Author: 长洱 / Chang’er

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

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Chapter 310

Lin Chen had never experienced such a life before.

It wasn’t that it was too leisurely and comfortable, but when he thought back carefully, he realized that the concept of a vacation was completely foreign to him.

As a child, due to his parents’ jobs and during an era when working-class families didn’t have much of a concept of vacationing, going out to have fun meant taking time off to visit famous cities and sightseeing. Usually, it was a rushed two-day round trip.

Later, because of his busy academic schedule with high school entrance exams and classes during the winter and summer vacations, traveling seemed too extravagant.

During the summer of his senior year, he should have had the chance to go out and have some fun, but a major incident occurred at home, causing him to lose both of his parents. Because of this, he changed his major from physics to psychology.

In college, needless to say, his department was very demanding, so undergraduates had to work for their professors and be available at all times. Of course, this was also an excuse, as the underlying issue was that he didn’t have much money at the time.

The most interesting vacation-like experience he could recall was a barbecue trip to Nanshan with his college class, which coincided with a torrential downpour. They ended up spending the night in tents while the air was soaked with the damp smell of rainwater and mud.

A group of students played cards by flashlight inside the tents, but the rain was so loud they couldn’t hear each other.

Still, it was fun, and the strong contrast between utter silence and roaring noise provided a feeling of vastness—a powerful world on the outside while they were confined in a small space.

When the rain stopped and they walked out of the tents, it looked like the sky at this moment.

“Just like the sky right now…”

Lin Chen repeated this sentence twice, then turned his head to look at Xing Conglian.

At that moment, they were lying on beach chairs on the cruise ship’s deck. The ship was in warm waters, and the sea breeze was gentle.

The noisy night party had ended some time ago, and the staff had cleaned up the “battlefield”. Parents who had taken their children to play in the water had gone back to their rooms to sleep. Only a few scattered couples, old and young, were chatting and kissing under the starlit sky on the deck.

So Lin Chen turned to look at Xing Conglian.

Xing Conglian, propped up on his elbow, had his eyes slightly closed as he listened to Lin Chen, half asleep, half awake.

After Lin Chen stopped speaking for a few seconds, Xing Conglian finally reacted and turned to look at him, asking, “The same, then what?”

Lin Chen smiled, sincerely saying, “Like the sky right now, but not as beautiful as your eyes.”

Xing Conglian didn’t laugh at this comment but instead grasped Lin Chen’s hand and said nothing.

He didn’t ask what had happened to Lin Chen’s family during his senior year, nor did he comment on the abrupt ending of the story. He simply held Lin Chen’s hand, the gesture meaning simply, “I’m here for you now.”

Lin Chen didn’t mean to complain. He was merely recounting his past experiences. But he found that casual chatting with Xing Conglian could easily become profound.

It was like how patients, when facing a psychologist, unknowingly reveal many things they are unwilling to say or have long forgotten and, in the end, have to pay for it.

For Lin Chen, although he didn’t have to pay money, he still had to compensate in other ways after sharing memories.

It was simply addictive.

Lin Chen pinched his nose bridge, turned to look at the sky, and began to reflect. Xing Conglian rested one leg on his, his rough heel rubbing against Lin Chen’s calf as if to comfort him.

Lin Chen shivered; yes, that was precisely the trick.

Xing Conglian reacted sharply.

“Then let me tell you my story, is that alright?”

“Can you guess if I think that’s good or bad?”

“Which part would you like to hear?”

“…”

“You can choose anything, as long as it doesn’t violate confidentiality regulations.”

“Whatever.”

“It can’t just be ‘whatever’.” Xing Conglian sat cross-legged. “Otherwise, I could give you a list, and you can choose which part to listen to, even dragging the progress bar back and forth for free replays.”

As Xing Conglian said this, he raised his hand and snapped his fingers against the night sky, usually a summoning gesture for Wang Chao.

Lin Chen thought that Xing Conglian had forgotten that he hadn’t brought Wang Chao onto the ship and was about to remind him, but the captain reacted on his own.

What surprised Lin Chen was that Xing Conglian didn’t stop.

He made a show of lying down in his beach chair, shuffling over in his sandals to a deck crew member, whispered something, and the worker trotted off. He then lazily shuffled back to his chair and sat down.

Lin Chen felt a headache coming on. “You didn’t send someone to Hongjing to get Wang Chao airlifted onto the cruise ship, did you?”

“How could I? I’m not that kind of person!” Xing Conglian reacted strongly.

“Really?”

