The two adults and one child on the boat plunged straight into the water, landing not far to Su Chen’s right.
Before Su Chen could even say a word, the boatman at the stern was already rowing toward them. In an instant, the sculling boat was right beside the people in the water.
The boatman knelt on one knee on the deck and reached out with his right hand, grabbing the child and hoisting them onto the boat. The two adults were no different; the boatman pulled them right up as well.
’Well now,’ Su Chen thought. ’I was just about to play the hero again, but they were already saved before I even had a chance to get up.’
The boatman’s efficiency made Su Chen wonder. ’How many rescues has he done to have such reflexes?’
The two rescued adults, now back to their senses, hugged their child and showered the boatman with thanks. They also gave a polite nod to Su Chen and his companion.
After dropping the three off at the shore, the automated boat that had caused the collision pulled up alongside them. An incident like this would surely require a serious discussion. If it went well, that would be the end of it. If it didn’t... Su Chen couldn’t care less.
"Sir," Su Chen asked, having moved to the stern out of curiosity as the sculling boat rocked gently toward the North Sea, "do you see this kind of thing often? You seemed very practiced with that rescue."
The boatman was a man in his forties, not particularly tall—about five-foot-seven. His exposed skin was deeply tanned, a clear sign he’d been working as a boatman for many years. You couldn’t get that kind of color otherwise.
"Not what I’d call ’often,’ but every summer we get a fair number of swimmers in trouble. In a busy year, it might be ten or so; in a slow one, seven or eight," the boatman said with a wide grin, as if it were all just a part of the job he’d long grown used to. "You save enough people, and you naturally get good at it."
As they talked more, Su Chen learned that the boatman was also a volunteer lifeguard for Shichahai.
Leisurely moments always fly by, and two hours passed in a flash. Instead of returning to their starting point at Houhai, they disembarked directly at the pier on Yandai Xiejie.
It was now noon, and despite having eaten plenty of fruit and snacks on the boat, Su Chen’s stomach was starting to growl.
Su Chen’s appetite hadn’t always been this good; it had improved while he was over in Russia.
Walking several kilometers on mountain trails every day and eating all sorts of barbecue and steak naturally expanded his appetite. Now, Su Chen could polish off four or five pounds of barbecue by himself. In the past, he’d have been tapped out after two pounds at most.
As one of the Imperial Capital’s oldest commercial streets, Yandai Xiejie wasn’t as thoroughly commercialized as, say, Nanluoguxiang. It still had plenty of good restaurants, many of them time-honored establishments.
Su Chen chose Qingyun Building, a century-old restaurant specializing in Shandong cuisine. It was once one of the "Eight Great Buildings" of the Imperial Capital. Just inside the entrance stood a stone fountain, which also looked to be quite old.
He went straight up to the second floor and found a table by the window. Pushing open the casement revealed a view of Shichahai, allowing one to dine while enjoying the scenery.
"Sir, here is the menu," the waiter said, immediately presenting it to Su Chen with both hands.
Just as Su Chen reached for the menu, his phone, sitting on the table, began to ring. He glanced at the caller ID, gave Chen Fei a meaningful look, and then picked up the phone and stepped away from the table.
Seeing this, Chen Fei quickly took the menu from the waiter and began to order.
"Mr. Su, I hope I’m not disturbing you?" As soon as the call connected, a voice, both respectful and overjoyed, came through the line.
The caller was none other than Wu Jing.
Hearing the excitement in his voice, Su Chen knew Wu Jing was calling with good news. After all, the movie had been out for a month; it was time to report on its performance.
"No, not at all," Su Chen replied with a chuckle. "I was just taking a stroll around Shichahai and found a spot for lunch. You called right as I sat down."
"You’re in Shichahai, Mr. Su? What a coincidence, I’m in the neighborhood. I was wondering if I might be so bold as to impose and join you for a meal?"
Su Chen’s lip twitched. ’What a coincidence, my ass.’ He’d bet anything Wu Jing had been heading for his house in the first place. This call was just a way to find out if he was home.
"Sure, come on over. I’m at Qingyun Building on Yandai Xiejie. The more the merrier," Su Chen said before hanging up.