Chapter 319: Wáng Yí !!
The man approached the group and gave a respectful nod.
"Boss, it’s ready to sail."
Miles glanced toward the dock and smiled.
"Great."
"Let’s go everyone."
Before anyone could move properly, Hope and Asher had already grabbed Chloe from both sides.
"Let’s go!"
"Come on!"
The twins enthusiastically pulled her forward.
Elena immediately called out.
"Slowly you two."
"Don’t pull her."
Flora folded her arms dramatically.
"Or your big bro will be angry."
Asher blinked.
"Hun?"
The innocent confusion on his face made everyone laugh.
Together they walked toward the private dock.
The yacht waiting there looked more like a floating mansion than a boat.
Its sleek white exterior gleamed under the morning sun.
The polished hull reflected the blue water surrounding it.
Large panoramic windows stretched across multiple decks.
The upper deck featured comfortable lounge seating shaded beneath elegant canopies.
At the front was a spacious viewing area where guests could sit and enjoy the ocean breeze.
The rear deck contained a dining area overlooking the sea.
The entire vessel radiated luxury.
Dion stared at it.
"Woah."
"This must have cost a fortune."
Monica sighed.
"Boss has so much money."
Alice looked at her curiously.
"Boss?"
Miles immediately turned toward Monica.
Monica coughed.
"Oh."
"I mean..."
"Just casually saying."
"Like he is the boss of his company, right?"
Alice nodded.
"That makes sense."
Miles narrowed his eyes.
Monica innocently looked away.
Miles shook his head.
"Let’s not stand around."
"It is more fun inside."
The crew lowered the boarding bridge.
One by one everyone stepped aboard.
The moment they entered, even Chloe looked impressed.
The interior was stunning.
Elegant wooden flooring stretched throughout the yacht.
Soft cream colored furniture filled the spacious lounge.
Large windows allowed sunlight to flood every corner.
Comfortable sofas surrounded a glass coffee table.
A modern dining section occupied the center area.
Beautiful paintings decorated the walls.
Further inside were luxurious guest rooms, entertainment areas, and observation spaces.
Everything felt refined without appearing excessive.
Hope looked around with sparkling eyes.
"Big bro."
"This is bigger than our old school bus."
Asher nodded seriously.
"Way bigger."
Daniel laughed.
"I don’t think a school bus is the right comparison."
The yacht slowly pulled away from the dock.
The engines hummed smoothly beneath the floor.
Outside, the harbor gradually became smaller.
The endless ocean stretched toward the horizon.
Miles leaned casually against the railing.
"We’ll reach the island in a few minutes."
"So explore."
"Or enjoy."
The family immediately separated into smaller groups.
Hope and Asher rushed toward the observation deck.
Flora and Dion began exploring the interior.
Alice and Kate followed them.
Monica joined as well.
Daniel and Elena wandered through the yacht while admiring the scenery.
Soon only Miles and Chloe remained near the main deck.
The ocean breeze played with Chloe’s hair.
Miles looked at her.
"Don’t you want to look around?"
Chloe’s eyes seemed distant.
Almost thoughtful.
Miles tilted his head.
"What is it?"
"Anything bothering you?"
Chloe shook her head gently.
"No."
"Just being with your family made me a bit emotional."
Miles smiled softly.
"Sad or happy?"
"Happy of course."
She looked toward Elena and Daniel.
Then toward the twins.
Then at Monica laughing with Flora.
A small smile appeared on her lips.
"I just miss my dad."
"My mom too."
Miles quietly reached for her hand.
He did not try to interrupt her thoughts.
He simply held it.
Chloe squeezed his hand gently.
"You know..."
"I lost my daily journal that year."
"I couldn’t find it anywhere."
"It was kind of a letter book."
"I used to talk about my day with..."
Miles finished the sentence.
"Your mom?"
Chloe looked surprised.
"How do you know?"
Miles smiled faintly.
"You gave me that diary."
