"Zhao Qian."
Shen Qingqing suddenly spoke, interrupting him. Zhao Qian stopped and looked at her. He saw her red lips part and utter a rather cold sentence.
"I don't like gossiping about others."
Especially those she had only met once and hadn't understood yet.
Whether it was positive or negative, any evaluation would be unfair to that person. She preferred to understand them first before forming an opinion in her heart.
Zhao Qian's face turned pale. "I wasn't deliberately slandering, I was just afraid you'd be taken advantage of. I..."
"I understand." Shen Qingqing didn't want to listen any further and was eager to eat breakfast. "Zhao Qian, thank you for your kindness. I'll head back to my room now."
"Miss Shen..."
Zhao Qian's voice was shut out by the closing door. He looked at the door, then sighed and returned to his own room.
When Shen Qingqing returned to her room, she saw Fu Jingshu sitting on the sofa, looking at her.
Just as she was about to speak, there was a knock on the door.
This time, it was the butler. He wore a gentle smile. "Mr. Fu, Miss Shen, Mr. Z encountered some issues on the way and is delayed. He asked you to proceed to the cruise ship first, and he will follow shortly."
"If the cruise ship sets sail, he won't be able to board when he arrives."
The butler smiled. "Please don't worry, it won't set sail."
Shen Qingqing and Fu Jingshu exchanged a glance. They went back into the room to grab their phones and backpacks and followed the butler downstairs.
As they went downstairs, they saw that quite a few people were already waiting.
Soon after, more people came down from upstairs. Some grumbled in dissatisfaction, others expressed confusion, and some anxiously asked when Mr. Z would arrive.
The butler answered them all uniformly, "Sir will arrive shortly."
Shen Qingqing had always been puzzled as to why these people were here. But she figured it must be profitable. After all, they were all of noble status, and a mere three-day sea trip wouldn't hold that much appeal.
Soon, the numbers were sufficient, and everyone followed the butler outside.
They arrived at the coast and saw a huge, luxurious cruise ship docked by the shore. Several tables were set up on the deck, laden with exquisite pastries and red wine.
Beautiful women in bikinis also mingled among them.
Some of the men's eyes lit up upon seeing this. Without a word, they headed up. Ethan was the first. After getting on board, he seemed to remember something and turned back to Pei Ji.
He even shot Shen Qingqing a look of indignation.
Shen Qingqing ignored him completely and boarded the cruise ship with Fu Jingshu and the others, subtly surveying the surroundings.
Some men had already gone to enjoy the wine and company.
Of course, the beauties were just for looking. After all, everyone was from prominent families, and no one would do anything overtly to them in public.
But the combination of beautiful women and fine wine was enjoyable and comfortable.
Seeing that Mr. Z was absent, their dissatisfaction and irritation lessened somewhat.
The butler waited until the last person boarded the ship before he too came aboard. He began to assign rooms to everyone. The cruise ship was large enough to accommodate them all, with even spare rooms.
No one noticed that as everyone was claiming their rooms, the cruise ship quietly set sail.
Shen Qingqing and Fu Jingshu were in the same room again. The first thing they did upon entering was to check the room. Finding no listening or surveillance devices, they sat down on the bed.
"What is this Z playing at?"
Shen Qingqing looked up to see the old man standing at the doorway, his face grim.
"Perhaps he wants to be mysterious."
Shen Qingqing said casually, but then looked at the old man with some confusion. "Are you in a bad mood?"
The old man grumbled, "Of course I am! He hurriedly called me onto the cruise ship, and I haven't even packed my bottles and jars!"
"You've been here for just one night, what have you researched?"
"A secret!"
"You didn't take it with you?" Shen Qingqing's expression suddenly changed as she thought of something. The things the old man researched were not to be trifled with. What if someone took them...
The old man quickly replied, "I took it with me. Only some containers were left behind."
Shen Qingqing finally relaxed. "Then what are you angry about? They're just some containers. I'll find you more later."
The old man remained silent.
Shen Qingqing, however, understood his thoughts. "Don't rush. Since that person wants us here, he will surely show himself."
The old man pouted and mumbled, "If it weren't for the special medicine, who would care to come here."
"Yes, yes, yes. If it weren't for me, he'd be begging you, and you still wouldn't come," Shen Qingqing cooed. Seeing this, the old man's expression softened considerably.
In truth, the old man was just anxious. He intended to settle accounts, but his adversary wouldn't reveal themselves. And he wasn't a patient person.
Although he didn't say it, he couldn't help but feel anxious.
Shen Qingqing comforted him for a while and was about to escort him back to his room when she suddenly noticed something was wrong. She turned to look out the window.
"The cruise ship is moving."
Fu Jingshu said gravely, "The butler lied."
He had said the ship wouldn't sail without Z, but Z clearly hadn't arrived yet. If he had, there would surely be an uproar, and it wouldn't be so quiet outside.
The old man's expression also changed.
The two of them exchanged a glance and simultaneously walked towards the door. The old man quickly followed. For some reason, his hands were trembling slightly.
It seemed to be a mix of excitement and anger.
But he had a premonition that even if he couldn't see Z now, he would soon.
Quite a few people had already gathered on the deck, all wondering why the cruise ship had suddenly set sail, and why it was already some distance from the shore.
The butler was being questioned by the crowd, but he remained calm and collected, maintaining a good-natured demeanor.
"Everyone, please don't be anxious. The cruise ship has set sail, and there is naturally a reason for it. But please believe me, Mr. Z has already arrived."
The crowd was stunned and exchanged bewildered glances.
"Arrived? Then why haven't we seen him?"
"Yes, where is he?"
Shen Qingqing's gaze swept through the crowd, trying to identify any unfamiliar faces, but these people were all familiar from the resort.
"Did you find anything?" she asked Fu Jingshu in a low voice.
He shook his head, his eyes sharply scanning. "Perhaps he hasn't come out yet."
Footsteps sounded from behind. Shen Qingqing pulled Fu Jingshu aside. They were standing at the entrance. Turning around, they saw the childlike Prince Pei Ji.
He gave a slight nod to Shen Qingqing and Fu Jingshu, a form of greeting.
Beside him, Ethan glared at her. "You just wait. I won't let this go. Now that you're on the cruise ship, there's no one to call out to, no one to ask for help!"
With his family's influence, on this cruise ship, he could do whatever he wanted to her!
Shen Qingqing's eyes narrowed abruptly. "Are you sure it's you who'll be dealing with me?"
Ethan tilted his head up, his face full of arrogance. "That's right. I've got you marked. Later, when the cruise ship reaches the middle of the ocean, I'll throw you overboard to feed the sharks!"
"..."
Shen Qingqing didn't even want to look at him. "Firstly, not to mention whether a ship this size can attract sharks, but even if it did, how can you be sure that the person being thrown overboard will be me, and not you?"
Ethan froze. He suddenly remembered his friend whose wrist had been dislocated.
In terms of martial prowess, he didn't seem to be an opponent!