Young Master Ming had received training in piloting many types of vehicles and held numerous related certifications. He was especially skilled with all kinds of ships, sailboats, and motorboats.

…But he couldn’t ride a horse.

The travel guide didn’t offer any tips on the subject, either.

Ming Weiting closed the last page and opened his personal notebook, reviewing the relevant points one more time. Just as he was about to leave the terrace, he suddenly heard a distinct sound from inside the room.

It was a clear, loud noise, like something heavy had crashed to the floor.

Frowning, Ming Weiting pushed aside the curtain and strode back into the room, coming face to face with Luo Chi, whose hand was already reaching for the door.

Their eyes met, and both were a bit surprised, freezing for a moment.

Ming Weiting drew the curtain closed and walked over quickly. “What happened?”

Luo Chi snapped out of it, blinked, and pulled his hand back, shaking his head.

He watched Ming Weiting approach and asked in a small voice, “You didn’t leave?”

“No,” Ming Weiting said. “You thought I had?”

Luo Chi rubbed his ear, coughed lightly, and nodded, a little embarrassed.

He had gone to bed too late the previous night. Although his biological clock woke him up on time, he wasn’t fully conscious, half of his thoughts still roaming the boundless grasslands of his dreams.

His mom was home today and had made a special agreement with Huo Miao, forbidding him from sneaking into the kitchen. He was allowed to sleep in as long as he wanted and come down for breakfast with his friend when he woke up.

Luo Chi stretched lazily, lingering in bed for a while longer wrapped in his blanket. He rolled over to say good morning to Ming Weiting, only to find the space beside him empty.

It took Luo Chi three seconds to spring out of bed and hit the floor, intending to rush downstairs and ask his mom if the ship had another urgent matter requiring them to leave. He never imagined someone would enter from the curtained-off terrace.

…

He was too embarrassed to admit it, but Ming Weiting had already guessed the reason. “It’s my fault.”

Luo Chi was taken aback. “What?”

“Uncle Lu taught me to always say a proper goodbye when I leave.”

Ming Weiting said, “The last time I left, I didn’t say goodbye to you.”

As he spoke, he raised his hand and gently touched the top of Huo Miao’s head. “From now on, as long as I haven’t said goodbye, I won’t leave.”

Luo Chi couldn’t understand how this was Ming Weiting’s fault and was about to explain when his next words made him pause. For some reason, his ears suddenly burned.

Luo Chi stood at the entrance of the living room, his heart warming silently as Ming Weiting gently ruffled his hair.

“I’m the one initiating this promise,” Ming Weiting said, raising his right fist. “Huo Miao.”

Ming Weiting continued, “If your heart wants to agree, then we have a deal.”

Luo Chi took a deep breath and nodded forcefully.

He wanted to agree. He clenched his fist and mimicked Ming Weiting’s gesture, bumping his fist against his.

Ming Weiting also seemed to relax. Looking down at the suddenly happy Huo Miao, a smile appeared in his dark eyes.

Ming Weiting confirmed softly, “It’s a promise.”

“It’s a promise,” Luo Chi said. “Me too.”

He promised Ming Weiting, “No goodbye, no leaving.”

Ming Weiting nodded, then steadied Huo Miao’s shoulders to help him stand properly. He raised his hand to tidy his slightly messy hair.

Perhaps due to his constitution, Luo Chi’s hair was a little softer than average. Even though it was tousled from a night of sleep, a gentle pat was all it took for the sticking-up strands to obediently fall back into place.

Luo Chi stood straight against the door, letting him fix his hair, his mind completely filled with the promise they had just made.

…No goodbye, no leaving.

How could something this good exist?

Luo Chi thought to himself, growing happier the more he thought about it, the corners of his mouth lifting uncontrollably.

Ming Weiting looked down and asked, “What are you so happy about?”

Luo Chi decided to keep it a secret, pressing his lips firmly together and shaking his head as he pulled him towards the bathroom to wash up.

They squeezed toothpaste onto their brushes together. Standing side-by-side in front of the mirror, toothbrushes in their mouths, Luo Chi couldn’t help but nudge Ming Weiting’s arm and ask in a hushed voice, “Does it only count if we say goodbye in person?”

