By linking my account to the check-in system, I became a leisurely traveler.

Chapter 106 Floating Light on the River [6.2 thousand words]

The moment the door opened, a blast of cold air enveloped Li Younan's entire body.

The room was small, but it had a strange sense of security.

Walking to the window, a flowing panorama unfolds outside: the lights of the Yuzhong Peninsula gradually illuminate, reflected in the turbid river water, torn, stretched, and then converged by the current.

The light wasn't a blinding brightness, but a gentle, warm yellow, carrying the warmth of everyday life.

As he watched them recede and shrink, Li Younan felt a strange sense of peace—the city's hustle and bustle was still there, but he had withdrawn and become a quiet observer.

The lights in the room were dimmed.

Li Younan took a hot shower, the water washing away the last trace of dryness. She changed into her softest pajamas, leaned against the headboard, and flipped through the thin itinerary.

Going to Fengdu tomorrow to see the ghost city? Shibaozhai in Zhongxian County, that small island in the middle of the river... even the name carries a sense of antiquity and mystery.

Turn off the main light, leaving only a small bedside lamp casting a warm yellow glow.

Li Younan's eyelids grew heavy. Before his consciousness faded, his last thought wasn't what time he would get up tomorrow, nor how spectacular the scenic spot was, but rather: this boat was carrying him, peacefully sleeping in the embrace of the Yangtze River.

An unprecedented sense of peace and languor washed over me like warm river water.

His lips curved into a smile unconsciously before he drifted into a dreamless, peaceful sleep.

……

The journey on the ship was, at the very beginning, undoubtedly extremely exciting and novel.

However, even if you don't wait until the middle or later part of the trip, just one day is enough to make you feel bored due to the limited space.

This atmosphere can be seen from the number of people on the deck.

In the morning, quite a few people climbed up to the top deck to take photos and check in, but soon the number of people had decreased.

Compared to gazing at the mountains and lush green river on both sides while basking in the sun, it's much more enjoyable to stay indoors with the air conditioning on, or simply go to the card room for a couple of rounds of mahjong.

Li Younan simply savored the atmosphere with great interest.

For him, experiencing the experiences and mindsets of other tourists is also part of the journey.

He naturally didn't forget to film the video, and sent all the footage to Brother Long.

Li Younan had a good rest, so he got up early the next day and made it in time for breakfast and lunch.

The buffet on the cruise ship was indeed excellent, on par with some hotel buffets, and I heard that the food was different every day.

In terms of reputation, the buffet on this cruise ship is among the best in its price range.

Compared to driving a car, with the steering wheel in your own hands and the freedom to go wherever you want, the experience of traveling on a cruise ship is less novel but more fulfilling... It feels like being in Howl's Moving Castle.

However, Li Younan has always had a talent: he can keep himself from getting bored in any situation.

It's not that he can always find interesting things, but rather that he can find more enjoyment in the same things.

There were many people on the deck, all taking photos.

Li Younan then took a camera and started taking pictures of people passing by.

When Li Younan did this, it was simply a matter of acting on a whim.

Strictly speaking, Li Younan is not a professional cameraman.

It's not that his skills aren't professional enough, but rather that he lacks the experience to become a professional cameraman.

For example, a cameraman who can reach his level must first learn a lot of dry knowledge, then practice a lot, and at the same time, frequently communicate with colleagues in the industry and participate in various competitions.

If it's portrait photography, you also need to deal with some models, and it's even linked to the economy.

Experience shapes one's understanding of photography.

Li Younan, however, lacked these experiences, so photography was a purer experience for him.

He enjoys taking photos of strangers.

Among the passengers who boarded the ship, most of those who asked him to take photos were people who were willing to strike up conversations with strangers.

For Li Younan, capturing the moments that made him happy, especially those of older people, was also a source of happiness.

Li Younan spent almost the entire morning on the deck like this.

Besides taking portraits of others, he also takes pictures of scenery that he thinks is nice.

Compared to shooting landscapes, Li Younan actually prefers shooting portraits.

Well, in this age of information overload, it's rare to find scenery that evokes such strong emotions.

I still managed to get quite a few high-quality portrait photos in one morning.

Of course, there were a few unexpected moments. When taking photos of a girl, to be honest, she had a very distinctive appearance, with some freckles on her face, but I was able to take some really high-quality photos of her.

In a sense, texture is something that is perfect yet has some flaws.

It would have been easy to cover up these freckles, but Li Younan used a special technique that not only failed to conceal them, but actually made them even more noticeable.

It was a really good photo, but when the girl looked at the original image with the camera, she paused for a moment, said thank you, and didn't even intend to take the photo that Li Younan had taken.

Li Younan reminded her, "You don't want this photo? Don't you need me to send it to you?"

The other person seemed to suddenly remember and nodded, "Oh, sorry, I forgot."

