Chapter 15

Emily raised an eyebrow, "So precise? Do you charge for driving me here too?"

"If you offer, I'll definitely take it," Michael squinted and pointed to the service area. "It's almost noon. How about you treat me to lunch?"

Emily smiled, "Sure."

The service area cafeteria had limited options. They ordered a few steamed dishes and two bowls of soup, filling half the small table.

"This meal is just a stopgap. Tonight, once we reach the city, I'll treat you to beef hotpot," Emily handed Michael a pair of disposable chopsticks after removing the splinters.

"Alright," Michael accepted the chopsticks. "Have you called your brother yet?"

Emily's mother passed away early, and later her father also left when she was in her first year of high school. She and her brother relied on each other. Her brother, five years older, took over the family's beef hotpot restaurant after graduating from college.

Despite the hardships, the Teng family's hotpot restaurant gradually gained some fame. Not wealthy, but comfortable, their family led a modest, worry-free life.

Michael, upon hearing Emily talk about this, was excited, mentioning that he had visited the Teng family's restaurant several times with friends before, finding it excellent and reasonably priced.

Returning home and getting involved with Michael were both spur-of-the-moment decisions for Emily last night.

In the morning, while she was busy gathering evidence in the car, Michael reminded her, and she quickly called Teng Jie.

"Sis, didn't you see your sister-in-law's WeChat moments? We went to Nan'ao Island yesterday! Jin Jin was eager to play at the beach, saying her summer vacation was almost over and she hadn't yet swum in the sea."

Teng Jie was surprised, "Sis, why did you suddenly come back? Are you with James?"

Emily hesitated, then replied, "No, I came with a friend. He wanted to visit Shuishan."

Michael hadn't started eating yet. Hearing this, he glanced at her.

Emily whispered, "Brother, it's unlikely, but if James contacts you, please don't tell him I came back."

Teng Jie paused, sensing something, and asked quietly, "Sis, did something happen? Did you fight with James?"

"No... You and sis-in-law and Jin Jin have fun. We'll talk later."

Emily knew how busy her brother and sister-in-law were during holidays. She didn't want to disrupt their family time.

Teng Jie didn't press further, "...We'll be back by noon tomorrow. When are you leaving?"

"My friend is only free on weekends, so we'll head back to Eldoria on Sunday afternoon."

"Alright, then take your friend around. Come to the restaurant for lunch tomorrow. We'll talk then."

A wave of sadness washed over Emily, and she bit her lip to hold back tears, "Okay, brother, don't worry."

"...Okay."

After hanging up, Michael asked, "What's up? Your brother went out?"

Emily nodded, her voice muffled, "He took my sister-in-law and niece out. They'll be back tomorrow noon."

"I see—" Michael ate a few bites, his cheeks puffed, asking, "So, should we stick to the original plan and go to Shuishan?"

Emily was puzzled, "Hmm? If we don't go to Shuishan, where else can we go?"

Michael swallowed his food and grinned, "The world is vast, you can go anywhere you want."

He tapped his phone, then pushed it to Emily, "Look, see if there's anywhere nearby you want to visit."

The phone showed a map, pinpointing their location on the highway, a gray landmass connected to the light blue sea.

—This highway was built along the coast, with some sections carrying the scent of the ocean.

Emily nibbled at her food while scrolling on the phone. Suddenly, she stopped, enlarged the map, and asked Michael, "Didn't you say you often collect seafood around here?"

Michael looked over. Emily was pointing to Shenquan Harbor. He had mentioned this while chatting with her in the car yesterday.

In the 90s, logistics weren't as advanced. Inspecting and collecting goods required personal visits. On weekends or holidays, Michael and his sister followed their father to the fishing villages in that area, sneaking off to play in the waves, swim, and catch crabs while their father worked.

Living in a landlocked place like Eldoria, the beach and the sea excited twelve or thirteen-year-olds.

His family situation was similar to Emily's but slightly luckier. Later, an accident disabled his father, leaving him without a leg. The burden of sourcing goods fell on his sister, Ye Zi, two years his senior.

