Twenty-Five

The second his body went weightless, Wen Ran understood — he'd been released back into the wild. Releasing someone into the sea was basically murder.

Gu Yunchi said the Engagement didn't matter, but he'd actually poisoned himself. Nice.

The deep-night seawater was ice-cold, pitch black everywhere. Wen Ran's heart hammered, chest and stomach tight, kicking desperately upward out of pure terror. His head had just broken the surface, hadn't even wiped his eyes yet, vision blurred — and Gu Yunchi had jumped in too, landing three or four meters away.

Wen Ran: ?

Sudden relief. He grabbed the life ring and moved closer. Gu Yunchi surfaced quickly. Wen Ran, teeth chattering from cold: "Even if you're against the Engagement, you don't have to do a double suicide..."

"Illiterate." Gu Yunchi was panting.

The yacht, only its emergency lights still on, glowed faintly in the dark and drifted further away. Wen Ran wiped his face: "Is someone trying to kidnap you?"

"Doesn't matter. As long as I'm not on the yacht, nothing else happens today."

"But you could've just jumped yourself." Wen Ran coughed a few times. "Why drag me along?"

Gu Yunchi: "Otherwise what — how do you do a double suicide alone?"

Always getting hit by his own boomerang. Wen Ran changed the subject: "Someone's coming to get us soon, right?"

"No." Gu Yunchi swam toward the back. "They don't know I jumped."

"We're swimming to shore ourselves?" Wen Ran hurried after him. "We're far from shore, and we're already in a different city."

"Then sleep in the sea tonight."

"No way, I'm scared of water." Wen Ran stuck close, terrified of being left behind.

After swimming a few dozen meters, Gu Yunchi stopped and pulled off his Tailored Jacket. Wen Ran thought he was about to throw it, so he grabbed it immediately and unclipped the Full Diamond Brooch from the collar: "Why don't you want this? It must be expensive."

Gu Yunchi glanced at him: "Keep it. If you drown, it'll be a burial gift." He said, snatching his jacket back.

"I thought you were throwing the jacket in the sea."

"Do you know what environmental protection is." Gu Yunchi turned back and kept swimming.

So he'd only taken it off to move easier. Wen Ran quietly pocketed the brooch, took off his own jacket too, and swam toward shore bit by bit, clinging to the life ring.

Luckily the waves weren't big tonight — not impossible to move — but swimming really is exhausting. After over twenty minutes of nonstop swimming, Wen Ran was completely spent: "I think I'm actually going to die here."

Gu Yunchi looked back at him. Wen Ran handed over his life ring: "Take it. Swim ahead. Your life is worth more than mine."

"Then what." Gu Yunchi asked.

"Then I'll wait here. Once you're on shore, find someone to come save me." Wen Ran's face was pale, shivering from cold and fear. "If you can't find anyone, then forget it."

Gu Yunchi's face was washed wet by the seawater, white jade under the moonlight. For several seconds he looked at Wen Ran, then finally said 'sick,' pulled Wen Ran's jacket over, knotted the four sleeves together in pairs into a loop, and slung it over his right shoulder and under his left arm: "Hold on."

"...Oh." Wen Ran reached out and grabbed the clothes.

They swam toward shore again. Wen Ran lay on the life ring, pulled along by Gu Yunchi, barely needing to exert himself — only his legs still kicking. The roar of the tide numbed his ears, pitch black everywhere, Wen Ran didn't dare look around at all, but Gu Yunchi's sense of direction was terrifyingly precise — he swam toward one fixed point without wavering.

The moment his toes touched the Beach, having been weightless too long, Wen Ran tripped hard and pitched forward. Gu Yunchi turned back and caught him, dragged him to shore, onto dry, safe grass. The moment he let go, Wen Ran collapsed limply, even breathing was a struggle. Lying on his back looking at the stars, Wen Ran said in broken fragments: "Actually... you didn't... have to... make yourself... this... miserable."

"What's miserable about it." Gu Yunchi sat down beside him.

"Tough talk." Wen Ran mumbled, closed his eyes. He was so tired he passed out right there.

Something touched his cheek. Wen Ran, dazed, half-opened his eyes and found Gu Yunchi patting his face with the back of his hand. His eyeballs moved. Wen Ran looked up — the sky was gray-blue, no sunrise yet. He raised an arm over his head, exhausted, voice hoarse beyond recognition: "Aren't you going to sleep? So much energy."

"Get up. Let's go."

Body aching everywhere, thirsty and starving, Wen Ran was on the verge of breaking. He sat up, licked his lips — a briny, salty taste — and scrunched his face: "I really have no strength left."

