On Monday, Kang Mu Cheng took Jian Jing on Si Yingjie’s private jet.
“Look at the face I’m giving you, even a busy man like you made time to come out.” Si Yingjie was thirty-one this year. He had a masculine appearance and an easy-going personality. He and Kang Mu Cheng were childhood friends. As soon as they met, he hooked his arm around his buddy’s shoulder and gripped him tightly. “Good brother, I appreciate it.”
Kang Mu Cheng pried his hand off. “I didn’t come for you.”
“I know, you’re too shy to admit it.” Si Yingjie was well-versed in handling the reticent. He didn’t mind at all and smiled at Jian Jing standing to the side. “Little Jing Jing, long time no see. Did you miss your brother Yingjie?”
Jian Jing held back her laughter. “Long time no see.”
“Oh, you’re livelier than before.” Si Yingjie let go of Kang Mu Cheng and draped his arm over her shoulders instead. He bent down to whisper in her ear, “Got a boyfriend yet?”
Jian Jing: “No.”
“Want to consider Brother Yingjie?” He tempted her. “I’m single now, you know.”
Jian Jing's gaze lingered on his collar for a few seconds. She reserved judgement. “Is that so?”
“Yeah, real deal. Just got divorced a month ago.” Si Yingjie said. “My feelings are hurt right now. I desperately need a pretty girl to comfort me.”
He had raised his voice on that last bit, irking Kang Mu Cheng greatly. “Are you insane?”
Si Yingjie rolled his eyes. “Watch what you say. What’s insane about a single man and woman with no commitments? There’s no issue.”
“A divorced man.” Kang Mu Cheng's distaste was written on his face.
“What about divorce?” Si Yingjie scoffed indifferently. “Divorce just means she and I were incompatible. We cut our losses in time and set each other free. Right, Jing Jing?”
Jian Jing nodded.
Kang Mu Cheng was even more displeased. "You get married after knowing each other two months, then get divorced after being married for one month. You call that cutting your losses?"
"No, I was too responsible. I took our feelings seriously, the marriage seriously, freedom seriously." Si Yingjie took some drinks from the fridge and distributed them. "Hey, we haven't seen each other in so long. You're attacking me as soon as you get on. That's going overboard, don't you think?"
Kang Mu Cheng accepted the cold beer. His tone softened. "Don't corrupt the child."
"Tsk, you really need to change this habit." As childhood friends, Si Yingjie dared say what others didn't. "When we were young, you bossed your mom around so much that Auntie Kang couldn't take it anymore. She sent you off to boarding school. And now you're bossing Jing Jing too... For goodness sake, hurry up and get married and have a kid you can boss around instead."
Kang Mu Cheng: "..."
Jian Jing: "Pfft."
Sometimes, a person's best friend isn't someone similar, but rather someone completely opposite.
Kang Mu Cheng was prudent and responsible. Even when going on vacation, he wore dress shirts and trousers, fastidious in every way. Si Yingjie, on the other hand, took casual to the extreme. T-shirt, shorts, slippers - he opened the beer can and drank right from it without removing the pull tab.
"Would it kill you to wait and drink it later?" Kang Mu Cheng snatched the beer and removed the tab for him. His expression unchanged, he said, "What if you cut your mouth."
Si Yingjie guffawed loudly. "That's why I have you! I love going out with you the most. I don't need to worry about anything. Right, Jing Jing?"
Jian Jing took the opened cola from Kang Mu Cheng and nodded again.
Going out with Kang always meant she didn't need to worry about anything except her own luggage. Vacationing with him was undoubtedly far more relaxing than traveling alone.
Kang Mu Cheng was helpless against the two of them. He changed the subject. "Just the three of us? That's not like you."
"BINGO! I knew you'd get me." Si Yingjie burped after his beer. He said casually, "Of course I didn't just invite you. There are some other friends coming too. The more the merrier, right? Otherwise it'd be boring on this lame island."
Mischievously teasing Jian Jing again, "Little Jing Jing, my friends are all good looking. If you don't fancy this divorced old man, you can consider them. Don't listen to Mu Cheng. You're my guest these few days. Listen to me."
Kang Mu Cheng took a deep breath and decisively said, "Can't be bothered with you."
Si Yingjie laughed merrily. He winked at Jian Jing.
With a companion like this along, the trip was guaranteed to be easygoing. After flying for several hours, they landed in a famous tourist destination. They spent the night at the most luxurious hotel in town.
The next day, they took a seaplane to their vacation destination - Mermaid Island.
Jian Jing was a little concerned. "Why is it called Mermaid Island?"
"Hm? Hahahaha, Jing Jing, don't tell me you think it's called Mermaid Island because mermaids have been spotted here." Si Yingjie guffawed loudly, utterly amused. "So cute. You must really like The Little Mermaid?"
Jian Jing: "..."
Please, it's because mermaid legends make it easy for murders to happen!
