After the hug was over, Lian Jun urged Shi Jin to take the bear costume off, worrying he would get heatstroke. Shi Jin, however, insisted on it, and took lots of photos with Lian Jun, to make up for those missing in his childhood. Only afterward did he run to the kitchen and take off the costume, washing his face while he was there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Wearing a whole body costume in this\nclimate was really too much. Shi Jin only had it on for a little\nwhile, but his hair and clothes were soaked with sweat. Despite being\nhot and uncomfortable, when he recalled the happiness on Lian Jun\u2019s\nface, he thought it was more than worth it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cEh, to make your child happy, at\nleast this much is a given.\u201d Shi Jin sighed with satisfaction,\nfeeling that he was a great \u201cfather.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Xiao Si: <Sniff<\/em>.><\/p>\n\n\n\n Helpless, Shi Jin coaxed it, \u201cDon\u2019t\ncry. I know you\u2019re worked up about your Darling\u2019s birthday, but\nyou\u2019ve been crying for so long\u2014be careful not to short-circuit\nyourself.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Xiao Si began to hiccup, and its\nsobbing intensified.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Shi Jin looked to the sky and let out a long sigh. Deciding to let it be, he returned to the outdoor area.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Everyone else was already there. Lian Jun sat in front of the cake, opening presents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n “Why haven’t you cut the cake\nyet?” Shi Jin asked as he approached, rubbing his sweaty hair\nwith a towel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Gua Two turned to him and winked\nevocatively. \u201cObviously we\u2019re waiting for you, mister\nconfectioner.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Shi Jin rolled his eyes at him with a smile and looked at Lian Jun. Suddenly, the image of the other man closing his eyes and kissing him flashed through his mind, and he unconsciously paused.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2014No good, that picture had too much\nimpact, he was still overwhelmed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n “Shi Jin, come here.” Lian\nJun\u2019s voice sounded just in time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He didn\u2019t know if it was his imagination, but today, Lian Jun\u2019s voice seemed to be extraordinarily smooth and pleasant to listen to.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Shi Jin wiped his ears with a towel and\nresumed walking. \u201cWhy haven\u2019t you cut the cake yet\u2014are you\nreally waiting for me?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n When he came close enough, Lian Jun\ntook his hand and answered, \u201cOf course I\u2019m waiting for you.\u201d\nStill holding Shi Jin\u2019s hand, he picked up the knife with the other\nand cut the top layer of the cake.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Excited, Gua Six whipped out a camera\nand took pictures like crazy. He pushed Gua Two out of the lens, as\nhe was obstructing the view.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Gua Two: \u201c……\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt actually has layers. How long did\nit take you to make?\u201d Lian Jun glanced at Shi Jin, squeezing his\nhand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Lian Jun\u2019s hand was chilly. It should be comfortable to hold in such hot weather, yet Shi Jin felt his palms sweat. He let go, and to make his action inconspicuous, wiped the sweat on his neck with a towel. \u201cNot long, everyone helped me a lot.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Lian Jun looked at the soaked shirt\nsticking to his body and frowned. He reached out and helped him pull\nit away from the skin, sending Gua Six a glance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It took Gua Six but a second to\nunderstand. He nodded and walked a bit further away, then made a\ncall.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Distracted by his clothes being pulled, Shi Jin didn\u2019t notice their silent exchange. He turned his head to look behind him. Feeling the sea breeze in the gap, cooling his heated skin, he narrowed his eyes with comfort and said thank you to Lian Jun.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Once the cake was cut, everyone\ngathered to get a piece and began to chat in warm atmosphere.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Five minutes later, Gua Six came up to\nShi Jin, holding a clean set of clothes, and said, \u201cChange into it,\nyou\u2019ll be more comfortable.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Shi Jin blinked in surprise, then felt\ntouched. \u201cYou\u2019re so nice, Brother Six.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYou should say this to Jun-shao, it\nwas he who asked me to bring you fresh clothes. There\u2019s a small\nbathroom at the back of the kitchen, you can wash there. Your sweat\nis almost dry, but it must be sticky and uncomfortable,\u201d Gua Six\nreplied, not passing an opportunity to help Lian Jun earn brownie\npoints.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Stunned, Shi Jin turned to look at Lian\nJun, who talked with the people surrounding him, a cake plate resting\non his knees. His hands gripped the clothes tighter. He thanked Gua\nSix and went to the kitchen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYour Darling is such a nice guy,\u201d\nShi Jin couldn\u2019t help exclaiming as he washed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Xiao Si started hiccupping again, and\nits wails became louder and louder.