In the magnificent cruise ship, Wen Shi's mind was originally looking for Pei Hongxin and his wife. When he noticed something was wrong, he covered his mouth and coughed lightly, and quickly asked: "Why does uncle look at me like that?"
Ji Yuanzhi could probably guess the reason, but he didn't say it. He just said, "I'm old, and my presbyopia makes me look like this to everyone."
In fact, Ji's father is not very old, and he and his son look very similar, except that Ji Yuanzhi's father is a little colder and harder.
Before Ji Yuanzhi had time to talk to his family, the young man's parents looked back with a smile: "Pei Hongxin is here."
Wen Shi's eyes darkened, and he looked towards the place where the crowd was the most turbulent.
Pei Hongxin has a good reputation in the business world and is popular with people. He is always the focus whenever he appears. Like Ji Yuanzhi, he always brings bodyguards with him no matter where he appears.
Wei Yue wore a black retro dress today, holding Pei Hongxin's arm all the way. She didn't wear too many accessories, except for a pair of jade earrings and a red Nanhong bracelet on her left hand.
As soon as the two appeared, they became the focus of everyone's attention, and many people came over to say hello.
As a bystander, Wen Shi lowered his eyes and smiled silently. It was said that the Nanhong bracelet could bring wealth and fortune, so the jade-carved leopard would probably suit their tastes as well.
Ji Yuanzhi: "Do you want to show up now?"
Wen Shi nodded and was about to walk over when a hand stopped him.
"What's the hurry?" Father Ji said, "The chef we hired today is very skilled. It's windy on the deck, so why don't you go inside and eat for a while."
Because he took the initiative to talk to Wen Shi and his tone was not very harsh, people around him couldn't help but look at Wen Shi a little more.
Although he was not clear about the other party's intentions, Wen Shi still chose to listen to the advice and go into the cruise ship.
Pei Hongxin, who was talking to someone in front, only saw a tall black figure passing through the crowd. Suddenly, he felt a strange yet familiar feeling. However, when he wanted to take a closer look, the figure had disappeared.
The cocktail party was centered around wine, and many of the decorations tonight used upside-down cups as works of art for display. Waiters walked back and forth, and trays with different wine glasses were placed on them for the guests' convenience.
Wen Shi picked up a glass of champagne and ate it with strawberries.
When Pei Hongxin came in, he stood behind a champagne tower.
Putting aside the moral perspective, Pei Hongxin, as a middle-aged man, has the perfect combination of domineering and elegant temperament. After a simple social interaction outside, he walked into the yacht with a smile on his face.
Walking all the way to the makeshift stage, Pei Hongxin raised his glass and said a few polite words: "Thank you all for taking the time out of your busy schedule to come here for a gathering."
Wen Shi didn't listen carefully to the rest of the conversation. When he had almost finished showing off half a plate of strawberries, a few people pushed a small cart and solemnly transported something to the stage.
Although it was covered with a layer of cloth, everyone knew that there was a bottle of wine underneath, which was also the only item to be auctioned tonight.
It was the first time that Wen Shi saw a wine bottle inlaid with diamonds and gold-plated. The moment the black cloth was lifted, he was almost dazzled by the single-cut diamonds on it.
Pei Hongxin focused on introducing the bottle of wine, calling it the most perfect natural brandy in the world. When he held up the bottle to show it, Ji's father, who had just come in, winked at Wen Shi, who understood and moved his wrist, causing the fruit plate next to him to fall to the ground.
The crisp sound of the plate hitting the ground attracted countless attention, and Pei Hongxin on the stage also looked over. Under the bright lights, the young man's smiling face overlapped with a face in his memory.
The smile on Pei Hongxin's face suddenly froze.
Beside him, Wei Yue's breathing became rapid, and her nails almost dug into her husband's flesh through his suit.
so similar.
This is a face that is almost enlarged in proportion to that child!
Wen Shiyaoyao raised a bottle of champagne towards the couple. Others thought he was apologizing for accidentally knocking over the fruit plate, but Pei Hongxin on the stage heard his heartbeat as violent as a drum.
A person who had made him sleepless for many years and whose subconscious kept telling him that he was dead, was now standing in front of him alive. Wen Shi was standing under a bright light, and the bright orange color was like the flames of a fire.
Pei Hongxin was so surprised that he lost his mind for a few seconds. The wine bottle in his hand fell to the ground with a "bang", and the noise it made on the wooden stage was much louder than the fruit plate just now.
No matter how expensive the diamond was, it could not prevent the bottle from shattering, and the brandy that he had just praised so highly spilled all over the floor.