Li Younan had mixed feelings. To be honest, this was the photo he was most satisfied with taken today.

To be honest, even if you just randomly picked a passerby, you would think this photo is beautiful and has a great atmosphere.

But if the person in question doesn't like it, there's nothing you can do about it.

However, this small matter did not affect Li Younan's mood.

After lunch, with two or three hours to go before reaching Fengdu Ghost City, Li Younan was too lazy to go back to his room to rest, so he went up to the lounge upstairs again.

Yesterday, Li Younan didn't hold back with that old man, using his newly acquired system abilities to completely dominate him.

Although we agreed to fight again today, we didn't exchange contact information at the time.

After Li Younan got up, he naturally didn't deliberately look for the old man.

Anyway, this cruise ship isn't that big, but it's not that small either, so we're bound to run into it eventually.

We'll just give him a heads-up then. If the old man's still in the mood, we can tease him a little more; it won't hurt.

He actually spotted the old man from yesterday in some corner.

It was still the two old men and the girl together. In the distance, the old man surnamed Zhou spotted Li Younan and waved at him: "Hey, little kid, do you remember me?"

Li Younan blinked and walked in that direction.

……

About ten minutes later, after the other party had a general understanding of Li Younan, Li Younan also got to know the two old men and the girl.

The two elderly people did not introduce themselves.

But judging from their speech and demeanor, Li Younan knew they were definitely not ordinary retired employees.

Judging from their age, they are probably retired.

However, judging from the occasional details revealed in the chat, it seems that he is still working.

However, since the other party did not convey any intention to Li Younan, he was too lazy to ask further.

The old man who played chess with him yesterday was surnamed Zhou, so let's call him Old Zhou for now.

The other elderly man's surname was Liao, and the girl's name was Liao Xinchun, who was Mr. Liao's granddaughter.

It's worth mentioning that although she is a granddaughter, the girl takes the surname Liao, which means that the girl's mother must have a high status in her husband's family.

Li Younan didn't consciously think about or organize this information; it just came to mind subconsciously.

Naturally, the two elderly people were also very curious about Li Younan.

They chatted briefly without asking any further questions, but the two elderly people were slightly surprised to learn that Li Younan was a top student who graduated from a prestigious university in Binhai.

After all, although it may seem like everyone online is from a top university (985 or 211), the probability of encountering a graduate from a prestigious university in real life is still quite small.

Liao Xinchun merely glanced at Li Younan with some curiosity, without asking any questions. Overall, this girl seemed to be a quiet one—at least that's how she appeared.

After chatting for a while, everyone became familiar with each other.

Old Zhou then brought up the story of Li You's victory over him in chess yesterday.

At this moment, Old Liao clearly displayed his mischievous friend nature, laughing heartily and saying, "That must be because your skills are too bad, you terrible chess player. I told you my granddaughter let you win yesterday, but you didn't believe me."

Old Zhou retorted irritably, "Stop bragging."

Old Liao said with a smile, "If you're not convinced, then let my granddaughter play another game with you." He looked at Liao Xinchun and said, "Granddaughter, don't give your Grandpa Zhou any face today, just play however you want."

Li Younan watched this scene with great interest. These two old men were indeed longtime friends, extremely familiar with each other's temperaments and dispositions, and both loved playing chess, even carrying chessboards and pieces with them at all times.

Liao Xinchun took out a chessboard and chess pieces from her bag and said modestly, "Grandpa Zhou, it's not as exaggerated as my maternal grandfather said. Your chess skills are still superior."

Old Zhou was a rather stubborn old man, and hearing Liao Xinchun's words only made him more unhappy: "Come on, let's play another round, but you absolutely mustn't let me win this time." Then he looked at Old Liao, "Old man, let's make a bet. What if I beat your granddaughter again this time?"

Old Liao said, "What do you suggest we do?"

Old Zhou's eyes darted around: "How about letting your granddaughter meet my grandson?"

Li Younan watched this scene with great interest.

When the three of them discussed these matters, they didn't shy away from talking about themselves. Li Younan didn't need to make things difficult for himself by deliberately avoiding the topic; reading other people's gossip was quite interesting.

Liao Xinchun was clearly taken aback for a moment, then lowered her head and said, "Grandpa Zhou, why are you dragging me into this?"

Old Liao said irritably, "You should let the young people handle their own affairs."

Old Zhou smiled and said, "It's not like we're arranging a marriage between children, it's just a meeting. Do you agree or not?"

Li Younan could tell that this old man Zhou was trying to matchmake his grandson with Liao Xinchun.

However, Liao Xinchun doesn't seem to care much about it.

Unfortunately, there are no sunflower seeds available right now.

Just then, a waiter came over: "Sir, would you like some sunflower seeds and peanuts?"

Li Younan casually grabbed a few.

Liao Xinchun eventually agreed.

