seen.

But as he looked down, the soft warmth in his arms and the alluring curves the blanket couldn’t conceal made his mind buzz once more.

“You still can’t dress like this for swimming!”

He blurted out, his voice hoarse and dry.

Xu Xiangsi was so angry she nearly laughed.

“Then what should I wear? A heavy winter coat for swimming?”

She retorted sharply through the blanket.

“And then sink straight to the bottom like an iron weight to feed the turtles?”

Long Peiye was left speechless by her absurd logic, his face turning even redder—whether from anger or embarrassment, it was unclear.

“I…”

He struggled to form a single word.

Seeing him like this, Xu Xiangsi’s anger subsided slightly, replaced by resignation.

“Besides, I never intended to wear this outside for others to see!”

“I was just trying it on in front of the mirror at home. Is that not allowed either?”

This softened complaint, however, was like pouring cold water into boiling oil—instantly igniting chaos.

“Not even at home!”

Long Peiye nearly shouted.

“I’m here too!”

Xu Xiangsi was completely baffled by his unreasonable logic.

“What’s wrong with being at home?”

“I… I didn’t expect you to come back so early today!”

Had she known he’d return at this hour, she wouldn’t have been foolishly trying on swimwear here!

Mentioning this, Long Peiye’s aggressive demeanor instantly weakened by three parts, his voice carrying a barely detectable note of grievance.

“Wasn’t I thinking… we could have an early dinner so I could take you beachcombing?”

Xu Xiangsi completely lost her temper.

So this guy had rushed back urgently just to take her out to play.

But the current situation was—

She was wrapped up like a spring roll in a blanket, tightly held in his iron-like arms, unable to move.

The heat from his body mixed with the summer’s sweltering air made her dizzy, and a fine layer of sweat broke out all over her body.

“Ah, let go of me first!”

She finally couldn’t take it anymore, her voice trembling with tears.

“It’s so hot! I’m practically being steamed alive by you!”

“Let go! I’ll go change right now, alright?”

Only when she shouted like this did Long Peiye snap out of it as if waking from a dream.

He… he was still holding her.

The person in his arms was like a small furnace, scalding his palms numb. The heat seemed to travel up his arms straight to his heart.

His face flushed even redder than before, like a piece of thoroughly burned charcoal.

Long Peiye jerked his hands away as if burned.

He stammered out a sentence.

“Then… then I’ll wait for you outside!”

After saying this, he turned around as if fleeing, almost stumbling as he rushed out of the bedroom with clumsy steps.

With a “bang,” the door closed behind him.

Finally, peace returned to the world.

The door creaked open.

Xu Xiangsi, having changed her clothes, walked out.

A white short-sleeved shirt and army green trousers.

It was the most ordinary outfit, covering her completely except for her slender neck and a small section of her wrists.

Long Peiye stood stiffly in the center of the living room, his gaze fixed intently on her.

The tension that had been building in him finally snapped and eased.

Thank goodness, thank goodness.

If he had looked any longer earlier, he was afraid he might have made a fool of himself.

That surge of heat had almost gotten the better of him.

He somewhat unnaturally averted his eyes, raised a hand to his lips, and coughed heavily.

“Ahem!”

“Let’s… let’s eat first.”

Long Peiye’s voice was still somewhat hoarse.

“The food’s getting cold. After eating, I’ll take you to the seaside.”

They sat down at the small square table.

The rice was hot, the dishes fragrant, especially that generous spoonful of braised pork in brown sauce, glistening with oil.

But Long Peiye found little flavor in his meal.

His mind kept replaying the image of Xu Xiangsi in that swimsuit.

Her slender waist, snow-white skin, and those straight, long legs…

He even found himself uncontrollably imagining:

If she were really wearing that, swimming in the azure sea like a mermaid…

What a breathtaking sight that would be.

It’s just that…

Long Peiye tightened his grip on his chopsticks.

In this era, if she dared to wear that outside, she’d probably be arrested for improper behavior before even reaching the shore.

But then another, even more tormenting question surfaced in his mind.

She owned that outfit.

Did that mean she had… worn that before?

This thought pierced Long Peiye’s heart like a thorn.

Didn’t that imply other men had also seen her like that?

An intensely sour jealousy instantly surged from the depths of his heart, rushing straight to the crown of his head.

He picked up a piece of braised pork in brown sauce with his chopsticks and placed it in her bowl, speaking as if casually.

“You… back in Shanghai, did you often wear clothes like that to the beach?”