Mo Lin didn’t remember how she fell asleep. The next morning, she was woken up by Cheng Lulu, who called out, “Mo Lin, come quickly! The sun is rising!”
Drowsily, Mo Lin was pulled out of the cabin by Cheng Lulu, with a towel draped over her arm, and climbed onto the deck.
They sat on the edge of the deck, watching as the sailboat floated on the sea. The sky and sea, once indistinguishable, began to separate as the sunrise illuminated the ocean. The solitary sun showcased its warmth and authority, effortlessly awakening all life in the sea.
Accompanied by the sound of waves, the sun rose. Cheng Lulu sighed softly, “It feels like there’s a symphony in my head.”
“Yes,” Mo Lin replied just as softly, “I never realized that the sun rises like this every day when we’re not watching.”
“Right, we’ve missed so much,” Cheng Lulu mused. “When we didn’t see it, the fish swam like this, the sea was this vast! This world is full of beautiful scenes we’ve never seen, but we’ve been trapped in the city working. Well, you were working; I did play a bit.”
Mo Lin smiled and turned to see another boat anchored not far from them. The two guests on that boat were also up to watch the sunrise.
Seeing them, He Ye waved.
Cheng Lulu waved back, while Mo Lin looked at the person behind He Ye.
Across the sea and the morning light, the two solitary boats mirrored each other in the vast ocean.
These two boats could never fully approach each other—contact would mean an accident, and in severe cases, one might capsize. Yet they couldn’t drift too far apart either, as they needed to keep an eye on each other in the vast ocean, ready to assist in case of an emergency.
Mo Lin suddenly felt that marriage was like sailing on the sea; stability was paramount.
And love…
Mo Lin stood up and waved at the other boat.
As she expected, Jiang Yuanmu waved back. With no cell signal, their first greeting of the day was through a wave.
Mo Lin smiled, her hand still raised. Behind her, the navigator was preparing food, attempting to flip the pan. He failed, nearly spilling the contents, and instinctively leaned back, bumping into Mo Lin, who was standing on the deck near the sofa.
The deck’s rail was a thin rope, not very high. Mo Lin wobbled slightly.
Coincidentally, Mo Lin’s previously injured hand hadn’t fully healed, and she didn’t dare to grip the rope tightly. Thus, she fell into the sea.
“Mo Lin!” Cheng Lulu exclaimed in shock. The sailor and the captain reacted swiftly—one grabbed a life ring, and the other immediately threw it to where Mo Lin had fallen.
The seawater in this area wasn’t cold, and it had greater buoyancy than an ordinary swimming pool. Mo Lin quickly floated back up after falling in.
“No worries…” Mo Lin quickly grabbed the life ring and caught her breath, “I can swim.”
Apart from the salty sea water, she felt fine.
She had learned to swim during her university days, not swiftly, but enough to save herself. She had always told herself that such skills didn’t need to be mastered, just known.
With the danger averted, the navigator and the tour guide, who were about to jump in, relaxed.
The captain, a seasoned seafarer, joked, “A swim before a meal makes the food taste better!”
The navigator quickly apologized, “Sorry, sorry, hold on, we’ll lower the ladder for you.”
“Okay,” Mo Lin responded, but then she heard some commotion from the other boat.
She looked over from the water. The sea was relatively calm, but her body still rose and fell with the waves. When the waves were low, she saw that there was one less person on the other boat, and He Ye was shouting something.
When the waves were high, she saw a figure swimming towards their boat from He Ye’s direction.
Realizing who it was and what he was doing, Mo Lin’s heart began to race, far more than when she had fallen into the water.
“That’s unnecessary!” Cheng Lulu exclaimed in disbelief, “Captain, use the radio to tell them Mo Lin’s fine. He doesn’t need to swim over!”
The captain followed Cheng Lulu’s suggestion and radioed the other boat, but Jiang Yuanmu had already swum a considerable distance. In the water, he couldn’t hear their shouts and continued swimming towards Mo Lin.
Mo Lin let go of the life ring, bobbing up and down with the waves.
“Mo Lin, where are you going?” Cheng Lulu called out.
Mo Lin didn’t respond. She swam towards Jiang Yuanmu, keeping her head up to navigate, swimming in his direction.
“There’s no need!” Cheng Lulu exclaimed.
One of Mo Lin’s hands was still a bit weak, making her swim slowly. By the time they could see each other’s faces, she hadn’t moved more than twenty meters from the boat. They met in the water.
The warm sea wasn’t as dramatic and tragic as in Titanic. When they met in the ocean, both were panting, their faces flushed from swimming.
“I’m fine, I can swim,” Mo Lin said, treading water as they paused in the sea.
Jiang Yuanmu, breathing heavily, gave a resigned smile. “Halfway through swimming, I realized from everyone’s reactions that you were okay.”
“Then why did you keep swimming?” Mo Lin shook her head, “That wasn’t rational.”
“I needed to see you today, might as well be now.”
Mo Lin looked at the soaking wet Jiang Yuanmu, thinking she must look just as bedraggled to him.
“You aren’t quite the same as when I first met you. But… Jiang Yuanmu,” Mo Lin called his name seriously as they drifted like water lilies, “I think I have changed too.”
The light of the sunrise illuminated the entire sea, simultaneously brightening their eyes.
“I’ve fallen in love with you too,” Mo Lin’s voice was soft but clear, “Unknowingly, I couldn’t escape having the same feelings for you.”
Jiang Yuanmu’s throat tightened, and he stared at Mo Lin without saying a word.
