Cao Chengye touched his nose awkwardly and silently, watching Shen Yuheng's departing figure, then glancing at Wanwan standing still beside him, unsure whether to go or stay.
The silence between the two lasted for a long time. Finally, he couldn't hold back any longer and tugged at her sleeve, as if reporting a secret, and said to her, "Recently, there has been flooding in Jiangnan. Lord Xiao... Lord Shen will be sent to Jiangnan to manage the floods. Lord Shen is currently enjoying great favor. If he goes there, he is very likely to be attacked."
The implication was that Wanwan should go with him. Cao Chengye didn't know what the point of such a report would be, but he was sure it would be accurate to report on Shen Yuheng's current situation.
These words did indeed rouse Wanwan a bit. She raised her sleeve, wiped the corners of her eyes, and wiped away the two bright tear tracks on her face. Her eyelashes were still wet, like a wronged little deer.
"Hmph!" Wanwan pouted, looking completely unconcerned, but her bloodshot eyes were filled with grievance and resentment. "So what if it's dangerous? What does it have to do with me!"
Even a small child pretending to be indifferent can look like she's just sulking. Cao Chengye easily saw through her little trick, sighed silently, walked to the corner of the wall to pick up the wooden hairpin that Wanwan had angrily thrown away, wiped the dust off it with his sleeve, and returned to Wanwan, who was still throwing a tantrum.
"I picked it up for you, you can't lose it again."
It was bent over, its head drooping, its expression unreadable.
"I don't want it." Wanwan twisted the hem of her clothes, her delicate fingers were red, she was really angry. "He deliberately refused to acknowledge me, I don't want his things."
Cao Chengye was a little embarrassed, but he took it upon himself to put the wooden hairpin in Wanwan's hair. Wanwan dodged for a moment, but still obediently let him put it in.
"Wanwan, this isn't the time to throw a tantrum. I've already told you about his situation. Whether he stays or goes is your decision." Cao Chengye deliberately spoke in a harsh tone, then turned and left the alley, leaving Wanwan still sulking.
Wanwan stood quietly for a while until it gradually got dark, then stomped her feet angrily and ran towards the Cao family's house.
She couldn't possibly ignore Xiao Qi's safety. If he wouldn't let her go, she would just secretly follow him.
When Cao Chengye saw Wanwan return, he knew she had made a decision, so he told her the date, route, and time for the flood control project without reservation.
The day of departure arrived in the blink of an eye. Wanwan carefully disguised herself, tying her long, flowing hair into a man's style, changing from a red dress into men's clothing, attaching a mustache to her mouth, and then carefully leaving the house.
She followed behind the group, her furtive manner almost attracting the attention of the people at the back of the line.
Fortunately, the several burly men behind her treated her like a young girl on her first long journey, and took good care of her along the way. When traveling by water, Wanwan managed to escape with great difficulty thanks to the care of these kind men.
Shen Yuheng's boat was not luxurious. He advocated frugality and his boat was not much different from his subordinates' boats. He sat on another boat and followed closely beside them.
Shen Yuheng stepped out of the cabin, stood at the bow, and looked into the distance. His white robes fluttered in the wind, his elegant eyebrows resembled distant mountains, and his dark eyes were like deep pools. The hint of sorrow between his brows added to his otherworldly aura.
A gentle breeze blew, ruffling the black hair by his ears; he was truly a refined and elegant gentleman, with a clear conscience and a bright future.
Wanwan was completely mesmerized by what she saw.
At this moment, Chu Ying, dressed in red, suddenly appeared with a cloak in her arms. She gently and considerately draped the cloak over Shen Yuheng's shoulders. Her slender fingers wrapped the ribbon around the cloak a few times, and the cloak was properly tied around Shen Yuheng's shoulders. The two looked very intimate.
"My lord, it's cold outside, let's go into the cabin." Chu Ying leaned closer to Shen Yuheng, who subtly avoided her, neither responding nor refusing.
In the midst of the tug-of-war, a violent explosion suddenly came from the bottom of Shen Yuheng's ship, shattering half of the hull. The earth-shattering roar caused tinnitus and headaches. Before anyone could react, the other ships also emitted one after another deafening roars.
The boats were overturned one after another, and the explosions created a mist that fell like a torrential downpour. People on the shore ran away immediately, and those on the boats fell into the water.
The explosions continued, and the water was violently blasted into huge waves. Many people were knocked unconscious by the waves. No one saw the assassin appear, and most people lost consciousness before they even had a chance to shout a word of defense.
The small, curved boat was also affected, but since her boat was different from the Shen family's boat, it was not destroyed.
In the midst of her busy schedule, she reached out and made a grasping motion in the air, and the waves around her small boat immediately calmed down, becoming so still that it didn't seem like she was in the same waters as everyone else.
Where is Xiao Qi?
Wanwan parted the mist, anxiously searching for Xiao Qi's figure in the waves.
The scene was chaotic, and a crimson liquid even surged onto the water's surface, gradually spreading in the waves. This was not a good sign, indicating that someone was injured.
Xiao Qi was nowhere to be seen on the shattered ship, nor was he among the crowd clinging to the wreckage in the thick white fog.
Wanwan saw Chu Ying's red figure, but she didn't see the white figure she had been longing for day and night.
He has most likely fallen into the water and lost consciousness.
Wanwan made the worst judgment in her mind: he was the target of the attack and should be the most dangerous.
Without thinking, Wanwan plunged into the water. The visibility was very low, and a faint red hue filled the air. Wanwan calmed down, transformed into a fish tail, and searched the bottom of the water.
The deeper they went, the darker it became. The places where the sunlight couldn't reach were especially cold and gloomy. Thanks to her mermaid instincts, Wanwan never miscalculated the direction she was looking for Xiao Qi.
Before long, Wanwan spotted a familiar shadow in the dark depths of the water.
With a powerful flick of her tail, she shot forward like an arrow and quickly caught up with the shadow.
It was Xiao Qi.
At this moment, his eyes were closed, and he had lost consciousness from the explosion. His disheveled black hair floated quietly by his ears like smooth black ribbons. There were still a few bubbles on his long eyelashes. Because there was no sunlight, his fair skin looked bluish. His white clothes spread out and slowly fell down, like a white-clad fairy who had been punished and fallen to the mortal world.
With her arms bent close to his side, she flicked her tail and grabbed one of his wrists, then turned and headed towards the water.
Carrying the burden of another person, coupled with the resistance of the deep water, made it difficult for Wanwan; she even had to use some force to grip Xiao Qi's hand.
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