Quick Travel to the Clouds

Chapter 575 The Little Demon 36

Bai Muchen seemed to catch her momentary relaxation; a barely perceptible hint of satisfaction flickered deep within his icy eyes, like data flowing through a stream. His teaching remained efficient, concise, and uncompromising:

“Feel feedback,” Bai Muchen suddenly spoke, his voice still carrying that precise analytical tone. “Can you feel the change in tension? Don’t rely on the float’s visual feedback; it lags behind in wind and waves. The underwater clue is the traction force itself. Keep it slightly taut.”

Bai Muchen emphasized "feel"—a feedback that requires subtle bodily perception. Just seconds after he finished speaking, Yun Chu suddenly felt a clear, downward pulling force on the tip of the rod!

"Ah!" Yun Chu exclaimed instinctively, her body leaning back slightly from the unexpected force. She gripped the fishing rod tightly with both hands, her face instantly filled with surprise and a hint of panic.

In that split second, almost instinctively, Bai Muchen took half a step forward.

His large hand didn't directly cover the back of her hand to take over—that would be too deliberate and too intimate—but instead, he firmly, accurately, and powerfully gripped the front half of the fishing rod, the point closer to the reel and most in need of extra support.

His palm was cool yet strong, instantly becoming the most solid fulcrum for the fishing rod.

His body was cleverly positioned to the side, both absorbing the sudden, heavy pull on her and forming a sturdy barrier, while avoiding direct physical contact.

"Stay calm. This isn't the target fish; it's just snagged or a small fish," his voice rang out right above her ear, closer than the sea breeze, still as calm as if he were analyzing data. "Locking off part of the drag, arching the rod, and lifting the line at a steady speed."

He dictated the instructions, his fingers applying force to the fishing rod with remarkable stability, helping her weather the initial impact that could have caused the hook to come off or the line to break.

He then quickly withdrew his hand, leaving only that brief but powerful tactile impression on the cold metal of the fishing rod.

The fish was eventually pulled up, and it turned out to be a strange-looking, struggling sea fish, not the target species.

Staff members quickly stepped forward to assist in handling the situation.

Yun Chu's breathing was a little unsteady from the stimulation and the brief closeness, and her cheeks were flushed with a faint blush that even the sea breeze could not dispel.

She subconsciously glanced at Bai Muchen, who had already returned to his original position as if nothing had happened, as if he had just performed a standard mechanical operation.

He simply looked at the sea fish being processed by the staff, his commentary flat and emotionless: "Tidal zone benthic species. Rough handling." It was as if he were defining a specimen.

A sea breeze swept by, ruffling a few unruly strands of hair on his forehead. He readjusted his fishing rod, his gaze fixed on the vast depths of the sea, his profile still as cold and sculpted as ever.

The sunlight shone brightly on his high, straight nose, clearly etching his features into the shadow of the ship's hull.

However, only he himself knew.

In the instant he withdrew his hand, his fingertips seemed to still retain the intense vibration of the fishing rod caused by the enormous pull, which had been transmitted through the silk sleeve. That vibration traveled along the metal rod to his metacarpals and knuckles, eventually turning into a lingering, slightly numb sensation.

This lingering resonance quietly connected with the invisible information chain deep within his mind, extending from the warmth of his wrist, and ultimately merged into the depths of the unknown ocean's fluctuations, beyond the calculations of the precise model.

There, you can hear the surging of the tides, the breathing of fish, the whispering of the wind, and a silent, thunderous heartbeat that no cold algorithm can decipher, born from being so close.

Above this boundless blue expanse, the sunlight is dazzling, and within its meticulously operating core "algorithm," a new variable has quietly been left for this slight tingling tremor, requiring continuous observation and analysis.

Bai Muchen's gaze deepened, and he quietly cast his bait even further.

The ripples on the sea surface conceal all my emotions within the boundless deep blue.

***

The journey through six cities and the recording of twelve episodes unfolded like a long scroll slowly coming to a close. The camera captured countless moments of hustle and bustle intertwined with tranquility, as well as the subtle undercurrents that grew beyond the lens.

