Chasing Waves

After Tao Chu finished packing the rest of her luggage in her room, she and Shen Yingchang walked out of the room and ran into Wen Yunsheng in the corridor.

Shen Yingchang glanced at the man and saw that he had scratched his head, changed into a brand new outfit, and was wearing shiny leather shoes, looking like a peacock spreading its tail feathers.

Shen Yingchang glanced at Tao Chu, who had been on high alert since waking up, and chuckled to himself. Wen Yunsheng was throwing a flirtatious glance at a blind man; it was a waste of his time.

When Wen Yunsheng offered to take Tao Chu's suitcase, Shen Yingchang readily let go—freeing up one hand, he went straight to take Tao Chu's hand.

Tao Chu looked at him in confusion. He smiled gently and comforted her, "Don't be afraid, I'm here."

Wen Yunsheng stared intently at their clasped hands, but didn't want to say anything, so he simply walked ahead, out of sight, out of mind.

Tao Chu tried to break free, but Shen Yingchang whispered in her ear, "We're going to run into Li Yue soon. Since we're boarding the ship as a couple, we should at least pretend."

Just as he had said, Li Yue and a group of bodyguards in black suits were already waiting on the deck.

Seeing the expressions on the three of them, Li Yue immediately felt that letting Shen Yingchang board the ship was a good thing—Wen Yunsheng's humiliated appearance was very pleasing to him.

Tao Chu saw a few passengers disembarking with their luggage, and Cen Le was among them.

Li Yue followed her gaze and explained:

"Those are passengers who had urgent matters to attend to and did not return to Jianglin by ship."

Tao Chu glanced around. This was an inland river port, and ocean-going vessels were dozens of times larger than river vessels, so it was impossible for them to anchor nearby.

"After we get off the ship, how long will it take to reach the port of the 'Sea Chaser'?" Tao Chu asked.

Li Yue smiled mysteriously: "Let's go straight onto the ship."

Tao Chu and Shen Yingchang were both taken aback.

They continued until they reached the lowest level of the cabin and saw a yacht moored next to the riverboat.

Li Yue waved and smiled smugly: "Welcome—"

The bodyguards surrounding Tao Chu also reached out their hands, gesturing for her to board the boat.

They even used a yacht to pick them up, not giving them a chance to go ashore at all.

Tao Chu was relieved that she hadn't revealed any intention to resist openly—given the Li family's meticulous arrangements, it really was as Cen Le had said, that there was no way to break free easily.

Using Tao Guohua to get Shen Yingchang on board is already teetering on the brink of danger.

Wen Yunsheng handed his luggage to the bodyguard, then stepped onto the yacht first and turned to extend his hand to Tao Chu.

Tao Chu was stunned for a moment, and before she could decide how to react, Shen Yingchang had already taken the initiative to let go of her tightly held hand.

Tao Chu originally wanted to use the boat to get onto the yacht, thinking that Wen Yunsheng would only help her. But he grabbed her wrist and wouldn't let go, pulling Tao Chu to sit down right next to her.

After boarding the ship, Shen Yingchang glanced at Wen Yunsheng and sat on the other side of Tao Chu.

Li Yue sat opposite them with great interest, spreading his arms out to watch the spectacle.

As soon as everyone was settled, the yacht began to leave the harbor.

Today was a clear, cloudless day, and the white spray at the stern of the boat was dazzling.

Tao Chu had no time to appreciate the beautiful scenery—the bodyguard walked up to her and asked her to hand over her phone.

Although I know I can't go against their wishes, I should still offer a few words of rebuttal according to common sense.

"Is this the treatment for winning the grand prize?" Tao Chu frowned and looked at Li Yue opposite him.

Li Yue crossed his legs, acting like the host.

He smiled and said, "Ms. Tao, please understand that our fifth anniversary celebration has many celebrities and important figures, so of course we have to take precautions to prevent the risk of photos and videos being leaked."

Tao Chu retorted, "Shouldn't such a celebration be properly covered by the media? Why are you so heavily guarded? Is there something that can't be filmed?"

“Many things that people experience firsthand don’t seem like a big deal, but if they’re posted online and misinterpreted by people with ulterior motives, then it’s hard to say what will happen.”

Li Yue paused, then suddenly leaned forward, a playful smile on his face:

"Just like now, Ms. Tao is sitting between President Wen and Mr. Shen. Of course I know you are 'open and aboveboard,' but if someone takes a picture of it, there's no guarantee that people won't gossip and say that Ms. Tao is playing both sides. We, the organizers, are trying our best to avoid such trouble for our guests."

Tao Chu turned her head away in anger and remained silent.

Facing the bodyguard who was standing in front of him with his hands outstretched, Shen Yingchang took out his phone, then put it in the other man's palm and pulled it back.

He asked Li Yue in a low voice, "So... how should we contact each other these next few days?"

Seeing that he was a refined gentleman, Li Yue did not make things difficult for him: "Mr. Chen, rest assured, each room is equipped with a landline telephone and a butler service 24 hours a day, so there will be no situation that will bother you."

Shen Yingchang nodded, then hesitantly handed the phone to the bodyguard.

Tao Chu saw that he had performed well and prepared to wrap things up.

She glared at Li Yue and reluctantly took out her phone.

