Tan Ge returned to the room after a while to see Su Xi-er resting on the bed with her head cradled against her palm. She seemed to be lost in thought while resting.
Tan Ge walked towards her bed, clutching the tiny packet of powder in her sleeves tightly. She had decided to drug Su Xi-er when they arrived in Dongling, despite understanding that Shi Mo was using her. The benefits of Su Xi-er losing her memory were too great a temptation for her to ignore.
While Tan Ge was lost in her own thoughts, she was startled by Su Xi-er’s eyes flickering open.
Su Xi-er looked up and asked, “What’s wrong? You look like you did something wrong.”
Tan Ge managed to calm herself down very quickly. “I was thinking about something. You scared me when you suddenly opened your eyes.”
“Oh? What were you thinking about? How to escape? Or how to harm others?” Su Xi-er asked as she sat up.
“Hmph. In your eyes, all I know is how to harm others.” Tan Ge smirked as she lay on her bed and shut her eyes, unwilling to engage in any further conversation.
The room remained silent until night fell, and only the sound of waves could be heard.
Su Xi-er looked out the window, listening to the waves as she rested on the pillow. She couldn’t help but think about Pei Qianhao after not seeing each other for such a long time.
Where is he now? Is he on another boat? Is he coming for me?
She thought about her older brother, Du Ling, whom she had just acknowledged. Even though they parted after just a few words, she could tell that Du Ling’s character was rather similar to that of Pei Qianhao’s.
Though Tan Ge had her eyes shut, she was not asleep. She felt empty, like she had nothing and no one else to rely on. She missed her younger days when everyone would shower her with love, but now, memories of the Tan Residence came with nothing but sorrow and pain.
Who would have thought that I would end up like this one day? Tan Ge turned and got up, her fists clenched around what she felt to be her only hope now: the tiny packet in her sleeves.
How vexing that Su Xi-er was right; I can only think about harming others.
Both of them drifted slowly into sleep, but their rest was disturbed by the boat’s sudden rocking. It was like a tiny leaf floating perilously on the ocean’s surface as enormous waves threatened to capsize it. The beds started creaking, and the teacups that were on the table shattered as they hit the ground.
Shouting could be heard from outside. “Huge waves are coming. Everyone, get ready to steady the helm and the sails! Move it!”
“Get everyone on deck. Those in the rooms will be trapped if we capsize!” The man on deck yelled in a hurried manner; it was clear that the situation was dire.
Su Xi-er and Tan Ge left the room quickly and held onto the gunwale to steady themselves.
The wind was getting fiercer, and the waves stronger as dark clouds obscured the moon. The boat was thrown violently back and forth, tipping on its side as Su Xi-er and Tan Ge held on for dear life, feeling as if the apocalypse had come.
Shi Mo was at the helm while many of the crew climbed onto the mast to adjust the sails which had been whipped into disarray by the wind.
The seawater splashed on deck, chilling Su Xi-er to the bone as it drenched her from head to toe. Tan Ge was also shivering as the fierce winds buffeted them, her hands turning red from the cold as she held onto the boat.
Su Xi-er watched the fear and anxiety on Tan Ge’s face and realised that she had been wrong about the latter.
Tan Ge was not someone who feared death, but it’s now the exact opposite.
“Su Xi-er, wouldn’t it be funny if the both of us died here?” Tan Ge’s miserably soaked state appeared in Su Xi-er’s eyes.