The bet was partly a joke, but it showed that both of them were giving it their all.

Yesterday, Liao Xinchun was indeed completely suppressed by Old Zhou. But today, she was like a completely different person. Every step she took was extremely carefully considered and executed with utmost caution, leaving Old Zhou no openings. She proceeded step by step, displaying her true strength.

The initially evenly matched situation quickly turned into a game in which Liao Xinchun gained the upper hand in the middle stages.

This happened in two consecutive games; Liao Xinchun won both games because she couldn't even get to the endgame.

Liao Xinchun said modestly, "Grandpa Zhou, I'm a little luckier. You're not feeling so well today."

Old Zhou said irritably, "Don't give me that. You really went easy on me yesterday, didn't you, little girl?"

Old Liao laughed heartily, saying smugly, "I told you, I'd let you off easy, just to make you happy for a bit, but you got too cocky. Today I'll show you my granddaughter's true abilities. How about it? Are you convinced now?"

Old Zhou chuckled, then suddenly noticed Li Younan standing to the side and said, "Come on, young man, play a game with her and see who is better at chess between you two young people?"

At this moment, Liao Xinchun also looked at Li Younan with some curiosity.

Li Younan thought for a moment, and since he was a bit bored anyway, he decided to play a couple of games. He nodded and said, "Haha... okay, but I haven't played in a long time, so I might not be very good."

Liao Xinchun also said slowly, "Well, I just play around with it in my spare time."

The two old men looked at the two young men, each saying that their game was bad and their skill level was low, and couldn't help but exchange a glance.

The download has officially begun.

Liao Xinchun truly lives up to her reputation as someone who studied Chinese chess extensively at the Children's Palace during her childhood; her chess moves are very orthodox and quite methodical.

From her chess moves, Li Younan could easily see the influence of the "Plum Blossom Manual," and it was clear that this little girl had memorized the chess manual very well.

To say that this is just a casual hobby would be an understatement.

Liao Xinchun's skill level might not be outstanding in professional competitions, but if you randomly put her in any university, she could easily win a chess championship.

Unfortunately, she met Li Younan.

Li Younan has memorized more game records than she does. Although she is not as good at integrating and applying them, she has a much wider range of possible variations.

After the middle game, Liao Xinchun was still able to hold on, but then Li Younan made a few moves that dragged the game into the endgame, which was Li Younan's real home turf.

Once the game drags into the endgame, unless it's a player of Li Tianyi's caliber, it's very difficult for Li Younan to lose.

Liao Xinchun's brows furrowed more and more tightly.

The two old men beside them watched the chessboard, occasionally exclaiming, "That was a good move." "That move...tsk tsk tsk."

After a certain move, Liao Xinchun stopped placing her piece, thought for a full minute or two, and then sighed softly, saying, "I lost."

The two elderly people were still a little confused. Old Liao asked in bewilderment, "Where did we lose? Can't we still walk like this?"

The two old men then began to discuss the remaining situation.

"Look, if you walk like this, then it'll be gone if you walk like that."

"If we go this way, mounting a horse here will become a high-angled horse."

"How about we go this way?"

"Do you think people's cars are just for show? You wouldn't dare take a ride in their car..."

Li Younan said slowly, "Luck, luck."

Liao Xinchun raised her head somewhat dejectedly.

It's clear that this girl can tolerate letting others win on her own initiative, but she'll feel bad if she's actually defeated.

She lowered her head and said, "One more plate?"

Li Younan checked the time and said, "We should be arriving at Fengdu Ghost City soon, right? How about we wait until we've finished exploring Fengdu Ghost City before getting off?"

Seeing this, Liao Xinchun could only nod. Then, seemingly casually, she added, "Actually, I majored in chess in college."

Li Younan blinked and said, "Oh, that... I know a little bit about it too."

Liao Xinchun looked at Li Younan with some surprise, but didn't say anything.

……

The cruise ship is docked at the pier.

After disembarking, Fengdu County is right across the Yangtze River, where you can see towering buildings.

The tour guides divided the tourists into many groups according to their room numbers.

Liao Xinchun has her own room, and she was not assigned to the same group as her two grandfathers, but instead to Li Younan.

Because they were already familiar with each other, they naturally decided to travel together.

The two old men were in good health and didn't need to be watched over all the time.

To get to Fengdu Ghost City, you need to climb a long flight of stairs.

Although it was already September, the weather was unbearably hot, probably due to the lingering heat wave.

Li Younan asked curiously, "Don't you need to bring a parasol?"

Liao Xinchun didn't even wear a sun hat. She shook her head and said, "No need. I won second place in the sprint in college."

She glanced at Li Younan and said with a hint of amusement, "But your skin looks quite fair, you probably haven't been in the sun much."

Li Younan chuckled. The simple contact had allowed Liao Xinchun to form a preliminary image in his mind.

