87 Crisis at Sea

◎It was just a joke at the beginning, why take it seriously? ◎

I don't know when raindrops started floating in the sky. The raindrops fell in clusters, and under the silvery moonlight in the dark night, they flashed as if they had turned into blades, scratching Song Jinyi's exposed skin, leaving her with wounds all over.

"It's just being used..." Song Jinyi chewed on these words over and over again, feeling that her heart was like a thin piece of window paper with a hole blown by the cold wind, and copper-red blood was flowing.

Cold! Really too cold! She hugged her arms tightly, slowly squatted down, curled up into a small ball, trying to warm herself, but it was no use.

She was shivering with cold, even her teeth were chattering. It was still late summer, but she felt like she was in the dead of winter.

After an unknown amount of time, the sound of rain gradually became smaller, but the rainstorm in her heart still did not stop.

"It's midnight, the weather is dry, be careful with fire." The night watchman's voice came from far away.

Song Jinyi finally woke up as if from a dream, stood up tremblingly, and walked mechanically towards the inn. She did not notice that there were two pairs of eyes staring at her from the back of the alley.

Only after she walked away did the two of them emerge from the darkness and look at Song Jinyi's gradually becoming blurred figure.

One of them took off his hat, revealing he also had golden hair, but he was not Xie Wuyang. He said to the other, "Sir, is it okay for us to do this? If the prince blames us..." He gradually fell silent under the other's dark gaze.

Another person also took off the brim of his hat. It was Hun Namu. "We are doing this for the prince's own good. The prince said that he stayed with that woman for the sake of the Song family's wealth, but it has been delayed for too long.

"Even if we're willing to wait, Yuedu can't. Once the eldest prince stabilizes the situation, it will be too late. Besides, does he really not have any true feelings for that woman?

"If we wait any longer, I'm afraid things might change. Rather than dragging it out like this, it's better to end it all with one blow. After tonight, their relationship will end here."

Another person asked in confusion, "If you want to drive a wedge between them, why don't you just tell Madam Song the truth and save yourself all this trouble?"

Hunnamu sneered, "The Sixth Prince comes from the grasslands and deserts, and is a bloodthirsty wolf cub by nature. We Han people live in fertile land with water and grass, and are just a group of pampered sheep.

"Sheep are naturally afraid of ferocious beasts and retreat. This is instinct. Only when the prince sees the fear and defensiveness of the beasts with his own eyes and realizes that he is not of the same kind as them, can he completely give up."

"I only hope that the prince can understand your painstaking efforts."

"The Han people have a saying, 'A ruler treats his ministers with courtesy, and a minister serves his ruler with loyalty.' Regardless of the outcome, my original intention was to serve the prince and Yuedu."

The heavy rain stopped, and the vast sky was like a newly painted scroll, with the ink marks not yet dry and appearing wet. The air was also filled with moisture, and the candlelight in the streets and alleys was scattered here and there, casting hazy light and shadows on the wet ground.

It makes people wonder what the scene will be like on Opaque Day.

******

Song Jinyi couldn't remember how she got back to the inn. The last thing she remembered was Li He's panicked face and her vague voice. Her consciousness drifted far away like a kite, and finally the string broke. She blacked out and passed out.

She was caught in the rain and was stimulated, and she developed a high fever that night. Li He asked Yu Dongqing to treat her. After two days of acupuncture, she finally woke up on the second night.

She opened her eyes weakly and looked at the bed curtains of the inn. For a moment she couldn't remember where she was. She moved her arms and found that there was someone lying beside the bed.

Song Jinyi lifted a strand of golden hair with her fingertips. She had previously thought it shone brightly, but now it was blinding. As consciousness returned, the hatred in her heart swallowed her mind like a tide.

With such a look, how could she be an ordinary person! So, if her background is fake, her love is fake, then what else is real?

Her eyes turned red instantly and her breathing became rapid. Her white hand floated above Xie Wuyang's neck, lowering it inch by inch, touching the warm skin and feeling the beating blood vessels.

Her action woke up Xie Wuyang who was lying on the bed. She didn't know how long he had been there. There were two dark circles under his eyelids. Especially since his skin was whiter than that of ordinary people, the different colors were more obvious. His eyes were bloodshot and his face looked haggard.

"Sister, how do you feel?" Seeing that she was just looking at him and didn't answer, Xie Wuyang moved closer and wanted to ask her if she was feeling unwell.

But she suddenly stepped back, as if she had seen some ferocious beast.

Xie Wuyang paused before saying, "Doctor Yu prescribed some medicine to dispel the cold for you. You were unconscious before and couldn't take it. I'll go make the medicine now."

When Xie Wuyang reached the door, he turned around and said, "There are some date cakes on the table. If you have an appetite, you can eat a few. Taking medicine on an empty stomach will make your stomach uncomfortable."

Not long after Xie Wuyang left, Li He came over with a bowl of hot porridge. Li He was a person who could not keep secrets, and he talked about how scary Song Jinyi was that night, and how Xie Wuyang had stayed by her side for two days and two nights without taking off his clothes.

"Although Xie Wuyang usually looks cold, I didn't expect him to have a conscience. I asked him to take a break while I stayed with Sister Jinyi, but he wasn't happy about it!"

After hearing this, Song Jinyi just said "hmm" softly and didn't say anything else.

The more considerate he was, the more uncomfortable she felt. Everything was just a disguise. Thinking of Shengjing's rescue, Yunzhou's companionship for several months, and Huatian's confession, it was just a show.

In order to seize the Song family's property, he even poisoned innocent children. How is he different from an animal?

