"Wow, this room is really nice," Miao Tong said, tossing his bag aside and rushing to the window to look at the scenery. "The weather has cleared up too. Look at that big cloud. You probably can't see them like this if you're not at sea."
Miao Tong pointed and then turned back, only to see Nie Qingkong looking at him with a strange expression.
"Wh-what's wrong?" Miao Tong blinked blankly, remembering that this classmate had punched him. He silently took a step back and asked, "Classmate, what's your name?"
"Nie Qingkong," Nie Qingkong replied, then asked casually, "What's your relationship with Xia Qingyu?"
"I'm Qingyu's little uncle," Miao Tong replied.
"Qingyu's little *su*?" Repeating the words, Nie Qingkong felt a surge of aggression.
No, more than just aggression.
Miao Tong's shameless demeanor made him want to kill.
"You can call me that if you want," Miao Tong said, remembering Shi Xingwu's excitement, and flashed a [friendly] smile. "I don't mind."
"You don't mind?" Nie Qingkong frowned, giving Miao Tong an even stranger look. "Are you… off?"
"Huh?" Miao Tong blinked.
Alright, he truly didn't understand.
What was all this about?
So, Miao Tong simply gave up thinking and making small talk, choosing a bed near the door.
It would be convenient for him to go out and find someone at night.
After all, finding Tang Jiaming was the priority.
Everything else could wait.
Nie Qingkong didn't know what Miao Tong was thinking. He sat on the bed by the window, glancing at Miao Tong from the corner of his eye, silently calculating the probability of making this scoundrel disappear into the sea without a trace.
Xia Qingyu really had no taste in men.
"Ah-choo!" Xia Qingyu sneezed suddenly and touched her nose.
"Catch a cold?" Xia Qingtian, who was packing her things, asked Xia Qingyu. "The wind is strong at sea. Put on a shawl later, don't get chilled."
"Mm," Xia Qingyu smiled faintly upon hearing Xia Qingtian's concern. "Sister, what do you think of Nie Qingkong?"
"Nie Qingkong?" Xia Qingtian recalled. "He looks like a quiet, handsome boy who studies well. Why? Do you like him?"
"Not at all," Xia Qingyu quickly waved her hands.
Who would be unlucky enough to fall for a person like that, who was so outwardly innocent yet inwardly dark!
Xia Qingyu wasn't foolish enough to fall for someone like that.
"Then why did you suddenly ask about him?" Xia Qingtian asked, confused. "I'm very open-minded. Whoever you like is your freedom. As long as they treat you well, I'll support it."
"What are you talking about?" Xia Qingyu gave Xia Qingtian a side-eye. "Nie Qingkong is a transfer student. I don't know much about him, and we don't interact much. I just felt… I felt his gaze at Miao Tong was strange."
"Miao Tong?" Hearing that Miao Tong was involved, Xia Qingtian's thoughts became complicated.
"Yes," Xia Qingyu didn't want to tell Xia Qingtian that Nie Qingkong had beaten Miao Tong. She just vaguely said that she felt something was off between them. "It would be even better if they could sleep separately. There are plenty of rooms on this ship. It shouldn't be a problem to request another empty room, right?"
After all, Nie Qingkong's look before closing the door had made Xia Qingyu feel uneasy.
"A strange gaze… sleep separately…" Xia Qingtian caught the key information, and her mind suddenly opened up. Her thoughts began to wander, becoming bolder. "Are you saying Nie Qingkong is… not straight?"
"Not worth it?" Xia Qingyu thought about Xia Qingtian's words, then recalled his previous provocative behavior and his frank admission of violence against Miao Tong. Xia Qingyu nodded solemnly. "He's not worth it!"
More than not worth it, Nie Qingkong was simply unworthy!
"!" Xia Qingtian's eyes widened, then she nodded thoughtfully, giving an [ok] gesture. "I get it."
At mealtime, Xia Qingtian and the others gathered in the dining room again.
Although they had seen the dining room during the tour, sitting down again and experiencing the 360-degree ocean view, sitting on comfortable leather chairs, and looking at the gleaming silver cutlery, Shi Xingwu couldn't help but form an [o] with his mouth.
"After the meal, you can go to the deck for sea fishing and enjoy the sunset. When it gets completely dark, you can go to the entertainment room and the KTV," Bai Yuqi said with a smile, propping his chin with one hand. "Because you are all underage, the bar, casino, and ballroom downstairs are closed. If there's anything you'd like to do, you can tell me."
"Wow! That sounds so fun!" Shi Xingwu exclaimed, "What about fireworks!"
"That's a bit of a challenge for me," Bai Yuqi seemed surprised that the first request stumped him. "We do have fireworks, but it's a no-flame zone here. If the coast guard finds out, it will be troublesome to deal with."
"Okay," Shi Xingwu felt a little disappointed but didn't dwell on it, as there were plenty of other fun things to do.
The dishes were quickly served by the waiters, with exquisite dishes placed in sparkling tableware.
Xia Qingtian and Bai Yuqi had their meals paired with suitable wines, while the others had fruit juices and beverages.
Xia Qingtian clinked glasses with Bai Yuqi, thanking him again for the thoughtful arrangements.
Bai Yuqi smiled and said he was serving his patron and it was his duty, then asked if Xia Qingtian found the food palatable.
Xia Qingtian nodded. After only a few bites, she vaguely felt that something was not quite right.
Lowering her head, Xia Qingtian looked around the table and found that every dish was her favorite.
And the taste was surprisingly familiar.
"What's wrong? Not to your taste? That shouldn't be..." Bai Yuqi murmured curiously as Xia Qingtian looked at the food without eating.
Xia Qingtian looked at Bai Yuqi, her beautiful eyes turned, and she smiled, "I like it very much, but this taste is so familiar. I must have tried this chef's skills before."
"Your tongue is quite sensitive. This chef... tsk tsk tsk..." Bai Yuqi shook his head and clicked his tongue. "You can't hire him even with money. If it weren't for someone's favor, I fear I wouldn't be able to taste his cooking even once in my life."
He then glanced meaningfully at Xia Qingtian.
At this point, Xia Qingtian could no longer guess who the chef was; she was just being foolish.
As for Bai Yuqi's later teasing, Xia Qingtian just pursed her lips and smiled, not responding.
Xia Qingyu was the first to notice that Bai Yuqi's words had hidden meanings. She immediately turned to look at Xia Qingtian, caught the smile on Xia Qingtian's lips, and her internal alarm bells rang loudly.
Who was this new chef?
Li Xiaozhong also heard the implication in Bai Yuqi's words. He followed Bai Yuqi's gaze to Xia Qingtian and understood.
However, he was not interested in these matters, so he averted his gaze and ignored them.
Miao Tong's mind was filled with what Bai Yuqi had said earlier.
The bar, casino, and ballroom downstairs were closed because there were minors, or was it a cover to keep people away by claiming they were closed because someone was hiding inside?
Nie Qingkong glanced at Xia Qingyu from the corner of his eye. Seeing that she hadn't taken her eyes off Miao Tong the entire time, the knot in his heart loosened considerably.
Of the entire table, only Shi Xingwu was wolfing down his food.
He didn't understand anything else, but the food on the table was indeed delicious. Hearing Bai Yuqi's words, it must be some amazing chef.
Eat up!
Eating any less would be a loss for him!