Chapter 38 Part 1

The seating arrangement in the car was a matter of great importance and subtlety. In the past, when Chi Yumo rode as a bodyguard, she sat in the passenger seat of a five-seater car or in the last row of a seven-seater.

Shi Youwan usually sat in the seat behind the passenger side.

That was their seating situation when getting in and out of the car in public.

There were very few occasions when Chi Yumo held the unwell Shi Youwan in her arms and sat together in the last row, serving as her support.

There had never been a situation where Shi Youwan sat behind the driver’s seat, leaving the seat behind the passenger for her.

Whatever. What was there to fuss over? She did not have to sit in the middle row on the right side; the three seats in the back row were spacious enough anyway.

Chi Yumo shook off those disturbing memories, nodded in greeting, then took the backpack off her shoulder and held it in front of her as she bent down to get into the car and went straight to the back row to sit.

She had not put on makeup that day and wore casual clothes.

An oversized milk tea-colored hooded sweatshirt, blue earphones hanging around her neck, and a light blue cotton trendy mask covering her face.

That was the gift from Cheng Xiangxiang the night before—ten blue masks.

Blue was her favorite color in daily life.

Grandma knew it, Cheng Xiangxiang knew it, Shen Muxi knew it. Did Shi Youwan know?

She recalled again, but no detail indicated that Shi Youwan knew. All she had left in Shi Youwan’s world was black.

It did not matter anymore.

Her preferences had never been the focus.

Qiao Ke got into the car almost at the same time, but after she fastened her seatbelt, she realized Chi Yumo had sat in the very back.

She exchanged a glance with Zhang Kai, both wondering if President Shi would also move to the back row. Should they wait a bit longer for President Shi to change seats?

But Chi Yumo sat right in the middle of the back row, leaving no space for President Shi.

“Drive,” Shi Youwan said.

It was already good that Xiao Mo had come out to see her. They still had the entire afternoon to spend in closer proximity; those few dozen minutes in the car did not matter.

As soon as the car started moving, Chi Yumo habitually put on her earphones, listened to soothing pop music, hugged her backpack, and closed her eyes to rest.

The car was very quiet. Qiao Ke did not report on the plaza incident, and Shi Youwan did not ask what had happened.

After about thirty minutes, they arrived at the wide marina where hundreds of yachts were neatly docked at the berths. All of them were pure white, of various sizes, exuding luxury and grandeur.

It was Chi Yumo’s first time seeing such a scene.

“We’re here.”

Shi Youwan got out of the car first and said to Chi Yumo, who followed closely behind, “Xiao Mo, let’s talk on the yacht. There’s a kitchen on board, and I’ve arranged for a chef. We’ll have dinner at sea tonight.”

Chi Yumo hung her earphones back around her neck and raised her hand to gesture: President Shi, please lead the way.

The role she played today was that of a well-behaved recipient coming to express heartfelt gratitude. Shi Youwan was a great benefactor to her and to many at the Deaf-Mute School, so her sincerity meant complying with Shi Youwan’s wishes as much as possible.

Shi Youwan also wore casual clothes that day: an elegant Hepburn-style black cinched-waist long skirt paired with a white knit cardigan and black chunky-heeled mid-calf boots.

Qiao Ke walked at the front, Zhang Kai at the rear.

But only Qiao Ke, Shi Youwan, and Chi Yumo boarded the yacht; Zhang Kai stayed on shore.

The yacht they boarded was considered mid-sized at the marina, less than 30 meters long, with winding stairs connecting the upper, middle, and lower decks.

The main deck interior was an open space combining a living room and kitchen. In the center of the living room were two small round tables, one high and one low, surrounded on three sides by milky white cloud-shaped sofas, with their backs against glass windows. The four corners had storage cabinets and low tables.

The upper deck was an open viewing area with a sofa bed near the bow, several fabric stools, a long cabinet on the right, a tatami mat on the left, and a skylight overhead.

The bedrooms were on the lower deck, including a master suite, two VIP cabins, and crew quarters.

“There are lounge chairs on the deck, and the sunshade is open. You can go sit,” Shi Youwan said as they entered the living room, looking out through the glass.