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Shi Jin: \u201c……\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Lian Jun, who didn\u2019t like eating sweets, stuffed himself full of cake on his birthday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Shi Jin, who didn\u2019t play real mahjong\nfor a long time, finally got an occasion to do it and occupied\nhimself with it with zest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And so, everyone was happy\u2026 But\nunfortunately, some had to pay the price for their happiness\u2014to\nmake up for his missing lessons, Shi Jin had to suffer through\nevening remedial classes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n They were scheduled from 7:00 to 9:30\nafter supper, so they ended a bit late. Lian Jun, worried about Shi\nJin tiring himself out too much, wanted to cancel the massage\nsessions until he was done with the remedial classes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Shi Jin objected to his proposal,\nfeeling that the maintenance of Lian Jun\u2019s legs couldn\u2019t fall\nbehind even a day. He put a great effort into trying to convince Lian\nJun, and finally got him to agree. However, taking into consideration\nthe hour, he shortened the time, just massaging Lian Jun\u2019s legs\nbefore going to bed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And so, Shi Jin, who\u2019d suffered a\nloss but thought he won the prize, said with satisfaction, \u201cYes,\njust like that, Jun-shao, you have to be positive and look forward in\nlife.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Lian Jun, who actually got all the\nbenefits but looked as if he had no choice but to concede: \u201cMhm.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Xiao Si: <……> Fine,\nsometimes Shi Jin\u2019s stupidity is not a bad thing.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n That evening, Shi Jin knocked on Lian Jun’s door after finishing the remedial lessons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Because it wouldn\u2019t be a full\nmassage, the massage table was temporarily abandoned. As it was late\nand Lian Jun would rest immediately after, he simply got into the bed\nso he wouldn\u2019t have to move later.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Shi Jin had no objections. Once Lian\nJun laid down, he lifted the hem of the nightgown and began to rub\nhis calf.<\/p>\n\n\n\n After kneading, kneading, and kneading,\nShi Jin eyed the bed, his arms aching a bit. The width of the bed\nmade changing sides inconvenient, unlike the massage table. If he\ncontinued to stand and lean over, it would be harder and harder for\nhim to massage properly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Lian Jun soon understood his\npredicament and thoughtfully suggested, \u201cJust come up on the bed.\nIt\u2019s late\u2014the earlier you finish, the earlier you can rest.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Shi Jin hesitated. \u201cNo, but I haven\u2019t\nwashed yet.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt’s fine, I don\u2019t mind.\u201d Not\nonly were Lian Jun\u2019s words kind, he even reached a hand to help Shi\nJin up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Shi Jin was touched\u2014sure enough, Lian Jun really was nice. He obediently climbed onto the other side of the bed, sitting on the quilt that was pulled off earlier, and continued the massage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He never realized the problem he\u2019d\njust encountered could be solved by Lian Jun turning over or moving\nto the other side. There was no need for Shi Jin to get on the bed at\nall.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But he climbed up and now, it was\nimpossible to climb down again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Lian Jun watched Shi Jin sit on his\nbed, completely focused on his legs, and his lips curved slightly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n By the end, Lian Jun seemed to have\nfallen asleep. Shi Jin carefully crawled off the bed. When he\nstraightened and was about to leave, he felt a cold hand grab his\nown.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He stopped and glanced back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Lian Jun, who he thought was asleep,\nopened his eyes, leaning slightly sideways. Seeing Shi Jin look back\nat him, he gave the teenager a smile\u2014not too obvious, but\ndefinitely a smile. \u201cThank you for your hard work,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n That smile melted Shi Jin\u2019s heart. He felt as if he gained an unexpected but wonderful return for something he\u2019d never needed to be paid back for. He turned back, squeezed Lian Jun\u2019s hand, and stooped down to give him a gentle hug. Then he squatted down and looked at his face, happy: \u201cYour smile is beautiful, you should smile more\u2026 Now sleep, goodnight, Jun-shao.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Lian Jun carefully engraved Shi Jin\u2019s\nexpression into his memory. He closed his eyes and responded in a low\nvoice, \u201cGoodnight, Shi Jin.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Shi Jin couldn\u2019t help but smile. He stayed next to the bed, staring at Lian Jun\u2019s sleeping face for until the numbness in his legs woke him up. He blinked, wondering in passing why he suddenly wanted to watch Lian Jun sleep. His mood was still strangely warmand buoyant. He helped Lian Jun pull up the quilt, got up, and quietly stepped out of the room, not forgetting to turn off the lights before leaving.