Chapter 7

Chapter 7

One month later, in Hai City.

The Maybach glided smoothly toward the pier.

Shen Ling sat in the back seat, a velvet box on his lap. He held it out to Huo Yanshen and snapped it open.

The moment the lid sprang open, a pearl brooch lay nestled on the dark gray velvet lining.

The pearl came from the South China Sea, like a wisp of moonlight frozen into its setting, with tiny diamonds arranged around it as slender leaves.

Shen Ling held the box in his palm. "Huo Yanshen, look."

The end of his voice couldn't hide its lift, like a kitten that had caught prey and come back to show off.

"I worked on it for so long," he said, pushing the box closer to Huo Yanshen. "Do you like it?"

Huo Yanshen lowered his gaze, his eyes landing on the brooch. The curve of the pearl and the lines of the silver leaves fit together perfectly—clearly the product of real effort.

"Beautiful. Xitong will love it," Huo Yanshen said.

Shen Ling closed the box, trying hard to suppress his smile, but the corners of his eyes still curved upward stubbornly, a faint shimmer in them.

He pretended to look out the car window, but the tips of his ears had quietly flushed red. "Thank you."

The car came to a slow stop at the entrance to the pier.

At the pier lay a three-deck superyacht, warm golden light spilling from its portholes. From a distance, it looked like a small palace floating on the sea.

Huo Yanshen got out of the car and walked around to the other side to open the door for Shen Ling.

As Shen Ling bent to step out, Huo Yanshen's hand naturally moved to shield the top of his head. Only when Shen Ling was steady on his feet did the hand withdraw, then settle on his back, guiding him toward the gangway.

The yacht's gangway was already lowered, with crew members in white uniforms standing on either side, bowing slightly.

Shen Ling walked beside Huo Yanshen. The sea breeze suddenly picked up, and Huo Yanshen shifted half a step, silently blocking the wind for him.

*

The ship was a scene of opulent extravagance.

Champagne towers rose several tiers high, and a band on the second-deck terrace played a lazy jazz tune.

The moment Huo Yanshen stepped onto the deck, someone raised a glass to him.

"Vincent."

A man in a dark brown suit made his way through the crowd—early thirties, with deep, Eurasian features.

"James." Huo Yanshen gave a slight nod.

Shen Ling stood beside Huo Yanshen, quietly sizing up the man named James.

He remembered seeing that face on the cover of some financial magazine—apparently a key partner of the Huo Group in Europe, overseeing half the Mediterranean shipping routes.

James shook hands with Huo Yanshen, his gaze naturally moving to Shen Ling—just a polite glance before looking away.

"Fifteen minutes late," James said, swirling the whiskey in his glass. "That's not like you."

"Traffic on the way," Huo Yanshen said.

James let out a laugh, clearly not buying it. He leaned against the ship's railing and gestured with his chin toward the second deck. "Christine was just looking for you. Said her cousin was putting on airs, too good to show up."

"Where is she?"

"Up on the second deck, touching up her makeup," James said with a shrug. "Said the clasp on her earrings came loose."

Huo Yanshen gave a hum of acknowledgment.

From that point on, Shen Ling couldn't quite keep up with the conversation.

James and Huo Yanshen discussed Mediterranean shipping routes and port agency rights, interspersed with numbers and abbreviations Shen Ling didn't know.

Both spoke in a flat, measured tone, like two seasoned chess players locked in a game.

Shen Ling listened quietly from the sidelines. He noticed that the way Huo Yanshen spoke to James was different from the way he spoke to him.

When talking to him, Huo Yanshen was always sparing with words, as if weighing each one carefully.

But with business partners, he seemed much more at ease.

Sigh.

Maybe he just wasn't good enough...

The sunlight on the deck suddenly grew stronger, slicing through the gaps in the sails, making Shen Ling squint. He raised a hand to shield his forehead, casting a small shadow over his brow.

Huo Yanshen was mid-sentence with James when he caught the movement out of the corner of his eye. He stopped mid-sentence.

"We'll pick this up later," he said to James, his tone even.

James raised an eyebrow, wisely choosing not to ask questions, and lifted his whiskey glass in farewell.

