Time is an unrelenting force, slowly carving the contours of every person’s face, transforming youthful tenderness into mature composure, as if it had all happened in just a fleeting moment.
Zhou Chaosheng tilted his head, gazing at the person sleeping soundly on the other side of the aisle. As he watched, he unconsciously rubbed his fingertips.
First class was nothing like the cramped and noisy economy cabin. The space was wide and comfortable, with even the sound of flipping through a magazine barely audible. In such a quiet environment, one's attention was difficult to divert and even harder to shift away.
Zhou Chaosheng's gaze gradually focused on the person beside him. Just then, a vast expanse of white clouds shrouded the sky outside the window, dimming the light in the cabin. The other person’s half-turned face was faintly veiled in shadow.
When exactly did he start wavering?
He wasn’t sure. He only knew that by the time he realized it, all his emotions were already beyond his control.
Perhaps it was at some moment when he suddenly noticed how his mood often fluctuated wildly, swinging unpredictably.
Sometimes, it was like molten lava erupting in fury. Other times, it was an undercurrent surging through deep-sea whirlpools, leaving him with no way to escape as he was caught in the ceaseless turmoil of these two emotions.
He thought, maybe it started eight years ago, by chance.. when he unintentionally glimpsed the trembling shoulders of someone who had just shed their facade in a quiet alleyway.
Back then, he had simply stood there, looking straight through that seemingly fragile yet resolutely held-together figure, seeing the other side of their soul.
A place riddled with scars, bleak and bitter, nothing like the radiant, sunlit exterior.
He had stumbled upon the side of Jiang Yuanye that no one else knew.
From that moment on, the puzzle that was Jiang Yuanye had been gradually filled in, piece by piece.
He understood this person, just as he understood himself.
No one could claim to know Jiang Yuanye better than he did.
The interplay of light and shadow intertwined over Jiang Yuanye’s sharply defined face, carefully tracing the lines of his brows, nose, lips, and the tattoo behind his ear.
Zhou Chaosheng unconsciously reached out his hand.
The aisle between them was like a clearly defined boundary, mercilessly separating them, with an insurmountable chasm in between.
He tried to reach past the slivers of light and shadow, crossing the eight years that had already slipped away, longing to touch that battered and bruised body.
But midway, he suddenly came to his senses,
Jiang Yuanye was asleep.
If he touched him now, he would wake the person who was lost in slumber.
At this thought, he slowly withdrew his hand.
The sunlight pierced through the clouds, streaming in through the window, restoring brightness to the cabin.
Zhou Chaosheng unbuckled his seatbelt and stood up.
Silently, he walked to Jiang Yuanye’s seat. Carefully, ever so gently, he pulled down the window shade.
The light that had fallen upon Jiang Yuanye’s face was now blocked outside the window.
Lowering his gaze, Zhou Chaosheng let his eyes take the place of the sunlight, resting on that face for a long, long time.
—
The plane crossed the clouds, traversing several countries, made a transfer in Amsterdam, and arrived at Keflavík International Airport at 11:20 AM Beijing time.
Jiang Yuanye woke up from his sleep, feeling much more refreshed. He instinctively turned his head to look for someone, only to see that person resting his chin on his hand, watching him.
"Had a good sleep?" Zhou Chaosheng asked.
Jiang Yuanye was stunned for a moment. "Ah… Mm, I slept well."
Zhou Chaosheng looked at him for a few seconds, then turned his gaze to the window, casually commenting, "What a pig."
Jiang Yuanye: "…"
Jiang Yuanye was furious for a moment. "Hey, you can't just attack people like that!"
Zhou Chaosheng quietly curled his lips and said indifferently, "Am I wrong? You slept the whole day in the villa, then another five hours on the plane. In the first half-hour after takeoff, all you did was eat and drink. If you're not a pig, then who is?"
Jiang Yuanye: "…"
He thought, forget it. (Even though he had 3,000 words of grievances, he decided not to argue with this childish guy.)
Late May in Iceland was between spring and early summer. Normally, the average lowest temperature was 2°C, the highest was 12°C. The daylight lasted long, and the sun set at around 11:30 PM.
Reykjavík was currently in the evening, and the temperature was relatively cold. Jiang Yuanye took out two folded down jackets from his hiking bag, handed one to Zhou Chaosheng, and put on the other himself.
"Thanks."
Unexpectedly, the other was quite well-prepared.
Zhou Chaosheng put on the wrinkled black down jacket without a trace of dislike. He simply patted down a few creases to smooth them out. After finishing, he looked at Jiang Yuanye, who remained motionless, and naturally reached out to smooth his jacket as well.
Jiang Yuanye's body tensed for a moment.
Even through the thick down jacket, he could still clearly feel Zhou Chaosheng’s palm brushing from his front to his back.
"Alright, alright, stop that," Jiang Yuanye said, a bit uncomfortable.
"Then do it yourself." Zhou Chaosheng withdrew his hand, glanced at the empty first-class cabin, then sat back down. "Let's wait a while before leaving."
"Mm." Jiang Yuanye nodded in agreement.
First class and economy class shared the same exit. After landing, the flight attendants would first block the economy class passengers, allowing those in first and business class to disembark first. Only after that would the economy class passengers be allowed to leave.
