Chapter 42

Chapter 42

Lin Yi and a group of people partied on stage for quite some time.

They were all young and outgoing, quickly becoming friends.

Before long, they moved off the stage to a separate table where they started drinking and shaking dice.

Lin Yi was exceptionally good at shaking dice.

He leaned back in his chair, relaxed, and held the dice cup in his right hand, shaking it swiftly and skillfully.

Everyone around him was captivated by his flashy moves, applauding and screaming.

A bold girl directly asked Lin Yi, "Hey, where did you learn to shake dice like that? Can you teach me?"

It was clear that her intentions went beyond just learning how to shake dice.

When a pretty girl takes the initiative to talk to a handsome guy, it ignites the atmosphere.

The crowd immediately began cheering them on.

Lin Yi smiled faintly and said, "Sorry, it's a secret technique I don't share."

The pretty girl wasn't upset by the rejection; she blinked and said, "Then why don't you do it a few more times so we can try to learn from watching?"

Lin Yi nodded generously, "Sure, no problem."

With that, he picked up the dice cup again and started shaking it, his movements graceful and stylish.

The crowd got even more excited.

After shaking the dice, Lin Yi reached for his glass of alcohol.

He had already had one drink, and this was his second.

A guy next to him, who was already quite drunk, laughed and reached out to put his hand on Lin Yi's shoulder. "Yeah, let's keep drinking!"

However, before he could touch Lin Yi's shoulder, he suddenly felt a chill and involuntarily shivered, retracting his hand.

Lin Yi didn't notice.

Just as he was about to pick up his glass, a large hand grabbed his wrist, stopping him.

Surprised, Lin Yi turned his head and saw Huo Jihan, who had appeared out of nowhere.

He wondered why Huo Jihan was there.

The others also turned to look, their eyes widening in shock, forgetting to speak.

The man standing before them wore an expensive black suit, with deep features and a cold expression. His dark, empty eyes seemed like ancient, still pools.

This person exuded an aura of authority, making it clear he was not someone to be trifled with.

Everyone instinctively fell silent.

The surroundings became eerily quiet.

In this dead silence, Lin Yi asked Huo Jihan, somewhat puzzled, "What's wrong?"

He thought Huo Jihan had something important to tell him.

Huo Jihan still held his wrist tightly, staring deeply into his eyes and saying, "Let's go back."

It was a statement, but somehow carried a tone of negotiation.

No one dared to speak, but their gazes flickered between Huo Jihan and Lin Yi.

Anyone could see that these two had a special relationship.

Lin Yi initially wanted to continue playing.

If Huo Jihan had ordered him to leave, he would have refused.

But now, with Huo Jihan speaking in a negotiating tone, he found it hard to refuse.

After all, he was someone who responded better to gentleness than force.

So, after a moment, Lin Yi stood up following Huo Jihan's grip on his wrist and said to the others, "We'll play another time."

The others, intimidated, simply nodded vigorously.

Thus, Lin Yi left with Huo Jihan.

Those left behind watched them go, stunned.

Huo Jihan continued to hold Lin Yi's wrist as they walked towards the deck.

Huo Jihan's large, strong hand was warm, and soon Lin Yi's cold wrist warmed up too.

Lin Yi didn't try to pull away, letting Huo Jihan lead him forward.

He assumed Huo Jihan was taking him to meet someone, so they would need to act like a loving couple.

Unexpectedly, Huo Jihan only led him to a deserted corner on the deck.

At this point, Huo Jihan released his grip.

Lin Yi's wrist was free once again, but it still lingered with a warmth.

He subconsciously twisted his wrist as if doing so would dispel the somewhat strange sensation, then asked Huo Jihan, "Are you bringing me out to meet someone?"

Huo Jihan's eyes were dark, revealing no emotion: "No."

Lin Yi was taken aback and then asked, "Then why did you call me out?"

Huo Jihan: "Nothing."

Lin Yi: "..."

So why did you call me out??

Huo Jihan's dark eyes gazed at Lin Yi, seemingly sensing his inner thoughts, and explained calmly, "I saw you were about to get drunk, so I brought you out to sober up."

Lin Yi looked bewildered: "I'm not drunk."

