Sail in the Sea of Clouds

Ji Yunmiao stood outside the door and listened to everything. After hearing it all, she could not stop herself from crying. She had always felt deeply guilty.

Her parents had originally wanted a second child because they wanted a son, but unfortunately, they had another daughter. They were very disappointed, and her mother had quietly harbored a certain dislike for her younger sister because of it.

When they were young, the family was not well-off. Since she was older than her sister, their parents sent her to a good school and left her sister with their grandmother to be raised.

Her sister had been close to their grandmother since childhood and had always felt distant from them, so their relationship was never close.

After their grandmother passed away, their parents wanted to bring her sister back to the city. Even now, she remembered how her sister had clung to their grandmother's coffin and refused to let go, crying as though her heart had been torn apart.

After her sister came to the city, their parents were busy making money, and she was busy with school. No one cared for her sister's feelings.

Then their parents divorced, and her sister went abroad. Their mother had never cared much about her sister, so it was easy to imagine what kind of life she had lived.

Back then, she could do nothing. She had no power to interfere with her parents' decisions.

Now that she had grown up and wanted to make amends, she realized it was too late.

Lin Xingmian had never blamed anyone. She only ever placed all the blame on herself.

She felt that she was unnecessary, that her birth had made her grandmother's life harder, and that because she was not a boy, her parents' relationship had soured and ended in divorce.

After going abroad with her mother, she still felt unnecessary because her existence caused her mother to suffer grievances in her new family.

Later, she was bullied by her younger sister in that new family and abused by her stepfather. Her mother said it was all her fault.

Over and over, she asked herself why she was not good enough.

She thought she was not obedient enough, not smart enough, not perfect enough.

She had never blamed Ji Yunmiao.

Ji Yunmiao was only her older sister. She could not take on the role of their parents, nor could she make up for the fatherly and motherly love Lin Xingmian had lacked.

Lin Xingmian's happiest moment had remained frozen on the day their grandmother died.

After that, life left her with nothing but endless pain.

After going downstairs, Ji Yunmiao sat quietly at the dining table.

Close to twelve o'clock, Shen Qingling came downstairs with Lin Xingmian.

The girl pretended that nothing had happened and obediently ate her meal.

She did not want Ji Yunmiao to be sad, nor did she want her to feel upset because of her.

The more Lin Xingmian acted like this, the guiltier Ji Yunmiao felt.

Shen Qingling looked at the two sisters, his feelings equally complicated.

They clearly loved and cared deeply for each other, yet both had knots in their hearts that they could not untangle.

Shen Qingling sighed. If some things were not said aloud, they would become lifelong regrets.

That afternoon, Shen Qingling suggested taking Lin Xingmian out. Ji Yunmiao agreed without saying anything.

Lin Xingmian had not gone out for a very, very long time.

Shen Qingling took her hand and said, "Don't be afraid. Just follow Teacher Shen."

Lin Xingmian smiled faintly, lovely dimples appearing at the corners of her lips.

Shen Qingling gave her a sense of security unlike anything she had ever known.

"Do you remember the way? I'll take you there on a bike."

"On a bike?"

"A motorcycle. Do you dare ride one?"

"Mm. With Teacher Shen here, I'm not afraid."

Shen Qingling patted her head and found a rental shop where he rented a motorcycle.

Shen Qingling put on his helmet and swung onto the bike, turning his face toward the girl. "Come on, get on."

Lin Xingmian suddenly felt...

Teacher Shen looked really cool like this.

Without hesitation, Lin Xingmian climbed onto the back seat of Shen Qingling's motorcycle.

The two of them set off on the road to the countryside.

More precisely, Shen Qingling had rented a motorbike. It moved so fast that she had never experienced anything like it in her life.

"If you're scared, hold on tight."

"Even if Teacher Shen hadn't said so, I would have."

Lin Xingmian sat in the back seat and held Shen Qingling tightly. The speed was so fast that she was too scared to even open her eyes.

The girl's hair fluttered in the wind, which tore past her ears, giving her a thrilling and liberating feeling.

Shen Qingling suddenly slowed down.

"Look ahead."