Gu Yunchi completely ignored him — he was already on his feet. Wen Ran had no choice but to drag himself up, legs trembling and weak, sneezed, and asked: "Did you wake up early?"

"Didn't sleep."

"..." Wen Ran hung his head and trudged after him, limping. "I don't get you S-Class people."

When he'd turned off the lights at dawn, Wen Ran had casually left his Mobile Phone on the cockpit windowsill. Neither of them had any way to communicate — they could only look for nearby houses. Crossing a stretch of Forest, Wen Ran was about to collapse, stomach growling. Finally reaching the end, below a one-and-a-half-meter straight slope was Capital Road, and far off, an old man was pedaling a Three-Wheeled Cart toward them.

The two of them, in salt-water-wrinkled white shirts and dress pants, stood on the high slope, which made the old man hesitate — his pedaling slowed down. He still rode up in the end, braked slowly, looked up and asked: "Young ones, here to take wedding photos?"

"No." Gu Yunchi braced a hand on the ground and jumped down. "Boat capsized. We're lost."

"Oh no, that unlucky — good thing you're both fine, I tell you, this early in the morning..." The old man's gaze shifted, pointed at Wen Ran who was carefully climbing down the slope like a turtle, and told Gu Yunchi: "Why don't you help him."

Gu Yunchi reached back and hauled Wen Ran up, turned to the old man: "Could we go to your place for some water?"

"Sure, sure, I just came back from hauling in my nets over there, picked up a bag of clams too." The old man said. "Hop on, I'll take you."

"Thank you. What should I call you?"

"Just call me Old Liu."

"Uncle Liu." Wen Ran smiled weakly. "Sorry for the trouble."

Gu Yunchi patted his back: "Get on."

Half-dead Wen Ran couldn't think too much, nodded and climbed on, curled up next to the water tank with knees bent. Gu Yunchi walked alongside the cart and helped push.

Gravel road. Wen Ran's butt was aching from the bumps, his brains felt like they were being shaken smooth — but he still had the mind to notice Gu Yunchi's wrist was bare. He asked: "Where's your Wristband?"

"Left it on the yacht." Gu Yunchi leaned slightly forward, pushing the cart.

The Wristband had a tracker. If he'd kept it on, the Gu Family would have found them quickly. Something that important — and Gu Yunchi had taken it off before jumping off the yacht.

"Did you do it on purpose?" Wen Ran asked.

Gu Yunchi glanced at him: "On purpose what."

Wen Ran scratched his face, didn't ask anymore. Whether on purpose or not, this was already how it was — what was the point of asking. He looked at Gu Yunchi — who'd dragged him through the sea for nearly an hour, hadn't slept all night. Saying he was full of energy wasn't realistic, but he really didn't look that tired either. Even with messy hair and rumpled clothes, that face was still absurdly good-looking.

They reached Uncle Liu's House with the sunrise — a short, old Small Cottage. Seeing strangers, a black dog lying in the Courtyard barked and charged over, but after Uncle Liu barked 'Xiaohei' at it, it obediently drooped its tail and curled up to one side.

Uncle Liu called his wife out, briefly introduced the two pitiful young men, poured them two bowls of water, then got back on his Three-Wheeled Cart and headed to the village entrance — someone from town was coming to buy fish, he had to get his catch over there fast.

The first sip was for rinsing his mouth. After spitting it out, Wen Ran drank the rest of the bowl dry. Aunt Liu was already busy in the kitchen steaming buns for them. When the buns were ready, Uncle Liu was back too.

"Really pitiful." Aunt Liu watched Wen Ran bury his face in a meat bun. "So young too — how did the two of you end up on a boat? So dangerous."

Gu Yunchi said: "Eloping."

A mouthful of hot bun got stuck in his throat — couldn't swallow, couldn't spit it out. Wen Ran nearly choked to death, frantically gulped some thin porridge to push it down, and stared at Gu Yunchi in shock.

Uncle Liu laughed: "Eloping at that age — must be love."

"Family doesn't approve." Gu Yunchi asked, "Could we stay here a few days? Don't want to go home yet."

"Sure." Aunt Liu agreed readily. "Our village is a bit out of the way — better for you to stay at our place. When you've figured it out, call your family to come get you."

"Okay. Thanks."

Aunt Liu went to find some old clothes for them. Uncle Liu went out again. Wen Ran stuffed himself with seven big meat buns, finished his last sip of porridge, then asked quietly: "Are we really staying here? Why?"