"Along with all those gifts."
"When you returned everything that day."
Chloe froze.
"What?"
"It means..."
"I must have put it inside that box by mistake."
Miles nodded.
"I guess."
Chloe stared at him.
"You still have it?"
"I have everything."
"It’s all still inside that box."
Her eyes widened further.
"You kept them?"
Miles looked toward the ocean.
"I kept the things you gave me too."
For a moment Chloe simply looked at him.
Then a teasing smile appeared.
"Really?"
"Looks like you missed me so much."
Miles smiled.
"Maybe."
Chloe laughed softly.
Then she leaned closer.
"Can I have them back?"
"The diary too."
"Sure."
Then Miles remembered something.
"Though..."
"The hairclip."
Chloe immediately understood.
"You gave it to Hope, right?"
"Yes."
Chloe smiled.
"It looks cute on her."
"And she gave me another one."
Miles blinked.
"Hun?"
Then realization appeared on his face.
"Oh."
"So that’s why she suddenly asked me to buy another one."
Chloe laughed.
"Your little sister is very sweet."
Before Miles could answer, a loud excited voice echoed from the upper deck.
"Look!"
Everyone turned.
Dion was pointing toward the horizon.
Far ahead, an enormous island emerged from the ocean.
Green hills rose above the shoreline.
Dense forests covered large portions of the land.
Modern buildings could be seen between the trees.
Private docks stretched into the sea.
Even from a distance, the scale was impressive.
Asher nearly jumped over the railing.
"That is big!"
Hope nodded rapidly.
"It looks like another world!"
The yacht continued forward.
And as the island grew larger with every passing minute, everyone’s anticipation only increased.
Flashback
Baby Dragon Art School, Shanghai
The peaceful art school looked completely different at night.
The sounds of students chatting had long faded away.
The large garden outside was illuminated by warm lanterns hanging from wooden posts. Crickets sang softly in the distance. A cool breeze drifted through the open windows of the studio.
Yet one person remained seated inside.
Ghost.
Hours had passed.
Sheets of paper covered the table around him.
Some were crumpled.
Some had circles drawn over circles.
Some were torn by frustration.
The once new pencil had been sharpened so many times that it was now barely longer than his finger.
Sweat covered his forehead.
His jaw remained clenched.
His eyes were locked on another ruined page.
His hand moved again.
The pencil scratched against the paper.
A circle.
Then another.
Ghost stared.
A slight imperfection.
His eyebrow twitched.
The paper was immediately thrown aside.
"Why..."
His voice was low.
"It’s just two circles."
He had infiltrated enemy compounds.
Jumped from aircraft.
Survived battles.
Disarmed bombs.
Taken down armed men twice his size.
Yet two circles were defeating him.
The thought only made him more frustrated.
"Miss Meiling asked you to do this?"
A soft voice suddenly came from behind.
Ghost immediately turned.
His instincts activated instantly.
Even after hours of drawing, his awareness had not dulled.
A young girl stood behind him.
She appeared to be around his age.
Long dark hair.
Simple clothes stained slightly with paint.
There was curiosity in her eyes as she looked at the disaster spread across the table.
Ghost realized he was sweating.
The girl blinked.
"It’s already very late."
"Don’t you want to have dinner?"
Ghost looked away.
"I’m not hungry."
The girl stepped closer anyway.
"Let me see what you’re up to."
Then she looked at the table.
And froze.
Papers.
Dozens of them.
Ruined attempts everywhere.
The pencil was nearly gone.
The sharpener sat beside a mountain of graphite shavings.
The sight made her blink twice.
Then she looked at Ghost.
Then back at the papers.
Then at Ghost again.
"So you are one of the trouble children."
Ghost raised an eyebrow.
"Trouble children?"
The girl nodded.
"Yes."
"Parents leave their children with anger issues here."
"Then they leave all calm and composed."
Ghost smirked.
"So you mean to say I was dumped here?"
The girl thought seriously.