The final stop was a coastal city in the north, where the three days were a final, condensed experience before parting ways. The program's rules added a touch of warmth at the end: each guest had to prepare a surprise gift for their sibling or friend.

When this rule reached Bai Muchen's ears, the intricate, icy logic network seemed to pause for a moment. His sibling was Bai Muze, and their highly synchronized mirror image made the word "surprise" seem somewhat redundant—they usually shared information flows, and even their preferences were precisely aligned.

However, beneath that layer of fine ice, certain long-dormant "abnormal parameters" were triggered. His gaze swept almost imperceptibly across the crowd, finally locking onto the figure who habitually stood a little further away, organizing his belongings alone—Yun Chu.

The gift for Muze was a pair of custom-made high-precision astronomical watches, whose performance parameters perfectly matched Muze's daily needs, without a doubt. The real calculations were directed at that "unexpected variable."

On the afternoon of the last day of filming, while other guests were either frantically shopping or meticulously planning surprise scenes, Bai Muchen was in his hotel suite, facing a sleek, custom-designed fishing rod case.

The box itself has an extremely simple design, pure black, with a matte finish, and only a tiny, abstract ocean vortex symbol engraved in the corner.

He opened the box, inside was a sea fishing rod designed specifically for beginners, yet incorporating top-notch materials technology—medium action, light yet strong, with a warm, deep blue cork handle, anti-slip texture to fit the size of a small hand, and a special dark pattern subtly flowing across the shaft.

The most significant "surprise" wasn't the fishing rod itself, but rather a tiny groove wrapped around the inside of the reel guides, requiring extremely close inspection to spot.

That wasn't a brand logo, but a mysterious code that no one could decipher, combining mathematical symbols (Σ, representing set, accumulation), the fundamental formula of calculus (∫dt, representing time integral), and a minimalist sun and wave pattern.

This "code" seemed to be an exit marker in the logical labyrinth beneath his icy exterior.

The final episode's official recording, the "Exchanging Surprises" segment, took place on the hotel's rooftop garden terrace. The setting sun bathed the entire city in gold, and a cool evening breeze blew.

The four groups of guests presented their gifts in turn, creating a scene that was sometimes heartwarming and sometimes humorous. Zhang

The Luo sisters gave each other handmade pendants; the Zhang siblings gave each other funny pillows; the Li siblings gave each other handmade photo albums; and the twins Bai Muze gave Bai Muchen the other watch that Muchen would give him, achieving peak synchronization and eliciting good-natured laughter from the audience.

The camera followed the flow of the event, eventually focusing on Bai Muchen, who was holding two long, rectangular boxes.

He walked up to Bai Muze first, handed over the watch, and nodded simply: "The accuracy meets the requirements." Muze opened it, a knowing smile playing on his lips: "Time dimension, precise." It was a perfect consensus between the twins that needed no explanation.

Then, Bai Muchen did not stop. Under the slightly surprised gazes of everyone (including the production team), he walked steadily straight to the edge of the set—to where Yun Chu stood quietly at the intersection of light and shadow.

The air seemed to freeze for a moment. Yun Chu looked at him approaching, a hint of surprise and helplessness flashing in her clear eyes, her fingers unconsciously tightening around the hem of her clothes. Why was he walking towards her?

Without any preamble or unnecessary words, Bai Muchen steadily handed the long black box engraved with a vortex symbol to Yun Chu. His eyes remained calmly analytical, and his tone was completely flat, as if he were delivering a standard lab report.

"Your size is a better match for the sea conditions that day." He only said this, as if explaining the technical basis for choosing this fishing rod—it fits her small hands and her previous experience fishing in Qingdao.

Yun Chu was taken aback. She hadn't expected Bai Muchen to prepare a gift for her as well. She took a deep breath and said, "Thank you, Teacher Bai. I appreciate the gift."

Yun Chu didn't want her boyfriend to misunderstand because of this gift.

Bai Muchen did not expect Yun Chu to reject him so directly.

"It's alright." Bai Muchen clutched the gift tightly.

The atmosphere at the scene was awkward and silent.

Zhang Man immediately changed the subject, making the atmosphere lively again.