"husband… "
"Shut up." Pei Hongxin tried hard to suppress the trembling in his voice. He controlled his expression and smoothed things over in time: "I'm sorry to have embarrassed you all. Not long ago, I was almost scratched by a stray bullet when I was inspecting a project abroad. Now when I hear this kind of sudden noise, I tend to overreact."
A business partner who had a better relationship with him made a few jokes, and the waiter came over in time to clean the table, and the episode was about to be over.
However, there are always some shrewd people, especially some older people, who look at Wen Shi for a few more seconds and always feel that they have seen him somewhere before.
Wen Shi put down his wine glass and sighed that Ji Yuanzhi's father was the one who picked the right time to waste Pei Hongxin's bottle of wine and make him look bad in public. All the guests tonight were gathered together. It was possible that someone would think of the photo published in the newspaper through him and then connect it to the accident many years ago. Pei Hongxin might not be able to sleep well.
In the second half of the cocktail party, Pei Hongxin completely forgot his original purpose and forced himself not to look at Wen Shi in order to avoid attracting excessive attention.
He now hoped that the other party would come over and say a few words, so that he could at least have a chance to test the waters.
However, Wen Shi did not do as he wished. Apart from occasionally hanging around Pei Hongxin to create mental panic, he did not make any unnecessary moves.
The cocktail party lasted until midnight, and Wen Shi left half an hour early.
As the organizer, Pei Hongxin stayed till the last minute. Many drunk guests stayed in the cabins on the cruise ship tonight. Wei Yue pulled him to the bow in time, and it seemed that his heartbeat had not yet recovered.
"Hurry up and ask someone to check the identity of the young man just now. I'm going to check the surveillance now to see who he came with."
Pei Hongxin waved his hand: "These are not the main points. If it is really that child, he will definitely come prepared."
Wei Yue frowned: "You mean..."
"Anyway, we were already planning to move overseas, and once our nationality change application was approved, it would be difficult to trace us back once we were gone."
Wei Yue somewhat disagreed. According to the original plan, they would have to stay for at least another one or two years to gradually expand overseas markets. If they withdrew hastily, they would lose a lot of profits.
"There is no evidence that the incident has anything to do with us, and he couldn't possibly know..."
Pei Hongxin held onto the railing and interrupted her for the second time: "Don't be lucky."
The money they earned would be more than they could spend in their lifetime, and the domestic market was almost saturated. Pei Hongxin didn't want to live in fear while guarding a mountain of gold.
Wei Yue wanted to say something else, but Pei Hongxin glanced at her and Wei Yue pursed her lips. Soon, footsteps were heard from behind, and a man with a flattering smile walked over.
"Boss Pei." He handed over a box: "This is just a small gift. Thank you for your support to our company over the years."
Pei Hongxin's company purchased many of its equipment from the visitor. When he took the box and opened it, a lifelike leopard appeared before his eyes.
"I found a master to consecrate it, and kept it in the temple for a while." The visitor smiled and said, "It can protect wealth and safety."
What happened tonight was too evil. The last sentence just touched Pei Hongxin's heart. He didn't think much about it and accepted the gift box: "You are thoughtful."
The moonlight is particularly gentle.
Wen Shi was originally planning to return to the virtual world directly, but was invited by Ji Yuanzhi's father to visit.
There are many hotels owned by his family in Tianhai City. He had only eaten some fruit at the previous cocktail party, and now he needed a midnight snack to sustain his life.
Father Ji didn't say much, but it didn't make the conversation dull. It wasn't until Wen Shi finished his meal that he made a few remarks: "Sometimes a person's reputation can be ruined without evidence, but sometimes the evidence is sufficient and the sentence is only a few years."
Wen Shi nodded: "Don't worry, I know what's going on."
Father Ji nodded: "It's good that you understand. For a savvy entrepreneur, bankruptcy does not mean the end."
Father Ji has a meeting tomorrow and is going back to the neighboring city. Before leaving, he stopped the two from seeing him off and reminded Wen Shi, "The weakest part of a snake should be saved for the one closest to it."
If there is really someone who can put Pei Hongxin to death, it must be Wei Yue, not Wen Shi.
The driver drove Ji's father away. Ji Yuanzhi took a sip of tea and said, "He may have drunk too much today and is a bit long-winded. Don't mind it."
Wen Shi shook his head: "I am very grateful to my uncle."
If there are no games, no matter how you deal with it, it will easily become a thorn in your heart.
Ji Yuanzhi said calmly: "Once Pei Hongxin enters the dungeon, it will be easy for you to do whatever you want. As long as you pay the points, someone will help you torture him to death."
Wen Shi stared at the ripples in the teacup: "That's it."
However, those people who could be hired with points were almost the same group of people who he wanted to torture him and extract information from when he first went out of the dungeon. Wen felt nauseous when dealing with them, and it was easy to get into trouble.