She had been with such a person for such a long time, but she didn't notice anything. She laughed at herself and said, "Song Jinyi, Song Jinyi, you are such a fool. No wonder you are being played around by others."

In the next few days, Song Jinyi almost treated Xie Wuyang as air, and even someone as straightforward as Li He noticed the problem.

Xie Wuyang also noticed something strange.

Song Jinyi had clearly been willing to give him a chance a few days ago, willing to redefine their relationship. He felt extremely happy, as if happiness was within reach.

Later, when he discovered Hun Namu had secretly landed on the island, he explained to him that he was willing to give up the idea of ​​revenge and not return to Yuedu. Hun Namu did not say anything to stop him.

I thought everything was going in a good direction, but Song Jinyi seemed like a different person overnight.

It’s not that he didn’t think about asking her for clarification, but he was turned away every time and didn’t even have the chance to speak.

Before he could resolve the problem between the two, a letter came from Yunzhou - Song's father was critically ill, Shen wanted to monopolize the family property, and hoped that the Song siblings would return soon.

After reading the letter, Song Jinyi's face darkened. Without saying anything more, she just asked Song Yunting to pack up his bags and go back to Yunzhou with her on the boat that day.

Li He needed to stay here for medical treatment, so Song Jinyi left three-quarters of the money she had with her and used the rest for travel expenses.

Xie Wuyang only found out about this when he saw Song Yunting packing her bags. He immediately asked Song Jinyi, "Why didn't you tell me, sister?"

Song Jinyi said coldly: "I'm going back to take care of my family affairs. Why should you, a bystander, tell you?"

After these words were spoken, the air became unusually quiet. Both of them fell into deep absorption and no one said another word.

After Song Jinyi finished packing the package, she saw that he was still standing in the house, looking at him expressionlessly. Xie Wuyang's shoulders shrugged slightly, and there was a hint of redness under his eyes. Combined with his beautiful face, he really made people feel pity for him.

Song Jinyi withdrew her gaze and thought sarcastically: It's a pity that he is not an actor.

If he ever goes out to sing, she will definitely go to support him, give him tips, applaud, and cheer for him, so as not to let his wonderful performance go to waste.

She took a deep breath, tried to calm herself down, and was about to go out with the package, but was stopped by Xie Wuyang.

"Sister, have I done anything wrong? If I have made you unhappy, just tell me and I will change everything." His voice was low, as if every word contained a strong sense of grievance.

"You didn't do anything wrong."

It's just that I misjudged him.

"Then why did Sister..." Ignore me? Ignore me? He thought for a long time, but couldn't find the right words, so he changed the question to "Did Sister really mean what she said that day at Sun Moon Lake?"

He asked carefully, fearing that he would upset Song Jinyi.

Song Jinyi thought of Sun Moon Lake's words and felt her blood boiling. She yanked her sleeve out of his palm and said calmly and indifferently, "I was just joking at the time. Why take it seriously?"

After saying that, he left without looking back.

That afternoon, Song Jinyi and Song Yunting boarded the ship to return home.

At sea, time seemed to stop and pass by very slowly. When night finally came, Song Jinyi covered herself with the quilt but could not fall asleep.

When the storm came, she was able to sleep soundly. Now that the sea was calm, she felt uneasy and had an inexplicable uneasiness in her heart.

She turned over several times in restlessness but still couldn't fall asleep, so she simply got up, lit a candle, picked up the letter and read it carefully again to pass the time.

When she really couldn't make out anything, she folded the letter and prepared to put it back under the pillow when she suddenly found that there was a little black on her fingertips. She looked at it quietly for a few seconds, unfolded the letter, and sure enough, there was a blotch of ink in the lower left corner.

It takes at least a day and a night to travel from Yunzhou to Yaowang Island, unless there's a heavy rainstorm and the cabin is damp, which would slow the letter's drying. But today, with such a beautiful day and breeze, how could the ink not dry?

Unless - this letter is from Yunzhou!

Song Jinyi's eyes rolled and she thought to herself that something was wrong. She had only told Xu Ruolan about her trip to Yaowang Island, so she naturally thought that it was Xu Ruolan who delivered the message.

But when I think about it carefully, everything is strange. Xu Ruolan doesn't know the relationship between her and the Song family, let alone write such a letter.

Blame her for losing her basic common sense in order to avoid Xie Wuyang.

She quickly got up and went to find Song Yunting and told him the situation.

Song Yunting looked at the vast ocean and said helplessly, "Even if we see through it, where can we escape to now?"

"Then we have to be careful. Stay awake tonight and pretend we know nothing. We'll be at the dock tomorrow and we can observe and act accordingly."

After the two of them had discussed it, Song Jinyi stood up and wanted to go back to her room. When she opened the door, she saw a group of people blocking the entrance. The captain in the lead said with a sinister smile, "Where are you going at this late hour, my lady?"

Song Jinyi's heart stagnated. She put her hands behind her back and clenched them tightly, trying to act calm. "I just had nothing to do at night, so I came to ask my brother for a few words. But you, why are you making such a big fuss so late at night?"

"Really? I thought you wanted to escape?" He laughed loudly, looking up at the sky. "Even if you wanted to run, it's no use. In this vast ocean, are you going to jump in and feed the fish?"

Seeing that the other party had directly torn apart her face, Song Jinyi stopped pretending. She lowered her voice and asked, "My sister and I have no grudges against you. Why are you doing this?"

"We're not boatmen, we're pirates! We're not kidnapping you for any other reason, we're kidnapping you because someone wants to pay you to live!"