After saying this, Luo Chi immediately closed his eyes, pretending very realistically to have fallen asleep in a second.

After all, it was too embarrassing.

…What kind of tough guy doesn’t sleep properly and secretly says such things to someone?

And the main ingredients were Yakult and Wahaha.

But the deal they just made was settled, and Ming Weiting had nodded.

From now on, he could sleep soundly without worrying that the ship would be gone when he woke up.

“The ship will always be here,” Ming Weiting said softly. “Huo Miao.”

Ming Weiting probably really believed he was fast asleep. He turned sideways to carefully arrange the blanket for him and gently stroked Luo Chi’s hair. “You have to grow up well.”

Of course Luo Chi would grow up well.

Under the blanket, he found Ming Weiting’s clothes and quietly gripped a corner.

Although their clothes were the same style, and his own was just as soft and super comfortable to wear… for some reason, it seemed Ming Weiting’s was better to hold onto.

Maybe it was because the one Ming Weiting was wearing was a larger size.

Although there was only a two-year age difference, Ming Weiting was much taller than him.

He also wanted to grow as tall as Ming Weiting.

He wondered if he could grow up faster.

The more Luo Chi thought, the hotter he felt. He slowly slid down, hiding most of his face under the blanket.

He had clearly not slept eight hours last night. After his heart pounded with excitement for a while, drowsiness crept up on him, and he really did fall asleep on Ming Weiting’s shoulder.

…

Feeling the weight on his shoulder, Ming Weiting paused and shifted his gaze.

Huo Miao was sleeping soundly.

Meeting again after a month, the boy’s health seemed to have improved a lot.

His past injuries had healed, the old injury on his back was slowly recovering, and he was much more energetic and lively than before.

Even in an unfamiliar environment, he could fall asleep peacefully.

Ming Weiting gripped the armrest, carefully adjusting his position to let him lean more comfortably.

When Luo Chi’s eyes were closed like this, his eyelashes looked even longer than usual.

He was able to fall asleep because his mom and Ming Weiting were by his side. Once asleep, his body unconsciously moved closer to the source of his comfort, curled up into a small ball under the blanket.

Ming Weiting looked down for a while, but still couldn’t resist raising a hand to ruffle Huo Miao’s soft, black hair.

This was the first time Ming Weiting had been away from his ship, staying on shore for so long.

He had gotten carsick on the way and wasn’t quite used to the plane either. According to the information he’d looked up last night, changes in air pressure could cause some discomfort, and the vibrations of the plane could also make one feel dizzy.

…But it was only now that Ming Weiting suddenly realized that he hadn’t seemed to notice any discomfort from these factors at all.

Ming Weiting came to his senses. He noticed overly bright sunlight shining in from the window, so he raised his hand to shield Luo Chi’s face, then leaned over to pull down the shade on Luo Chi’s side.

Luo Chi was already very used to his touch and wasn’t tense at all. He mumbled from under his palm, “Are we there?”

“Not yet,” Ming Weiting said softly. “Sleep a little longer.”

Huo Miao was very obedient. He nodded and closed his eyes again.

His eyelashes were indeed very long. They seemed to create a slight breeze as they brushed against Ming Weiting’s palm.

Ming Weiting couldn’t help but curl his fingers and gently touch those lashes.

Luo Chi had just woken up and wasn’t deeply asleep yet. The tickling made him blink a few times, and he opened his eyes to look around.

Young Master Ming was quick. The hand that had just been there was already retracted behind his back with lightning speed. “What’s wrong?”

“I don’t know,” Luo Chi rubbed his eyes. “It’s a little itchy. Maybe there’s a bug.”

He subconsciously asked Ming Weiting, “Are there bugs on planes too?”

It was Ming Weiting’s first time doing this, and he hadn’t thought of a suitable reply yet. He paused at the question.

In the few seconds of delay, Luo Chi had woken up a little more and remembered on his own: “It’s your first time on a plane too, you don’t know.”

