Chapter 652 - 667: A Place to Stay

"What city are you going to work in?"

"We’re planning to go to Jia City."

"Oh, really? I live there!" Jack exclaimed in surprise. He fell silent for a moment, as if he’d just made a major decision.

"You’re out of money, so why don’t you stay at my place? My house might not be very big, but at least it’ll keep you from being homeless."

Jack stopped Jiang Xia before he could speak. "Please, don’t try to tell me you have money," he continued. "The fact that we were sitting on the deck says a lot. Don’t be like that, all right? I thought we were friends."

"We haven’t known each other long, but we’ve been through a life-or-death situation together. Besides, we all share Huaxia blood. I don’t want to see you out on the street. Trust me, I can help you. And I genuinely want to."

Jack’s heartfelt words made Jiang Xia and An Ning exchange a glance. In the end, they simply said to Jack, "Thank you."

Jack breathed a sigh of relief, then said happily, "You’re welcome. Just as long as you don’t go around making things up anymore. I really can’t stand that."

Jiang Xia raised a hand as if taking an oath. "Okay, we won’t talk like that anymore."

"That’s more like it. A real man should stand tall and proud. And of course, An Ning can, too."

Jack’s words made all three of them burst out laughing.

With a loud WHOOO— from the ship’s horn, the vessel set off.

After the storm, the surface of the sea was unnaturally calm.

As the sun began to set, the three of them stood on the deck, admiring the beautiful gift of nature.

"It’s so beautiful!"

"Yeah."

It wasn’t just the three of them; many people had come out to stand on the deck, enjoying the sea breeze and watching the sun set over the distant ocean.

From time to time, seagulls would fly alongside the ship, CAWING loudly, as if they couldn’t understand why no one on board was feeding them.

The cruise ship sailed on. But even the most beautiful scenery gets old, and usually, it doesn’t take long.

After a full day of sailing, even the most stunning sea and sunset lose their appeal.

The three of them had remained on deck, but by now, only An Ning was unscathed. Both Jiang Xia and Jack were completely seasick.

Jack’s case was even more severe. It seemed he was sick of the water itself.

Jack had already thrown up nearly everything in his stomach. He slumped with his back against the railing, head resting on his knees, not daring to open his eyes.

’Oh, God... I never liked swimming before. I just thought I didn’t enjoy it, but I never imagined it’s because I get sick from the water.’

An Ning held Jack’s wrist in one hand, continuously pressing his acupressure points to help him feel a little better.

As for Jiang Xia, he was doing slightly better than Jack, but he still looked completely listless as he leaned against An Ning’s back.

"Jack," An Ning asked, "Isn’t California right on the coast? Don’t you ever go to the beach?"

"You probably won’t believe this, but I’ve honestly never been."

Jack, feeling a little better from An Ning’s acupressure, found that talking was a good distraction. So, he began to open up.

"My job doesn’t give me much free time. Every day is either work or overtime. I’ve been at my company for over a decade, and this is the first real vacation I’ve ever had. I used it to go back to Huaxia."

"You have to understand, even though I’m an American citizen, this country still has its social hierarchies. Discrimination is everywhere. I have to work twice as hard just to keep the job I have. Going out to have fun... that’s too much of a luxury for me."

"To be honest, I feel like I’ve really let down my wife and kids. They can’t be very happy living with me, can they?"

As he said this, Jack truly felt he owed his wife and children a great deal. He had so little time for them.

The only reason he was in such a rush to get back on this cruise ship was that he only had three days of his vacation left.

His original plan was to fly, which would have left him with two vacation days to spend with his family. But now, it looked like he was going to break another promise.

An Ning felt a wave of emotion as she listened.

Whether it was in the interstellar age or back in Huaxia, An Ning had never experienced the struggles of an ordinary person—the job hunts, the workplace hardships.

She used to believe that people could just do whatever they wanted, but Jack’s life, and the lives of so many others, had shown her that wasn’t the case.

So many people, in so many places, weren’t in control of their own lives.

"You know, Jack, I really admire you now. Truly."

"Haha, thanks. Does that mean you didn’t admire me before?"

"You could say that."

An Ning said jokingly, "I’ve never had to work that hard, or at least, not for long. I didn’t really understand your struggles. But your hardships are real, and I shouldn’t have judged your work based on my own perspective."

"And just as I shouldn’t have judged your work by my own standards, I shouldn’t have judged you as a husband by them, either."

Jack and An Ning locked eyes, then both broke into laughter. "Even?"

The atmosphere between them relaxed considerably, and they began to chat like a pair of old friends.

Jack seemed to be more than a decade older than An Ning and Jiang Xia, and he had a wealth of life experience of his own.

After he had spoken for a while, An Ning asked, "Do you really like your job?"

"I don’t know," Jack mused. "Does anyone really do a job they love?"

"Of course. I do."

Jack looked at An Ning. "You don’t even have a job yet, do you? Still, I hope you find something you love to do."

"Thanks."

An Ning didn’t explain, simply offering her thanks.

As the two of them chatted, the cruise ship docked before they even realized it.

The three of them finally disembarked. Jiang Xia’s legs still felt a bit like jelly.

Jack, on the other hand, felt better almost instantly. He recovered quickly once he was off the water.

After disembarking, Jack led Jiang Xia and An Ning out of the terminal. He glanced around before deciding to make a call.

"I’ll call my wife and ask her to come pick us up."

"Can’t we take a taxi or a bus or something?"

Jack was already dialing the number. He pointed at the empty road and asked, "Do you see any taxis?"

An Ning shook her head.

"Exactly," Jack said. "This is the pier. Very few cars come this way. If we wait for one, there’s no telling how long it’ll take."

"Trust me, it’ll be faster if my wife comes to get us."

An Ning and Jiang Xia looked at the nearly empty streets. Aside from private cars, there really was no other form of transportation in sight.

"Okay, honey, don’t rush. It’s fine, we’ll just rest for a bit."

"Yeah, yeah. Thanks. Love you."

Jack hung up and handed the phone back to An Ning. "We’ll have to wait a bit," he said. "She’ll be here in about an hour."

The three of them found a place to sit, set down their luggage, and settled in to wait.

An hour later, a seven-seater minivan pulled up to the pier.

"Jack—"