His tolerance was quite good; he could handle a few more drinks.

Lin Yi realized that Huo Jihan really had nothing specific in mind for calling him out and was about to say something.

At that moment, as if anticipating his thoughts, Huo Jihan preemptively said, "No more drinking."

Lin Yi: "..."

Does Huo Jihan have mind-reading powers?

Lin Yi tried to argue: "I'm really not drunk."

Huo Jihan's voice was flat: "Excessive drinking is harmful to your health."

Lin Yi: "..."

Well.

For a moment, he didn't know what to say.

Fortunately, Lin Yi had an excellent mindset and always went with the flow.

He raised an eyebrow and said, "Alright, if we're not going back, we're not going back."

Huo Jihan's expression softened upon hearing this.

Lin Yi stopped worrying about whether they should go back to drink and instead turned to lean on the railing, admiring the night sea view.

It must be said that enjoying the night scenery on a cruise ship had its own unique charm.

At that moment, the stars in the night sky twinkled, reflected on the shimmering sea, making the water sparkle as well.

The sea breeze blew against their faces, causing them to close their eyes and savor the feeling, utterly content.

Huo Jihan watched Lin Yi quietly.

Lin Yi, with both hands gripping the railing, leaned back slightly, eyes closed, enjoying the sea breeze, looking relaxed and serene.

His soft black hair and the corners of his clothes fluttered gently in the sea breeze, giving him a sense of freedom.

Such a Lin Yi seemed like a gentle morning breeze in the mountains or a lively, carefree spirit.

Someone you wanted to touch and possess.

After closing his eyes to feel the sea breeze for a while, Lin Yi slowly opened them.

He noticed the gaze beside him and instinctively turned his head, only to meet Huo Jihan's deep, dark eyes.

Those eyes seemed calm yet seemed to hold something indiscernible.

Lin Yi was stunned for a moment and then spoke, somewhat confused: "Mr. Huo?"

Huo Jihan responded: "Yes."

His tone was calm, making it impossible to discern his emotions just now.

But Lin Yi didn't intend to delve deeper.

Instead, he asked another question: "Mr. Huo, do you have any particular preferences in life? Of course, aside from work."

This was a genuine curiosity.

After all, Huo Jihan lived such a restrained and monotonous life, like a precise machine without any deviation or error.

Would such a person have anything special they desired?

Huo Jihan lifted his eyes: "Why ask suddenly?"

Lin Yi answered honestly: "Because you seem too controlled and calm, as if nothing can stir your emotions."

Imagine if someone else were in Huo Jihan's position; it would be a different scene, right?

A powerful person at the top of the pyramid would indulge in everything they wanted, wouldn't they?

But Huo Jihan, abstaining from alcohol and women, remained clear-headed and restrained, as if devoid of any worldly desires.

After hearing Lin Yi's words, Huo Jihan slowly said, "Not necessarily."

Lin Yi immediately perked up: "So, there are things you're interested in?"

Now, Lin Yi was genuinely curious, his beautiful, exquisite eyes shining with inquiry as he stared at Huo Jihan.

Huo Jihan looked into Lin Yi's unparalleled eyes and said slowly, "It might happen in the future."

Lin Yi: "Ah?"

He had expected an immediate answer, but instead, he got these few words.

Moreover, what did "it might happen in the future" mean? Was it because Huo Jihan himself wasn't sure yet?

Lin Yi took the opportunity to ask Huo Jihan, "Then which aspect are you more interested in? People, or something else?"

This way, he could make a rough judgment.

But Huo Jihan replied, "You'll know in the future."

Lin Yi: "..."

Alright then.

Sure enough, there was no way to get any information out of Huo Jihan.

At that moment, a melodious piano tune drifted over from not far away.

Lin Yi instinctively turned his head to look.

He saw a white piano on the deck nearby, with a pianist playing it.

Gradually, many people were drawn by the piano music and looked over.

Lin Yi remarked to Huo Jihan, "Your cruise ship really has everything, even a piano, and you even hired someone to play it."

Huo Jihan asked him, "Do you want to play?"

Lin Yi immediately shook his head, "No, no, I don't know how to play."

