Waves chasing beluga whales

Sure enough, Xi Ai never disappoints when it comes to arguing with people.

In the second round, it was impossible to say who won or lost, so let's just add one point to both.

The match ended poorly because the third game was not won.

Amidst the chaos, the four people concluded that the girls wouldn't be making much noise anytime soon, and, wanting to give them a chance to whisper to each other, simply put the microphone on the table.

And with the four of them working together, Xi Ai and Chu Yiqi were forced to sit side by side.

There's nothing else to replace it with.

As a result, the messages in the group chat were remarkably consistent.

[Sobbing (Nie Chuiying): They're practically my chosen teammates.]

[Coniferous forest (time spruce): reasonable and understanding.]

[Sleepyhead (Meng Yike): A discerning eye for potential partners.]

[West Coast (Yu Nianxi): Sensible and good at managing a household.]

Perhaps it was the rare sound of "shiny" that Chu Yiqi heard again, so he inevitably dreamed of the cruise ship on the sea that year.

And in my dream, I heard the waves chasing a beluga whale, and my heartbeat resonated with it.

*

The sea was calm, so the horse-face skirt trembled only slightly before settling quietly beneath the cheongsam.

Chu Yiqi noticed the footsteps behind him but didn't turn around.

She knew it was Xi Ai.

Xi Ai, dressed in a flowing fishtail dress, walked to Chu Yiqi's side and offered him a glass of wine: "Want to try some?"

Chu Yiqi accepted the wine cup with some skepticism.

The glass contained a pinkish liquid with a tiny pink flower floating on top. She gently swirled it, and the ice cubes touched the glass with a soft sound.

"What's this?"

Xi Ai said, "Number 17."

Chu Yiqi was stunned for a moment, then smiled. Xi Ai, as if she had succeeded in her trick, took back the wine glass and took a sip herself.

It's like a disguised form of toasting.

Chu Yiqi thought for a moment and asked Xi Ai, "Don't I have another cup?"

"Yes, Teacher Chu's must be included." Xi Ai smiled, taking Chu Yiqi's arm instead. "Shall we go for a walk while we're at it?"

On the cruise ship, besides a series of cocktail parties, the menu was also quite interesting.

There are no illustrations or names, just rows of numbers. For customers who have trouble making choices, there is also a spinning wheel for random selection.

—But unlike before, Xi Ai didn't need to use it this time. The bartender hadn't changed in many years, so when he saw Xi Ai unusually order number 17 without hesitation, he looked at her strangely and joked, "Why do you suddenly have a target?"

“Yes.” Xi Ai didn’t shy away from it, sitting on a high stool, propping her head up as she watched the bartenders mix drinks.

The man didn't ask any more questions, and handed the mixed drink to Xi Ai.

It's quite a coincidence that this particular wine is pink; she should like it.

Chu Yiqi was walking forward arm in arm with Xi Ai, who was just happy because Chu Yiqi had taken the initiative to hold her hand, when a woman in a white dress stepped forward.

He tactfully avoided actually blocking their way, then bowed slightly and asked Chu Yiqi in English, "May I offer this young lady a drink?"

Xi Ai turned her head to look, and clearly felt Chu Yiqi pull her even tighter at the first moment. She subtly curved the corners of her mouth, waiting to see Chu Yiqi's reaction.

To be honest, she wasn't worried about Chu Yiqi's reaction; she was just very curious about his answer.

Chu Yiqi hesitated for a moment, then took the wine from Xi Ai's hand, gently touched the other person's glass, and replied in English, "Thank you for your kindness, but my girlfriend is quite jealous."

Chu Yiqi took a sip of wine, leaving a trace of lipstick. She linked arms with Xi Ai and found that the woman didn't seem to mind; on the contrary, she looked at them with kindness.

Although they were from different circles, she felt that Xi Ai looked somewhat familiar. But she didn't delve into it, simply smiling and stepping aside.

"I wish you happiness."

