"Name?"
"Huai Shi."
"Gender?"
"Male."
"Age?"
"Twenty years old."
It was a sunny afternoon under the clear sky. This was the checkpoint before boarding the ship.
After confirming the final information, the staff politely returned the document, "Sorry, sir, the verification has been a bit cumbersome recently."
"It's okay, I'm used to it."
The young man picked up his luggage and said goodbye with a smile, "Thank you."
"It's my job." The staff nodded, "I wish you a pleasant trip."
The young man's expression seemed to become a little complicated. In the end, he just shrugged slightly, "I hope so."
Soon, his figure disappeared behind the checkpoint.
Looking at him, he seemed very familiar.
Where have I seen him before?
After a long time, the staff came back to his senses from the back of the figure. Seeing the unhappy expressions of the people waiting behind, he quickly smiled apologetically and sped up the process.
In the end, when the long line gradually came to an end, the man sitting on the bench reading the newspaper slowly got up, walked to the checkpoint, and handed over his ticket.
Looking at the ticket representing the royal suite on the top floor of the luxury cruise ship, the staff showed the warmest smile.
"Welcome to the Turquoise, Mr. Leonid. On behalf of Danbo Shipping, I welcome you. I hope you don't mind these procedures."
"It's all for safety."
Andre waved his hand warmly. Under the guidance of the staff, he completed the fingerprint and facial recognition. In the middle, he put his finger into a slightly strange instrument and felt a slight pain. It seemed that he had taken a little blood.
Such a complicated procedure, even as a business maniac who often flew around, was not used to it.
"It seems to be very strict recently."
He loosened his bow tie, "It's tight everywhere, making it hard to breathe."
"This is the request of the security department, and the instrument is also issued by them. To be honest, I don't know why it's necessary." The staff said helplessly, "However, the situation is not very good recently, so some people always like to … take risks. We need to confirm the identity of every guest to ensure your safety. "
"It better be like this."
Andre sighed.
Although ordinary people may not feel it clearly, they just felt that the pressure of work had increased a little compared to the past, and there were more restrictions in various aspects.
However, for someone like Andre, he felt it even more clearly.
As a tycoon, he could receive news from all sides. He could also feel that some kind of storm was reverberating at a higher level that he could not reach.
Through the strange ups and downs of the international futures market, the strange movements of large financial groups, and the abnormal operations of various government departments, he could constantly sense the movements of the wind and the grass, but he could not see the body of the invisible force.
There was nothing more unbearable than this.
Every time he tried to investigate, he would only see a dense fog or receive a warning that made him extremely uneasy.
Even the mysterious friend in the cigar club only smiled, indicating that he was at ease, but refused to tell him more.
This made him more and more nervous.
His cousin, who felt that he was a little crazy, simply helped him book a ticket and let him bring his daughter out to relax.
Don't f * cking deal with those numbers every day. After a long time, all your hair will fall off.
When he thought of his daughter, his head hurt even more.
She turned around and shouted, "Lina, Lina, stop looking at those damn seagulls. Come here."
"But, Dad, look …"
In the distance, outside the railing at the edge of the dock, the girl holding a handful of bread crumbs turned around and said disappointedly, "They don't want to come over.
It's so strange. "
Far away from the coast, the bald thief birds that usually annoyed the sailors were not willing to come close at all.
Instead, they scrambled to fly away from the dock.
No matter how she called, they did not look back.
It was as if they had smelled something terrible.
The girl inexplicably thought.
"I said, don't care about those seagulls." Andre urged, "Come here quickly."
For the sake of the top-class ticket, the final security check was swift and quick. Soon, the two of them were able to board the ship. On the wide deck, the waiter had already served them drinks. Every smile was warm and considerate.
But his daughter was not interested.
"I don't like it here." She shook her father's arm. "Let's go back to the room."
Andre was helpless. But when he thought of his wife's early death and how he was too busy with work to get along with his daughter, causing her to be so lonely, he felt even more guilty. He gently advised, "Dear, you can't stay at home every day, right? At your age, even if you don't linger around the various balls, you should at least try to have a boyfriend. "
This was what he was most depressed about.