When Wen Yunsheng saw Li Yue looking at him, he raised an eyebrow: "You dare to accept mine?"

Li Yue ruffled his wind-blown hair, tilted his head back, squinted at the winter morning sun, and smiled nonchalantly:

"I have no interest in Mr. Wen's phone—but in order for the celebration to proceed smoothly, Mr. Wen should keep a close eye on his phone."

Tao Chu understood that these words were both a warning to Wen Yunsheng and a message to himself.

But when it really comes down to it, even if she has to knock Li Yue unconscious and forcibly take the phone, she has to get it, let alone the obedient Wen Yunsheng.

The people on the yacht had different thoughts, and almost no one took the initiative to speak. Tao Chu took out a mint and put it in his mouth.

As the river gradually widened, she looked up at the vast expanse of water ahead—she had reached the sea.

After turning and driving for another ten minutes or so, the "Sea Chaser" came into view.

As it drew closer, the contrast between this colossal vessel and its surroundings became increasingly apparent.

The two-story immigration hall looks like a thin sheet of paper in front of it, and the yachts moored next to the giant ship look like a small pebble under one's feet.

Even the "Dream Chaser on the River" looks like a toy in a child's hands compared to it.

They disembarked from the yacht. Tao Chu stood on the shore and looked up. The gray-white cruise ship was a hundred meters high, and you couldn't see the end of it from the stern.

Majestic and cold, it resembles a giant beast lying on the murky sea.

The sweetness in her mouth had faded, and Tao Chu looked down and took out another one. Watching Li Yue walk forward, she slowly followed.

Tao Chu had expected that Li Yue would take them to the immigration hall to complete the formalities, and was vaguely worried that Shen Yingchang's documents might give him away. However, Li Yue led them directly to the boarding passage.

She immediately looked at Shen Yingchang, whose eyes held the same sharp, alert look—

They managed to bypass the inspection! The skill behind it speaks for itself.

No wonder they didn't ask them if they had their passports with them.

What's more troublesome is that without entry and exit records, if something happens abroad, it will be much more difficult to trace the source.

A gust of sea breeze carrying a fishy smell blew by, and Tao Chu, who was boarding the ship, shivered.

Her long hair was blown up, and Shen Yingchang saw her wary and guarded eyes from the side, sensing her unease.

He gripped her left hand tightly at her side, intending to let go immediately, but Tao Chu unexpectedly grabbed it back.

Shen Yingchang couldn't help but turn to look at her.

Her hands were long and slender yet strong—this was the first time she had taken the initiative to hold his hand.

But Tao Chu didn't look at him. Instead, he stared straight ahead at the waiter in a suit and tie, who was greeting them with a smile. His expression had calmed down.

At that moment, Shen Yingchang suddenly thought of the ancient warriors who, before rushing to the battlefield, would gently clink the swords and halberds they held together.

This giant ocean liner was their battlefield, except that the two of them came empty-handed.

It's not enough to just escape unscathed; what's needed is to gather more clues.

They stepped into the magnificent guest service hall, which was quite spacious, without the long queues seen on the maiden voyage of the "Jiangshang Xunmeng" (River Dream Seeker).

Tao Chu saw that the people who boarded the ship ahead of him were all led to a small private reception room. Just as he was about to ask them something, a waiter came forward.

He stood ramrod straight, nodded and smiled: "Miss Tao, Mr. Shen, I am your butler on the 'Wave Chaser'. You can call me Peter or Butler Meng. I will serve you wholeheartedly for the rest of the journey."

Tao Chu glanced at him up and down—slim, medium height, not much muscle, easy to subdue.

She smiled and nodded: "Hello."

Butler Meng stepped aside and led them to the reception room next door, with Wen Yunsheng following silently behind.

After Tao Chu and Shen Yingchang sat down, Butler Meng said, "Your room is 1608, a deluxe balcony room with a sea view. Your luggage has already been brought up. Would you like to have lunch in the restaurant first, or go back to your room to rest?"

"Let's go back to our room first."

"These are your room keys." Butler Meng presented them with both hands. "Please follow me. The elevator is this way. Mr. Wen, please wait a moment. This is your butler, Richard."

The waiter standing behind Butler Meng bowed and smiled.

"Chuchu, you got up early today. You should rest first. Lunch can be brought to your room. If you need anything, you can contact me by landline—what's my room number?"

“Mr. Wen, you are staying in suite VIP9 on the top floor,” Richard said. “The extension number for the room’s landline is 0599.”

After Tao Chu and Shen Yingchang left together, Wen Yunsheng said to Richard, "I want to live next door to 1608."

Richard's smile remained unchanged: "Yes, Mr. Wen, I'll have Mr. Li arrange it for you right away."

Less than a minute later, Li Yue came in, smiling ambiguously: "President Wen, why are you staying in a balcony room on the 16th floor instead of the penthouse suite?"

“Then upgrade her room to a suite,” Wen Yunsheng said. “The price difference will be charged to me.”

Li Yue shrugged: "It's not about the money—the penthouse suites are already full. You should know what kind of people are coming to this celebration, so why put your father at risk?"

Wen Yunsheng frowned and said, "Keep VIP9 for me, and open another room, 1609."

Li Yue remained noncommittal, only glancing back at Richard, who immediately said, "Okay, Mr. Wen, please wait a moment."