Chapter 88

Chapter 88

"088"

For a moment, the only sound in the room was the sea breeze rustling the sheer curtains.

Xiao Liqin froze for a moment, then took a step forward after two or three seconds. The cruise ship moved slowly onward; without the railing, the sea in view was a vast, dark, and eerily calm expanse.

Xiao Liqin's throat bobbed rapidly. A few seconds later, he suddenly remembered there was someone else in the room.

He turned around. Xiao Lancui stood silently in the living room, his pitch-black eyes fixed on him, unreadable.

Xiao Liqin's heart slammed against his ribs. "I didn't mean to—"

Xiao Lancui pulled out his phone. Xiao Liqin's head exploded with a bang, and a single thought surged into his mind—

Xiao Lancui would definitely spout nonsense. This was an accident. He couldn't let Xiao Lancui say a word!

Dead men can't talk. There was only one way.

Xiao Liqin's mind was still spinning, but his legs were already moving. He yanked at his collar, shouting, "Quick, call for help..."

He closed the distance to Xiao Lancui in a few strides. Just as his hand reached for the phone, a series of loud cracks rang out—so sudden that both of them whipped their heads toward the door.

At almost the same instant, the locked door slammed inward.

Before Xiao Liqin could even see who it was, his hand—nearly touching Xiao Lancui—was grabbed with brutal force. A dull crack rang out, and Xiao Liqin screamed in agony as his right wrist snapped!

Painful tears burst from his eyes. Squinting through the tears, Xiao Liqin finally made out the newcomer.

A man—a young man even taller than Xiao Liqin.

Lu Ao clamped down on Xiao Liqin's already limp right wrist, his dark eyes icy. He drove his foot into Xiao Liqin's knee, then let go. Xiao Liqin flew back a meter, slammed into the coffee table, and crumpled to the floor with a muffled groan before going still.

Lu Ao strode over, grabbing Xiao Lancui's hands and turning them over urgently to check for injuries. "Did he hurt you?"

Xiao Lancui hadn't expected Lu Ao to get there so fast either. He lowered his eyes, his dark pupils calmly taking in the anxious face in front of him.

Two or three seconds—or maybe three or four—passed before he pulled his hand back. "I'm fine."

Without sparing Lu Ao another glance, he made a call.

"There's a situation in 608."

Soon, the captain, first officer, duty staff, ship doctor, and even Han Xinyi had all shown up at 608.

Xiao Liqin was still out cold; the ship doctor was examining him in a hurry.

Han Xinyi's face was ashen. She'd hosted the banquet, and now someone had gone overboard—someone as big a deal as Xiao Jingli. If he was really dead, she'd be in a world of trouble too.

"Don't worry too much; the pros are already out there looking for him..." Han Xinyi offered Xiao Lancui a hollow reassurance.

"Mom, what's going on?" Lu Siye walked in, asked, glanced at Xiao Lancui and Lu Ao, then his gaze dropped to Xiao Liqin still sprawled on the floor.

After the ship doctor worked on him, Xiao Liqin's eyelids fluttered. He opened his eyes, and the doctor said, "Easy now, nothing serious. Just breathe slowly..."

Xiao Liqin was awake. Han Xinyi let out a tense sigh of relief and murmured to Lu Siye, "The Xiao father and son got into a fight, and the chairman went overboard."

Lu Siye spun around and immediately asked Xiao Lancui, "You okay?"

His voice was sharp and loud. Han Xinyi's brow furrowed. She turned, and when she saw the worried, anxious look on Lu Siye's face, it hit her like a sledgehammer.

Her son... was in love with Xiao Lancui too!

Xiao Lancui didn't react, but Lu Ao stepped in front of him, cutting off Lu Siye's line of sight. Lu Ao was a couple inches taller than Lu Siye, and he stared down at him with eyes cold enough to freeze blood.

Lu Siye felt like prey under a predator's gaze. Goosebumps broke out across his back, and he instinctively took two steps back.

It was a split-second, instinctive reaction. When Lu Siye realized he'd actually flinched from Lu Ao, his face burned red and dark with humiliation. He gritted his teeth, about to save face, when the captain's phone rang.

