Chapter 114 She didn't drink much, but...

She didn't drink much, but the aftereffects of that South American liquor always came later than expected.

After dinner, night had completely fallen on the ship. A thin layer of snow had piled up on the deck, and the sound of the waves crashing against the hull was like the low murmur of a siren from afar.

When Ye Yuying returned to her cabin, her steps were a little unsteady. That slightly tipsy dizziness wasn't uncomfortable, but it blurred her consciousness, making the world seem enveloped in soft light.

As she passed the deck, she suddenly stopped, jumped down the steps in a few strides, stood on the open deck, looked up, and watched the snowflakes transform into golden feathers under the lights, swirling and falling, their coolness landing in her eyes.

Snowmelt condensed into tears in her eyes; tears came before sorrow.

An inexplicable sadness, like a gentle breeze, washed over her... making her feel even more aggrieved.

She slowly crouched down on the deck, covering her face and weeping.

Later, Cheng Mingdu's voice, his gaze... everything seemed fragmented, with only a few scattered words and phrases, no longer able to piece together much of the scene.

She fell asleep, and in her dream, she returned to that desolate deck. Cheng Mingdu stood in front of her and said something to her, probably some words of concern. She couldn't hear him clearly; she just stared at his thin lips, lost in thought.

Such a profound person, are his lips not soft?

She had imagined finding an excuse to remove the snowflake from his lips, but the next second, her face was also assaulted by his warmth.

She tiptoed, wrapped her arms around his neck, tilted her head back, and kissed him without warning.

Hmm...it seems I guessed wrong. It's soft and has a texture like the pulp of a grapefruit, making you want to bite into it and see if it's sweet and astringent like a grapefruit.

She knew she was having a dream. She had always been very restrained in her dreams because if she had any bad thoughts, she would be pulled back to reality while struggling with them.

So, to prevent falling back into reality, she wanted to leave some kind of mark on him, so that next time she entered his dream, there might be a sequel, instead of each development being like an 8 PM soap opera preview, forever playing and never continuing.

Driven almost by an overwhelming impulse, she gently bit down.

Yet it possesses an almost childlike recklessness, tinged with a mischievous smugness and willful exhilaration.

Their lips met lightly, not gently, but so real that it startled her.

His breath caught in her ear, and he called her name in a low, indistinct voice, but she couldn't hear him clearly. The voices in her dreams were always like those covered by snow, even his sighs were indistinct.

She looked up and saw him frowning, his Adam's apple bobbing slightly. In that instant, she almost felt that this dream was an extraordinary gift, with so many delicate details.

"After dreaming for so many years, I've finally caught you..." she whispered in her dream, her tone carrying an almost gentle ruthlessness.

"Next time we meet, you should remember what I left behind."

She seemed to be speaking to a character in her dream, because she was the master of the dream, and it was appropriate to show some power.

The next second, she stepped back.

He lowered his head, a little blood seeping from the corner of his lips.

The sunlight shone through the snow, making that little bit of blood appear extremely bright.

He was staring at himself, somewhat seriously.

Doesn't he feel pain? But why is he so calm?

Then she laughed, a laugh tinged with sadness; she only dared to do as she pleased within the boundaries of her imagination.

Snowflakes were falling on her eyelashes, and in an instant, her shadow was swallowed by the sea light.

When I woke up, the morning light was already shining through the porthole.

The ship rocked steadily, and the whispers of the crew and the clanging of metal could be heard in the distance.

Her head ached a little; the lingering smell of alcohol and the aftereffects of the dream combined to create a light, floating sensation in her body.

Ye Yuying sat up in a daze, the details of her dream astonishingly clear. She could feel a lingering salty taste on her lips.

She touched the corner of her mouth, and the cold fingers brought her back to her senses instantly.

The details in her dream filled her with satisfaction. She got out of bed lightly, tidied her hair, put on her coat, and walked out of the cabin.

