That night, after their conversation fell apart, neither of them brought up the topic again.
Their interactions remained the same as usual, except for some subtle changes.
Changes so small that they only showed in daily routines.
Like eating, sitting in the car, walking, talking. Small things like that.
The next day, Lucas was already waiting for them outside in a business car.
Their second stop was the Golden Circle.
The tour group had planned four destinations:
Gullfoss Waterfall, Geysir Hot Springs, Kerið Crater, and Þingvellir National Park.
Gullfoss Waterfall was one of the most beautiful waterfalls in Iceland.
It was famous for turning golden at sunset, but since they had arrived in the morning, all they could see was the rushing water cascading down the rift valley.
Standing nearby, they could hear the thunderous roar as the waterfall crashed into the gorge.
Jiang Yuanye handed his phone to Zhuo Chenyang.
“Can you take some photos of me and President Zhou?”
Zhuo Chenyang, still feeling guilty, immediately nodded.
“Of course, of course!”
Jiang Yuanye chuckled and patted him on the shoulder.
“Relax, neither I nor President Zhou care about it. Why are you so nervous?”
Zhuo Chenyang scratched his head awkwardly.
“I just don’t want to cause any trouble for you and President Zhou…”
“There’s no trouble at all.” Jiang Yuanye smiled. “If anything, you even helped boost our new product’s popularity.”
Zhuo Chenyang laughed nervously.
“That’s good… as long as I didn’t cause any trouble…”
Jiang Yuanye walked up to Zhou Chaosheng, stood in front of the waterfall, and casually wrapped an arm around his shoulder, pulling him close.
Zhuo Chenyang, holding up the phone: !!!
Zhuo Chenyang rubbed his eyes with his free hand.
After confirming he hadn’t seen wrong, his mind completely blanked.
What did I just witness?!
A few minutes later, Jiang Yuanye asked:
“Done?”
Zhuo Chenyang snapped out of it.
“…N-Not yet.”
Jiang Yuanye hummed in acknowledgment and changed his pose.
The hand that had been around Zhou Chaosheng’s shoulder suddenly slid downward, landing on his waist.
Zhuo Chenyang: “…..”
Wait.
Wait, what’s going on here???
“Xiao Zhuo, how many pictures have you taken?” Jiang Yuanye asked.
Zhuo Chenyang’s brain momentarily crashed and failed to respond.
“Chenyang?”
Jiang Yuanye let go, stepping toward him.
Zhuo Chenyang snapped back to reality and blurted out:
“I’m done! Took tons of pictures! You can check them, and if you’re not happy, I can take more!”
…In reality, he had just been frantically wiping his screen.
But Jiang Yuanye was very satisfied.
Mainly because they both looked good.
No matter what, the pictures would turn out amazing.
After flipping through them, Jiang Yuanye handed the phone to Zhou Chaosheng.
“Who does this handsome guy belong to?”
Zhuo Chenyang, who overheard: ?
Before he could even process the question, he saw his most admired boss casually replying:
“The Zhou family’s.”
Jiang Yuanye lightly patted Zhou Chaosheng’s puffer jacket and corrected him.
“Nope. Wrong answer.”
A faint smile appeared in Zhou Chaosheng’s eyes.
“…Yours.”
Jiang Yuanye chuckled.
“Mhm, that’s the right answer.”
Zhuo Chenyang, standing to the side:
“…..”
Who am I?
Where am I?
What did I just hear?!
---
The Geysir Hot Springs is located about 80 kilometers northeast of Iceland’s capital, Reykjavík, and only 10 kilometers from Gullfoss Waterfall.
In Icelandic, “geysir” means intermittent geyser.
The circular pool of the geyser is 18 meters in diameter and 1.2 meters deep. At the center, there is a small vent only a few centimeters wide, which erupts with boiling water approximately every 8 minutes.
With a loud roar, scalding water is ejected more than 20 meters into the air, reaching over 100°C.
The rising mist either floats or falls back down, and the entire area is shrouded in steam, creating a breathtaking sight.
Jiang Yuanye handed the camera to Zhuo Chenyang again.
“Take a few more pictures of us?”
Zhuo Chenyang took it in a daze, then snapped a few photos still utterly confused.
To this moment, he still had no idea what kind of relationship President Zhou and President Jiang actually had.
