Huayu: From charlatan to great entertainer

Chapter 475 The End of the World, The Path of a Master (Bonus Chapter for DNF Magic Sword God) Best wishes to Xiao Liu for a White Magnolia Award
At 11:9 a.m. local time in Argentina on September 4, Lu Kuan, Liu Yifei and their entourage stepped out of the cabin and were greeted by a sky that was pressed down by leaden gray clouds.

At the end of the runway at Ushuaia Airport in early spring, the snow-capped peaks of the Andes Mountains seemed to bite the sky like blunt teeth, and the cold wind carried the salty smell of the South Pacific.

The white mist exhaled by Xiao Liu was instantly blown away by the wind. Only then did she notice that the water at the edge of the tarmac was covered with a thin layer of ice, and that icicles were also hanging from the metal supports on the roof of the terminal building in the distance, turning bluish-white in the gloomy light.

Lu Kuan reached out and tightened the camel-colored cashmere scarf around her neck, his fingertips touching the coolness of her nose: "The perceived temperature must be below zero now, are you not feeling hot anymore?"

Liu Yifei's nose was slightly red, and she said in a sweet and innocent tone, "I have exited the cabin and feel good."

Boss Lu responded with a thumbs up.

Unlike the casual and rushed itinerary in Buenos Aires, all the travel plans, transportation, and accommodations for this trip were arranged yesterday, and the Argentine tour guide, Maria Cortes, had been waiting for a long time.

As requested by her employer, she kept quiet, holding up a sign that read "Lu&Liu," and from afar, she spotted two handsome Chinese-American faces.

Maria had served many clients, but this was the first time she had met such a renowned employer.

She looked up information about the two women online. The girl was a Best Actress at the Berlin Film Festival and had won Best Special Effects in Hollywood for one of her films, but unfortunately, she hadn't seen either of them. She didn't have any other accolades.

But the chief director of the Beijing Olympics, who was chatting and laughing with the girl next to him while waving to himself, is a real tycoon who even appeared on the cover of Time magazine a few days ago!

What is this concept?
Maria graduated from the University of Buenos Aires with a degree in tourism, making her a minor intellectual. Such South American students tend to have strong faith in the cultural and economic authority of the United States, especially given the declining economic situation in Argentina.

In her view, the fact that this man could appear on the cover of Time magazine, a magazine that even warlords and presidents in South America couldn't, shocked her with his status and power.

“Mr. Lu!” She strode forward, her suede boots clicking crisply on the ground, the guide badge on her chest gleaming.

"Sir, Madam, welcome to Ushuaia! I am Maria."

Lu and Liu shook hands with her in a friendly manner. Boss Lu smiled and said, "You speak English very well. We'll follow your arrangements for the next two days."

"No problem, the three rented cars are outside, let's head to our accommodation first!"

Maria was somewhat taken aback by the truly massive security team, but she pretended to be relaxed and said, "Mr. Lu, actually, Ushuaia has a very good security situation, with only a few criminal cases a year."

Xiao Liu asked curiously, "Was this place a place where serious criminals were exiled a long time ago?"

“That’s right, but the residents are friendly now,” Maria explained. “It’s surrounded by the sea on three sides and the Andes Mountains on the other. It’s a natural island, and criminals don’t even have a way to escape.”

"Moreover, the city's total population is only 4, community relations are very close, Ushuaia is also the place with the highest average income in Argentina, the welfare is very good, and very few people would risk being deported to commit a crime."

"Really?" Liu Yifei was pleased, then turned to her boyfriend: "Then we can let Afei and the others go and explore on their own, they don't need to come with us."

Lu Kuan shook his head: "Forget it, he won't leave even if you ask him to. The others can stay away."

“That’s true.” Xiao Liu smiled sweetly at the Argentine female director: “Maria, there don’t seem to be many people on the street.”

“Yes, it’s the off-season now.” Maria gestured for the driver to turn right, and then carefully explained, “Ushuaia is the starting point for Antarctic tourism. People usually start gathering in early October, when the Antarctic climate is the mildest and wild animals are frequently seen. You two have arrived a bit early.”

Xiao Liu was very satisfied: "The off-season is also good, quiet and safe."

She's looking for the feeling of being at the edge of the world. If it's like rush hour on her way to work in Beijing, then the world is just too congested.

"Sir, Madam, let me brief you on the future procedures and see if any adjustments are needed."

"Okay, go ahead."

Maria was very professional: "You two are going to return to Buenos Aires before noon on the 6th to watch the World Cup qualifying match at River Plate's home stadium. I've already booked VIP seats for you."

"We only have two days in Ushuaia at most. After we settle in, we can first visit Tierra del Fuego National Park, which is only a dozen kilometers from the city center. After that, the two of you can take a rented luxury yacht out to sea, sail out through the Beagle Channel, and watch the sunset in a very safe spot near the shore..."

Liu Yifei asked impatiently, "Where's the aurora?"

"The aurora can be seen at night. You can go back after you've seen it."

"Also, the condition that the lady previously requested to see the emperor penguins cannot be met for the time being. If we set off for the outer islands of Antarctica now, even if we use an icebreaker regardless of cost, it will take more than a week."

Maria added, "Knowing that the lady likes small animals, we contacted a helicopter rental company that can fly to nearby Deception Island, where we should also be able to see the Adélie penguin colony."

"Yes, it's the same."

"The helicopter trip to Deception Island takes a long time, so we can flexibly arrange other activities during the day, and booked a candlelight dinner at a private dock for the two of them in the evening."

"Given the weather in Ushuaia, it won't be light until after 9:30 a.m. on the 6th, so no other activities have been scheduled."

"Sir/Madam, is the itinerary suitable for you?"

Maria cautiously glanced at Lu Kuan, hoping to discern any likes or dislikes from the important man's face.

Mr. Lu was taking photos by the car window when it took him a while to realize what was happening. He looked at the enthusiastic female tour guide and said, "Let me tell you about a difference in cultural habits."

"Sir, please speak."

"In the future, if we encounter tourists from China, and they are a couple, we can just let the lady make the decision."

