Chapter 24 Part 1

Mingming, when the so-called “fire” had occurred, Zhong Nian had asked Zhan Lu for help, saying he needed to find Charles, and Zhan Lu’s tone had clearly indicated he didn’t know the man.

And yet, in just one day, the two had become so familiar?

Zhong Nian didn’t believe for a second that Zhan Lu’s familiar attitude upon entering the door was that of someone he’d just met.

He glanced at Charles, then swept his icy gaze toward Zhan Lu.

Zhan Lu immediately felt a chill run down his spine. His eyes darted left and right, but he didn’t dare look at Zhong Nian. His panic was obvious, and paired with the tooth marks still healing on his cheek, it looked somewhat comical.

“This…”

He tried to come up with an excuse, but the moment he met Zhong Nian’s gaze, he swallowed his words.

He was afraid it would only make things worse.

Seeing him like this, Zhong Nian understood the answer: “No need to say anything.”

Zhong Nian had no interest in continuing the conversation. His eyes reddened slightly as he pushed aside Zhan Lu, who was blocking the doorway, and strode out quickly.

He heard two sets of footsteps chasing after him from behind, along with Charles saying to Zhan Lu, “Let me go.”

The other set hesitated and stopped.

Zhong Nian ignored what was happening behind him and just kept his head down, walking forward.

As the other person seemed about to catch up, Zhong Nian gritted his teeth, grabbed the railing, and jumped to the downward staircase on the other side.

The action startled the person behind him into breaking out in a cold sweat: “Little Nian!”

A rabbit’s jumping ability was naturally strong. Zhong Nian landed steadily and even had the spare capacity to roll his eyes at Charles. With a light hop, he skipped several steps at once and quickly vanished from Charles’s sight.

Charles could have caught up if he’d tried, but he was afraid of chasing too aggressively and causing Zhong Nian to lose his balance and fall, so he didn’t pursue forcefully.

He also knew that some things couldn’t be rushed—forcing it would only backfire.

–

When Zhong Nian’s emotions became unstable, he always liked to wander aimlessly.

He didn’t even notice that no one on this cruise ship stopped him, allowing him to barrel through unchecked. Unknowingly, he ended up at the stern of a certain deck.

Once he calmed down and looked around, he realized he’d been here before.

Last time, he’d stumbled upon this secluded spot by accident after getting upset with Guan Shan Yue, and he’d encountered the Black-Clothed Man… At the time, he never could have imagined that this person was the Kidnapper Boss.

Thinking back now, their gang truly had impressive capabilities—undercover agents who could infiltrate positions like ship captain and first mate.

No wonder when he’d told Charles about the bomb, Charles’s shock hadn’t been at the bomb itself, but at how Zhong Nian knew about it.

It also explained why Charles always gave vague responses whenever Zhong Nian asked, with no real progress…

And here Zhong Nian had been so worried about him.

This guy had been a bad sort from the very beginning, impersonating the ship captain.

The more Zhong Nian thought about it, the angrier he got. He yanked the bow tie from his collar and threw it away, only to puff out his cheeks silently and pick it back up afterward.

This one had been lent to him by Jie Wen; he couldn’t lose it like last time.

He somewhat regretted not kicking Charles or biting him before leaving.

He’d been toyed with just like that.

No matter how he thought about it, Zhong Nian couldn’t swallow his anger. He stood up, intending to turn back and settle the score, when he noticed an extra figure in his line of sight.

A tall man in black leaned against the passageway door at the edge of light and shadow, like a hunting black panther silently lurking there. His eyes, glinting faintly in the dim light, stared unblinkingly at Zhong Nian.

He held something pinched between his fingers—possibly a cigarette.

The scene seemed to overlap with their first encounter, but this time, Zhong Nian only felt startled.

This wouldn’t be this guy’s territory, would it?

Instinctively, a herbivore’s first reaction to an inscrutable, dangerous, and powerful beast was to flee.

Zhong Nian’s calves trembled. He forced a dry smile, nodded in greeting, and bolted.

He didn’t have time to notice the man’s gesture, as if he had something to say but held back.

–

“A bit boring, don’t you think?”

In the kitchen, Jie Wen chatted idly with Zhong Nian.

Zhong Nian nodded.

The cruise ship had changed owners, but the Kidnapper Gang didn’t live as extravagantly as those Rich Second Generations. They weren’t demanding about food and disliked waste.

So even with fewer people working, they had a lot of free time.

A group of people who were used to being busy all day felt a little unaccustomed to it, at a loss for how to kill time.