Case Files Chapter 76: Fright Aboard the Cruise Ship (10)

Translated by Vivian of Exiled Rebels Scanlations

Editor: Addis

 

The weather was warming, and no one stayed in their rooms anymore. The lunch buffet was moved to the deck so everyone could eat as they enjoyed the sea view.

“Miss Mu, are you still in school?” Fang Mo was holding a plate as he walked towards Mu QianHe, who was listening in on other people’s conversations.

“Do I look that immature?”

“You don’t look immature, you look youthful, energetic, and cute.”

Mu QianHe covered her smile. “Mr. Fang, you sure know how to flatter ladies. I graduated a long time ago, I’m already almost in my thirties.”

“You’re exaggerating.” Fang Mo dropped this topic and switched to asking, “The Lu family seem to be very close with you, I’m quite envious of your family relationships.” His tone was a little self-ridiculing.

“They’re all men and I’m a woman, so it’s natural that they look after me a little more.”

“I saw that you came with Third Young Master Lu, are you also in the fashion and design industry like him?”

Mu QianHe shook her head. “Unfortunately, I don’t have the taste nor the ambition for fashion, I only want to stay at home and read books, write things, and be a bookworm.”

“Not everyone is qualified to be a bookworm. Second Young Master Lu is a professor at such a young age, and he’s renowned worldwide. I heard he often goes abroad to give lectures,” Fang Mo said admiringly.

“Ah, now you’re the one exaggerating. Let me tell you a secret, my cousin is actually very lazy, and he doesn’t like to do research at all. He occasionally goes abroad to attend seminars, but he doesn’t like doing so. Give lectures? Who would invite him?” Mu QianHe winked.

“Haha, how could you betray your own cousin like this, wouldn’t it be bad if he finds out?”

“He wouldn’t dare to do anything to me.”

“He’s very pampering indeed.”

Mu QianHe nodded proudly.

After Fang Mo left, Qin Xiao walked over. “Hey, he inquired so much about you, his intentions are a little too obvious.”

“He didn’t inquire about me, he inquired about the Lu family.”

“He wanted to see how close your family and the Lu family is, maybe to see how much he can gain if he married you?” teased Qin Xiao.

“Then he should clean himself before asking.” Mu QianHe rolled her eyes.

“Hey, don’t think about ruining the Lu family’s happiness.”

Guan Jin, who was watching them from afar, sipped some wine, frowned, and put it down.

“Nectarine juice, freshly squeezed, I mixed in a little whiskey.” Lu YunYang handed him a glass.

“It doesn’t look that good,” scorned Guan Jin.

“It’s good in that there are no artificial additives.”

Guan Jin took it and glanced at him. “How do you know I like to drink this.”

“Because there’s a row of Bacardi Breezers in your refrigerator.” Lu YunYang smiled. “When I saw them at the time, I just knew that the person who likes to drink this type of fruity wine must be very cute.”

“Are you being sarcastic about how low my alcohol tolerance is and that I like to drink these sour and sweet things?” Guan Jin recalled the sad reality of how he had gotten drunk after drinking only a tiny bit of wine before.

“Who said having a high alcohol tolerance is worthy of praise? You always misinterpret my meaning.”

“Don’t pretend to be so innocent. Anyway, don’t you think that Fang Mo strikes up conversations with every woman, yet he’s only not interested in Elena?” Guan Jin said in a low voice.

“That’s because Elena is the only ordinary woman out of these, and she doesn’t have an impressive family background, so there’s no use for him. Fang Mo only cares about gaining advantages for himself.”

“Also, Dong Chong and Tian QingLin are always chasing after women like Elena, and they occasionally drool over Qin Se and QianHe, yet they don’t talk to Fang Lin or Jiang LingXuan, and they even avert their gazes. Their statuses aren’t bad, so why don’t they chase after them, too?”

“Your observations are very thorough.”

“No duh, do you think I boarded this ship to go sightseeing?”

“If only you did. I think that Dong Chong and Tian QingLin might have some history with Fang Lin and Jiang LingXuan, and it’s not necessarily a relationship issue. They’re not interested in these two women, or rather, they even avoid them,” said Lu YunYang as he picked up a big cherry and brought it to Guan Jin’s mouth.

Guan Jin subconsciously bit down before he realized what he was doing. He pretended as if nothing had happened, and he chewed the cherry as he continued, “Tao Yu always stays away from the crowd, and he doesn’t even look at those people. Does he look down on them or is he cynical?”

