Chapter 1 After the Massage

Almost two hours of massage later.

It was already completely dark at five o'clock in the afternoon, Iceland time.

Small snowflakes drifted in the air.

Clouds obscured the view, making it impossible to see even if the aurora appeared.

Nong Qingying had a hydrotherapy session and lost interest in the Blue Lagoon's large outdoor hot spring where many people bathed together. She looked up at the sky and said disappointedly, "It's snowing again. I wonder when it will stop."

"Watching the snow is quite nice too. Even if the snow stops, the clouds might not dissipate. No wonder people join aurora-chasing tours to increase their chances of seeing the aurora."

Su Yehao, realizing that he had neglected Nong Qingying while living with her, wanted to make up for it and tentatively asked:

"How about it? I'll find a guide to take you aurora hunting tonight? My biological clock is messed up anyway, and I slept for a while during the massage, so I'm full of energy now."

"Okay!"

Nong Qingying took his arm and said, "Although the snow is nice, it can't compare to the fun of seeing the aurora. Let's ask the guide if it's snowing nearby too. If the sky is covered with clouds everywhere, then let's just rest at the hotel today."

Su Yehao reached into his pockets and gave each of the hotel masseuses a hundred-euro tip.

Although they didn't understand Cantonese, they were still pleasantly surprised and thanked him in English.

He asked Linda Yun to contact the hotel and find a reliable aurora guide. Su Yehao first went with Nong Qingying to the buffet restaurant to pack some pizza, fried chicken, and fries to eat on the road, so as not to waste time.

When Linda Yun returned, she was accompanied by a white-haired, white old man wearing a military green vest.

Although it wasn't clear how capable he was, his attire made him look very experienced.

Su Yehao, eating a freshly made Icelandic hot dog, felt that the taste was a bit strange and asked the old guide in English, "If we leave now, what are our chances of seeing the aurora tonight?"

The old guide replied, "About a sixty percent chance. I've checked today's cloud map and called my friends. They said the weather is great near Þingvellir National Park, which is only an hour and a half away from here."

"Renting a helicopter would be faster... Never mind, it's not safe to fly in snowy weather. Some of those old helicopters are probably older than me. Have the motorcade pack up and leave. If we can't make it back, we'll just spend the night nearby."

Su Yehao told everyone to go back to their rooms and prepare.

Apart from Nong Qingying, no one else had brought much luggage.

The aurora is different from fixed scenery. There's no telling when it will appear or how long it will last, so you might have to wait until the middle of the night.

They might not be returning to this hotel tonight, so to avoid trouble, they brought everything with them in advance.

They gathered and set off twenty minutes later. The local temperature was hovering around zero degrees Celsius. The roads seemed to have been salted, and the snow had been compressed into slush, but it didn't hinder their travel.

While the packed dinner was still warm, Nong Qingying ate and said with a smile:

"A spur-of-the-moment trip, this feeling is really great. The guide just said that there are holiday cabins near Þingvellir National Park, and you can even take a boat to fish on the lake. I just don't know what the environment is like."

Su Yehao took a sip of his sugary soda and said, "If you mention fishing, then I'm all in. But the lake water is freezing this season, so it probably won't be easy to catch fish. And it takes so long, you'll definitely get bored."

Nong Qingying said with emotion:

"It's rare to have the children away from our side, and fishing has become a very comfortable thing, at least it's peaceful. I remember when I was in school, my dream was to travel around the world one day. I was tricked into your hands without realizing it, which led to me having children early and almost forgetting how enjoyable it is to travel."

"If you want to travel the world, then go. I didn't stop you. The nanny is helping to take care of the children, so you already have it easy."

After Su Yehao finished speaking, he calmly added:

"The novelty of traveling doesn't last too long. In my experience, you usually start to get impatient after three to five days. The attractions we see are just the locals' lives. Maybe Icelanders think Hong Kong is so warm and lively that it's comfortable to live in. I met some Icelanders who were traveling in the Maldives. They only have four or five hours of daylight in the winter, so they can't do anything."

Choked by the pizza, Nong Qingying took a sip of water to moisten her throat: "That's true, the day passes in the blink of an eye. The day is so short here."

To stay awake on the road.

Su Yehao remembered something and asked Nong Qingying, "When will the bidding for Sihai Casino (Four Seas Casino) be finalized next year?"

"Probably after the Spring Festival. Six architectural design firms have already confirmed that they will participate in our bidding process. The exterior will be in the European palace style, according to your idea. Now it depends on whose plan is more outstanding."

"What about the other casinos, are they moving fast?"

"The gambling license time is limited, and every day wasted means lost profits. They had more time to prepare than we did, but the old casino king doesn't have much money, and the Wynn Casino is just an ordinary modern hotel with performances. Once our cultural and tourism city is built, it will be easier to attract tourists."

Su Yehao nodded, "Let them compete for the business of ripping people off inside the casinos. Our family mainly caters to individual tourists. We're responsible for making tourists happy when they come and happy when they leave. We'll strive to attract more repeat customers through word of mouth. Just a little gambling for fun is fine..."

After driving for more than fifty minutes, it stopped snowing nearby.

The clouds in the sky were sparse. Su Yehao didn't know where he was. The old guide was leading the way in the car ahead, and Linda Yun, who was sitting in the passenger seat, was already fast asleep.

After a while, they finally arrived at their destination. There were many tourists' cars, bonfires, and tents parked by the lake in Þingvellir National Park.

Good luck today.

Before they could get out of the car and light a fire to keep warm, they heard a tourist shout, "Aurora!"

Sure enough.

The view by the lake was wide open, and a green aurora swept across the sky, quickly becoming clearer and gradually dancing.

Su Yehao stared at it for a while, and finally couldn't help but ask, "Is that it?"

The old guide explained, "If you take a photo with a camera and increase the exposure, it will look much more beautiful. I specifically learned photography for this purpose. Does anyone want to take pictures?"

"..."

The rumors were indeed all lies. To see the kind of stunning aurora that inspires awe, you need a bit of luck, such as encountering a solar flare.

At other times, it's like any other scenic spot, mainly depending on the photographer's skills.

If you say they were lucky tonight, they did see the aurora. But if you say they were unlucky, this aurora looked a bit pitiful and didn't last very long.

There were people selling barbecue ingredients in the scenic area.

Most of them were seafood, as well as chicken wings and chicken legs. Since they had come all this way, they bought two sets of charcoal and had a barbecue with the bodyguards.

The aurora appeared intermittently several times in the sky. The whole of Iceland is in the aurora zone, and the locals are already used to it.

Nong Qingying asked the old guide to take some photos. After increasing the exposure, the aurora looked much more beautiful than it was visible to the naked eye.....