Young Master Ming breathed a sigh of relief and nodded calmly, “Right.”

“Be careful not to get bitten,” Luo Chi reminded him. “I have mosquito repellent cream in my bag.”

The white noise of the plane was strangely relaxing. Luo Chi was sleeping comfortably and slid further into the blanket. “Are there mosquitoes at sea?”

Ming Weiting shook his head. “There are on islands and on the shore, but almost none at sea.”

“That’s great.”

Luo Chi sighed with longing, raised his hand, and pretended to write a line in the air: “The 197th reason to like the sea.”

He still wasn’t fully awake. Rubbing his eyes, he sat there muttering to himself, his voice so low it was easy to miss.

But the two were sitting very close, sharing a blanket, and each had the other’s clothes held hostage.

And Young Master Ming’s hearing had always been exceptionally good.

Ming Weiting turned his head and asked in a low voice, “What are the first one hundred and ninety-six?”

Luo Chi was truly sleepy and was already on the verge of falling asleep again. Hearing this question, he forced one eye open: “The first one, Mom likes the sea.”

That was, of course, the most important reason.

Ren Shuangmei had always loved the sea, which was why she had bought the villa by the sea in the first place.

Luo Chi had also loved the sea as a child; the places he most wanted to go were the seaside and the aquarium. Later, there was a period when he only wanted to stay at home and go nowhere, and then later still, his mom took him to the sea again.

Luo Chi was actually afraid of the sea back then. He couldn’t quite explain where this fear came from. Perhaps it was because the sea was too vast and boundless, perhaps because there were too many people on the beach… or perhaps it was simply because he didn’t want to leave home no matter what.

Until his mom pulled him to the seaside, and he accidentally fell asleep in her arms, waking up to find that his mom was still there.

The sky had darkened, stars were reflected in the water, and the night sea breeze was cool and gentle.

His mom hadn’t left. She was still holding him, gently stroking his hair, her eyes curved into a smile as she looked down at him.

It wasn’t until that moment that he suddenly realized the sea was still so much fun.

Luo Chi slowly rolled the corner of the clothes in his hand. He was more talkative when he was half-asleep, and without Ming Weiting needing to ask, he continued counting on his own.

The second reason was that there was lots of delicious food by the sea, and you could go clam digging yourself.

The third reason was that the shells on the beach were very pretty.

The fourth reason was that the climate by the sea was very comfortable.

The fifth reason was that the sunrise over the sea was ten thousand times more beautiful than a regular sunrise.

…

The nineteenth reason was that his best friend came from the sea.

Luo Chi was clearly listing the reasons in chronological order. Ming Weiting was still somewhat worried that Huo Miao would get thirsty from counting all the way to a hundred, not expecting his own ranking to be so high. “Is that me?”

Huo Miao poked his head out from the blanket, his eyes wide like copper bells, staring at him righteously.

Ming Weiting couldn’t help but laugh. He nodded and proactively apologized for asking such a pointless question. “It’s me.”

Huo Miao was very easy to please. A pat on the head and his eyes curved. “It’s you.”

Just then, the plane hit a patch of turbulence and suddenly jolted.

This stretch of strong turbulence was more intense than usual, and the plane’s jolting lasted for quite a while. Even the announcement in the cabin sounded several times.

Ren Shuangmei looked back and found that neither of the boys was nervous. They were still huddled under the blanket, whispering to each other with great concentration.

Ming Weiting raised a hand to protect Luo Chi’s head. They held onto the slipping blanket together, their eyes wide as they peered out the window together.

The plane was passing through a thick layer of clouds. The clouds flowed slowly, dispersing and gathering again, looking both magnificent and exceptionally mysterious.

Ren Shuangmei smiled, didn’t make a sound to disturb them, and quietly turned back.

Luo Chi was focused on the clouds outside, still muttering to Ming Weiting, “The twentieth reason is that my best friend came from the sea.”