"Don't ask men for their opinions, because it's not important and doesn't have much effect."

Liu Yifei smiled, revealing shallow dimples, and teased her boyfriend in Chinese, "Don't make me sound so domineering. What isn't something I ask your permission for first?"

Even though they couldn't communicate verbally, Maria knew from the charming appearance of the Berlin Film Festival Best Actress that the couple in front of her were probably flirting.

The female tour guide, sensing the unspoken meaning in the music, glanced at the rings on the couple's hands and turned to Xiao Liu with a sincere expression: "Madam, what do you think?"

The way she addressed her as "Madam" made Ms. Liu beam with joy: "No problem, but I have one request."

"It's best not to have anyone follow us unless absolutely necessary; we want to enjoy the journey on our own."

"Okay, got it."

She was getting tired of being surrounded by security guards in Buenos Aires and didn't feel as free as she had in Sicily last year.

But considering that safety is indispensable, it's actually better to return to Beiping, where it's safe and orderly.

After settling in quickly, Xiao Liu had no time to appreciate the luxurious hotel halfway up the mountain. Instead, she excitedly dragged her boyfriend off to Tierra del Fuego National Park.

As instructed, Maria waited at the entrance with the chartered driver, while only Ah Fei accompanied them, lagging far behind.

It did seem relatively safe; after walking along the Coastal Trail for ten minutes, we only saw two or three strangers in our field of vision. It was less dangerous than an unidentified bird that flew over our heads.

Because she was prepared to have her "photo-taking slave" take pictures of her at any time, Xiao Liu dressed up a bit today.

She was wrapped in a light gray velvet coat, and white-framed sunglasses hid half of her face in a cool and fashionable way, but the upturned corners of her mouth revealed a touch of childlike sweetness.

The girl posed for a photo in front of the rugged rocks, her black hair cascading down her shoulders like a waterfall, the hidden chestnut brown sheen in her hair resembling pine cones leaping in the forest, making her look playful and adorable.

"Ok?"

The enslaved man taking the photo nodded: "Yes, that's good. Now he even looks back to grab things... He smiled as he looked back. He's improved so much."

Liu Xiaolv was in a relaxed mood: "This lady does have some sense after all. My taste in clothes is much better now, isn't it?"

Lu Kuan smiled and said, "Don't ask me. I've seen you without clothes, so I can't remember what you look like with them on."

"Haha! You're quite the high-class pervert."

The two walked to a place with a beautiful view and gazed into the distance.

The sky was clear and blue, and the snow-capped peaks outlined the horizon with the brushstrokes of ice crystals, cutting the cold mountain ridgeline into two colors: one side was the cobalt blue of the sky, and the other side was the deep blue of the sea.

Not far away, Green Island lies like the back of a giant whale, its tundra woven like a tapestry, with broom flowers just beginning to bloom—spring in the Southern Hemisphere is quite enchanting.

Suddenly, a pair of albatrosses swept across the sky, their wingspans like silver sails cutting through the air. They spiraled upwards in near-perfect synchronization, drawing elegant arcs between the snow-capped peaks and the sea.

"So lovely."

Lu Kuan laughed and said, "You sent the tour guide away, so all I can hear now is 'It's so beautiful'."

"We have no way of knowing what makes it so beautiful, what the geological features of the national park are, or the distribution of its flora and fauna."

Xiao Liu raised an eyebrow in dissatisfaction: "Why do I need to know so much? Does making delicious food require you to know how a chef flips the wok?"

"Isn't this beautiful scenery and a beautiful woman like me enough for you? Do you even know what it means to say 'The beauty of heaven and earth is so great that it remains unspoken'?"

Boss Lu looked at Liu Xiaolu, who was moving like a machine gun: "I know, your name is Liu Damei. Just don't get lost later. I don't think we'll see many ghosts here."

"Don't worry, I've planned everything out." Xiao Liu said confidently, "There are service stations every few kilometers, and you can take a small train through the jungle ahead, and then you can return from there."

The girl checked the time on her phone: "There's food in Fei's bag. We'll just grab something quick for lunch, and then have a big meal on the yacht tonight. I had Maria find the best chef."

"I've gained so much weight these past few days, I'm afraid I won't look good in a cheongsam when I go back to the Beijing People's Art Theatre for the performance, and also for 'Under the Hawthorn Tree.' So today, you guys come with me on a long hike!"

Mr. Lu was speechless. How did a wealthy person's trip to the sea turn into a budget trip for backpackers?

The two walked along the coastline for a while and finally arrived at the first landmark photo spot that Xiao Liu had envisioned:

The so-called "post office at the end of the world".

Upon closer inspection, the "World End Post Office" appears quite shabby.

In Lu Kuan's view, it was just a tin-roofed house covered with small advertisements standing out abruptly at the end of the gravel beach.

The rusted iron sign swayed slightly in the cold wind, and the exterior walls of the post office were covered with coins from various countries and yellowed postcards.

An Argentine stamp from the 1940s is sealed in resin inside a glass door frame; the postmark features a penguin carrying a letter.

But these things were different in the eyes of the pure-hearted young girl Liu Yifei; she had a brighter eye for beauty than her artist boyfriend.

Is the metal plate shaking?

It was the lingering melody of an old-fashioned music box coming from the post office, its winding mechanism almost finished.

A wall studded with coins?
Those are the vows woven in metal by romantic warriors from all over the world.

As for the "out-of-place tin house" in Mr. Lu's eyes, in the eyes of the innocent girl, it is a fairy tale box gilded by time, and every rust mark is a love letter written by the Antarctic wind and snow to the land.

Liu Yifei exclaimed excitedly, "Let's go! Let's write each other a love letter and then send it from here to Beiping, how about that?"

"Not good!" the washing machine said speechlessly. "Writing love letters is too cheesy, I can't do that."

Liu Xiaolv gritted his teeth: "You bastard, when you're thinking about... well, why can you just spout such sweet nothings? Are you sexually repressed?"

The lady put what she learned into practice.

The washing machine replied dismissively, "Why write love letters on a postcard that's only the size of a palm? We can just exchange blessings, and you can send a few to your girlfriends too."

