Chapter 65
It was Christmas again.
It also happened to be the one-year anniversary for both Murong Cheng and Murong Yan, and Chi Yu and Murong Jing.
Since their anniversaries were so close, the four of them decided to celebrate together.
An art circle friend had extended an invitation, so Chi Yu booked a three-night luxury cruise for a double date and anniversary celebration.
For reasons best left unsaid, when booking the rooms, Chi Yu deliberately staggered them, reserving luxury balcony suites on adjacent floors.
The signal on the cruise ship was weak, making communication with the outside world almost impossible. This was perfect for the two workaholic Murong brothers, forcing them to put down their work and enjoy their vacation. After the renovations, Murong Cheng hadn’t stopped his livestreaming career but continued promoting the UZ Research Center’s H City pilot project. He now streamed every other day for two hours. While the cruise would interrupt his livestreaming schedule, he promised his fans he’d film a vlog.
The cruise ship docked at a port in Country S, stopping only at P Island on the second night, with the rest of the time spent at sea. A day in advance, the four chartered a private jet to Country S and boarded the ship at the port the following afternoon.
Without their secretaries, Murong Yan and Murong Jing each carried a 25-inch suitcase. Murong Cheng held his professional vlogging equipment, a DJI Pocket 3, while Chi Yu carried a nearly two-pound professional camera.
Worried about poor signal strength and to facilitate communication, Murong Cheng and Chi Yu each wore a walkie-talkie around their necks.
Since they were staying on different floors, the two couples were directed to different walkways during check-in.
Murong Cheng waved goodbye to Chi Yu and Murong Jing, pointing to the walkie-talkie around his neck: “We’ll be in touch later.”
Although it was a suite, space on the cruise ship was limited, and the room was smaller than the hotels he usually stayed in with Murong Yan. However, it had everything they needed. The bedroom had a 1.8-meter bed and a single desk. The living room had a long sofa and an oval bathtub. Opening the balcony door revealed two lounge chairs where they could breathe in the fresh air and feel the warm sun on their skin, with the endless sea stretching out before them.
The seaside air carried a hint of saltiness, similar to the sea breeze in H City. Murong Cheng took a deep breath and sighed contentedly.
“Yan-ge, do you like the seaside?”
He wondered if Murong Yan, having lived with him in H City for so long, had gotten used to the seaside.
After replying to a message from Duan Shao, Murong Yan put his phone back in his pocket and hugged the young man from behind: “I like it.”
Murong Cheng tilted his head to look at him: “Do you like A City more, or the seaside more?”
Murong Yan lowered his head and kissed the young man’s forehead: “I like any place where you are.”
Murong Cheng: “Is that a perfunctory answer?”
Murong Yan: “That’s my true feeling.”
The young man pouted: “But I want to know where you would like to be on your own.”
The man thought for a moment: “My recent work has all been around H City, so I suppose I prefer the seaside.”
Murong Cheng glared at him: “Murong Yan, your life isn’t just work and me, is it?”
Murong Yan nodded matter-of-factly.
“Of course.” His eyes twinkled, “Does my A-Cheng have anyone else besides me?”
Murong Cheng: “…You know that’s not what I meant.”
Murong Jing was definitely a bad influence. Spending too much time with that guy had corrupted Murong Yan.
As the time came, cheerful music played in the corridor, and the cruise ship slowly set sail.
Although it was a large cruise ship that could accommodate nearly ten thousand people, there was still a slight rocking sensation as it started moving.
“Are you feeling seasick?” Murong Yan asked, worried that this being his first cruise, he might get seasick.
“I’m fine, I grew up by the sea, I’ve been on all kinds of boats!” Murong Cheng said nonchalantly, “Unlike Chi Yu, he wouldn’t even dare take the small boat to the islands when he was little, I always had to drag him along… Hey, I wonder if Chi Yu is seasick? He’s the one who booked this cruise…”
Thinking of this, Murong Cheng returned to the room to turn on the walkie-talkie. He adjusted the channel and called out “Hello” several times, but Chi Yu didn’t respond.
“Is the walkie-talkie broken?” Murong Cheng pressed all the buttons on the walkie-talkie, but still couldn’t reach Chi Yu.
