Chapter 1 A Glimpse of the Port
Wu Ming got drunk at a banquet on the cruise ship, drinking a lot of baijiu, three bottles of red wine, and some loose liquor.
He was drunk and acting crazy when someone complained: "Your dear girlfriend is busy making vlogs and becoming a big internet celebrity, she doesn't have time to pick you up. We'll arrange a driver for you."
He refused to hire a designated driver and insisted on contacting someone himself to pick him up.
Everyone originally thought that Wu Ming would contact his girlfriend, whom he had been dating for more than a month.
Unexpectedly, a young man dressed in a suit arrived, his eyes reddened by the sea breeze.
It was under these circumstances that Zhan Lintian first saw Jiangxia.
*
The cruise ship docked, the party had just ended, and the air inside was stuffy. He and his friend went out of their cabin to the upper deck to smoke and calm down.
The private harbor is far from the bustling city lines, with a gentle sea breeze and rolling waves, quiet and comfortable.
Zhan Lintian leaned back against the railing, took a deep breath, and slowly exhaled the smoke. In the white mist, his sharp eyebrows and eyes were faintly visible, and his dark pupils tilted as he looked down at the port.
A group of people were arguing on the shore.
No one dared to force Wu Ming into the car. Judging from his appearance, the first thing he would do after getting in was to take apart the steering wheel.
Wu Ming was holding his phone and muttering to himself, calling out a name.
The wind was too strong, and Zhan Lintian couldn't hear clearly.
No sooner had he finished speaking than a car in the distance drove straight toward them along the winding mountain road.
Zhan Lintian frowned.
The drivers had been waiting at the port for a while, and the one who arrived at this time was probably Wu Ming's girlfriend, Xie Xingzhang.
When the gleaming black car came closer, my friend, who knows a lot about cars, suddenly chuckled: "An A6L, a 2019 model, how come she's become so low-key?"
Zhan Lintian held a cigarette in his hand, his gaze fixed on the young man getting out of the car in the flickering light.
The wind in the harbor was so cold that it made the young man's face turn pale, which only highlighted the redness in his eyes and the color of his lips.
Zhan Lintian narrowed his eyes and said in a low voice, "A man."
His friend took a closer look and exclaimed, "Jiang Xia is here? He came so quickly!"
Zhan Lintian stubbed out his cigarette, which he had only taken two puffs of, and asked in a low, hoarse voice, "You know him?"
His friend leaned out to examine him closely: "I've only met him a few times. Wu Ming rarely brings him to hang out with us. The two of them have been classmates since junior high."
Zhan Lintian flicked his cigarette ash, lowered his eyes, and said lazily, "How come I've never heard of this?"
My friend said, "He's from Duliang."
“Du Liang?” Zhan Lintian frowned. There was no such district in Mengcheng City.
"He's from a small town. He got into Montreal University seven or eight years ago. He's quite smart. He said he'd work as a simultaneous interpreter and also translate some foreign books. It's normal that you don't know him since you just returned to China."
After saying that, he waved to the river gorge below: "Hey, river gorge!"
A cold wind brushed his face. The daytime lights of the harbor were too bright, making them feel cold and devoid of warmth. Jiang Xia heard a sound and looked up, but it was too dark to see clearly. However, he recognized the voice as Ying Hua's.
There was also a tall figure standing next to them, but it was also difficult to see clearly.
Jiang Xia suddenly shuddered, quickly waved her hand in response, and tilted her head back to reveal a smile.
Only then did Zhan Lintian see clearly.
Jiang Xia looked young, probably in his early twenties. He seemed to be the type of academic high-achiever who was good-looking but not very talkative. At this moment, his eyes were slightly red, his lips were pursed, and there seemed to be a faint red mole on his left cheek.
I went to university seven or eight years ago, so I must be at least twenty-six or twenty-seven years old now.
Zhan Lintian tapped his cigarette with his fingers, lowered his eyes, and said, "You really can't tell..."
A light gray suit paired with an even lighter tie and a long black coat looks great, but it's not windproof and gets cold easily in the wind.
He came in such a hurry that he didn't have time to change into warmer clothes.
Even from a distance, Zhan Lintian could sense the paleness on his face as he watched him burst into the crowd at the port, a mix of smells of alcohol and various perfumes…
It was too cold in the gorge, and I just wanted to get out of the wind as soon as possible. Since I couldn't see clearly, I turned my attention back to Wu Ming.
Friends chattered excitedly, regardless of whether they knew him or not. Seeing that Wu Ming had stopped making a fuss in his arms, they were relieved that someone who could sort out the mess had come along.
"Let me help you." Jiang Xia turned her gaze away, looked at her friends, and reached out to help Wu Ming.
Drunk, Wu Ming shoved the waiter away and slumped into his arms, slurring his words as he snuggled against him and gagged.
Jiang Xia ran his hand across Wu Ming's back to help him catch his breath, and asked the waiter with a smile, "Is there a restroom? I'll take him to induce vomiting so he doesn't choke later."
The waiter turned to the side and pointed to the cruise ship, saying quickly, "Yes, this way please."
Jiang Xia smiled at everyone, and everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Some people who didn't know Jiang Xia also showed friendly smiles.
Two of the women were dressed the lightest; they quickly wrapped their shawls tighter, stomped on their high heels, and exclaimed how cold it was. They greeted Jiang Xia and got into their car and left.
In an instant, everyone scattered like birds and beasts at the boarding gate.
It was Jiang Xia's first time on a luxury cruise ship, and she was a little unaccustomed to it. She swayed and almost fell down with Wu Ming.
Wu Ming vomited for a while, and even after regaining consciousness, his legs were still weak, and he clung to the person and wouldn't let go.