Boss Lu put his arm around his girlfriend's shoulder and entered the tin-roofed house, where they were greeted by the musty smell of pine wood and ink.

The two looked around and found that the post office was more spacious than they had imagined. The walls were covered with yellowed world maps, and wind chimes made of Argentine pesos and currencies from various countries tinkled.

Xiao Liu looked curiously at an old-fashioned telegraph machine in the corner. A thin layer of dust had settled on the glass cover, clearly indicating that it had been transformed from a common tool into a cultural and creative exhibit.

Fortunately, the Argentinian man behind the counter understood English, and with the help of Xiao Liu's broken Spanish and gestures, the two bought a thick stack of postcards with various characteristics.

Lu Kuan, the carefree shopkeeper, watched as his girlfriend took out her wallet and paid in small amounts. At that moment, the exchange rate between the Argentine yuan and the renminbi was about 1 to 2.3, so each postcard cost less than 5 yuan.

It’s too cheap.

It's unclear whether Ushuaia simply hasn't become popular yet, or if foreign tourist attractions aren't determined enough to rip off tourists.

Or, as Maria said, Ushuaia, as a hub for Antarctic research and tourism, already has a high level of income for its residents, coupled with stable welfare benefits, so there is no need for them to seek extra income.

Occasionally, two or three people would come and go in the post office. The young couple found a corner to sit down, and Xiao Liu began to solemnly fill the "radish hole".

"Lu Kuan, how about sending this picture of the glacier and blue hole to Tian Tian? It suits her clear and pure temperament perfectly."

"can."

"What about this lighthouse at the end of the world? It's really beautiful, let's give it to Changchang?"

Boss Lu took it and glanced at it: "It has a bad meaning. He will spend his whole life alone at the end of the world, the southernmost point of the Earth's continent, all alone and miserable."

Xiao Liu, with a sly smile, said, "Oh, right, then never mind, give it to Yang Mi."

"what?"

Liu Yifei covered her mouth and chuckled: "Haha! Just kidding, it's not that serious, we'll keep it ourselves."

"This sunrise over the sea is for Mom, the adorable Sea Lion Island is for Auntie, and the Andes snow-capped peaks are for Dad..."

After a busy ten minutes, the girl calmly pulled out a flamingo card and handed it to her boyfriend, while taking an albatross card for herself.

"Alright, this is ours. You can start writing now. You need to think about it carefully!"

Lu Kuan had already noticed her placing the two cards under her coffee cup and asked curiously, "Is there any significance to these two cards?"

The innocent girl seemed to have been born with a full grasp of romantic technology. In this post office at the end of the world, at the southernmost point of the human continent, she raised her wet eyes to look at her boyfriend, and her voice suddenly softened.

Flamingos have only one mate in their lifetime. They build nests, incubate eggs, and raise chicks together. When the mate dies, the survivor's red feathers gradually fade back to gray, as if it is voluntarily removing its medal of love.

"Albatrosses too."

"They migrate up to 1.5 kilometers each year, yet they can precisely return to their breeding grounds to wait for a mate. Some fly around Antarctica for twenty years before selecting a single mate, and then take turns incubating the eggs. During mating, they gently touch each other with their beaks to transfer warmth."

"Just before we were about to start a family, these two loyal birds happened to live at the ends of the earth."

"The road is wide, don't you think that's especially romantic?"

Liu Yifei looked at her boyfriend expectantly, her long eyelashes trembling slightly in the pale polar sunlight. When she tilted her head back, the pinkish tinge on the tip of her nose from the cold was quite adorable.

"Yes, Not Bad."

Xiao Liu brushed a stray hair behind her ear and used her coffee cup to shield the two of them: "Write carefully, don't let me see it. The surprise will be revealed when it's sent back to Beiping."

She suddenly gripped her boyfriend's hand tightly again: "I want you to write a sentence that can make me cry, you know?"

"Oh!" The washing machine maintained the professional expression of a director reviewing storyboards, but hesitated a bit when it started writing, and instead took out its phone to search for some things.

The innocent girl was already immersed in her own world, thinking about the travel information she had been reading that morning, and suddenly felt inspired to write on a postcard.

Flamingos bow their heads to drink water in the shallows, and in their rose-colored reflections, an ancient legend of rebirth for love slumbers.
As the albatross glides through a Category 12 storm, its taut wing bones measure a lonely vigil deeper than the ocean.

All fidelity is, in essence, a romantic escape from time and death.

The road is wide; today, at the ends of the earth, I write these words for you to express my true feelings.

. . .

The girl breathed a sigh of relief and looked up. Seeing the flowing calligraphy hidden by the coffee cup and the serious expression on his face, a sweet flutter rose in her heart.

What would he write?
Mr. Lu had some doubts, so he looked up some facts about animal habits.

The flamingo's red fading to grayish-white is actually a physiological response to reduced astaxanthin intake as it ages; the albatross's long-distance homing migration is also a genetic instinct for geomagnetic navigation in birds.

He paused after writing two lines.

If a postcard with only these two lines of "anti-inspirational" literature appeared alone in Xiao Liu's hands, he would probably become that lonely lighthouse in Ushuaia.

At the very least, they'll experience "sexual repression" for a few days; in more serious cases, they might be "widowed" right after getting married.

So he added another sentence, trying to make amends.

Yes, that way rationality and emotion coexist.

"Is it finished?"

The washing machine looked up and saw his girlfriend's expectant eyes, as if she was eager to see what was inside.

“Yes.” The man said calmly, picking up a stack of postcards from the table and stuffing them all into the mailbox outside the door.

"Sisi, how many days will it take for this postcard to arrive in Beiping?"

Xiao Liu found his gentle words rather strange: "I don't know, what's wrong?"

Lu Kuan smiled: "I'm looking forward to seeing what you write."

"Hehe, me too." The girl left arm in arm with her boyfriend, enjoying the feeling of always having something to look forward to.

As they passed the counter, the easygoing old post office worker answered their questions:

The postcards have to go through the Argentine postal system to reach international hubs. South American postal services are less efficient, which may increase the transit time. It will take at least six months to reach China, which is truly "on the other side of the world".

