Chapter 43

Chapter 43

The young master's bodyguard fired a shot into the sky, causing the already chaotic crowd to surge even more frantically toward the ferry below.

Children screamed in terror, adults cursed, and some people yelled to incite the crowd: "Everyone, go! The ship is about to leave!"

For every ten people descending the lower end of the gangway, a hundred more were desperately pushing onto the upper end.

An eight or nine-year-old child was nearly squeezed off the crowded gangway and into the sea but was caught by Yan Shiying, who pulled the child back up.

Some people, once on board, rushed straight to the bridge, ordering the pilot to depart immediately, completely disregarding the safety of other passengers still on the gangway.

At that moment, another gunshot rang out.

Seeing the ship still delayed, more people forced their way into the bridge. The scene became utterly chaotic, with some even resorting to threats.

Although some on the ship opposed setting sail, their objections were merely verbal. No one actually stepped forward to physically stop these ruthless characters.

The bridge crew had no choice but to get underway.

This ship, originally capable of carrying over two thousand tourists, was forced to depart with just over a thousand on board.

Those left behind could only watch helplessly. No matter how much they called out or pleaded, the ship showed no sign of returning.

Order was only restored when the Black-and-White Hats arrived, wielding Truths.

The Mustache Man shouted, "Anyone who makes another sound gets shot first! This is international waters. One or two deaths are as common as frogs jumping into water!"

At this, everyone fell silent, no longer daring to push onto the gangway for fear of being shoved into the sea. A large empty space appeared on the middle section of the gangway.

Yan Shiqi stood on the gangway and called out, "The Yan family's cruise ship will arrive shortly! Everyone, please remain calm!"

"How many people can your family's cruise ship even hold? Rich people should just leave quietly on their own. No one would say anything. At least don't flaunt it here!" a man in a suit and tie retorted mercilessly.

Yan Shiqi didn't even grant him a glance.

The man tried to speak again but suddenly stopped.

Because Yan Shiying stood behind Yan Shiqi, staring coldly at him, making the man feel a pang of fear.

Then, a speck of white appeared on the horizon, gradually coming into view.

It was a luxurious five-deck cruise ship, at least twice the size of the ferry that had just left.

Uncle Zhao stood on the deck, waving to them: "Mr. Yan!"

Behind him stood a dozen or so men who clearly looked like trained professionals.

"That ship seems to bear the Yan Group Port's insignia."

"It's the Yan family's cruise ship..."

"It's the major entrepreneur from our Southern Province."

"I'm also from Southern Province..."

Instantly, the voices of doubt vanished.

The man in the suit tried to board first.

Yan Shiying pushed the man aside and addressed the crowd: "International protocol: elderly and children board first! Men go last!"

The man's face flushed red, but he dared not utter a word.

People began queuing to board.

Uncle Zhao continuously reassured everyone: "Don't worry, everyone will get on board!"

His kindly face did indeed put many at ease.

After Yan Shiqi and the others left, Uncle Zhao had been calculating their estimated return date. He had the Yan family cruise ship sail to nearby waters a day early and waited there. Still uneasy, he came personally.

Finally, the remaining thousand-plus tourists all boarded the cruise ship.

Yan Shiqi remained standing on the gangway. The gunfire had long ceased, but Xie Yunshen and Yi Wuyi had not appeared.

Yan Shiqi looked at him: "You're the one who sold guns to the conglomerate's youngest son."

The Mustache Man felt a wave of fear under the immense pressure in Yan Shiqi's gaze.

"Mr. Yan, our Black-and-White Hats do engage in such business, but firearm rentals aren't under my management. You've wronged me."

"If anything happens to them, I will stop at nothing to retaliate," Yan Shiqi stated as a matter of fact.

The Mustache Man was taken aback: "Huh? Something happen? To whom? When I arrived, I heard Young Master Cui screaming madly, 'Xie—Yun—Shen!'"

He mimicked Young Master Cui's tone in a shrill voice.

"If he was shouting like that, it's definitely not your two friends who are in trouble... It's more likely Young Master Cui who got into trouble."

Before Yan Shiqi could respond, he saw two figures land on the deck one after another, and his tense expression finally relaxed.

Xie Yunshen and Yi Wuyi had directly vaulted over the railing of the larger ship, jumping down onto the cruise ship's deck below.

Xie Yunshen looked at the Mustache Man: "What are you doing here?"

The Mustache Man turned and saw the two of them completely unharmed, calm and composed, still holding Truths in their hands. He adopted a tone both sincere and ingratiating: "I was worried about you two. Seeing you're both fine, I'll take my leave now. Mr. Yan, come play again next time."

As the Mustache Man left, the cruise ship's gangway slowly retracted.

The Yan family's cruise ship, carrying over two thousand tourists, set course for Port A City in Country A.

"Throw them away," Yan Shiqi glanced at the guns in their hands.

They couldn't possibly take these things back with them.

This was Xie Yunshen's first time holding such a thing since transmigrating into the book, and he felt a bit reluctant to part with it.

The two threw the guns into the rolling waves.

Yan Shiying asked: "How many did you kill?"

Yi Wuyi replied: "None. Wounded three. Two ran away; we didn't chase."

Xie Yunshen laughed: "That Rooster Cui must treat his subordinates terribly. We only wounded a few, and they all abandoned their master and ran. Not like our Mr. Yan, who is respected... Wait, no, how can I even compare that guy to Mr. Yan?" He realized his mistake belatedly.

"Rooster?" Yan Shiying was momentarily puzzled, then remembered the young master screeching Xie Yunshen's name—it really did sound like a rooster crowing.

Yan Shiqi asked: "You didn't touch him, did you?"