Huo Yanshen turned, his frame naturally blocking most of the light for Shen Ling.

Shen Ling lowered his hand and looked up at him, his eyes slightly reddened by the sun.

"All done talking?" Shen Ling asked.

"Mm." Huo Yanshen looked down at him. "Want to take a look around the ship?"

Shen Ling nodded.

Just as they were about to leave, James's voice came from behind them.

"Vincent."

Huo Yanshen stopped and turned. James was leaning against the railing, his gaze flicking in the direction Huo Yanshen had been looking, a knowing smile at the corner of his mouth.

"Your lover's quite adorable."

"Not my lover." Huo Yanshen met James's eyes, his dark gaze calm under the lights.

"He's my husband."

*

The ship was still at the pier, not yet time to set sail.

Summer was approaching, and the sun at the bow was harsh. The air had a faint salty tang that clung to the skin.

Shen Ling walked with Huo Yanshen across the deck for a while, a thin sheen of sweat breaking out at his temples. His fair skin, warmed by the sun, flushed light pink at the tip of his nose and the rims of his ears.

Huo Yanshen walked ahead, and at some point, stopped and turned around.

He glanced at Shen Ling, then pressed the back of his hand to Shen Ling's nape.

It was already damp with sweat there, with fine strands of hair sticking to porcelain-white skin, the skin there hot and damp.

"Let's go to the cabin first," Huo Yanshen said.

Shen Ling had been on his tiptoes, gazing at the white sailboats moored in the distance, and stumbled slightly: "Huh, why..."

Huo Yanshen's hand gave Shen Ling's back a gentle nudge: "The sun's too strong."

Which meant it wasn't up for discussion.

Shen Ling had no choice but to obediently follow Huo Yanshen across the deck.

When the cabin door swung open, Shen Ling froze in place.

The private deck seemed to extend almost into the sea, paved with moonlight-white marble, its water-like veining spreading out like ink washes.

On a low ebony table sat a square crystal tray, with a few loose diamonds casually scattered inside.

Shen Ling's eyes were completely glued to that tray of diamonds.

Those diamonds had top-tier clarity and cut—any one of them could be the showstopper at an auction.

And here they were, just piled up like candy in a crystal tray.

Shen Ling stared at them, eyes wide, not blinking.

Footsteps sounded beside him, and Huo Yanshen was suddenly at his side. "Like them?"

His voice was calm. "We can buy them all, if you want."

Shen Ling snapped out of it: "N-no, no, no, not interested..."

He forcibly ripped his gaze away from the big tray of diamonds.

Looking down from Huo Yanshen's angle, Shen Ling's lashes were lowered, hiding those glistening eyes. Yet his earlobes were honestly flushed red, the blush spreading from his earlobes all the way down to his neck, like a faint blush of rouge spreading over delicate porcelain.

Just moments ago, his eyes had been practically starry-eyed over those diamonds, but now he was putting on a straight face, desperately trying to look like he "really wasn't interested."

He was a terrible actor.

Huo Yanshen raised an eyebrow slightly.

Afraid of being caught, Shen Ling quickly changed the subject: "Okay, I've seen your room, so where's mine?"

Huo Yanshen: "This is your room, too."

Shen Ling was stunned. "...Oh."

He'd almost forgotten—he'd come on board as Huo Yanshen's wife.

Since he was the wife, of course they'd only set up one room for the two of them.

Shen Ling stood there, his brain going a mile a minute.

He'd be sharing a bed with Huo Yanshen.

He knew his sleeping habits all too well from his past life—he loved stealing the covers, and when he was asleep, he'd burrow into the other person's arms, practically suffocating himself against Huo Yanshen's chest.

Shen Ling: QAQ!

That was a bad habit, and he absolutely couldn't repeat it in this life!

He decisively pointed to the right side of the bed and announced solemnly: "Don't worry, I'll just stay on this side..."

Huo Yanshen didn't say anything.

He adjusted the cabin temperature for Shen Ling and got him settled in.

Shen Ling had only meant to lean against the headboard for a moment.