The wind on deck was still cold. Dawn had just risen above the horizon. Several crew members were busy at work, while in the distance, an artist was setting up his easel and painting the sky with his frozen hands.

She saw that the eastern horizon was tinged with a cold, almost silvery pale gold, the unique dawn of the polar regions, with a distant and unreal brightness. Just above this dawn, on the edge of the night sky, a faint green band of light was slowly fading away.

That's the aurora borealis.

It wasn't as dazzling as when it erupted at night, but in the morning light, it resembled the afterimage of a green silk ribbon, slowly flowing against the deep blue sky, carrying a kind of divine silence as if a deity were taking its final bow.

Ye Yuying's gaze was deeply drawn to the green expanse. She felt a strange resonance, a beauty of solitude that had to shed all its light and remain completely alone before the daylight arrived.

She walked over to the artist's easel.

The artist was a European with a gray beard, and his gloves were thick, his knuckles red from the cold.

On the canvas, the dark green band of light was captured by the rich paint, creating a striking contrast with the icy blue ocean and snow-white icebergs below.

“It’s very lucky, ma’am,” the artist said without looking up, his English accent tinged with Italian, his voice hoarse from the cold. “The aurora borealis is common in July, but to see it alongside the sunrise is always a good omen.”

Ye Yuying smiled slightly, her gaze passing over the artist and landing on the distant sea.

The ship had already left Ushuaia's safe harbor, and its hull began to smoothly cleave through the surging sea.

On the sea, ice floes began to increase in number, their irregular shapes reflecting the cold light of the sky, proclaiming the pristine and dangerous nature of this sea area.

She turned around and saw Cheng Mingdu standing at the door of the connecting cabin. He was wearing a custom-made black windproof parka, standing upright, and talking with the first mate.

She was stunned when he turned around.

There was indeed a very faint red mark on his lower lip.

Extremely subtle, yet it carries with it all audacity and transgression.

Ye Yuying's breath hitched for a moment. The cold polar air rushed into her lungs, but instead of bringing clarity, it made her shiver all over.

I subconsciously touched my lower lip; there were no scars there, but it still seemed to ache faintly.

Could it be that it wasn't actually a dream...?

The first mate, wearing a dark blue wool duty cap, pointed to the nautical chart and reported the day's course in deep English.

"The ice thickness is decreasing, and the air pressure is relatively stable," the first mate said. "We expect to reach the South Georgia Sea early tomorrow morning."

Ye Yuying ignored their flight path and kept staring at Cheng Mingdu's lower lip, wishing she was seeing things.

Cheng Mingdu remained calm and composed, thanking the first mate with proper and elegant manners.

But as his thin lips opened and closed, every detail seemed magnified in Ye Yuying's eyes.

Was it just my imagination? Why did his expression remain unusually calm, and why did he not flinch at all when she looked at him?

She knew she shouldn't be staring so intently at his lower lip, but she couldn't take her eyes off him.

Recalling that moment in my dream... the warmth of my lips and teeth, that instant of breath... it felt so real.

The mere thought of it was enough to send shivers down her spine.

"Miss Ye?" It was the first mate's voice. She snapped back to reality.

Cheng Mingdu stood beside the first mate, looking at her with a normal expression.

He nodded slightly, his tone indifferent: "Awake? Remember to drink water after breakfast, the cabin is too dry."

Ye Yuying paused for a moment, then replied in a hoarse voice, "Mm."

After he finished speaking, he turned back and continued discussing the ice floe data with the first mate.

She stood there, letting the wind tousle her hair, her heart pounding in her chest.

He acted as if nothing had happened.

But that red mark never disappeared for even a moment.

The restaurant is located on the lower deck of the ship, with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking a sea covered in snow. Silver cutlery is neatly arranged, and the aroma of coffee mingles with the salty sea air, gently wafting through the space.

Ye Yuying arrived a little earlier than usual. She had barely sat down when she heard a waiter call her in slightly accented English:

"Morning, Miss Ye."

