For most people on land, a sunny day was pleasant and welcoming. However for some, especially for people surrounded by endless bodies of water with no food or drink, the scorching sun was a formidable enemy, torturing them until they had become no better than ash.

Onboard the floating sailboat was a man, alone and hungry and weak, agonizing his fate in every second that lapsed. There was no help around, and no promise of salvation. He was alone in the middle of the sea in a boat that did not seem to work. It's as if he's only waiting for the right time until the grim reaper arrives to fetch him up to deliver him to Hades.

The man was Chen Linyun.

He did not know how he had come to arrive in such a state. All he could remember was that he was. .h.i.t on the head, and the next thing he knew, he was already in the middle of the sea. He tried to operate the boat, but it turned out, it ran out of petrol.

It was too late. What else could he have done? What he would do to be saved, to see the face of her beloved again.

"Jinxu… Xue Jinxu… My dear… My love… My wife…" He murmured. "I'm sorry… I couldn't keep my promise…"

"Somebody help me…" It was no more than a whisper. His energy had been depleting too fast.

What an irony that he was surrounded by water that he could not even drink.

He was parched, and his skin was tanned so terribly that it developed burns already. He had a splitting headache and he was light-headed. He could not stand. How long had he been floating on the sea? He did not even know. It had been multiple days and nights – each changing day the same as its predecessor.

He closed his eyes. He felt like crying, but there weren't even tears left anymore. He cried tearless while whimpering weakly, almost inaudibly. He was without hope. There was only anguish on his face.

'My wife… my lovely wife… What I would do to see you again. I'm sorry… I'm sorry… Jinxu…'

'Oh G.o.d, please… Just let me survive this…'

'Is there hope?'

 He kept on whimpering. He's like a lit candle awaiting its time until its final light would die down.

He closed his eyes.

***

At the Chen dream house, someone was ringing the doorbell. It was a Sunday. It was supposed to be the day of Chen Linyun's arrival from his two-week trip.

Xue Jinxu opened the door, expecting her husband. Her grin spread wide from ear to ear. But no, the door revealed not the husband she's been longing to see.

It was Mo Wenbin.

"Hey, Wenbin, what brought you here?" Xue Jinxu asked brightly. It was so rare for Mo Wenbin to go up to the younger Chen residence for a visit.

"Jinxu, I have some bad news for you." Mo Wenbin had shed his light good-natured, easy-going aura. Apparently, it wasn't a good time to joke around.

Xue Jinxu shuddered at his grim presence.

She let him come into her humble abode. He seated himself in the living room. He remained serious and rigid, so far from his usual goofy image.

"Wenbin, you're making me nervous." She said while a maid came and served them tea.

He took a sip from his tea first, as if trying to weigh each word he was supposed to utter next.

Mo Wenbin was there to relay the grave news. "Jinxu… We received news through the ministry…" He started. "The sailboat that Chen Linyun boarded on was allegedly attacked by pirates, rummaged completely until it had nothing left to sustain its own…" He trailed off. "That was the only news. The boat itself went missing, and no one from the pa.s.sengers was found."

"They could still be alive, or…" Mo Wenbin trailed off. He couldn't say it, though he knew quite well that the missus understood completely what he left unsaid.

Xue Jinxu closed her eyes at the thought. She slightly tilted her head upward with so much incredulity.

She felt weak in the knees. Good thing she was seated now, otherwise, she would have collapsed on the floor.

It was as if her whole world made of fine gla.s.s shattered crisply on the floor, beyond the possibility of being whole again.

"Wenbin, is this true? Have you validated the news?" Xue Jinxu weakly asked, not wanting to believe it readily.

"No one could verify. The boats are still missing. Uncle Lingfang had already alerted the Coast guards around the area for the search. I just wanted you to know as soon as possible." He squeezed her hand out of consolation.

"They said Chen Linyun's group sailed from the coast of Quanzhou…"

'Quanzhou? It's where the pirates are. It's also where the community he's been helping is located.' She discerned the discrepancy. 'Would they be too evil as to bite the hand that feeds them?! He's their only hope… Yet…' 

Her cheeks were turning red from getting worked up, although she remained silent. Her balled up fists were shaking from anger and shock.Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please click for visiting.

"Jinxu, if you need anything just let me know. We from the Chen Family are here for you, alright?"

"Do you want to stay in the Chen Family house with mother and uncle while the search is still on? You also have to prepare yourself. In case…"

By this time, her tears fell continuously like waterfalls. Her body's movements were too minimal, but Mo Wenbin knew that she's listening.

"Wenbin… I refuse to believe… He'll come back… That's for sure…" She clutched her skirt with her clenched fists across her lap. The stronger her hands' grip was, the faster her tears fell.

Mo Wenbin nudged Jinxu's teacup closer to her. "Jinxu, calm down. Drink your tea first."

"Nothing's sure yet, okay?"

"Although, I don't want to give you any false hope. Each pa.s.sing day, the probability of him coming back declines tremendously. Here are the options. First, if he's left in the sea to fend for himself, he would not be able to last that long without food or drink."

"Second, if the pirates have him, he will be in greater peril. He could be a hostage, or he could be absorbed as a pirate regardless if he's willing."

"Third, he could be stranded in an island, where someone might take care of him safely, or perhaps he's there alone. The latter is more dangerous. He's not the physical type to survive in a jungle or an island alone. There could be wild animals… The wind, the cold…"

"Fourth, is that you know… He did not survive… at all…"

"I'm just laying down the possibilities. Of course, there might be some options I failed to consider. But Jinxu… Let's be realistic."

"No."

"No. No. No!" She repeated excessively while shaking her head nonstop. "No. No!"

"He'll come back. He promised me… He promised me!" She sauntered absent-mindedly towards their bedroom. She curled into a ball.

"Jinxu…" Mo Wenbin's forehead was dominated with lines. What can he do now, the lady of the house already retired to her room? He did not dare to follow. It was off-limits to him. However, could he leave her in such a devastated state? 

He picked up his phone and hurriedly dialed a number. "Guangxi where are you? Can you come to your sister's house now? It's an emergency."