Then nodded.
"Umm."
"You can say that too."
Ghost chuckled softly.
The first genuine sound of amusement he had made all day.
"Are you one of them too?"
The girl shook her head.
"No."
"I’m here to build my career in art."
Then she extended her hand.
"Give me the pencil."
Ghost hesitated.
Then handed it over.
The girl sat down.
She placed a fresh sheet of paper in front of her.
Her fingers moved lightly.
The pencil seemed to glide.
One circle.
Then another.
Smooth.
Clean.
Balanced.
Almost perfect.
Ghost stared.
"How did you do that?"
The girl smiled.
"My name is Wáng Yí."
"What’s yours?"
Ghost opened his mouth.
"My name is..."
His words stopped.
Wáng Yí waited.
"Your name is?"
Ghost lowered his gaze.
For a long moment he remained silent.
Then finally spoke.
"I don’t know."
Wáng Yí blinked.
"So memory issue, is it?"
Ghost did not answer.
She tapped the paper.
"Well, I’ll tell you how to draw it."
"But you have to help me with something too."
Ghost narrowed his eyes.
"Like what?"
"Nothing."
"Just accompany me tomorrow."
"I have to visit a place."
"Just be with me."
"Nothing else."
Ghost thought about it.
"But I don’t know if I’m allowed to leave."
Wáng Yí looked surprised.
"Oh, you are."
"Every day you can leave for four hours."
"You give the jade token at reception."
"And take it back when you return."
Ghost frowned.
"But..."
"She didn’t say anything like that."
Wáng Yí shrugged.
"She will."
"Just finish this task."
Ghost considered it for a few seconds.
Then nodded.
"Deal."
Wáng Yí smiled.
"Good."
Then she picked up the tiny pencil.
"First thing."
"You need a new pencil."
"This one is too short for beginners."
Ghost looked at the pencil.
He had sharpened it himself.
Wáng Yí continued.
"When people want something perfect, they usually grip tightly."
"They press hard."
"They force control."
She pointed at the ruined papers.
"That leaves marks."
"Engravings."
"But when people try to be too gentle..."
She drew another circle.
"They slow down."
"Their minds start wandering."
"Their thoughts get noisy."
"Then the hands lose balance."
Ghost listened carefully.
It was surprisingly similar to combat.
"So how do I do it?"
Wáng Yí leaned back.
"For professionals, it’s easy."
"They’ve practiced thousands of times."
"Their minds only contain art."
She pointed at him.
"But your case is different."
Ghost remained silent.
Wáng Yí’s expression softened.
"There are other emotions inside your head."
"They’re taking up space."
Ghost’s eyes became distant.
Other emotions.
Pain.
Anger.
Guilt.
Regret.
Blood.
Faces.
Memories.
Wáng Yí continued.
"You have to let them go."
Ghost lowered his gaze.
His fingers slowly tightened.
Wáng Yí noticed.
Then she smiled.
"Umm..."
"Meditate for a few minutes."
"Feel your breathing."
"Only focus on that."
"Let your mind relax."
"The more frustrated you become..."
"The harder it gets."
She stood up.
"Try it."
"I promise it works."
Then she started walking away.
"See you tomorrow then."
She looked over her shoulder.
"Troubled kid."
Ghost immediately looked up.
"Hun?"
But Wáng Yí was already walking away.
Ghost sat there quietly. "Damn Commander."
Looking at the paper.
Looking at the circles.
Thinking about her words.
After a while, he sighed.
He stopped drawing.
He put the pencil down.
Closed his eyes.
And simply listened.
To his breathing.
In.
Out.
In.
Out.
Far away, standing near a corner of the corridor, Wáng Yí secretly peeked back inside.
She watched the terrifying young man sitting quietly with closed eyes.
Fighting anger, frustration and mabye violence.
A gentle smile appeared on her face.
"Doesn’t look like a troubled kid at all, what’s your story then??"
Then she turned around and disappeared into the night.