Xi Ai and Chu Yiqi looked at each other, as if confirming something, so Chu Yiqi nudged Xi Ai, and Xi Ai said, "Perhaps we can exchange contact information and grab a drink later?"

"I'd be happy to."

A melody flowed out the moment the door opened, the tune was slow, and Xi Ai pulled Chu Yiqi along as they walked through the crowd, the flowing lights shining on them and following their steps.

"Come on, pick a drink."

Chu Yiqi pursed her lips, and for some reason, she glanced at Xi Ai unconsciously, speaking before thinking: "Number 2."

Xi Ai smiled and spoke a few words to the bartender in French. The bartender immediately understood, glanced at Chu Yiqi, and replied to Xi Ai, "OK."

Although Chu Yiqi didn't understand Xi Ai's French, the two different languages ​​were indeed easy to distinguish.

I don't know why these two, one speaking French and the other English, have such advanced language systems...

Chu Yiqi asked Xi Ai, "What did you say?"

Xi Ai looked at Chu Yiqi without saying a word, but the curve of her eyes became more and more pronounced.

"Tell me quickly—"

Xi Ai smiled and took Chu Yiqi's hand. The slightly different temperatures passed between their fingertips. Xi Ai said, "Please ask her to replace the mint with the butterfly decoration next to it."

Chu Yiqi disliked mint and couldn't even taste it. Perhaps this indirectly led to Xi Ai giving away the perfume mint she had been growing for a long time to a friend's house when they lived together.

"Why number 2?" Xi Ai asked her again.

Chu Yiqi didn't answer, but just looked at Xi Ai quietly, and then asked in return, "And you? Why are you number 17?"

Xi Ai said, "Guess."

Chu Yiqi followed suit, saying, "Why don't you guess too?"

The two looked at each other for a moment, and then smiled knowingly.

"Miss Chu, here's your wine."

Upon hearing this, Chu Yiqi immediately went to look at Xi Ai, who understood immediately: "Beautiful people are easy to remember."

Chu Yiqi glared at her, and Xi Ai silently surrendered, finally answering seriously: "Maybe it's because this is the first time I've come with someone else, and I picked a number myself."

Chu Yiqi didn't speak. She knew that Xi Ai had guessed from the beginning why she chose number 2.

In the very beginning, their CP name wasn't the current "Final Exam Review" or "Sitting is Commonplace," but a string of numbers—"172."

However, if 172 were not available, Chu Yiqi would naturally choose "2" without hesitation.

After they sat down at the table by the floor-to-ceiling window, they suddenly saw the girl from before and greeted her from a distance.

When the man came over and saw Xi Ai, he was no longer as polite and courteous as before; instead, he seemed somewhat agitated.

Just as Xi Ai was wondering why, she took the initiative to explain: "Are you called... Xi Ai?"

Xi Ai looked at her and nodded, indicating, "What's wrong?"

She eagerly took out two identical photos, a group photo.

Xi Ai was stunned when she saw it, her breathing even stopped for a moment, and then became slightly rapid.

She hadn't seen the person in the photo for a long time.

It's probably been ten years or so.

The last time Xi Ai saw them in person was when she saw them off at the airport.

At that time, both of them were wearing white coats. The woman was affectionately holding the person next to her, and her eyes behind her glasses were shining with anticipation.

They were all looking forward to their next meeting and their triumphant return from their overseas aid mission.

But in reality, their next meeting was at a funeral, a one-sided gaze.

Xi Ai couldn't actually remember whether she cried or not, but she did remember that many people were praising her parents for their bravery, fearlessness, and compassion as doctors.

"You are...?" Xi Ai finally raised her eyes, feeling the warmth of Chu Yiqi's fingertips.

The person in front of her handed the photo to Xi Ai, clasped their hands together, and almost incoherently said, "God, many years ago your parents saved me, saved our whole family. They even showed me your photo back then. Thank God I met you here... Are they alright?"

Xi Ai was taken aback, then said, "They... have been dead for a long time."

"I'm so sorry, I...I'm sorry..."

Xi Ai shook her head, accepted one of the photos, and said, "It's alright, they all died without regrets in the end."