The phone signal had started to weaken, and the messaging app couldn’t refresh, displaying a signal error.
“Why don’t we go upstairs and check on them?” Murong Yan suggested.
Their room was on the tenth floor, the middle floor of the cruise ship, with direct access to the outdoor water slide. Chi Yu and Murong Jing were on the eleventh floor, which was quieter and closer to the restaurant upstairs.
“Good idea.”
Without taking the elevator, the two climbed a flight of stairs to the eleventh floor and arrived at Chi Yu and Murong Jing’s door.
They knocked several times, but there was no response from inside.
“Could they have gone out?” Murong Cheng wondered.
“It’s possible.” Murong Yan said, picking up the activity schedule from the corridor, “There’s a welcome ceremony this afternoon, maybe they went to that?”
Murong Cheng took the schedule and looked at it: “Let’s go then, and I’ll leave them a note on the door.”
Dinner on the cruise ship was at a fixed time and table. A table for four was just right for them. Considering they might want to watch the fireworks on the deck after dinner, they chose the A group, which started dinner at 5:30 pm sharp.
Although they were sure to see each other in the evening, Murong Cheng didn’t expect that they wouldn’t be able to contact Chi Yu and Murong Jing for the entire afternoon.
“Don’t tell me those two ditched us on purpose to have their own little world?” As the welcome ceremony in the theater ended, the young man whispered in Murong Yan’s ear.
Murong Yan held his hand: “We’ll ask them later. But as for a world of our own, I wouldn’t mind.”
After taking two elevator rides from the theater, they arrived at the restaurant at exactly 5:29 pm.
The hostess led them to their reserved window seat, handed them menus, and asked them in fluent English what they would like for dinner. The Chinese main course was braised pork belly, and the Western option was tomahawk steak. They exchanged glances and ordered one of each.
After the waiter took their order, he brought two glasses of soda with ice. Murong Cheng was about to try the walkie-talkie again when Chi Yu and Murong Jing finally arrived.
“Where have you two been enjoying yourselves?” Murong Cheng asked.
“Nowhere, we were lying down in the room all afternoon,” Murong Jing replied.
Murong Cheng was taken aback: “Huh?”
Chi Yu: “I found out I get seasick.”
Murong Cheng: “Seriously? Did you bring any seasickness medicine? The infirmary should have some.”
Chi Yu sat down opposite him: “I’ve already taken some. The medicine is quite strong. I don’t feel sick anymore, but I’m very sleepy, and my head feels like it’s been punched.”
Exchanging a look with Murong Yan, Murong Cheng asked with concern: “That serious? Do you want to go to the infirmary again?”
Murong Jing: “The doctor said it’s a common occurrence on cruise ships. Just rest more and see if you adapt tomorrow.”
Because of the seasickness and the side effects of the medication, Chi Yu didn’t have much of an appetite and only had a bowl of soup. Naturally, he didn’t go to watch the fireworks on the deck after dinner. After dinner, Murong Jing accompanied him back to the room to rest.
“I knew we shouldn’t have come on a cruise, this is too much suffering.” It wasn’t exactly a successful double date. Feeling full and satisfied, Murong Cheng finished his soda. “Let’s go, just the two of us to watch the fireworks.”
Hand in hand, they followed the crowd from the restaurant to the best viewing area on the deck.
Murong Cheng raised his recording device: “Chi Yu and Murong Jing will just have to watch my vlog.”
Murong Yan held his hand with his left hand and took the camera with his right: “I’ll hold this.”
They snuggled close in the crowd, counting down with everyone, waiting for the brilliant fireworks to explode in the night sky. The sounds of fireworks launching and exploding filled the air, mixed with the warm breaths of his lover beside him.
Before the fireworks ended, Murong Cheng squeezed Murong Yan’s hand, signaling him to stop recording.
“What’s wrong?” The man leaned down and asked with concern.
Taking advantage of his closeness, the young man quickly turned his head and kissed Murong Yan’s lips.
“Nothing. Just…” Murong Cheng said, averting his gaze shyly, “I suddenly wanted to kiss you, and I didn’t want it recorded.”
