It had been four days since they arrived at the beach resort, and the sun showed no mercy.
The sky was an unforgiving blue, the kind that pressed down on your shoulders, and the sand reflected the heat back at them like a challenge. Waves rolled lazily in the distance, their sound almost mocking as Zhao Kai, Liu Jian, and Yang Jun sought refuge beneath a cluster of palm trees near their rented cabana.
Zhao Kai had claimed the single hammock without argument. He lay stretched out in it, one arm flung over his eyes, long legs dangling slightly as the fabric swayed. He looked entirely at ease, like someone who belonged wherever he was. The picture of a dominant Alpha who had never had to fight for space.
Nearby, Liu Jian and Yang Jun shared a wooden rocking chair that creaked softly with e