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Click<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Once the door closed, Lian Jun opened\nhis eyes in the dark room. He pulled off the quilt Shi Jin tucked in\nand took a look at the hand he\u2019d held, sighing softly. Silly\nboy, when on earth will he understand?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Is it because he\u2019s too young?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n He thought that must be it, put down his hand, and this time really fell asleep.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Time continued to pass. On the last day of Shi Jin\u2019s remedial classes, the official notice came\u2014the date and place of the conference had been decided upon. According to the calculations, if they wanted to arrive at the coordinates sent by the officials on time, they had to leave at least three days in advance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It was already the end of March, and\nthe conference was scheduled for mid-April. Lian Jun, as the\nsuppressing force of the government, had to be there before the\nleaders of other organizations, so the departure time was pushed\nforward another two days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As such, they had less than ten days to\nget ready.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The pleasant holiday ended without\nwarning. Everyone snapped back into the right state of mind and\nbustled about, preparing for the voyage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As a “student,” Shi Jin was\nonly allowed to watch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n At the island’s\nsmall airport, planes landed and took off every day. The piles of\ncargo unloaded from them were transported to a large ship, which\nreplaced the medium-sized one they came on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n During another break between classes, Shi Jin leaned on the windowsill in the large study, watching the bustle in the distant harbor. He thought about Lian Jun\u2019s static progress bar, and couldn\u2019t help but sigh.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I only hope it stays this way.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhy are you sighing?\u201d Asked Lian Jun, who Shi Jin didn’t know when had appeared at his side. He followed the teenager\u2019s gaze to the busy harbor. \u201cDo you want to go down and have a look?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Shi Jin returned to himself and shook\nhis head. \u201cNo. I don\u2019t know anything. If I go, I\u2019ll only\ntrouble everyone.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Lian Jun didn\u2019t try to persuade him,\nmerely watching the ship with him. After a moment, he changed the\ntopic: \u201cWe nearly finished investigating Shi Xingrui\u2019s life, the\nreport will be transmitted in a few days. However, there isn\u2019t much\ninformation about Xiang Qing\u2019s abortion, it was too long ago\u2014the\ninvestigation didn\u2019t make much progress and will probably take more\ntime.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n It took Shi Jin a few seconds to absorb\nhis words, then he nodded to show he understood. Suddenly, he\nrealized that since Lian Jun\u2019s birthday, he never once thought\nabout Shi Xingrui and his family matters. Every day, his mind was\noccupied with either studying or planning where to go with Lian Jun\non the weekend or with playing\u2014nothing serious.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sure enough, holidays made people\nregress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He deeply reflected on his behavior and looked at the two progress bars in his mind, one stable at 490 and the other at 500. Pondering what he knew of the plot, he turned his eyes back to the ship in the harbor and sank into thought\u2014the remaining value of the bars would probably be troublesome to reduce.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Lian Jun didn\u2019t say anything, quietly\naccompanying him by the window. He had a faraway look in his eyes,\nand it was unknown what he thought about.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Once the evening classes over and done with, the massages returned to their previous time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When today\u2019s session ended, Shi Jin\nsent Lian Jun to the bathroom. After they said goodnight, he paused\nin front of the closed bathroom door, took a look at the time, and\nanother at the neatly made bed. Suddenly, his heart felt a bit empty.\nHe heaved a sigh and said to Xiao Si, \u201cToday, I can\u2019t watch Lian\nJun until he falls asleep\u2014maybe he will secretly keep working late\nagain.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Xiao Si, who\u2019d already regained its\nspirits, suggested thoughtfully, <You know, your room is just\nopposite Darling\u2019s. You can easily visit and urge him to sleep.><\/p>\n\n\n\n Shi Jin\u2019s heart instantly stopped\nfeeling empty. Looking as if he\u2019d been enlightened, he said,\n\u201cThat\u2019s right, I can go and check in on him. \u2018Early to bed\nand early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise,\u2019<\/em> as\nthey say. Yes, that\u2019s it, I\u2019ll do that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Xiao Si immediately expressed\nenthusiastic support for this decision.