“I’m very low-key, as you well know,” he said. “I don’t squander money like other rich people.”

Lin Chen thought about it and seemed to agree. Then he heard Xing Conglian say, “Mainly because I squander it much better than they do.”

“…”

Xing Conglian sat cross-legged, his eyes clear, not looking embarrassed at all.

Lin Chen thought for a moment, then asked, “Like this cruise ship?”

“It’s mine.”

Hmm… not my family’s.

“I meant, why this ship?”

“Because it’s my ship,” Xing Conglian said matter-of-factly.

Lin Chen changed positions, lying flat on the deck chair, feeling communication was difficult.

“If I take you out, of course we have to ride my ship,” Xing Conglian said.

“Eh?”

“Otherwise, wouldn’t we be boarding someone else’s ship?”

“Makes sense.”

“I think so too.”

Xing Conglian lay back down, continuing to hold his hand, his voice calming.

He said, “Actually, I wanted this ship before I left home.”

Lin Chen closed his eyes, pretending to sleep like Xing Conglian and pretending not to hear.

“Back then, my grandfather wanted to send me away to the ‘Door’ base for training. Before leaving, they said they would fulfill one wish of mine, so I said, I wanted to buy a boat.”

“I had just come of age and only knew about that hellish place from what I had heard. Knowing I had to go, I watched many movies about warfare, both domestic and foreign, and was scared out of my mind. I thought my life was over. So when they promised to fulfill a wish, my first reaction was to say my wish was not to go. Of course, that wouldn’t work. So, I made my second wish, for a boat.”

“I always thought that after leaving that hellish place, I wanted to sail around the world with the world’s hottest babes, to be a king on the sea, to host Victoria’s Secret shows on the water, and to revel in luxury every day. Fuck the civilized world!”

Xing Conglian was impassioned.

Lin Chen couldn’t help but laugh, finding the young Xing Conglian’s ideas utterly adorable.

He could even picture the curly-haired, green-eyed boy with dreams of conquering the world, giving his home the middle finger as he left, tears in his eyes.

“I had many ideas for my ship,” Xing Conglian said. “I had clear requirements for tonnage and functionality, even some sci-fi elements that were beyond the current shipbuilding technology, so it took 10 years to design and build the ship.”

“Actually, I made all those demands to give my grandfather a hard time.”

“I didn’t expect them to take it seriously and actually build it.”

“After my grandfather passed away and I retired, I never once came aboard.”

“I don’t actually like big ships, nor tall women with big breasts. What I asked for was out of spite, but he outdid me by really building this ship and giving it to me as a gift,” Xing Conglian said, taking a deep puff of his cigarette. The highly emotional content was conveyed in a very calm voice. “If I had known, I would have asked for a spaceship…”

“To send you to the stars?”

“How can that be!”

Xing Conglian put out his cigarette, draped his leg over Lin Chen again, turned, and hugged him tightly, almost enclosing his earlobe as he whispered, “Of course, to build a spaceship and contribute to the progress of human science.”

Lin Chen slowly opened his eyes. His gaze slid over Xing Conglian’s profile while he looked deep into the night sky.

“You’ve made a lot of progress in your thinking.”

“It’s not deep enough yet.”

“Mm…”

“Consultant Lin needs to continue to guide.”

“Mm…”

……

When Wang Chao was brought up, it was said that the sky hadn’t yet brightened.

It was said to be because, later, the two of them had cuddled together under the blanket and fallen asleep.

Xing Conglian’s crew didn’t dare disturb them, so they kept guard over Wang Chao nearby for half the night.

The teenager’s hair had been turned into a bird’s nest by the sea breeze, and there were still traces of sauce from the midnight snack on his mouth and collar. It seemed he had been found in some restaurant.

With Wang Chao’s personal abilities, he might even have played a game of cat and mouse with the crew before finally being caught.

Lin Chen sat up, wrapped in a blanket that someone had brought. The sky had just started to lighten. The sound of sea wind and waves could be heard, and all around was peaceful blue.

Wang Chao was escorted forward in front of Xing Conglian, who was lying on his back, smoking, with his legs propped up like a lord.

“A’Chen Gege, did you snitch?” Wang Chao whined.

Lin Chen shook his head, pointing to the one who was smoking.

In fact, he also didn’t know when Xing Conglian had discovered Wang Chao was on the ship.