The afternoon before, Shen Muxi had proactively called Shi Youwan.

The reason was not purely her cunning desire to entrust Chi Yumo’s “Lan Wei trip” to Shi Youwan; there was also some pity for her.

The fact that Shi Youwan fell ill upon returning to Yinzhou had not been hidden. Shi Youran learned of it the next day through her “ears” in the group and went to the hospital. Seeing her sister looking sickly yet saying nothing, she called her sister-in-law Shen Muxi and asked what Shi Youwan had done in Lingjiang City, even sending her a photo of Shi Youwan in the hospital.

Shen Muxi was startled. How had she gotten so sick?

She lied that it had rained and turned cold in Lingjiang those days, and Shi Youwan probably had not paid attention to staying warm, letting cold enter her body.

She also said that Shi Youwan had come to Lingjiang to discover a new business opportunity, perhaps preparing to expand into the fashion industry next.

Unable to get the real “inside story,” Shi Youran had no choice but to drop it grudgingly.

On the day of the third match, Shen Muxi had sneaked a peek at Shi Youwan in the guest seats.

Though surrounded by crowds and sitting upright and proper, she seemed like a solitary wild goose, trudging long distances in vain—outwardly splendid, inwardly exhausted, giving off a sense of impending death and aged desolation.

Even the non-saintly Shen Muxi felt a saintly compassion.

Considering their “family” ties and Shi Youwan’s help in resolving their public opinion crisis, she revealed a “little secret” about Chi Yumo over the phone.

—Even on sunny days, President Shi, don’t hole up in the hotel. Go out, get some sun, see the sea, and recuperate. Lingjiang City is great, with rivers and sea—better than Yinzhou. Mo Yu’s favorite leisure activity since coming to Lingjiang is watching the sea; sometimes she sits there for half a day without moving.

—Sigh, she won’t rest much longer either. She has to head to Lan Wei at dawn on the 5th for the international competition, but neither Laonianhua nor I can go, so she’ll have to travel with the organizers’ staff. Both are in their twenties, yet neither has been abroad—such worry.

—Please send me the detailed flight, hotel, and schedule info. Thank you.

It was after hearing Shen Muxi’s “good advice” that Shi Youwan decided to take Chi Yumo out to sea.

Xiao Mo also liked the sea, yet she had only learned so after three years.

She looked again at the blue earphones around Chi Yumo’s neck and the blue mask on her face, understanding dawning: “Xiao Mo, the mask is stuffy. Take it off.”

Chi Yumo did not enter the living room but went up to the deck, removed the mask and earphones, put them in her backpack, and went to the bow to feel the sea breeze.

When she was little, her father had promised to take the family to see the sea, but year after year of broken promises followed. Then her mother promised to take her, but that too never happened.

The seaside in her dreams was azure blue where sea and sky met under clear skies, endless golden fine sand beaches, sunshine, white clouds, waves, iced cola, running tourists, speeding speedboats…

But Lingjiang City’s sea was not the sea of her dreams.

The waters at the Lingjiang estuary were shallow, with many plankton and algae, giving the sea a murky yellow hue. Farther out, it deepened to dark blue and green.

The sea they saw today was much clearer, but still far from the southern island seas she had longed for since childhood.

Watching the tall, slender figure at the bow, Shi Youwan did not disturb her. After instructing Qiao Ke on a few things, she sat on the sofa, quietly gazing at Chi Yumo’s back.

The yacht set sail.

A gentle, warm sea breeze passed through the open glass window at the front into the living room, carrying a faint salty tang, but Shi Youwan only smelled Chi Yumo’s coconut scent in the influx of wind.

It felt wonderful to be with Xiao Mo; even the air at sea was sweet.

By regulation, the private yacht navigation area was within 20 nautical miles, and at 10 nautical miles, they were nearly 20 kilometers from the coast.

At cruising speed, it took about an hour to reach 10 nautical miles. That was what Shi Youwan had arranged.

The yacht proceeded at a steady speed. Qiao Ke went to the kitchen and brought out afternoon tea, fruits, and desserts, placing some on the round table in the living room and taking some to the deck to set on the table in front of the lounge chairs.