<\/p>\n\n\n\n At 10:30 that evening, Shi Jin, wearing sleeveless t-shirt and shorts as pajamas, stood in front of Lian Jun\u2019s door. He raised a hand but hesitated: \u201cXiao Si, if Lian Jun has already gone to bed, would my knocking wake him up?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Xiao Si assured him hurriedly, <I\njust checked\u2014Darling isn\u2019t sleeping, he\u2019s reading documents!><\/p>\n\n\n\n What!? He\u2019s still working at this\nhour!?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Shi Jin frowned and firmly knocked at\nthe door.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It opened quickly, revealing Lian Jun\ndressed in a nightgown and looking ready to sleep. However, Shi Jin\npeered behind him and saw a stack of files and turned on laptop on\nthe table by the window.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He threw Lian Jun an accusing look.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Immediately understanding what the\nexpression in his eyes meant, Lian Jun explained, \u201cI\u2019m really\nabout to go to sleep. Why aren\u2019t you sleeping yet?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI\u2019m about to sleep too, I just wanted to check in on you before I did,\u201d Shi Jin replied, stepping around the wheelchair to grab the handles and pushing it beside the bed without asking its occupant\u2019s opinion. \u201cSleep. You get up so early every day\u2014you need to go to bed early too to get the proper amount of sleep.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Lian Jun eyed him. \u201cI\u2019m still in\nthe middle of reading a document. It\u2019s urgent, I need to deal with\nit right now.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Shi Jin stared at him for a few\nseconds. After making sure he wasn\u2019t lying, he turned to the table\nand asked, “Which one is it? Get in the bed, I\u2019ll bring it to\nyou.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Since Shi Jin was this determined, Lian\nJun named the file he needed and obediently settled in the bed,\nleaning against the headboard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Soon, the situation turned into Lian\nJun reading the file in bed, and Shi Jin sitting next to the bed,\nquietly playing mahjong on his phone, not disturbing each other. Once\nLian Jun finished reviewing the document and notified his\nsubordinates of his approval, Shi Jin ended the game, helped Lian Jun\nput the file on the table, then stared at him until he laid down.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cGoodnight.\u201d His eyebrows wrinkled,\nShi Jin helped Lian Jun tuck in the quilt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Lian Jun grabbed his hand, asking, \u201cAre\nyou angry?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n His question surprised the teenager,\nand it took him a moment to answer. He shook his head. \u201cI\u2019m not\u2026\nBut you should stop working so late, it affects your quality of\nsleep.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cToday was an accident,\u201d Lian Jun replied, squeezing his hand. Seeing that Shi Jin didn\u2019t frown, apparently already accustomed to this degree of physical contact, his heartbeat quickened a little. He couldn\u2019t help but look deep into Shi Jin\u2019s eyes and say implicitly, \u201cI also want to quickly get better. Then, it would be me watching you falling asleep\u2026 I\u2019m sorry, I can\u2019t properly take care of you yet.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n However, Shi Jin didn\u2019t understand\nthe deeper meaning of his words\u2014he only knew that Lian Jun was\nsorry, and his expression eased. He crouched down to face Lian Jun,\nstuffed the other man\u2019s hand back under the quilt, and comforted,\n\u201cDon\u2019t worry, you\u2019ll surely get well. You look much better than\nbefore already. It\u2019s not that I want to tell you how to organize\nyour day, I\u2019m just worried\u2026 Anyway, once you\u2019re healthy, you\ncan supervise my sleep instead\u2014I\u2019m waiting.\u201d His eyes were full\nof encouragement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n …So he didn\u2019t notice the other\nmeaning of that sentence at all.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Lian Jun looked at Shi Jin’s earnest\nexpression, feeling both helpless and funny. This person, somehow,\nmisinterpreted the ambiguous atmosphere, speech, and behavior every\ntime. Yet, strangely enough, it didn\u2019t make others angry, only\ncaused them to think he was silly, silly but\u2014cute.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAll right, wait for me,\u201d Lian Jun\nnodded. He sat up and leaned over to give Shi Jin a hug, then laid\ndown again, pulling up the quilt. \u201cGoodnight, see you tomorrow.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Shi Jin was used to his hugs, so he\nsimply returned his goodnight, got up, turned off the lights, and\nstepped out of the room.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In a blink of an eye, ten days passed. One day in early April, Lian Jun with Shi Jin pushing his wheelchair boarded the ship, alongside Gua One and the others. They were ready to leave the island.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNext time we come, the year will be\nending, or maybe it will be next year already.\u201d Shi Jin leaned on\nthe railing, watching Crescent Bay Island disappear in the distance,\na little reluctant to leave.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Lian Jun sat beside him, also looking\nat the island. His gaze paused on every place he and Shi Jin visited\ntogether. \u201cIf you like, we can come a little earlier this year. By\nthen, I should be better and able to go fishing with you.