Chapter 79: The Master sets sail.

For this operation, Chi Yu would maintain constant communication with the police inside connection, with He Guan providing full-time cover.

Chi Yu had also explicitly informed him: in case of emergencies, he should escape first without worrying about her.

He Guan: "What could possibly make me run?"

As they both stepped out of the car, bidding their driver farewell in the night's sea breeze, Chi Yu replied nonchalantly, "A shootout?"

He Guan: "..."

Chi Yu explained, "It doesn't look good. The ship is registered as a regular cargo vessel... but now..."

He Guan glanced at the massive ship near the shore, resembling a behemoth of the sea with its subtle undulations. After a brief pause, he inquired, "...How much can it carry?"

Chi Yu replied, "A conservative estimate would be 100,000 tons."

He Guan: "..."

Chi Yu patted him gently, "Come on, lead me inside. Once you do, your primary task for today is complete."

He Guan responded, "What about the rest? I can't make everything up on the fly, can I?"

Chi Yu chuckled, "Oh, with your acting skills, of course, the rest is up to you!"

Playfully, He Guan and Chi Yu began ascending the ship's gangway together.

As they approached the entrance, they indeed encountered personnel checking stickers. As each group arrived, an equivalent number of staff members would come forward to inspect them.

He Guan observed two welcoming attendants, wearing white gloves, swipe their hands over them, then immediately taste the swab.

After the inspection, the attendants motioned for them to proceed.

As He Guan moved forward, he glanced back and saw the attendants who had inspected them head in a different direction. Their steps were steady, revealing nothing. Soon, they swiftly entered a cabin door and disappeared from view.

The behavioral effects LSD imparts on individuals render them in an almost dreamlike state, highly sensitive to external stimuli.

It hasn’t been long since the ingestion, so being alert is expected…

Of course, He Guan wouldn’t be foolish enough to alert Chi Yu to any mischief. She must have noticed.

Together, they made their way to today's main banquet hall.

The banquet hadn’t started yet. The hall was relatively empty, with most guests on the deck. Nevertheless, He Guan recognized some familiar faces.

There were entertainment industry moguls he’d been meaning to contact but hadn’t, as well as some recent rising stars from Huaiyin. He wondered how Lou Jun had managed to invite them.

But what surprised him the most were Lou Yingjie and... his wife.

Wei Xiangyue.

He Guan led Chi Yu forward, whispering something to her. Their voices were so low that no one else could hear.

He Guan: "How much time do we have?"

Chi Yu: "Thirty minutes. I didn't expect them to use human testers. If our corresponding waiters don’t exhibit the drug's effects within thirty minutes, they’ll likely throw us off the ship."

He Guan: "Is it possible to set sail earlier?"

Chi Yu: "That’s what I had in mind."

He Guan: "?"

As Chi Yu's words faded, He Guan saw, through the window, two personnel, clearly from the ship, making their way through the assembled crowd on the deck, using binoculars to gaze into the distance.

He Guan: "What are they looking at?"

Chi Yu: "Coast Guard. There's a patrol boat about to dock. If something's amiss, they might set sail early to avoid them. In any case, we can't risk leaving at the onset."

He Guan: "You plan to leave during the latter part of the reception?"

Chi Yu: "Hmm... I'll play it by ear, if I can slip out, I will."

Their conversation concluded, they continued walking until they approached Lou Yingjie and Wei Xiangyue, who were engrossed in a conversation with a young couple.

Upon seeing He Guan, Lou Yingjie's face noticeably shifted. Pausing his current conversation, he called out, "He Guan."

Demonstrating keen social acumen, the young couple quickly excused themselves after exchanging pleasantries.

He Guan shifted his gaze and obediently greeted, "Father."

Spotting Wei Xiangyue, he called out, "Mother."

Lou Yingjie huffed, dismissively waving away the younger duo. He scolded, "What took you so long to approach me after entering the banquet hall? I spotted you immediately! All this time, you've been chattering with this young lady beside you. Where have you left your brother?!"

After a brief silence, He Guan uncharacteristically retorted, "Where's Lou Dong?"

Lou Yingjie: "..."

He Guan: "You can pair up, and I can't? I wanted Lou Dong to accompany me, but where is he?"

Lou Yingjie, clearly frustrated yet affectionate, responded, "Oh, you..."

His expression, tinged with exasperation, hinted he was privy to some information he couldn't share.

Taking a deep breath, He Guan gracefully introduced, "This is Miss Chi, her given name is simply 'Yu'. I had no one to accompany me today, and after much persuasion, she kindly agreed to join me."

Wei Xiangyue offered a knowing smile.

Chi Yu averted her gaze from Wei Xiangyue and turned to He Guan.

Nodding, Lou Yingjie appeared convinced. He reassured, "It's not that I disapprove, but with your brother's recent disappearance, this might not be the best timing. In the future, perhaps..."

Sporting an affronted expression, He Guan was promptly pinched on the arm by Chi Yu.

Madame Wei's smile deepened.

