Chapter 36

Chapter 36

Xie Yunshen had only meant to sleep for three hours. When he opened his eyes, it was still light out. He saw Yi Wuyi standing in the room, but Yan Shiqi wasn't there.

The sunlight glinting off the ocean outside the window was a little harsh. "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 opened them again. "Was I out for a whole day?"

Yi Wuyi said, "I thought you were having too much fun to come back."

"..." Old Five was good in every way, except for his tendency to misuse idioms.

Yi Wuyi said, "I used it right."

*Xie Yunshen: ? Is he reading my mind?*

Wait—he suddenly sat up.

If he had slept for a whole day, that meant he had missed a key plot point.

Last night, Sand had already escaped and had probably met up with Lin Jin.

Xie Yunshen asked while pulling on his jacket, "Where's Mr. Yan?"

Just as he said it, Yan Shiqi happened to come out of the bathroom.

"Mr. Yan, wait for me a moment. We're going to Room A02 today." Xie Yunshen grabbed him, his voice softening slightly.

Without waiting for an answer, he rushed into the bathroom like a whirlwind.

Yi Wuyi thought, expressionless: This guy, now he even skips the proper procedures without a second thought, actually giving orders directly to Mr. Yan.

Most importantly, judging by Mr. Yan's expression, he seemed to tacitly accept Xie Yunshen's overstepping.

Five minutes later, Xie Yunshen came out looking refreshed.

Looking at the messy bedsheets he had made a mess of last night, it suddenly hit him. This seemed to be the first time since coming to this world that he had slept so soundly.

After all, he usually got up before dawn to exercise. Today, he had way overslept.

"No wonder it's Mr. Yan. Even the bed he uses is more comfortable than anyone else's."

Xie Yunshen was momentarily stunned. Damn, holy crap, how can someone's presence be so handsome?

Yi Wuyi's blunt, straight-guy remark shattered his admiring thoughts: "A Xie, you're learning to flatter people. All the beds on this floor are the same."

"I'm serious. The bed Mr. Yan slept on is especially..."

Wait! He abruptly stopped. The slightly messy bed before him kept looming in his vision, expanding! Expanding! Expanding further!

"Where did Mr. Yan sleep last night?" Xie Yunshen asked in a panic, pulling Yi Wuyi aside into a corner.

Yi Wuyi shook his head: "When I came in, Mr. Yan was already awake."

Xie Yunshen's heart hammered: No way.

He couldn't have used Mr. Yan as a body pillow last night, or maybe trapped Mr. Yan's hand between his legs, could he?

Unbeknownst to all, Xie Yunshen was in the prime of his youth and had a somewhat awkward sleeping habit.

Every morning, his "little brother" would inevitably undergo a qualitative and quantitative reaction—it would harden.

He followed a strict "hands-off" policy, often just taking a shower and waiting for this little brother to naturally subside.

Occasionally, if he slept too uncomfortably, he would just grab a nearby pillow and rub against it for relief.

He couldn't possibly have used Mr. Yan as a pillow, could he?

His gut told him this probably didn't happen. After all, people tend to hope for the best about uncertain embarrassing incidents, but he couldn't shake a feeling of unease.

It's like going out and returning only to realize your fly was open. At that point, you just zip it up. But after zipping it, you still wonder if anyone saw, tormenting yourself for another two hours.

Xie Yunshen wouldn't torment himself for two hours; after all, he was the type to speak his mind on the spot.

"Mr. Yan, you didn't sleep here last night, right?" Xie Yunshen pointed at the scene of the potential crime—that poor bed.

Yan Shiqi smiled: "I slept in the guest room."

The tension in Xie Yunshen's heart immediately eased: "That's good then."

"..."

Yi Wuyi sometimes really wanted to roll his eyes: Open your eyes! Where is there a guest room in this suite?!

Because Xie Yunshen was eager to go watch the drama (ahem) and strive for the Yan family's prosperity, the group didn't even eat breakfast before heading to the new room.

Building A and Building B were actually only separated by a small skybridge.

Since Room A01 was already occupied, he wondered if the original plot would change.

He hadn't heard any strange noises last night either.

"I heard Room A02 has always been haunted, so no one has dared to stay there. Why did you book that room?" Yi Wuyi said.

Xie Yunshen's voice trembled: "Wh...what?"

Yi Wuyi was puzzled: "You didn't know?"

Xie Yunshen closed his eyes: "Of course I know. I just thought, since we just won 6.5 billion at the Arena, if we switched to another room, we'd be easily watched. But switching to a haunted room—most people wouldn't think of that, right?"

Yi Wuyi said in surprise: "So you're capable of deep thought after all."

"..." How could he have known it was a room with a history?

"Previously, a banker won over a billion overnight at the Arena, but that same night, he took sleeping pills and committed suicide in that room."

Xie Yunshen found this utterly absurd.

"Who would specifically come on a cruise ship, win over a billion, and then take sleeping pills to kill themselves..."

"That's just a convenient story they made up. Everyone knows it was the Black and White Hats killing to seize the money, but no one dared to intervene," Yi Wuyi said.

"Black and White Hats?"

"It's a local mafia organization on the cruise ship."

This cruise ship only sails in international waters and never docks. Guests can only reach it via travel company shuttles.

Guests come from all over the world, and no single country's laws apply here.

Wealthy individuals typically hire two of the ship's burly sailors for protection; otherwise, they easily become targets, especially those who win money at the Arena. Over time, these sailors have formed a gray force known as the Black and White Hats.

Xie Yunshen frowned. "What about the ship's owner? Wouldn't he stop this?"

The novel actually had hidden factions he didn't know about? It felt like triggering game easter eggs.