A young woman in a port village, dealing with rough men, either faced contempt or harassment. Michael, worried for his sister, accompanied her until he could manage alone. Then, his sister handled the shop while he took on the heavy work.

This routine continued for years. Even with developed logistics and cold chain systems at the port, Michael still preferred personally selecting goods from the fishing villages.

"Have you been here before?" Michael pushed the radish and beef stew toward Emily, "Don't just eat rice, have some vegetables."

Despite being called radish and beef stew, the stainless steel plate was mostly radish, with the beef finely shredded. The radish, though, was well-seasoned. Emily took a piece, blew on it, and shook her head, "No, I haven't."

"Oh, then you're in luck. The fishing ban just lifted, and it's bustling." Michael raised his chin, looking like a local, "The fish market opens at four or five in the morning. If you can wake up, I'll take you there."

Emily, very interested, nodded eagerly, "I can!"

"You can? Sister, you can't even keep your eyes open past one or two," Michael teased.

"That's due to physical exhaustion," Emily glared at him.

Michael raised an eyebrow, "How do you know tonight won't be exhausting?"

With their legs close under the table, Emily, blushing, nudged his leg, telling him to stop joking and finish eating so they could continue their journey.

The drive from the service area to Shenquan Harbor was only an hour and a half. Once the car was back on the highway, Michael lowered the sun visor of the passenger seat, boasting, "I can drive this stretch with my eyes closed."

"You're so dramatic... But, do you have any hotel recommendations there? I want to book a room."

"No need, I have a friend who runs a hotel in the county. I'll get a room from him."

Michael made a call.

The car's Bluetooth broadcasted the conversation. The man on the other end was called Dong Longwang, while Michael was called Ye Laohu.

"Dong Longwang" seemed to have just woken up. They bantered and insulted each other, their tone playful but indicating a close relationship.

Michael asked for a suite: "The one on the top floor with a sea view."

Wang Longdong yawned, "Why do you need such a big room alone?"

Michael said, "I brought a friend."

"Huh?" The man perked up, "Your girlfriend?"

Both Michael and Emily were taken aback, looking at each other.

Emily was the first to shake her head.

Michael frowned briefly, then regained his nonchalant demeanor, eyes ahead, "No, just a friend, involved in food. Heard the fishing ban lifted, wanted to visit the fish market."

A sense of unease that had lingered since last night resurfaced in Michael's mind.

It shouldn't have been there, yet it was.

Probing, evasion, changing the subject...

As adults in their early thirties, they both knew Emily didn't intend for this spontaneous episode to continue.

They avoided discussing their relationship, using the term "friend" as a vague label.

They also avoided discussing their future.

In Emily's envisioned future, Anderson might not be present.

But among the restaurant patrons, Michael might not be there either.

And Michael asked himself if Emily would be in his future.

He frowned, pondering for a long time, unable to find a definite answer even as they neared the end of the highway.

The Cayenne, now covered in dust from the county road, stopped at Fulong Hotel's entrance. Michael carried their luggage inside, with Emily following, backpack on.

She sensed his foul mood. They drove silently, with only English songs playing in the car.

Emily didn't understand the reason and didn't ask.

Wang Longdong, busy in the afternoon, instructed the front desk to arrange a room for Michael. They didn't need to show their IDs and got the room card.

Fulong was the largest, most well-equipped hotel in the county, with a swimming pool and gym. The suite was on the twelfth floor, with a sea view.

As soon as they entered the room, Michael sat on the sofa and called Wang Longdong. Emily quietly unpacked, placing their toiletries in the bathroom and hanging their clothes in the closet.

Finally, she filled the kettle with water to boil for cleaning the hotel cups.

While waiting for the water to boil, Emily leaned against the bar, watching Michael on the phone.

He was hunched, elbows on his knees, holding the phone in one hand and playing with a lighter in the other, appearing relaxed but with tense shoulders.

Though his words were playful jokes, his face showed no mirth.

Occasionally, he'd look up, meet her gaze, then quickly look away.

When the kettle clicked, Michael abruptly rose and went to the bedroom, leaving Emily alone in the living room.

She fiddled with her fingers, lips pressed tightly together.