Lou Yingjie left his sentence unfinished, choosing instead to ask, "Rong, the lawyer, mentioned you visited the ancestral hall today. What were you doing there?"

He Guan: "Father, don't you know what's on my mind?"

Lou Yingjie: "He Guan, I don't mean to criticize, but there are certain matters where you really..."

As He Guan watched Lou Yingjie's thoughts drift further, he bluntly said, "I did mistakenly wander in there, but the reason I stayed wasn't nefarious. I simply wanted to create a memorial spot for Lou Dong, to find a proper resting place for him."

Silence ensued.

He Guan prodded further into Lou Yingjie’s emotions, "It's been nearly a month, and he hasn't been found. I need to be prepared for all eventualities."

Lou Yingjie abruptly closed his eyes.

The atmosphere grew tense for a few moments before Wei Xiangyue intervened to lighten the mood, saying cheerfully, "Let's drop it. We are here for Jun Jun's banquet after all. Let's enjoy ourselves."

Chi Yu added, "He Guan, I'd like something sweet."

He Guan nodded submissively, "Alright, I’ll accompany you. Mother, Father, please excuse us."

Chi Yu bid them farewell, "Goodbye, Uncle and Auntie."

The two of them made their way to the nearly deserted dessert section.

Chi Yu casually picked a mint leaf from among the cupcakes and chewed on it, inquiring, "You seem to have made some discovery?"

He Guan, "Yes, but I haven’t pieced it all together. I can share what I know so far, though."

Chi Yu picked up a slice of lemon cheesecake and asked, "Such as?"

He Guan replied, "A con artist."

Chi Yu, "A woman?"

He Guan, "Yes."

Wei Xiangyue was... the original’s mentor, the one who introduced him to the world of scams.

He recognized her the moment he saw her today!

Having grown up in an orphanage, the original had a complex, self-conscious nature. In his teenage years, after being ousted from the orphanage, he encountered this woman.

She had been both a savior and a curse for him. She provided a path, albeit a deceitful one.

Growing up abroad, under her tutelage, the original was cunning in theft but struggled to win people over – hence his unpopularity in the entertainment realm.

He grew up feral, treated as mere ornamentation in Wei Xiangyue’s world, never truly understanding the essence of love.

The rift between the original and his mentor formed when he decided to venture into entertainment, just a few weeks before He Guan's transmigration.

Seeing that she couldn't change his mind, Wei Xiangyue kept her peace.

After all, she hadn't taught him much. As he matured, she treated him like an abandoned stray she once fed at her doorstep. When he showed no promise of great achievement, she let him go, gifting him a parting gesture and then severing ties.

His entry into the Lou family had been greatly facilitated by her efforts.

However, in the original narrative, this held no interest for him. After reneging on his promise, he grew close to Lou Jun and their narrative no longer held any encounters between the original and his mentor.

Now, with his intricate ties to the Lou family, He Guan surprisingly encountered her again.

What He Guan could discern from his memories was that Wei Xiangyue was far more adept than the original, a mediocre thief with a "rob the rich to help the poor" mentality.

When she taught the original the art of deception, especially in disguise, she appeared before him on several occasions, and he couldn’t even recognize her, never associating her presence.

Throughout, the original never even knew her real name, only hearing others refer to her as Ah Liu.

At first, He Guan never ventured to think along these lines, but seeing her in person today was an absolute shock.

He always believed that after his transmigration, his activities would be unrelated to her, thinking their paths would never cross.

Yet, here she was.

How could she possibly be the matriarch of the Lou family?

Rationally thinking, the original spent months by her side during his youth. How could she have possibly had the time to marry Lou Yingjie and lead a blissful life in the same timeframe?

He Guan remembered the original story mentioning...

At the protagonist's wedding banquet, Lou Yingjie was still single...

Chi Yu streamlined his thoughts and speculated, "If it was just one person, it indeed seems implausible..."

Unwilling to tip his hand about the original's deceitful past, He Guan inquired, "What are you thinking?"

True to her detective nature, Chi Yu's thinking was sharp. She proposed, "What if there were two of them?"

He Guan: "Do you mean... like I'm suspecting?"

Chi Yu: "Yes."

Twins.

If it involved two people, twins to be precise, then things started to make sense.

However, no matter how hard He Guan searched, his findings were vague and based on rumors.

Assuming this hypothesis is correct, which one of the two is she?

Chi Yu's speculations meant even she wasn't certain about its validity.

Perhaps the other twin never entered the registration system, or maybe their assumption was entirely off the mark.

He Guan: "Regardless, it doesn’t seem pertinent right now. The banquet appears to be starting."

Following his gaze, Chi Yu looked towards the center of the hall.

Both of them took notice.

Only a fraction of the people on the deck made their way into this banquet hall, a small fraction to be precise. The majority entered another room.

The protagonist of the banquet entered the room, took a brief glance around, and then stepped back.

He Guan's gaze briefly met with the person standing under the light, and he quickly looked away.

The host stood in the center of the venue and announced with a smile, “Good evening, everyone. We will experience a slight turbulence shortly, but please be assured, it’s just our ship preparing to depart.”