Yi Wuyi replied, "If it brings in money, why would he stop it? As long as this giant ship exists, there will always be a steady stream of guests."

At that moment, Yan Shiqi suddenly stopped walking, and Xie Yunshen and Yi Wuyi halted as well.

Yan Shiqi spoke up, "The mastermind behind this cruise ship is actually the leader of an independent armed faction from Country H."

Xie Yunshen immediately understood—no wonder no one dared to intervene.

"So, do we need to pay protection money?"

"The 6.5 billion has already been taxed. I suspect this so-called tax is just protection money. Moreover, I haven't touched that card yet, which means it's stored in the ship's safe by default. I believe that demonstrates my utmost sincerity to the Black and White Hats."

Xie Yunshen hadn't realized there were so many intricacies involved, and his fanboy admiration for Mr. Yan intensified.

*Now that's a man who radiates security!*

"Does this mean we're safe?" Yi Wuyi asked.

Yan Shiqi looked down from the skybridge at the men below—each one tanned, muscular, and wearing a black and white hat. Occasionally, they glanced up with cold stares.

Yan Shiqi's gaze was deep. "Hard to say. They might be having internal disputes over the money right now. It depends on whether they can reach a consensus."

Xie Yunshen and Yi Wuyi exchanged a glance, their hearts sinking. They had never seen Mr. Yan look so grave.

"As long as they don't carry guns, Old Wu and I can definitely... uh..."

Before he could finish, a sea breeze lifted the shirt of one of the Black and White Hats, revealing the dark handle of a gun... the rest of Xie Yunshen's sentence died in his throat.

Yan Shiqi gripped his shoulder and looked at him. "Better pray they only want money."

Xie Yunshen was stunned, frozen, and didn't even hear what was said.

Yi Wuyi patted his shoulder. "Snap out of it."

When Xie Yunshen came to his senses, Mr. Yan was already walking ahead.

"Don't you think Mr. Yan really seems like some high-level boss?" he said to Yi Wuyi.

His mind had gone blank for a second during that close eye contact with Mr. Yan.

Maybe it was a weird comparison, but Mr. Yan's gaze always carried a calm, ruthless, and penetrating aura that was hard to look straight at.

Yet, when you did meet it up close, it was just too, too... too awesome.

Yi Wuyi was also stunned for a moment by his words but didn't refute him. "Let's go."

Xie Yunshen walked across the transparent skybridge, watching the menacing figures below.

If it really came to that, he'd have no choice but to bring out his old friend.

At the door of Room A02.

Staring at the red wooden door and the dim corridor lighting, even the air here felt colder than elsewhere, sending chills down one's spine.

Xie Yunshen stood before the door, looking up at the crimson room number.

Yi Wuyi said, "What's wrong? Use the key card."

Xie Yunshen quietly let out a breath and pulled out the key card.

(Note: The next few paragraphs contain slightly eerie atmosphere descriptions. If you're easily scared or reading alone late at night, feel free to skip two pages or jump to the next chapter!)

"Beep—Welcome to Kaya-si-si-si-hee-hee-hee..."

The electronic lock's mechanical female voice glitched, sounding like human laughter. Xie Yunshen suddenly slapped the lock with his palm.

Silence.

"Seems a bit shoddy. Should we change rooms?" Xie Yunshen looked at Yi Wuyi.

Yi Wuyi looked at Yan Shiqi.

But Mr. Yan said, "No need."

He entered the room first, with Yi Wuyi following beside him.

Xie Yunshen deliberately lagged half a step behind, trailing after them.

The furnishings and decor were high-end and bright, and the bed was tidy. Yet, perhaps due to psychological reasons, Xie Yunshen felt an eerie vibe everywhere.

Yi Wuyi walked to the bay window, drew back the curtains, and revealed the vast ocean.

The entire room was now brightly lit.

But when Xie Yunshen glanced at the wall, he shuddered.

Though partially blocked by a floor-standing cabinet, Xie Yunshen's eyesight was too good; he still caught sight of several blood-red scratches on the wall behind it...

*Are the ship's staff a bit lazy? Couldn't they even paint over it?*

"You stay here. I'll check the living room and walk-in closet," Yi Wuyi gestured to Xie Yunshen.

It was routine to inspect a new environment thoroughly.

Xie Yunshen grabbed Old Wu by the arm and said solemnly, "Old Wu, I'll check the living room. You stay here!"

Yi Wuyi asked, "A-Xie, are you a bit scared?"

"You're overthinking it," Xie Yunshen retorted immediately.

He was just feeling a bit spooked.

Yi Wuyi thought for a moment. "Stay here for now. I'll go have someone replace the lock for safety."

Xie Yunshen held his breath silently, feeling a sinisterly cold draft on his back.

One could imagine how the Black and White Hats crew had threatened and beaten that wealthy businessman, forcing him to hand over his money, only to brutally murder him afterward.

Given that this was a murder scene, everything seemed relatively normal for now.

Xie Yunshen told himself.

Crash! The landscape painting on the wall suddenly fell, shattering the frame's glass all over the floor.

Yan Shiqi, hearing the noise from inside the room, came out and saw the broken glass on the floor.

"It must've been the rough waves that made it fall so suddenly."

Admittedly, it was a bit creepy—usually, paintings in ship cabins are securely fastened.

Xie Yunshen remained silent, quietly grabbing Yan Shiqi's arm and pulling him firmly in front of him.

He was practically using Yan Shiqi as a good-luck charm to ward off evil.

Mr. Yan really was a guy who gave off an overwhelming sense of security.

"Mr. Yan, didn't you mention last time that there was a two-minute hug we hadn't completed yet?"