Shen Wenta pressed his lips tightly together, crouching down and burying his face in his arms. His thin back trembled violently, and a thought struck him out of nowhere.
For over a decade, he had done countless evil deeds, and perhaps his greatest retribution was carelessly falling into Shen Yi’s hands.
Ever since then, all his casual talk of “not fearing death” had become a hollow illusion.
He hadn’t been like this at first.
If it weren’t for her...
...If it weren’t for her, he wouldn’t have begged that damned Suining, and he wouldn’t be like this today—tears flowing uncontrollably, and now regretting, of all things—that if he had known they’d never see each other again, he should have given her the promised gift in advance.
He had always held life in contempt, disrespecting its value, even arrogantly believing himself above everyone else.
Naturally, Shen Wenta didn’t hold much regard for his own life either.
Everyone dies sooner or later—no matter who they are.
But now, when death was truly at hand, he found himself struggling with unwillingness.
If he were here alone, he wouldn’t feel so lost and conflicted.
If Shen Yi were here, he wouldn’t be able to die with even a shred of peace of mind.
...
Suining hurried through the corridor.
Everyone on the ship had instantly locked their doors tight. The usually luxurious and bright cabins were now sealed shut, no one daring to open them.
The normally lively hallway was deathly quiet, with only the sound of his footsteps echoing through the empty passage—urgent and disordered.
He had thought he would be the first to rush in and take the person away.
But it turned out someone had beaten him to it.
A man stood at the door, knocking. Suining slowed his pace, studying the other person closely.
The man was dressed elegantly, with a composed demeanor. Even though his back was turned, Suining recognized him by his figure and outline.
Wasn’t this the richest man in the country?
“Mr. Song?”
He spoke, his tone tinged with surprise.
Song Guanyan pounded on the door frantically, so desperate he didn’t even acknowledge Suining’s greeting.
His palm struck the door panel, producing a dull thud, again and again: “Xiao Yi.”
“Come out.”
Shen Yi sat in her room, frowning at the knocking.
She ignored him. She had been poring over the ship’s layout blueprints, patiently marking and memorizing escape routes and spots with clear sightlines that could be vulnerable to snipers.
She recited the lines and marks over and over, making sure she could remember them perfectly.
After several rounds, noises broke out outside.
Men armed with guns were searching around, their footsteps heavy and chaotic. Even through the door, she could hear boots stomping on the deck.
Shen Yi had immediately locked the door to avoid any accidents.
It seemed they were looking for someone—the footsteps passed by her door without stopping and gradually faded away.
She had dodged a bullet.
Shen Yi knew something was about to go down on the ship and had no intention of sitting around waiting.
Just then.
Song Guanyan had to show up and start knocking at the worst possible time.
She didn’t want to bother with him, but the man wouldn’t leave, and Shen Yi couldn’t stay cooped up in her room forever.
She yanked the door open.
“Get lost,” Shen Yi said harshly, her tone aggressive.
Suining, who had been following, was startled. After knowing Shen Yi for so long, this was the first time he heard her speak like that.
He immediately reached out his hand, trying to grab her. “Xiao Yi, come with me.”
Shen Yi quickly stepped back. “What do you want now?”
She was wary of everyone at the moment.
Suining took a deep breath and said gently, “Something’s happening on the ship. Leave with me, Xiao Yi. Please, there’s not much time.”
He had signed a series of concessionary contracts just to get this one chance to escape. The priority now was to take Shen Yi somewhere safe to hide until the boat he arranged could come and get them out of here.
Seeing the door open, Song Guanyan couldn’t wait to grab her either. The man pleaded earnestly, “Come with me, Xiao Yi. I’ll take you away. This man isn’t reliable. I know you hate me, but let’s get out of here first. Dad is begging you.”
Both of them wanted to take her away.
It was strange.
Shen Yi dodged Song Guanyan’s outstretched hand, her gaze flicking between the two men before settling on Suining’s face.
“Where are you taking me?”
“To another ship to leave,” Suining said quickly. “But not back home—abroad. The boat will need to drift at sea for a while. I’ve already contacted your brother’s people. We’ll be fine.”
It sounded reasonable.
Before Shen Yi could ask further, Song Guanyan coldly cut Suining off.
“She’s not going with you. I’ve made arrangements too. I’ll take Yiyi off the ship. Mr. Sui, you should leave on your own.”