"Oh! How unfortunate!"

Lu Kuan and his girlfriend both felt regret, but were helpless about the nature of South America.

The two continued their stroll along the gravel trails of Tierra del Fuego National Park, where the tundra stretched out like a tapestry beneath their feet, and broom flowers stubbornly bloomed in the cold wind, adding scattered bright spots to the gray-brown wilderness.

At 2 p.m. local time, the three members of the "Far East Backpackers Group" finally arrived at the Almirante Bay viewpoint in Tierra del Fuego National Park.

The temperature in Ushuaia dropped sharply after noon, and the three of them, including Afei, sat on the steps to replenish their warmth, wrapped in thick clothes.

Xiao Liu was wrapped in a camel-colored cashmere scarf, her nose was red from the cold, and a few tiny ice crystals clung to the ends of her hair. The environment was so cold that her breath turned into mist.

Lu Kuan took out a smoked salmon sandwich that he had packed at the hotel before leaving the hotel. Although it could be eaten cold, it was already too cold.

He handed Xiao Liu a traditional Argentine beef pie wrapped in tin foil, still warm to the touch: "You eat this cheap one, Afei and I will have seafood."

Xiao Liu smiled, knowing that this was out of concern for her: "You did a good job today, you didn't complain about being tired or overworked."

"Hehe, if I live with you for another year, I can participate in a triathlon."

"There's nothing you can do about it. Your fiancée is an actress, so she'll be spending her life losing weight."

Lu Kuan and A Fei wolfed down their sandwiches, finishing them off in no time.

The nearly five hours of hiking since the plane landed have almost completely used up the calories from my breakfast.

Boss Lu smacked his lips and looked at A-Fei: "Are you full?"

"Still hungry." The cold-faced bodyguard usually eats at least two bowls of noodles every morning.

Liu Yifei broke off another half of the beef patty and handed it to the two of them: "Bear with it, we'll get on the little train ahead and be out in twenty minutes."

Liu Xiaolv's "Far East Weight Loss Tour Group" completed the first leg of their journey to the ends of the earth. Led by Maria, they returned to the hotel and prepared to depart from the Beagle Channel for a sightseeing cruise.

The luxury yacht had been rented in advance, but for safety reasons, pre-sailing preparations were still needed, and tour guide Maria was giving a report to her employer in her hotel room.

"Sir, Madam, the ship we are chartering today is the San Shirk Marauder. It is 36 meters long and 9.5 meters wide, with a top speed of 35 knots and a cruising speed of 28 knots, making it very suitable for navigating the Beagle Channel."

"The yacht is equipped with two Caterpillar C18 diesel engines to ensure a smooth voyage, and also features a zero-speed stabilizer so that it won't rock too much even when moored, making it convenient for two people to enjoy the scenery or dine."

"As per the lady's request, no additional personnel will be assigned to the ship except for essential positions such as the first mate and cook. The crew activity area is completely isolated from the cabins, and only bodyguards are allowed to approach the two of them."

She naturally turned to Liu Yifei: "Madam, regarding the optional facilities, please take a look at the list in your hand. You can make your requests before departure."

Xiao Liu had already planned it out on the flight to Argentina: "The flybridge deck should be set up as an open-air viewing platform, with sofas, blankets and cushions, and preferably a heater, since we'll probably be spending most of our time outside watching the sunset and the aurora."

"Argentine red shrimp and black cod are fine in moderation, but cook more meat. Also, provide some ginger and vinegar sauce; in this kind of weather, we Chinese need to warm our stomachs and dispel the cold when we eat these cooling foods."

"Also, we have a record player in our guest room, can you find me some local South American records..."

Maria diligently recorded each detail, which were actually just small, romantic touches that were easy for her to achieve.

With a thoughtful hostess, even a tycoon can lie comfortably on the sofa, close his eyes and rest, waiting to set sail.

In September, it gets dark in Ushuaia before 5 p.m., and around 4 p.m., the safe harbor of the Beagle Channel is bathed in a pale golden twilight.

The yacht "Sanshique Raider" is pure white, and its streamlined hull looks particularly elegant in the cold sea breeze of the Beagle Channel.

The yacht crew waited at the dock and professionally briefed today's client on the day's sailing route, safety instructions, and emergency escape routes.

After the crew checked the life jackets, life rafts, and emergency communication equipment one by one to ensure that everything was in good working order, the Asian tycoon and his wife officially set sail.

The propeller churned up the icy seawater, leaving a snow-white trail at the stern. The yacht's streamlined silhouette drew an elegant arc in the cold sea breeze, like a silver blade slicing through the cold mist of the South Pacific.

The specific heat capacity of seawater is much higher than that of land. The heat absorbed during the day is quickly released after nightfall. In addition, the Antarctic Current brought by ocean currents makes the sea surface temperature nearly 5°C lower than that of the port of Ushuaia.

As they traveled further from the harbor, the couple by the yacht's railing felt the temperature rapidly approaching sub-zero.

While marveling at the spectacular sunset at the edge of the world, Xiao Liu couldn't help but wrap his long Moncler down jacket tighter around himself.

The fitted cut accentuated her slender waistline, the sea breeze lifted the tassels of her knitted cardigan, and the camel color of her cashmere turtleneck sweater made her skin appear even whiter than snow.

She gently rested her head on her lover's shoulder, her soft hair swaying slightly in the sea breeze, a few strands playfully brushing against his neck, carrying the delicate fragrance of a young girl.

"It's alright during the day, but now it really feels like the end of the world."

Her voice was soft, the last syllable melting into the sound of the waves. As she spoke, her cheek was still pressed against his shoulder, and he could clearly feel the subtle vibrations from her vocal cords. Her right hand, however, quietly slipped into his palm, feeling the familiar warmth.

"Yes, a masterpiece of nature." Even the young artist couldn't bear to miss it for even a moment, because at this moment, the sunset over the Beagle Channel was staging nature's most extravagant color experiment.