Hearing Shen Qingling's voice, Lin Xingmian slowly opened her eyes and looked forward.

A sea of flowers came into view.

Shen Qingling parked the motorcycle by the roadside and lifted Lin Xingmian down from the back seat.

The moment she got off, her legs went weak. She fell into Shen Qingling's arms and did not dare move, feeling as though her feet were still numb.

"Sorry, I was going too fast earlier. I wanted you to experience the feeling of speeding freely. It can help you forget a lot of your worries."

In his previous life, Shen Qingling would ride motorcycles whenever he was under pressure.

Her eyelashes were still trembling, but she softly said, "N-no, it's okay. I'm just too timid."

Supporting herself against Shen Qingling's arm, she stood upright and looked at the sea of flowers. Breathing in the fresh air, she felt better than she ever had before.

"The sea of flowers is so beautiful."

"Yes, it's very beautiful."

"So, Mianmian... there are still many things in this world worth loving. If you shut yourself away in a tiny corner, you'll miss a lot of beautiful sights."

There was a deeper meaning behind Shen Qingling's words.

Lin Xingmian looked at him and said, "But I don't want to see them alone."

"You're not alone. You have me, you have your sister. In the future, you'll make many friends, and there will be people who love you too..."

Shen Qingling's words warmed her heart. He was painting a perfect, warm future for her, hoping she would try to believe in it. Lin Xingmian understood all of that.

She did not want to disappoint Shen Qingling.

"I'll try to change."

"It's good that Mianmian has come around. There's no need to rush. Take it one step at a time."

"Then will Teacher Shen always stay with me?"

"I will."

Lin Xingmian's eyes curved into crescents as she smiled. For the first time, she wore such a happy smile.

She tilted her head, lowered her eyes shyly, and asked, "Teacher Shen, am I your first student?"

"Yes."

"Teacher Shen is also my first teacher."

"Don't the teachers you had when you were in school count?"

"In my life, Teacher Shen is the first teacher who truly counts."

She carefully revealed a youthful smile, carrying the innocent bewilderment of a young girl's affection.

Shen Qingling smiled. "Come on, let's keep going."

Shen Qingling rode for a while longer before arriving at Lin Xingmian's hometown.

Once they arrived, both of them fell silent.

"Mianmian, are you sure this is the place?"

"It's here. I can't be mistaken."

There were no houses before them. Nothing from the past remained, only endless rapeseed flowers stretching as far as the eye could see.

Lin Xingmian sniffled, a wave of bitterness welling up from the depths of her heart.

"I came too late..."

In the past, she had not dared to look or face it. Now, even if she wanted to see it, she no longer could.

The two of them looked at the endless field of flowers and remained silent for a while.

Lin Xingmian tried her best to control her emotions. She did not want to cry, afraid it would affect Shen Qingling's mood.

Shen Qingling took her hand and sat down with her on a small slope.

"I'll sing Mianmian a song. Once Mianmian learns it, you can sing it to Grandma."

"What song is it?"

"It's called 'Sail in the Sea of Clouds.'"

You were like a beam of candlelight, illuminating my heart

You were like a vast ocean, holding up my oars

Until that day, when you stopped speaking

Your sleeping face was forever frozen in time

You became a wisp of smoke and drifted into the distance

You once told me not to be afraid, though the road ahead was uncertain

There would always be a light to guide my way

Whenever I fell, there was your warm shoulder

Now I have grown up and learned to be strong

Learned to be as tenacious as wild grass

Carrying your share of the weight, I walk toward the distance

I ask the wind crossing the valley where you are, where you went

I ask the water flowing through the sky, are those your tears

I ask the falling stars, which one in the sky is you

I speak to you and wait for your answer

I speak to you, why are you silent and refusing to answer

I chase the spring where all things grow, and I see that you are there

I cross the wilderness of another time and space to run toward you

Those soft hands of yours gently stroke my tear-stained cheeks

Telling me not to worry, that you will still protect me

Moon boat, docked shore, wind comes to rest, mist disperses

A sail of longing rises in the sea of clouds

Lotus roots severed, yet their threads remain; hearts longing, a single glance

One day, we will meet again on the other shore

One day, we will meet again