Chaos erupted, and the crew struggled to maintain order. Zhang Xiaotao was caught in the midst of this chaotic commotion. Even if she wanted to stay and wait for Chen Xiao, she couldn't!
God knows where Chen Xiao is! Maybe he's already run off somewhere else?
Poor Zhang Xiaotao, she had no choice but to go with the flow. She was pushed and shoved by the crowd all the way out. Luckily, she had been taking the bus since she was a child and had developed the skill of squeezing through crowds, so she managed to fight her way out.
Now her clothes were torn, her shoes were broken, and her ankle was in excruciating pain. Zhang Xiaotao couldn't help but shed tears of grievance.
It's all that damn Chen Xiao's fault! It's all his fault!!
I boarded the ship with you! How could you abandon me now?! I'm just a lonely girl, and all I can do is wander aimlessly with the crowd at a time like this…
Oh no, oh no... I'm afraid I might lose my life this time!
The spot where Zhang Xiaotao fell was right next to a window in the cabin passageway.
The window was far from the passageway. Zhang Xiaotao fell to the ground and saw a pair of women's feet in front of her.
I raised my head slightly and saw the hem of a floral cheongsam skirt.
She was stunned for a moment, and then a pair of hands reached out and gently helped her up.
The hands were cool, yet dry. More importantly, Zhang Xiaotao clearly sensed a calmness emanating from them! Everyone else on the boat was panicking, but these cool hands remained steady!
She struggled to her feet, and before she could even wipe her tears from the ground, she looked up and saw a woman.
What deeply shocked Zhang Xiaotao first were those eyes!
Those eyes shone like cold stars on a winter night—a testament to heaven and earth. Zhang Xiaotao had never seen anyone's eyes so bright! There were faint crow's feet at the corners of her eyes, but each line contained not age, but...wisdom.
The woman was smiling—and it must be said, she looked stunning when she smiled. For a moment, Zhang Xiaotao was almost mesmerized.
To be honest, this woman wasn't pretty, not pretty at all. Her forehead was a bit too wide, and her cheekbones were slightly too high. Her lips were also a bit thin, but…
She's so beautiful!!
Although she looked at her age, probably at least a decade older than herself, Zhang Xiaotao only understood the true meaning of the idiom "still charming and graceful" from this woman today!
Are you alright?
His voice was slightly hoarse, yet it possessed a captivating magnetism.
"I... thank you." Zhang Xiaotao suddenly felt a little lost.
She could tell that although the woman was smiling, there was a lingering sense of loneliness in her eyes.
After glancing at the woman several times, Zhang Xiaotao finally came to her senses: "Ah! Right! Why didn't you run away?"
The woman was laughing, and her eyes curved slightly when she laughed.
"Why run?" Her gaze passed over Zhang Xiaotao, looking at the crowd surging upwards behind them. Her eyes momentarily glazed over, but she said softly, "Human life is already predetermined. How long you live in this world, every minute, is decided by fate. No matter how hard you struggle, heaven won't give you a minute more or a minute less... Sigh, what's the point?"
Zhang Xiaotao stared wide-eyed at the woman, speechless for a long time before finally blurting out, "You... are religious?"
"No." The woman smiled and shook her head.
"So you're a philosopher! I know a few philosophers, and they all talk like you, so profound." Zhang Xiaotao grabbed the woman's hand without further ado, pulling her into the crowd while shouting, "Auntie, don't be silly! If we don't run out now, it'll be too late! Don't be foolish! Come with me!"
Fireworks was pulled along by the girl as they squeezed through the crowd, a strange smile playing on her lips. She called me… Auntie?
Auntie... What an interesting way to address someone.
As Chen Xiao jumped down from the elevator, he seemed to feel the woman's gaze on his back. The woman watched him jump down, and it seemed she was waving and smiling goodbye.
As for what she said, what...destined? Can it be changed?
What utter nonsense!
Putting all that aside for now, Chen Xiao had just jumped down when he saw Tang Ying waving at him from the entrance of the passage ahead.
This takes you directly to the third-floor passenger cabin. Continue straight ahead, turning a few corners, and you'll reach the VIP first-class cabin.
Sure enough, Tang Ying, who was running ahead to clear the way, was soon stopped by several Japanese bodyguards. However, these Japanese bodyguards recognized Tang Ying and made way for her.
Chen Xiao and Tang Ying returned to Sato's room without incident. The surrounding Japanese people were on high alert, on guard. At the door of Sato's room, several Japanese people, including what appeared to be the butler, were kneeling and kowtowing frantically, shouting something anxiously.
Chen Xiao didn't have time to pay attention and rushed into the room.
"Ah! You're back!"
He saw Sato running out with a joyful expression, while Takeuchi Yako next to him was looking at him with a pained expression—this woman probably wished he would die out there! Damn it!
"Chen Xiaojun? Is it just you?" Sato's joy vanished the moment he saw Chen Xiao and then noticed the empty space behind him.
Chen Xiao understood her meaning immediately and shook his head, saying, "Li Wenjing didn't come. He's on the outer deck. You don't need to worry about him now! He's perfectly fine, and a helicopter will be coming to pick him up soon."
Sato's face was full of disappointment, yet he murmured to himself, "He... won't he come to pick me up at a time like this...?"
"Stop talking nonsense!" Chen Xiao roared. "What are you all still doing here, waiting to die? The ship is about to sink!"
As he spoke, he glanced around the room, then his expression changed: "Where's Zhang Xiaotao? Where's my translator?"
Sato looked completely dazed, as if he hadn't heard Chen Xiao's words at all. Takeuchi Yako, however, snorted coldly and said, "Your female translator? She left on her own!"
Chen Xiao's expression changed drastically. He stared at Takeuchi Yako and angrily asked, "Did you drive her away?!"
"I..." Takeuchi Yako immediately retorted angrily, "You bastard! How dare you speak to me like that! Who do you think you are! Hmph, that female translator is Chinese! We brought her here before. It was already an honor for her to accept our protection!! What business is it of ours if she wants to leave!"
"She's leaving..." Chen Xiao said angrily, "If she wants to leave, you're just going to let her go?"