Chapter 36
Xie Yunshen had originally planned to sleep for only three hours. When he opened his eyes, it was still broad daylight. He saw Yi Wuyi standing in the room, but Yan Shiqi was nowhere to be seen.
The sunlight reflecting off the ocean outside the window was a bit blinding. “Old Five, what time is it?”
“One o’clock.”
He had only slept for an hour. Xie Yunshen let out a sigh of relief, closed his eyes, and then snapped them open again. “Wait, did I sleep for a whole day?”
Yi Wuyi said, “I thought you were enjoying yourself so much you forgot to come home.”
“…” Old Five was great at everything, except for his habit of misusing idioms.
Yi Wuyi added, “I didn’t use it wrong.”
Xie Yunshen: “?” Did you just read my mind?
Wait, he bolted upright. He had slept for a day—which meant he had missed a major plot point! Last night, Sand should have escaped and likely already met Lin Jin.
As Xie Yunshen threw on his jacket, he asked, “Where is Mr. Yan?”
Just as he finished speaking, Yan Shiqi stepped out of the bathroom.
“Mr. Yan, wait for me. We’re moving to Room A02 today,” Xie Yunshen said, catching him by the arm, his voice softening slightly as he spoke. Without waiting for an answer, he rushed headlong into the bathroom.
Yi Wuyi complained expressionlessly to the air: This guy… he’s now omitting the proper inquiry process entirely and giving direct orders to Mr. Yan. More importantly, looking at Mr. Yan’s face, he’s actually tolerating this transgression.
Five minutes later, Xie Yunshen emerged looking refreshed. Looking at the messy sheets he’d left behind last night, he felt a bit of an epiphany. This was the first time since coming to this world that he’d slept so soundly. After all, he usually woke up before dawn to train, but today he had severely overshot his mark.
“As expected of Mr. Yan, even your bed is more comfortable than others’.”
Yan Shiqi was standing by the ocean-view window. Hearing this, he turned slightly. The sun illuminated the sharp, elegant curve of his eyes; his narrowed gaze met the sunlight, reflecting a deep, oceanic luster.
Xie Yunshen froze. Damn… Boss… how can someone’s aura be this handsome?
Yi Wuyi’s “straight-man” comment broke his mental filter: “A-Xie, you’ve learned to flatter. All the beds on this floor are identical.”
“I’m serious. The beds Mr. Yan has slept in are especially…”
Wait! He stopped abruptly. The image of that slightly messy bed began to zoom in and expand in his mind!
“Where did Mr. Yan sleep last night?” Xie Yunshen pulled a confused Yi Wuyi into a corner, looking horrified.
Yi Wuyi shook his head. “When I came in, Mr. Yan was already awake.”
Xie Yunshen’s heart thundered. No way. Did he treat Mr. Yan as a body pillow last night? Or did he pin Mr. Yan’s hand under his leg?
What the world didn’t know was that Xie Yunshen, being a vigorous young man, had a rather awkward habit when he slept. Every morning, his “little brother” would inevitably undergo a qualitative and quantitative change. He usually followed a “cold water” policy—taking a shower and letting it subside naturally. If it got too uncomfortable in bed, he’d just grab a pillow and rub against it.
I couldn’t have used Mr. Yan as a pillow, right?
Xie Yunshen’s intuition told him it likely didn’t happen—people always hold onto wishful thinking regarding embarrassing uncertainties—but he couldn’t help but feel suspicious and paranoid.
He wasn’t the type to torture himself for hours, though. He was a man who addressed things on the spot.
“Mr. Yan, you didn’t sleep here last night, did you?” Xie Yunshen pointed at the “crime scene”—the poor bed.
Yan Shiqi smiled. “I slept in the second bedroom.”
Xie Yunshen’s tension vanished. “That’s good then.”
“…”
Yi Wuyi really wanted to roll his eyes: Open your eyes, kid! Where in this suite is there a second bedroom?!
Because Xie Yunshen was in a hurry to “eat melons” (and fight for the growth of the Yan family), they headed to the new room without even eating breakfast. Towers A and B were only separated by a small skybridge.
Since Room A01 was occupied, he wondered if the original plot would change. He hadn’t heard any strange noises last night either.
“I heard Room A02 is haunted, so no one dares stay there. Why did you book it?” Yi Wuyi asked.
Xie Yunshen’s voice wavered. “Wha… what?”
Yi Wuyi was confused. “You didn’t know?”
Xie Yunshen closed his eyes. “Of course I knew. I just thought… we just won 6.5 billion. If we moved to a normal room, it would be too easy to monitor us. But nobody would expect us to move into a haunted room.”
Yi Wuyi said in surprise, “So you are capable of deep thinking.”
“…” How was I supposed to know it was actually ‘haunted’ and not just a rumor?!
“A previous Banker once won over a billion in a night, but he committed suicide with sleeping pills in that room the same night,” Yi Wuyi added.
Xie Yunshen felt this was ridiculous. “Who would win over a billion on a cruise and then immediately kill themselves?”
“That was just the official story. Everyone knows the ‘Black and White Striped Hats’ killed him for the money, but no one dared to intervene,” Yi Wuyi explained.
“Black and White Striped Hats?”
“A local gang on the ship.”
