Nie Qingkong watched Xia Qingtian and Xia Qingyu walk past her, then suddenly realized Xifu was still in the room. She immediately closed the door behind her, making a rather loud sound.
Inside the room, Xifu, due to Nie Qingkong's obstruction and the timely closing of the door, did not see the Xia sisters. She merely frowned and mumbled with clear dissatisfaction, "What's so great about that woman? Why can't I even mention her name?"
She certainly didn't consider herself inferior to Xia Qingyu.
Perhaps she had a slight disadvantage in blood relation with Xiang Xueyuan, but she had accompanied Xiang Xueyuan for a long time.
There was an old saying in Country Z: "A foster mother is greater than heaven, a birth mother is less than the edge."
It should be the same for children, shouldn't it?
Xifu felt that even if her biological parents came back to life and appeared before her, she would still prioritize Xiang Xueyuan emotionally.
After all, it was Xiang Xueyuan who brought her and Nie Qingkong out of that dreadful place.
From Nie Qingkong's perspective, it was even more so. She had protected him with all her might in the orphanage and stayed by his side for so many years.
Xifu never believed she would lose to this newcomer, Xia Qingyu.
Just watch, after this trip, she would definitely find a way to deal with Xia Qingyu, she wouldn't let this woman snatch everything from her again.
When she was in the orphanage, she had sworn that no one would ever take anything from her again!
Meanwhile, the Xia sisters, passing by outside the door, were both startled by the sudden sound of the door closing. They both looked towards the disguised Nie Qingkong.
"Sorry," Nie Qingkong lowered his voice slightly. "Did I startle you?"
"It's fine," Xia Qingtian turned back, waved her hand, and said with a light smile, "Wishing you a pleasant time for the rest of your stay."
"Thank you," Nie Qingkong said with a faint smile, "And I wish you a happy time as well."
The Xia sisters smiled at him before continuing their way.
Nie Qingkong followed them at a comfortable distance, his gaze occasionally sweeping over the scenery and sometimes landing on Xia Qingyu.
It was evident that Xia Qingyu was well-protected by Xia Qingtian.
By Xia Qingtian's side, Xia Qingyu could reveal such a bright smile, completely unguarded.
This was probably the confidence that family provided.
Unfortunately, he didn't have that.
Just to stay alive and not disappoint Xiang Xueyuan, he already had to give his all.
Xia Qingyu was the first to notice Nie Qingkong consistently following the two sisters. She tilted her head to glance at the disguised Nie Qingkong, who was looking at the scenery, then winked at Xia Qingtian, giving her a meaningful look.
Xia Qingtian followed Xia Qingyu's gaze and met Nie Qingkong's returning stare. "Is there something you need?"
"Excuse me, cough." Nie Qingkong coughed dryly and touched his nose with a hint of awkwardness. "I'm actually a bit hungry, and I don't know how to get to the restaurant. I thought you were going to the restaurant too, so..."
"We are indeed going to the restaurant," Xia Qingtian nodded. "Then let's go together."
"Thank you," Nie Qingkong chuckled briefly, then glanced at Xia Qingyu from the corner of his eye. Seeing that Xia Qingyu had once again focused all her attention on Xia Qingtian, Nie Qingkong felt a subtle shift in his mood.
Since they were going to the restaurant together, Xia Qingtian casually started a conversation with Nie Qingkong, "I haven't asked for your name yet?"
"My surname is... my surname is Song," Nie Qingkong used the alias of the eldest son of the Song family, who controlled the East Asia Bay ferry. "My name is Song Jiang."
"Wow... so you're one of the heroes from Liangshan," Xia Qingtian said, clasping her hands together. "My name is Lu Zhishen, and this is my sister, Cuiyangliu."
"Sis!" Xia Qingyu, hearing Xia Qingtian's serious nonsense, felt both annoyed and amused. "You're always messing around."
"Haha, am I?" Xia Qingtian chuckled.
"Hehe, you sisters are so humorous," Nie Qingkong was amused by Xia Qingtian's words. "My 'Jiang' is from 'ten thousand years of life,' not from 'great rivers and vast seas.'"
It was more relaxing when he was with the Xia sisters. Nie Qingkong's smile at this moment was also unusually genuine and unguarded.
"Is that so," Xia Qingtian chuckled and said, "Are you also here to look for treasure?"
"Just for the excitement," Nie Qingkong replied. "My father is more interested, so he brought me and my sister along to broaden our horizons."
"Sixty million is just to broaden your horizons," Xia Qingtian blinked her eyes and said, "Your family is wealthy and has boundless prosperity. That's very good, very good."
"Uh..." Nie Qingkong's smile became somewhat awkward, as if remembering something.
"What's wrong?" Xia Qingtian asked. "Did I say something presumptuous?"
"No, it's just..." Nie Qingkong didn't know if this could be considered a peculiar coincidence. "My father's name is Song Jia, and my sister's name is Song Ye."
"Then your family's naming is very harmonious. Indeed, you have boundless prosperity. That's very good, very good," Xia Qingtian clasped her hands and said with a smile, "Wishing you prosperity, wishing you prosperity."
"I'll take your good wishes," Nie Qingkong also clasped his hands and replied with a smile, then cast his gaze back to Xia Qingyu.
Meeting Nie Qingkong's gaze, Xia Qingyu's eyes flickered slightly. Why did this person's gaze always feel so familiar?
And his voice, it sounded like she had heard it before...
Chatting and laughing, the three arrived at the restaurant.
Upon entering the restaurant, Xia Qingtian saw Er Ya enthusiastically eating. She then bid farewell to Nie Qingkong and led Xia Qingyu directly towards Er Ya and the others.
"Qingtian! Come quickly! This is delicious!" Er Ya waved her arms and said, "Here, here!"
"Eat a little less. The ship is about to set sail. If you eat too much and feel sick, I won't be responsible," Xia Qingtian said helplessly.
"Oh, you're annoying. I'm not that delicate!" Er Ya rolled her eyes at Xia Qingtian dismissively. Soon, an hour later, she paid a heavy price.
"Ugh..." Er Ya was vomiting in the restroom as if she were in hell. Di San at the door frowned with a hint of disgust, crossing his arms and saying nothing.
He seemed accustomed to Er Ya's nonsensical behavior.
Er Ya hadn't expected the ship to feel this way when it started moving.
Actually, the physical sensation was quite okay. While it wasn't like walking on flat ground, there weren't any absurd jolts.
She had just finished eating and was taking a stroll on the deck, looking at the rolling waves. As she looked... she threw up.
While Er Ya was vomiting incessantly, Xia Qingtian had already taken Xia Qingyu to the control room.
Lu Yaoyang seemed to be discussing security issues with Bai Yuqi and Wen Jiu. Bai Yuqi compared the guest boarding records with the collected invitation letters and stated that everything was in order.
Wen Jiu had also toured the ship, memorized all the escape routes, and marked important locations on a map. Combining this with the surveillance camera angles, she instructed Bai Yuqi to pay attention to the patrol arrangements in a few specific areas.