The leaden clouds were torn open by the setting sun, like a spilled palette of colors pouring down. The cobalt blue sea suddenly turned orange-red, then spread out a patchwork of gold foil-like light. The snow-capped peaks of the distant Darwin Mountains were dyed rose gold, the glacial fault lines refracted a peacock blue glow, and the floating icebergs looked as if they had been splashed with translucent paint, leaving dazzling marks on the inky sea.

Xiao Liu's pretty face was full of silly smiles: "I wish I had your descriptive ability right now. How could I possibly depict this exquisite picture? I feel like the ship is heading towards a crack in the sea and sky, as if we are really heading to the end of the world."

As she narrated, the visual feast before our eyes continued to change, with orange-red and indigo splashed freely between the sea and sky, clearly the most naked confession of passionate love and loneliness.

Lu Kuan exclaimed, "This is the power of color; in film, it's the most direct expression of emotion."

He tightened his grip on the soft object in his hand: "Fortunately, we can see it twice today. The aurora at night must be even more breathtaking."

The yacht moved slowly, and a red and white lighthouse stood alone on the black basalt. The mottled tower turned a dark red with rust in the twilight, like congealed blood.

Xiao Liu turned her head and looked at her boyfriend with a smile, saying, "People who are sad really shouldn't come to this place. It feels like it's easy to make yourself depressed."

"Like watching a movie, it gradually pulls the audience's emotions into the abyss of despair."

She immediately teased, "So, this washing machine, which the editor-in-chief of 'Sight & Sound' called the 'lonely director,' doesn't it feel even more lonely than you?"

"Where am I lonely? I eat well, drink well, and enjoy luxury every day." Boss Lu smiled and said, "Just listen to the critics' words, they're mostly misinterpretations."

"When Qian Qianyi wrote 'A line of cliffs and mountains slants at the edge of the sea, from now on it no longer belongs to China,' everyone interpreted it as a lament for the fall of the country. In fact, perhaps the old man was just seasick and complaining to the boatman."

"Haha, so if I were to rephrase Jack's words from Titanic and ask you that in a different way—"

"I jump, you jump? You find the water too cold too?"

Lu Kuan moved one of his arms around Liu Yifei's shoulder and affectionately pinched her earlobe, saying, "Indeed, a woman's virtue lies in her lack of talent. Now that you know this story, how am I supposed to trick you into jumping first?"

Xiao Liu looked at him with sparkling eyes: "Perhaps Liu Ru wasn't stupid, but infatuated? She didn't want her feelings to be tainted by such a shameful act, so she chose to die instead."

The man beside her sneered, "It's fortunate you didn't live in a chaotic era, otherwise you would have been a beautiful but tragically short-lived woman with a strong will."

Liu Yifei gave him a coquettish glare and said fiercely, "I'm not that stupid. Even if you trick me into jumping first, I'll drag you down with me."

She stroked the ring on her lover's hand: "Whether it's gold or silk, it must be torn in one place."

Lu Kuan pinched her pretty face: "Oh no, you've invested too much emotion in the world's end, and now you've turned into a love terrorist by loving too much."

"You wouldn't suddenly have a profound realization under such a strange celestial phenomenon, and with memories flooding back, you might just push me down without warning, would you?"

Upon hearing this, the girl's eyes curved into two crescent moons, and a dimple appeared on her right cheek as she smiled, as if it were filled with honey: "Your performance today was passable. I'll decide what to do after I've finished enjoying myself."

Help yourself!

As the two chatted and laughed, the yacht had already sailed three nautical miles away from the harbor.

In the distance, the colorful houses of Ushuaia shrank to the size of building blocks, and the rotating beam of the harbor lighthouse pierced through the thickening sea fog, casting fleeting spots of light on the portholes.

The ship anchored near Sea Lion Island, where groups of sea lions were lazily lying on the distant reefs, their plump bodies gleaming in the setting sun.

Some even brazenly turn their bellies over to expose them to the cold air, emitting long, low growls.

The animal-loving girl exclaimed "kawaii!" while pinching her nose in disgust.

Lu Kuan put his arm around Liu Yifei's waist, rested his chin on her shoulder, and his warm breath tickled her small earlobe slightly: "Do we really have to see these sea lions? And we have to be so close, it's too smelly."

Xiao Liu laughed and said, "You've never raised small animals before. Usually, it's the smell of fermenting food scraps and accumulated excrement. Sea lions also have sebaceous glands, and during the breeding season, they secrete pheromones to mark their territory and mates."

“But they really aren’t afraid of the cold!” Lu Kuan turned to his girlfriend: “I’ve found the reason why you’ve been afraid of the heat lately. You have too much subcutaneous fat, just like sea lions.”

"Really? I've been paying close attention lately." The girl cutely pinched her cheeks and belly.

“You’ve touched the wrong place, here.” The washing machine’s fingers irresistibly pinched the full, perky buttocks beneath her down jacket.

This grasp carried a hint of roughness, the fingertips sinking deep into the softness that even thick clothing couldn't completely conceal, clearly conveying its contours and astonishing elasticity.

Xiao Liu turned and hooked her arm around her boyfriend's neck, enjoying his lingering caresses of her body, her smile possessing a natural allure:
"Didn't you say you liked this place the most? You're just saying one thing but doing another!"

The washing machine was only briefly used before being abandoned, and the yacht turned around and left, heading to the nearby "shipwreck graveyard".

It is said to be the wreckage of a cargo ship that ran aground in the last century. It is now half-submerged in seawater, and the rusted hull is covered with barnacles, turning it grayish-white, like the skeleton of a giant beast.

Around 7 p.m., with the night sky low, the yacht anchored near Red Crab Bay to take shelter from the wind and prepare for dinner.

The ship's cook was preparing a meal, and the crew launched a small boat to take two people closer to shore to observe.

The intertidal reefs were covered with southern red crabs, their bright red shells contrasting sharply with the black basalt, and they made a soft clicking sound as they moved.

"Wow! So cute! I want to eat it!" Xiao Liu completely lost her kawaii attitude when it came to non-mammals, and all that was left was drooling.

Actually, she was the hungriest person today, but she couldn't slack off because of the two female roles that required a high level of physical fitness and appearance.