Lin Yi had many skills, but they didn't include musical instruments.

He might have been born without an artistic bone in his body and never thought about pursuing this direction.

However, his mother graduated from an art school.

She once tried to cultivate her son's skills in this area, so when Lin Yi was in junior high school, she brought a piano home and urged him to practice.

Of course, Lin Yi wouldn't practice.

Back then, he was hyperactive and couldn't sit still. Making him sit properly to practice the piano was more painful than killing him, so he secretly bounced a basketball in the music room.

One time, he accidentally hit the piano with the basketball, and then...

His usually quiet mother chased him down half a street with a feather duster!!

Thinking about what happened in his past life, Lin Yi couldn't help but laugh.

Huo Jihan asked him, "What's so funny?"

Lin Yi smiled, "I can't play the piano now, but maybe I will in the future."

Huo Jihan: "In the future?"

Lin Yi nodded, "Yeah, probably for someone special, just one song."

After all, according to his mother, who was brimming with artistic talent, if you meet someone you like, it's best to play a piano piece to confess your feelings.

Because it's more romantic.

By ten o'clock at night, Lin Yi had already returned to his room and played several rounds of games.

He had recently discovered a new game with a soothing style and interesting gameplay, but occasionally, it required repetitive and tedious tasks.

Naturally, Lin Yi thought of Huo Jihan, as Huo Jihan had previously helped him write a few small programs to complete some game missions.

With this in mind, Lin Yi got out of bed, put on his slippers, and went to Huo Jihan's guest room.

He knocked on the door.

A deep voice came from inside, "Come in."

Lin Yi pushed the door open and walked in.

At that moment, Huo Jihan was sitting on the sofa, calm and composed, reading a book.

He wore a white shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, revealing a slender forearm.

This made Huo Jihan appear more relaxed than usual.

Seeing Huo Jihan reading, Lin Yi asked, "Are you busy?"

Huo Jihan put down the book, "Not busy. What's up?"

Lin Yi walked in, closed the door, and looked at Huo Jihan expectantly, "I've started playing a new game recently..."

Before Lin Yi finished, Huo Jihan already understood his intention and raised an eyebrow, "To write a program to automatically complete game tasks?"

Lin Yi immediately smiled, "Mr. Huo, you're becoming a mind reader!"

When Lin Yi praised someone, he would look at them sincerely with a smile, making his compliments heartfelt.

Huo Jihan's lips curved slightly, not because of the content of Lin Yi's praise, but because of Lin Yi's lively and bright expression.

He held out his hand to Lin Yi, "Give me your phone."

Lin Yi handed it over with a smile: “After you!”

Next, Huo Jihan started helping Lin Yi solve the game tasks.

Lin Yi sat beside Huo Jihan and, having nothing to do, picked up the book Huo Jihan had been reading earlier.

It was a foreign classic, with obscure and difficult sentences.

No wonder it was a book Huo Jihan would choose.

Lin Yi hadn’t read for more than a few minutes before he started feeling drowsy.

After all, he was just a lazy person in this life, unable to think clearly at all.

...

He didn’t know how much time had passed when Lin Yi woke up from his dream.

He realized that he had unknowingly fallen asleep on the sofa.

He got up groggily and rubbed his eyes.

As soon as he moved, something slid down from his body.

Lin Yi quickly caught it and became more alert.

He looked down and saw that he had somehow been covered with a suit jacket.

The suit belonged to Huo Jihan and still carried Huo Jihan’s unique scent.

Lin Yi turned to look at Huo Jihan and noticed that Huo Jihan had finished dealing with his game issues and had picked up the classic book again.

Huo Jihan sensed the movement and looked up at him: “Awake?”

Lin Yi asked: “Is it already very late?”

Huo Jihan: “Not too bad.”

Lin Yi picked up his phone and saw that it was almost two in the morning!

And he called that not too bad??

He was shocked and then asked Huo Jihan: “Why didn’t you wake me up?”

Huo Jihan replied calmly: “I saw that you were sleeping soundly, so I didn’t disturb you.”

Lin Yi was momentarily speechless.

Huo Jihan actually stayed up this late just to avoid waking him?