FI CH58: “Honeymoon,” Activated

The cruise ship invitation arrived at Lin Su’s place just five days later.

The invitation had all the details, including the time and location.

Lin Su took the letter and looked it over.

The date was the end of November, the location Pingcheng Island. The seal on the envelope had an “H University” logo, probably indicating a difference based on the invitee’s identity.

Xuenima leaned in expectantly. [You said Xiao He’s “heh,” does that mean he’s coming or not?]

“Not refusing means he agrees.”

As Lin Su said this, he remembered something else, and his face reddened. “Just like that night…”

A paw reached out. [Shh.]

He regretfully stopped the topic again.

…

The end of November was a time of crisp autumn air.

At the port of Pingcheng Island, a huge cruise ship was docked.

The sea and sky met, the blue sky clear as if washed. The pier was bustling with people, and someone was already checking tickets at the boarding gate.

A private car stopped steadily at the pier.

The door opened, and a long leg in suit pants stepped out first, the hem of a jacket sweeping by. He Zhenling got out of the car. He wore a long windbreaker over a snug high-necked shirt, his tall figure standing out like a crane in a flock of chickens.

He held the door and glanced into the car.

Then Lin Su followed him out.

The car door closed with a “thud.”

After getting out, Lin Su, along with Xuenima on his head, looked up and exclaimed, “Wow…”

The weather was great, and even the salty sea breeze felt pleasant. Up close, the cruise ship was even more magnificent.

As he was looking, the luggage in his hand was taken away.

He Zhenling carried both their bags, turned his head slightly, his Adam’s apple bobbing. “Let’s go, time to board.”

Lin Su blinked and followed.

He looked at the tall and slender back in front of him and savored the moment. “Nima, he looks so handsome in this outfit today.”

Xuenima was in a good mood. [He’s probably preening for you.]

Lin Su sighed sweetly. “Sigh…”

At the boarding gate, a staff member took their invitation and checked it, then pointed the way. “Mr. Lin Su, with one family member. Please take your room card and proceed to the right.”

Lin Su glanced to the left. “The invitations are different, so the accommodations are different too?”

The staff member was frank. “Yes.”

Lin Su said no more and went over with He Zhenling.

Although the rooms were different.

There weren’t many people invited on the maiden voyage, and the H University quota was also allocated a sea-view room.

The room was spacious, but it had bunk beds.

He Zhenling put down the luggage. “Do you want the top or the bott…”

Lin Su had already climbed up excitedly. “Nima! Look, it’s the top bunk!”

Xuenima was so happy it became visible. [Okay!]

He Zhenling: “…”

The room had a small round window from which they could see the sea view outside.

The climate of Pingcheng Island was different from the mainland.

Lin Su went to take a shower first and came out in a fresh set of clothes. He wore a snow-colored Tang-style shirt as a base, with two pankou buttons fastened at the gold-threaded collar. He put on a dark-colored outer robe, with tassels hanging in front.

While he was changing in the room, He Zhenling kept his back to him, looking out the window.

The cruise ship sailed away from the port, the waves crashing against its hull.

It wasn’t until Lin Su had fastened his buttons that He Zhenling finally turned around. His gaze lingered on him for two seconds, then looked away.

“The ship has set sail. Let’s go out and have a look.”

Lin Su cast a knowing glance at him and spoke in his mind, “He said I had stage fright, look at him…”

Xuenima clung to the top of his head, grabbing two tufts of his hair. [Abba doesn’t know your ‘backstory’.]

“Ah, true.”

Lin Su realized and could only sigh to himself as he followed.

On the deck, the sea breeze was gentle.

The bright sun shone down, making the sea surface glitter. The huge luxury cruise ship cut through the sea, stirring up clusters of white waves on both sides.

Lin Su opened his arms to the wind. “Waves—”

His outer robe fluttered with a whoosh.

Beside him, He Zhenling’s gaze was calm, fixed on the distance. “So this is what you meant by, ‘giant waves’.”

“What else?” Lin Su dropped his arms and turned his head. “Did you think of something bad?”

He Zhenling’s lips twitched. “You’re overthinking it, Kun Kun.”

“…”

The two were standing there.

Suddenly, someone came over. He looked to be around fifty, dressed in a suit with gelled hair. The man looked at He Zhenling a couple of times, then smiled and came forward to greet him.

“Isn’t this Mr. He from Ling Sheng?”

He Zhenling turned his head, his brow slightly furrowed. “And you are?”

“It’s me, Wei Taiming from Qisheng Enterprises. We met at the Southwest District Investment Summit.”

“Oh, hello.”

The two seemed to have started exchanging pleasantries.

