After packing up, Xie Nancang left and saw Yan Chen still standing at the door next door.

After changing rooms and settling An Yi in, he went upstairs several times until late at night before he found an opportunity.

“He should be gone for dinner or back in his room. You go in and pack up, I’ll stand guard at the door,” Xie Nancang said to An Yi. “Take your time, don’t leave anything behind.”

An Yi nodded, swiped open the door, and went straight to get his documents and cash locked in the safe.

Xie Nancang reassured him not to be nervous, but An Yi’s heart was pounding, he didn’t even tidy up his clothes, just grabbed the essentials and hurried out.

“Let’s go.” An Yi walked briskly towards the elevator, Xie Nancang draped his arm over his shoulder, comforting him with a light pat.

Just as they reached the end of the corridor, Yan Chen happened to return from the restaurant at the other end.

Seeing the familiar tall figure at a glance, his heart immediately thumped wildly.

“An Yi!”

Yan Chen shouted at the top of his lungs, frightening An Yi to shiver.

Xie Nancang hugged him tightly, didn’t wait for the elevator, and turned directly into the adjacent fire escape.

From Yan Chen’s perspective, he couldn’t see which way they went. When he caught up, the elevator had already descended, and he ran down a few floors in the stairwell, but saw no one.

Damn it!

Was he seeing things?

He tried hard to recall the silhouette he had just seen, it shouldn’t have been an illusion. It’s just that it was too far away, the lighting was too dim, and he was a bit uncertain. But it felt so familiar… and the tall man next to him who blocked most of his view, the side profile that flashed by as they turned the corner, seemed familiar.

Yan Chen found the crew, made up an excuse, and spent some time coaxing and persuading before finally getting the room number of the guest in 1207 after the room change.

He went over with determination, raised his hand to smash the door, but froze in midair because of the moans coming from inside the room.

The similar tone, pounding his eardrums one after another, made his head hot and swollen.

But his limbs were ice-cold.

The first thing that rushed to his mind wasn’t anger or suspicion, but fear. He was afraid that the person on the other side of the door was really An Yi.

For someone who grew up in indulgence, this kind of emotion was too unfamiliar.

Yan Chen clenched his fists, but when he tried to smash the door again, he involuntarily held back the force.

He pressed his forehead against the door panel, took a deep breath, and the prominent veins on his neck indicated how much restraint he was exerting.

Stay calm, stay calm.

It’s impossible.

Firstly, the door barrier would distort the sound; secondly, An Yi had always been reserved and shy, at most he would hum like a cat in heat, never would he make such loud and unrestrained noises; most importantly, An Yi’s sense of morality was so strong, how could he possibly sleep with another man in just a month.

He loves him too much, it’s impossible.

Yan Chen retreated into the darkness, trying his best to suppress the urge to kick the door.

As the noise from inside the door gradually subsided, he tiredly rubbed his face, not sure why he was so timid and hesitant.

He sat in the stairwell all night in a daze, and when morning came, people started coming out of their cabins, so he went to keep watch.

Before long, the door of that room opened, and Yan Chen saw the tall man of about 30 walk to the door and stop, then he gestured into the room and a thin, tall figure walked into his arms.

The man was wearing a sun-proof shirt and white casual pants, dressed in a neutral style.

He wore a sun hat and had long hair.

Yan Chen leaned his head back against the cabin wall and let out a barely audible sigh of relief.

He had been looking for someone for a month and was too tired to think clearly. When he finally caught An Yi, he would have to settle the score.

Yan Chen was full of energy again, and he searched each level of the cruise ship again before deciding to wait at the gangway.

After all, An Yi was here, no matter which station he wanted to get off at, unless he jumped into the sea, he would definitely pass through here, so he wasn’t afraid of not catching him.

But he didn’t know that An Yi was one step ahead of him.

The next stop the cruise ship was going to dock at in the evening was a developed international metropolis for tourism, so there were quite a few passengers getting on and off the ship.

Two adjacent gangways had long queues by the afternoon.

An Yi stood in line and returned the sunglasses to Xie Nancang. “Thank you for covering for me.”