“Miss Mo, it’s sunny at the bow. Come sit here and have some juice.”

Chi Yumo turned at the sound, glanced at the sun’s position—on the right side of the boat—adjusted her backpack strap, and pointed to the living room, meaning: I’ll sit inside.

Back in the living room, Chi Yumo scanned the layout and sat on the sofa to the right of Shi Youwan’s right hand.

With the bow as forward, Shi Youwan sat on the right side, and Chi Yumo to her right meant her back was to the bow.

Fortunately, both left and right sides were full glass windows. Once the yacht was far out, it was endless sea in any direction. So the fleeting thought of having Chi Yumo switch seats was dismissed by Shi Youwan herself after just a second.

“Lingjiang’s sea is not particularly beautiful, but this port has the best water quality among Lingjiang’s many ports.” Shi Youwan moved closer to the low table on her right and introduced the drinks to Chi Yumo.

“This hot one is oat milk tea, and this cold one is strawberry milkshake. There’s also plain water, green tea, black tea, herbal tea, whatever Xiao Mo wants.”

The oat milk tea and strawberry milkshake were favorites Shi Youwan had asked Zhang Kai about.

During the time Zhang Kai acted as Chi Yumo’s driving companion for her license, they had explored many street alleys in Yinzhou City and shared meals over a dozen times.

Shi Youwan had rarely inquired before. Only after learning of Chi Yumo’s aversion to driving did she seriously ask Zhang Kai and Qiao Ke about the many details she had overlooked.

Chi Yumo was momentarily dazed.

One white and one red drink, the same as what Qiao Ke had brought to the deck.

These were her two favorites, but she had never drunk them in front of Shi Youwan. How did she know?

—Kai Ge, get me a strawberry milkshake. I need something iced to wake me up.

—Kai Ge, it’s so cold today. Is it the cold snap? My hands are frozen stiff. I want something hot to warm my stomach—oat milk tea, thanks, Kai Ge.

Had Zhang Kai told Shi Youwan on his own?

Or had Shi Youwan asked?

Why think about it.

Chi Yumo cleared her cluttered thoughts, took out her tablet: 【President Shi, you pick first. I’ll drink anything.】

Shi Youwan smiled faintly. “Good.”

But when her hand reached for the cup with the red liquid, Chi Yumo quickly took it first.

The strawberry milkshake was not too sour, but aside from alcohol, she had never seen Shi Youwan drink iced cold drinks, let alone one this teeth-chillingly cold.

Moreover, Shi Youwan might still be ill.

Iced foods irritated the throat and worsened coughing and sore throat symptoms.

【I just got some sun; it’s a bit hot. I want something cold.】

Shi Youwan paused, then resumed her earlier smile. “Good.” Xiao Mo was worried that cold drinks would be bad for her health, right?

Chi Yumo pinched the straw and took a sip of the milkshake, instantly amazed—it was better than any she had tried at those drink shops; clearly from a premium source.

Looking at the desserts on the table, there were the same blueberry yam pudding from that restaurant in Yinzhou City last time, and the mousse cake and panna cotta from the last time she tailed her in the hotel room.

Before boarding, Shi Youwan had said she hired a chef for dinner. It was probably not just one; likely pastry chefs and mixologists too.

How extravagant the lives of the nobility were—beyond the imagination of ordinary folk with limited exposure.

A private yacht was just a glimpse of it.

【Thank you, President Shi, and thank you to the Shifeng Charity Foundation. This is on my own behalf, and also on behalf of the teachers and students at the Deaf-Mute School.】

Shi Youwan did not say any polite words like “no need to thank me.” She pursed her lips in a smile, did not lift her cup, but like Chi Yumo, pinched the straw and took a sip of the hot drink. The warm flavor spread through her stomach.

The blend of milk and oat aromas—this was Xiao Mo’s favorite taste.

She had tried it and liked it too.

“Xiao Mo, tell me about things at the school. You’ve spent months with the children day in and day out. Tell me what they need most, what the teachers need most, what the school needs most.”

She admitted that she was “abusing her public position for private gain.” She really wanted to know what kind of life Xiao Mo had lived during those months at the Deaf-Mute School.