Right now, it was the economy passengers' turn to exit.
Once his phone powered on, Jiang Yuanye lowered his head to send a message to the tour guide. Finding it tiring to type, he directly called instead.
Zhou Chaosheng sat beside him, listening as Jiang Yuanye spoke fluent English, inquiring about the exact meeting time, location, and the schedule for the next few days.
Five minutes later, Jiang Yuanye ended the call.
"Someone will pick us up soon and take us to the hotel to sleep. We'll wake up at 8 AM, and the guide will take us to various attractions in the capital."
"Alright."
Jiang Yuanye glanced at his phone and smiled. "Is there any place you particularly want to go?"
Zhou Chaosheng thought for a moment. "Black Sand Beach, maybe."
"Oh, I want to go there too!" Jiang Yuanye looked at his phone. "That's scheduled for the fifth day. Do you want to go earlier?"
Just then, a blonde-haired, blue-eyed flight attendant pulled back the curtain and informed them they could disembark.
Jiang Yuanye responded and turned to Zhou Chaosheng.
Zhou Chaosheng shook his head. "No rush. We'll see it on the fifth day anyway."
Jiang Yuanye nodded. "Alright. If you want to go anywhere else, just let me know in advance, and we can adjust the schedule."
"Adjust the schedule? On a guided tour?"
"Yeah. We can break off for a bit and catch up later."
Zhou Chaosheng nodded in understanding. The two of them stepped out of the cabin, and a gust of cold wind instantly made them shiver. Even with the down jackets on, the icy air still seeped in through the gaps.
"As for self-driving, after the guided tour, we can rent a car and drive around the island. What do you think?"
"Sounds good."
"This trip will last about half a month. No issues with your company?"
Zhou Chaosheng glanced at him. "If there were, I wouldn't have come with you."
Jiang Yuanye chuckled. "I figured."
From what he knew about Zhou Chaosheng, the man always planned ahead and never allowed unexpected incidents. If there were any, he would undoubtedly prioritize benefits and discard anything of lesser value.
For example, if his work schedule clashed with the Iceland trip, the other party would definitely contact him in time to discuss adjusting the itinerary, rather than putting all his work aside just for him.
Although Jiang Yuanye secretly hoped that these two things would happen at the same time, curious about the other’s choice, when it truly came down to it, he thought he would definitely cover his ears and refuse to listen.
"Sir, please take your luggage."
"Thank you."
Unlike economy class, first-class passengers did not need to wait at the baggage claim. As soon as they got off the plane, a flight attendant would hand them their already retrieved suitcases.
After picking up their respective luggage, the two followed the signs towards the airport exit. Jiang Yuanye made a phone call midway to ask the tour guide for their exact location. Zhou Chaosheng walked beside him and overheard the guide’s fluent English: “You’ll see me as soon as you step out!”
Sure enough, just outside the airport doors, a young Spanish man with dark curly hair and olive skin was waving at them excitedly, holding up a sign that read “Welcome to Iceland.”
Jiang Yuanye had signed them up for a local boutique tour on Guide to Iceland. Their driver and guide, Lucas, was of mixed heritage. His father was Spanish, and his mother was Chinese. He had also studied in China, so he spoke fluent Chinese, Spanish, and English, making communication with the other Chinese travelers completely effortless.
They were the last to arrive; aside from the guide, everyone else had already taken the business van back to the hotel.
After loading their luggage, the two got into a seven-seater luxury business vehicle. Once the door was closed, Lucas enthusiastically introduced them to the local cuisine, attractions, and provided basic information about the other group members.
According to Lucas, their group consisted of young people born in the 2000s, including international students from the UK and the US, as well as university students who had flown in from China, with an overall age range of about twenty to twenty-four.
Lucas was naturally outgoing, quickly striking up a lively conversation with Jiang Yuanye. They talked about everything, from all over the world to interesting anecdotes. With his rich experience, Lucas could effortlessly turn these stories into jokes, making Jiang Yuanye laugh non-stop.
Zhou Chaosheng, feeling a bit uninterested, turned his head to the side.
Outside the window, the sky had faded from the brilliance of sunset into a deep Klein blue. The gradient of light and dark blue looked like carefully mixed paint, poured out and spread across the sky.
He thought, how had he never noticed how beautiful the sky was the last time he was here?
A sudden snap of fingers interrupted his thoughts.
Jiang Yuanye’s voice followed closely, slipping into his ears.
"What are you looking at so intently?"
Jiang Yuanye followed his gaze outside the window and smiled. "This looks like the blue hour."
Lucas, from the driver’s seat, confirmed, “This is indeed the blue hour. I didn’t expect you guys to experience it on your first day here. Although the locals don’t have a specific name for it, I often hear travelers say that those who witness the blue hour will soon encounter something delightful.”
Hearing this, Jiang Yuanye bumped Zhou Chaosheng’s shoulder. “Did you hear that? Lucas says we’re lucky.”
Shoulder against shoulder, separated by layers of fabric, yet the touch still sent a subtle jolt through Zhou Chaosheng. He instinctively shifted slightly to the side. The seats were spacious, yet he felt as if he were in a confined space, with no room to retreat.
“…Mm.”
Zhou Chaosheng heard himself respond softly.