Lu Yaoyang had a general idea when he saw Xia Qingyu's hesitant expression.
So, when Xia Qingyu proposed to join them, Lu Yaoyang didn't hesitate to say, "The travel party was decided by your sister."
"You sent the invitation, didn't you?" Xia Qingyu knew this wouldn't be easy. "Mr. Lu, an invitation isn't too much to ask, is it? I can stay in a spare staff room and not take up guest resources. I can also work on the ship to earn some money!"
"The ship doesn't lack staff. If you're looking for part-time work, you can contact Bai Yuqi." Lu Yaoyang showed no signs of relenting.
"Young Master Bai said he was afraid my sister would hold him accountable... he didn't dare..." This was Xia Qingyu's greatest frustration.
Normally, she would have praised her sister's capabilities, but this completely cut off her path. Xia Qingyu felt both proud and stifled.
"Then you should stay here and behave yourself. The Wen family will protect you," Lu Yaoyang stated matter-of-factly. "If you want to return to Z City, I can arrange for someone to send you back."
On this matter, he was in complete agreement with Xia Qingtian. In this regard, he was as principled as Qingtian.
"I don't..." Xia Qingyu frowned slightly. "Can't you... talk to my sister about it?"
"I'm afraid not. There's probably no room for negotiation with your sister. You..." Lu Yaoyang was interrupted by Xia Qingyu's soft voice before he could finish.
"Brother-in-law..." Xia Qingyu looked up at Lu Yaoyang, clenching her fists at her sides. Seeing Lu Yaoyang's expression soften, she called out with a touch of reluctance, "Brother-in-law, please help me..."
Hearing Xia Qingyu call him brother-in-law, Lu Yaoyang felt his lips involuntarily curve upwards.
This feeling of being acknowledged by Qingtian's family was truly wonderful!
"This matter..." Lu Yaoyang coughed lightly and said, "I will discuss it with your sister again."
"Okay," Seeing a turn of events, Xia Qingyu's eyes lit up, and she continued, "Brother-in-law, I'll be waiting for your good news!"
With that, she immediately left, giving Lu Yaoyang no chance to refuse.
"Brother-in-law..." Lu Yaoyang repeated the word and then chuckled out loud again.
Xia Qingtian first watched Xia Qingyu's retreating figure, and then upon entering, saw Lu Yaoyang's cheerful demeanor. She asked curiously, "What's making you so happy? Share it with me, so I can be happy too."
"It's nothing," Lu Yaoyang coughed lightly, his smile fading. He then looked at Xia Qingtian and said, "It's like this, I don't think it's particularly safe to leave Qingyu here. It's best to keep her by your side, where we can keep an eye on her, so Xiang Xueyuan doesn't have any wicked ideas."
"Hmm?" Hearing Lu Yaoyang's words, Xia Qingtian raised an eyebrow slightly. "When we discussed this before, didn't you support leaving Qingyu with the Wen family? You even said the Wen family's security system was very robust and trustworthy."
"It's just that I can't help but feel lingering fear after Qingyu was kidnapped near the Wen family's residence last time," Lu Yaoyang said. "If, at a critical moment, Xiang Xueyuan really uses Qingyu to threaten you, you'll be in a difficult position. I just want to do my best to prevent such a thing from happening."
Xia Qingtian tilted her head, crossed her arms, and walked step by step towards Lu Yaoyang. "Tell me, how did Qingyu bribe you? Hmm?"
"No, how could she bribe me?" Lu Yaoyang gave a dry laugh. "Invitations are hard to come by these days. I might not even accept money from others if they offered it to me. Qingyu's little private savings..."
"Confess honestly!" Xia Qingtian interrupted Lu Yaoyang, her expression stern. "Don't play coy."
"It's really nothing, it's just..." Lu Yaoyang chuckled and then said, "She called me brother-in-law..."
"..." Xia Qingtian's mouth twitched. "That's it?"
"Aside from that time I played Go with your dad, this is the first time I've received formal recognition from your family!" Lu Yaoyang didn't consider it a trivial matter. "Besides, this is the first thing your sister has asked her brother-in-law to do for her, so I should try my best."
"You really..." Xia Qingtian shook her head helplessly. "That little clever girl Qingyu knew she couldn't get anywhere with me, so she came to you. You're something else, falling for it!"
"What can I do, she called me brother-in-law..." Lu Yaoyang's smile became even brighter. He pointed to himself with his index finger and said, "That means your sister's husband, right?"
"Are you silly?" Seeing Lu Yaoyang like this, Xia Qingtian felt both annoyed and amused. "But speaking of which, keeping Qingyu under my watch might actually be better."
Although she didn't expect Sif to be caught and severely punished when she asked Qingyu to identify her, Xia Qingtian still felt uneasy that Sif was released so easily.
"Indeed," Lu Yaoyang finally subdued his smile and nodded. "With Qingyu's intelligence, she might be able to help you then. And she's always had good luck, which is important for risky ventures. Besides, Qingyu..."
"Tch." Xia Qingtian scoffed. "It's different when she calls you brother-in-law. You're even praising her so lavishly!"
"Heh heh, after all, she's family, right?" Lu Yaoyang grinned again. "She called me brother-in-law..."
Xia Qingtian rolled her eyes helplessly. Why hadn't she noticed this childish and silly side of him before?
"Forget it, I'll give you, brother-in-law, some face," Xia Qingtian rolled her eyes at Lu Yaoyang. "Go tell her to pack a few clothes. We'll leave together tomorrow."
"Alright," Lu Yaoyang put his arm around Xia Qingtian's waist and kissed her cheek. "When we get back, I'll prepare the grandest proposal. I hope Miss Xia will grace me with your presence, taking time out of your busy schedule to attend."
"We'll see how you perform," Xia Qingtian said, raising her chin and meeting Lu Yaoyang's passionate gaze. A mischievous smile played on her lips. "You know I'm very busy~ And even if I attend, I might not agree!"
"If you don't agree once, I'll ask again. If you don't agree twice, I'll ask a third time," Lu Yaoyang said, looking at Xia Qingtian. "As long as you still love me, I'll wait until you agree."
"I'm so touched..." Xia Qingtian blinked and said, "Actually, I was just teasing. You don't need to go through all that trouble. If you say 'Marry me' right now, I might agree immediately."
"Don't spoil me; you deserve the best," Lu Yaoyang lightly kissed Xia Qingtian's lips and said earnestly, "As long as we come back alive, I'll give you everything I can."
"Mhm."