Xie Nancang looked at his sun hat and long wig, praising, “You look so beautiful like this.” There was a hint of reluctance in his eyes, “Are you really leaving? Where do you want to go?”

“Well, I don’t know exactly where I’m going,” after a night of contemplation, An Yi was calm enough. “But I’m going far away.”

Xie Nancang worried, “will you be okay alone? I want to accompany you for a while.”

An Yi smiled, “All good things must come to an end.” No matter how long the companionship, there would always be partings.

“I have to learn to be alone.”

Xie Nancang sighed lightly, “Then let’s exchange contact information. I’ve been really happy during this time with you.”

An Yi didn’t directly refuse, he just smiled more naturally, “That’s what traveling is all about. You have your path to follow, and I have mine. After accompanying each other for a while, we’ll each find our own way.”

Xie Nancang looked at him with regret written all over his face and didn’t say anything more.

When the ferry docked, the gate opened, and the line began to move slowly.

Xie Nancang opened his arms and hugged An Yi. “No matter what, take care.”

“I will,” An Yi hugged him back and whispered after a while, “Thank you for saving me.”

It was Xie Nancang’s hand that reached out that night, pulling him into the gorgeous world, showing him many fantastical sights he had never imagined, most importantly, helping him overcome that mental barrier—he was no longer someone who couldn’t live without Yan Chen.

The sky was vast and the earth was wide, he shouldn’t invest all his emotions in another person, desperately seeking a response that would never come.

He used to be too naive, too stubborn, but now it was time to walk his own path.

Just like his sister hoped, a life of happiness and freedom.

Could he do it?

An Yi was a bit pessimistic, but he wanted to try again, as Xie Nancang told him, when he felt he couldn’t go on anymore, he should wait a little longer.

There will always be some reasons to rekindle his zest for life… right?

Try reconciling with yourself and living for yourself.

Stepping onto land, An Yi took off his hat and wig, and waved goodbye to Xie Nancang on the ship.

He also bid farewell to the absurdly romantic and meaningful sea voyage that lasted for over half a month.

An Yi’s English was not fluent, but he had not given up self-study over the years, and his stumbling did not hinder him from eating, dressing, living, and traveling in a foreign country.

He walked slowly, feeling much lonelier without Xie Nancang’s company, but it wasn’t unbearable.

This was the life he was about to return to—without so many beautiful sights and tenderness, but being able to cry out loud when he wanted to cry and laugh out loud when he wanted to laugh, that was fine too.

Ten days later, An Yi arrived in another city—Southampton.

This city was mostly populated by people of Chinese descent, and its streets and cultural atmosphere had a strong Eastern flavor. While touring the city by bus, An Yi saw a mobile TV advertising a ceramic exhibition, which piqued his interest.

According to the introduction, this was a personal private museum of a local community’s master ceramic artist, which would be open to the public from time to time. This exhibition was only set for one day, in two days’ time.

So, An Yi decided to stay for two more days.

Exhibitions like this usually didn’t attract many visitors.

Sure enough, after An Yi arrived, he found only a few people inside the museum. At a glance, he could see them all, and most of them were elderly people from the community who enjoyed collecting or reminiscing about their hometowns.

And precisely because of this, a young and unfamiliar face like his stood out.

An Yi first asked the guide if he could take photos. After getting a negative answer, he entered the museum to visit.

As soon as he entered, his eyes were drawn to the central statue in the museum—a nearly half-meter-high white porcelain statue of Guanyin.

Each strand of hair was distinct, like real silk, and the clothes were as light as gauze, seemingly swaying in a breeze.

But upon closer inspection, he realized that it was all porcelain. As white as mutton fat, as light as a cicada’s wings.

An Yi couldn’t help but marvel at the craftsmanship of the artisan who created this Guanyin statue. It was truly exquisite, probably the pinnacle of Dehua white porcelain craftsmanship.

“So beautiful, it’s hard to even walk away.”

Suddenly, a light laugh sounded from behind him. An Yi was slightly startled and turned to see a warm smile, his mouth involuntarily gaping in surprise.

Xie Nancang stepped forward and hugged him, his tone filled with joy. “I never expected to meet you here. I missed you a lot.”

