The Chen couple was seated comfortably in the living room couch one afternoon.

"Xue Jinxu… It's the time of the year again. I need to travel soon."

Because of his company's growth, they had hired employees to work under them. Chen Linyun needed not to travel a lot that frequently because his subordinates could do that for him. However, he needed to check personally for himself the growth of the farms they were partnered with, and to personally oversee the expansion of his business into other related industry such as livestock and poultry. He also wanted to touch base with his business partners who trusted him and his business programs when he was just starting up almost a year ago.

Xue Jinxu was engulfed with extreme sadness. This would be the first time that they would be separated physically after their marriage.

"Can I go too?" She said.

"No. The travels are rough."

Technically she could. But Chen Linyun preferred her to be safely sheltered and protected inside their home in Beijing. He's also planning to add into his itinerary a place that could be considered dangerous.

He inched closer to her face and brushed her lips with his softly.

"En. Do you really need to go?" Her forehead was dominated by horizontal lines. She was worried sick for her husband. "Be careful alright? I'm already missing you." She clung to him as if he's not returning.

---

The day of Chen Linyun's departure finally arrived.

"I've packed your things already – your clothes, your gadgets, your charger… Did I forget anything?" Xue Jinxu's fingers were raised trying to tally the items with her fingers.

Chen Linyun let out a small laugh and slightly pinched his wife's cheek with his index and middle finger. "I double checked. Everything's covered. Good job, Misis Chen."

She blushed and smiled. She liked being called 'Misis Chen'.

"Here, I made kimbab, eat it while on your way there. Don't starve, my dear, alright?"

"Don't forget to call. I'll be waiting."

"Come back soon…" Her forehead was dominated with horizontal lines.

"Darling, I'll be back soon after two weeks. I'll call you when I have the time, or send you messages if a phone call is not possible. Keep yourself busy. I don't want you waiting for my call, or staring into s.p.a.ce, worrying about me. Mhmm?"

"Come here." He extended his arms gesturing for her to come into his embrace. She wrapped her arms around his waist and buried her head on his shoulder. He rubbed her head with his hand as if coaxing a child.

"Misis Chen, will you be alright here alone? You can ask Guangxi to accompany you, or why don't you move to Guangxi's flat for a while?"

"I'm fine. I'll have Guangxi visit me often. After all, I'm the behind-the-scene COO while he's the front. We have to work together."

"I'll be fine here. Just worry about yourself dear. Mhmm? Take care of yourself." Her arms were still tightly wrapped on his waist.

"Ehh.. Xue Jinxu.. It's time to go now." He pointed at her arms wrapped around him.

"Do you really have to go?"

'Here we go again.' Chen Linyun thought helplessly. He kissed her forehead. "Yes, dear. Two weeks is short. Just don't think about it too much alright?"

"En." She said obediently.

He locked gazes with her. His right hand caressed her left cheek. Then without cutting their gazes, he captured her soft cherry lips for the last time, drinking from it, satiating his thirst, collecting her essence good for two weeks or so. She, too, was drowning with his pa.s.sion. She became weak on the knees. He grabbed her waist to steady her, but still, did not end the kiss. Instead, he leaned forward, even deepening the kiss. She wrapped her arms around his neck, caressing his head amorously. She's becoming sentimental. A drop of tears escaped from the corner of her closed eyes. Her heart was starting to constrict. She could not breathe.

By the time their kiss ended, she was sobbing hard already.

"Chen Linyun, my dear… my husband… love.." *sob sob sob*

She would have wanted to say, 'Don't go' but that would be really selfish of her so she did not continue her sentence.

With knitted brows, Chen Linyun wiped her tears away with the back of his index finger. "Hush… hush…"

"I'll be back soon. Love you." He gave her cherry lips one last peck, gazed at her crying face for a long while, then he went away through the front door. The door banged slightly behind him.

Xue Jinxu exhaled dismally. She felt as if her world that was full to the brim with everything life could offer had been emptied instantaneously the moment Chen Linyun left through the front door. She went to the bedroom and curled into a ball.

She sighed and sighed until she fell asleep.

They were back to being in LDR [1]. It was so much harder now after experiencing such good times together. Every pa.s.sing moment without him was excruciating.

---

Chen Linyun left Apartment 301.

For the last time, he stared at the white door. His lovely wife was on the other side most probably still crying. He clutched his chest. Pain engulfed his whole being. How could he leave his wife – alone inside that apartment for two weeks?

However, call of duty should be answered courageously. He's doing it for them both.

Actually there's another itinerary that he did not tell his wife about, because of its very nature – perilous. He wanted to visit the area near Quanzhou where the pirates once attacked a merchant s.h.i.+p, MT Navig8 Song, owned by Xue s.h.i.+pping. Ages ago, Guangxi told him about it. From that day forth he had made a personal resolve that he would personally visit the site and perhaps help within his capabilities. His instincts told him that there was quite something fishy about the first pirate attack in that area, when Quanzhou had always been a prosperous region.

By this time, Chen Holdings had been listed as one of the top 100 companies in Beijing, with twenty subsidiaries all in all, and with 40-51% majority shares and at most 10% minority shares of each subsidiary in different industries. His two trading platforms, "Farm Realm Online" and "Seed Harvest Portal" where his roommateas were his cofounders and partners, remained the main flags.h.i.+p of Chen Holdings.

He thought that since he had figured out his business ventures already, he might as well concentrate on humanitarian and philantrophist projects – number one on the list was the community related to the pirate attack in Quanzhou. Since he's already going to Fujian, might as well go to Quanzhou.

He sighed. 'I hope she understands.' Chen Linyun was more worried that he's keeping a secret yet again from Xue Jinxu. He's used in moving and pursuing his strategies alone. He's afraid that if she knew, she wouldn't have agreed to it.

His trip would go to Hubei first, then to Yunnan, then to Hainan and finally in Fujian. Quanzhou was in the coast of Fujian. His last stop would be the humanitarian project. He's hoping for everything to go well. He could not afford for the wife to be subjected into any more worrying.

[1] long distance relations.h.i.+p