Chapter 38

Chapter 38

Jiang Chen had booked tickets for the Zhiyin Cruise early on. The Zhiyin Cruise is a cruise ship docked on the Yangtze River, renovated to include bars, dance halls, and immersive theatrical performances set in the Republic of China era. The interior is decorated in a retro style, with a gorgeous and rich color palette. NPCs roam throughout, providing visitors with an immersive experience.

It didn’t exist when Ling Sheng left Jiang City, but it has become very popular in recent years.

Ling Sheng was dressed as usual today, wearing a dark gray crew-neck knitted sweater under a shirt, gray suit pants, and a khaki cashmere overcoat, with a beige cashmere scarf around his neck.

Jiang Chen was very excited. There was a coat in the car. Ling Sheng saw his eye-catching outfit as soon as he got in the car and chuckled, “This outfit is not bad, you’ll look even more like it in a few years.”

This outfit looks a bit mature, but if he doesn’t speak it’s fine, but seeing him so excited that the corners of his eyes and eyebrows can’t hide his smile, he looks childish.

Jiang Chen leaned over and kissed Ling Sheng: “No need, I’ll fit in better when I get there, making the experience more immersive.”

He handed him the tickets. The Zhiyin Cruise tickets were very special, and came with a specially printed newspaper, the Zhiyin Cruise Gazette, which stated the date of departure. Ling Sheng took the tickets and looked at them, then put the newspaper in his pocket.

It takes an hour to drive there, because the show time is seven thirty. Ling Sheng didn’t have time to eat after work, so Jiang Chen timed it to buy him food, which was still warm when he gave it to him.

Fortunately, it wasn’t too congested tonight. After parking the car, Jiang Chen took the coat from the back seat and put it on, and wrapped the scarf around his neck. It was very cold outside. As soon as he got out of the heated car, the cold wind blew on his face. It was even colder by the Jiang beach. The cold wind hit his face, and Jiang Chen frowned slightly as if he had been slapped.

This made his temperament even more fitting. Ling Sheng found it cute and laughed again. White mist came out of his mouth like he was exhaling smoke.

Jiang Chen straightened his scarf, then reached out to adjust Ling Sheng’s scarf, wrapping it tighter, burying half of his face in it.

The two walked onto the Zhiyin Cruise dock, went in after checking their tickets. Before boarding, there were clothing stalls and temporary changing rooms, mainly for cheongsams, and many girls were picking out clothes there.

Both of them had outstanding appearances. Ling Sheng looked like a business elite walking in the CBD, while Jiang Chen, with his height of 188cm, plus this retro suit and coat, looked like an actor about to shoot a period drama. Many girls saw them and took out their phones to take pictures.

“Wow, so handsome, is he a celebrity?”

“No way, would a celebrity dare to go out like this?”

“Is that an actor from the Zhiyin Cruise today? So handsome! I came to the right place today!”

Jiang Chen pulled up his scarf to cover his face and quickly pulled Ling Sheng onto the ship.

The ship has three floors. The suspended hall in the middle is the main stage, with a magnificent crystal chandelier hanging from the ceiling. The floor is painted with bright patterns, and the surroundings are decorated with exquisite small round tables. Many actors are already in place. Men in long gowns and suits, and girls in cheongsams and Republic of China student skirts stand in various places. The moment you step into the cabin, it’s like stepping into another time and space.

Jiang Chen’s outfit was very eye-catching outside, but after entering here, it really integrated very well as he said, like a wealthy young man from the 1980s and 1990s, full of nobility, with a hint of arrogance, introducing his family’s business to his friend next to him.

Jiang Chen had been here before, so he excitedly introduced it to Ling Sheng. Ling Sheng followed his steps to browse, occasionally listening to him talk about the origin and history of the scenes on the ship.

Each room on different floors has different decorations and actors. Jiang Chen is very interested in history, and his grandfather had been telling him about the history of Jiang City since he was a child. He knows almost all the knowledge points on the ship. Ling Sheng listened patiently all the time, occasionally asking a question, leading him to continue speaking.

The air conditioner in the ship was very strong, and it soon got hot. The two put their clothes in the room they had booked. When they came out, the performance had already started.

The beginning was a plot-driven dance, with beautiful women in cheongsams and noble young men in retro suits dancing gracefully in the dance floor. The surrounding actors were either drinking or watching the dance, and from time to time they would glide and change partners.

As the dance progressed to the second half, the atmosphere gradually became lively. The actors began to go off the stage and walk towards the audience, reaching out to gesture, leading them into the dance floor. Jiang Chen’s outfit was too eye-catching. Soon, an actress in a red cheongsam walked up to him and made an invitation gesture. Jiang Chen was about to refuse, but the actress took his hand. In full view of the public, he couldn’t directly shake her off. After all, she had no malice and was a girl, so he followed her into the dance floor.

He was afraid that Ling Sheng would think he was frivolous. Jiang Chen looked back and saw Ling Sheng standing there, arms crossed, looking at him with a smile.

Jiang Chen had learned ballroom dancing, after all, it was useful in some occasions, but he felt a little uncomfortable with Ling Sheng’s smiling face. After dancing for two rounds, he suddenly said something in the actress’s ear. The actress smiled knowingly. After the two danced for another round, the actress spun away, but Jiang Chen took advantage of the music to come to Ling Sheng, directly grabbed his hand, and put his other hand on his waist.

Ling Sheng was forced into the dance floor, still in the posture of a female dance partner.

The dance music was elegant with liveliness and joy. Ling Sheng said in a low voice, “I don’t know how to dance very well.”