Lin Su wasn’t very interested. Seeing a group of students appear in the indoor area on the other side, he decided to wander over.

His figure turned and left the deck.

Wei Taiming glanced in his direction, then gave He Zhenling a knowing wink. “This ship is nice, isn’t it? Everyone brought a partner. And besides, there are these young students. Would Mr. He like to…”

He Zhenling’s eyes suddenly turned cold. “You must be joking.” He said, “I’m already…” He paused. For some reason, the words “married” got stuck in his throat.

He pursed his lips and corrected himself, “…engaged.”

Wei Taiming was a little surprised, then said, “Sigh, is your partner not here? Pfft, if they’re not here, then it’s fi—”

“They are.” He Zhenling sneered. “They might be watching from somewhere.”

Wei Taiming was startled and looked around.

When he turned back, he saw He Zhenling had already left. He let out a “tch” sound and walked away, shaking his head.

…

Inside, there was a pool table next to the bar.

The environment here was quiet, with only a record player playing old songs. It looked like a quiet bar.

A group of university students were sitting down together.

Lin Su walked over and saw that most of them were wearing the school emblems of H University and G University on their collars.

Gazes fell on him, momentarily stunned by his beauty.

Lin Su, thinking that Pei Jin was from H University, was about to walk up when a girl with glasses looked at him and said, “Eh,” and asked:

“Are you Pei Jin’s junior?”

He stopped in front of her, paused, and nodded.

The girl smiled. “Pei Jin said he gave his spot to a particularly good-looking and mysterious junior. As soon as you came over, I guessed it was you. What’s your name?”

“Lin Su.”

“My name is Hua Xi.”

Just as the girl finished speaking, another tall boy popped up. He was probably an athlete, with healthy, wheat-colored skin and handsome, open features.

“You’re Pei Jin’s junior, huh? He told us to take good care of you. My name is Zhou Li.”

“Hello.”

Just as Lin Su nodded, his gaze fell on the eight characters above his head and suddenly paused.

“You…”

Zhou Li touched his head. “What’s up? Is my hairstyle wrong?”

Lin Su retracted his gaze. “No, I just think you’re very tall, senior.” He followed up with a question, “Is it genetic? Are your parents this tall too?”

“They’re not tall. It should be because I do sports.”

“Did you get into H University through a sports scholarship?”

“Yeah, but my academic results are also pretty good. By the way, didn’t Pei Jin tell you? The spots the school gave out this time are all for those who won the special scholarship for financial aid.”

Zhou Li explained openly, “Basically, for those from disadvantaged backgrounds but with excellent grades.”

Lin Su savored this for a few seconds. “…Oh.”

Hua Xi smiled, a little awkwardly. “This is our first time on such a luxurious cruise ship. We don’t dare to wander around too much. We just saw a lot of big bosses and some ‘young masters and misses’ over there, so we decided to just sit here.”

Lin Su smiled at her. “Since you’re here, just have fun however you like. If you run into any trouble… you can come find me.”

Hua Xi seemed surprised. “…Mm, thank you.”

They chatted for a bit, and Lin Su suggested exchanging contact information. He had just scanned Zhou Li’s WeChat QR code with a beep when a voice came from behind. “What are you talking about?”

Turning his head, he saw He Zhenling had come over at some point, his gaze passing over his shoulder to land on the phone.

“Oh, new friends.”

The few people in front of them immediately fell silent, peeking at He Zhenling. …Who?

“Senior Pei’s classmates.” Lin Su put his phone away. “I was wondering why I felt a squeeze. Turns out your heart has gotten smaller again.”

He Zhenling scoffed. “Aren’t you expanding your territory in there every day?”

The few people in front of them: Huh????

Lin Su raised a finger. “Alright, we have company.”

He waved to the dazed group and went to sit at a table to the side with He Zhenling.

Two chilled drinks were placed on the table.

Lin Su picked up the pineapple ice and took a slurp. “I almost forgot, you didn’t get an invitation?”

“We’re not from the same circle.”

He Zhenling said, then frowned. “It’s a mess.”

Lin Su narrowed his eyes slightly, interested. “What did you guys talk about just now?” Seeing the other man didn’t speak, he gently kicked him under the table. “Was it a topic not fit for public ears?”

“…Don’t let your imagination run wild.”

He Zhenling pursed his lips, turned his head away, and frowned. “He was talking about a ‘hunt for beauties’.”

Lin Su’s gaze hardened. “How did you reply?”

The person in front of him was silent for a few seconds, then turned back. “Heh, what does ‘Little Boss’ want to hear me say?”