"Told you, don't want to go home." Gu Yunchi looked at the empty bowl in front of him. "You can really eat."

Wen Ran: ?

"Just some old clothes my son left at home, don't mind them." Aunt Liu came out with a stack of clean clothes. "You two go shower first, I'll wipe down the mat and lay it on the bed."

She led Gu Yunchi and Wen Ran into the small bedroom: "This room — my youngest son and his wife just decorated it when they got married not long ago. They only slept here a few nights before going back to the city for work."

The room was maybe a third the size of the Bathroom in Gu Yunchi's bedroom. A small wooden bed sat by the window, a nightstand beside it, double-happiness characters pasted everywhere.

Gu Yunchi glanced around, looking perfectly accepting, and asked Aunt Liu: "Do you have a phone in the house?"

"There — right in the room, on that cabinet, just use it if you need to." Aunt Liu put the clothes on the bed, then added, "Oh right, haven't asked your names yet?"

"Call me Xiao Gu."

"Oh, Xiao Gu." Aunt Liu looked at Wen Ran.

Before Wen Ran could speak, Gu Yunchi said: "Xiao Zhu."

Aunt Liu nodded: "Xiao Zhu."

"No, no no." Wen Ran wanted to glare at Gu Yunchi but didn't dare. "Just call me Xiao Wen."

"Okay, you two go shower first, I'll go wipe the mat. The Bathroom's in the Courtyard."

After Aunt Liu left the room, Gu Yunchi walked over and sat at the foot of the bed, lifted the dust cloth off the phone, and dialed a number. The call connected quickly. Wen Ran vaguely heard what sounded like BDH-339's voice on the other end.

"It's me." Gu Yunchi, on the phone, absently folded the dust cloth. "Did you figure it out?"

"I'm fine. Don't worry about where I am, don't trace this number either. Don't bother me for the next few days."

"He's doing just fine, just ate seven buns and two bowls of porridge... What do you even have to talk to him about? Long-distance is expensive."

Wen Ran frowned in confusion.

"He Wei? Tell him to call back later, I'm going to shower first." Gu Yunchi hung up, reached sideways and casually grabbed two pieces from the stack of clothes, stood up.

Wen Ran was still leaning against the door. The room was tiny — Gu Yunchi had only taken two steps before he was right in front of him, looking down: "Move."

"...Oh." Wen Ran had just eaten way too much — his brain was a little low on blood right now. He stepped back half a beat late.

Gu Yunchi was too tall — he had to duck a little going out the door. Just as he stepped out, Uncle Liu came in, carrying a plastic bag: "Went to the village shop, bought you some things."

Opening it up — underwear, towels, toothbrushes, slippers. "These things should be new, so I just bought them all." Uncle Liu smiled. "You're guests here, anything else you need, just tell me."

"Thanks, sorry for all the trouble." Wen Ran felt his pants pocket — over two hundred yuan inside. He planned to leave all the money behind when they left.

"Don't mention it. Go shower, then sleep — you must be exhausted."

Gu Yunchi took his share from the bag and went out to the Bathroom. Wen Ran walked around the Courtyard for a bit, chatted with Aunt Liu for a while — digestion walk mostly done — then went back to the small room, sat on the bed, and took the money from his pocket to spread out on the bedboard to dry.

The bed was small but tall — sitting back a bit, his calves could hang and swing. Wen Ran swung his feet a few times, then suddenly stopped, turned to stare at the bed.

Wait... he was going to have to squeeze onto this little bed with Gu Yunchi and sleep.

His scalp went numb. Wen Ran instantly jumped off the bed onto the floor, stood there dazed for a moment, looked around the room — pitifully small, no room for a second bed — and this house probably didn't have a spare bed either.

Footsteps. Wen Ran turned around — Gu Yunchi was out of the shower, walking and drying his hair. The faded gray-blue shirt on him somehow looked elegant and expensive. The moment he entered the room, he saw the two hundred-something yuan Wen Ran had spread on the bed: "Who are you trying to show off your wealth to."

Wen Ran just stood there, motionless, watching him approach. Gu Yunchi paused, half-damp hair falling over his eyes: "What are you looking at."

"Your... your cigarettes — did you not bring them?" Wen Ran couldn't let Gu Yunchi know he knew the cigarettes were actually medicine, so he probed carefully. "What if you want to smoke but don't have any?"

Gu Yunchi glanced at him, lukewarm: "Smoke you."

Wen Ran's gaze flinched. He didn't dare say more, grabbed his clothes and walked past Gu Yunchi out of the room.