She looked up and saw the blond waiter standing by the table, looking slightly reserved, holding a small square cardboard box that was neatly wrapped and tied with a dark blue ribbon.

"What's this?"

"It's for Mr. Cheng." The waiter smiled with deep regret. "I accidentally bumped into him in the restaurant this morning, and I'm really sorry. Fortunately, he didn't blame me. This is a small gift I bought at the port. Please give it to him for me."

Ye Yuying paused, startled. Her gaze fell on the ribbon, and her heart tightened inexplicably.

"Is he... alright?" she asked.

“It’s nothing, it’s nothing,” the waiter hurriedly waved his hand. “He even comforted me, saying it was just a minor scrape, but I still noticed that his lip was cut.”

I got a minor scrape.

Those words seemed to be gently lifted by the wind, then fell back into her chest.

She took the box; the ribbon felt delicate and cool to the touch, yet it was like a tranquilizer, instantly dispelling all her unease.

"I will pass it on." She smiled slightly.

The waiter nodded and left.

Ye Yuying looked at the small gift box, but felt a sense of bewilderment.

It turns out they really were hit.

She lowered her head and smiled softly, but she didn't know whether she felt fortunate or disappointed.

I poked at the fried eggs on the plate with my fork a few times, but I had no appetite at all.

She placed the gift box aside, rested her chin on her hand, and looked out at the snow, feeling much better.

After an unknown amount of time, familiar footsteps came from behind her.

"How's the breakfast here?" His voice carried a hint of the quietness that comes with the morning.

Cheng Mingdu sat down opposite her, meticulously unfolding his napkin.

"It's alright." She had only eaten the fried egg and hadn't yet been able to tell whether it was good or bad.

She looked up at him, her gaze involuntarily falling on his lips again. The red mark wasn't very noticeable, but it felt incredibly real to her.

She suppressed the slight panic in her heart and smiled naturally.

"I just happened to run into a waiter who asked me to give this to you."

She pushed the small box over.

Cheng Mingdu looked down at the blue ribbon, but was not surprised.

"He said he bumped into you this morning," Ye Yuying tried to keep her tone steady, "Is your mouth... alright?"

He looked up at her, his gaze falling into her dark, deep eyes. That instant of eye contact made her almost hold her breath.

"It's nothing." His tone was so light that it was almost emotionless, and he simply added, "I just bumped into something."

Then, without making a sound, he untied the ribbon, revealing a small metal bookmark in the shape of an owl, and a box of locally made chocolates.

She watched his every move intently, her mind wandering between dreams and reality.

"This is for you." Seemingly noticing that she was staring at him, Cheng Mingdu pushed the gift, box and all, in front of her.

"Huh?" She subconsciously uttered a question, but for a moment she couldn't explain why she had been lost in thought.

And just like that, she found herself with an extra piece of almond chocolate for breakfast. She took a small bite, and it was cloyingly sweet!

But the waiter delivering the gift was nearby, so she couldn't be too obvious.

Cheng Mingdu handed her a cup of coffee he hadn't tried yet, saying, "It goes better with coffee."

The bitterness upon entry perfectly balances the sweetness and bitterness.

Outside the window, the snow shone so brightly it was almost unreal.

She picked up the coffee cup again, her fingertips slightly cool, but her heart gradually relaxed.

She ate about half of that chocolate, but couldn't eat anymore. Not wanting to embarrass the waiter, she waited until Cheng Mingdu brought over a new coffee, then lowered her voice and said:

"I can't finish this half, but the guy who delivered the chocolate was looking this way expectantly. I'll pretend to share this chocolate with you, and you can hold it for me. When no one's around, just quietly throw it away..."

She knew it wasn't right to do this, but she appreciated the sentiment and couldn't really let Cheng Mingdu eat the half of her chocolate.

"Throw it away?" he repeated, his tone so soft it was almost emotionless.

