I'm back in 1990

Chapter 1133: Humpback Whale

Huang Xiaochuan put his phone away and looked back at the sea.

They are currently traveling on a luxury yacht in the waters near the Whitsunday Islands, about half an hour's journey from their home on Hayman Island.

They came here because it's an excellent spot for whale watching. The Australian captain, Dennis, said that this area is frequented by humpback whales, and there's a great chance of seeing these enormous creatures here.

Dennis was right; they did see it.

Huang Ruiying stood excitedly on the viewing platform, holding onto the railing with one hand and taking pictures non-stop with her DSLR camera in the other. The sound was like machine gun fire, clicking away.

Suddenly, Huang Ruiying shouted, "Dad, look!" She pointed to the sea about two hundred meters away on the starboard side.

Huang Xiaochuan looked up and saw a huge column of water spouting up from the sea every now and then; it was a newly appeared humpback whale.

The captain also noticed it and slowly approached the newly appeared humpback whale with his yacht.

About two minutes later, the humpback whale reappeared on the surface of the sea, this time less than fifty meters away from the yacht.

People on the yacht could clearly see that it was an adult humpback whale, estimated to be about 15 or 16 meters long, its black body standing out against the azure sea.

It slowly raised its head above the sea, and then a jet of water shot out, the mist refracting the sunlight, creating a beautiful rainbow in front of everyone.

Seeing that the opportunity was rare, Huang Ruiying kept her finger on the shutter of the DSLR camera and wouldn't take it off, making a continuous clicking sound.

The humpback whale seemed to have heard the sound as well, but it did not show any unease. Instead, it rolled over in the sea, revealing its white belly. Its huge pectoral fins swept past the crowd and then slammed into the sea surface with a deafening roar.

"Wow, it's huge!" Huang Ruiying even forgot to press the shutter button at that moment. She turned to her father and asked, "Dad, how big do you think it is?"

The yacht had books about marine life on the Great Barrier Reef. Huang Xiaochuan read some of them after boarding the ship: "Fifteen to sixteen meters long, that's about the size of an adult humpback whale, and its weight should be around thirty tons."

This was the first time Huang Ruiying had ever seen such a large marine animal, and she couldn't help but gasp: "Thirty tons, that's thirty thousand kilograms!"

Huang Xiaochuan nodded: "More or less!"

Just as the two were talking, the humpback whale dived into the sea again, but this time it didn't swim too far. Instead, it circled the yacht once and then leaped out of the water again in front of the yacht.

Its enormous body soared into the air before crashing heavily onto the sea, sending water splashing everywhere.

"It's so beautiful!" Huang Ruiying excitedly took photos with her DSLR camera, while the photographer who was out at sea with the yacht was also recording the scene with his video camera.

At that moment, Captain Dennis appeared on the observation deck: "This is a rare sight. Humpback whales seldom leap and slam near ships. Looks like this guy's in a good mood today."

Dennis was right. The humpback whale seemed to be in a really good mood. It lingered around the yacht for more than twenty minutes, spouting huge jets of water from time to time and occasionally showing its white belly.

Finally, it changed direction and headed towards the distant sea. At first, you could still see its huge tail, but gradually it disappeared from sight as the creature submerged into the sea.

Huang Ruiying only reluctantly put down her DSLR camera after the humpback whale was completely out of sight.

She asked Dennis, "Captain, will it still be here tomorrow?"

Dennis, with his large beard, shook his head: "That's hard to say. Whales are migratory animals; they have their own routes."

Huang Ruiying was initially a little disappointed, but then she happily said, "This means we have very good luck today."

After watching whales for half a day, the yacht began its return journey. Due to the strong sea breeze and the considerable energy expended while watching whales, Huang Ruiying went back to her luxuriously decorated bedroom in the cabin to catch up on sleep.

The girl didn't wake up until the yacht docked again at Hayman Island.

During dinner that evening, Huang Ruiying asked Chen Zhe about the custody battle for Chen Wuhen.

Huang Xiaochuan initially didn't want to discuss this matter with his daughter, but then he considered that his daughter was already grown up and there were some things he could talk to her about, just to give her some social experience: "This kind of thing is not that simple. It involves your Uncle Chen's son's personal wishes, the laws of two countries, and many other conditions and factors, so we have to proceed step by step."

"What if Uncle Chen's son doesn't want to go back with Uncle Chen?"

Huang Xiaochuan said truthfully, "That's troublesome then, so the key is how your Uncle Chen communicates with his son."

Huang Ruiying nodded and continued to enjoy the food in front of her, without asking any further questions.

Tonight is another sumptuous seafood feast, featuring grilled lobster, steamed crab with garlic and vermicelli, and a seafood soup made with coconut milk and lemongrass, all of which were modified by the chef according to Chinese recipes.

"Dad, when are we going home?" Huang Ruiying asked while munching on a crab leg.

"We'll go back to Sydney tomorrow and return to China the day after," Huang Xiaochuan told his daughter about the itinerary for the next two days.

"What about Uncle Chen? He's not..."

Before she could finish speaking, Huang Xiaochuan said, "Let's go first; he still needs to stay here for a few more days."

Huang Ruiying nodded: "Oh!"

The next afternoon, the father and daughter returned to the Park Hyatt Hotel, but Chen Zhe was not there; he was probably looking for his son.

Chen Zhe returned home that evening and went straight to Huang Xiaochuan's room, looking exhausted.

Huang Xiaochuan personally brewed a cup of tea and placed it in front of him, asking, "What's wrong? What happened?"

Chen Zhe rubbed his face vigorously: "I met with Wuhen this afternoon and we talked for more than an hour."

Huang Xiaochuan nodded and sat back down in his seat: "So what did he say?"

"Fortunately, that kid is more mature than I thought. After I told him, he didn't show any dissatisfaction. Instead, he asked me if going to Shanghai with me meant he wouldn't be able to see his mother anymore."

Huang Xiaochuan listened quietly without interrupting or asking any questions.

Chen Zhe continued, "I told him of course not, it just means he can live with me and I will re-plan his future life and studies. It doesn't mean he can't see his mother. He can see his mother anytime, as long as time allows."

"So what did he say?"

Chen Zhe took a sip of tea, then put the teacup down: "He said he needs to think about it carefully."

Huang Xiaochuan nodded: "That's good. The fact that he didn't refuse means he's considering your suggestion."

Chen Zhe sighed: "That's what I think too, but I still dare not let my guard down. I don't know if Chen Qiao will interfere."

Huang Xiaochuan then said, "Old Chen, to tell you the truth, as long as Wuhen is willing, there won't be a big problem. Chen Qiao is short of money and has a lot of debt. This is a breakthrough point. I think she will agree."

Chen Zhe nodded; he thought so too.

Huang Xiaochuan patted him on the shoulder: "Problems that can be solved with money are not problems. Start by talking to her about this, and have a lawyer go to her. Of course, we still need to be prepared for a lawsuit, but we also need to have a contingency plan for an out-of-court settlement."