Chapter 76 Many Big Fish with Legs

"Brother Jiang,"

Fu Qinghuai slowly peeled the shrimp, then suddenly asked, "Who's in charge of coordinating with Ren'an for your company's team building event this time?"

"It's Manager Wang from the administration department. He's a really nice guy; he even upgraded my cabin!"

"oh?"

Fu Qinghuai placed the peeled shrimp into Xie Xun's bowl. "Did I upgrade your bowl especially for you?"

"Yes, they said it's because I'm a key anchor that the company is grooming."

Jiang Le raised an eyebrow smugly, "Besides, Yao Yao isn't in good health and needs a quiet environment."

Shen Zhaoyao gently pressed Jiang Lehui's hand, "Let's not talk about this anymore, just eat."

Just then, a quarrel broke out at the next table.

A drunken man pointed at an empty plate and shouted, "I clearly ordered West Lake Fish in Vinegar Sauce! Why isn't it here yet?!"

The waiter patiently explained, "Sir, you definitely didn't order this dish..."

"fart!"

The man stood up abruptly, his eyes bloodshot. "I saw it served with my own eyes! Such a huge fish!"

He gestured, and Xie Xun frowned to look. He saw that on the empty plate the man was pointing to, there was clearly a wisp of black smoke remaining.

Even more bizarrely, the man suddenly began to convulse, making strange hoarse noises, and his eyes suddenly became vacant.

"Fish... such big fish... all on the boat... delicious..."

Shen Zhaoyao suddenly stood up, her face deathly pale.

Jiang Le quickly helped her up, "Sister, what's wrong?"

“It’s nothing…” her voice trembled, “I’m feeling a little unwell, I’m going to the restroom again.”

Shen Zhaoyao hurriedly left her seat, and this time even Jiang Lehui noticed that something was wrong.

The crazed man at the next table was still babbling incoherently, his voice growing louder and louder, "Fish! All fish! They're climbing up! No, not fish! Lots of legs!"

Xie Xun got up and walked over, a calming talisman between his fingers, and quickly slapped it on the back of the man's neck while the family member was comforting him.

Suddenly, the man trembled, his eyes regained their clarity, and he looked around blankly.

"He's possessed by an evil spirit."

Xie Xun asked the anxious family members, "Have you been in contact with anything unclean recently?"

Upon seeing this, the family members repeatedly expressed their gratitude, and immediately lowered their voices upon hearing this, "My husband went out to sea with the Ren'an Group's exploration team last week, and he came back like this... He keeps saying that he saw fish that could crawl on the boat, with lots of legs and stuff..."

Xie Xun's eyes sharpened.

Ren'an Group, going overseas, a fish that can climb, and has many legs.

For some reason, he inexplicably remembered that Old Zhang had told him yesterday not to go out at night unless necessary, saying that there were many big, dark bugs.

Are these two things related?

"What's wrong?" Fu Qinghuai noticed his unusual behavior.

Xie Xun shook his head and didn't say anything.

He needs more evidence for some things; making unfounded claims about a connection is still far-fetched.

At this moment, Shen Zhaoyao returned. Her complexion was even worse than before, and even her lips had lost their color.

"elder sister!"

Jiang Le quickly helped her sit down, her voice full of concern, "You look terrible, are you having low blood sugar again?"

Shen Zhaoyao forced a smile, "I might be a little tired."

Xie Xun's gaze remained fixed on Shen Zhaoyao. At this moment, he noticed that her right hand was always in her pocket, as if she was tightly clutching something.

As she raised her hand to fix her hair, he noticed that there seemed to be a strange sticky substance on the inside of Shen Zhaoyao's sleeve.

Xie Xun's brows furrowed even more.

"Since you're not feeling well, you should go home early today."

Xie Xun spoke up, "We have to board the ship tomorrow."

Jiang Lehui had no intention of refusing, and quickly nodded. While carefully supporting Shen Zhaoyao, he said apologetically to Xie Xun and Fu Qinghuai, "Xun, Brother Fu, I'm so sorry about today. I said I'd treat, but..."

Xie Xun waved his hand, "I'll treat you next time."

"Definitely! Definitely!"

Jiang Le quickly took out his phone and led the people outside, saying, "I'll call a car to take my sister home first."

After Jiang Le helped Shen Zhaoyao to the roadside to wait for a car, Xie Xun went to pay the bill, but the cashier smiled and said, "Your table has already paid."