Irritated by the interruption, Suining frowned. “Who are you to decide for her?”
He dared to go against even Shen Wenta; he certainly wasn’t afraid of Song Guanyan.
Song Guanyan said, “I’m her father.”
“Talking is fine, but insulting people is rude, mister,” Suining said impatiently. “You could claim to be her grandfather today, and you still wouldn’t take her.”
Shen Wenta had warned him about this. He wouldn’t just stand by and let Song Guanyan take her away.
Shen Yi wasn’t going to indulge this ridiculous Song Guanyan either.
Without even glancing at him, she told Suining to wait, then opened the door and walked over to the cabin across the hall.
That was Shen Wenta’s room.
Without a key card, and going for speed, Shen Yi stepped back two paces, lifted her leg, and kicked the door without warning.
With a loud bang, the heavy cabin door was forced open with brute simplicity.
The heavy door...
...had just been kicked open that easily?
Suining was stunned.
Song Guanyan was equally shocked. In his memory, his daughter had always been soft and delicate.
Growing up, Shen Yi spoke softly and had to be protected. How could she now break down such a solid door with just her leg?
This completely defied both their understanding.
Shen Yi ignored their shock.
She started rummaging through Shen Wenta’s room.
Knowing him—that lawless outlaw—her brother definitely had a gun around. That guy carried dangerous stuff everywhere he went.
After searching two drawers, sure enough, she quickly found a short black pistol in the nightstand.
It was heavy and loaded.
Shen Yi immediately tucked it into her pocket, wrapping her white coat around it so no one would notice a young girl carrying something dangerous.
Suining, eager to leave, snapped out of his shock and grabbed her wrist, pulling her forward.
The young man’s steps were hurried, like he was fleeing for his life, so fast and urgent it was almost a jog.
Dragged along, Shen Yi stumbled a few times. “What’s the rush? Are we escaping before sunset or something?”
The scene felt straight out of a movie—the empty hallway, only their footsteps echoing.
Her sense of dread grew stronger.
Suining gave a bitter smile. “Pretty much, yeah.”
Song Guanyan followed behind them.
He didn’t trust Suining, but at least Shen Yi was leaving that cabin. As long as his daughter wasn’t waiting in that room to die, he could even accept her going with a complete stranger.
The three of them walked one after another through the ship.
Finally out of the corridor, they reached an open area, and Shen Yi abruptly stopped, turning to look at Sui Ning.
"Where exactly are we going?"
"First, find a place to hide, then we can figure out where to settle down later." Sui Ning tried to keep pulling her forward, his steps quick. "It's not safe out here on the sea. There'll be another boat to take us ashore."
No government would be reckless enough to open fire on everyone aboard. This ship alone carried more than a dozen people from the Forbes list, along with members of various royal families and old-money dynasties. These were people whose hands pulled the strings of global stock markets, bond markets, and crude oil pipelines. If they all vanished overnight, the world economy could grind to a freeze.
So, as long as someone's background wasn't excessively vicious, most of them were probably safe.
"What about my brother?"
When she finally asked, Sui Ning felt a sense of inevitability. He paused for a moment. "His identity is a bit sensitive. He'll be here soon."
He turned to look at her seriously, his eyes filled with a complex emotion.
That look—was it pity? Or reluctance to tell her the truth?
Probably a bit of both.
Shen Yi realized that both Lorenzo and Sui Ning seemed to look at her that way—a gaze that implied once her brother was gone, she would be a pitiful creature. Even Song Guanyan, who barely knew her, thought the same.
In their eyes, she was just a poor soul sheltered by her brother, someone who couldn't survive without him.
Shen Yi had completely lost her patience. Her expression cold, she repeated: "So, where is my brother now?"
…
Author’s note:
Sorry, I need to apologize. This novel might have to stretch to a million words. I just got sudden notice that the story needs to be extended to at least one million.
I panicked and quickly outlined new plots to keep writing. I had actually planned to finish this month, so I'm really sorry—the long-awaited ending will be delayed by three months. Is there any storyline you'd like to see? Tell me, and I’ll try my best to include it. I’m honestly devastated, because this was originally conceived as a short story. I’ve been exhausted writing it, and I’ve already cut out a lot of content. Now I might have to add more back. Everyone, if there’s something you’d like to read, please let me know.
