Chapter 14 Rainstorm

Although separated from Jia Wenjun, the others on the boat were like her, waiting for rescue that might never come.

No fire could be lit in the cabin, and those who had retreated there stood in the shadows, staring blankly at each other. Jia Wenjun sat alone at the bow, with Da Huang beside her, and the small, unextinguished flame.

"Who could it be?" Jia Wenjun tightened her jacket, racking her brains.

She replayed the entire process before the accident in her mind, trying to reconstruct every detail. Everyone on the boat was a suspect, and every face now seemed less simple than before. Amidst these perplexing events, she felt increasingly trapped in a series of interconnected schemes.

Perhaps she had been drawn into a game the moment she boarded the boat.

Given her naturally antagonistic relationship with Zhao Di, coupled with that few-second video, Jia Wenjun felt that even if she made it ashore, clearing her name would be harder than climbing to the sky.

She didn't know what she had done wrong, or who she had offended, that someone would go to such lengths to frame her.

A booming thunderclap illuminated the surroundings with lightning, revealing the jagged reefs around the boat, resembling the ferocious faces of wild beasts.

The lightning flashed more and more frequently, tightening the hearts of everyone. Dark clouds were rapidly consuming the moon. The wind picked up, and large raindrops quickly extinguished the campfire. The storm was coming from the north.

"Quick, get inside the cabin!" Old Man Wang ordered, and everyone ran towards the cabin.

Jia Wenjun picked up a half-burnt stick with a still-glowing ember, intending to move closer to the ship's corridor for some light and to at least shelter from the rain. Otherwise, if she kept standing at the bow, she would either be swept away by a wave or get soaked. Now that the ship had limited medical supplies, they probably wouldn't use them on her.

Before Jia Wenjun could step into the cabin corridor, Hu Sixiang blocked her way. "You're not allowed near here!"

"I'm not going into the cabin, I'm just standing in the corridor to get out of the rain," Jia Wenjun said, ignoring Hu Sixiang and addressing Anna behind him instead.

"Did you do something wrong and are afraid of being struck by lightning? You have the nerve to kill someone, but you're afraid of this?" Lili sneered.

"I didn't kill anyone!" Jia Wenjun said coldly again.

"You didn't kill anyone? Then the woman in the video who looks exactly like you is a ghost?! We can't be with a murderer. Don't even think about coming in to get out of the rain!" Hao Jie, holding her child, also stood with Hu Sixiang, blocking Jia Wenjun.

The couple, who had been constantly arguing, were now completely united against her.

Thunder rumbled, and even Da Huang was so frightened that it tucked its tail between its legs and trembled behind Jia Wenjun.

Seeing the increasingly intense lightning, Bai Ma Shan said to Anna, "Why don't we just let her stand in the corridor to get out of the rain? We'll all be in the cabin, she can't get in."

Anna was disgusted by Jia Wenjun, but she was also afraid something might happen to her on her boat. She hesitated, but Sun Jiaojiao exclaimed, "Old Bai, you're confused! This woman can poison food, she must have other ways to harm us. We can't let her get close. Even if the boat is Anna's, everyone's safety is involved, so the minority must submit to the majority."

Anna didn't want to be the bad guy, and hearing Sun Jiaojiao say that, she immediately chimed in, "Then let's have a vote."

"I don't agree to let her come over," Lili was the first to say.

Hu Sixiang and his wife, Sun Jiaojiao, and Teacher Lin all expressed their opinions.

"What's wrong with you men, say something!" Sun Jiaojiao shouted at Lu Maowang next to her.

Lu Maowang hesitated for a few seconds, then finally said, "I... I think Brother Bai is right. Everyone can see what's happening outside. We can't force her to her death, right?"

Old Man Wang also said, "Everyone is on the same boat now, let's unite and get through this natural disaster."

"Who wants to unite with a murderer? Besides, who will be responsible if someone else dies tonight?" Lili said rudely.

Of course, Old Man Wang couldn't be responsible. No one on the boat could take responsibility. Everyone who wanted to speak up for Jia Wenjun could only close their mouths in embarrassment.

"Get out of here, or I'll be rude to you!" Hu Sixiang completely lost his pre-boarding affability and gentlemanly demeanor, raising his fist and shouting at Jia Wenjun.

Raindrops beat against the hood of Jia Wenjun's jacket, and the splashing water droplets hit her face.

She didn't want to leave, but in the current situation, if she insisted on staying, Hu Sixiang might attack her and no one would help her. Given the disparity in strength between men and women, she couldn't possibly beat Hu Sixiang. In the end, she would not only suffer physically, but still be driven back to the bow.

Weighing the lesser of two evils, Jia Wenjun looked at the people blocking the way and saw Da Huang clinging tightly to her. She said to everyone, "I can leave, but can the dog stay here to get out of the rain?"

Sun Jiaojiao was the first to object. "No way! This dog is yours, who knows if it will suddenly go crazy and bite someone!"

"That's right, take the dog away quickly, or I'll beat the dog too!" Hu Sixiang said, and was about to kick the dog.

Jia Wenjun was quick-witted and pulled the dog back, dodging Hu Sixiang's kick.

Jia Wenjun pulled on the dog leash, and to prevent the dog from being beaten again, she had to drag the dog out. The dog whined, unwilling to leave this drafty, leaky rain shelter, and whimpered plaintively at everyone.

A woman and a dog were forced into the rain. Outside, lightning flashed and thunder rumbled, and the small flame in Jia Wenjun's hand went out.

"Enough, let her stay here! I'll take responsibility if anything happens!" Bai Ma Shan suddenly roared.

Everyone was startled by Bai Ma Shan's rage. Old Man Wang also felt that driving Jia Wenjun out like this was tantamount to killing her. Although she was a murderer, they had gotten along well before. He couldn't bear it, so he stood on Bai Ma Shan's side.

Lili was about to curse when Teacher Lin exclaimed, "Sun Jiaojiao locked the door!"

Seeing that the rain was getting heavier, she was just about to go inside when she realized that after hearing Bai Ma Shan say he was going to let Jia Wenjun stay, she immediately went into Gong Dalong's room No. 7 and locked the door.

"Sun Jiaojiao, open the door for me!" Lili ignored Jia Wenjun and pounded on the door.

Gong Dalong inside the room was startled. "Jiaojiao, what's going on?"

"Shut up!" Sun Jiaojiao hid behind the door, looking at half of the fresh water and half of the food in the room, and said coldly, "If you want to let her stay, then don't come in. I won't stay with a murderer."

This was just her excuse. Fresh water and food were limited, and even without this incident with Jia Wenjun, she had already planned to occupy a room for herself and keep half of the food.