After the Tide Recedes

"I know that once the tide goes out, it will surely come back in."

A new photographer arrives at the Baitoulin Nature Reserve. He's good-natured, handsome, and, best of all, he's come to volunteer without asking for a penny.

Li Jianci laughs when he hears this. "What immortal has run away from home this time?"

His coworker says, "Whoever it is, they're not from your family."

He pushes the door open and sees a young man sitting in a blue plastic chair, his cap pulled low. At the sound, the young man turns around, and the three of them come face-to-face.

Li Jianci raises an eyebrow.

Liang Xun: "Ge."

Coworker: "What? He really is from your family!"

/

After completing his three-year contract and paying off his debt, Liang Xun leaves the home that never truly belonged to him and chooses a job that seems like it might give his life some purpose.

The work is great, except that on his very first day he gets stuck in the mud.

After spending some time filming with the team, Liang Xun steps into a puddle again, just as usual. He's about to fall when Li Jianci reaches out an arm and steadies him.

Liang Xun sighs. "It's so tough here. Why did you stay?"

Li Jianci thinks for a moment, looking serious, though a roguish smile shines in his eyes. "Because I'm protecting our home?"

Liang Xun: "...You're so noble."

"Not really." Li Jianci can't keep up the act. "What I really mean is, you can think of this place as your home too. To put it simply..."

"Don't go. Stay."

Nature photographer, bottom x research team leader at the nature reserve, top

* Reunion after a long separation / not a broken-then-mended relationship / five-year age gap

* The opening line and title come from Mayday's song "Life's Ocean," reproduced here with apologies for any infringement.

Theme: Protecting nature is everyone's responsibility.