Near the Sanya coast, on the azure sea, a luxurious white Azmu yacht rested quietly, gently swaying with the rhythm of the waves. Chen Yang, wearing black swimming trunks, his bare upper body revealing well-defined muscles, his six-pack abs gleaming in the low-latitude sunlight.
He lay sprawled on a deck chair, wearing Ray-Ban sunglasses, leisurely gazing at the blue sky above. Occasionally, a seagull would fly by, and Chen Yang's gaze would slowly follow its flight path. Most of the time, Chen Yang was dozing with his eyes half-closed.
The International Law Forum successfully concluded yesterday.
Chen Yang, as the youngest participant, delivered a presentation yesterday afternoon. His high-quality paper, co-authored with Liu Xinyao, received high praise from the participating experts.
Of course, although Chen Yang was young and outstanding, he was not the focus of this forum. All eyes were drawn to a hastily convened press conference by the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs the night before last.
This press conference, hosted by Foreign Ministry spokesperson Liu Lei, only released information and did not answer reporters' questions. At the conference, Liu Lei announced the actions of five individuals, including Sanchez, staff members of the Ministry of Justice of Belorussia, condemning their actions of bringing political issues into a purely academic forum and disrupting the proceedings.
At the conference, Liu Lei also released CCTV footage from the hotel on the day of the incident, the computer and printer used by Sanchez and others to print leaflets, samples of the leaflets, and a statement signed by Sanchez himself—plenty of irrefutable evidence.
Finally, Liu Lei solemnly announced that Sanchez and the other four individuals would be placed on an unwelcome list and deported that very night.
This news caused a huge uproar. This astonishing news quickly spread around the world through the media present, and Belorussia instantly became a laughingstock. Even several Western media outlets that typically held prejudices against China surprisingly remained silent on the matter.
It can be said that China launched a brilliant surprise attack.
That evening, Geng Zhengju, who was stationed in Sanya, personally met with Professor Yan, expressing his gratitude for Professor Yan's accurate prediction and timely reminder. The successful handling of this matter significantly boosted Geng Zhengju's standing committee and even the highest-ranking leader's opinion of him, and even played a positive role in his personal development during the reshuffle two years later, so he was quite pleased.
Professor Yan did not take credit, frankly stating that before coming to Sanya, his student Chen Yang had reminded him of this issue, and the failure of Laharu's plot was inseparable from Chen Yang's strong coordination during his time in Sanya.
Geng Zhengju was also very interested to hear that Chen Yang was a disciple of Master Baiyan and would be giving a speech at the conference the next day. However, due to his busy schedule, he had to return to Beijing that evening, so he could only regretfully bid farewell to Chen Yang, complaining before leaving that the staff hadn't invited him along.
Yesterday, after the event ended, Chen Yang and Liu Xinyao originally planned to return to Rongcheng on the same flight as Professor Yan. However, Fang Xu insisted on keeping them company for another day. Chen Yang figured it was summer vacation anyway and he didn't have anything urgent to do, so he agreed. Liu Xinyao and Fang Xu had a fairly good relationship, so she agreed without much hesitation.
This morning, Fang Xu led the two to the Xiangshui Bay yacht marina, where they boarded a yacht and set sail. According to Fang Xu, the owner of this top-of-the-line luxury yacht was also a son of a high-ranking official in Beijing who occasionally stayed in Sanya for a while. Hearing that Fang Xu was going out to sea, he lent him the yacht without hesitation, and even brought a full staff with him.
Fang Xu was enthusiastically busy with the barbecue on the top deck, while Liu Xinyao stood alone not far from Chen Yang, gazing blankly at the endless sea. Occasionally, when her beautiful eyes swept over Chen Yang's muscular body, she couldn't help but blush and her heart race, involuntarily recalling the wild scene from the first night she arrived in Sanya.
"This guy is actually quite strong. No wonder he was so strong that night, pressing down on me so heavily, I couldn't push him away no matter what I did..."
This thought inexplicably popped into Liu Xinyao's mind. She quickly banished these wild thoughts, her cheeks flushed, and stole a glance at Chen Yang like a thief. Seeing him still leisurely lying there with his legs crossed, she felt a little more at ease.
"What's going on? Why am I thinking such nonsense? Is it because he kissed me and touched me?" Liu Xinyao felt a surge of unease, as if she had become a different person after that night. Every time she saw Chen Yang, she couldn't help but think of things related to sex. In truth, through her observations over the past few days, Chen Yang should have completely forgotten everything that happened that day, but Liu Xinyao always felt uneasy in his presence.
Perhaps this was a case of "a guilty conscience needs no accuser"!
"Ha! Got you!"
Just as Liu Xinyao was lost in thought, Chen Yang suddenly shouted, startling her. She instinctively looked towards him, her heart pounding.
She saw Chen Yang leap from the recliner and run straight towards Liu Xinyao. Liu Xinyao felt uneasy: Had she been caught secretly watching him...?
"Xinyao, what are you standing there for? The fish's biting!" Chen Yang grabbed the fishing rod beside Liu Xinyao, quickly reeling in the line while muttering, "Standing so close and you didn't even notice the fish biting? What were you thinking about, so engrossed..."
Liu Xinyao's expression became a little unnatural. Chen Yang was talking about sea fishing, but she subconsciously thought he was talking about her...