Had they gone from rivals to allies?
Or was it something… else entirely unspeakable?
…He didn’t dare ask.
Thankfully, this time, their poses were somewhat normal.
But just somewhat.
Because his god-like, flawless, and awe-inspiring boss, Zhou Chaosheng…actually made a peace sign?!
AHHHHHHHHHHHH.
Zhuo Chenyang pressed the shutter with a completely blank expression.
This was all Jiang Yuanye’s fault.
Who told him to teach President Zhou such childish poses?!
Since he already taught him that, why not go all the way and have him do a ferocious tiger “rawr” next?
---
Kerið, also known as Kerid Crater Lake, is located in the Grímsnes region of southern Iceland.
It was once a cone-shaped volcano, but after a violent eruption completely exhausted its magma, the volcano began to gradually sink over the course of thousands of years due to erosion.
Over time, rainwater accumulated, shaping the crater into what it is today.
The group walked along the rim of the crater.
The irregularly oval lake sat at the bottom like the volcano’s eye, its shallow waters reflecting the steep, cone-shaped rock walls surrounding it.
After finding the perfect viewing spot, Jiang Yuanye turned back and called to Zhuo Chenyang, who was walking behind them.
"Xiao Zhuo."
By this point, after taking so many pictures, Zhuo Chenyang was already numb to it all.
As soon as he heard Jiang Yuanye’s voice, he didn’t even wait for instructions—he just stepped forward and took the phone.
"You and President Zhou pose a little cooler. I’ll stand farther back and get the shot."
"Thanks!"
Jiang Yuanye pulled Zhou Chaosheng up onto a rock wall, made them both put on white furry hats, then had them lower their heads, covering their eyes so that only the lower half of their faces was visible.
Zhuo Chenyang adjusted the brightness and looked through the screen.
In an instant, his eyes lit up.
Without thinking, he snapped several more shots in a row.
The result?
Absolutely stunning.
The kind of photo that could go viral online and rack up millions of likes.
"Got it!" Zhuo Chenyang handed the phone back like he was showing off a prize.
"This is insane. President Jiang, you and President Zhou together are seriously too easy on the eyes."
Jiang Yuanye grinned at the photos, clearly pleased.
"You’ve got skills. Ever thought about joining our Yongle photography team? I guarantee it’ll be better than your last company."
Zhuo Chenyang’s eyes widened in shock.
"R-really...?"
Just then, Zhou Chaosheng walked over, glanced at Jiang Yuanye and said lightly,
"Trying to poach my people right in front of me?"
Jiang Yuanye: You've had him for so long, I can’t even dig a little?
Zhou Chaosheng chuckled but said nothing more.
From that moment on, Zhuo Chenyang was determined to prove his photography skills.
For the rest of the trip, he became a full-on paparazzo,
Walking? Snap.
Riding in the car? Snap.
Eating? Snap.
No matter what Zhou Chaosheng and Jiang Yuanye were doing, Zhuo Chenyang had to take a picture.
Jiang Yuanye couldn’t help but laugh at how dedicated he was.
---
In the afternoon, they visited their final destination of the day, Þingvellir National Park.
Standing at the viewing platform, they looked out across the landscape—rivers, churches, moss-covered plains, snow-capped mountains, and the sky all seemed to merge into one.
It was a great spot for photos, though the wind was a bit strong.
After everyone finished taking pictures, they returned to Reykjavík, heading back to the Hotel.
---
On the third day, they drove to Seljalandsfoss.
The itinerary was roughly: Seljalandsfoss → Skógafoss → Plane Wreck → Black Sand Beach → Vík Church.
Seljalandsfoss is located in the southern part of Iceland. When they arrived, the weather was clear. As the flowing water cascaded down the cliff, mist filled the air, forming a brilliant and colorful rainbow.
Lucas led them along a small path behind the waterfall at the base of the cliff, allowing them to get a closer view of Seljalandsfoss’s majestic beauty.
Before they even got close, water droplets were already splashing onto them.
Zhou Chaosheng tilted his head and looked at Jiang Yuanye standing beside him.
Water droplets landed on the other’s hair, neck, and down jacket. The moisture slowly trickled down his face, gliding over his Adam’s apple before disappearing beneath his jacket.