Mo Lin steadied herself and continued, “Based on our past interactions, I can’t judge at this moment whether our feelings will benefit our relationship. I think we need to find time…”
“Mo Lin,” Jiang Yuanmu interrupted her, “Hold your breath.”
Mo Lin was puzzled but instinctively complied. At that moment, Jiang Yuanmu pulled her close, cupping her face, and kissed her deeply.
The salty sea water felt like tears, but in that kiss, it tasted as sweet as honey.
Their bodies briefly sank, experiencing a moment of weightlessness before being lifted again by the cradle of creation. They kissed amidst the tranquility and grandeur.
The slight breathlessness, the dizzying weightlessness, and finally, the breath of salvation as they surfaced.
In that breath, they clung to each other, finding solace in the vast ocean, using each other as lifelines.
Marriage is like sailing, while love… is like two people falling into the sea.
It’s two individuals embracing in the midst of a great torrent.
It’s unnecessary, irrational, too close, yet irresistible…
For Jiang Yuanmu, love might be an epiphany overnight, while for Mo Lin, love might be the courage to embrace the unknown.
They had no idea where it came from, but they found themselves deeply ensnared, unable to escape.
After being “rescued” onto the boat, the personnel on the two vessels made some subtle adjustments.
Jiang Yuanmu and Mo Lin ended up on one boat, while Cheng Lulu and He Ye switched to the other.
From that point on, the journey felt less like a vacation and more like a honeymoon.
The four of them occasionally gathered together for sea fishing, stargazing, drinking, reminiscing about the past, and discussing the future.
When the five-day, four-night trip ended, and they returned to shore, Ji Ming greeted them with a woeful expression, lamenting how long the time had been. Meanwhile, Mo Lin and the others felt that the time was still too short.
Too short to talk about everything in their lives.
After disembarking, leaving the sea and the rhythm of nature behind, Jiang Yuanmu and Mo Lin didn’t immediately return to their work routines.
With a mutual understanding, they “granted” themselves an extra day off.
That day, in their cozy home, at their familiar dining table, they took out the agreement they signed five years ago and laid it on the table.
Mo Lin put on her frameless glasses and took out her laptop, and Jiang Yuanmu reciprocated with the same “etiquette.”
Reviewing their marriage contract again, Mo Lin still thought it was perfect. It meticulously matched their lives, page by page, like flipping through their “marriage manual” from the past five years.
Perfect, truly perfect.
Mo Lin and Jiang Yuanmu continued their discussion about their future with an air of business-like precision, as they had always approached their marriage.
“If we want to raise a child, my current apartment will be a bit cramped.”
“Yes, my place can meet that need.”
“I’ll pay you rent on time, at the market rate.”
“Fine, the rent will go directly into our family fund account.”
Mo Lin nodded in agreement, “Yes, that makes sense. Rent is my personal money, and the family fund is shared.”
“Exactly. Future child-rearing and shared household expenses can be drawn from the family fund. I’ll transfer a fixed amount into it monthly to ensure our joint living expenses are covered.”
“Let’s continue to split that contribution 50-50.”
“I have a different opinion. Given that I can’t bear the responsibility of childbirth, I should contribute more financially. The funding should be split 70-30, with me contributing more.”
Mo Lin nodded in agreement.
“I won’t take an extra management fee for the family fund. Do you have any objections about the contract duration?” Mo Lin pointed to a clause, “As I suggested earlier, our contract term will change from five years to indefinite, with yearly renewals. Each year, we both have one opportunity to propose termination before renewal.”
“I have an objection,” Jiang Yuanmu stated, “This right should be given solely to you.”
Mo Lin was taken aback and looked at Jiang Yuanmu in surprise.
Jiang Yuanmu explained, “As I mentioned, due to physiological differences, I can’t take on the responsibility of childbirth. Therefore, based on the principle of equal rights and obligations, you should have more rights in the contract, like the right to initiate termination. If you terminate the contract, my property will automatically become yours as your residence. Of course, when you propose termination, I also have the right to seek reconciliation.”
Mo Lin’s hands paused on the keyboard. She looked at Jiang Yuanmu through her glasses. “This might not be a fair clause for you.”
Jiang Yuanmu smiled. “For you, it allows you to assess our relationship annually, judge whether we’re both fulfilling our duties, and the evaluation criteria can change each year or remain the same, giving you more peace of mind.”
Mo Lin found the words familiar and thought for a moment. “Did you get some outside help?”
“I asked Cheng Lulu about what you talked about before leaving for the sea. That doesn’t violate any rules, right?”
“Of course, it’s not a violation. Thank you for your thoughtfulness and willingness to understand me. And…” Mo Lin smiled at Jiang Yuanmu, “I’ve been thinking about those conversations over the past few days, applying them to us. I believe it would be hard for us to go from mutual admiration to mutual resentment.”
Jiang Yuanmu raised an eyebrow.
Mo Lin continued, “I am certain that at some point in the future, our love will fade. But a person’s character doesn’t disappear for no reason. Mr. Jiang, what made me admire you initially was your character.”
Jiang Yuanmu looked down, letting out a laugh.
He adjusted his clothes slightly, stood up, and extended his hand to Mo Lin. “It’s an honor. You too.”
Mo Lin pushed up her glasses, stood, and shook his hand. “You’re welcome.”
In the small room, they looked at each other across the dining table, their gaze reflecting the same admiration as when they first met.
I have to admit, I teared up a little…
This is the end! Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed this novel as much as I did 😘
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