His family's condition wasn't bad. No, it should be said that his family had been wealthy since his grandfather. In his generation, he had achieved another leap in his family's wealth through his younger brother, who was in politics.
And his daughter, who had perfectly inherited her mother's genes, could also be called a rare beauty.
But, she was not interested in men at all.
Sometimes he even suspected that there was something wrong with his daughter's sexual orientation. But the key was that she did not even seem to have a particularly close friend.
This made the old father very confused.
"I have a boyfriend!"
Lina's eyes widened and she emphasized, "I have many boyfriends!"
"Well, if they don't only exist in the phone, then that's even better. Remember to bring them to father when you have time."
Andre shook his head and did not dwell on this issue. "There will be a banquet tonight. Come out and play like the other girls. I heard that there's a circus that has been very popular recently … You'll definitely like it!"
"But I want to go back to the room to play activities." Lina glanced at her phone. "Tonight's guild war will be settled …"
"At least eat something."
Andre said seriously.
"Okay."
Lina sighed. Just as she was about to try and fight for a bit more, she saw her father's kind look. "Don't mess around, dear. The show is about to start.
Look, how cute Furry is. "
Along with the middle-aged man's words, a melodious melody sounded on the wide deck. Cute dolls of various colors sang and danced towards the passengers, giving them gifts.
Their charmingly naive appearance attracted the attention of the children, causing the distressed children to stop screaming. The comical performance of stacking human pyramids and riding bicycles made the adults laugh and offer applause.
There was also a cute kitten-like doll that came up. After a friendly interaction with Lina, it tied a cute bow on her hair.
"How is it?" Andre looked at his daughter who came back to take a picture with him and smiled proudly.
"Hmph, just so-so …"
Although she awkwardly denied it, she still obediently accepted the doll's flyer with the gifts in her hands. She could vaguely see the words "Kitten Paradise World Tour" and so on …
Andre smiled slightly and did not expose her again.
At this welcome banquet held on the deck, he saw a few familiar figures. These were faces that often appeared in the news in the circle. His instincts as an investor made him eager to try.
Soon, using the atmosphere of the banquet, he had already integrated into their conversation. He even exchanged business cards with a few of them and became familiar with them.
The girl next to him was so bored that she wanted to yawn.
Especially when there were a few guys around her who he could not see clearly …
With a little carelessness, they quickly surrounded her like flies smelling meat.
It was as if they thought she was a little girl who had never seen the world. They approached her with some kind of empty and warm smile and started a topic that she was not interested in at all.
However, because of etiquette, she could not walk away directly.
And when they started to brag about their yachts and the wine in their family manor, she could only show an admiring expression of "wow", "oh", and "that's amazing".
However, most of them had some kind of unpleasant smell on them, like baboons in heat …
"… This year's rainy season is short, the quality of next year's new batch of wine …"
"The new product of the conference …"
"American ports are tight, maybe Danbo Freeport …"
Oh, men.
Maybe only the ones in the paper were good?
She began to wander off.
In a short trance, she seemed to fall into a sluggish state again, just like when she was a child.
When she came back to her senses, she saw those smiling faces looking at her, as if waiting for a response after the performance.
She should say something.
Appreciation, envy, or admiration.
She could say anything, they liked it.
So, in the anticipation of the baboons, she showed a standard smile and opened her mouth to say something, but she heard a sharp sound suddenly burst out.
It was right behind her.
No, it was more like it was in the depths of her soul.
It was like the scream of a whale.
An invisible hand suddenly clenched her heart, causing her vision to turn black, and she found it difficult to breathe. The chill instantly penetrated her bones.
But when she turned around in horror, she found that there was nothing behind her. There was only a huge container slowly being transported into the unfolded warehouse outside the ship's side.
It was covered in a layer of pitch-black felt …
It made her hair stand on end.
"What is that …" She staggered back, unable to stand firm.
"What?"
The 'baboons' looked puzzled.
"That sound!"
"What sound?"
Every face was full of doubts, causing her to fall into a daze and panic.
She felt as if everything in front of her was hidden behind a curtain, faintly revealing a mocking smile, causing her to gasp involuntarily.
Here it comes again!
Here it comes again!