An Yi also didn’t expect this. “How did you come here?” This city was not particularly famous for tourism, and such exhibitions were quite niche.

“I should be asking you,” Xie Nancang smiled and pointed to the nearby porcelain Guanyin, “This is my grandfather’s work, and this private museum is also his.”

An Yi was completely shocked this time, unable to speak.

Xie Nancang smiled somewhat awkwardly and whispered, “Sorry, I don’t think I’ve mentioned it to you before. Although I am Chinese, I spent most of my childhood here and only returned to China for study and business after I grew up.”

“And these…” An Yi looked around, “Are they all your grandfather’s works?”

“Not all of them, there are also some works from his fellow apprentices, it’s been many years,” Xie Nancang said, “These things are too fragile. I’m afraid they’ll get damaged on the way back to China, and my grandfather doesn’t want his treasures to be covered in dust, so he entrusted me to hold more exhibitions.”

Xie Nancang sighed, “I really have to thank him. If it weren’t for this, it would be very difficult to see you again.”

An Yi smiled and exclaimed, “He’s amazing, your grandfather…” He searched through the names of famous ceramic masters in his mind and couldn’t help but stare at Xie Nancang, “Is he Mr. Xie Fei Nian?!”

Xie Nancang was slightly surprised, “That’s what his apprentices call him. I didn’t expect you to be quite knowledgeable in this area.”

“My grandfather is named Qiu Fei Bai, he should be Mr. Xie’s fellow apprentice.” An Yi didn’t expect there to be this kind of connection between them, and after Xie Nancang heard this, he couldn’t help but laugh, “Wow, I’m not even exaggerating, but hearing that, my hair is standing on end.”

Xie Nancang hugged him again, lowering his head to kiss An Yi’s forehead, “This makes me like you even more.”

He accompanied An Yi to browse the exhibition, introducing him to the interesting stories or processes behind his grandfather’s creation of these things. An Yi listened attentively, not wanting the conversation to end.

So the two of them went to the neighboring restaurant as they ate and talked.

This time, Xie Nancang detailed his personal information. He was two years older than An Yi and had founded his own gaming company in China a few years after graduating with a Ph.D. He had now achieved financial freedom.

He was easy-going, outgoing, and loved to travel. At this moment, reuniting with An Yi, he didn’t hide his affection for him at all.

He held An Yi’s hand and looked at him intently. “I used to be a staunch materialist, but today I’m a bit shaken.”

An Yi blushed under his gaze. “I’m surprised too, but… it’s not that exaggerated.”

“Exaggerated? Maybe I’m just too excited,” Xie Nancang said. “After you got off the ship, I felt bored drifting at sea for two days, so I ended my journey early. I’m really happy to meet you again today.”

An Yi sincerely replied, “I’m happy too.”

Xie Nancang leaned a bit closer and asked, “Can you stay a few more days here? If possible, I hope to get your contact information this time.”

An Yi thought for a moment and nodded.

Xie Nancang was overjoyed.

After lunch, he personally drove An Yi back to the hotel.

At the door, Xie Nancang got out of the car with him. He held An Yi’s hand and invited, “You can come to my house as a guest, you don’t have to stay in a place like this, you know.”

An Yi joked, “You’ve added me on WeChat, are you still afraid I’ll leave without a word?”

“I want to spend more time with you,” Xie Nancang expressed his affection for him very directly, “And if possible, I hope you’ll come to my house often after you return to China. My grandfather would probably love to talk to you. He always complains that I’m clumsy and says teaching me how to make porcelain is like ‘playing the lute to a cow’.”

This invitation was very attractive to An Yi.

A glimmer of anticipation finally appeared in his eyes, “Wouldn’t that be too forward?”

“Not at all,” Xie Nancang gently pulled him closer with a warm smile, “Then it’s settled.”

After saying that, he lowered his head and kissed An Yi’s lips.

It wasn’t a fleeting kiss, but An Yi only hesitated for a moment before responding to Xie Nancang’s kiss.

Just as the two of them were immersed in their lingering kiss, a cold and angry voice rang out like thunder.

“An Yi, what the hell are you doing?!”

^[1]Author’s Note:

Someone is about to start yelling, and he might be a bit loud, so please bear with him.