The couple spent some time in a small boat, exploring almost all the surrounding islands and reefs. The driver then received instructions via lights and radio, and took the couple back to the San Shirk Marauder.

The twilight, like a bottle of spilled purplish-gray ink, spread across the deep waters of the Beagle Channel.

The yacht was moored in the tranquil waters, keeping the stunning red and black mottled pattern on the shore rocks out of the glass cabin.

The restaurant was warm and cozy, creating a world apart from the chill outside. The electrically heated viewing windows, typical of luxury yachts, kept out the cold and fog, yet the view remained clear.

"Wait for me a moment." Xiao Liu went into the bedroom of the passenger cabin first.

"Oh, okay." Mr. Lu assumed she needed to use the restroom and continued to observe the furnishings of the yacht restaurant.

The record player requested by the wealthy lady was playing Piazzolla's "Libertango," and the subtle resonance between the accordion's glissando and the rhythm of the waves gently tapping on the hull of the boat was truly evocative.

The candlelight dinner environment that Xiao Liu created is already maxed out in terms of light and shadow art and auditory effects.

"Mr. Lu, how is it?" Liu Yifei stepped gracefully out of the bedroom on the soft carpet. Her light pink silk slip dress swayed gently with her steps, like a cherry blossom in its first bloom unfolding in the cold polar night.

She looked at the washing machine with a smug expression, and deliberately slowed her pace as she walked gracefully in front of him.

The delicate diamond necklace adorning her collarbone shimmered slightly with her breath, complementing the minimalist platinum earrings on her earlobes and making her skin appear as radiant as fresh snow.

Lu Kuan smiled as he watched his girlfriend sit down opposite him: "Why are you making such a formal scene? This isn't the Titanic, is it? This isn't our last meal together."

Xiao Liu proudly raised her glass: "No way! We're getting married in a few days, this is our last time together."

"I want to provide you with top-notch emotional value, so how can I eat with you while wearing a bulky down jacket?"

That's why I say, how can it be the same no matter who you date?

Lu Kuan's gaze fell on her taut neck and shoulders, where a faint pink kiss mark he had left the night before was now half-hidden among her falling hair.

The man awkwardly lowered his rolled-up sleeves, which he had made in preparation for a hearty meal, but now he could only try to cooperate with his girlfriend's ritualistic performance and maintain his dignity.

The two clinked glasses, and Lu Kuan asked in surprise, "You're not drinking today?"

Xiao Liu shook his head: "I don't like the red wine here, let's have fruit and vegetable juice instead."

"Alright, let's eat!" Lu Kuan stuffed a steak into his mouth like a starving ghost, and said with satisfaction, "Following Director Liu, I go hungry nine meals in three days. Today I can finally indulge myself."

Liu Yifei laughed and said, "Don't blame me! It's just today, okay? You're the one who's picky and can't get used to foreign food."

The air is filled with an enticing complex aroma: a base of buttered herbs, the sweetness of fresh seafood, the unique smoky scent of charcoal, and the warmth of burning cedar chips.

In the corner of the fireplace, a miniature built-in charcoal stove is radiating a comforting warmth.

The chef served the dishes one by one according to Western dining etiquette, and almost all of Ushuaia's most renowned delicacies were placed on the table.

King crab, black cod, Argentine red shrimp, and a type of oyster that grows in the hydrothermal vents near Deception Island—the combination of volcanic geothermal activity and cold currents creates a unique flavor that makes it quite special.

It almost entirely relies on the natural sweetness and tenderness of the ingredients themselves.

After eating for a while, Boss Lu took a sip of red wine and seemed to be cursing the cook after he had eaten his fill: "I've been eating this kind of stuff for the past few days. I'm craving your noodles. Just stir-fry a couple of toppings and I'll slurp them up."

Xiao Liu joked, "I hope your personality is as enduring as your stomach."

The washing machine sarcastically said, "I hope your mouth is as beautiful as your face."

"Haha!" Liu Yifei checked the time and exclaimed in surprise, "We can drive deeper into the aurora observation point in less than an hour. Shall we go out and take a look later?"

"Then you should wrap yourself up tighter, because it can get down to minus ten degrees Celsius at sea, right?"

"It's alright, I've prepared all the necessary measures to keep warm. I can even hug you like a giant stove to keep warm, so don't worry."

The young couple enjoyed a delicious meal, listened to the melodious strains of vinyl records, and gazed at the tranquil moon over the sea from their warm cabin, finding endless delight in the moment.

The girl leaned against her lover's chest, and Lu Kuan embraced her from behind.

Outside the cabin was a frigid polar night. The cold winds of the Drake Passage were like knives, carrying tiny ice crystals that lashed against the porthole. In the distance, icebergs gleamed with a cold, eerie blue light under the moonlight, like silent behemoths lurking on the inky sea.

The world seemed to have been muted, leaving only the howling wind and the muffled sound of ice breaking, like the low groan of some ancient behemoth.

The scene inside the cabin, however, was quite different.

The music from the record player flowed, intertwining with the low hum of the yacht engine. The girl felt the man's firm chest, his body heat warming her back through her cashmere sweater, like an ever-burning fire.

The yacht moved slowly forward, and the young couple embraced and whispered sweet nothings to each other.

"When I was a child, I loved rainy days the most. I felt especially peaceful when I looked out the window from inside the house at the wind and rain outside."

"Especially in the family compound of my maternal grandmother's house in Jiangcheng, the raindrops pattered on the tiles, and the water from the eaves dripped down in a continuous line. I have a very deep impression of it."

She turned around and affectionately nuzzled her boyfriend's pretty face: "Do you ever feel this way?"

Liu Yifei had studied some psychology with her mentor and knew that this was called the safety shelter effect.

When individuals are in a safe and comfortable environment, observing dangers or turmoil in the outside world can actually strengthen their sense of security and satisfaction.

"Yes." Lu Kuan pondered for two seconds, neither avoiding the question nor concealing too much potentially leaked secret information.

"Both Nanjing and Jiangcheng are cities along the Yangtze River. Children who live in old-style tenement buildings by the river will never forget the window frames soaked with mold by the rain and the dampness that always smells of rust on rainy days."

