Author: 长洱 / Chang’er

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

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Chapter 309

“If you don’t take me with you, what if a hacker hacks the entire control system? What will you do then?”

Wang Chao sat with his arms folded and his legs crossed, pretending to be calm as he warned them, but his drooping mouth betrayed him.

At that moment, they were sitting in the revolving restaurant at the Hongjing Hotel.

Xing Conglian had reserved the most expensive restaurant in the city to break this cruel news to Wang Chao.

However, since he had spent money, Captain Xing wouldn’t verbally admit defeat.

“Comrade Xiao Wang Chao.” Xing Conglian tapped the table. “The hacker capable of hacking the whole ship’s control system is right in front of me.”

“Boss, you rarely praise me like this!”

“So why would I bring someone as dangerous as you to threaten the safety of tourists?”

“You’re insulting my character!”

“Haven’t you done a few illegal things?”

“A’Chen Gege, say something!”

Lin Chen, who had been quietly tasting pudding, was finally drawn into the flames of battle. On one side was an indignant and seemingly abandoned teenager, and on the other was a gentleman with an eyebrow raised.

Lin Chen put down his spoon, tentatively suggesting, “Or… How about you two go?”

Things started a week earlier.

One night, while watching TV, Xing Conglian excitedly turned up the volume and pointed to a commercial for a trans-Atlantic cruise, asking, “How about we go on a honeymoon?”

In the advertisement, a luxurious cruise ship cut through the azure sea, and a row of stylized romantic characters spelled out, “Join the Darwin for a global journey of your dreams.”

Lin Chen thought it looked nice but didn’t take it seriously. They couldn’t possibly have 35 days off for a global dream journey. But somehow, their leave was approved, and Wang Chao didn’t have a ticket.

Lin Chen thought for a moment about what he had said casually at the time, something like “It looks pretty good,” but he didn’t take it to heart. After all, how could they possibly have a 35-day vacation to go on a global dream journey?

But…

Nothing was absolute. In any case, their vacation request was approved before the end of work today, and they were to board the ship tomorrow. As for Wang Chao… Xing Conglian obviously would not buy a ticket for him.

At first, Mr. Xing probably felt guilty and had prepared to treat the teenager to a lavish dinner.

But Wang Chao wouldn’t be himself if he backed down easily.

After dinner, Xing Conglian broke the bad news, and Wang Chao listed all the potential consequences of not taking him along. Lin Chen was troubled, but Xing Conglian was determined to live freely without children, so Wang Chao’s protests were in vain.

In reality, Lin Chen didn’t care if they brought Wang Chao, but Xing Conglian’s words finally persuaded him.

“What does it mean to bring Wang Chao?”

“What?”

“It means that whatever happens in the world, you will know about it; it means anyone can find you at any time; it means you don’t really have a vacation!”

Later, Lin Chen thought, even if they went on the cruise without Wang Chao, if someone really wanted to find you, they could still find you…

But for a “middle-aged man” who had been raising a child for over a decade, Lin Chen felt sympathetic and understanding, so he chose to keep silent.

Then they boarded the ship with their passports.

When they were actually sitting on the balcony of the cabin, looking at the yellow port waters, Lin Chen felt a sense of magical realism.

They were really going on vacation?

Unbelievable…

He turned around, and Xing Conglian was already sprawled out on the bed, taking a long, deep drag.

Seeing him look, Xing Conglian propped up his head, patted the empty space beside him, and his eyes were filled with laughter. Lin Chen obediently lay down on the bed, his head resting in Xing Conglian’s arm, and closed his eyes.

“Going to sleep just like that?” Xing Conglian was surprised.

“Or we could make love.”

“…”

Lin Chen laughed and yawned but didn’t open his eyes.

“I have no objection; shall we start now?”

Xing Conglian said and kissed him.

If this were not a story of magical realism, then Lin Chen would surely say, “Making such a proclamation in broad daylight seems inappropriate.”

But since they only brought their passports onto the ship, besides doing something inappropriate, there wasn’t much else to do. Lin Chen turned over, affectionately hugged Xing Conglian’s neck.

In the distance was the vast ocean, so there was no need to draw the curtains.

“I have a very strange premonition.” Lin Chen put his hand on Xing Conglian’s back.

“Please, don’t say it out loud.”

“Okay.”

“So what else can be said?”

“Say, ‘Husband, I love you.'”

Xing Conglian’s nasal voice was wet, and he kissed Lin Chen’s ear.

Lin Chen smiled.

……

When they woke up, the ship had already set sail, and they didn’t know where they were.

The sound of waves slapping against the hull came from outside the balcony, and the stars in the sky were twinkling.

Lin Chen vaguely remembered that the boarding instructions mentioned a fixed emergency drill at 17:00. He sat up abruptly from the bed, rubbing his forehead, feeling that something wasn’t right.

The bedside table had lube, and the room was a mess. Lin Chen had only one question in his mind: why was lube prepared in the suite? What was this feeling of being on a pirate ship all about?

Xing Conglian came out of the bathroom wrapped in a towel and sat down by the bed, considerately asking, “Are you feeling unwell?”