The twenty-first reason was that his best friend came from the sea.

The twenty-second, twenty-third, twenty-fourth… the ninety-ninth reason was that his best friend always came from the sea.

The one-hundredth reason was that his best friend had told him many stories about the sea, and every single one was fun, and he wanted to see them all.

Ming Weiting was stunned for a moment, didn’t speak, but lowered his head and listened as Huo Miao accurately recited every place he had mentioned.

Luo Chi counted all the way to the reason “there are no mosquitoes at sea” before he finally stopped with satisfaction and downed the cola Ming Weiting handed him. “Am I amazing or what?”

Ming Weiting nodded seriously. “Super amazing.”

“My first one hundred reasons for liking the land,” Ming Weiting looked at him. “The most amazing Huo Miao is on shore.”

The most amazing Huo Miao’s ears turned bright red at the praise. The corners of his mouth lifted uncontrollably as he slid back under the blanket, all warm and flustered.

Ming Weiting patted his head, a smile in his eyes.

He was about to speak when he heard the announcement on the plane’s broadcast and suddenly paused.

Luo Chi asked in a small voice, “What’s wrong?”

Ming Weiting said, “I’ve been away from the ship for thirty-six hours.”

At sea, no one would leave their ship for that long.

For people of the sea, leaving their own ship was like leaving a safe zone. Lingering outside the ship for a long time was absolutely the riskiest behavior.

…But it seemed he hadn’t thought about this at all.

“It’s okay,” Ming Weiting met Huo Miao’s gaze and offered him the corner of his own clothes. “I’m in no hurry to go back at all.”

Luo Chi’s eyes suddenly lit up. Then, remembering that he was supposed to be a tough guy, he did his best to keep his mouth from smiling.

Some little tough guys might look serious on the surface, but under the blanket, they had already quickly and firmly gripped the corner of someone’s clothes.

Ming Weiting smiled, then lay down with Huo Miao and closed his eyes.

Together they listened to the landing announcement. The popping sound from the plane’s descent was particularly loud, so it seemed to cover the sound of their heartbeats.

The plane’s landing gear touched the ground, and the whole fuselage shook with it. Luo Chi subconsciously raised his hand and was already held steadily by Ming Weiting.

Ming Weiting suddenly asked, “Do you like hang gliding?”

Luo Chi was still gripping his hand tightly out of nervousness. Hearing this, he paused and thought carefully. “A little scared… but Mom likes it.”

Since his mom liked it, there was a high probability he would like it in the future too.

He wasn’t as brave as his mom, but courage could be trained. His mom said she didn’t dare to bungee jump at first either, but after screaming her way down once, she felt like nothing was a big deal anymore.

“I’m scared too,” Ming Weiting said. “But maybe I’ll like it in the future.”

When Uncle Lu heard he was going to “chase a star,” because he also didn’t know the methods for chasing stars, he chose the closest analogy and told him how his father had pursued his mother back then.

Ming Weiting heard from Uncle Lu that his father had once taken his mother flying over the sea on a hang glider. He hadn’t quite understood the point of such an activity before, but now it seemed he could start to figure it out.

The rapid soaring and descent would create a strong sense of excitement. This stimulation not only made one feel uneasy but also excited, making one’s heartbeat much faster than usual.

…

This feeling was just like when he invited Huo Miao out to sea and saw him agree.

He also wanted to take Huo Miao flying over the sea.

He also wanted to go horse riding on the grassland with Huo Miao, go to a water park and a masquerade ball, to a bustling night market, to explore a remote jungle on an island, and to chase fireworks.

Young Master Ming decided that as soon as they landed, he would secretly send a message to Uncle Lu under a disguised identity to ask for all the details of how his father pursued his mother, and apply them all to his star-chasing.

…

As the plane taxied on the runway, Ming Weiting held Huo Miao’s hand tightly, returning with him from the sky to the ground.

The two of them were together.

And that made him feel as if he were on his own ship.