My Ship Had Arrived

Not far from the island, a speedboat slowly reduced its speed, shut off its engine, and bobbed on the sea, drifting with the waves.

With the engine off, darkness fell over the speedboat. Afraid the mysterious employer who was supposed to meet that group might discover them, they had left the lights off. The only light came from the faint beam of the flashlight in Nie Yun's hand.

Chu Xiaoxiao couldn't help feeling afraid. All she wanted now was to get back to the mainland, back to civilized society.

"Why are we stopping here?" Chu Xiaoxiao asked, watching Nie Yun search through their spoils by flashlight. She was now wearing a jacket that covered her ample cleavage, which, naturally, was also part of Nie Yun's spoils.

"Waiting for my ship!" Nie Yun replied casually. Just then, he found several cans of food in the backpack they'd taken. Delighted, he exclaimed, "Perfect! I'm starving!"

Chu Xiaoxiao asked in surprise, "Waiting for your ship? You have a companion?"

Nie Yun didn't answer. He sat down at the bow and pried open a can. Delighted to find braised beef inside, he hurriedly stuffed a big chunk into his mouth and mumbled as he ate, "Want some?"

He'd used up a lot of energy controlling the Mechanical Insect, and there was no sunlight to recharge him now. His stomach had been growling for a while.

Watching Nie Yun eat made Chu Xiaoxiao realize she hadn't eaten in ages. She was hungry, too.

She sat down beside him. Nie Yun opened a can for her, and the two of them ate quietly.

Before long, seven or eight empty cans had piled up at the bow. Nie Yun let out a satisfied burp, and Chu Xiaoxiao gave him a strange look. How many days had this guy gone without eating?

"You still haven't told me why you were there," Chu Xiaoxiao said, seeing Nie Yun sitting with his eyes half-closed as he let his food settle.

"If I told you my brother and I were having a picnic there, and then you all came looking for us, would you believe me?"

"I wouldn't!" Chu Xiaoxiao rolled her eyes. You and your brother having a picnic on some deserted island? Which one of you was the castaway, you or your brother?

"Exactly!" Nie Yun knew no one would believe the truth, so he didn't bother explaining.

"Hey... um... I still haven't thanked you for saving me!" Chu Xiaoxiao said. She seemed unused to saying it, and the words came out awkwardly.

"Don't call me 'hey.' My name's Nie Yun!"

"Oh, right! I'm Chu Xiaoxiao!" Chu Xiaoxiao realized they didn't even know each other's names and quickly introduced herself.

"Mm. I'll remember that."

After Nie Yun said that, silence fell between them again.

Hugging her knees, Chu Xiaoxiao gazed at the dark sea. Suddenly, she thought of the moment when Nie Yun had fired his gun.

Had he deliberately made the man move somewhere she couldn't see, so she wouldn't have to watch him die?

Because of what Nie Yun had done, the shock of witnessing a murder had been reduced to almost nothing for Chu Xiaoxiao. She'd barely felt a thing. In fact, because she disliked that man, she thought he'd deserved to die.

His adopted son... seemed... pretty gentle.

"Nie Yun, could you... tell me about him?" Chu Xiaoxiao asked softly.

Nie Yun froze and looked at her. Their eyes met.

"Ahem!" Nie Yun blushed a little and looked away. Then he lay back, folded his hands behind his head, and gazed at the stars.

"Old Dad was a notorious drunk around these parts. He was always drinking himself into a stupor. When he got drunk, he didn't go on a rampage or anything; he'd just sit at the bow of the Sea Wolf and stare blankly out at the water.

"He was lazy and a slob. Ever since I could remember, I'd been the crewman, mechanic, fisherman, and cook aboard his ship! He was just the captain! Haha!

"On top of that, he had a wicked sense of humor and was always teasing me, making a fool of me in front of everyone. Once, I got so mad I chased him down the street with a kitchen knife! Ahaha!

"But he was all bark and no bite. Whenever he had something good, he always thought of me first, and he never lost his temper with me.

"I remember one time I got sick and developed a high fever. The doctor in town happened to be away, so he carried me over three mountains and walked for four hours to get me to the emergency room in the city. He saved my life.

"I'm grateful to him. He gave me the Sea Wolf, a safe place to live, and taught me how to survive and how to be a decent person.

"I could tell Old Dad wasn't very happy with his life, but he never told me anything about his past. Well, I wasn't interested in some old man's youthful days anyway. Haha..."

Nie Yun rambled on, while Chu Xiaoxiao listened quietly. For the first time, she had a clear picture of that man, rather than just an imagined one.

When Nie Yun finished, he looked at Chu Xiaoxiao beside him.

She turned her face slightly away. After a long while, she murmured, "I went to pay my respects. I burned incense for him."

Nie Yun narrowed his eyes with a smile and murmured, "Is that so? Good..."

About ten more minutes passed. Suddenly, a splash broke the silence of the darkness, as though something were approaching.

The noise startled Chu Xiaoxiao. She asked, puzzled, "Did you hear that?"

Nie Yun stood up and stretched. Pointing nearby, he said, "Yeah. My ship's here!"

Chu Xiaoxiao looked where he was pointing. Beneath the dim starlight, an old fishing boat silently emerged from the dark sea and slowly came to a stop beside the speedboat.