"But I like rainy days the most, do you know why?"

His voice was deep and calm, and Liu Yifei's heart skipped a beat without warning.

She keenly caught the rare, long-sealed luster in Lu Kuan's words, carrying a heavy sense of something about to be pried open.

This is the first time he has used "my" perspective to recall those past events that were only left to the imagination of a young girl.

The girl wanted to turn back, but she didn't dare to.

For a moment, time seemed to stand still. The clock in the cabin gradually pointed to ten o'clock. The two looked out the window together. The polar night was like a frozen black silk, stretching out to the horizon.

The distant icebergs, their outlines blurred, resembled the remains of a colossal beast gnawed by time, silently drifting southward into the void.

In a daze, I had a real, definite feeling that I was heading towards the end of the world.

"Why?" the girl's sweet voice rang out.

Lu Kuan's deep eyes flickered as he lavishly poured out long-forgotten memories to his lover:
“In the old film studio’s developing workshop, there is a lack of moisture-proof equipment and measures. Silver nitrate developer may oxidize and become ineffective when exposed to moisture. 35mm film developing is extremely sensitive to humidity.”

Suddenly, the captain announced over the restaurant's loudspeaker: "Ladies and gentlemen, the yacht is now 12 nautical miles southeast of the Beagle Channel, entering the outer waters of the Drake Passage. Both engines are engaged, and we are cruising at a low speed of 15 knots. The current outside temperature is -5 degrees Celsius."

The couple, still embracing, looked out the window—

A hazy, grayish-white halo appeared on the horizon towards Antarctica, resembling a thin mist, blending into the distant outline of glaciers. It was difficult to distinguish with the naked eye whether it was a cloud layer or an aurora mantle.

This is the initial sign that the aurora is about to appear.

Xiao Liu turned around, pressed her forehead tightly against the man's chin, and snuggled into his arms: "Lu Kuan, continue, I want to hear it."

The man paused for a few seconds, then, at the edge of the world, began to tell a story of another world:

"So every rainy season, she would pack the film into boxes, seal them, and happily run back to the tenement building on the slippery blue brick path... to keep me company."

"The stairwell smelled musty. She hung a faded plastic raincoat outside the door, set up a small stool, and sketched lines on a canvas made from recycled film canisters. I stood by and watched."

Liu Yifei's lover frowned: "The pigments back then were of poor quality. Those dark brown lines with a rusty smell would spread out on the acetate film, like faded subtitles in an old movie."

The glass window in front of them fogged up from their close breathing. Lu Kuan raised his hand to trace the mist, as if touching the sticky dampness of the plum rain season in Jiangnan thirty years ago.

"She would always tell me while working overtime that the hydrophobicity of acetate film was like a curse, and the paint would always bleed at the seams, like peeling paint that had been soaked by rain."

"I asked her how the people on screen come to life?"

"She tore off two pieces of waste film. The first piece of film showed a blue shirt with the clothesline stretched to the left as far as it could go, and the second piece of film showed the same shirt stretched to the right as far as it could go."

Lu Kuan reached out and lifted a few strands of his girlfriend's hair, his knuckles turning white from the force, mimicking the action of twisting film: "If a person's hand speed is fast enough, twisting like this quickly, as long as it can be as fast as sixteen frames, can bring inanimate objects to life."

"She said that's the magic of film, cutting time into fragments and then stitching them together into a flowing illusion."

Liu Yifei's beautiful eyes lingered on his face, unwilling to leave even for a moment. The aurora borealis on the sea had quietly unfolded from a gray-white curtain, entering a phase of green tendrils and pink edges.

Unlike the drunkenness I experienced when recalling my past life for the first time, and unlike the sorrow I felt after the last earthquake.

The shadows that had lingered over the years in her lover's eyes seemed to be washed away inch by inch with the changing colors of the polar sky.

With a telepathic connection, Xiao Liu could feel that his palms and chest were filled with warmth at that moment.

She chose not to answer, but simply remained his eternal listener, silently recounting these emotional fluctuations in her heart.

Lu Kuan smiled at his girlfriend: "Didn't you want to see the aurora from the flybridge deck? We need to get out of here quickly."

The girl swallowed back what she was about to say, and a smile bloomed on her face: "Okay."

The appearance of the aurora is not a fleeting process like a meteor shower.

Initially, the stream of charged particles from the solar wind seeps into the Earth's magnetosphere and collides with the thin atmosphere at an altitude of over 100 kilometers, which is what we previously saw as the grayish-white halo on the horizon.

About half an hour into this process, several pale green threads suddenly emerged from the edge of the halo, as if drawn by an invisible hand, slowly meandering upwards toward the zenith.

Just like what this couple, wrapped in blankets and using heating devices, saw on the flybridge deck—

The aurora borealis rises almost parallel to the sea level, creating a spectacular "double screen of sea and sky." The dark waters of the Beagle Channel reflect symmetrical bands of light, making the ship appear to float between cosmic light corridors.

"It's so beautiful, so amazing!" Liu Yifei exclaimed, mesmerized. "It feels like we've traveled to the ends of the earth and arrived in the heavens."

Young artists also succumb to the wonder of the Creator: "These are colors that no paint can mix, nor layers that any canvas can support."

As it approached 11 p.m., the aurora completed its final transformation in the night sky over Ushuaia.

Like a wound torn open by an invisible giant hand, streams of emerald light burst forth from the crack in the night sky.

Those beams of light were not static, but twisted and intertwined as if they were alive, outlining ancient totem-like patterns on the inky sky.

The young couple's laughter and chatter came to a complete halt. The yacht's metal cables creaked and groaned in the cold wind, and in the distance, the muffled sound of the Ushuaia Glacier breaking apart could be heard, like the crunching of bones by some giant beast.

These glaciers come from Antarctica and have been accumulating, flowing, and breaking apart in a continuous cycle.

At the ends of the earth, it's like a journey through life.

Liu Yifei glanced at her watch: "It's almost at its climax."

The most spectacular aurora display only lasts about half an hour, after which the light dissipates as the solar wind particle stream weakens, high-energy electrons stop bombarding the atmosphere, excited atoms return to their ground state, and the light effect fades away.

