A Letter from the Northern Frontier

A proud singer who occasionally loses his temper X a straightforward, gentle equestrian Jian Huaiyu was proud, self-centered, and beautiful. He was a bona fide musical genius, came from a wealthy family, and had an easy ride through life until he was twenty-four. Then, one day, a tidal wave of online hate hit him. People accused him of using ghostwriters for his songs and being a sleazebag who flirted with everyone. But before his reputation could recover, Jian Huaiyu discovered that he couldn’t write a thing anymore. He fled the awards stage, slung his guitar over his back, and went alone to the northern frontier. Darkness swallowed the grasslands, and his car broke down on a deserted road. Before he could be left to fend for himself, a pair of hands like iron pincers yanked him out of the car. Jian Huaiyu: “Mind your own business.” The man sat astride his horse, imposing as he looked down at him. “You’re not just anybody…” When Jian Huaiyu basked in the sun and hummed, Jiang Muchun watched him from nearby. His gaze was almost that of a believer. Jian Huaiyu strummed his guitar and generously pointed out the best seat in the house. Jiang Muchun’s gaze swept over the nimble fingers resting on the guitar. “Could you teach me a song?” “Of course. I can even guide your hands.” Jian Huaiyu took his hand and moved his fingers over the strings. He was just that easygoing. Later, in the dim, dark ranch, Jian Huaiyu pushed against the man, who was a good deal bulkier than him, and rasped, “Why didn’t you ask if I could this time?!” “Can you?” “Of course…” Jiang Muchun had someone he secretly loved, a person with a beautiful voice. At last, he got to witness that person at the height of his glory, only for him to vanish without a trace. He went to a horse ranch on a whim to clear his head and ran into an idiot who’d fallen into a haystack. When he heard the idiot’s voice, the person he loved seemed to fall from the sky. Bonus scene: Jian Huaiyu sang the song he’d written for the man in front of him. “Is it good?” Jiang Muchun: “Your love songs are as good as ever.” Jian Huaiyu: “Mm. It’s the first one I’ve written for someone I love.” Jiang Muchun: “?” Jian Huaiyu: “You.” Love at first sight X a carefully planned romance Please add it to your reading list! Coming soon A man who has crossed countless mountains X a man who dives beneath the ocean’s surface A sharp-tongued, witty writer shou X a sarcastic diving instructor gong The ocean covers 71 percent of the Earth. Carrying a beat-up backpack, Jiang Yanqing set off to find inspiration for his new book. He’d heard that Egypt had pods of dolphins and some of the clearest water in the world. His flights were delayed, buses ran late, a tricycle broke down, and he made it to Dahab on foot after a miserable journey. He was so unlucky that even drinking cold water made him choke. Not only was his phone dead, but his power bank had vanished too. Luckily, a friend had booked a local guide for him before he landed. Jiang Yanqing, struggling to think straight, clutched his dead phone and crouched by the Red Sea like a stone waiting for her husband to return from war. Two hours and thirty minutes later, he picked out the most pleasant-looking person he could find. “Excuse me, can I borrow your phone?” “OK, how are you?” The man holding a pair of fins raised an eyebrow. “I’m fine, thank you, and you?” Jiang Yanqing hated his cursed muscle memory and covered his face. Then he spotted the familiar green app and brightened. “Hey, man, can I use WeChat to call my friend?” After giving the number he’d found on his phone to the person on the other end, Jiang Yanqing was left bewildered. The tour guide? Was the refined man in the ID photo, with his gold-rimmed glasses, really the same person as this tanned guy in front of him, with his model-worthy abs and flower-print swim trunks? Jiang Yanqing awkwardly held out his hand. “I’m your client. The dates got mixed up by two days, but you look a little different from your photo.” The guide snatched back his phone and turned to leave. “I’ll get plastic surgery now and pick you up the day after tomorrow.” Jiang Yanqing stood there in the scorching wind, utterly confused. Could he really get fair again in two days? Was he going to change his skin? Jiang Yanqing: “Hey, don’t go! I’ll pay you extra for the two days.” He Ci: “Forget the extra fee. You’ll have to pay compensation for my emotional distress.” “Sure, better to spend money than invite trouble.” Jiang Yanqing waved a hand and reached into his pocket. “Double.” “Now that’s a rip-off…” “Triple?” Jiang Yanqing immediately changed his tune. “You’re such an honest man! A living bodhisattva! I’m sticking with you!” Jiang Yanqing had to plead with tears in his eyes and shamelessly wheedle the man into taking him underwater to look for inspiration. A pod of dolphins swam beneath them. Jiang Yanqing looked at the living bodhisattva, then bent over and darted underwater to swim alongside the free-spirited creatures. Jiang Yanqing slipped and fell into the water. He forgot that he couldn’t swim. As he sank, he saw the living bodhisattva gesturing at the dolphins? The next second, a dolphin shot toward him and smacked him with its tail. Jiang Yanqing: “Glug, glug…” Before he could cry out that this was murder A hand covered his mouth, and a smiling man appeared before him. Oh! The living bodhisattva had come to rescue him. But why did rescuing someone involve grabbing their throat, covering their mouth, pinching their nose, and kissing them? Sitting soaking wet on the deck, Jiang Yanqing demanded, “Why did you kiss me!” He Ci frowned, held his face, and kissed him again. “The first one was CPR. This is a real kiss.” He Ci: “So, if you can’t swim, don’t go in the sea unless you want to spend the rest of your life at the bottom.” Jiang Yanqing covered his burning face and insisted, “But you know CPR, don’t you?” He Ci was a scientist who followed marine life and never stayed in one place for long. In Egypt, he agreed to look after a kid entrusted to him by a friend. The kid was the complete opposite of the writing in his books, which was objective and calm. In real life, the kid was a smart-mouthed chatterbox who got sunburned by the sea until all that was left was a red nose and a pair of beautiful black eyes. He thought life would be peaceful and uneventful, but the kid couldn’t swim and still insisted on going into the sea. He Ci couldn’t understand why, when every breath underwater was so precious, the kid kept imitating dolphins and blowing bubbles. “Shut your mouth and stop blowing bubbles.” “Bro, save me~” Theme: Keep a positive outlook and seek out a beautiful life.