TMLFDN 54
And considering the employer's age, the servants here were very conscientious in preparing hot water, ensuring it was at the perfect temperature—warm enough to be soothing but not hot enough to induce sweating after drinking. Especially in summer, achieving this balance was somewhat challenging, and one could only express gratitude for modern insulation equipment; otherwise, it would have been quite difficult.
The professionalism of the butler was evident, and the head chef in the kitchen didn't earn so much money each year just to eat for free. In summary, shortly after Xie Li finished his appetizers, soup, and a cup of warm water, his stir-fried rice noodles were already placed in front of him.
Xie Li leisurely enjoyed his stir-fried rice noodles, and when Jiang Yuying entered the dining room around the time he finished, she saw Xie Li leisurely eating fried rice noodles and felt hungry herself. Without further ado, she called the butler, "I'd like a serving of stir-fried rice noodles too."
"Alright, Madam."
The butler was a bit at a loss; preparing the portion for Xie Li had already caused a headache for the chefs in the kitchen, but now Madam also wanted some. He couldn't refuse, could he? He wiped the sweat from his forehead and went to prepare another serving of stir-fried rice noodles for Jiang Yuying.
By the time Jiang Yuying's stir-fried rice noodles were ready, Xie Li had already finished his own portion. They chatted in the dining room while the butler stood by, serving as a prop and occasionally interjecting a few words. For instance, when Xie Li, who had already eaten his fill, suggested preparing a bonfire on the beach, the butler would occasionally speak up. Xie Li was not planning to go back to sleep at this point, so he suggested having a bonfire on the beach.
Xie Li considered it and nodded at the thought of being nestled on the beach with a bonfire burning in front of him, looking up at the starry sky.
This scene was commonplace for the original owner of the body, but for Xie Li, it was unprecedented.
After Jiang Yuying finished her noodles, the butler timely reported that the beach bonfire had been prepared.
The couple walked hand in hand for five minutes along the beach until they reached the spot prepared by the butler. Although it was night, there weren't many lights around, but the beach was still brightly lit. The ground was covered with fine white sand, the sky adorned with bright stars, and the coastline on the other side swayed with twinkling lights.
Their section of the beach was visible at a glance, and the bonfire ahead was clearly visible, eliminating any possibility of getting lost.
But the surroundings were silent, with only the sound of waves gently lapping against the shore.
The sound of the waves surrounded them, and Xie Li's mind was completely immersed in it. He was dressed in loose-fitting clothes—a linen loose-fitting T-shirt on top and wide-leg pants made of the same fabric on the bottom, with sandals on his feet. Walking on the soft sand, he felt like his feet were sinking.
When faced with vast things, people always feel small and lonely.
But Xie Li was fortunate to have someone by his side.
Next to him, Jiang Yuying walked silently with the same pace. She was still wearing the same white dress, flat sandals on her feet, and a shawl draped over her shoulders to ward off the evening chill. The sea breeze lifted her dress and shawl together, making her look especially graceful in the starlight.
Xie Li slowly stopped in his tracks and looked at Jiang Yuying beside him. Because he suddenly stopped, Jiang Yuying took two more steps forward before turning back with some confusion, "What's wrong?"
Her voice and demeanor were as dignified and elegant as when they first met, the epitome of a wealthy wife. Xie Li suddenly felt a bit inferior; he wasn't the wealthy older man Jiang Yuying liked, but rather a soul from another world, still a girl, a programmer working a 9-6 job.
In this world, he felt like a rootless driftweed, or a message in a bottle adrift in the ocean, with no destination and no idea where he would end up. He always had a sense of unreality.
Xie Li's gaze startled Jiang Yuying, and she took two steps back, subconsciously reaching out to hold Xie Li's hand. The soft touch of her fingers brought Xie Li back to reality for a moment.
"It's nothing, I just feel that the sky is vast, the ocean is vast, but there are only the two of us, and for a moment, I feel a bit lonely."
Jiang Yuying smiled, "Would a world of two still feel lonely?"
The sound of waves continued, and Xie Li fell silent, only to laugh after a long while, "You're right, how could it be lonely."
—But how could anyone understand him, this soul from another world, in this false world, how lonely he must be.
He tightened his grip on Jiang Yuying's hand, as if this could bring him some comfort.
That night, they lay on the lounge prepared by the butler, looking up at the starry sky, occasionally seeing shooting stars. Xie Li silently made wishes, hoping that when he woke up tomorrow, he would return to his original world.
He didn't know if Jiang Yuying would make a wish, and if she did, what wish she would make. But Xie Li just wanted to go back to his own world. This world was fine; it had money, leisure, what seemed like a happy marriage, a lovely daughter, and a troublesome son. But all of this, in the end, wasn't real.
