Chapter 27
“Gu Lin, you said you found him? Where is he?” Yan Yang asked as he barged into Gu Lin’s office.
Gu Lin didn’t answer Yan Yang, instead, he said to Assistant Shen beside him, “Clear my schedule from tonight to the day after tomorrow. Send important documents to my email, change meetings to video calls, and postpone everything else for now.”
Assistant Shen: “Okay.”
Assistant Shen was perceptive; after taking note, she left.
Yan Yang then walked over, “What’s going on? Are you going on a long trip?”
Gu Lin didn’t have any business trips scheduled recently; he shouldn’t need to go out.
Thinking of a possibility, Yan Yang exclaimed, “You wouldn’t be going to personally bring Lin Zheng back, would you?”
Yan Yang knew that Lin Zheng was no longer in the city. If Lin Zheng had anticipated the consequences before leaving, he would have made thorough preparations to prevent Gu Lin from finding him – concealing his information and running far away to delay time.
Therefore, Gu Lin’s trip must be related to Lin Zheng, requiring so much time.
And if Lin Zheng was really found by Gu Lin…
Gu Lin looked at the gradually orange-yellow sky outside, loosened his tie with his long fingers, and his eyes sharpened, “You’re right.”
Hearing this, Yan Yang gasped.
The next morning on the island, under the abundant sunlight, Lin Zheng, having just woken up, stretched contentedly, then sniffed the clean sheets with the scent of sunshine, sat up from the bed.
He glanced at the time; it was almost nine o’clock.
It had been a long time since he’d slept so soundly.
He had forgotten to put on sunscreen yesterday, sunbathing and swimming in the sea, resulting in slight skin irritation last night. There’s a price to pay for fun. After washing up, Lin Zheng picked up the sunscreen spray he had prepared and sprayed it liberally on his arms and legs.
That’s better.
The guesthouse also provided catering services. Lin Zheng preferred a light breakfast. He went to the counter and asked the owner for a vegetable salad. The owner asked if it would fill him up. Remembering the muscular bodies of the handsome guys he’d seen on the beach yesterday, Lin Zheng quietly said to the owner, “Add a chicken breast.”
The owner gave him an “OK” sign.
The guesthouse owner looked to be around thirty years old, his skin tanned from years of sun exposure. Since the owner hadn’t had breakfast either, they sat down together – one inside and one outside – and ate.
The owner, in the local dialect, asked Lin Zheng how he came to think of coming here. After asking, he remembered that the other party might not understand, so he was about to switch to English, but before he could speak, Lin Zheng had already eaten his salad, and then answered his question.
The owner seemed surprised, “You understand our language?”
Lin Zheng used his fork to separate the chicken breast on his plate, “I do.”
The world of the book and the real world were the same. This wasn’t Lin Zheng’s first time here. Previously, because he found the local language interesting, he had learned it.
The owner was outgoing and cheerful, and they hit it off.
When the owner learned that Lin Zheng came here after breaking up with his boyfriend, he wasn’t surprised to know his partner was a man. Halfway through their conversation, the owner’s gaze suddenly turned to the outside. Lin Zheng wrapped the chicken breast with vegetables, picked it up with his fork, and ate it. Noticing the owner’s gaze, he chewed his food and asked, “What are you looking at?”
The owner looked outside and smiled at him, “Zheng, if I say your boyfriend is coming to find you, would you believe it?”
Lin Zheng swallowed the food in his mouth, “How is that possible?”
The owner gestured for him to look outside.
Lin Zheng followed the owner’s gaze and looked outside.
A tall, leggy man was walking towards them.
Lin Zheng excitedly grabbed the owner’s hand, “It’s my boyfriend! It’s my boyfriend!”
The man was at least 1.8 meters tall. Although he was simply dressed, at a closer look, the clothes were all brands Lin Zheng couldn’t afford. But that wasn’t the point. The point was that although the sunglasses covered part of his face, it was clear that his appearance was top-notch!
It wasn’t Gu Lin; he was Asian and definitely handsome.
The man walked towards the pub.
At this moment, there was only Lin Zheng in the pub.
Was this person here to hit on him?