At least for now, Liao Hsin-Chun is definitely not as gentle as she appears; perhaps she is a very strong-willed girl at heart.

Li Younan squinted at the top of the steps and said, "The sun... isn't very strong."

Liao Xinchun joked from the side, "If you accidentally faint later, don't worry, I can carry you down."

Li Younan has been training for a long time, and when he takes off his clothes, his muscle lines are very smooth and obvious, but when he puts his clothes on, he really gives people a slender feeling.

Given that his skin isn't dark, it's not surprising that some people might misunderstand.

Li Younan didn't explain, but laughed and said, "I'm quite heavy, can you carry me?"

Liao Xinchun said, "No problem, but don't actually faint."

The two then began climbing the stairs.

Liao Hsin-Chun also enjoys photography and carries a Canon camera bag.

After climbing for a while, she was slightly sweaty. Then she looked at Li Younan next to her and saw that he had his hands behind his back, his steps were light, and he was not even out of breath.

She blinked but didn't say anything.

Climbing up to Fengdu Ghost City, Li Younan found that, overall, the place wasn't as big as he had imagined.

The scenes inside are largely designed based on the Yama's Palace in folk legends, including the Bridge of Helplessness, the Road to the Underworld, the Gate of Hell, and the Emperor's Palace...

As they strolled along, Li Younan didn't take any photos, but Liao Xinchun next to her kept taking pictures with her camera.

It's clear that Liao Xinchun has some photography experience; at least her posture was quite proper when taking photos.

Li Younan didn't take any photos because he felt there wasn't much to photograph here.

The people there were mostly tourists, just passing through, and the buildings and sculptures inside weren't anything special to capture. So this time, Li Younan didn't even bring a camera when he went to Fengdu Ghost City. He just used his phone to shoot videos and casually record some material for Brother Long to edit.

During the break, Liao Xinchun said she wanted to take some photos of Li Younan, and repeatedly emphasized that the photos she took should not be bad... Her tone was indifferent, as if to say "take them or not, it's up to you."

Li Younan chuckled and agreed to be Liao Xinchun's model.

Liao Xinchun took a few pictures of Li Younan while half-squatting, quite the pose.

After the shoot, Liao Xinchun called Li Younan over to look at the photos. She maintained her calm tone, saying, "Take a look then," while muttering, "The lighting wasn't great today, and this scene wasn't ideal for showcasing my skills," and so on.

Actually, Liao Xinchun was being modest, and Li Younan could probably tell from her tone. But after glancing at her... well, she was pretty average.

"It's fine." Li Younan nodded.

Liao Xinchun blinked. Li Younan's simple "It's fine" was followed by nothing more, which left her slightly disappointed. However, she didn't show it.

After packing up my camera, it was time to continue my journey.

An auntie suddenly came over and greeted Li Younan: "Hey, young man, aren't you the handsome guy on deck this morning? Do you have a moment to spare? Could you take a couple of pictures for us?"

Li Younan looked at the woman. He had taken pictures of many people this morning, and for a moment he couldn't remember who this woman was.

However, one thing is certain: this woman definitely took the photos herself; there's no doubt about that.

Liao Xinchun looked on with some confusion.

Li Younan said, "I'm sorry, Auntie, I didn't bring my camera."

The woman said, "It's okay, it's the same whether you take a picture with your phone."

Liao Xinchun interjected, "It's okay, I have a camera here, Auntie, let me take a picture for you."

The woman looked at Liao Xinchun, hesitated for a moment, and then nodded: "Oh, okay, thank you then, young lady."

She pulled her husband over, and the two stood in the crowd.

Liao Xinchun frowned, but didn't say anything. She adjusted the settings and snapped a few photos.

After taking the photos, she showed them to her aunt.

The aunt glanced at the photo on the screen, her expression somewhat subtle, and nodded: "Hmm, it's pretty good."

Liao Xinchun said with a smile, "I'll send you the photos!"

Modern cameras all come with Bluetooth, allowing for direct photo transfer.

But the aunt hesitated for a while, then glanced at Li Younan next to her, and did not immediately take out her phone.

Liao Xinchun asked, somewhat puzzled, "What's wrong?"

The aunt hesitated for a long time, carefully considering her words, before cautiously saying, "Well, these photos are really well taken, but this style, um... is more suitable for young people. Could we borrow this camera so that young man can take a couple more pictures of the two of us?"

She pointed to Li Younan, who was watching the show from the side.

Liao Xinchun was stunned for a moment, her mind not quite processing what was happening.

The aunt quickly added, "This photo is really well taken!"

Liao Xinchun suddenly realized something, and a hint of embarrassment flashed across her face.

Under the aunt's expectant gaze, she handed the camera to Li Younan, her mind a little dazed: "It's okay..."

It was visibly clear that the aunt's smile deepened.

(End of this chapter)