The cruise ship eased toward the dock. A muffled thud rose through my feet as the hull met the pier.
I changed into a Sailor Moon cosplay outfit: a white square-collared sailor top and a blue pleated micro skirt. Dianzi stepped up behind me in a matching outfit: a light pink sailor top and a low-waist nude-pink sheer micro skirt.
She waved at the floating interface. "This girl here and Sister have arrived in Modu."
I turned the camera toward the window. The dock spread out under the morning light — gray concrete, red shipping containers, the glass facades of distant towers reflecting the rising sun. A seagull flew in from the stern and landed on the railing, tilting its head at us.
[chat] Modu
[chat] Finally docked
[chat] Daughter's outfit is gorgeous ✨
[chat] Wifey's sheer skirt is stunning
The ship steadied. The gangway touched the pier. Passengers streamed out through the hatch, dragging suitcases, footsteps drumming on the iron deck. Dianzi and I moved through the crowd.
Passing the deck, Zhao Dayong stood by the railing waving at us, his camera slung across his chest, the lens cap already off. He didn't raise the camera. He just waved.
I nodded, the corner of my mouth lifting. Dianzi waved back.
The exit was packed. A delivery rider crouched beside his electric scooter, tapped his screen three times, watched the unit price flicker back to gray. He buckled his helmet, and the scooter hummed away. The handwritten card on the delivery box behind him flipped over in the wind, revealing four characters on the back.
People holding accommodation signs stood in a row. An old man held up a cardboard sign, the characters blown crooked by the wind. He reached up to straighten it. The wind blew it crooked again.
I stepped out of the dock and looked back at the ship. A white thread hung from the starboard railing, swaying in the breeze.
— Those who are sifted out last discover the sieve was never broken. Too much was put in from the start.
Beside the exit stood a vehicle registration service window. I handed over my documents. The clerk glanced at them and pulled a pair of custom plates from under the counter — Kun Yao K23, Mo A·00000 and Mo A·00001. Two matching convertible sports cars waited at the curb, one obsidian black, one cherry-blossom pink. I pulled the door open. The headlights flipped up and flashed twice.
After checking in, the floor-to-ceiling window framed a churning sea of clouds. Cargo ship lights stretched into bright ribbons across the river. The room was high up. Through the window, the cloud sea rolled, the tops of glass towers flickering in and out of the mist. Dianzi pushed her suitcase into the corner and pressed herself against the window, forehead to the glass, and drew a circle in the condensation with her finger.
I walked up behind her, set the phone on the tripod, and brushed my fingertips across the armlet. The floating interface lit up, the livestream automatically framing the night view outside.
"Darlings, we're in Modu." I smiled at the lens. The camera swept across the cloud sea, the cargo ships on the Moonochuan, the towers of Saixing District blinking in and out of the mist.
Chat messages scrolled past. Dianzi leaned in, her chin resting on my shoulder. "Sister, someone in the chat says their back hurts. They're asking if we have any stretches."
"I do. Dancing on the cruise ship every day, my back and waist got stiff."
I walked to the center of the room, Dianzi following. The camera tracked us. The cloud sea outside became the backdrop, mist pressing against the glass. "Darlings, today I'll teach you a few stretches. Self-rescue for people who sit too long."
I bent over, hands on the carpet, arched my back and pressed down. I faced the camera. "If your back hurts, stretch like this. Imagine someone lifting you from between your shoulder blades."
[chat] Learned something
[chat] So professional
[chat] Wifey what floor are you on, it's clouds outside 😭
[chat] Is that a lat stretch
Dianzi crouched beside me, her arms wrapped around her own waist from behind, twisting halfway to face the camera sideways. "If your semimembranosus hurts, stretch like this." She extended her left leg, toes touching the floor, leaning to the other side. "Sister, is this girl doing it right?"
"Point your toes a little more. Just feel the stretch in the back of your thigh." I stood up and adjusted her angle.
"There's another move for lower back pain." I turned sideways, one hand on my hip, the other arm raised overhead and bent toward the opposite side. "This is a side waist stretch. Do both sides."
Dianzi followed along but cracked up halfway through. "This girl's balance is terrible." I reached out and held her waist. "Shift your weight to your left foot." She steadied herself.
I turned to face the camera. "Alright, that's it for stretches. Remember to get up and move if you sit too long, or your back will cry."
[chat] Wifey's side waist is unreal 👏
[chat] Daughter is so earnest
[chat] Starting tomorrow
[chat] The cloud sea is beautiful like a painting
The camera turned toward the window. The cloud sea churned, towers lit with scattered windows. Dianzi leaned against me, her forehead pressing into my shoulder.
I waved at the lens, brushed my fingertips across the armlet. The floating interface dimmed. The livestream shut off. The room fell quiet, only the distant horn of a cargo ship outside the window.