Li Du thought that what Hans said about work was just an excuse. He wanted to create opportunities for Porter and Ariana.
It turned out that was not the case, however. Hans really has his own agenda.
The next morning, after breakfast, Hans began to spread suntan oil all over his body, careful not to miss any spot.
“Are you going to sunbathe?” asked Porter, who was taking care of his comic book.
Hans said with a smile, “I’m going to the Southern Beach Esplanade, not to sunbathe, but to take part in the activities.”
Still puzzled, Porter asked, “Southern Beach Esplanade? It’s a gathering place for bike racers. What can you possibly have to do there?”
Li Du saw Hans’ cunning look, and he knew he must be up to no good.
He was right. Hans didn’t elaborate, but Porter quickly looked it up on the Internet and said, “Oh my god, it’s a topless swim. Are you joining in?”
Hans nodded gravely. “Yes, the purpose is to fight for women’s equal status in society and protest against sexual objectification. I will support this!”
Li Du knew the meaning of the event when he heard the name. Essentially, everyone would go topless. This was not a big deal in the United States, where people often went skinny dipping. He chose to let this pass.
Li Du didn’t mind Hans taking part in a topless swim, but he was not interested in going himself.
Hans tried to get them to join him, saying, “Come with me, boys, it will be a very interesting event, and there will be many beautiful women.”
“The beautiful girls are your main target, right?”
Hans said confidently, “I am a straight male, is it wrong if I like to see beautiful ladies? And besides, you know, the girls who go to these things are very promising. Normal girls would have no guts to join in.”
Porter shook his head. “No, no, no, I’m not going. Forget about it.”
Li Du looked at the news updates and said, “Come on, Porter, let’s go.”
Hans smiled and said, “Have you flipped? I knew I’d convince you in the end.”
Li Du looked at him in disdain and said, “I’m going to the warehouse company in Winewood. We’re only going the same way.”
The sale would be held in the Wynwood area of Miami at a warehouse company called Mr. Bike.
Porter had some interest in warehouse auctions. He had never been involved in such a business, but knowing that Li Du was making a lot of money, he agreed to go with him to the warehouse company.
It was fun to ride two separate cars down Seafront Boulevard, south beach’s main thoroughfare, but for a true Miami experience, it would be better to ride a bike or go rollerblading or skateboarding.
Miami boasted the best beaches in North America. It was famous for its beach entertainment. The beaches were zoned to suit different groups of people.
For example, the south beach was divided into bikini beach, family fun beach, nude beach, gay beach, windsurfing beach and so on.
Hans explained the division of the beaches to Li Du and told him not to make a mistake or he would end up at the gay beach.
Li Du rolled his eyes. He was not going to the beach. He was going to the warehouse company.
The topless event started off next to the celestial beach. The sun was blazing, and by the time they drove over, many people had already arrived.
Floating above the beach were two huge balloons, pink in color and ambiguous in shape, forming the shape of an inflatable woman’s breast.
“Ah, the symbol of freedom,” exclaimed Hans as he looked at the big balloon.
Brother Wolf drove to the intersection, Li Du pushed Hans out and said in an unhappy tone, “You go and pursue your damn freedom, but I think you are going after the symbol of sex.”
Some girls passed by their car. They had nothing on their bodies but some painted words on their chests. One caption said equality over the sky, the other, my body is not sinning.
Li Du looked out of the window. A girl noticed him and beckoned him out of the car.
Hans looked at him from the window and said, “Look, you have been invited. Come quickly.”
“Be careful,” warned Li Du. “Watch out, or you might catch something contagious.”
Hans wasn’t impressed. “You think this is a booty call conference? Ha, that girl didn’t invite you to participate. You can just watch.”
Indeed, there were many onlookers. Li Du saw the crowd, most of which was composed of bystanders. Probably less than one hundred people actually took part in the activity.
However, similar events were simultaneously held in New York City and Los Angeles.
On the way, Li Du saw the vehicles of several broadcasting stations. A female reporter of ABC was broadcasting, wearing nothing but a bus-stop sign to show her respect for the activity.
“So what is the purpose of this? Fighting for women’s right to fly in public?” Porter asked ironically.
Brother Wolf casually replied, “To fight for the air power, of course. Going topless would help one learn to fly fighter jets or make and produce surface-to-air missiles.”
Li Du laughed.
Not far from the south beach, one of Miami’s trendiest places, there was Wynwood, a haven for avant-garde art lovers who consider it a stage to display their talents at will.
As the car pulled over, Li Du saw graffiti everywhere, and young men and women with caps and tattoos walking around.
Skateboards, parkour, roller skates, and mountain bikes were the main means of transportation around here.
The young people seemed to communicate not in normal speech, but by waving their arms and singing rap songs.
However, there was no chaos on the streets. The avant-garde fans looked like gang members, but they were not.
The further they drove, the more people they saw. The car could not move anymore. Brother Wolf found a place to park and they walked further to the warehouse company.
After getting out of the car and mingling with the crowd, Li Du found out why there were so many people today. It turned out that they had just come across the once a month Winewood and art district art walk. The topless swim was set for the same day because the activists wanted to take advantage of the popular art event.
This art walk was held on the second Saturday of each month, bringing together enthusiasts to discuss art and its progress.
This kind of artistic expression was a tad unusual, however. It consisted of spraying and doodling on walls.