“He’s preoccupied and has a lot of thoughts. He doesn’t seem to prefer being alone because he’s timid or disdainful. Instead, he doesn’t care at all. He lives in his own shell, isolated from the world. Judging from his behavior and speech, he’s probably received good education, comes from a good family, and has had a smooth and ideal life,” analyzed Lu YunYang.

“Are you making this up?” Guan Jin looked at him suspiciously.

“You don’t have any basis for saying this, and based on the past, my analyses are usually pretty reliable.”

“You’re tooting your own horn…”

“Tao Yu’s scarf and cardigan is well-made and high-quality, so it probably came from a luxury brand. However, the style was trendy the year before last, which means it’s quite old, and the quality of his trousers is just so-so. He’s rich enough to buy this type of clothes, yet he’s worn it for over two years, and his outfit doesn’t really match. Clearly, he used to be in a good financial situation, but it’s gotten worse now. YunChi said that he knows French, and he is very knowledgeable about the etiquette for cocktail parties. He is also very particular about his meals, which shows that he’s received good education. However, he has clearly recently experienced misfortune and became a little-known singer that mixes with bars, and his personality has become dismal. He had smooth sailing before, but it’s hard for a person who’s always lived an ideal life to recover from a major setback.”

Guan Jin nodded offhandedly and looked up.

Duke Canterbury was standing at the railing on the third floor, unmoving, as if he was looking over his own territory, indifferent and haughty.

“I really want to throw this durian at him.” Guan Jin looked unhappy.

“Darling, your violent tendencies are improving. I thought you were going to say that you wanted to throw a grenade at him.” Lu YunYang also looked at the person above them.

“If I had one, I would definitely throw it.” Guan Jin’s gaze instantly became a little hazy; this person was on the top of his suspect list.

“Don’t forget what you promised me.” Lu YunYang suddenly turned to stare at him.

“Hey, why are you so nagging? I got amnesia, not short-term memory loss!”

“Yes, our Little Jin has photographic memory.” Lu YunYang immediately grinned and buttered him up.

Tsk, his mood swings are faster than turning the pages of a book, and he’s even harder to figure out than women. Guan Jin began to feel that perhaps acquiescing in this person entering his world wasn’t very wise… 

“Is Wang XuTong close with your brother?” Guan Jin suddenly asked.

“Mn.”

“So you understand him?”

“He doesn’t have mixed blood, his background is very clean, and he’s a genuine gentleman. You don’t need to suspect him.”

“I don’t need to suspect… Right, since there’s no way of confirming anything, I’ll just use the process of elimination. I can eliminate Wang XuTong. As for women… I just can’t imagine Hermes being a woman,” said Guan Jin.

“You never know. It’s not like you understand Hermes’s behavior, so it’s very hard to judge.”

“Then it’s hard to eliminate anyone else.”

“I know the Fang family. Their ancestors are all businessmen, and Fang Sen is the eldest son, so he doesn’t have mixed blood. As for his sister, it’s even less likely, since she’s a typical rich woman, and she goes to parties and balls everyday,” said Lu YunYang.

“Do you know a lot about the private affairs of the rich?” Guan Jin raised an eyebrow.

“People in the upper class can’t hide any secrets. They all live a carefree life, and they entertain themselves by talking about others.”

“You’re saying that as if it has nothing to do with you.” Guan Jin rolled his eyes.

“I broke away from that group a long time ago.” Lu YunYang spread his hands. “No one’s interested in gossiping about me, so you don’t need to feel pressured.”

“What pressure?”

“Actually, my parents are also very nice, and they’re not the rich parents you would imagine,” Lu YunYang continued to explain earnestly.

“What does them being nice or not have to do with me? And, I’ve never imagined them!” Guan Jin was a little scared. What did he mean, how come he would bring up his parents. Could it be… Lu YunYang wanted to introduce him to his parents?! Ridiculous!

“I’m full! Stop bothering me!” Guan Jin took a plate of cherries and began walking to the second floor.

“Eating too many cherries will cause inflammation.”

“None of your business!”

“Brother, you need to quit while you’re ahead.” Lu YunChi walked over to him.

Lu YunYang turned around, and the last hint of a smile on his face disappeared. “I’m not ahead at all, how could I quit?”

Lu YunChi patted his brother’s shoulder helplessly. “You still have a long way to go, but I believe in you!”

