Page 5

Xie Wen looked in the direction he was looking and happened to see the side of the yacht. On closer inspection, something seemed to be standing on its top deck.

"Hey, there's a dog wearing a life jacket on that yacht up ahead. Since when did search teams get fancy enough to come out on yachts? Could it be the Gu family's private search-and-rescue team?"

Border collies were common search-and-rescue dogs, but this was his first time seeing one working at sea.

Lu Shengfan saw the marina's name printed on the yacht and said, "That's not a search-and-rescue dog. Someone brought their pet out fishing."

Their yacht passed along the side of the smaller yacht. A person fully equipped for a fishing trip sat at its bow.

Chu Zeshen recognized the pet dog across from them as the one that had been waiting for its owner at the hotel. Just as before, the border collie's gaze stayed on its owner, never straying.

Looking at the scene before him, Xie Wen sounded a little envious. "What a relaxing retirement. When I retire, I'm going to bring a pet out fishing at sea too."

Lu Shengfan glanced at him and mercilessly shattered his fantasy. "Didn't you say even dogs wouldn't bother with fishing?"

Xie Wen: ...

"Now that I'm looking at it, it seems pretty nice. People change their minds, don't they, A Ze?"

The two-deck yacht slowly sailed off into the distance, while the little yacht bobbed gently in place.

Chu Zeshen chuckled. "People do change their minds, but that's someone else's retirement, not yours. Parties for seniors would suit your retirement better."

Xie Wen raised an eyebrow. "You know me best, A Ze. Fishing is something you should just watch other people do. It loses its appeal when you try it yourself. Look how long that person's been sitting there without catching a single fish."

He had barely finished speaking when a bark rang out across the sky, giving Xie Wen quite a fright.

The person sitting at the bow of the little yacht stood up to reel in the line, while the dog beside him circled its owner excitedly.

Since their yacht had kept moving, they were already far from the little yacht by then and could not make out how big the fish was.

Leaning against the railing, Lu Shengfan laughed. "That's quite a commotion. Looks like it must be a big one."

The border collie spun excitedly, and the fish on the line thrashed about. Ripples spread around the yacht floating steadily on the sea. The lone boat on the vast ocean seemed to have found company, lively but not noisy.

Chu Zeshen stared into the distance for a while. Only when he came back to himself did he realize that his attention had been wandering lately, settling on things he would not normally notice.

Chapter 3

Gu Bai saw a slight movement in the float on the sea. After watching for a moment, he quickly worked the reel. His catch struggled in the water, and he held the rod tight as he reeled it in.

Mocha clambered halfway up the railing and barked at the water, as though warning the hooked fish to behave.

Gu Bai finally managed to reel the fish in. It was a fairly large black sea bream, flat-bodied, and it flopped once when he set it on the fishing platform, its tail catching Mocha right in the face.

Gu Bai put the fish in a box and cast his line again.

The fishing session lasted only three hours, because another important activity was coming up.

Wearing a life jacket, Mocha slid down the inflatable slide into the sea in style, sending up splashes of water.

One advantage of renting a yacht was that it suited outings with the whole family. Once out at sea, people were bound to get in the water, so boats generally carried equipment to keep everyone safe in the water for families with children.

An inflatable barrier enclosed a swimming area in the sea. Now this equipment was being used for Mocha, keeping the dog safe as well.

Gu Bai did not get in the water. He stood on the boat watching Mocha play, casually picked up a plastic toy beside him, and tossed it into the sea.

By sheer coincidence, the toy landed squarely on Mocha's head. Mocha froze, too stunned to react, and looked innocently up at the owner on the boat.

Gu Bai could not hold back his laughter, amusement filling his eyes behind his sunglasses. This was also the happiest he had laughed since coming to this world.

After swimming, Mocha even got to enjoy afternoon tea first.

The captain steamed the first fish and brought it out. Gu Bai separated the flesh from the bones and cut up half an apple over the fish. Mocha ate with great relish.

The fishing trip had yielded quite a haul. Since he was staying at a hotel, he could only have the hotel staff clean the fish, then vacuum-seal and freeze them for now.

Over the past few days, he had already picked out a place online. Things had not settled down yet, so buying a home would have to wait. For now, he was focusing on renting, with Mocha as his main consideration, choosing somewhere with plenty of room for the dog to move around.

Once the dust settled and he no longer had any ties to the Gu family, he would take his time choosing a place to buy, turn an empty shell into something in his preferred style, and begin his retirement.

A few days later, he moved with Mocha into a large single-level apartment in a residential complex near the city center. Most of the furniture and appliances were already there, so he could move straight in with his luggage.

Gu Bai had come to see the apartment in person, though only once. He was not short of money, the apartment was spacious, the soundproofing between floors was good, and the place was removed from the bustle of the city center. For now, it suited his circumstances fairly well.

He had signed the contract on the day he viewed the apartment and registered with the complex's property management office as well.

Just as on the day he left the Gu family home, Gu Bai arrived at his rented apartment holding Mocha's leash in his left hand and his suitcase in his right.

As soon as he opened the door, Gu Bai let Mocha off the leash. "Go have a look at the place we'll be living in for the next few months. Once everything is over, we'll buy our own home."

Once released, Mocha was intensely curious about everything inside, but also wary of the unfamiliar surroundings. Only after Gu Bai put the dog bed in the living room did that wariness slowly fade.

The day before, Gu Bai had hired an hourly cleaner to clean the apartment and put fresh sheets on the bed. With just a little unpacking, it felt like coming home.

Gu Bai came out with some pet treats. The movers had just brought up some of Mocha's belongings, so he had only carried one small packet of treats in his own luggage.

The moment Mocha saw the treats in Gu Bai's hand, the dog eagerly trotted after him.

Top