It is indeed regrettable that they were unable to save more people, and were unable to come back to see their parents and daughter one last time... But compared to what they did, they did their best and have nothing to be ashamed of.

After Xi Ai and Chu Yiqi returned to their room, Chu Yiqi still held Xi Ai's hand tightly.

She didn't know how to comfort people, so she could only pull Xi Ai along, hoping that this would bring some solace to her lover.

Xi Ai didn't speak, but hugged Chu Yiqi for a while. Chu Yiqi patted Xi Ai's cheeks awkwardly, and then his hand fell on Xi Ai's hair.

Without the lights on, in the darkness, Xi Ai asked her, "Do you know why I initially wanted to become an actress?"

Chu Yiqi shook his head, then paused for a moment and said, "I don't know."

Indeed, according to Chu Yiqi's previous thoughts, Xi Ai seemed like the kind of person who would study finance and take over the family company peacefully. Although she later learned why Xi Ai studied music, she never asked Xi Ai why she studied drama.

Xi Ai said, "Because... actually, at first, I also wanted to study medicine, but I hesitated when I saw my grandfather going to sweep the tomb alone."

She wanted to leave something behind, like her parents, or help some people, so every year she would save up her pocket money and donate it; this was her initial method.

She wanted to study medicine and save lives. But she didn't want to see her grandfather sitting in the yard, looking much older overnight; she didn't want to see him sitting in the cemetery with flowers for an afternoon.

Let's try a different approach then.

Xi Ai turned on the light, and Chu Yiqi noticed that her eyes were a little red. He also heard Xi Ai say, "If I can't do it myself, then maybe I can hide behind the screen and depict half of their outline, or even more people like them. That would be good too."

Chu Yiqi couldn't deny that her initial prejudice against Xi Ai was indeed extremely biased.

She always felt that Xi Ai was the one who couldn't endure hardship, a spoiled rich second-generation with only a fleeting interest despite her talent, and the behavior of a pampered young lady.

But in reality, perhaps no one expected that Xi Ai would persist for many years because of some obsessions, some people, and some things that could perhaps be called "inheritance," and achieve what she wanted to do.

"So you see, you did it."

Xi Ai looked at Chu Yiqi and saw the concern hidden in Chu Yiqi's eyes.

Perhaps they are really compatible in some ways, such as their determination in the face of doubt; and their persistence in doing what they want to do.

Xi Ai always felt that there were still undeniable differences between them. She couldn't quite put her finger on it, but she was drawn to something about Chu Yiqi that was so different from her own.

Goodnight, Xi Ai.

See you tomorrow, Chu Yiqi.

*

Chu Yiqi opened her eyes; it really was "tomorrow." She fumbled for a while before finding her phone—it was six o'clock.

My biological clock is so easy to adjust.

But on the other hand, Xi Ai was still vaguely dreaming some old dreams.

Back in the beginning, they had just chosen their topics.

When Anna was instructing them on the arrangement, she asked them why they chose to come here and why they chose to "compete".

Xi Ai was writing lyrics at the time, and also discussing the musical style with Zhou Qingxi. Upon hearing this, she looked up, her expression calm, as if she already knew the answer.

Similarly, she also saw Chu Yiqi standing beside her mentor, neither humble nor arrogant, yet exceptionally resolute.

"If this is the only way to prove myself, then I will do it without hesitation."

Chu Yiqi looked at Xi Ai and suddenly felt that a corner of her heart seemed to have loosened slightly. Because she seemed to know what Xi Ai wanted to prove—that even without the backing of capital, one could get what one wanted.

After a moment of silence, Chu Yiqi, under Xi Ai's gaze and feeling his mentor's eyes, said gently, "It's relatively simple, isn't it? Go out and let 'I' truly become 'me'."

At that time, Xi Ai had not yet truly understood the meaning behind Chu Yiqi's words, but she could still somewhat sense his feelings.

In that instant, for some reason, Xi Ai suddenly thought of a sentence—

"I struggled with myself for a long time, and finally became who I am."