But Huo Yanshen sat at the desk by the window going through documents, the stylus occasionally gliding across the screen with a faint rustling sound.

Listening to that white noise, Shen Ling's eyelids got heavier and heavier, and before he knew it, he'd dozed off, slumped against the pillow.

When he woke up again, it was already four-thirty, and the party had just started.

Huo Yanshen closed his laptop, grabbed a light jacket from the rack, handed it to Shen Ling, and the two headed off to the party together.

The lounge was filled with blue hydrangeas and eucalyptus leaves, and a citrusy fragrance hung in the air.

The formal banquet was tomorrow; tonight was just a warm-up.

Shen Ling walked beside Huo Yanshen, his hand in the crook of his arm, looking completely natural.

That was how it had been in his past life—whenever he and Huo Yanshen went anywhere, he loved clinging to Huo Yanshen's side. While Huo Yanshen worked the room, he'd sit quietly in a corner enjoying good food, and when Huo Yanshen was done, he'd come get him.

Back then, he'd taken it all for granted.

Later, after Huo Yanshen was gone, he'd still sit in the corner at those events, but he could never find that peace again. Someone would always come sit next to him and strike up a conversation—good or bad—their greedy eyes fixed on nothing but his body.

Those looks were like murky water seeping out of a sewer, impossible to escape no matter how hard he tried.

After that, whenever those kinds of occasions came up, he gradually stopped going.

"Mr. Shen!"

As Shen Ling was zoning out, a familiar voice called out from behind him.

He turned around and saw Awen struggling to squeeze through the crowd.

"Wow, Mr. Shen, it really is you!" Awen whined. "I'm so bored. I've been here for almost an hour, and other than the bartender, there's not a single person I can talk to. I can barely understand a word anyone's saying, and I'm too embarrassed to leave..."

Shen Ling laughed. "Want me to keep you company?" He said to Huo Yanshen, "I'll go sit over there with Awen."

Huo Yanshen shot Awen a glance.

Awen's spine instantly snapped straight, stiff as a board.

"Go ahead," Huo Yanshen told Shen Ling.

Shen Ling let go of Huo Yanshen's arm and walked with Awen over to the corner bar.

After a few steps, Awen let out a long sigh and muttered under his breath: "The way your husband looked at me, I thought I was about to get thrown overboard on the spot."

Shen Ling retorted, dead serious, "He has a very good temper."

Awen: "...You're right."

The bar was a long walnut counter. Shen Ling sat down on one of the bar stools in front of it. He wasn't really hungry, but his mind was still hazy—the nap he'd taken that afternoon had been too deep, leaving his limbs feeling weak and his eyelids droopy.

He needed something cold to perk himself up.

Awen sat down beside him and flagged down the bartender.

"One Paradise," Awen ordered like he'd done it a hundred times, then turned to Shen Ling. "How about you, Mr. Shen?"

Shen Ling shook his head. "I don't drink."

He said to the bartender, "Got anything like a sparkling fruit soda?"

The bartender nodded. "We've got an orange sparkling soda—no alcohol in it."

"I'll have that, thanks."

Soon, the bartender set two drinks on the counter. One was orange-red, with an orange slice and rosemary tucked at the rim. The other was pale gold, with orange bits floating in the clear sparkling water and a small orange slice clipped to the edge.

Both looked pretty good.

Shen Ling picked up his own glass, leaned in, and sipped through the straw.

Man, that's good.

He was still drowsy, and once he started, he couldn't stop—he took another big sip.

Awen was digging into a smoked salmon tart beside him, chewing and mumbling, "Mr. Shen, no rush, take your time."

Before he could finish, Shen Ling had already downed most of his glass.

He set it down, licked his lips, and suddenly caught a hint of alcohol at the back of his throat.

Shen Ling frowned, took another sip to confirm he wasn't mistaken, and looked down at the glass in his hand.

There wasn't a single bubble rising.

He was drinking Awen's cocktail.

Awen noticed something was off, turned his head, and his eyes went wide. "You're drinking my cocktail?! How much have you had?"

Shen Ling blinked, his expression already dazed. "Uh... more than half."