After all, he is the son of a foreign chaebol; killing him would bring no benefit.

At that moment, Xie Yunshen and Yi Wuyi exchanged a glance, both struggling to contain their grins, though the corners of their mouths were already twitching uncontrollably.

Yan Shiqi paused, confused. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing, Mr. Yan. Don't worry, we didn't lay a finger on him," Xie Yunshen said earnestly.

Just then, a voice filled with intense emotion bellowed from far across the water: "Xie! Yun! Shen! I'm gonna kill you!"

The sound came from the deck of the cruise ship.

Everyone on the cruise ship was stunned, but the ship had already sailed far away, making it too far to make out the situation on the other side.

Yi Wuyi: "..."

Xie Yunshen: "..."

Yan Shiqi said, "Let it go."

Even if something happened, it was the other party's own doing.

The son of some two-bit chaebol from a podunk country was nothing for the Yan family to be concerned about.

Two minutes earlier, Mustache and his group had boarded the cruise ship. On the deck, he exclaimed in surprise, "Oh my god, Young Master Cui, what happened to you...?"

The heir's face was beet red and purple with rage, his whole body trembling. He was still leaning on his cane, but his hospital pants had been yanked down around his ankles, leaving only a pair of red-striped boxers.

However, due to injuries to his leg and waist, he was too injured to bend over and pull his pants up himself. He couldn't walk away either, and his subordinates had all fled. So there he stood, on the vast deck, in broad daylight, putting his red boxers on display for the whole world to see.

"Quick, stop gawking and help Young Master Cui put his pants back on!" Mustache ordered his two subordinates.

The two subordinates bit back their laughter as they each grabbed a pant leg and helped the heir put his pants back on.

Young Master Cui gritted his teeth, veins popping on his forehead. His voice was sharp as a blade, tears streaming down his face as he let out a hysterical roar: "Xie! Yun! Shen!!! I'm going to... kill! You!"

The very clouds seemed to shake, almost piercing through to the other side of the ocean.

At night, the cruise ship sailed on the sea. Guards from the security detail stood guard outside Yan Shiqi's door, while Xie Yunshen and Yi Wuyi each returned to their own rooms.

Yi Wuyi looked serious. "Xie, tell me the truth."

"About what?"

"The real Xie Yunshen wouldn't know his way around a gun."

Earlier on the cruise ship, Xie Yunshen's shot was way too precise, and his grip on the gun felt as natural as holding chopsticks.

Even Yi Wuyi himself, after years of professional training, wouldn't dare say he was that good with a firearm.

"The real Xie Yunshen..." Xie Yunshen pondered the phrase for a moment before saying, "But I *am* Xie Yunshen."

That was his real name, after all.

Yi Wuyi said, "...Drop it." Anyway, you're truly loyal to the Yan family.

The cruise ship sailed for a day and two nights, arriving at the port of City A on the afternoon of the second day.

At this point, a handful of passengers on the ship began to complain. Since these tourists came from all over the country, they believed the Yan family had a responsibility to drop them off at their home ports, not just stop at City A.

By then, Yan Shiqi had already boarded the Yan family car and was on his way home.

Xie Yunshen thought these people really had some nerve.

Yan Shiying sat beside him, listening to the assistant's report, and sneered, "Idiots. If they're not satisfied, tell them to go file a police report!"

Yan Shiqi, used to this kind of thing, replied with a gaze so calm it bordered on indifference, "There are freighters at the Yan family port that travel nationwide. If they're willing, the port staff can arrange for them to return by ship, but they'll have to take whatever schedule is available."

"Understood."

Yan Shiying said, "I'll bet anything they'll whine again, asking why they can't be sent back on a luxury cruise ship."

Yan Shiqi replied, "If throwing money at it fixes things, it's not worth the headache. Don't waste energy on a few insignificant people."

By evening, they finally arrived at the Yan family manor.

Regarding Mr. Yan's vacation this time, it officially wrapped up after twelve days.

Yan Shiying, back for the first time in years, returned to the threshold of the Yan house.

Uncle Zhao smiled and said, "Second Young Master, your room is still in the left-side annex. If you're tired, you can go rest now."

Yan Shiying replied, "I'll first go to the ancestral hall to offer incense to Father."

Uncle Zhao nodded. "Of course."

Sitting at the Yan family dining table, the seat at the head was no longer occupied by the old patriarch who always gave him the cold shoulder, but by his elder brother Yan Shiqi, who was fair to everyone.

Yan Shizhou came bounding down the stairs, his eyes scanning the surroundings. He didn't see Yi Wuyi, and Xie Yunshen wasn't there either.

Without even looking, Yan Shiqi knew what he was thinking. "I told Old Five to go rest."

Yan Shizhou let out an "oh" and sat down expressionlessly.

Noticing his own second elder brother sitting at the dining table, he was momentarily taken aback. "Mr. Successful, back from checking in abroad?"

Yan Shiying retorted without backing down, "Gay guy, still looking for your Fifth Brother?"

"The gay gene can be hereditary; maybe you have it too."

Yan Shiying laughed. "Don't worry, you're the only one with a genetic mutation. Big Brother and I definitely don't have it!"

Yan Shizhou feigned surprise. "Hey, when you make statements like that, don't drag Big Brother into it. Big Brother still needs to carry on the family line."

Yan Shiqi closed his eyes. "..."

Maybe I shouldn't have come for this meal in the first place.

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Author's Note: Thank you, everyone. Comments have surpassed a thousand. I'll add an extra chapter tonight or tomorrow. [Heart]

Next goal: 4,000 collections or over 500 paragraph comments to trigger another bonus chapter. Love you all. [Heart]