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

[Wang Qiang: Li Chen, are you here or not?!]

[Chen Mo: Based on the ferry timetable, he should have arrived in Shengsi sixteen minutes ago. There are three possible reasons for the lack of response: 1. Poor signal; 2. He is taking care of Yan Xi, who is seasick; 3. He is also seasick. Based on Li Chen's physical condition data, the third possibility is less than 2%.]

[Zhao Zixuan: Chen Mo, you've planned someone's schedule down to the minute. Don't you think you're even more abnormal than Li Chen?]

Li Chen typed a message.

[Li Chen: We've arrived. The signal was bad. She got seasick, but she's better now.]

two seconds.

[Wang Qiang: Is your sister-in-law seasick? Did you bring any medicine?]

[Li Chen: I brought it.]

[Wang Qiang: You bring everything. Were you born with an emergency kit???]

[Chen Mo: Addendum: Li Chen's previous strategy PDF did not cover seasickness preparations. This means he completed the emergency response within four minutes of discovering the problem at the dock. His reaction speed is at a top-tier level.]

[Zhao Zixuan: That's enough, you two. Let them have some alone time.]

Li Chen locked the screen.

Yan Xi stood at the end of the pier waiting for him. Her gaze was fixed on the buildings on the island.

"The construction method for the stone houses is different from that of Shitang. Here, they use dry-laid stone blocks and then grout with shell mortar. This makes them more durable."

"The first thing you do when you arrive at a new place is always look at the walls."

"The first thing you should always do when you arrive at a new place is look for the exit."

"So we're a good match."

Yan Xi's lips curved slightly. She didn't reply, but she reached out her hand. Li Chen grasped it. Their fingers intertwined.

The two people walked into the village along the narrow path. On both sides of the path were fishing nets drying in the sun, overturned plastic baskets, and a yellow dog dozing off, tied to a gatepost.

The yellow dog raised its eyelids slightly, glanced at them, and then closed them again.

"This one doesn't have a hip problem," Yan Xi said as she walked over.

"Do you now judge a dog's character by its skeleton first?"

"Professional qualities. Architecture is a broader field than you think."

At the end of the road was a small square. Several old camphor trees stood beside the square, their canopies so large they shaded half the sky. Under the trees was a stone table where two old men were playing chess.

Li Chen's gaze swept across the square.

There are roads in three directions. One leads to the dock—we've already passed that one.

One road goes uphill, leading to the mountain. Another stretches along the coastline.

"Which side is the ring road?" Yan Xi asked.

"The coastal one. It's nine kilometers long and takes about two and a half hours to walk."

"What about the lighthouse?"

"Northeast corner. There's a fork in the road five kilometers from the ring road. It's a twenty-minute walk from there."

Yan Xi glanced at the sky. The afternoon sun shone through the gaps in the camphor trees, casting its light on the stone path.

"Let's circle the island first. Set the lighthouse down at dusk."

Li Chen took a water bottle out of his backpack. He unscrewed the cap, took a sip, and handed it to her.

Yan Xi took it, drank a sip, and handed it back to him.

"You always drink first."

"Test the temperature."

"You also mentioned testing the temperature on the rocks last time."

"Try it every time."

Will the water temperature change?

"A thermos's insulation coefficient decreases by one to two degrees Celsius per hour. The water was filled before boarding. Forty-minute boat ride. It's about 58 degrees Celsius now. Your comfort zone."

Yan Xi looked at his profile.

"You've calculated the degradation factor of the thermos."

"Measured twice. Take the average."

Yan Xi pushed the water glass back to him. Her fingers brushed against the back of his hand as she pushed it.

The two walked along the island's ring road. The road was narrow, barely wide enough for one car to pass. To their right was a hillside covered in bushes and weeds. To their left was the sea. There were no guardrails. The road surface was about 1.5 meters from the edge of the cliff.

Li Chen walked on the left.

"You went to the outside again."

There are no guardrails here.

"I'm not going to fall."

"Your attention is on the wall."