*****

After doing things alone for so many years, Guan Jin had never imagined that someone would be so adamant in forcing themself into his life; he could resist, but he couldn’t reject. Only then did Guan Jin realize that he was persuaded by reason and wasn’t cowed by force, and had been latched onto by a clingy man. Now, his strong desire for revenge was falling into pieces because of this person who appeared frequently. Guan Jin began to regret the opportunity he had chosen. Could they really have a future together? No matter what, he couldn’t imagine spending the rest of his life insipidly with a man, but in that case, it seemed that their interactions were all for nothing. However, Guan Jin didn’t intend on being a coward; he clearly cared, so pretending to be tough and ruthless was too foolish. This dilemma kept clawing his heart, and it really made him want to bang his head against the wall!

Just like right now, Guan Jin had finally calmed himself down and was considering the current situation and his next move, but that annoying person had come to make trouble again, insisting on taking him to the top deck to enjoy the moonlight. What an idiot, the sea is foggy today, how can I see the moonlight?

When they arrived at the fourth floor, Guan Jin discovered that Lu YunYang wasn’t the only idiot; most of the people were gathered here, either chatting or lounging on the beach chairs. The weather was getting warmer, so even the nights weren’t cold anymore.

“Why didn’t you come eat dinner tonight?” Min Yan walked over to start a conversation.

Guan Jin said indifferently, “I wasn’t hungry.”

“You’re also seasick?”

“Do you think everyone’s as delicate as you?”

“Haha, don’t lash out so much. Even with Lu YunYang in the picture, you don’t have to refuse my kindness. However, what I don’t understand is, what am I worse at when compared to him?” Min Yan looked at Lu YunYang, who had been stopped by Qin Xiao and Mu QianHe, since they wanted to talk to him.

“Compare? What are you comparing?” asked Guan Jin.

“Comparing our appeal towards you.” Min Yan gracefully leaned against the railing.

Guan Jin widened his eyes. “The things between me and him are our own business. What does this have to do with you?”

Min Yan smiled bitterly. “So it turns out I can’t even be considered an opponent, I really have failed. I even thought you were interested in me before, no?”

Hmph, I was. I was very interested in your family’s business, Guan Jin thought to himself.

“You may not believe it, but I don’t like traveling on cruises. However, when I heard that Lu YunYang was coming, I thought that he wouldn’t let go of this opportunity to bring you along. Thus, even though I get seasick easily, I still wanted to seize this opportunity to get closer to you.” Min Yan gazed at Guan Jin intently.

No way…

“Mr. Min, being a romantic doesn’t suit you. Eating too much motion sickness medicine isn’t good, it affects the brain.” Guan Jin didn’t express his sympathy at all.

“President Min, seeing as you get seasick easily, it would be better for you to go back and rest. The fourth floor is quite tall, so it’s even easier to get seasick,” Lu YunYang said coldly.

Min Yan looked at him and then at Guan Jin, shook his head helplessly, and went by himself to the other side of the deck.

“My competitors really are everywhere.” Lu YunYang rubbed his chin.

“Don’t think that everyone is as stubborn as you, setting their eye on one man and not letting go.” Guan Jin glanced at him. “If Min Yan really felt this way, would he have waited this long to make a move? He’s just being the player he is. Right, this is called obsessive-compulsive disorder and narcissism.”

“Exactly, he has personality disorders,” Lu YunYang firmly agreed.

When Guan Jin walked away to get a drink, Lu YunYang looked back at Min Yan, who seemed to be lost in thought. That guy…

*****

“LingXuan, Mr. Wang is so considerate to you. You wanted to eat some dessert from home, so he personally went to the kitchen to tell the chefs how to make it.” Mrs. Fang sighed.

Jiang LingXuan looked down and blushed. “I just said it offhandedly, I didn’t expect he would—— Now I seem spoiled.”

“This is a blessing,” remarked Mu QianHe.

“Did you hear that? Look at them!” Qin Se pinched Lu YunChi’s arm.

“Yes, yes, I’ll definitely strive to be an all-around great man.”

“He still hasn’t come up yet, let me go take a look.” Jiang LingXuan walked off, a little embarrassed.

*****

Everything was peaceful, as soothing as the light bob of the waves. Guan Jin felt a little discouraged, and everything in front of him became fuzzier, just like the foggy ocean.

He listened to Lu YunYang chatter about nothing for a while, and he got up, wanting to leave.

Boom! A thunderous sound made everyone freeze.

“What exploded——” Before Fang Sen could finish, he saw a streak of light shoot into the sky and with another boom, it dispersed and crackled dazzlingly.

 

“Damn, are those unlicensed fireworks?” exclaimed Lu YunYang as he watched the fireworks in the sky that exploded one after another.