"There are no mermaids in this world." Si Yingjie wanted to ruffle her hair but grabbed at air instead. He lamented, "It's called that because the island's mountains look like a sleeping mermaid, see."
He pointed into the distance, tracing an S-curve. "That side looks like a woman with long hair, and that cliff face on the other side is the fish tail."
Jian Jing was instantly relieved. "Okay then."
As they drew nearer to Mermaid Island, they set foot on the beach around noon.
Si Yingjie jokingly asked, "Although I'm already sick of the scenery here, this is Jing Jing's first time. It should still be decent, no?"
Jian Jing appreciated the surroundings. It was a typical tropical island with palm trees, coconut trees, white sandy beach and azure ocean. The blazing sunlight warmed her skin.
"It's beautiful." She said sincerely.
"That's good then." Si Yingjie got on an electric car. "Let's go, we're going to the villa."
Jian Jing noticed there were no signs of people coming and going on the island. She couldn't help asking, "Is this a private island?"
Si Yingjie said, "Yes, my cousin bought this island. He passed away three years ago and left it to me to manage."
"I'm sorry." She apologized.
"It's fine." Si Yingjie didn't take it to heart. He casually said, "To be honest, if it wasn't for my cousin's dying wish, I might have gotten bored of this lame place after two years. Jing Jing, you should treasure these novel feelings. Give it half a month and you'll feel there's nothing fun left to do on this crappy island. You'll want for nothing, and have nothing."
But Jian Jing's enthusiasm didn't diminish. "It's peaceful here."
"Hmph, don't come complaining to me then." Si Yingjie let out an odd chuckle, then took the initiative to amend his words. "Well, half a month might not be enough, with scuba diving, surfing, fishing... We can take our time to enjoy everything."
He asked, "What do you want to try first? I'll take you. I'll make sure you have a blast these few days."
Jian Jing looked to Kang Mu Cheng and asked curiously, "What are your plans, Kang?"
"Work mornings, rest afternoons." Kang Mu Cheng's plans were clear cut. "Does the signal work here? Don't have an outage that lasts three, four days like a few years ago."
Si Yingjie said derisively, "You call that a vacation? No drinking, no staying up all night, no flirting - you're just working somewhere else. What are you even here for?"
"To comfort a heartbroken divorcee." Away from his familiar work setting, Kang Mu Cheng was much more relaxed. He even retorted, "Why else?"
Si Yingjie denied it. "I got divorced but I'm not heartbroken."
"Six months ago, Yang Xiao got engaged. You immediately went and got married. Then she called off her engagement, and you got divorced right after." Kang Mu Cheng said evenly. "Of course, pure coincidence. You're not heartbroken at all."
Jian Jing: This tea is delicious.
Si Yingjie let out an awkward laugh. "Haha, look, we're here."
They bypassed the shaded tree-lined avenue and finally arrived at their vacation destination.
A scattering of waterfront villas.
"There are twelve villas total, but they've never been fully occupied." Si Yingjie said. "Take your pick of any except the westernmost one.
He told Jian Jing, "Jing Jing, take the second villa on the east side. It's quieter there, higher elevation, best view."
Jian Jing looked to Kang Mu Cheng. He didn't say anything, so she smiled. "Thank you, Brother Yingjie."
"Can't have you calling me brother for nothing. But why do you still call him 'Kang' instead of 'Boss'?" Si Yingjie noticed the discrepancy.
Jian Jing answered, "It suits his temperament."
Si Yingjie guffawed loudly. "Right, right, that makes sense. Then I'll call you Boss Kang from now on too."
Kang Mu Cheng: "...Then I'll take villa number three."
"OK, I'll take number five." Si Yingjie assigned tasks. "I'll take Jing Jing over. Boss Kang, you've been here before, make yourself at home. No need to show you around."
Kang Mu Cheng nodded, unexpectedly not giving Jian Jing any instructions. It was evident that although he complained outwardly, he actually had complete trust in his friend.
Unfortunately, Si Yingjie... did not live up to his trust.
After taking Jian Jing away, he lowered his voice mysteriously, "I'll tell you, although Villa Number 3 is next to Number 2, every villa here has more than one path. I'll take you through the small path so if you want to sneak away from Mu Cheng to have fun, you can take the side path and he definitely won't see you."
Jian Jing found it quite amusing, but also couldn't help feeling strange, "Why do you think I want to sneak away from Mr. Kang to have fun?"
"Mu Cheng has too strong a sense of responsibility. After taking care of you for so long, he would inevitably keep taking care of you in the future," Si Yingjie said solemnly. "Moderation in all things, you're twenty...twenty-one this year right? Graduated from college?"
She said, "I'm starting my Master's in the second half of the year."
"That's right," Si Yingjie said meaningfully. "Little Jingjing, I can see that you're much more sensible now, and don't need someone to make every decision for you anymore. Mu Cheng should get used to it."
"I understand," Jian Jing met his gaze and smiled, "You're afraid I'll dislike him?"