"What? Okay, got it..."

The captain gripped his phone and turned to Han Xinyi. "We found Chairman Xiao. When they hauled him up... he was already dead."

*

The cruise ship turned around and headed back in a hurry.

The police were called. As they neared the port, the shore came into view, lined with a dense wall of flashing police lights.

News of Xiao Jingli's death hit the internet almost immediately.

Before the ship even docked, the internet was already buzzing with rumors.

"Xiao Jingli got into a fight with his eldest son Xiao Liqin, and Xiao Liqin shoved him into the sea!"

"The fight was vicious! Xiao Liqin's got a broken arm and a broken leg."

"I did some digging on the down low—this is insane! Word is it was over a guy—jealousy..."

Xiao Liqin was locked in a room. When the ship docked and he was led out by bodyguards, the boarding deck was crammed with gawkers.

In the early morning, the sea wind stung faces, but the vibe was electric as crowds held up phones to snap pics and film.

The police took Xiao Liqin into custody and had to keep shouting, "Back up, folks—make a path."

As he neared the gangplank, Xiao Liqin suddenly looked back. Through the sea of faces, he still spotted Xiao Lancui at the very back of the crowd.

He remembered what he'd dimly seen right before he blacked out—Xiao Lancui had said something to him.

His lips had formed—

"I'm not like you. I don't just stand there and watch."

Then Xiao Lancui had made that call.

Xiao Liqin's entire body jolted. That night—the night Xiao Jingli had shoved Xiao Lancui into the sea—he'd seen it all.

In that moment, he'd thought it'd be better if Xiao Lancui died. A living Xiao Lancui was a threat. If he was really gone, he could never hurt Xiao Anfeng again.

Two seconds of weighing the pros and cons, and he'd chosen to look the other way, heading back to the banquet like nothing had happened.

So Xiao Lancui had known!

Xiao Lancui knew he'd been there that night! Everything—all of it—was Xiao Lancui's doing. He wanted revenge on Xiao Jingli, and on him too!

Xiao Liqin's eyes were bloodshot. He wanted to scream curses, but all that came out were three helpless words: "Xiao Lancui!"

His voice was swallowed by the crowd's noise as he was shoved into the police car.

The guests were getting off one by one. There were too many people, so it would take a while for everyone to disembark. Just then, Xiao Lancui's phone rang. It was Xie Jingfang.

The noise of the crowd was loud, and he said to Lu Ao, "I've gotta take this call."

Lu Ao noticed how pale he looked. Xiao Lancui was naturally fair-skinned, but this kind of cold, pale look meant the wind had gotten to him. He nodded, and as Xiao Lancui headed toward the stern, he made his way to the first-floor dining area.

Xiao Lancui found quiet halfway there and answered the call.

"Are you alright, child?" Xie Jingfang's voice was thick with tears.

"I'm fine."

Xie Jingfang finally relaxed, then it hit her, "What happened? I've been getting calls—your big brother... is Xiao Jingli really dead?"

Xiao Lancui stared out at the calm, pitch-black sea. "Yes."

"Because of... him?" Her voice was already trembling with tears.

"Yes."

Xiao Lancui's tone was flat, and this time he volunteered, "I'm the only witness. I'll tell them everything I saw, exactly as it happened. You should find him a good lawyer."

Xie Jingfang's breathing got heavier, and so did her sobbing. Xiao Lancui paused for a beat, then finally said, "Take care of yourself."

Xie Jingfang couldn't hold it in anymore. She broke down crying. After a long moment, she said hoarsely, "Don't worry about me. I can hold it together. Come back early—no, don't come back. Find a hotel onshore and get some rest. I'll pick you up in the morning."

Xiao Lancui agreed and hung up. The line to get off the boat had thinned out, and he turned back. As he neared the boarding gate, Lu Siye suddenly popped up.

The corridor was narrow, and Lu Siye blocked the way. Xiao Lancui stopped.

Lu Siye looked at Xiao Lancui, his Adam's apple bobbing twice, and asked again, "Are you okay?"

His weird behavior, over and over, made Xiao Lancui suspect something was up. He frowned. "No." He didn't want to hear any more of Lu Siye's crap. "Move."