Assuming Pei Hongxin died randomly due to a rule, he would feel that it was too easy for the other party, and he would inevitably feel depressed.
As if he could see a trace of annoyance between Wen Shi's brows, Ji Yuanzhi suddenly asked: "Do you remember how we went to the copy of "Crazy Love Season"?"
Wen Shi raised his eyes and said, "Buy a theme with a ghost marriage scene."
Ji Yuanzhi: "With Pei Hongxin's ability, his chances of survival in his first game are very high. After that, you only need to buy a copy with a ghost story scene as his grave."
Wen Shi didn't know much about this area and asked for advice humbly.
Ji Yuanzhi smiled and said, "This is the type of dungeon that players fear the most. Legend has it that once you die in a ghost story dungeon, your soul will be imprisoned."
When Wen Shi heard this, he remembered the four people holding candles in the mirror room. The dead players seemed to be trapped in the mirror forever.
"Not a bad idea." He smiled again. After all, it was not difficult to trick people into forming a team to enter the dungeon.
Wen Shi: "Return to the virtual world?"
There are many players who want to attack him in reality, and there is also Pei Hongxin who needs to be guarded against. The virtual world is safer.
Ji Yuanzhi nodded: "It's time for me to go to the dungeon, wanna join me?"
Wen Shi: "My next plan should have been booked. I'm going to the Mermaid Coast, but I need a ticket, so I may not be able to form a team."
Ji Yuanzhi was just asking casually, but when he heard this, his interest grew slightly stronger: "That's not a problem. I have an advanced team-building tool that can do it."
Wen Shi discovered that he seemed very interested in this book.
Ji Yuanzhi said frankly: "It will be easier to deal with copies of given elements. Doing a good job of legend research in advance and purchasing corresponding props are all coping strategies."
Wen Shi's eyes lit up: "That's great, let's go in together."
He can also take advantage of Ji Yuanzhi's investigation results.
In order to facilitate the other party to collect information, Wen Shi took the initiative to provide a clue: "The NPC in the previous copy mentioned the Mermaid King, saying that getting close to him would bring misfortune."
Ji Yuanzhi did not get nervous when he heard a title similar to boss. He said calmly: "It's okay. You can fight head-on in this regard."
All the NPCs close to Pei Wenwei also suffered great disasters.
"… "
After exchanging information, the two tore open the passes and returned to the virtual world.
Wherever you start from, that is where you will end up when you return.
Wen Shi appeared out of nowhere in the hotel room. Song Yan was so frightened that he almost couldn't help but turn into a mirror again.
Wen Shi, who was originally embarrassed about scaring people, laughed out loud in an unkind way as he saw him acting like a frightened little white mouse.
Song Yan had soft facial lines and low features, which made him look like a baby. He was holding a philosophy book in his hand and there were several thick books piled around him.
Wen Shi glanced at the title of the book: "Looking Straight into the Sun - Conquering the Fear of Death".
He always felt that this true spirit incarnation was taking a strange route of advancement.
Shaking his head, Wen Shi walked to the inner room of the guest room and took out the two tickets. The lake blue color was a mixture of warmth and cruelty.
He wondered what to feed the little octopus.
The system's prompt sound came without warning:
"Would you like to spend ten points to mail the ticket?"
“…” It can be seen that the game is also short of money.
However, the shadow of the scarecrow disappeared on the K9999 train. This ticket was somewhat related to Jian Qingrong, so it was normal to mail it. Wen Shi did not hesitate to use the ten points and chose to send it.
"I'll give you another ten points. Can you help me bring another small card?"
·
Nursing home, information room.
The round table had been wiped clean and was filled with snacks of various colors.
The waiting time was a bit long, and the pastries began to harden slightly. A thin and slender figure sat quietly in the shadow. He had been waiting for a whole day, and only got up to clean the table after the midnight bell rang.
"No..." the man muttered in the darkness.
There was no afternoon tea today.
The snacks on the table were taken away one by one, and when Jian Qingrong turned around for the last time, a greeting card appeared on the round table.
He opened it casually, and a train ticket fell out and landed lightly at his feet.
Attracted by the familiar handwriting, Jian Qingrong first looked at the content on the card. He recognized it was written by Wen Shi at a glance. When the other party helped him rewrite the file, it was also in the same handwriting. Jian Qingrong occasionally copied Wen Shi's handwriting to pass the time when he was free late at night.
There was only one sentence on the card:
[Let’s go see the mermaids together.]
At the end, I drew a simple sketch of a black cat poking its head out, and its big cat eyes seemed like they would blink at any time.
A smile slowly appeared on the pale face. Jian Qingrong looked at the cat's head and said softly in the dark and empty space: "Okay."
(End of this chapter)