He was smiling brightly, eyes full of joy, the curve of his lips radiant like the vibrant rainbow formed by the waterfall.
As he watched, Zhou Chaosheng couldn't help but lower his head and plant a light kiss on his cheek.
A fleeting touch.
He saw the surprised widening of the other’s eyes.
Round and wide, utterly adorable.
Zhou Chaosheng let out a soft laugh, his tone not at all apologetic.
"Sorry, couldn’t help it."
Jiang Yuanye: !!!
—
After leaving Seljalandsfoss, they arrived at Skógafoss.
Jiang Yuanye: "I read online that there's a legend about Skógafoss."
Zhou Chaosheng: "What legend?"
Jiang Yuanye: "Around the year 900, a Viking settler named Þrasi supposedly hid a chest full of gold treasure behind this waterfall."
Zhou Chaosheng: "Oh."
Jiang Yuanye: "You’re not interested?"
Zhou Chaosheng turned his head slightly to glance at him. "I've already found something even more valuable."
Jiang Yuanye was briefly stunned. "...What?"
Zhou Chaosheng only smiled without answering.
—
The drive from Skógafoss to the airplane wreckage took about 15 minutes, covering a distance of approximately 9.3 kilometers.
The wreckage of the broken-down plane seemed like a mysterious object lost in this black wilderness. It rested quietly on the coast, its rough metal fuselage appearing both desolate and striking against the contrast of the dark sand and stones.
"This place is simply a paradise for photographers," Jiang Yuanye said.
Walking beside them, Jiang Yunzhi wholeheartedly agreed. Then, as if something had just occurred to her, she suddenly smiled and asked, "President Jiang, have you ever taken the MBTI test?"
Jiang Yuanye nodded. "Yeah, I got ESTP."
Jiang Man: "That sounds accurate, ESTPs are natural entrepreneurs."
Jiang Yunzhi tilted her head and glanced at Zhou Chaosheng. "What about you, President Zhou? Have you ever taken the test?"
Zhou Chaosheng had no idea what they were talking about.
"No."
Jiang Yuanye didn't tease him for being out of the loop and patiently explained, "MBTI is a personality test that measures individual behavioral differences using four dimensions. These four dimensions, when combined, form 16 different personality types, each represented by four letters like ENTP, INTP, and so on. The letters stand for Extraversion (E) vs. Introversion (I), Sensing (S) vs. Intuition (N), Thinking (T) vs. Feeling (F), and Judging (J) vs. Perceiving (P). That’s the general idea… Did I explain it clearly?"
Zhou Chaosheng nodded, indicating he understood.
Jiang Man added, "To give an example, since President Jiang got ESTP, it suggests that he's competitive, optimistic, straightforward, and often jokes around."
Zhou Chaosheng thought to himself, yeah, that’s pretty accurate.
Jiang Yuanye slung an arm around Zhou Chaosheng’s shoulder and smiled at the group. "Then why don’t you all take a guess what personality type do you think President Zhou is?"
The two women lowered their heads in thought.
The usually silent Fang Yi suddenly spoke up. "I think he is ISTJ, someone who likes planning and is highly efficient."
Zhuo Chenyang had a different guess, leaning more toward an extroverted type. "I think he’s an ENTJ. I followed President Zhou for a while back in the day and noticed he’s quite articulate and places a strong emphasis on efficiency in the company."
Jiang Yuanye chuckled. "Those are all pretty close."
Zhou Chaosheng turned his head to look at the person standing so close to him and asked, "And you?"
"Hm?"
"What do you think I am?"
Jiang Yuanye arched his brows and said, "A little butterfly."
Zhou Chaosheng’s heart suddenly soared. "...What?"
"A sensitive, gentle, and incredibly cute little butterfly."
His heartbeat skipped.
A stray wind blew past, ruffling their hair and carrying that light, light whisper directly to his ear.
"If someone is lucky enough to be loved by the little butterfly, then they’ve gained all the luck in the world."
"For example…"
The last words were spoken so softly they would have been impossible to hear without paying close attention.
But standing right beside him, Zhou Chaosheng heard them clearly.
"Me."
Boom His heart pounded wildly.
Here, at the end of the world—lonely and desolate—he seemed to hear the echo of his own heartbeat.
Thump. Thump.
Feverish and burning hot.