The boat drifted slowly with the wind, untouched by any paddling hands. A half-dry fragment of a leaf stuck to the bottom bobbed tirelessly with the waves, having swayed back and forth countless times.

Lin Li's chin lightly pressed against Chen Yu Ying's soft hair, his right hand lazily tapping the girl's shoulder rhythmically.

Distant voices came through indistinctly, waking Chen Yu Ying from her nap. She opened her eyes, leaned forward to rest her chin on Lin Li's shoulder, and looked towards the source of the sound.

It was another boat.

"Let's adjust the direction a bit."

There was still some distance, but if the wind continued to guide their boat, a collision was possible. With a slightly raspy voice from just waking up, she stood up and spoke.

As if nothing had happened before.

"Got it."

Lin Li nodded, took hold of the oar once more, and steered the boat in a new direction.

"Next time, don't be a crow. That's not fair." Chen Yu Ying tightened her sweater around her neck, voicing her mild displeasure.

Hmph, Lin Li dares to flip the table now, who knows if he'll flip clothes next time.

Her forehead still itched slightly.

"Wow, look, there are geese flying in the sky!"

Lin Li pointed to the sky in amazement, smiling as brightly as if he had just kissed someone.

This time, he wasn't lying. Chen Yu Ying looked up and could see the geese forming a "人" shape passing overhead.

"Don't change the subject." Chen Yu Ying retracted her gaze and said flatly.

"Class president, what do you think happens with geese abroad?" Lin Li pretended not to hear and, touching his chin, commented sympathetically:

"When they fly abroad, they have to form a 'people' queue so the locals can understand, which is really difficult."

When foreigners laugh, it must be just "happyhappyhappy," right?

"We're talking about crows, nothing to do with geese." Chen Yu Ying remained unmoved, only her smile deepened.

"Crows?" Lin Li raised an eyebrow, suddenly putting on a serious expression, "Crows are good birds; they've taught me many life lessons."

"Class president, do you remember the crow drinking water?

When I was young, I saw an old man fall into a well, and while other kids panicked, I was inspired by that story. I started leading everyone to throw stones into the well continuously.

With our effort, the well's water level rose higher and higher, and finally, the old man floated up with the water and was rescued. I just don't know why the water turned red, and the old man never spoke after coming out, not even when he was cremated, standing firm."

With a slightly indulgent and helpless smile, Chen Yu Ying watched Lin Li play dumb and spin tales.

"Young Lin Li" must have suffered, going through all sorts of legendary anecdotes. 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

There's a saying, "When sneezing as a child, it always felt like someone was secretly thinking about me. Growing up, I realized it might be my future self missing my childhood."

For Lin Li, it meant that his childhood self anticipated the endless tribulations ahead, so he sneezed.

"Not only that, but the crow's filial act still inspires me to be filial," Lin Li continued.

"Still as a child, after learning about the story behind that idiom, I was very moved and promised my mom on the spot that if one day she couldn't chew food when she's old, I'd chew it for her just like a crow!"

"Sadly, my mom wasn't quite appreciative and beat me at the time."

"Oh? Why?" Chen Yu Ying obediently played along.

"Because when I made that promise, I had a sugarcane in hand, munching away as I vowed." Lin Li shrugged, "Really annoying. When my mom hit me, she even used my sugarcane."

"Pfft—" Chen Yu Ying couldn't help but laugh.

Of course, she knew Lin Li was trying to change the subject with jokes, and after laughing, she gave him a forgiving eye-roll and didn't continue to press him.

If Lin Li wants to be cheeky, let him be cheeky. She didn't expect him to agree anyway.

After all, Lin Li knew his limits, presumably.

Taking out her phone, Chen Yu Ying intended to take some photos. Her peripheral vision caught sight of the two orange life jackets in the boat, making her check the dock's direction nervously:

"Is it okay not to wear life jackets?"

"Woman, with me here, do you still need a life jacket?" The domineering CEO Lin Li slightly curved his lips.

Chen Yu Ying tilted her head, thought for a moment, and then nodded earnestly, filled with genuine trust: "That's true!"

"See!" The feeling of being completely trusted delighted Lin Li.

Chen Yu Ying: "With you here, whether or not there's a life jacket, we'd be doomed if we fell in, so there's no point."

Lin Li: "?"

Hey baby, that's not what I meant, right?

Seeing Lin Li suddenly in a daze, Chen Yu Ying couldn't hold back any longer, and her clear laughter once again spread across the lake.

The bulky life jackets really affected the photo effect, and because the boat was large enough that sitting in the middle would prevent falling into the water, the risk was low, so they continued to lie calmly at the bottom of the boat.

·"Dangerous actions, do not imitate"·

"Lin Li, can you take some photos for me?" After some selfies, Chen Yu Ying handed her phone to Lin Li.

"Sure." Lin Li took the phone and was about to consider the angle when another voice came through first.

"Spread your legs wider, strike a more provocative pose, stick your tongue out, OK, hold that angle..."

They both turned towards the sound and saw a slightly larger pedal boat approaching their hand-rowed boat.

On the boat was a man holding a professional camera, directing the young woman on the bow.