Shen Qingqing, not having walked far, felt a subtle change in her expression upon hearing the words.
She slowed her pace, only to hear Aisen behind her gritting his teeth, "That damn girl, she'd better have come here on her own. If she was kidnapped, I'll never let go of whoever is behind her!"
She tilted her head slightly but didn't turn back, discerning the veiled threats and implications in Aisen's words.
Could it be…
Thinking of the girl in the room, she suddenly felt the situation might be a bit tricky.
She wasn't afraid of Aisen, but there was also Pei Ji. At this critical juncture, it was best to avoid trouble if possible.
Her mind raced with thoughts, yet her footsteps remained unchanged as she leisurely returned to the room.
Pei Ji witnessed this scene and then looked at Aisen's gaze fixed on her retreating figure, "Did you misunderstand something?"
Their close relationship allowed him to understand Aisen's thoughts. This direct stare was definitely not from falling in love with her.
But Shen Qingqing had never known Aisen before, how could she have kidnapped his sister?
Aisen gritted his teeth, his expression obscure.
Shen Qingqing returned to the room to find Fu Jingshu standing at the doorway with a tray, not entering, like a guardian spirit.
"Why aren't you coming in?"
As she pushed the door open, she heard the man's calm voice behind her.
"You weren't here."
Shen Qingqing paused, her lips slowly curving upwards, a wave of sweetness washing over her. She turned, took his hand, and pulled him inside, "Let's go, come in."
An Qi was starving. The moment she saw food, she cast all pretense aside and quickly carried it to the table, eating small bites.
The food was cold and didn't taste great, but it was passable.
"Right, someone knocked earlier, but I didn't make a sound," she said, having regained some energy now that her stomach was full.
Shen Qingqing instinctively looked at her husband.
He nodded slightly, "I did."
An Qi blinked, "Wouldn't it have been easier for you to just come in? Why knock?"
Fu Jingshu remained silent.
Shen Qingqing tilted her head, immediately understanding her man's intentions. She reached out, hugged his neck, and planted a kiss on his thin lips.
The kiss was as light as a feather, yet it landed heavily on his heart.
His breathing instantly deepened.
An Qi blushed at the sight and quickly turned her head, quietly eating. However, the image of their kiss kept replaying in her mind, and the heat on her face lingered.
Seeing the man whose eyes had darkened from her teasing, Shen Qingqing wickedly leaned in and whispered a few words in his ear.
The man placed a hand on her slender waist, listened attentively, and nodded slightly.
Shen Qingqing said, as if casually, "On the way back, I ran into Aisen. He said his sister was missing, and he didn't know if she ran away or was kidnapped..."
An Qi's back stiffened.
Shen Qingqing continued slowly, "He's even thinking of calling the police."
"Call the police?!"
An Qi suddenly turned around, realizing her reaction was too strong. She quickly said in a low voice, "When did she go missing? If it hasn't been too long, there's no need to call the police..."
Shen Qingqing's eyes were sharp. This An Qi was clearly acting suspiciously. "You are Ai Qi."
"I'm not!"
Her rebuttal was too quick, making her seem more guilty.
Shen Qingqing was now certain, "Whether you are or not, I can't keep you. I plan to inform Z, the owner of this ship, and also ask that Pei Ji to help you find your family. He's currently helping Aisen look for Ai Qi, and with his influence, finding someone shouldn't be difficult."
Cold sweat beaded on An Qi's forehead.
This beautiful older sister had been so easy to talk to earlier, how could she have become so aggressive now...
"I'll go find Aisen."
An Qi immediately became anxious, "No, no, don't go. I'll tell you, I am Ai Qi, I am Ai Qi!"
But after saying it, she realized Shen Qingqing was leaning in the man's arms, not moving at all, clearly just bluffing her with words.
"Since you are Ai Qi, you should return to your brother's side," Shen Qingqing had no intention of harboring trouble.
As soon as the words fell, the door was pushed open from the outside!
Shen Qingqing's gaze turned cold. She had locked the door when she came in.
Aisen burst in first, holding a set of keys – the spare keys to all the rooms on the ship.
The butler and Pei Ji followed behind him.
"Ai Qi!" Aisen's gaze swept around the room, quickly spotting his sister. He rushed over, pulling her into his embrace, and examined her closely, "Are you alright?"
From the moment Ai Qi saw her brother, her heart sank.
Caught sneaking out, she dared not speak now.
Aisen found no external injuries on his sister, but seeing her head bowed and silent, he assumed she had been wronged and turned to glare at Shen Qingqing.
"I knew it! You kidnapped my sister! What was your motive?!"
"I didn't kidnap her," Shen Qingqing said calmly.
"Liar!" Aisen didn't believe her at all. He even found a reason for her kidnapping Ai Qi, "It's to get revenge on me, right? I saw you protecting Zhao Qian before and thought you were quite loyal. But I didn't expect you to be such a despicable person!"
Shen Qingqing let out a scoff, "What evidence do you have to prove I kidnapped her?"
"Everyone is here, and you're still arguing?!"
"Then why couldn't she have gone with me willingly?"
Aisen snorted, his eyes sharp as he stared at her, "You should take out what's in your pocket first."
Shen Qingqing's eyes flickered.
In her pocket was the sachet she had retrieved for Ai Qi.
Ai Qi's eyes lit up upon seeing the sachet, but with her brother standing right there, she dared not reach for it, only watching with longing.
This scene only deepened Aisen's misunderstanding. He roared, "My sister never leaves this sachet behind, how could it be in your hands? Clearly, you snatched it!"
However, it was thanks to this sachet that he could track Shen Qingqing by the scent.
"You can smell that faint scent? Are you a dog?" Shen Qingqing said unhurriedly, twirling the sachet in her hand. "Oh, I forgot, you mentioned before that people who smell something frequently become very sensitive to it."
This statement was directed at Ai Qi.
Ai Qi's lips moved, but she said nothing, only nodding obediently.
This further fueled Aisen's misunderstanding. When had his sister ever been so well-behaved at home? She must have been abused and bullied by this wicked woman!
He roared, "Pei Ji, this time, you can't side with her!"
Pei Ji remained calm, "Don't rush. Let's clarify things first. Mrs. Fu, what exactly is going on?"
Shen Qingqing looked at Ai Qi, "You tell him."
For a moment, all eyes were on Ai Qi. She felt immense pressure, her back stiffening. Aisen noticed this and shielded her.
"Don't be afraid, speak freely. Your brother will back you up. Did she kidnap you?"
Ai Qi stammered, "I... no..."
She glanced timidly at Shen Qingqing.
Seeing this, Aisen became furious, clearly thinking she had been severely bullied and dared not speak. "Shen Qingqing, you've gone too far! You're a woman yourself, how could you bully a girl who's barely eighteen! You are truly despicable and shameless!"
Everyone else also looked at Shen Qingqing. The girl's reaction was indeed strange; she didn't seem like someone who would come here willingly.
As expected, she's trouble!
Shen Qingqing rubbed her temples, feeling a bit annoyed. "Less nonsense, let's check the surveillance footage."