Chen Yang, oblivious to Liu Xinyao's strange expression, continued reeling in the line, muttering to himself:
"There's an art to fishing." Especially when sea fishing. When reeling in the line, you must pull it a little and then loosen it a little, so the fish won't struggle desperately, otherwise it's easy to get off the hook! Hehe, sometimes it's the same with life. You can't be too tense. You need to relax and change your mindset at the right time, and you'll find that there's still a vast expanse ahead; it's just that your mind has entered a dead end!
Liu Xinyao listened to Chen Yang's words thoughtfully. It seemed that she had entered a dead end these past few days. Since everyone was drunk that night, and nothing substantial happened in the end, why should she keep holding a grudge? Let everything take its course. She couldn't possibly fall for a different womanizer, could she?
But why did Chen Yang say that? Was it really just casual conversation? Just as Liu Xinyao was about to speak, Chen Yang exclaimed in surprise:
"Haha! Quite a haul!"
Liu Xinyao looked around. The fish had already been brought out of the water. Judging by the appearance, it weighed more than a pound. Liu Xinyao didn't know much about sea fish and didn't know what kind it was. Chen Yang sped up the reeling, quickly casting the fish onto the yacht deck. As he unhooked the wriggling fish, he laughed and shouted, "Fang Xu! Get someone down here to get the fish! We'll have more dishes for the barbecue later!"
Fang Xu, hearing this, poked his head out from the top deck. Seeing the fish Chen Yang had caught, he was overjoyed. He handed over his work to the staff and happily ran down himself.
"Pretty good! You caught a fish in such a short time!" Fang Xu picked up the fish, examining it from all angles, like a child.
"Of course! Look who did it!" Chen Yang said smugly. "Take it upstairs and give it to the staff to handle! If this clownfish isn't handled properly, the flesh will taste bitter!"
Liu Xinyao curiously leaned closer and asked:
"It's called a clownfish? I think it's quite pretty!"
Chen Yang scratched his head and said helplessly:
"Well… you'd have to ask the person who named it. They were probably blind!"
Fang Xu burst into laughter at Chen Yang's words. Liu Xinyao rolled her eyes at Chen Yang and turned to gaze at the sea, lost in thought.
A faint smell of the sea filled the air, and a gentle sea breeze made one feel incredibly comfortable. Under the blue sky and sea, one's heart seemed to expand considerably.
"Betel nuts, want some?" Chen Yang came to Liu Xinyao's side, holding out a few fresh betel nuts in his hand.
Liu Xinyao frowned and said,
"No!"
Seeing betel nuts, Liu Xinyao's first thought was of the famous, scantily clad betel nut beauties on the opposite island, and the betel nut-chewing thugs in movies and television, so she had absolutely no interest in this stuff.
Chen Yang seemed to sense Liu Xinyao's thoughts. He withdrew his hand and pointed to a small hill on the side of the yacht, whose outline was still faintly visible, saying,
"Look over there, doesn't it look like a deer looking back?"
Liu Xinyao followed Chen Yang's finger and indeed, the hill resembled a deer looking back at the heights, majestic, steep, and lifelike. She nodded involuntarily.
Chen Yang casually put a betel nut in his mouth, chewing as he said,
"Let me tell you a story! It's about that mountain!"
"Hmm..." Liu Xinyao replied softly. Chen Yang gazed at the distant mountains and began to recount:
"Long ago, there was a kind young hunter named Alang. When he hunted, he couldn't bear to kill any weak animals. Once, he encountered an injured deer and even treated it with herbal medicine. But later, his mother fell seriously ill, and his family became so poor they couldn't afford food. When Alang went hunting, he saw a beautiful deer and wanted to cruelly kill it. But as Alang drew his bow, the deer turned and looked at him. Alang felt a pang of reluctance, but he desperately needed prey to earn money, so he chased after the deer.
Every time Alang stopped, the deer would stop and look back at him. The two chased each other like this until they reached this mountain range. Suddenly, the deer turned and cast a deep, affectionate glance at Alang. Their eyes met, and a spark of..." A love story that would be etched in the air for eternity: the deer instantly transformed into a beautiful maiden, throwing herself into Alang's arms, and the two confessed their love.
Their vows of love, as powerful as mountains and as tender as their passionate affection, moved the local earth god. Instantly, the mountain's terrain changed to its present shape. The deer maiden told Alang that her name was Abin, and that she was the little deer he had once saved. As she spoke, she spat out a seed, which they planted together. She said it was a tree of love, and named it the Areca Tree after them…"
Chen Yang recounted the legend of the deer turning back, and Liu Xinyao listened with rapt attention. Only after Chen Yang stopped talking did she come to her senses and say:
"So areca nuts have such a beautiful story! Chen Yang… can I have one?"
"Of course!" Chen Yang smiled and handed Liu Xinyao a areca nut.
Liu Xinyao put the betel nut in her mouth, took a small bite, and immediately cried out in surprise:
"Ah! It's so numb!"
She quickly spat out the betel nut, sticking out her tongue and panting like a little puppy. Chen Yang couldn't help but burst into laughter at her adorable antics.
Liu Xinyao rolled her eyes at Chen Yang, saying:
"You're so mean! You told me a touching story to trick me into eating something so awful..."
"Hey! You two down there, stop flirting..." At that moment, Fang Xu poked his head out from the top deck and called out, "Come on up and enjoy some all-natural barbecue! We still have to go snorkeling later! Hurry up!"