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Shi Jin spent the whole holiday\nstudying or accompanying Lian Jun. Though he had fun, unfortunately,\nhe didn\u2019t have the opportunity to try any of the more\ntime-consuming activities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The young man smiled and said, \u201cThat\nwould be perfect. Jun-shao, you have to work hard to make your body\nhealthy, or that will be a lie.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Seeing his smile, Lian Jun felt\nrelieved. He smiled in reply: \u201cI will never lie to you, I promise.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Gua One and Gua Two stood on the small platform behind the bridge, leaning against the railing and watching Lian Jun and Shi Jin chat on the deck. They looked at each other for a few seconds. Finally, Gua Two broke the silence: \u201cJust when is Jun-shao going to make his move? Shouldn\u2019t it be about time? I feel that the atmosphere between them changed a lot.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n In the past, Shi Jin would never dare\nto behave so casually in front of Lian Jun, let alone be bold enough\nto manage him like this.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cShi Jin is too stupid, this slow\napproach seems to be the most effective.\u201d Though Gua One\u2019s words\nwere impolite, his expression was much milder than usual. He paused\nthen added, \u201cThese days, Jun-shao often smiles.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Gua Two looked down and also caught\nsight of the smile Lian Jun gave Shi Jin. He was dazed for a moment,\nthen sighed, \u201cHis temperament is getting milder and warmer\u2026\nNormally, I\u2019d say it\u2019s a good thing, but the conference is about\nto start.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The usual severe expression instantly returned to Gua One\u2019s face. \u201cJun-shao has everything under control.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI know, but I\u2019m worried those\npeople will notice something,\u201d Gua Two said. As he recalled the\nprevious conferences, the look in his eyes slowly turned icy. He\nwhispered, \u201cI just hope there will be no idiots this year, or we\nwill have to suffer through another clean-up.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIn our line of work, there’s never a\nshortage of idiots,\u201d coldly replied Gua One, his expression\nscornful. He didn\u2019t expect this year\u2019s conference to pass\npeacefully.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Two days into the voyage, Lian Jun\u2019s progress bar rose to 600. Shi Jin\u2019s also rose, to 500\u2014not much, but still.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Shi Jin let out a sigh. \u201cIt was\naffected by Lian Jun. Obviously, the meeting of the underworld bosses\nis dangerous.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Xiao Si appeased, <Don\u2019t be\nafraid, JinJin, Darling will protect you.><\/p>\n\n\n\n However, Shi Jin wasn\u2019t comforted\u2014on the contrary, his mood became even heavier.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Yes, we all think everything will be\nfine because even if something happens, Lian Jun will definitely find\na way to protect us. But who is going to protect Lian Jun? Lian Jun\nis just a mortal, not a god. His body is flesh and blood. Who will\nprotect him?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n One day later, on the evening of the third day, the government ship finally appeared on the horizon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It was huge and looked like a civilian\nship, not a military vessel. It didn\u2019t look very threatening,\ncontrary to Shi Jin\u2019s expectations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Gua One ordered their own ship to stop\nand scan the sea with radar. Only after making sure there were no\nhidden threats did he contact the official side. Then, he sent Gua\nTwo and Gua Five, along with a small group of people, to board the\ngovernment ship. Officially, it was to arrange their accommodation,\nbut in fact, it was to assess the situation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The hour was too late, and the rest of\nthe Annihilation forces would move tomorrow. As Shi Jin stood\noutside, observing the bustle on the lower deck, he found that the\ntemperature dropped more than he expected, and he had to zip up his\nthick coat. Looking at the pitch-black sea, he asked the system,\n\u201cXiao Si, in this cold, if someone falls into the sea, how long do\nyou think could they last?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Xiao Si shivered. <Are you trying to set a Death Flag for yourself, JinJin?><\/p>\n\n\n\n Shi Jin\u2019s face stiffened\u2014indeed,\nasking such a question was practically a textbook Death Flag. His\nmind instantly produced way too many scenarios where he ended up\nfalling into the water. He swallowed and asked, \u201cIs there a buff\nyou can give me if I really fall in?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Xiao Si thought it over. <Mermaid\nbuff? I can turn you into a fish temporarily.><\/p>\n\n\n\n …Turn into a fish?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n For a moment, Shi Jin’s expression\ndistorted. He very, very carefully backed away from the railing,\ndeciding to stay away from the deck from now on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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