After the old man left, Shen Qingqing stood by the window. The dark clouds in the sky had already covered the sun and moon, and the sea was dim and lusterless.
From afar, it looked very calm.
But she knew, this was likely the calm before the storm.
The cruise ship sped towards the small island. She could faintly hear people chatting on the deck outside.
"It doesn't look like anything's wrong."
"It's quite calm. If there were a storm, how could it be so quiet?"
"Maybe they miscalculated. Do we not have to go to the island then?"
"I think nothing's wrong. It must be Shen Qingqing trying to get attention, faking it to scare us."
Amidst the chatter, a warm chest pressed against her back, and a deep, magnetic voice, tinged with disdain, sounded.
"Don't mind them, a bunch of fools."
Shen Qingqing couldn't help but laugh, "If they heard you say that, they'd probably be furious."
"Who cares."
He didn't care about these people at all, coming and going, living and dying.
The only one who could stir his heart was in his arms.
He let out a low sigh.
The sigh was filled with contentment, making Shen Qingqing's face flush. She looked up, her eyes like a silken pool, "What are you thinking about?"
"Nothing."
He held the person in his arms tightly, unwilling to bare his heart.
Shen Qingqing didn't press him. Instead, she savored their quiet time together. However, the peaceful moment was soon broken by a rapid knocking at the door.
She opened the door to find the anxious butler standing there, feigning composure.
"It's bad, the storm has arrived."
"How could this happen?"
Shen Qingqing and Fu Jingshu immediately went to the dining room. Everyone was already gathered there, including Mr. Z. Seeing the panic and helplessness on everyone's faces, he, as the host, remained silent.
As soon as Shen Qingqing and Fu Jingshu appeared, someone immediately turned their fear into anger, as if that would relieve their emotions.
"It's all your fault, you insisted on going to the uninhabited island!"
"Yes, if we hadn't listened to you and continued on our original course, we might have avoided the storm by now!"
Everyone's accusatory eyes were fixed on Shen Qingqing, as if their curses and accusations could lessen their fear by a fraction.
Shen Qingqing looked at them indifferently, like watching clowns. When they finally stopped arguing and an awkward silence fell, she spoke softly.
"Didn't I give you a choice?"
Everyone was stunned into silence.
Carter argued stubbornly, "You did, but before that, you kept misleading us, saying how terrible the storm was, and that if we didn't choose the island, we'd die on the ship. Everyone wants to live, so they naturally chose according to your wishes."
"The ferocity of the storm doesn't need me to tell you," Shen Qingqing was extremely annoyed by this flea-like, persistent man. "Now, if you want to live, shut your mouth."
"You!"
King suddenly stepped forward, a smirk playing on his lips.
Carter immediately fell silent.
His back still ached faintly, from when this man had kneed him. He had looked in the mirror afterward.
There was a huge bruise!
He fell silent, and everyone else remembered this man's methods. Moreover, with death looming, no one was in the mood to argue anymore.
"So, what do we do now?"
Shen Qingqing remained silent.
Everyone looked at Mr. Z, who spread his hands helplessly, "I'm just a sickly person, what can I do? Perhaps you should ask Miss Shen."
Everyone felt awkward and exchanged glances, but no one was willing to step forward to lead them.
After all, they had no experience with this sort of thing.
"Girl, Carter wasn't targeting you, he's just genuinely scared. At a time like this, don't bicker with him. Quickly think of a solution."
Shen Qingqing looked over. It was the person who had reminded her of Pei Ji's identity at the dinner table that day.
She thought his surname was Sun?
"It's not that I don't want to help, but some people don't want me to speak," her gaze swept over everyone in the living room.
Wherever her eyes landed, people felt guilty.
Especially the few who had just been so vociferous, they dared not meet her gaze.
Old Sun and Old Wu exchanged a look and had to set aside their pride. "Girl, I know you are capable. It's not important whether we old guys get back safely, but you know there are people on this ship who absolutely cannot be harmed."
His words were pointed.
Shen Qingqing's gaze quickly found Pei Ji in the crowd. He smiled at her, "Mrs. Fu, it's alright if you're unwilling."
Shen Qingqing pouted.
It was fortunate he was smart and didn't put on airs as a prince, otherwise, she would have definitely rejected him.
Everyone else was also looking at her expectantly, their arrogance gone.
Shen Qingqing was not one to hold grudges. In this critical situation, she couldn't afford to be angry with them. Just as she was about to speak, disaster struck.
The ship lurched violently.
Everyone's vision went black, and they lost control of their bodies, swaying and falling in a heap. They didn't know where they hit, and they cried out in pain.
When their vision cleared, there was silence.
The storm had arrived.
Gusts of wind laced with colossal waves surged forward, like the end of the world descending, like a beast opening its giant maw, ready to devour them at any moment.
Before the immense waves, the massive cruise ship they were on seemed incredibly small.
Let alone their mere mortal bodies.
As the giant wave crashed down, the cruise ship jolted violently. People rolled into a heap again. Before they could even get up, they heard creaking, cracking sounds.
Seawater was flowing in through the cracks.
"Ah! Water, seawater is coming in!" A woman screamed.
This cry was like a switch, quickly igniting the fear and anxiety in the crowd. Everyone panicked, running around aimlessly, heedlessly.
People bumped into each other, pushed each other, and some even fell to the ground, only to be stepped on by an unknown person.
Shen Qingqing's cold voice rang out, "Calm down!"
Her voice was icy, with an irresistible authority. Everyone subconsciously froze for a moment, only to see the cold and solemn expression on her alluring face.
Beside her, Fu Jingshu, King, and the old man looked calm, at most with a frown.
Even Zhao Qian, who was usually shy and introverted, was quiet now. Although there was nervousness and fear on his face, he was not panicking.
Their composure infected the others, who gradually quieted down. A question simultaneously arose in everyone's hearts.
Weren't they afraid?
Shen Qingqing strode to the window and clearly saw that the sea had seemingly returned to calm, but she knew this was temporary.
"Butler, immediately increase the speed of the cruise ship and head to the island as quickly as possible."
"Yes."
The butler immediately complied.
"Everyone, go back and pack some supplies. If we can't avoid it, we'll have to jump." Shen Qingqing gritted her teeth.
With that, she turned and headed back to her room to pack.
Everyone else also scrambled back.
Shen Qingqing moved swiftly. Soon, she and Fu Jingshu, with backpacks on, walked towards the dining room. They bumped into King and the old man.
The four of them turned and headed towards the dining room without a word.
When they reached the dining room, they found only Old Wu, Old Sun, Pei Ji, and the Eyre siblings, and even Zhao Qian had rushed over with his backpack.
But the others were nowhere to be seen.