Ming Weiting paused for a moment, then understood. “Yes.”

“It only counts as a farewell if it’s said in person.”

Ming Weiting told him, “If you don’t hear me say goodbye, it means I will definitely come back. You must wait for me.”

Huo Miao looked up at him, his dark, clear eyes suddenly curving into a smile as he nodded emphatically.

His eyes were so bright that anyone who saw them would be infected by his happiness. Ming Weiting subconsciously raised a hand and ruffled Huo Miao’s hair, only then realizing his hand was wet, messing up the freshly tidied hair and leaving it damp and disheveled again.

“It’s okay,” Luo Chi said quietly, his ears even hotter than before. “Shaking it will fix it.”

Ming Weiting looked down. “Shaking it?”

Luo Chi nodded. He quickly brushed his teeth, rinsed his mouth, and dried his face. Standing firm, he gave his head a vigorous shake.

He shook his head with considerable force. Since they were standing so close, the flying water droplets immediately sprayed all over Ming Weiting.

Ming Weiting instinctively tried to dodge, but when he saw the irrepressible smile on Huo Miao’s face, he realized what was happening. A smile touched his own eyes as he put his hand under the faucet, collecting some water, and flicked it back at his head.

Luo Chi dodged quickly, but Young Master Ming’s reflexes were equally sharp. Halfway through washing up, they couldn’t resist starting a water fight. They only stopped, with no clear winner, when Ren Shuangmei knocked on the door to call the two boys for breakfast.

Luo Chi stood against the wall and loudly promised his mom they would be right down.

He and Ming Weiting exchanged a look, quickly tidied up the bathroom, and rushed back to the living room to change clothes.

Ming Weiting put on the casual clothes Mrs. Ren had prepared for him. He was still not quite used to such loose, soft fabrics. After adjusting his collar and cuffs, he looked over at Luo Chi.

Their outfits were the same style, just in different colors. His was a navy blue similar to what he usually wore, while Luo Chi’s was snow-white, with the cuffs rolled up high, making him look particularly dashing and neat.

Luo Chi, still a bit dissatisfied with his height, bounced on his toes in front of the mirror a couple of times. He noticed Ming Weiting looking at him. “What is it?”

“It looks great,” Ming Weiting said. “I was just thinking you’d look incredibly cool in a captain’s uniform, too.”

Luo Chi’s face flushed at the compliment. “You’re cool too.”

Ming Weiting was taller than him, and the navy blue, semi-athletic casual wear made him look cool, handsome, and steady.

Luo Chi had actually dreamed last night that Ming Weiting was teaching him how to pilot a ship, but he couldn’t learn no matter what and broke out in an anxious sweat.

He made the bed, folded the quilt, and pulled Ming Weiting downstairs for breakfast, telling him about the dream along the way.

At this age, there wasn’t a boy who didn’t admire a friend who was older, more composed, and knew how to do everything. Luo Chi was no exception. He chattered on for a while before muttering under his breath, “It would be so great if we never had to say goodbye.”

His voice was too low, and Ming Weiting didn’t hear him. He stopped and asked, “What?”

Luo Chi’s ears burned. He touched the handrail and coughed lightly. “I want to… learn things from you.”

“I’ll learn whatever you teach,” Luo Chi said, rushing out the last part. “I’ll just keep learning until I’m done, so we don’t have to say goodbye.”

Ming Weiting, who had walked to his side, stopped in his tracks.

Luo Chi, who was still talking, paused and stopped as well. “What’s wrong?”

Ming Weiting asked, “What if there’s something I don’t know and can’t teach you?”

Luo Chi had never considered such a problem. He was a bit surprised and blinked.

…

Wouldn’t that be completely normal?

Everyone has things they are good at and things they aren’t. Everyone has things they can’t do.

For example, Luo Chi, in all honesty, no matter how blindly he admired Ming Weiting, would never try to learn how to stack seashells into a mysterious summoning circle from him.

He really just wanted to spend more time with Ming Weiting. Even if there was nothing for him to teach, it didn’t matter at all.

