One month later.
Jiang Yexing, Arctic, 8 PM.
White icebergs floated on the sea, the water a deep blue verging on green. The luxurious icebreaker, illuminated as if a grand palace, sailed silently. Its hull continuously broke through the floating ice, much like a small boat parting lotus leaves in a pond.
Many men and women rushed onto the deck, pointing towards a direction in the sea. It was a black whale, likely attracted by the ship's lights, music, or the aroma of food, and had been following the giant vessel.
With a loud splash, the giant whale suddenly spouted a towering column of water, causing the tourists on deck to scream with excitement.
In the top-level cabin of the giant ship, Jiang Ye was curled up on the sofa, wrapped in a thick blanket. A hand emerged from the blanket, holding a cup of black tea.
Yesterday, he had also watched the whale spout water from the deck, but the wind shifted, drenching him. He caught a cold that evening, and today his condition had worsened with constant sneezing, forcing him to stay in the cabin to recover.
Cen Yemeng knelt on the sofa by the window, her bare, shapely legs visible. She wore only a thin white sweater, her small face flushed. She looked as beautiful as a movie star.
"You could go out and have fun, you don't need to stay here with me, a sick person," Jiang Ye said, his voice muffled and nasal.
"How can I do that? If my husband is uncomfortable here, and I go out to have fun, I'd be too heartless," Cen Yemeng replied, her eyes fixed on the deck.
"You got drenched too, why are you perfectly fine?" Jiang Ye asked, feeling dejected.
"I have a stronger constitution, men are just more delicate and get sick easily," Cen Yemeng said, still looking out the window.
"That's not true. Back when I first arrived on this planet, I could work in the snow without a shirt on," Jiang Ye recalled. "In the dead of winter, I'd be sweating profusely, white steam evaporating from my muscles. My whole body felt like burning iron, and my sweat drops would freeze into ice the moment they hit the ground."
"Stop bragging, husband," Cen Yemeng chuckled.
"I'm not bragging! I'm telling the truth! My body is very robust. I haven't been sick in years, this is just bad luck," Jiang Ye said, then sneezed a string of times.
"Alright, drink your hot tea obediently, husband. I saw the banquet hall was decorated today. Tomorrow at noon, Che Zhen will have his wedding. You'd better not be sneezing while giving your blessings, it would be quite embarrassing," Cen Yemeng said, her tone like coaxing a child.
Jiang Ye sighed.
Che Zhen's wedding was set to take place on this luxurious giant ship. After the wedding, the ship would cross the ocean for a two-month round-the-world honeymoon. From the ship itself to the wedding planning, funding, and personnel, everything was arranged by Jiang Ye as a gift to the Che Zhen couple.
According to plan, Jiang Ye should have been busy on the giant ship these past two days, directing various wedding preparations.
He hadn't expected to catch a cold on the first day aboard. Now, only his secretaries, Su Yueming and Liu Jizi, were helping with the arrangements, and Che Zhen was reportedly busy as well.
Cen Yemeng's phone suddenly rang. After answering, she said "Mm-hmm" twice and enthusiastically, "Come on over, come on over, Jiang Ye and I are in Cabin 1."
"Who is it?" Jiang Ye asked, startled.
Before Cen Yemeng could answer, the cabin door opened.
Tian Rao bounced in, "Long time no see!"
She wore a red woolen hat, a thick white down jacket, and above her suede boots were black stockings and a miniskirt, making her quite eye-catching.
"Mengmeng, what happened to your husband?" Tian Rao asked in surprise, turning to look at Cen Yemeng.
"He caught a cold from the chill and is recuperating," Cen Yemeng explained with a smile.
"Oh my, Jiang Ye, you have days like this too, a tiger turned into a sick cat!" Tian Rao ran to the food printer by the wall, quickly printing an ice cream cone. She deliberately licked it provocatively in front of Jiang Ye, "You can't eat ice cream now, can you? Ice cream is so sweet!"
"Tian Rao, you really are a bit sick in the head," Jiang Ye mumbled, shrinking further into his blanket, and glaring at her.
The cabin door opened again.
Isabelle entered, wearing a thick black trench coat and a bright red scarf, her boots clicking. Her face was flushed from the cold, but her smile was full of vitality.
"Huh, Old Jiang, what's wrong with you?" Isabelle noticed the lump curled up in the corner of the sofa and froze.
"He's turned into a sick cat!" Tian Rao said with a grin. "Jiang Ye is so weak! Everyone else is fine, but Jiang Ye is sick!"
"Weak?" Isabelle exclaimed, looking at Cen Yemeng, "Did you do this, Mengmeng?"
"What are you talking about!" Cen Yemeng's face instantly turned red to her neck. "He caught a cold from the chill."
Isabelle's mouth formed an 'o' shape, her eyes wide with shock.
"Old Yi, what's with that expression? I was drenched in icy water by a whale," Jiang Ye frowned. "Are you thinking of something strange?"
"Oh, the whale!" Isabelle suddenly realized and breathed a sigh of relief.
"What did you think?" Jiang Ye asked, looking confused.
Isabelle chuckled awkwardly and said nothing, then pulled Tian Rao to join Cen Yemeng by the window.
Jiang Ye was speechless. Isabelle often had all sorts of strange thoughts in her head; she was a bit eccentric and sometimes difficult to understand.
Just as Jiang Ye took a sip of his hot tea, the cabin door opened again.
Xu Yan entered, dressed in a vibrant red outfit, looking very festive.
"Hello everyone... Chief, what's wrong with you?" Xu Yan asked, stunned as she looked at Jiang Ye.
"Jiang Ye has turned into a sick cat!" Tian Rao called out from across the room.
Jiang Ye was furious and shot Tian Rao a glare. *You're the only one with a mouth!*
Tian Rao, emboldened, hugged Cen Yemeng and glared back, her eyes wide. She seemed to be saying, *"Your wife is in my hands,"* and *"You're sick and can't do anything to me."*
Jiang Ye couldn't be bothered with her childish behavior and sighed.
Cen Yemeng went to brew a pot of steaming black tea and placed it on the coffee table in front of Jiang Ye, indicating for him to pour it himself.
Then, the girls ran to the adjacent room to whisper, bursts of laughter erupting from time to time, with Tian Rao's laughter being the loudest.
After drinking several cups of black tea, Jiang Ye's phone suddenly rang.
It was Huan Yunhe!
"Hello, Mr. Huan?" Jiang Ye quickly answered.
"Yunyan Star, Granite Star, and the satellite you purchased earlier can all be sold now," Huan Yunhe said. "The total sale will be around one hundred trillion. Now is a good time to divest."
"Are there any complications?"
"Complications?"
"When we sold Quartz Star, it caused quite a bit of trouble for a long time," Jiang Ye said.
"There are no complications this time; it's a straightforward, normal planetary transaction," Huan Yunhe replied. "When can you come to handle the paperwork?"
"In three days. I'll come over then," Jiang Ye said. "Thank you for your hard work. How many points are you taking this time?"
"Normally, it's one point."
"I'll give you three," Jiang Ye said. "Thank you for your trouble. I plan to speculate on planets for a while longer; I've already set my sights on a few."
"I'm calling you this time not just to discuss the sale of the planets, but also for another matter, which is the main point," Huan Yunhe's tone suddenly shifted.