Ye Yuying nodded, lowered her voice, and whispered, "Just... pretend we're sharing, otherwise that guy will be disappointed."

Cheng Mingdu followed her gaze and saw the blond waiter indeed looking around not far away, his expression tense and expectant.

“Okay,” he said.

His tone carried a hint of helpless indulgence.

Ye Yuying breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that he agreed, and carefully handed him half a piece of chocolate.

"You can also pretend to take a bite and eat the other end, if... you don't mind."

She realized what nonsense she was spouting as soon as she finished speaking. Cheng Mingdu had probably never eaten anything that someone else had already chewed on in his entire life.

He chuckled softly, took the half-chocolate, and naturally put it in his mouth.

Ye Yuying's pupils dilated in shock. She had thought he would only take it symbolically, but she never expected him to actually eat it.

"You...you really want to eat it?" Her voice was very low.

He remained calm, as if it were just an ordinary bite of sweets.

"It's not good to throw it away."

He was afraid of disappointing others, and Ye Yuying understood.

But she was speechless for a moment, her ears burning.

How does it taste?

"Sweet," he replied casually, picking up his coffee and taking a small sip. "Perfect with coffee, better than Turkish delight."

Ye Yuying wanted to say something, but held back.

It was just that they ate the same piece of chocolate. He clearly doesn't like sweets, and he's such a germaphobe...

She could only hear the sound of her own heartbeat, one beat after another, mingling with the rhythm of the waves outside the porthole.

"That's good." She tried to make her tone sound natural, and poked at the fried egg on her plate with her fork.

Just then, a waiter passed by, saw the empty box on their table, and grinned, "Hope you like it!"

Ye Yuying nodded with a forced smile: "It's delicious, thank you."

After the waiter had walked away, she muttered to herself, "He must have thought we liked it."

"Then let him think that way." Cheng Mingdu said gently, reaching out to refill her coffee.

Before breakfast was even over, the snow outside the window was falling heavier and heavier, the ship was rocking slightly, and the horizon was almost one with the sky.

Ye Yuying rested her chin on her hand, her gaze continuing to wander to the far end of that white expanse.

She called out to him softly, "Brother..."

He hummed in agreement and looked up.

Did you sleep well last night? What did you dream about?

Cheng Mingdu paused slightly in his hand holding the coffee. The rim of the cup touched the saucer with a very soft sound.

“A dream?” he repeated.

“Hmm…” Ye Yuying casually fiddled with her fork. “I’ve heard that it’s easy to dream at sea because of the changes in air pressure and the frequency of the waves.”

He looked up at her, his gaze deep and unfathomable, as if he sensed that this was no ordinary question.

“Maybe,” he said calmly, “but I don’t remember my dreams very well.” “Oh…” She didn’t remember them very well either, but she remembered yesterday’s.

Just when I thought the silence would end there, he unexpectedly asked, "And you?"

Her hand holding the fork paused for a moment, her expression changed slightly, but she quickly recovered.

"I dreamt of... the aurora borealis." She laughed, her voice soft. "It appeared with the sunrise, it was so beautiful."

She unintentionally borrowed the description from the old Italian painter.

Cheng Mingdu looked at her with a deep gaze.

"That was a good dream."

"Yes," she nodded. But the smile vanished in an instant.

He reached out and pushed the owl bookmark on the table toward her.

"Keep it."

"Why?"

"Didn't you bring books with you? This will come in handy."

When he came to his senses, Cheng Mingdu had already called the waiter to clear the table.

The ship rocked gently, and the sound of a whale leaping in the water could be heard in the distance.

She was eagerly awaiting the afternoon so she could continue her dream from the previous night.

*

The afternoon sunlight was very weak. Ye Yuying leaned against the deck railing, her breath condensing into a thin mist in the air.

She held the owl bookmark in her hand, examining its delicate patterns; the metal reflected a cold light.

