The wind was gently blowing. Despite the pains that life brought, it was gently touching and then gone. Ling Xue thought that life was truly full of contrasts. Sometimes these contrasts could be considered a good thing, and sometimes it felt like an injustice. The pain she experienced was always walking behind her like a shadow. One day everything was fine, the next day she realized that everything was falling apart. Now, in this period where she was trying to find a direction in her life, she found herself back at the starting point. Despair seemed to follow her steps.
In the confusion of her thoughts, she heard the voice of the man on duty and gathered her thoughts.
"Young Lady..."
Ling Xue turned to the man on duty with a start. When their eyes met, she realized that he was really talking about her. The man continued.
"Young Lady. As you can see, there is a long line, and they are all family members. If it is okay with you, would you like to go boating with the young man behind you?"
Ling Xue turned around to look at the line. She suddenly realized that she had accidentally stepped on someone's foot. She turned around immediately,
"I apologize," she said. However, she realized that she had said it in Chinese out of habit. Just as she was about to repeat it in Italian, she heard a few words from the man's voice:
"No problem."
And at that moment, she met his eyes. As Ling Xue tried to understand the emotion in that moment, she felt something strangely connected. There was something in the man's gaze; perhaps a trace that carried a wound like her own past. But at that moment, with the confusion in her mind and the weight of the past, she did not dare to examine it deeply.
The man in charge spoke again.
"Please go ahead and proceed towards the boat."
Ling Xue let herself be carried away by those words that she heard as a command and got into the boat. She sat down in the slowly moving boat, tired and thoughtful. The time that passed quickly only reminded her of the moment.
"I apologize again. I was a bit distracted and I was careless. Frankly, I was surprised to receive a response in Chinese," she said. She felt a little alienated even from her own voice. She felt that it was unnecessary to try to explain her inner emptiness to someone like this.
The man gave a small and gentle smile, "It's nothing. And yes, to be honest, I didn't expect an apology in Chinese after my foot was stepped on."
Ling Xue smiled quietly. Her eyes scanned the ancient stone structures and the streets filled with gentle breezes around her, and she chose to focus on the confusion in her mind. She didn't have the time to think about this young man and feel anything for him. Her state of mind was so fragile that there was no room for anyone else's existence. Loneliness made her think that everything was a dream.
Just as she was occupied with these thoughts, the man's voice sounded again.
"My name is Ying Hao."
Ling Xue hadn't expected this introduction. Having just met the man five minutes ago, she said without thinking, "Ling Xue, it's nice to meet you." There was a weariness in her voice now. She didn't have the strength to discuss herself and someone she didn't know any further.