But the aurora borealis over the sea that the two saw was far more breathtaking than what they would see from land.

Liu Yifei sat up straight from her boyfriend's embrace, her slender fingers tracing his sharply defined profile: "Lu Kuan? What are you thinking about?"

"Tear the screen apart with dual color gamut!"

"what?"

"Wait a minute!" The future film master's pupils reflected the intertwining of emerald light and inky abyss, rudely interrupting his girlfriend's inquiry.

In his eyes, those twisting beams of light suddenly materialized into the macro-electrons of quantum states in "Ball Lightning"—

They, too, defy classical physics, dancing a death waltz on the boundary between reality and nothingness.

Science fiction film adaptations often face a core challenge:
How can abstract scientific concepts be transformed into visual spectacles that audiences can intuitively experience?
For example, the "quantum state" in "Ball Lightning" is neither the flame of an explosion nor the deformation of a machine, but a "superposition of existence and nothingness" that defies common sense.

Traditional special effects can easily turn it into a simple "transparent ghost" or "electronic effect," which weakens the shock value of the "scientific horror" in the original work.

So how should we use cinematic language to express this?

From the negative primary colors he found in the colorful tin houses of Boca yesterday, to today's "heart-wrenching" baptism of the celestial phenomena, Lu Kuan has found a glimmer of inspiration in the usually weak field of cinematic color.

His face lit up with ecstasy, and he turned around to kiss his girlfriend's pink lips: "XiXi! Do you remember the first time Lin Yun observed ball lightning?"

Xiao Liu nodded with a bewildered look. Of course she had seen it. Although she hadn't made a final decision yet, she was extremely interested in the complex female soldier character, Lin Yun.

"Use bipolar color gamut to tear apart color space! Look at the aurora before your eyes—"

The inky black sea swallowed up all the stray light, turning into a dark mirror that reflected the aurora borealis in the sky in pairs.

As the emerald-green band of light swirled overhead, a similarly dazzling abyss split open in the sea, making the yacht seem to float in the narrow gap between the two aurora borealis beams, as if it could be swallowed up by this magnificent void at any moment.

"When Lin Yun first observes ball lightning, could the entire laboratory suddenly collapse into a contrasting field of cyan and chrome yellow?"

The patterns of the aurora borealis swirling overhead transformed into a storyboard in his mind:
The observed quantum state does not disappear, but rather tears a crack in the surrounding space through a dimension of color, just like the twin aurora reflected in the sea and sky at this moment, revealing the twin ghost of the material world in a higher dimension.

The muffled sound of the glacier breaking apart reminded him of the description in the original work of being "burned into quantum ash by lightning".

The camera should hover between two worlds like this yacht, using aurora-like interplay of warm and cool tones to visualize the "quantum superposition state" as ball lightning pierces through the target.

Liu Yifei was stunned.

She didn't have a deep understanding of the director's techniques of color and composition, or her boyfriend's idea of ​​using color to synesthetically perceive the movement of microparticles.

But she could easily imagine and predict that the natural wonders that would amaze all of humanity would appear in his science fiction film in a completely new way.

Liu Yifei looked up, and the aurora in her eyes turned into an emerald-colored galaxy.

She looked at the man before her, struck by cosmic inspiration. His pupils reflected the aurora borealis tearing through the sky, yet his mind had already pierced through the fog of quantum mechanics, constructing cinematic spectacles beyond the boundaries of common knowledge.

The girl suddenly stood on tiptoe, her nose brushing against the newly sprouted stubble on his chin.

This touch, carrying the scent of mint, was like pressing a mysterious switch; the cosmic storm churning in Lu Kuan's eyes instantly collapsed into a gentle vortex.

Xiao Liu said in a soft, coquettish voice, "Hey, at such an incredibly romantic moment, aren't you going to keep an eye on your fiancée, you great artist?"

She couldn't resist expressing her feelings at this moment, as a response to Lu Kuan's more vivid memories of the past:

“I don’t know where you come from, but I know where you are going.”

"Because wherever you go, I will be with you, until the end of the world."

The girl's sweet voice melted into the wind blowing from Antarctica. Lu Kuan smiled and chose to lower his head and kiss her pink lips in response.

The man's knuckles ran through the back of her head, and the minty scent seemed to melt into a sweet, warm mist between their lips.

The lovers kissed more passionately, and at that moment the aurora burst open, a torrent of emerald green poured down, engulfing the two in the magnificent void.

It then gradually dissipated, and that was the end of it.

This aurora spectacle created far more than just pre-wedding romance.

The Olympics gave Lu Kuan more experience in scheduling, and this honeymoon trip has clearly given him even more inspiration for color.

Just as Quentin Tarantino, Takeshi Kitano, and others have been lamenting, and as Bergman asserted after the Olympic opening ceremony:
He has been exploring and making progress.

Years later, if an art historian looks back on the life of this future film master, he will surely wonder where his enlightenment and transformation came from.

Everyone will eventually regard these as the person's extraordinary talent, but unfortunately no one knows those long-buried secrets.

In fact, Lu Kuan's early enlightenment undoubtedly came from Zeng Wenxiu. Her teachings and the warmth of her maternal love formed the underlying logic of his film aesthetics.

For example, painting enlightenment can be achieved by repurposing waste film boxes into drawing boards, thus establishing a basic understanding of composition.

For example, from the film principle of "bringing inanimate objects to life at 16 frames per second", he can understand that the essence of film is "the stitching of time".

Of course, there's also the unique upbringing that shapes one's perspective and lens through which they observe the world.

But just as the editor-in-chief of "Sight and Sound" discovered the special emotions and changes in his films, the artist's "repressed love" was also affected by Liu Yifei's presence.

This long-lasting and deeply moving emotional entanglement will always nourish the artist's humanistic qualities.

The technical skills accumulated in the early stages of life are the skeleton, while the emotional experiences in the middle stages are the flesh and blood.

And ultimately, the philosophical and existential reflections he will pursue are the soul of all works of art, including film.

The path to becoming a master is also the path of life.

(End of this chapter)