"Do you really hate me that much?" Lu Siye couldn't hold back anymore. "I admit, at first I got close to you with some ulterior motives, but that didn't actually hurt you, did it? In fact, because of me, nobody dared to look down on you or mess with you."

Xiao Lancui's brow furrowed even deeper—this was him at his absolute limit. "Piss off."

Lu Siye took a deep breath, swallowed his temper, and held out his hand. In the light, he could see the long cylindrical box—it was the Dali harvest painting.

"But I still owe you an apology. No matter how good things turned out, it doesn't erase the fact that my intentions back then weren't good. Bottom line, using you was wrong. You like this painting, so I'm using it to say sorry."

Xiao Lancui's throat was already bothering him, and his face got even worse. "No need. We're not in a place where an apology is needed—we're just ordinary college classmates."

It was rare for him to say that much to Lu Siye, but not one word was what Lu Siye wanted to hear. His temper flared, and he switched hands to point at the sea. "I'll ask you one more time—do you want this painting or not?"

Xiao Lancui didn't even blink. "No."

Lu Siye raised his hand and chucked it. The tube arced through the air and splashed silently into the sea. Lu Siye turned and stormed off, furious.

Xiao Lancui couldn't have cared less and started to leave. Almost at the same moment, a scalding thermos was shoved into his arms.

A whiff of the same shampoo he used brushed past his nose. A familiar figure flashed past Xiao Lancui's eyes, and before he could react—

"Thud!"

A huge splash of seawater sprayed right past his eyelashes.

Xiao Lancui went stiff.

His mind went completely blank. This had happened once before.

It was a deep winter night. He couldn't sleep well, tossing and turning, but nothing worked. After several failed attempts, he got up.

The room was so stuffy he could barely breathe. He flipped through a few pages of a book, then finally wheeled himself to the door to let some air in.

The door opened. The snow in the courtyard was pure white, lighting up the whole world in a blinding brightness—and also lighting up the dark figure lying in the snow, stark and sharp.

Xiao Lancui could even smell the scent of blood.

His fingertips were trembling. It took him several tries to get out of the room. The wheelchair screeched to a stop in front of Lu Ao. He bent down urgently, and Lu Ao suddenly stirred, lifting his head just a little. His wary dark eyes, once they recognized him, finally relaxed, then he crashed back into the snow.

In that moment, Xiao Lancui's mind went blanker than the snow. He shouted, "Xiao'ao!"

This time, Xiao Lancui lunged to the railing. Before him was pitch darkness. His throat was dry and raw; he tried to speak, but nothing came out.

Lu Ao couldn't swim!

He mustered all his strength, digging his nails into his palm until the skin broke, fine beads of blood seeping out. The sharp pain snapped him back to clarity. He was about to go find help when he suddenly heard—

"A Lan!"

He looked down. In the dark water, a flash of color broke the surface. Lu Ao's face was dripping wet, and he was grinning up at him, his left hand rising from the surface, clutching the painting tube.

Lu Ao spat out a few mouthfuls of seawater and yelled to Xiao Lancui, "Did you drink the ginger soup? I'm not coming back up—I'll swim over. Wait for me onshore."

Xiao Lancui watched Lu Ao swim toward the harbor, and the heart that had been stuck in his throat slowly settled back down.

Only then did he look down and unscrew the thermos he was holding. As the lid opened, the hot, steamy smell of old ginger hit his nose.

Xiao Lancui lowered his head and took a tiny sip.

When he got onshore, the police were waiting to take his statement. He explained the situation to them, then went to find Lu Ao first.

He headed down to the beach and soon spotted the tall, soaked figure on the silver-white sand.

He jogged over, and Lu Ao ran toward him too. They met right in the middle of the beach.

Under the harbor lights, Lu Ao's face was pale and bluish from the saltwater. When he saw Xiao Lancui, his expression got even worse. "You look even paler. Did you not drink the ginger soup yet?"

His hand was about to touch Xiao Lancui's face when, the next second, Xiao Lancui raised his hand and slapped him across the face.

No holding back. Hard.

Xiao Lancui stared at Lu Ao, teeth gritted. "You idiot!"