…But Ming Weiting’s expression was just too serious.

Luo Chi couldn’t help it. He pressed his lips together, trying to suppress a smile, and pretended to ponder gravely. “Then I’ll have to think about it.”

Ming Weiting wasn’t surprised by this answer. He nodded, took Luo Chi’s hand, and walked downstairs with him to wish Mrs. Ren a good morning.

The two boys seemed to be getting along even better than yesterday, sticking together no matter what they did.

Ren Shuangmei was quite pleased. She handed each of them a cup of hot milk with sugar and set out breakfast. “Did you rest well last night?”

Luo Chi, although he had slept less, his sleep quality was excellent. He’d had several wonderful dreams and nodded with confidence. “Super well.”

After answering, he saw Ming Weiting nod as well and felt even more admiration, remembering that the other boy had woken up even earlier than him.

Ming Weiting had gone to sleep earlier and woken up earlier. Going out to the terrace was clearly to avoid disturbing him and let him sleep a little longer.

Though not much older, it was no wonder Ming Weiting could already do so much for his family, go to sea alone, and travel on cruise ship routes.

Luo Chi took several big gulps of milk and chewed slowly on a freshly toasted slice of bread, his fighting spirit a little stronger than before.

They were heading to the airport soon. Luo Chi wolfed down his breakfast and then, with his mother, went over the list of things to pack one last time.

Reminded by him, Ren Shuangmei added a few things she had almost forgotten and then urged Huo Miao to go pick out his favorite snacks.

Before coming home with his mother, Luo Chi had hardly ever eaten snacks.

Mrs. Luo had thought such things were unhealthy and forbade the children in the house from eating too many. In the years that followed, let alone snacks, just being able to fill his stomach was a blessing.

…

Later, when he finally had the chance, Luo Chi was almost never out of the hospital. It was either taking medicine or fasting from food and water; he could count the number of times he’d eaten candy on one hand.

The day Ren Shuangmei brought Luo Chi home, she had Huo Miao list all the snacks he ever wanted to eat and specially created a small room full of them, available for Luo Chi to take whenever he wanted.

Luo Chi picked out the snacks he wanted to eat on the road, stuffed them into his hiking backpack, and eagerly carried it back. He took out a few of his favorite peach-flavored candies and ran to share them with Ming Weiting, only to find him looking unusually serious about something.

Luo Chi squatted down with his backpack and dangled the candy in front of Ming Weiting’s eyes. “What’s wrong?”

He knew that Ming Weiting had lived his whole life at sea and worried that he was nervous about flying. He proactively reached out his hand. “It’s okay.”

“Our tickets are together, we’ll sit next to each other,” Luo Chi said, patting Ming Weiting’s hand with the same steady demeanor as his mother. “If you’re scared, just hold my hand.”

Ming Weiting looked at the hand resting on the back of his own, came to his senses, and nodded.

He wasn’t worried about that. He looked at the Huo Miao in front of him and, after a brief silence, asked, “Do you want to learn how to pilot a ship?”

Luo Chi was taken aback, then nodded.

In the long run, this was something he definitely wanted to learn from Ming Weiting.

His mother had said she wanted him to be a captain, and Luo Chi himself thought that piloting a ship would be the coolest thing ever.

On his wish list, he had always hoped to have his own ship, to go wherever he wanted.

…However, the place they were going was the grasslands. For now, it seemed the environment wasn’t quite suitable for learning to pilot a ship.

Ming Weiting was clearly thinking about this too. “I can also pilot sailboats, motorboats, and canoes.”

Luo Chi’s eyes widened. “Canoes too?”

Ming Weiting explained, “It depends on the environment. Sometimes you encounter relatively harsh conditions.”

…

But canoes didn’t seem very useful on the grasslands either.

Drawing from his father’s experience, Ming Weiting had very little confidence in horse riding. None of the training he had ever received seemed to have any transferable skills for this activity.

Ming Weiting didn’t want to say goodbye to Luo Chi. He was silent for a long while before finally asking Huo Miao, “Do you want to learn how to ride a dolphin?”