Chapter 384 Frolicking in the Sea
Occasional indulgence quickly restores vitality.
If the sea hadn't been so cold at night, Ashley would have swum longer.
As she swam towards the shore, she unexpectedly found that the entire beach, including the nearby lighthouse, was completely deserted.
The pitch-black sea had no streetlights, making it very quiet and eerie.
"Amelia, is there a tsunami today?"
Amelia, who had been cooped up with the crew for days, finally let loose today and felt great. She raised her voice, "No, there was a tsunami not long ago. It can't happen every day. The weather has been calm recently, and there have been no natural disasters."
Ashley said, "Why is there no one here? Isn't Fisherman's Wharf up ahead? There should be a lot of people at this time."
In the past, when she and Damian took evening walks by the sea, the nearby residents would come out with their families, making it lively.
It was nothing like the current desolate scene.
When she mentioned it, Amelia also noticed that the scene before them was very different from before. Fisherman's Wharf was one of Limehof's most bustling seaside spots and shouldn't be this deserted.
The two quickly got dressed, and Ashley laughed, "Being impulsive comes with a price. We thought we could swim without swimsuits but forgot we wouldn't have clothes to change into afterward. Let's not go back tonight; let's stay at the hotel across the street."
Amelia wholeheartedly agreed. This kind of childlike spontaneity made her feel like they were back in the old days, doing whatever they wanted without a care in the world, always having someone to clean up the mess afterward.
The two walked to the hotel in their half-wet clothes and booked a standard room using a group-buying deal.
After paying, Amelia lamented in the elevator, "Ashley, why are we living worse than before? Other people have hard times first and then things get better, but we're clearly going downhill."
Ashley had already realized this when she saw the hotel prices and opted for the group-buying deal to save money. But she mustered the courage to say, "Haven't you heard what the great thinkers say? Going through hardships before thirty is the greatest treasure of life. It helps you avoid detours and ensures a bright future!"
Amelia burst into laughter, her worries halved, "Ashley, you're really different from before. But I like both the old you and the new you."
By the sea.
Damian sat alone on a bench by the river. The streetlights that should have lit up on time did not, and tonight's visitors, like the streetlights, were kept 1,000 feet away due to human intervention.
In short, this area was sealed off.
For the past hour, he quietly gazed at the sea, hearing faint laughter and seeing two people chasing each other in the calm waters, feeling a long-lost sense of relaxation.
He hadn't realized how much he liked Ashley's laughter.
A few minutes ago, he saw Ashley and Amelia, like two kids sneaking out to play, with wet hair and clothes, discussing how to clean up the mess.
He then watched them walk across the street and enter the hotel.
His phone rang; it was the third call from Christian today. "What now?"
Christian, in a foul mood, nearly shouted, "Are you messing with me? I went to Fisherman's Wharf, and you weren't there. I went to Serenity Cove, and you weren't there either!"
Damian said, "I'm here now."
"Damn it!"
Damian calmly said, "The hotel across from Fisherman's Wharf. Staying here tonight."
"You're not messing with me this time?"
"Come if you want."
Putting down the phone, Damian stood up, took one last look at the dark sea, and started walking back.
He knocked on the car door, and the driver, startled, looked up, "Mr. Hearst, can I open my eyes now?"
Damian said, "Book two rooms at the hotel across the street."
The driver finally dared to open his eyes. After keeping them closed for so long, it took him half a minute to adjust to the light. "Yes, right away."
As soon as they entered the hotel's scenic room, they could see the vast night view through the floor-to-ceiling windows. Looking out, islands floated on the sea, lights shining, making the city nightscape look as beautiful and dreamy as a comic.
"The lights at Fisherman's Wharf are back on. Do we have such good luck?"
Ashley glanced over and indeed, when they were there, it was almost pitch black. Now, the lights were as bright as day, illuminating the beach and the shore.
A thought flashed through Ashley's mind.
This scene seemed more like a deliberate act than a coincidence.
But Damian was still in the hospital; he wouldn't be bored enough to manipulate the city's tourist flow and lighting, would he?
After a comfortable shower and washing her hair, Ashley curled up on the sofa and looked at takeout options.
Amelia, also wrapped in a bathrobe, snuggled close to her, "Ashley, I wish I were a man so I could marry you."
Ashley thought for a moment, "That wouldn't work. If you were a man, we would have fallen out long ago."
"Hahaha!" Amelia's laughter was particularly low today. Even a casual remark would make her laugh for a while.
After ordering takeout, Ashley started to talk business with Amelia, "Amelia, how much do you know about your dad's company? Tell me about it."
Amelia also got serious. What needed to be faced had to be faced. "I knew it. You came to Limehof with a big plan. Let me outline the situation..."
During the forty minutes waiting for the takeout, Ashley listened to her recount the troubles the company had faced and the eventual trigger for its bankruptcy.
After a moment of silence, Ashley said, "It's complicated, but not as hopeless as you think."
Amelia opened the takeout box, inhaling the aroma to keep herself from crying, "The company has no funds for turnover, can't repay bank loans, and creditors are pressing. What else can we do?"
Ashley, holding her notes, circled a line, "This patent might be the key to turning things around."
Amelia peeled a shrimp and handed it to Ashley, "It's not really a patent. My dad said the technology is immature and needs a lot of money for research and development. We can't afford it."
Amelia's father ran a small digital company that produced accessories for mobile phones. However, with rapid technological advancements, their research couldn't keep up, and orders were snatched by overseas markets and large corporations, leading to several consecutive quarters of losses.
Ashley, eating the shrimp Amelia peeled, smiled with squinted eyes, "Domestic phones focus a lot on camera technology and battery life. This is our competitive edge over other brands. If your dad's camera technology succeeds, it could quickly secure large orders from domestic phone manufacturers."
"Continuing research has two outcomes: it could be a time-consuming, labor-intensive, and costly failure, or it could succeed and turn things around completely. The gamble is too big; my dad can't afford it."
Ashley said, "You could find someone to co-develop it. They provide the funds, and you provide the technology."
Amelia shrugged, "We tried. No one was willing. My dad's legs are almost worn out from walking, and old friends have politely declined."
Ashley rested her chin on her hand, deep in thought, "Let me think about who might be willing to invest."
Amelia reminded her, "Don't say Damian!"
"It's not..." After a few moments of thought, Ashley said, "Give me the detailed information on this technology. I'll give it a try."
Amelia was half skeptical, "Really? You don't have the connections or the funds right now."
"Trust me."