Jiang Chen took him a few steps, but found that he wasn’t completely clueless, so he didn’t let him go and snorted, “Weren’t you watching happily just now?”

Ling Sheng smiled: “What’s wrong, you were the one invited by the beauty, and you’re still not happy.”

Jiang Chen felt a little uncomfortable in his heart: “Are you happy to see me dancing with others?”

Feeling the little calculation in his heart, Ling Sheng gently rubbed his waist to the beat: “Enjoy it.”

After Jiang Chen took off his suit jacket, he was still wearing a vest at this time. The extremely fitting cut completely magnified his figure’s advantages. His shoulders were wide, which made his waist narrow and strong. The straight suit pants wrapped his long legs, making his proportions even more incredible.

Ling Sheng took off his scarf and coat. He was already wearing a shirt and suit pants. Because it was a bit hot inside, he even took off his knitted sweater. He had been on business trips a lot recently and was too busy, and felt that he had lost a bit of weight again. The slightly loose shirt was tucked into the waist of his suit pants, making his waist even more slender. Jiang Chen hugged him several times, unwilling to let go.

The music continued, they didn’t dance as well as the professional actors around them, and their movements were naturally casual, they could only be considered to have stepped on the general rhythm. Ling Sheng’s proficiency was not as good as Jiang Chen’s, and he could only follow Jiang Chen’s steps, but he was not afraid of this kind of occasion. Since he came, even if he didn’t know how, he would dance along generously.

Their dance was relaxed and they danced with devotion. During the eye contact while dancing, their gazes intertwined and entangled, as if there was no one else around them. Under the dim and flickering lights, it was even more ambiguous.

For a time, the attention they received even exceeded that of the surrounding actors.

After a song ended, they were both covered in a thin layer of sweat and walked to a rest area on the side. On the way, they met many girls who thought he was an actor and wanted to take a group photo, but Jiang Chen refused.

“The way you’re dressed, you really look like an NPC.” Ling Sheng leaned on a side bar and looked at Jiang Chen again. Looking at him in this kind of environment, his dress was not at all out of place, and there was even a sense of time and space illusion.

Ling Sheng found it very interesting, and the appreciation and pride in his eyes were undisguised.

“If you keep looking at me like that, I’ll feel like you want to kiss me.” Jiang Chen was a little hot and wanted to unbutton his vest, but as soon as he unbuttoned one, Ling Sheng stopped him.

“Don’t unbutton it, unbutton it when you get home.” Ling Sheng licked his lips: “I’ll unbutton it.”

Speaking of unbuttoning, some memories flooded into his mind. Jiang Chen couldn’t help but move closer to him. Entering the forbidden zone for the first time, it was inevitable that he would catch fire with a little teasing: “Are you still rushing me back tonight?”

Ling Sheng’s fingers went up along the buttons, sliding onto his solid chest muscles: “It depends on your performance.”

His strength was not strong, like a little ant slowly climbing up through the thin shirt. Jiang Chen moved his feet slightly, grabbed his hand, and directly pressed his entire palm on it: “Be generous, touch it well.”

Ling Sheng’s eyes looked at a place above. The position they were standing in was the corner of the bar. There was a camera diagonally opposite, but Jiang Chen’s position just happened to block most of his body, and the camera couldn’t see what his hand was doing at all.

His hand went into the vest without any scruples.

Only one button was unbuttoned, so it looked as if Jiang Chen’s chest muscles had stretched the vest open, destroying the restraint of the suit and bringing a hormonal flavor. He stared at Ling Sheng, like a starving person staring at a plate of meat, and like a thirsty person staring at a cool source of water.

But after all, it was a public place, and Ling Sheng retracted his hand: “There are too many people here, let’s go out and get some fresh air.”

“The Jiang wind is cold now.” Jiang Chen said, but still followed behind him: “Put on your clothes, wrap your scarf around.”

The two went out and stood on the bow of the ship. The wind on the river was indeed cold, especially since it was already the end of December, and the little heat on his body was quickly blown away.

Overlooking the lights on both sides of the Yangtze River, in front was the magnificent Yangtze River Bridge. The lights on the bridge fell on the dark water, forming a slightly undulating shadow, like a huge eye watching everything.

The Jiang wind was very cold, but there was a good thing here, there were few lights, few people, and few cameras outside.

“Ling Sheng, let’s take a photo.” Jiang Chen raised his phone.

Ling Sheng is always very polite in front of other people, but he likes to call his name directly. Ling Sheng has told him twice, but he didn’t change, so he let him go: “It’s so dark here, can you take a clear picture?”

He said, but he approached him very cooperatively. Jiang Chen reached out and hugged him, his face closer and closer, until they were close together.

Jiang Chen held up his phone, trying to find the best angle, but no matter how he held it, it was a straight man’s perspective, relying entirely on his looks. He brewed for a while, saying prepare, shouting one, two, then turned his head and wanted to kiss Ling Sheng’s face, but the moment his finger pressed down, the flash flashed, he closed his eyes subconsciously, but a warm and moist feeling came from his lips.

When he opened his eyes again, Ling Sheng’s face was still very close, but his lips had already left.

He smiled: “Are you satisfied with this angle?”

The corner of his eye looked at him again and again, he could see the little calculation in his heart with just one glance.

Jiang Chen stuffed his phone back into his coat pocket, ignoring the cold Jiang wind, held his face in both hands, and kissed him directly.

Ling Sheng’s hand reached into his open coat, hugged Jiang Chen’s waist, and brought the two closer together. Without light, without cameras, they kissed intimately and tenderly in the deserted corner.