Lin Su was also silent for a few seconds, then took a sip of his pineapple ice and flopped back. “Sigh… you always say things that invite the wolf into the house. But your actual actions are just so-so.”

“…”

He Zhenling looked up from across the table, and after a moment, let out a scoffing laugh. “I said I’m taken.”

The ice cubes in the glass swirled with a clatter, and a drop of water slid down.

Lin Su let go of the straw, shyly. “You… you’re too direct. Alright, actually your actions are not bad either.”

He Zhenling’s lips twitched, and he also took a sip of water.

Lin Su took out his phone again, took a picture, and started typing.

From across the table: “Do you feel a squeeze again?”

“…” Lin Su looked up and said gently, “Always with the witty remarks. I have to at least thank Senior Pei.”

After sending the message, he showed it to He Zhenling. At the top of the chat history was still the sentence “you and your fiancé.”

He Zhenling’s fingertips curled slightly, and he casually averted his gaze. “Mm.”

…

After finishing their drinks, it was almost noon.

There were a total of three restaurants on the cruise ship.

They were all buffet-style, located on the first floor at the bow and stern, and on the basement level in the middle.

The middle hall was the largest and more geared towards social gatherings.

Lin Su called He Zhenling and headed straight for the main hall. “The biggest hall has the most food. If we’re going to eat, we should eat the best~”

Xuenima grabbed two tufts of his hair, pointing forward with a commanding air. [Charge, charge, charge!]

He Zhenling: “…”

He sighed lightly and followed a few steps behind.

At the entrance of the hall, they saw it was glittering with lights. A magnificent crystal chandelier hung from the ceiling, a grand piano was being played in the corner, and men and women were all dressed in formal attire, mingling with glasses in hand.

Just as Lin Su was about to enter, a hand pressed down on top of his head.

He Zhenling’s fingertips barely brushed against Xuenima’s paws. “Don’t let your silly cowlick stand up.”

“…”

Lin Su smoothed it down. “How thoughtful.”

The socializing in the main hall had nothing to do with him.

He just went around with a plate, devouring food like a storm. Xuenima also seemed to have found a holy land for stealing food. It closed its lid and began to feast.

One person and one spirit soared like eagles in the vast sky and swam like fish in the shallow bottom.

He Zhenling, on the other hand, was recognized by some people again and was pulled into socializing with a wine glass in hand.

After eating for a while, Lin Su put down his plate. “Going to the restroom.”

Xuenima crawled over. [Okay.]

The restroom was outside the restaurant.

Lin Su asked for directions and found it near the stairwell after walking through the corridor.

He quickly came out after using the restroom.

Just as he was about to head back, his steps suddenly paused. As if sensing something, he turned his head and looked down the stairwell. “…Nima, I think there’s something down there.”

[What is it?]

“Not sure yet. Let’s go see.”

Lin Su walked down the stairs. At the corner, he looked up at the surveillance camera.

“The camera here isn’t on. There’s definitely a problem.”

Besides the restaurant, there were no other entertainment venues nearby. The stairwell was also relatively secluded. As soon as he reached the second basement level, he saw a sign placed in front of him: [Staff Only]

Lin Su narrowed his eyes slightly and walked straight past the sign.

Turning out from the stairwell was a corridor. The environment looked more like a workspace. After walking less than ten meters, he turned a corner and saw another staircase leading down.

Just as he was about to go forward, a figure suddenly blocked his way.

A crew member in uniform raised a hand, stopping him. “This is a work area below. Guests, please stop.”

The figure vaguely blocked his line of sight.

Lin Su paused for two seconds, then smiled. “Sorry, I took a wrong turn.” He turned and walked back.

He turned the corner and stopped back at the stairwell.

Xuenima popped its head out. [Not going?]

“We’re going.” Lin Su thought for a moment and caught it. “There are no cameras here. You go lure him away.”

The snow-white ball of light floated off. [Okay.]

Luring the person away was not difficult. Either make some noise as a diversion or go up and directly engage him to lead him away.

Lin Su was waiting at the stairwell when He Zhenling came down from behind. Seeing him, he asked, “What are you doing?”

Lin Su said, “There’s a problem downstairs. I sent Ama to…”

He had just started speaking when he heard the thud of a high heel on the ground.

Both of them paused at the same time and turned their heads.

In the corridor, Xuenima, in a red dress, was swaying gracefully with long, wavy hair, stumbling drunkenly towards the crew member.

“Ah, so dizzy. Someone, help me…”

The two of them: “…!”

__

Author’s Note:

Su: Help me, help me! (closes eyes)

He Zhenling: …The spiritual consciousness resembles its master.

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