Yan Xi didn't refute it. She was indeed looking at a section of exposed rock strata on the right-hand hillside.

"Volcanic tuff. It's the same stratum as the one over at Shitang."

"Professor Yan, could you please walk a few steps instead of giving a lecture?"

"cannot."

She said it very decisively.

We walked for about half an hour. We passed a small bay. The crescent-shaped beach wasn't large, and the sand was grayish-white. Several small fishing boats were stranded on the beach, upside down, their paint peeling off.

Yan Xi stopped in front of an overturned fishing boat. She squatted down and touched the wooden planks on the bottom of the boat with her fingers.

"Fir. Traditionally used in southern fishing boats. This wood grain density—used for at least thirty years."

"You can tell the tree species and age just by touching it."

"You can tell at a glance that the shrimp are from this morning."

Li Chen squatted down next to her. The two of them squatted in front of the fishing boat, like two children studying seashells on the beach.

"Li Chen".

"Um."

"The one in your strategy guide, the one marked 'Pending'."

Li Chen's breath hitched for a second.

"Is it settled?" Yan Xi turned her head to look at him. The sea breeze blew her stray hairs across her face. The phoenix hairpin was only an outline in the backlight.

There's a guesthouse on the island. It's a detached house on a hilltop, facing the sea.

When did you order it?

"On the ferry. When you leaned on my shoulder and closed your eyes."

"You booked a hotel room while using your phone with one hand."

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

Yan Xi stood up and patted the sand off her hands.

"Let's go. Let's see the room you booked."

Li Chen stood up. He naturally extended his hand. Yan Xi naturally placed her hand on top of his. Palm to palm. Her body temperature was half a degree higher than before she boarded the ship.

The two continued walking along the island's ring road.

When Yan Xi had walked three kilometers, her phone rang.

She took it out and glanced at it. Then she turned it off.

"Whose?"

"My dad."

Li Chen did not press further.

Yan Xi took two steps and spoke first.

He changed his tea eight times in one day.

"Did your aunt say that?"

"Um."

"Eight infusions. At his drinking pace, each infusion takes about forty minutes. Eight infusions would take more than five hours."

Yan Xi didn't stop walking.

What is he thinking?

"I miss you," Li Chen said.

Yan Xi pressed her thumb against his palm.

How did you know?

"There are only two things that can make Uncle Yan sit still for five hours. One is discussing business. The other is missing his daughter. Today is not a workday."

Yan Xi remained silent for a few seconds.

"I replied to him."

"What did you say?"

"'He's here. Safe. He's here.'"

Li Chen paused for a moment.

The two words are "he is here".

In Yan Xi's vocabulary system, these two words carry more weight than any explanation. They mean—someone is taking care of me, so you don't need to worry.

And that "he" was him.

Li Chen gripped her hand tightly.

On the distant sea, a gray-white lighthouse emerges from the tip of the cape.

Seventeen meters high.

A concrete cylinder.

It's the same as the one in Shitang, but shorter and older.

Yan Xi's gaze focused.

"That's the lighthouse you were talking about?"

"Concrete grade C15. White light every twelve seconds."

Yan Xi released his hand.

She quickened her pace.

Li Chen watched her retreating figure. Her ponytail swayed in the sea breeze. The phoenix hairpin reflected the afternoon light.

He followed.

My phone vibrated in my pocket.

His mother.

Li Chen took it out and glanced at it.

[Shen Ruolan: Your dad has been sitting on the sofa for six hours. The teapot has gone dry. Give him a call.]

Li Chen looked at the screen. Then he glanced at Yan Xi, who was speeding towards the lighthouse.

He typed a line of text.

[Li Chen: Tell him to brew two more pots. I'll make them tomorrow. Today...]

He raised his head.

Yan Xi turned around to look at him from ten meters away.

Sea breeze, sunlight, phoenix hairpin, and her slightly upturned chin.

Her lips moved. No sound came out. But he read it.

"hurry up."

Li Chen finished the message.

[Li Chen: She's more important today.]

Send. Lock screen. Run over.