However, as a celebrity, he naturally couldn’t bring a woman over by buying tickets and boarding a ship through the company. The best option would be to have a boat of his own, so he could come over whenever he wanted.
As they talked, the two had already reached the end of the pier. Many small boats were tied up here with ropes, Yu Zexiao approached one that was exceptionally clean and untied it from the pier, then hopped on first: "Come on."
Jian Anning hesitated slightly but reached out her hand to him. With a strong pull from Yu Zexiao, she was quickly on the bow of the boat.
Because of their boarding, even though the boat was moored at the pier, it swayed slightly. Jian Anning was startled and immediately clung to Yu Zexiao, almost burying herself in his embrace—it was obvious that she was completely scared by the rocking boat.
After all, it was night; during the day, with more people around, even falling into the water wouldn’t be so frightening. But late at night, when no one was around, even if she knew how to swim, what if she fell in and got her feet tangled in the seaweed? Wouldn’t that be the end?
Not until the boat finally stabilized did she swing her small fists, punching him on the shoulder: "It’s all your fault, why are we on a boat so late at night! What if I had fallen in?"
"If you fell in, I would come rescue you." Yu Zexiao was satisfied to see her so flustered, a smile curling up at the corners of his mouth, "Your husband here is quite a good swimmer, you know."
Jian Anning glared at him, but Yu Zexiao just laughed, turned on his cellphone, and used the light to see a keyhole at the front of the boat, then he immediately took out a key from his bag: "Let’s go!"
Once the boat started moving, with a gentle breeze blowing, it was actually rather pleasant. The boat wasn’t too large, with four seats at the front and back and a small table in the middle, seemingly meant for eating and drinking. The boat could be powered by an engine or by pedaling manually. With the loud noise the engine would make at night, Yu Zexiao and Jian Anning naturally chose to pedal the boat slowly forward.
Maybe because Ling Yichuan had helped him rent the boat, he made sure it was cleaned inside and out, and even applied oil to the pedals, so they didn’t need to exert too much effort. They drifted leisurely along.
Indeed, perhaps due to the absence of people, the water was exceptionally open. The two pedaled the boat, with a gentle breeze and cutting through the waves. Especially here, where the water surface was shrouded in a thin mist, it felt as though they were boating into a fairyland from a fairytale.
"So beautiful." With a soft pedal, the boat sliced through the calm water. The ancient-looking houses, the old city walls, and even the high-rise buildings far away—all were veiled in the dense night air, creating a breathtakingly picturesque scene.
"You think this is beautiful? What about when we get to the island later?" Yu Zexiao smiled softly, pedaling harder, and the boat picked up speed.
Soon, the boat was rocking gently towards the small island. There was a small dock there too, Yu Zexiao judged the distance and leaped onto it, then turned back, "Anning, grab my hand and come over."
"Okay, okay." Jian Anning stood up, perhaps because she was the only "heavy thing" on the boat...