Thinking this proudly, Lin Zheng quickly asked the owner if there was anything wrong with his appearance.
The owner gave him a thumbs-up.
Lin Zheng also gave the owner an OK sign.
The man entered the pub and sat down next to Lin Zheng, then ordered a drink.
Lin Zheng had been wondering how this person would approach him, but when he heard the man’s voice, he found it familiar.
The owner turned around to prepare the drink.
The man beside Lin Zheng suddenly spoke in Mandarin, “Having fun these past few days?”
Lin Zheng: “??”
The man next to him took off his sunglasses, resting one hand on the table, leaning against the edge and looking at Lin Zheng, then smiled at him, “Don’t you recognize me?”
After seeing the face clearly, Lin Zheng almost jumped from his seat, “Wow! It’s you?”
It was Zhao Yi!
Zhao Yi smiled and raised an eyebrow.
Lin Zheng looked at Zhao Yi’s ears. Zhao Yi had changed the color of his earrings today. No wonder; if he had seen Zhao Yi’s signature red earrings at the beginning, he would have recognized him immediately!
The owner put the prepared drink in front of Zhao Yi, then turned to Lin Zheng, “Is this handsome guy your ex-boyfriend?”
Lin Zheng immediately made a cross in front of his chest.
The owner put another drink in front of him, saying, “Okay, it seems I was wrong. This drink is on me.”
Lin Zheng thanked the owner.
They were communicating in the local language. Zhao Yi didn’t understand what they were saying, so he asked Lin Zheng, “What were you talking about just now?”
Lin Zheng explained to Zhao Yi in Mandarin: “The owner said you’re very handsome, then suggested you stay here permanently as the ‘Island Grass,’ and I refused for you, saying that being ‘Island Grass’ is nothing, your family has hundreds of billions of assets waiting for you to inherit. The owner was completely shocked. I said it’s okay, he’s a good person.”
Zhao Yi: “…” How could two sentences contain so much information?
Lin Zheng ate the remaining half of the salad and asked Zhao Yi, “How did you end up here?”
Shouldn’t Zhao Yi be in his company, preparing to take over? How did he have time to hang out?
Lin Zheng suddenly remembered.
Wait, according to the plot of the book, this Orpheus Island will be favored by a discerning investor, but the book didn’t say who the investor was. Could it be Zhao Yi?!
Zhao Yi said, “Taking care of some personal matters.”
Lin Zheng dismissed his previous thoughts, “Oh, personal matters.”
Lin Zheng thought for a moment and said seriously, “But have you considered developing this island? In my expert opinion, this island is destined for success!”
Zhao Yi paused for a few seconds, then seemed to think of something and smiled.
Lin Zheng clicked his tongue, “Don’t laugh; I’m serious. My judgment is excellent.”
This island will be developed anyway, Zhao Yi looked a bit strange, but didn’t seem like a bad person. And with his family’s capital, he could definitely make it better.
Zhao Yi said, “Since you highly recommend it, I’ll consider it.”
Before, because of his relationship with Gu Lin, Lin Zheng had reservations about Zhao Yi’s closeness, but now that he’s single again, and Zhao Yi didn’t seem to express those feelings anymore, meeting someone from the same place in a foreign country was also fate. Lin Zheng treated Zhao Yi as a friend and chatted with him.
Now there was no need to hide it anymore. He honestly told Zhao Yi about his breakup with Gu Lin. He had been curious why Zhao Yi knew he planned to leave Gu Lin in the company lobby that day, so he directly asked this time.
Zhao Yi lowered his eyes, put his drink on the table, “…A guess.”
When he looked up again, a smile was on his face, “I saw the news about you and Gu Lin. It was really boring, and some were fabricated, so I made a guess.”
Lin Zheng thought, your guessing ability is truly amazing.
Just then, Lin Zheng’s phone received a message.
It was the airline confirming his next destination.
Zhao Yi glanced at Lin Zheng’s phone, saw Lin Zheng’s name, and asked, “You’re traveling, and you’re not hiding any information. Aren’t you afraid Gu Lin will find you and take you back?”