Those damn illusions, at this time …
"I-I'm sorry, excuse me."
Lina staggered back a step and pushed away the people beside her. She did not have time to say hello and staggered forward, wanting to find her father.
But her father had already gone too far.
She could not catch up.
When she wanted to shout, the hallucinatory screams sounded again, causing her to lose her strength. She leaned against the railing of the deck in a daze, slowly slid down, and sat on the steps.
The crowd passed by her, looking at her lifeless appearance in confusion.
Someone asked politely, but there was no response.
She wanted to speak, but she could not make a sound.
It was as if her consciousness was no longer in her body and was gradually drifting away. She was swept away by the waves of the screams, drifting with the waves. Gradually, she became cold and trembled.
But in that suffocating feeling as if she was about to drown, there seemed to be clear ripples spreading out.
It made her involuntarily turn her head.
She could not move her eyes away.
Just behind her, in the afternoon sun, amidst the throng of tourists who were busy snapping pictures, laughing children ran among the adorable dolls.
But there were more, surrounding the front of the deck.
She stood on tiptoe curiously and looked up.
They were no longer naughty or restless. Instead, they listened to the gentle melody in a trance.
They stared at the silhouette leaning against the railing.
The warm and gentle melody echoed in the sea breeze, as if it had once again rendered the dim world with color and brought warmth to the sun shining down from the sky.
The sound of the cello soared out from the entanglement of the string and the bow, flying in the sky.
It was like flying birds.
Countless illusionary birds soared around her.
She reached out and wanted to touch them, but the birds disappeared like bubbles.
Only the children's singing filled the air around her.
In the light melody of the nursery rhyme, the children's happy singing sounded. They participated in it in uneven tones, but it was as smooth as a stream.
The singing echoed in everyone's ears under the clear sunlight.
"Ah, edelweiss, edelweiss, bloom in the morning to welcome me."
"Small and white, clean and bright, shake happily to me …"
She raised her head.
As if she had finally floated out of the water, she looked at the light above the sky and gasped.
She gradually fell asleep.
It seemed that she had gone through a long nap, but it also seemed that it was only a short moment.
When she woke up, the screams that echoed in the depths of her soul had disappeared. Like a real illusion, they disappeared without a trace, replaced by an unprecedented peace and quiet.
Even her breathing became relaxed.
Beside her, someone reached out and handed her a handkerchief.
"What a rare inspiration. It must have been hard for you these years."
The young man comforted her softly. "Don't worry, Miss, you will be fine."
"I …"
Lina looked at his face in a daze. She didn't know what had happened. She felt that it was like a dream. "What happened to me?"
The strange man thought for a moment and smiled. "I think you may just be a little seasick. Rest for a while will make you feel better."
He paused and looked at the anxious man in the crowd in the distance who was looking around blankly. He told her, "Your family is looking for you. You should go back."
With that, he nodded and said goodbye. He picked up his violin case and turned to leave.
"Wait!" Lina subconsciously wanted to get up, but she couldn't. "Please wait a minute —"
"Hmm?" The man looked back and waited in confusion.
Lina was stunned. She found that she didn't know what to say. She just looked at the face that she had never seen before. After a long time, she realized that she had lost her composure.
"Sorry, may I ask, you … what is your name?"
So, the young man smiled.
"Huai Shi."
He took off his hat and bowed slightly. "Please don't mind me. I am just a nameless musician."
Just like that, he turned and disappeared into the crowd.
Only Lina was still sitting in the same place, staring blankly in the direction that he left.
She felt that everything just now was like a strange dream.
Maybe, it was still her illusion.
She couldn't tell.
"Lina? Lina! Where did you go? "
When the anxious Andre found his daughter, he was almost crazy. "Dear, are you okay? Can you hear me? "
Lina slowly turned her head and looked at her father.
"Father."
"Hmm?" Andre didn't understand.
The girl pondered for a long time and suddenly asked, "When will the party start?"
It was still early.
Maybe she still had time to tidy up her hair and change into a new dress.
She looked at the gradually dispersing haze in the sky.
She suddenly began to look forward to it.
Will we meet again?
.
In the end, that person didn't appear at the party.
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
