NovelEnglish
A hotel lobby in S city.
A tour guide announced, “We'll meet here at eight tomorrow morning. After breakfast, we will depart to
Lijiang Island and stay the night there. Remember to bring all your belongings with you.”
After that, Mu Tongrui took a stroll in the area for some food before she returned to the hotel.
She checked her phone to find neither a text nor a phone call from Fu Lingye.
Mu Tongrui collapsed on a bed then opened WeChat. She searched Fu Lingye's name but she failed to
find his profile.
That prompted her to sit up straight and focus on every way to search for it.
Unfortunately, after several trials, Fu Lingye's profile still didn't pop up.
I got testy after a few drinks... I didn't block him, did I?
Mu Tongrui sat in stillness, trying to recall that part of the night. Moments later, she finally did.
Mu Tongrui and Ye Guo had dared each other to block their crushes' contacts. The alcohol took control
of her and...
Mu Tongrui buried her face under her blanket. Right now, she just wanted to hide and melt away.
Then, she remembered “breaking up” with Fu Lingye one-sidedly. So what am I doing, expecting him to
reach out?
Mu Tongrui turned on the television to shut down her uncontrollable inner thoughts. She flipped through
the channels and stopped at a show which had a four-year-old performing. That child, who was almost
Sweetheart's age, reminded Mu Tongrui of Sweetheart and further messed with her head. Mu Tongrui
ended up switching the TV off.
After Sweetheart’s call last time, Mu Tongrui tried calling back, but they were never connected. She
speculated that Sweetheart’s phone must have been taken away. In the process of organizing her
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtthoughts, Mu Tongrui eventually passed out on her bed.
The next morning, Mu Tongrui met up with the tour guide after breakfast. They left at eight o'clock
sharp for the island.
Lijiang Island was a popular tourist attraction in S city. It was known as the Little Maldives and was the
perfect spot for many honeymooners. It explained all the newlyweds in the group. Mu Tongrui was glad
that she wouldn't be following their agenda after reaching the island, or it'd be too much to bear for a
lovesick woman like her.
The tour bus drove for an hour to finally arrive at a jetty. Mu Tongrui boarded a ferry with her tour group
and found herself a seat. Not long after, a man sat down next to her. In a plain white t-shirt, the man
carried an SLR camera.
He turned and flashed a bright smile, “This seat is not taken, right?”
“No.” Mu Tongrui answered.
“Are we in the same tour group? It's good to find another single person. I feel isolated around all these
couples.”
Mu Tongrui paused. They made an isolated pair.
She clarified, “I'm alone, but I only signed up for the good deals. I'm not interested in following the
guide.”
The man got excited hearing that, “What a coincidence, me too! Would you like to be my travel partner
then?”
Mu Tongrui hesitated for a moment, but she didn't mind some company. Thus, she agreed.
“I'm Qiu Zekai.”
“Nice to meet you. I'm Mu Tongrui.”
They shook hands.
They chatted on the way to the island. Mu Tongrui looked out the window to appreciate the glistening
seawater and a trail of waves created by the ferry's movement.
Once they got to the island, Mu Tongrui and Qiu Zekai enjoyed some fun water sports together. Qiu
Zekai was a decent photographer and offered to take photos. Mu Tongrui was so impressed by the
photos that she posted some of them.
Ye Guo commented, “Ooo, if you went alone, then who took those pictures? Tell me, did you meet a
lover boy there?”
Mu Tongrui replied with an eye-roll emoji and typed: Not a lover, just a travel buddy.
When Fu Lingye rushed to S city, Mu Tongrui was already gone.
Xu Kun reported, “Boss, I tracked Ms. Mu's phone, and it is now on Lijiang Island. She's probably
vacationing there.”
Fu Lingye immediately took a cab and sped to the jetty.
An hour later. Huge black clouds hovered on the horizon as gushes of wind grew stronger. A storm was
coming.
In a ferry, Fu Lingye narrowed his eyes upon this view.
Came nighttime, Mu Tongrui and Qiu Zekai went to a random restaurant after a day packed with
activities.
As soon as their first dish was served, a television on the wall presented a piece of breaking news.
“At six P.M, Lijiang Island saw a sudden storm which caused a few boats to sink. We are currently still
unsure about the casualties...”
Mu Tongrui's eye twitched, “Wow. It happened out of nowhere! The weather was fine when we surfed.
It's not even raining on the island.”
She looked out to see a peaceful coastline. It was hard to imagine a violent thunderstorm not far away
from there.
“Weathers are often unpredictable on the sea. Luckily, we got here early. I think we should stay two
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmmore days just to be safe.” Qiu Zekai suggested.
Right after Qiu Zekai finished, Mu Tongrui's phone rang.
The caller was Xu Kun.
“Mr. Xu, I didn't expect your call...”
Xu Kun anxiously interrupted, “Ms. Mu, has my boss contacted you?”
Mu Tongrui answered confusedly, “No, why would he?”
Xu Kun explained, “That's not good. I lost touch with him after he boarded a ferry. Many boats sank
after that point...”
Mu Tongrui stopped listening. Blood drained from her face. She shook so intensely that she started to
lose grip of her phone.
Fu Lingye came for me?
On TV, the newscaster was still reporting about the incident. Mu Tongrui's ears rang, and her mind
blanked out. She stood up limply as she mumbled, “Fu Lingye, I have to find him...”
Qiu Zekai supported her from aside, “Tongrui, what's wrong?”
Mu Tongrui's eyes welled up with tears, “My boyfriend got on a ferry at that hour, on his way to me. I
fear something might have happened to him!”
Boyfriend? She has a boyfriend?
Though thrown off by that fact, Qiu Zekai still comforted her, “They haven't confirmed the casualties yet.
This is not the worst storm. Don't worry. Even if you want, no one can take you out on the sea now. Try
to calm down, okay? It might not be as bad as you think.”
Mu Tongrui buried her head in her hands.
How could I calm down? What do I tell Sweetheart if something were to happen?
If I hadn't come, then Fu Lingye wouldn't have encountered this!
Mu Tongrui burst into tears and sprinted out of the restaurant for the jetty.
I have to find him. He cannot die!
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