Jiang Xia pushed hard, but couldn't move the other person. He could only gasp for breath: "Don't press down on me."
Wu Ming deliberately nuzzled his neck: "I want to sleep."
Jiang Xia leaned back to avoid the itch, and finally, with the help of two waiters, he was helped off the boat and into the car, where he was placed in the passenger seat.
Wu Ming climbed into his car and said, "How about we drive my SUV? Your car is too small."
Jiang Xia replied, "Your car was already taken back by the driver. Where are you going tonight? Are you going home?"
Wu Ming chuckled: "If I go back, my grandpa will beat me to death. I'll just stay at your place for one night."
Jiang Xia smiled and said, "Okay."
He had wanted to ask who the person standing next to Ying Hua on the cruise ship was, but he couldn't see clearly. Judging from their height, he had never seen them before.
On second thought, Wu Ming never introduced those friends to me, so they were probably heirs to some wealthy family, which was normal since I hadn't met them before.
The tall, lush trees on both sides blocked the light from the streetlights, so Jiang Xia simply shut up and focused on driving.
He drove around the island's bend toward the bridge. To his left was a rocky beach, with waves crashing against the rocks and the wind rustling the trees on either side. To his right was a rising mountain wall.
He drove out onto the internal road and circled around to the cross-river bridge when Wu Ming was holding his head and crying out in pain.
Jiang Xia glanced at him and reminded him, "There are hangover pills and headache pills in the passenger seat."
After taking two pills and regaining consciousness, Wu Ming was reflecting on his life of great wealth and honor.
"Today was a treat from someone else, and I didn't know many of them. They were my childhood playmates, but many of them went abroad during high school."
"If I hadn't gone to Duliang to study during junior high school and had gone abroad instead, I wouldn't have met you."
He muttered to himself, reminiscing about the past, and couldn't help but reach out and pinch Jiang Xia's cheek.
Hey, you have great skin.
Jiang Xia looked straight ahead and slightly dodged away: "Stop fooling around."
Jiang Xia also thought about visiting Wu Ming in Mengcheng during the summer vacation. In order to save money, he specially bought a hard seat for the long-distance train ride that lasted more than ten hours at night.
There is a train originating from Duliang to Mengcheng, which always arrives at Mengcheng Railway Station at 10:45 pm.
It was very hot during the summer vacation, but by the time the car arrived, it was already late at night, so I could still bear it.
Wu Ming's thoughts drifted, and he suddenly asked, "Jiang Xia, when are you going to start dating?"
Jiang Xia lowered her eyes: "No rush, let's talk about it when we really like it."
The two had different views on love: "Jiang Xia, who would confess their feelings only when they are sure they like someone and can spend their whole life with them?"
While looking at the car, Jiang Xia reassured Wu Ming, saying, "It's not so bad."
Wu Ming raised an eyebrow, then said in a deep voice, "That's good. One love for life, right? Although people in my circle change girlfriends like they change clothes, I still really hope to meet someone who treats me sincerely."
Jiang Xia countered, "And you?"
Wu Ming laughed and gave a vague answer.
As the two were talking, they passed by the stadium with a capacity of 10,000. There was a singer holding a concert that night. After the concert, the police closed the road to prevent stampedes and to help the audience leave. Vehicles were allowed to pass in an orderly manner.
The traffic jam is terrible; we haven't moved for ages.
This delay allowed Wu Mingren to fully wake up. He started playing on his phone, tapping and pressing buttons for a while, before receiving a call asking him to get off the bus early. The caller said a friend was opening a bar and he was going to support the opening.
"Jiang Xia, you go home first." Wu Ming got out of the car, grinned as he leaned against the window, and said, "What do you want to eat? I'll bring it back for you."
Jiang Xia gripped the steering wheel and looked at him: "But by the time you bring it back, it probably won't taste good anymore."
Wu Ming understood and explained, "That's true, food should be eaten fresh, so never mind."
He shook his head, walked around the front of the car, got to the driver's seat, and grinned: "By the time I finish drinking, it will probably be early tomorrow morning. I still have to go home to say good morning to my grandpa. If I don't go, my older brother will probably give me a cold shoulder. I'm off now."
Jiang Xia watched him make a joke and then turn away.
He slowly exhaled, then chuckled softly.
An hour later, he returned to his rented room, took a shower, changed into his pajamas, and then sat cross-legged on the sofa to eat a banana.
He first checked the work group for any other messages, then looked through his friends' messages, but Wu Ming hadn't sent him any new messages.
They're probably still having a blast.
When Jiang Xia was eating his second banana, someone called him. In the end, he opened the door carrying his third banana.
Jiang Xia handed the banana to Xie, who looked dejected, and reminded him, "Parking is not allowed downstairs."
Assistant Xie gestured with his chin, took the banana, and took a big, vicious bite: "The engine wasn't turned off, so it doesn't count as parking."
His voice was muffled: "Isn't the second young master here? He hasn't come home yet. The old man is furious. I don't know where he's messing around. The boss sent me to catch him."
His boss is Wu Ming's older brother.
Jiang Xia yawned; tonight had been quite a whirlwind. "He's not here. He went to support his friend's bar opening."
Assistant Xie, with his extensive network of information, murmured in confusion, "Hey, he doesn't have any friends who own a bar, does he?"
A note from the author:
Zhan Lintian (posing): Who is it? You all know them, how come I don't? [angry]
Friend: [frightened], didn't you just get back to China?
Zhan Lintian (posing): [kiss] Do you believe in love at first sight?
Friend: From that distance, could you see it clearly? [Question mark]
In fact, Jiang Xia didn't see him clearly at all. They were standing in the dark, and when Jiang Xia looked up, he could only see the overhead lights.
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