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In the evening, Gu Yan arrived at the greenhouse on the third floor of the villa as usual, but this time he did not rush to carry Siren downstairs. Gu Yan paused in the glass greenhouse between the stairs and the swimming pool, placing Siren on a chair. He then picked up a bottle of fine red wine from the wooden table, inserted the spiral metal corkscrew into the cork, and slowly twisted it in. Gu Yan gently pulled up the lever, and with a pop, the cork was removed.
He poured the red wine into a goblet and lightly swirled it, letting the subtle aroma fill the air. Gu Yan took a small sip, savoring the burst of flavors from the fermentation. He held the glass up to the setting sun on the horizon, watching as sunlight streamed through the transparent glass, refracting into a distorted space along the oval walls of the cup. He squinted slightly, seemingly lost in its beauty.
The atmosphere was filled with tranquility; no one spoke, each person relishing in the beauty of silence. Gu Yan's gaze wandered as he fell into distant memories. "Ten years ago, at this very time," Gu Yan seemed to be talking to himself, but he knew he had a loyal listener. "My grandfather told me he wanted me to accompany him across the ocean by sailing."
"The journey was so far; we could have chosen to fly. With just a phone call, a comfortable cabin would be ready for us to depart at any moment. If that didn't work out, we could take land transportation. Either way would be much faster than a ship sailing across an endless ocean without any stops. The vast coastline felt desolate and instilled fear in me. But my grandfather insisted on taking the maritime route. I was puzzled by his insistence; when I asked him about it, he simply replied, 'My child, you must endure loneliness.'"
Gu Yan took another sip of red wine. "It was indeed long and tedious. But looking at my grandfather's white hair, I agreed to go with him. He was a believer—perhaps a Christian—he often said that some things would come in due time because God had already arranged it all. Unfortunately, I do not believe in Jesus."
"But some things are unpredictable. After more than ten days at sea, amidst vast waters, a chance glance from the deck changed everything unexpectedly."
"In just a few minutes, I felt as if I had wasted fifteen years of my life." Gu Yan gently rubbed Siren's head as she listened quietly. "As a result, after that meeting, I wasted another ten years. I had thought about giving up; who wouldn't want to give up? Without a future, even persistence has its limits. Yet my Siren was nowhere to be found. I wasn't even sure if she was real or just an illusion. But my grandfather said to endure loneliness. The words of an elder always hold wisdom; I thought that if I believed in God, perhaps things would be easier."
"I engraved our meeting date on my chest: May st, M. When I silently prayed, perhaps God could hear my heart's voice and see my conveyed prayers." Gu Yan smiled. He raised his hand and plucked a white rose from a nearby flowerbed; a thorn pricked his finger and a drop of blood oozed out. He stained the pure white petals with his blood, which spread like Siren's crimson tail.
Siren took Gu Yan's hand and placed his finger in her mouth; instantly, the wound vanished without a trace. A hint of surprise crossed Gu Yan's face. With a touch of self-deprecation, he said, "Before that voyage, I felt indifferent towards the ocean; during that voyage, I despised its monotony; but after that voyage, I fell in love with the sea."
Siren held Gu Yan's hand tightly with all ten fingers intertwined. Gu Yan smiled warmly. That fifteen-year-old boy became hopelessly enamored with the sea and continues to be so even now.
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