She recalled his calm and composed expression that morning, which certainly didn't seem like he was hiding anything. It seemed her moral standards were too high; she even felt guilty about having a dream, and it wasn't even a spring night.

In the distance, layers of floating ice stretched out on the horizon. People were taking pictures and feeding seagulls on the other side of the deck, but she only felt the wind was desolate, and all sounds were swallowed up by this white expanse.

She turned her head and saw Cheng Mingdu standing not far away, holding binoculars. The wind lifted the hem of his coat slightly, and the snowlight reflected on his shoulders, making him appear tall and aloof.

Are you afraid when facing the sea?

He put down his binoculars and followed her gaze into the distance.

The sea was silent under the wind and snow, with waves lapping against the hull like breathing, or like an ancient heartbeat.

"I'm afraid," he answered calmly.

"You're afraid too?" Ye Yuying asked, somewhat surprised.

"Yes." Cheng Mingdu turned slightly to the side, his tone not heavy. "What I fear is not the ocean itself, but those unseen things in the deep sea."

Did you learn to swim when you were a child?

"I've studied it."

How long can you swim in this kind of sea?

The polar seas...

He chuckled and casually replied, "Less than a minute."

"So short?"

"Your body temperature will drop first, then your consciousness will be lost. If you fall, you might pass out before I even touch you."

*

In the evening, the documentary "The Boundary Between Ice and Sea" was shown on the ship.

Ye Yuying sat down next to him again. The lights were dim, and the screen showed images of seals, glaciers, and the aurora borealis. He sat motionless beside her, occasionally taking a sip of his red tea.

When the film depicted the scene of the whaling ship sinking, she said with some melancholy, "Every time I get on the ship, I think of Titanic."

Cheng Mingdu tilted his head slightly: "So, what are you thinking about, love or the shipwreck?"

“Neither,” she said slowly after a moment’s thought. “What I’m thinking about is how Rose, the survivor, will miss Jack for the rest of her life.”

She hesitated for a moment, seemingly feeling that her values ​​were not in line with the mainstream. "If I had to choose my favorite ending, the ending of the elderly couple embracing each other would still move me the most."

Seawater was rushing into the cabin, and the screams of passengers and the last notes of the band's piano created a chaotic backdrop as the camera slowly panned across a small passenger cabin.

The elderly couple did not flee, nor did they panic. They lay in bed, embracing each other under a faded, old-fashioned quilt, just like on countless ordinary nights, preparing to fall asleep.

The wife's head rested against her husband's chest, her aged eyes closed, and her husband's hand was still gently patting her back, as if coaxing her to sleep.

The seawater was slowly seeping in, and the foot of the bed was already submerged, but neither of them moved.

Two people who knew they couldn't survive still preserved a final order and love through an embrace.

“That scene…” she paused, as if she could still see that image. “Perhaps I’m being a bit idealistic. When I first saw it as a child, I felt that that was probably what a real life was like.”

“Sometimes I think,” she began, her voice trembling slightly, “if that really is the final moment, shouldn’t people go and hug the person they most want to stay with?”

He lowered his eyes and did not answer.

"Even if it's just for a second, it's still a fight against fate." She smiled, a gentle recklessness in her eyes, "Just like them."

The light and shadow shifted again, revealing the slightly red corners of her eyes.

"If it were you, who would you choose?" he suddenly asked.

She was stunned.

"If the ship sinks, who would you most like to say goodbye to?" His tone was calm, yet it carried an undeniable frankness.

Ye Yuying's lips parted slightly, her heart feeling as if it were filled with seawater.

"I……"

She couldn't give an answer.

The end credits music begins at this moment, an old piano piece mixed with the sound of howling wind.

Wait, that's not the sound from the movie.

Cheng Mingdu's expression changed slightly. He stood up, put on his coat, and went out to check the situation.

Ye Yuying got up, and the floor beneath her feet was shaking. She thought it was just her imagination, but then she realized that the ship seemed more unstable than usual.