“Boss, you’re so mean!” Comrade Xiao Wang Chao was very unhappy, ranting, “Not taking me along is one thing, but sending people to catch me, catch me!! They found me even when I hid in the engine room! What’s wrong with that?! Can’t a poor child oppressed by you pay for a cruise himself??? Is this your ship to be so domineering!”

Lin Chen rubbed his forehead and nodded.

“I know, I’m just a sycophant, only saying this to please him secretly!” Wang Chao paused, saving his pride.

Lin Chen wanted to say, Your boss wasn’t really pleased to see this ship…

But Xing Conglian himself had already impatiently beckoned Wang Chao over.

“What do you want, calling me over like I’m your sweet little thing?”

“Do you like abseiling?” Xing Conglian asked.

“???”

“It’s when you’re hung from the high deck and swooshed down. It’s quite fun; many guests enjoy it.”

Wang Chao’s legs went weak at once. “Boss, what would you like me to do?”

“Find Alice’s location.”

“Oh, can I have a computer?”

The conversation between Xing Conglian and Wang Chao was incredibly succinct.

Lin Chen also had a moment where he thought that Alice sounded like one of Xing Conglian’s favorite Victoria’s Secret models.

It wasn’t until three hours later that he saw…

He saw, in the endless expanse of the ocean…

The world’s largest marine creature emerging from the sea. A milky-white spout shot into the sky, and the huge tail slapped the sea, causing waves that echoed across the vast waters.

Cheers erupted on the cruise ship.

All the passengers were gathered on the deck or their own cabin balconies.

They were shouting and exclaiming, awed by a never-before-seen spectacle—the miracle of marine life.

Only Xing Conglian leaned against the railing, very calm.

Lin Chen was stunned for a long time before pointing at the whale that had just surfaced and asking, as though still immersed in illusion, “Alice?”

Xing Conglian nodded.

“Another birthday gift?”

“Just a pet.”

“……”

Xing Conglian turned around and looked at the computer screen beside him.

The blue dot on the screen indicating Alice’s coordinates showed that the whale had re-submerged into the sea, so the concept of a pet was probably just Xing Conglian’s wishful thinking.

“When I was 12, I rescued her when she was stranded near the shore,” Xing Conglian said, facing the sea breeze with certainty. “I said I wanted a huge aquarium to keep her.”

Looking at Xing Conglian’s expression and his unusual behavior after entering this area, Lin Chen guessed something.

He asked, “What did your grandfather say?”

“Grandfather said no.”

“Why?”

“Because my ambition was too small,” Xing Conglian said. “He took my hand by the seaside and told me that I should consider the ocean as my aquarium, rather than building a very small structure.”

“Very persuasive.”

“Yes.” Xing Conglian smiled, showing a reminiscent grin. “So he suggested I put a locator on her. First, to contribute to the protection of marine life by tracking the habits of whales, and second…”

“Second?”

“Second, if I ever have a girl I like, I can take her to the ocean to see the whale, point to her, and tell her this is my pet. It would be very cool.”

Lin Chen also smiled, interlocking his fingers with Xing Conglian’s.

The sea breeze whispered like a loved one, gentle and soothing.

“Now, although the person I like is not a girl, I’ve brought him here too,” Xing Conglian said, looking at the vast sea.

“I love him very much, and even thought for a long time about how to express my love and romance him. In the end, I wanted to bring him here to meet you.”

“Of course, I don’t need your agreement on who I like, so I’m not here to seek your opinion.”

Xing Conglian continued, “But he is the one I love the most, and you are the person I respect the most. I want to be with him for the rest of my life, so I brought him here to notify you.”

Lin Chen was silent for a long time.

The sea was calm, and the whale’s figure was no longer visible.

Xing Conglian was back to normal, clearing his throat and pulling Lin Chen’s hand to walk inside the cabin. “My grandfather was very peculiar; he demanded his ashes be compressed into a diamond and sunk into the trench of this sea area. I’m not sure if Alice swallowed him…”

“…Why?”

“To be closer to the Earth’s core, extremely willful.”

Lin Chen lifted Xing Conglian’s hand. Gazing into his moss-green eyes, he kissed his knuckles and said, “It’s also very romantic.”

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Kinky Thoughts:

This marks the end of the novel. I hope you enjoyed it. The smut was a nice surprise.

If you like the novel, please consider supporting the author by buying the raws. You can use Google Chrome with their auto-translate and this guide on how to buy novels on jjwxc. Remember, only with your (financial) support can artists continue to produce more great work.

I would also like to thank everyone for your comments, encouragement, help with my translations, and ko-fi donations. It in part fuels my motivation to release so frequently.

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