“Did we miss the drill?” Lin Chen asked.

“Um…” Xing Conglian paused. “This kind of large cruise ship won’t have any problems, and it’s not like the era of the Titanic.”

“Safety is important,” Lin Chen said, “and since the cruise ship has this rule, we need to follow it.”

“Actually…”

“Yes?”

“You put on your clothes first, and I’ll take you to the emergency drill.”

“…”

Being in the middle of winter and at sea, the cruise ship’s deck was probably colder than they imagined. Since they hadn’t prepared any luggage, Lin Chen intended to wear a bathrobe over his coat, but Xing Conglian stopped him with a hesitant look.

“Why do I feel like you’re hiding something from me?”

“No, actually, I feel quite guilty.”

Xing Conglian said as he pulled Lin Chen out the door, took him into the elevator, and pressed the floor button to go down.

“Guilty about what?”

“I remember that I seem to be quite rich…”

“And then?”

“Then you actually don’t remember this, and I feel very guilty about it.”

He was holding Xing Conglian’s hand. When the elevator door opened, the shopping street on the Darwin cruise ship appeared before them. Crystal chandeliers sparkled above them while throngs of tourists passed by. There were some parties happening further away, and young people’s laughter filled the bustling ship’s street.

“It’s been a long time since I’ve said the words, ‘I’ll pay by card’. I almost forgot that I’m rich!” Xing Conglian sighed, looking at the street.

Lin Chen felt his chest tremble with the enveloping electronic music, but when he turned his head, he saw Xing Conglian looking relaxed and at ease, as if he was very accustomed to this flashy scene. Lin Chen, too, began to feel nostalgic.

In fact, thinking about it, he had never felt uncomfortable living with Xing Conglian for so long. To say they were in sync, it was probably more accurate that Xing Conglian had been accommodating him quite a bit.

A waiter handed over a cocktail, and Lin Chen passed it to Xing Conglian.

“Do you feel like you’re ten years younger?” Xing Conglian took a sip, smiled, wrapped his arm around Lin Chen, and yelled in his ear.

“My experiences when I was young might not be the same as yours.”

Xing Conglian began by laughing. As they walked into a men’s clothing store, everything suddenly quieted down, and he realized something was amiss. “Not the same when young… Are you calling me old?”

Lin Chen shook his head. “I’m not that kind of person.”

Since Xing Conglian was paying, Lin Chen didn’t hesitate and picked out a down jacket to check out.

Standing at the counter, Lin Chen handed over the ship card and looked out the window, only to unexpectedly see a familiar figure.

He thought his eyes were playing tricks on him, but the duckbill cap, black hoodie, and that face that screamed ‘Laozi’s really 100% clever’—if it wasn’t Wang Chao, who else could it be?

Why was Wang Chao here?

Xing Conglian stood by his side, looking at him, and Lin Chen hurriedly stepped forward, unconsciously blocking Xing Conglian’s view of the street.

If he had a phone right now, he would definitely send Wang Chao a secret text message questioning if he knew the meaning of the word “death”.

But he didn’t have a phone.

Because Xing Conglian had made it clear that the honeymoon was a dedicated emotional journey (?) for two adults, focusing on adult entertainment activities (?), and prohibiting all distractions.

So they really just boarded the ship with just their passports. Now, Lin Chen began to regret his rash decision.

After leaving the men’s clothing store, Lin Chen remained uneasy.

On one hand, he feared Wang Chao might suddenly appear and cause a scene; on the other hand, he felt he should be honest with Xing Conglian about what he had seen.

Lost in thought for a moment, when he came back to his senses, he was already standing with Xing Conglian in an open space at the highest point of the top deck.

Surrounded by a circle of ground lights, everything else is shrouded in darkness, with bright stars in the night sky and a sharp, brisk sea breeze. The laughter from the heated pool downstairs is faintly audible, and on the distant basketball court, young people are still playing. But where they stand is very quiet, so much so that even the sound of a heartbeat can be heard.

Lin Chen wrapped his down jacket tightly around himself, pointed to where they were standing, and looked at Xing Conglian.

“Lifeboat drill.” Xing Conglian’s face was very close to his, and he could faintly see the other’s moss-green eyes. “In case of a shipwreck, this is our gathering point.”

“What do you mean?”

“It means that according to the level of our room card, a helicopter will come to pick us up when the time comes…” Xing Conglian seemed quite embarrassed. “How wicked.”

Lin Chen looks up at the night sky, taking a deep breath of the chilly sea breeze.

“If the helicopter can’t make it in time, there are other lifeboats, but…” Xing Conglian paused. “But if something really happens, we will probably be the last to leave.”

He said this without regret.

Lin Chen stretches out both arms, embracing him. “Xing Conglian.”

“At your service anytime.”

“Don’t casually set flags for us.”

“Okay.”

“It’s my character setting to set up flags.”

“Then what’s my character setting?” Xing Conglian also hugged him with both arms.

But since both of them were wearing quite thick down jackets, the embrace was somewhat awkward.

“Your character setting…” Lin Chen looked up at him, “is to say with a smile, ‘We should kiss here.'”

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