025 Half Sea, Half Desert

I stared blankly at the photo before me. Although the food provided was plentiful, the dishes were coarse and monotonous, far from the exquisite and abundant spread Musa had brought me—not to mention the fresh fruit and vegetables.

Why did he lie?

If he had gone to such lengths to prepare it, why insist that he had simply picked up a free meal in passing?

I fixed my gaze on the leftover lamb bones and fruit pits on the table, my mind racing, beginning to ponder and let my imagination run wild. Was Musa trying to tell me that he didn't care at all, or... was he using indifference to mask how much he actually did?

At this thought, my face flushed and my pulse quickened. I could almost feel the fleeting, feather-light touch of his hand on my forehead again. Even though there had been a tissue between us, I could still faintly sense the warmth of his fingertips, like his quiet, silent care, melting my heart bit by bit.

"Xixi, what’s the matter?" Yun Yushu’s voice shattered my reverie.

I snapped back to reality and gave him a genuinely radiant smile. "Nothing."

"You drift off quite often."

My pleasant mood made my tongue loosen as I offered a compliment: "I’m just amazed by your rigorous logic and keen observation."

A faint smile tugged at the corners of Yun Yushu’s lips as he asked with certainty, "So, was I right?"

I spread my hands. "You’ve seen through me. I bought it specifically."

"I knew it," he said, looking quite pleased with himself. "Everything has a logic to it; as long as you think it through, it’s easy to figure out."

Yun Yushu remained just as I had first met him: methodical and clear-headed.

If it were truly as he said—that everything was governed by logic—then my meeting Musa must also be logical. Even if, on the surface, it defied all reason.

I asked Yun Yushu to sit for a moment while I cleared the bowls and chopsticks to the kitchen, intending to wash them after he left. He wouldn't hear of it, insisting on helping me clear the table and even rolling up his sleeves to wash the dishes.

I quickly stopped him. "Please, don't be so polite."

"It’s not politeness," he smiled slightly. "I’m a golden bachelor; I’m used to fending for myself. The weather in Dubai is already harsh enough on the skin—don't ruin yours by washing dishes."

His words touched me, but I didn't like to owe people too much, so I insisted on pulling him away. "Neither of us will wash them. I still have questions to ask you, Senior."

Yun Yushu followed me back to the living room and sat on the sofa, looking up at me with clear, bright eyes. "What would you like to ask?"

My mind spun rapidly, forcibly pulling a question out of the jumble of my thoughts. "I haven't been at the university long, and for now, it's mostly classes, but my advisor mentioned that we’ll be assigned research projects soon. I’m not sure what kind they might be."

"That depends on the person. Our graduate department was only established recently, and the professors brought in from various places have very different styles. Who is your advisor?"

"Professor Emerdine."

"Hmm, I've heard of him. He’s Canadian," Yun Yushu said thoughtfully. "He often takes on corporate projects; he’s not the type of professor who focuses solely on theoretical research. I vaguely heard that he recently took on a desert mapping project. Graduate students are cheap and efficient labor, so it’s possible he’ll bring you all along."

"Desert mapping?" I widened my eyes in surprise. Back home, I had spent some time in the vast Gobi Desert in Xinjiang and had found it quite grueling. But the Dubai desert was different—it was truly an endless, uninhabited expanse.

Half sea, half desert—that is Dubai. While enjoying the sea breeze, one should never forget that all the luxurious buildings surrounding you were plucked from the vast, golden sands.