"Let's go back to the hotel," he said.
The women agreed and followed Chen Hao toward the shore. No one mentioned that roar again.
By the time they returned to the hotel, it was dark. Chen Siyao lay on the bed scrolling through her phone, watching the rowing video she had taken that day over and over. When she reached the footage of the flash flood at the end, she hesitated and decided not to post it.
It had been too dangerous. If she posted it, it would trend again, and people would bombard her with questions. She turned off her phone, rolled over, and closed her eyes. Before long, she drifted off to sleep.
Outside the window, the rain was still falling.
The next morning, in the hotel restaurant.
Chen Siyao took a bowl of plain rice porridge and a small plate of side dishes, then sat by the window. Yang Wanqing came over carrying a heaping plate—scrambled eggs, bacon, sausages, bread, yogurt, and fruit, piled into a little mountain.
"Can you finish all that?" Chen Siyao asked, looking at her plate.
"Of course," Yang Wanqing said without a hint of shame. "I had a scare yesterday. I need to replenish my strength."
Cai Jingwen and Li Li also came over with their plates and sat down. Chen Hao arrived last, carrying a cup of tea, and took the seat beside Chen Siyao.
Yang Wanqing took a bite of bread and casually picked up her phone to scroll through Doule. After a couple of swipes, she froze, and the bread in her mouth dropped onto her plate.
"Hey! Look at this trending topic!"
The women all took out their phones. At the top of Doule's trending list was a topic marked "Exploding":
#Flood Dragon Suspected of Causing Gusu Flash