Xie Xun frowned. "Who got married?"

The cashier handed over a folded note, "A gentleman just paid for your payment and left this."

The note unfolded, revealing only one line of bold, flowing handwriting:

Looking forward to tomorrow's voyage – Liu Yongchang.

Xie Xun's eyes instantly turned cold.

Fu Qinghuai leaned over for a look and chuckled softly, "Tsk tsk, how romantic, they even paid for our meal."

Xie Xun held the note in his hand, his fingertips slightly cold.

This is not romance at all, but blatant provocation!

From the moment Jiang Le received the boat ticket, to tonight's dinner, and now to this very moment.

Their every move was clearly under the other side's surveillance.

This constant feeling of being watched filled him with intense unease.

"Let's go." Xie Xun crumpled the note into a ball, his voice icy.

Fu Qinghuai's smile faded, and a hint of murderous intent flashed in his eyes. He reached out and took the crumpled piece of paper, black mist swirling around his fingertips, and the paper instantly turned to ashes.

"They only dare to play these petty tricks from behind the scenes."

His voice was low and sneer: "You think you're worthy of pursuing such things?"

Xie Xun was taken aback, not expecting Fu Qinghuai to care about this.

"Who cares about that?" He turned to leave, but Fu Qinghuai grabbed his wrist.

"I care."

Fu Qinghuai gently stroked his wrist bone with his fingertips, his tone filled with possessiveness, "My Xunxun has no right to be fawned over by others."

Xie Xun tried to pull his hand away, but it was held even tighter.

"Let go."

"I won't let go."

Fu Qinghuai leaned close to his ear, his voice laced with a hint of ruthlessness, "Once we're on the ship tomorrow, I'll let them know who's your man and who's worthy to be your dog."

Xie Xun's ears burned as she heard this, and she forcefully shook off his hand, saying, "Stop talking nonsense."

But the unease in my heart actually dissipated a bit.

"Xunxun, if you see two of me on the ship tomorrow..."

Fu Qinghuai looked at his reddened ear tips and suddenly asked, "Which one would you choose?"

Xie Xun frowned upon hearing this, "What's gotten into you now?"

"Seriously."

Fu Qinghuai gripped his hand tightly, forcing him to meet his gaze, his voice low and menacing, "What if there were someone exactly like me, with my face, speaking my words, and doing to you the same things I've done to you..."

Before he could finish speaking, the black mist around him suddenly surged.

People strolling along the West Lake suddenly felt a chill and instinctively wrapped their coats around themselves.

Xie Xun felt a sharp pain from Fu Qinghuai's grip, but she keenly sensed that something was wrong with him.

What's wrong with you?

"Searching..."

Fu Qinghuai released his grip, his eyes icy cold, and said, word by word, "My scent is on this."

Xie Xun paused, "Explain yourself."

"It is one of the remnants of my soul that scattered before I was sealed away,"

Fu Qinghuai's voice was as cold as ice, "It seems the Liu family not only holds my soul, but also dares to use my aura to approach you..."

They even dared to repeatedly use such ambiguous probing to flirt with Xie Xun.

Are you going to try and take it from him?!

Xie Xun immediately understood.

No wonder the Liu family was able to track their movements so accurately. It seems that Fu Qinghuai's remnant soul not only became nourishment for the Liu family, but also a tool for monitoring them.

"Can you sense the exact location?"

"At sea."

Fu Qinghuai gazed at the shimmering surface of West Lake and said coldly, "Tomorrow, I will take it back myself."

...

The next day.

The dock was bustling with people. The Allure of the Seas looked like a pure white castle on the sea, shining brightly and appearing very magnificent from afar.

Jiang Lehui was already waiting at the boarding gate. Upon seeing them, he immediately waved, "This way! VIP passage!"

He seemed unusually excited today, with his work ID and camera hanging around his neck.

Shen Zhaoyao stood quietly beside him, wearing a light purple dress. She looked better than last night, but she still subconsciously avoided Fu Qinghuai's gaze.

"Don't stand in the wind if you're not feeling well, stay behind me," Jiang Le said with concern.

Shen Zhaoyao smiled gently, "I'm much better, don't worry."

While going through security, Fu Qinghuai suddenly wrapped his arms around Xie Xun's waist, increasing the force of his grip.

"What's wrong?"