Lin Zheng thought for a few seconds, then confidently said, “Impossible.”
Gu Lin had already met the original novel’s male lead, and the plot between the leads would quickly unfold. Gu Lin wouldn’t have time to waste on him.
Gu Lin couldn’t beat the plot.
So he hadn’t planned to hide his information from the beginning.
Lin Zheng put away his phone, sipped his drink, and glanced behind him at the foreign handsome guys he had seen on the beach yesterday, “They’re more likely to come looking for me, hey.”
A few people happened to pass by and, seeing Lin Zheng, raised their hands to greet him.
Lin Zheng also waved to them.
Lin Zheng turned back to Zhao Yi, “By the way, we ran into each other here. What are you doing later? Let’s play together.”
Zhao Yi glanced at the time and calculated, “I have three hours. I can play with you.”
Lin Zheng suddenly remembered Zhao Yi’s personal matters.
Oh, Zhao Yi had personal matters to attend to.
Lin Zheng finished his last bite of breakfast, “Okay, three hours. In those three hours, let big brother show you the sights of this island.”
Ten minutes later, Lin Zheng was comfortably lying on an inflatable raft, his body gently swaying with the waves.
Zhao Yi: “…”
Zhao Yi: “This is the island scenery you said you would show me?”
Lin Zheng extended a hand, drawing across the water, leisurely, “The sea, isn’t it the best scenery of an island?”
Zhao Yi: “…”
He had underestimated Lin Zheng’s ability to enjoy life.
Zhao Yi didn’t go into the water.
He sat on the beach for as long as Lin Zheng had been in the water.
Lin Zheng encouraged him to join, but Zhao Yi said he was allergic to seawater.
Lin Zheng: “??”
What kind of strange allergy was that?
But it seemed that it did exist.
It was said that it caused rashes or papules.
So Lin Zheng didn’t persuade him anymore, playing in the water while enjoying the sight of Zhao Yi being surrounded by men and women.
Honestly, Zhao Yi was quite good-looking, and had a nice figure, but he was too young; he wasn’t Lin Zheng’s type.
Fortunately, Zhao Yi didn’t show any affection towards him. So, Lin Zheng thought, as long as there was no romantic involvement, they could be friends.
After swimming for a while, Lin Zheng felt tired and wanted to lie back on the raft.
Time passed minute by minute.
Zhao Yi glanced at the time; three hours were up.
He looked up.
Lin Zheng had just come out of the water, carrying the raft towards him.
Zhao Yi also got up from the crowd and walked towards Lin Zheng.
Lin Zheng wiped the water from his face, “Three hours are up, let’s go back.”
Lin Zheng was about to leave.
Zhao Yi stopped him, “You showed me the scenery of the sea. Now, in return, how about I show you the scenery of the island from the air?”
Lin Zheng looked back at Zhao Yi in surprise.
Zhao Yi smiled, “It’s a part of my personal business.”
In the pub, the owner was wiping glasses with a white cloth, hanging each one up after wiping.
“Excuse me, is there someone named Lin Zheng staying here?”
He looked up and saw two handsome Asian men standing at the brown counter, especially the one in the back who hadn’t spoken, his appearance was particularly outstanding.
At the helipad, Lin Zheng, changed into his gear, stood in front of Zhao Yi’s private helicopter, full of wonder, couldn’t help but give Zhao Yi a thumbs-up.
Zhao Yi just smiled and gestured for him to get on.
Lin Zheng nodded vigorously.
In the pub, the owner seemed hesitant.
At this time, the man who had been standing silently behind stepped forward and said, “He’s my boyfriend.”
Lin Zheng was almost at the helicopter; the wind whistled past his ears, his feet stopped on the grass. He seemed to hear someone calling him and looked back.
Zhao Yi, wearing headphones in the helicopter, said, “What are you looking at? Get in quickly!”
He must have heard wrong…
Lin Zheng turned back, excitedly, “Coming, coming!”
Author’s Note: Adorable readers: Little dark room! Little dark room! Little dark room!
Certain author: Little dark room!! Little dark room!!
Lin Zheng: “Such a pity!”
My lovely readers, please collect the author’s column!