Chapter 40: Though the World Lies Desolate, Romance Endures

Evening.

Time passed swiftly.

After a full day, the wishing pool had begun to take shape. Now, it awaited only the day water would be poured in.

Today, Ye Yaoming was very busy.

After smashing the glass, Ye Yaoming returned to the house to rest, then started drafting the manuscript.

Lin Shenlu’s requirements were simple.

Ye Yaoming was to make himself the male protagonist and write down the stories of the eleven girls he had met and slept with since coming to Dali. Of course… the act itself was not the focus—the true stories of encountering these eleven girls were.

Even though there weren’t any new stories at the start of this task, it couldn’t be fabricated for the sake of deception.

Moreover, Lin Shenlu had already communicated with Hailan Whale.

At this moment, all the guests staying in the hotel were witnessing the birth of the wishing pool firsthand.

Everyone could write their own story, place it in a bottle, and be among the first to cast them into the wishing pool.

When this news was shared with everyone staying at Whale Deer Inn that afternoon, the expressions of the crowd were full of interest.

Forget about the novelty of floating bottles—even those wishing trees, bridges, and walls at tourist spots, year after year, countless visitors would spend dozens of yuan to buy a lock or a wooden plaque, write their names and perhaps a brief sentence… This idea was undeniably captivating.

Lin Shenlu’s final instruction to Hailan Whale was to distribute flyers at the Santorini Road entrance in the evening.

Invite all those who come here for photos or to check in—everyone could visit, and everyone could place their story.

Many internet-famous spots become viral precisely through the sharing of moments among friends…

The speed of online transmission is astonishing.

Isn’t there a saying…

Anyone in the world, through just six connections, can be linked?

The network is vast, yet also intimately small. The same applies to the internet—a single moment shared, as long as it is repeatedly forwarded by different people, can reach an enormous audience.

Watching the workers finally disperse, Lin Shenlu nodded. It was just in time.

Once the wishing pool was fully dried, it could be used.

“Don’t you have someone dedicated to filming and editing for you?” Lin Shenlu said to Hailan Whale beside her.

Hailan Whale nodded.

“Have your editor put together a video in a couple of days, something perfect for sharing. Push it out, trust me—soon this place will be all over the internet,” Lin Shenlu said.

“Sigh, I still don’t know what the outcome will be… Lin Shenlu, will the wishing pool really have such an effect?” Hailan Whale was still a bit worried.

“Don’t worry. The wishing pool paired with floating bottles—how many people’s youth, how many unresolved regrets in their hearts. I remember when I was little, there was a QQ floating bottle… The traffic was enormous. And this is Dali! Floating bottles in Dali… How cool is that? If there weren’t restrictions, I’d want to float the bottles in Erhai Lake… Thousands, tens of thousands, even hundreds of thousands of bottles drifting across Erhai—how spectacular would that be?” Lin Shenlu lifted her gaze to the sky.

Hailan Whale tried to imagine the scene…

Under the night sky, the moon reflected in Erhai, thousands of floating bottles swaying with the ripples… A small boat gliding by, a girl gently retrieving a floating bottle, softly removing the wooden stopper, inside is the story of a boy…

Utterly romantic.

The smile on Hailan Whale’s lips betrayed her thoughts.

Lin Shenlu knew she had grasped the essence.

“This world may be barren, but romance never dies…”

“Let me tell you, love is the most elusive thing in the world. Many people believe in gods, study horoscopes, pray before wishing pools; yet they stubbornly refuse to believe that someone simply doesn’t love them… In the end, they blame inaccurate horoscopes, blame powerless wishing pools, but never blame the person who deceived them.” Lin Shenlu spoke, cigarette in hand.

Hailan Whale’s gaze was gentle, watching Lin Shenlu’s lifted head.

A focused man is most alluring.

Hailan Whale secretly told herself.

“I believe in nothing—I believe only in you.”

A breeze brushed past their faces.

Lin Shenlu spoke softly, “Actually, I have a sharp sense for this market. I think every wish in this world needs something to anchor it—be it a wishing pool, a meteor shower, birthday candles burning… Even the beluga whales in the aquarium hide the melancholy of loving someone from afar, scattered across the universe’s corners.”

She paused, then continued, “But the goddess of fortune doesn’t smile on everyone. Some are granted their wishes and happiness, some are left sorrowful, unable to admit how sad they truly are…”

“So, you see, the feeling of a secret crush is like a butterfly lightly stirring its wings, yet causing a hurricane in people’s hearts—the moment it’s discovered, there’s no escape… That’s why wishes as anchors, stories as vessels, become meaningful.”

Lin Shenlu’s voice was beautiful, her words profound.

Hailan Whale suddenly felt her words resonating deep within her.

Lin Shenlu gazed at the wishing pool before her.

Night had fallen; only the faint outline of the three-tiered fountain at the center could be seen.

“I want to buy a copper bell, with a waterproof sheet hanging below, and hang it right there.”

She paused, then continued, “And I’ll write on the sheet: ‘May all you seek come true, may your path be smooth, may you find joy and lasting peace.’”

…

Some time later, Ye Yaoming, aching and numb from head to toe, emerged carrying a stack of handwritten pages.

“These are the stories I wrote…” Ye Yaoming said, somewhat disgruntled.

Lin Shenlu really had used herself as the test subject.

The wishing pool wasn’t finished yet; in Hailan Whale’s hotel, only seven or eight guests had stories to contribute, plus a few random visitors from the flyers, at most counting the stories of Hailan Whale and Lin Shenlu themselves… It seemed no one had contributed as much as Ye Yaoming alone.

“Come on, let’s go fill the bottles.” Lin Shenlu smiled.

Eighty old wine bottles stood quietly to one side.

Lin Shenlu took the bottle from the Abbey Truth Beer, saved especially for Hailan Whale, and said with a smile, “This is the bottle I’ve kept for you, to hold your story. If someday someone fishes out this bottle, it will be time for us to tell our story.” Lin Shenlu laughed.

“I’m not writing it—you write it yourself…” Hailan Whale blushed.

“No, no, we both have to write. This is your bottle, and I have another one, the one I’ll write in… In the early days of the wishing pool, the more bottles, the better.” Lin Shenlu gestured to another clear glass bottle in the corner.

“What are you going to write?” Hailan Whale asked curiously.

“That’s a secret. When you one day fish out my bottle, I’ll tell you then…” Lin Shenlu smiled.