Si Yingjie shrugged, evading the question, "Sometimes, those who accompany you to have fun are more well-liked than those who manage you, but when something happens, the one willing to take care of you is more dependable."
Jian Jing heard some wistfulness in his tone, but didn't pursue it, only saying, "I won't dislike Mr. Kang, he's very good to me, one of the few good people in this world to me - also, recently he hasn't been managing me much."
Si Yingjie raised his eyebrows.
"These past two years, Jinwu has had a lot going on, Mr. Kang hasn't rested for a long time," Jian Jing had no intention of explaining further, "Rather than helping me sneak out to play, it'd be better if you keep him from coming back, so he can properly take a vacation, instead of rushing me to work during his time off."
Si Yingjie laughed heartily, teasing, "Alright, leave it to me. I'll make sure of it."
He was true to his word. After dinner, he brought Kang Mu Cheng to the seaside to drink and chat.
When it was just the two good friends together, it was easy for many things to be said.
Si Yingjie first poured out his own troubles, "Yang Xiao and I really can't reconcile after all these years together, we know each other too well. If I wanted to earn a good living properly, would I have waited until today? I just didn't want to, but she insisted I 'see the error of my ways', what could I do? I had no choice but to break up with her."
Kang Mu Cheng listened quietly.
"She didn't know if she was angry at me or what, but went and got engaged to someone else right after. Fine, we parted ways, it's not like I can't find another woman-" Si Yingjie picked up the whiskey glass filled with ice and took a big gulp, "I don't know why Yang Xiao called off her engagement either."
"I happened to have heard about it," Kang Mu Cheng said. "Her fiancé died."
Si Yingjie was stunned, "He died? How?"
"Not clear, it wasn't announced publicly." Kang Mu Cheng looked meaningfully at his friend, "Really not going to contact her?"
Si Yingjie was silent for a moment, then shook his head, self-deprecatingly said, "It's all in the past, what's the point in bringing it up? Tell me about you, what have you been busy with recently?"
"Dream Building," Kang Mu Cheng cracked the ice cubes and added some ice to both their glasses. "The Fang Corporation has been struggling desperately recently, lacking cash, and has already started selling buildings."
Si Yingjie exclaimed, "Your family bought Dream Building?"
Dream Building was constructed thirty years ago by a famous designer, and was the tallest building in Heping City for a long time, the crowning achievement of the Fang Corporation. But in the past decade of rapid development, it had slowly been surpassed.
Even so, the land under Dream Building was still worth a fortune, the kind that was priceless.
"You know my mother loves these landmark buildings," Kang Mu Cheng rested his forehead in his palm. "It's made the company cash flow very tight recently, we haven't even paid Jian Jing her copyright fees."
Si Yingjie laughed uproariously, teasing, "You owe her money, yet you still manage her affairs, be careful or she'll ask you to sell yourself to repay the debt."
"I don't dare not manage her." Kang Mu Cheng closed his eyes, his expression sinking slightly, "She tried to commit suicide once last year in the first half."
Si Yingjie spit out his whiskey in shock, "Really???"
"But after being saved, it seems like she really came to understand things, she's just a bit..." Kang Mu Cheng uncharacteristically didn't know how to describe it, "Nevermind, hard to say, let's not talk about it."
Si Yingjie shrugged, raising his glass, "Alright, no more annoying stuff, drink up!"
The stars were dotted brightly, the vast sea seemingly endless.
A point of light in the distance gradually approached.
"Mr. Si," the person in charge of Mermaid Island jogged over and whispered a few words in Si Yingjie's ear.
Si Yingjie was a bit surprised, but quickly said, "That's fine, let them come over."
He explained to Kang Mu Cheng, "I said earlier I had invited two other friends, they came earlier than us, saying they were going diving somewhere. They just called and said someone they were with wasn't feeling well, asking if they could come rest on the island overnight, and I agreed."
"Is there a doctor on the island?"
"No, if it's serious they'll have to be sent to the hospital by plane." Si Yingjie was eager to help, and thought for a bit before saying, "Let me go take a look."
Kang Mu Cheng said, "I'll come along."
The two came to the dock. A yacht slowly pulled in, and six people disembarked.
"A Xu," Si Yingjie greeted his friend, "Who's not feeling well, is it serious, there's no professional doctor on the island, do we need to send them to the hospital?"
A Xu smiled awkwardly and moved aside.
Behind him a long-haired woman was supporting a short-haired woman down the boat. The short-haired woman looked up wanly, "Just a bit of heat stroke."
Si Yingjie was dumbfounded, "Xiao Xiao?"
"Oh, Yingjie?" Another tall figure with phoenix eyes walked down, narrowing her eyes, "What a coincidence."
Si Yingjie: "......Ai Lina?"
Even with Kang Mu Cheng's composure, at this moment he lightly inhaled a breath.
If he remembered correctly, his ex-wife was called——Ai, Li, Na.
