Oh no! I've only been a freshman and I've already been targeted by a mean upperclassman.

"What are you looking at?"

Baidu.

"What are you searching for?"

What to do if you get seasick?

Li Chen sat down next to her. He took out a seasickness patch from his pocket.

"Place it behind your ear. Half an hour in advance."

Yan Xi took it and glanced at it. The packaging said "mild type".

Did you choose which one you bought?

"There are two kinds on the shelf. The other one contains medication, which may make you sleepy. You're going to play again this afternoon. Sleepiness will affect your experience."

Yan Xi tore open the packaging and stuck it behind her right ear.

Li Chen then handed over some soda crackers. "Have some to tide you over. It's easier to feel dizzy on an empty stomach."

Yan Xi took a piece. She took a bite. It was dry. She chewed it a couple of times.

Li Chen unscrewed the water bottle and handed it to him.

Yan Xi took a sip and handed the water bottle back to him. He took it and drank from the spot where she had drunk.

"A preserved plum." He took out another preserved plum. "If you feel uncomfortable on the ship, suck on one."

Yan Xi watched as he took things out of his pocket one by one.

"How many minutes were you gone?"

"Four minutes."

"I bought five items in four minutes."

"The convenience store isn't big."

Yan Xi put the preserved plums into her pocket. When she looked down, Li Chen noticed that the edge of the seasickness patch behind her ear was slightly curled up.

He reached out. His index finger pressed against the edge of the patch, smoothing it down. His fingertip brushed against the skin behind her ear.

Yan Xi didn't move.

He paused on her earlobe for a tap as he withdrew his hand.

"Your hands are warmer than before."

"It was covered by gloves."

"The gloves were in your pocket. You've been holding them the whole time."

Li Chen didn't answer. He had indeed been clutching his gloves the whole time. Not because they were cold. It was because of the words she had written on the inside of the gloves.

The announcement came on. Boarding.

The two people walked onto the pier.

Li Chen walked on the outer side, the side facing the sea.

There was water on the concrete surface of the pier, so he stepped on it first to test it and make sure it wasn't slippery before walking forward.

Yan Xi noticed, but didn't say anything.

Boarding. Seating on the deck was divided into indoor and outdoor sections. Li Chen chose an outdoor seat near the stern.

"The stern experiences the least turbulence."

Yan Xi sat down. She rested her hand on the railing, watching the dock slowly recede into the distance.

The ship's horn sounded. The ship began to move.

The first five minutes were uneventful. Yan Xi's expression remained unchanged. Li Chen's attention was always on her face—observing the color of her lips, her breathing rate, and the intervals between her blinks.

Ten minutes later. The ship sailed out of the harbor and into the open sea. Waves began to rise. They weren't large, but the ship started to bob rhythmically.

Yan Xi's fingers tightened on the railing.

Li Chen took the gray-blue scarf out of his pocket.

"You already have one around your neck," Yan Xi said.

Li Chen didn't explain. He folded the scarf into a long strip, wrapped it around Yan Xi's waist from behind, crossed it in front of her abdomen, and then tightened it.

"What is this?"

"A folk remedy. Tighten your abdomen to reduce the feeling of your internal organs shifting. My grandfather..."

"Your grandfather has made another appearance."

"He used this trick when he was on a fishing boat."

Yan Xi glanced down at the scarf around her waist.

Grayish-blue, rough.

It doesn't match anything she's wearing.

"Goods from Yiwu?"

Thirty yuan.

Yan Xi's lips curved slightly.

The boat continued its journey. The waves were larger than before. Yan Xi's face began to pale slightly. It wasn't obvious, but Li Chen noticed.

He didn't ask her if she was feeling unwell. He moved a little closer to her, his arm around her shoulder.

"Lean against me. Close your eyes. Looking at the sea will make you feel dizzy."

Yan Xi leaned her head closer, resting it on his shoulder. Her eyes were closed.

"Your shoulders are still harder than the pillow."

"You slept up there all night last night without complaining."

Yan Xi didn't refute. Her breathing gradually became steady. The preserved plum was in her mouth, its sweet and sour taste mingling with the sea breeze.

Li Chen took his phone out of his pocket with his right hand. He operated it with one hand, opening the notes app.

A line was added at the end of the 47-page guide.

"Yan Xi gets seasick. Avoid ferries in the future. If you must take a boat, apply a mask an hour in advance, eat some soda crackers, wear a waist trainer, and sit on the outer side of the stern. Always keep preserved plums on hand."

Save. Lock screen.

He put his phone back in his pocket. He gently rested his chin on her head.

The ship moved smoothly across the sea. The outlines of distant islands gradually emerged from the fog.

Yan Xi spoke in a muffled voice from his shoulder.

"Li Chen".

"Um."

"You were at the convenience store for four minutes just now."

"Um."

"They ran there, didn't they?"

Li Chen did not answer.

"The distribution of sand grains on the outer side of your shoe sole is different from that of walking. The wear pattern on the sides indicates the forefoot exertion when running."

Li Chen's chin rested on the top of her head. The cool tip of the phoenix hairpin pressed against his lips.

"Analyze the wear and tear on the soles of my shoes with your eyes closed."

"I checked it before I boarded the ship."

His arm tightened by two centimeters.

Yan Xi released her hand from the railing and placed it on his thigh. Her five fingers loosely covered his thigh, just like the last night on the wicker chair.

The islands in the distance became clearer. Green ridgelines, white waves, and the outline of a gray pier.

My phone vibrated again in my pocket.

Li Chen didn't look at it.

Yan Xi's voice came from under his shoulder.

"This time it really is your mother."

How did you know?

"The vibration mode on your phone in your pocket. You set it to three short vibrations followed by one long vibration for your mom. Your dad's is two long vibrations. Group 302 is set to continuous vibration."

Li Chen remained silent for three seconds.

"You even categorized the vibration modes on my phone."

"You know my schedule better than I do. I categorize your vibration patterns. Fair enough."

The Shengsi Islands.

By the time the ferry docked, Yan Xi's complexion had returned to normal. She stood up, untied the gray-blue scarf around her waist, and folded it twice.

Li Chen reached out to take it.

Yan Xi didn't give it to her. She stuffed the scarf into the side pocket of her backpack.

"You're not paying it back?"

"This is from Yiwu. Thirty yuan. Not worth it."

"Then what are you keeping it for?"

Yan Xi zipped up her pants and didn't answer.

We disembarked. The pier was smaller than the one in Shitang Town. A narrow road led to the village on the island. On both sides were low stone houses, similar in style to those in Shitang Town, but older.

Li Chen first turned on his phone and replied to his mother's message.

[Li Chen: We've arrived. I'm not seasick. She was a little seasick but is fine now.]

three seconds.

[Shen Ruolan: She's seasick? Did you bring seasickness medication? Did you give her hot water? Did you support her?]

[Li Chen: I've done it all.]

Shen Ruolan: That's good. Tell her she's had a hard time. Make sure she doesn't have to take the boat so often in the future.

[Li Chen: It's written in my memo.]

[Shen Ruolan: Good child. Give your father some face too. He hasn't said a word all day.]

Li Chen switched to group 302.

Forty-seven unread messages.

He flipped directly to the end.