This ship only sailed in international waters and never docked; guests arrived via travel company tenders. The laws of no nation applied here. Wealthy guests usually hired burly sailors to protect them, especially those who won money. Over time, these sailors formed a grey-market force called the Black and White Striped Hats.
Xie Yunshen frowned. “What about the owner of the ship? He doesn’t stop it?” It seemed there were many hidden factions he didn’t know about. He felt like he was triggering game “Easter eggs.”
Yi Wuyi said, “They get a cut of the money, so why stop it? As long as this ship is afloat, there will always be a steady stream of guests.”
Yan Shiqi suddenly stopped walking. Xie Yunshen and Yi Wuyi stopped too.
Yan Shiqi spoke up: “The person behind this ship is actually the head of an independent armed government in Country H.”
Xie Yunshen understood immediately. No wonder no one dared to interfere. “Does that mean we need to pay protection money?”
“The 6.5 billion was already taxed. I imagine that ‘tax’ is the protection money. Furthermore, I haven’t touched that card yet, which means it remains stored in the ship’s safe. I believe I’ve shown the utmost sincerity to the Striped Hats.”
Xie Yunshen hadn’t realized there were so many layers to this. He was once again filled with a fan-like admiration for Mr. Yan. As expected of a man who provides a total sense of security!
“Does that mean we’re safe?” Yi Wuyi asked.
Yan Shiqi looked down from the skybridge at the men passing below—bronzed, muscular men wearing black-and-white hats, looking up with cold gazes.
Yan Shiqi’s eyes were deep. “It’s hard to say. Perhaps they are currently having internal disagreements over the money. It depends on whether they can reach a consensus.”
Xie Yunshen and Yi Wuyi shared a look, their hearts sinking. They had never seen Mr. Yan look so grave.
“As long as they don’t have guns, Old Five and I can definitely—urgh…” Before he could finish, the sea breeze blew open a Striped Hat’s shirt, revealing a dark gun hilt. Xie Yunshen’s words died in his throat.
Yan Shiqi placed a hand on his shoulder, looking at him. “Better to pray that they only want the money.”
Xie Yunshen froze, unable to respond. Yi Wuyi patted his shoulder. “Snap out of it.”
By the time he did, Yan Shiqi had already walked ahead. “Don’t you feel like Mr. Yan is like a high-level adult?” he said to Yi Wuyi. Meeting Mr. Yan’s gaze just now had made his mind go blank.
It was hard to describe, but Mr. Yan’s eyes always had a calm, lethal quality that saw through people, making it hard to look him in the eye. But once you did look… it was just too, too… too cool.
Yi Wuyi didn’t argue. “Let’s go.”
Outside Room A02.
Looking at that red wood-style door and the dim corridor lighting, the air here felt colder than elsewhere. It made one’s spine tingle. Xie Yunshen stood at the door, looking up at the crimson room number.
“What’s wrong? Get the keycard,” Yi Wuyi said.
Xie Yunshen took a deep breath and pulled out the card.
Beep—”Welcome to Caiya-ya-ya-ya-hee-hee-hee…”
The electronic female voice of the lock glitched, sounding like someone laughing. Xie Yunshen slammed his palm against the lock. Silence.
“It seems… a bit broken. Maybe we should change rooms?” Xie Yunshen looked at Yi Wuyi.
Yi Wuyi looked at Yan Shiqi.
But Mr. Yan said, “No need.” He led the way inside.
Xie Yunshen stayed half a step behind them. The furniture was high-end and bright, the beds were neat, but for psychological reasons, Xie Yunshen felt everything was eerie.
Yi Wuyi walked to the window and opened the curtains to reveal the ocean. The room became bright. But when Xie Yunshen looked at the wall, he shuddered. Though a cabinet blocked it, his excellent eyesight allowed him to see blood-red scratches on the wall behind it. Are the ship’s staff lazy? They didn’t even paint over it?
“You stay here. I’ll check the living room and closet,” Yi Wuyi said. Standard procedure for a new environment.
Xie Yunshen grabbed Old Five. “No, Old Five! I’ll go to the living room, you stay here!”
“A-Xie, are you scared?”
“You’re overthinking it,” Xie Yunshen snapped back. He was just a little creeped out.
Yi Wuyi thought for a moment. “Stay here then. I’ll go have someone change the lock; it’s not safe otherwise.”
Xie Yunshen nodded and walked into the living room. On the ceiling, there was a dark shadow shaped like a person. On the crystal chandelier, there were a few drops of spray-pattern blood…
Xie Yunshen held his breath, feeling a chill wind on his back. He could imagine how the Striped Hats had beaten that merchant to force him to hand over the money, and then killed him anyway.
Since it’s a crime scene, everything is technically normal, Xie comforted himself.
Crash! A landscape painting fell off the wall, glass shattering everywhere. Yan Shiqi stepped out of the bedroom and saw the glass.
“The waves must be high for it to fall so suddenly,” he said. Though it was strange—paintings on ships are usually secured.
Xie Yunshen said nothing. He silently grabbed Yan Shiqi’s arm and pulled the man directly in front of him. He was practically using Yan Shiqi as a talisman to ward off evil. Mr. Yan truly provided a massive sense of security.
“Mr. Yan, didn’t you say last time there was a two-minute hug that hadn’t been completed yet?”
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