She glanced out the porthole—the snow outside had become very thick, the wind was howling from the sea, and the waves were high enough to capsize a ship.

"Has the wind and waves gotten bigger?" she asked uncertainly.

Cheng Mingdu looked up, his expression indicating that he had sensed something even before she did.

"It must be a sudden drop in air pressure."

The two walked out of the screening room. The corridor lights flickered, and the light fixtures on the ceiling tapped lightly against the metal. There was a low rumble in the air, as if it were coming from deep within the ship's hull.

Before she could fully react, the broadcast suddenly blared:

"Attention, please. Strong wind ahead. All passengers are advised to stay inside the cabins..."

(Attention passengers, the wind is picking up ahead. All passengers are requested to return to their cabins immediately.)

Ye Yuying looked up at the flashing red light, and her unease instantly reached its peak.

"Are we about to enter the storm zone?"

"It's just a warning," Cheng Mingdu's voice remained steady. "Don't panic."

But when he looked out the window, his expression changed slightly.

The waves outside are gradually rising higher than the bow of the boat.

They had just returned to the deck when they heard urgent commands coming from the mast; several crew members were securing the slings. The sea wind was so strong it was almost impossible to stand.

The snow rushed towards me, like countless cold needles.

Ye Yuying tried to grab the railing, but the wind pushed her back a step.

"Go inside!" Cheng Mingdu shouted in a low voice, reaching out to pull her in.

But the next second, a wave crashed in from outside the ship's side.

It was an almost vertical wall of water, mixed with ice shards, that slammed heavily onto the deck.

Ye Yuying was pushed backward, slipped, and lost her balance.

Her fingertips brushed against the railing, but she didn't grab it.

A sharp gust of wind swept past my ear...

She saw herself falling, the world turning upside down, and the sea crashing towards her like a giant, deep blue curtain.

In that instant, she heard Cheng Mingdu calling her name.

"Ye Yuying!"

Next came the sea, chilling to the bone.

The icy waves swallowed her completely.

She was so cold that she could hardly breathe.

Falling into the sea is already terrifying, but falling into extremely low waters makes it almost impossible to survive.

My ears were ringing, my chest was contracting, and the world turned into a chaotic blue.

Her body began to sink.

Unmelted ice clung to her eyelashes, water poured into her mouth and nose, and she had almost no strength to struggle.

Just as Cheng Mingdu said, she would be frozen unconscious instantly.

Just as her consciousness began to fade, a hand suddenly grabbed her wrist.

The force was extremely steady and fast, almost pulling the wave up against the direction of the waves.

Ye Yuying was forcibly dragged out of the icy water, only to be met with a sudden gust of sea wind.

She was held tightly in his arms, and it was only thanks to that force that she didn't fall any further.

It is Cheng Mingdu.

Half of his body was submerged in the sea, and icy waves pounded against his back.

In that instant, his expression was so calm it was almost cruel.

“Look at me,” he commanded in a low voice.

She couldn't hear or see clearly, she could only see the shape of his lips moving...

"breathe."

Her lungs felt like they were about to burst, and the cold and heat were alternating; it was as if all her heat was being sucked away in an instant.

He used all his strength to push her toward the lifeline, and he himself was almost completely swept up by the waves.

The wind howled, and icy water rushed back from the deck. His hand remained gripping her wrist until another crew member pulled her fingertips.

All of this... was done in almost a minute.

He kept his word from earlier in the day, though he was being modest; he stayed in the sea for a full minute and twenty seconds, which was more than a minute.

But those extra twenty seconds were just enough for them to brush past death; otherwise, it would have been the longest eye contact of their lives.

She saw the blood at the corner of his lips, washed away by the waves, mingling with the snow and wind.

The red was extremely pale, yet it shone brightly amidst the boundless white and gray, like an inescapable destiny.

She was destined to be trapped in this shade of red.

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Author's note: See you tomorrow! [bubble tea emoji]