Chapter 81

Qiao Chuchu, holding up her skirt, stepped onto the deck and gazed at the shimmering sea in the distance.

Pei Youchuan and Weisheng Wenzhan quietly climbed up to the upper deck, finding a corner where they could keep an eye on Qiao Chuchu.

Weisheng Huailing, agile as ever, climbed onto the railing and assumed a position where he could provide backup, cautiously scanning the surroundings.

He had just surveyed the area and noticed that, aside from his sneaky brother and Pei Youchuan tailing Qiao Chuchu, there was no one else around.

He had come here because his brother had been deliberately getting close to Qiao Chuchu, and he wanted to see what his brother was up to—whether he was trying to steal Qiao Chuchu away.

But the moment he boarded the ship, he heard Qiao Chuchu say someone was trying to kill her.

Thank goodness he had come.

Pei Youchuan and Weisheng Wenzhan huddled together, sneaking glances at Qiao Chuchu’s back.

Pei Youchuan suddenly thought of something and glanced sideways at Wenzhan: “I thought you couldn’t hear her thoughts?”

Weisheng Wenzhan remained expressionless: “At this point, there’s no need to lie. Of course, if I hadn’t heard that someone was trying to kill Qiao Chuchu, I wouldn’t have admitted it.”

Pei Youchuan: “...You’re really honest.”

Weisheng Wenzhan snorted and looked at Qiao Chuchu: “I never expected her to be so emotionally stable in a crisis, given how delicate she looks. I thought Qiao Chuchu, having been spoiled by you all these years, would burst into tears at the first sign of trouble and come running to you for help.”

Pei Youchuan fell silent, his gaze fixed on Qiao Chuchu under the moonlight.

She stood on the deck, holding her skirt, her expression serious, as if she were about to step onto a battlefield.

His heart suddenly felt heavy: “Qiao Chuchu has always been someone with an incredibly strong inner core. She handles a lot of things on her own, as if it’s second nature to her.”

Weisheng Wenzhan looked at the young woman under the moonlight, finding it hard to imagine: “Like what?”

Pei Youchuan’s eyes flickered with a hint of pain and affection he hadn’t even noticed: “After our parents died, our entire family was bullied at school. Even the dogs would pick on us. We fought back, but it didn’t help much. Guess what Qiao Chuchu did?”

Weisheng Wenzhan: “? What did she do?”

“She collected a bunch of dog poop, mixed it with dirt, filled a backpack with it, and threw it in the faces of the bullies!”

Pei Youchuan recounted the story vividly, unable to suppress a laugh at the memory: “When the principal scolded her, she pulled out a handful of the poop-dirt mixture and smeared it on his face. When the dean came to reprimand her, she pulled out a water gun and squirted him with dirty water.”

Weisheng Wenzhan’s eyes widened, and he couldn’t help but chuckle: “Did it work?”

Pei Youchuan nodded, holding back laughter: “Oh, it worked. The bullying did decrease because, even though Qiao Chuchu couldn’t beat them physically, she was incredibly cunning and her methods were... well, literally dirty.”

Weisheng Wenzhan’s lips twitched into a smile: “Didn’t she find it disgusting?”

“Of course she did.” Pei Youchuan was struggling to keep a straight face: “But she said as long as she got the result she wanted, she didn’t care. She’d come home covered in wounds, not shedding a tear, and just hole up in her room to refine her ‘dirty arsenal.’”

Weisheng Wenzhan couldn’t help but laugh at the thought: “You must have really liked her back then.”

Pei Youchuan: “...”

Liked her? That was an understatement.

After their parents’ death, their lives had plunged from heaven into hell.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

All the household staff had been let go.

They didn’t know how to do anything.

Qiao Chuchu, who taught them how to cook, how to take care of themselves when they were sick, who chased bullies with a bag of live earthworms and tossed cockroaches into their clothes, was their sun.

She never shed a tear in front of outsiders, but when she argued with them, she’d cry uncontrollably.

They always got to see her most vulnerable side.

The more Pei Youchuan thought about it, the worse he felt.

He was starting to feel like he had wronged Qiao Chuchu.

So what if she had tried to take a step forward? So what if she had embarrassed him in front of a client, costing him billions? So what if she was greedy, wanting not just one man but all seven brothers to be with her?

How could those wounds overshadow the time they had spent relying on each other?

Pei Youchuan’s expression grew increasingly solemn as he looked at Qiao Chuchu’s sorrowful profile.

Qiao Chuchu sighed softly: 【What a beautiful scene.】

She mused to herself: 【The sea, a luxury cruise ship, a designer dress, the sea breeze—if this were a movie, I’d be waiting for my male lead. Instead, I’m waiting for a murderer.】

Weisheng Wenzhan narrowed his eyes: “She seems much more melancholic than you described earlier.”

Pei Youchuan pursed his lips in frustration: “Maybe it’s because of the trauma she’s endured over the years that she’s so sad now.”

Weisheng Wenzhan nodded in agreement: “She’s still just a young girl. It’s normal for her to be scared.”

Pei Youchuan’s tone darkened: “I’m the strongest fighter in our family. I’ll be the first to rush in and protect her.”

Meanwhile, Weisheng Huailing stared at Qiao Chuchu’s back, wishing he could send her his thoughts.

Qiao Chuchu, you don’t have to be afraid. I’ll rush in to protect you!

Three pairs of eyes lurked in the shadows, watching Qiao Chuchu bathed in moonlight.

But Qiao Chuchu pulled a golf club from her chest and grinned wickedly: 【But it’s fine. Whether it’s the male lead or a murderer, it’s all the same. If it’s the male lead, I’ll have a heart-to-heart with him. If it’s a murderer, I’ll knock him out with one swing! Hahahahaha!】

Pei Youchuan: “...”

Weisheng Wenzhan: “...”

Weisheng Huailing: “...”

Qiao Chuchu gripped the golf club, her ears pricked for any sound.

A faint door closing echoed in the distance.

Qiao Chuchu’s heart tightened as she gripped the handle: 【He’s here!】

The three men tensed up immediately.

Very light footsteps approached, getting closer and closer.

Just as they were about to reach Qiao Chuchu, she spun around and swung the club: “Take this!”

The man thudded to the floor: “Ah!”

As he tried to get up, Qiao Chuchu zapped him with a stun gun: “Ha!!”

The man’s body went limp, convulsing on the ground!

Qiao Chuchu pounced on him, hoisted him up, and sprinted toward the railing, hurling him overboard: “Ora!!”

The man splashed into the water: “Aaaaaah!!!”

The entire sequence was executed flawlessly.

Weisheng Huailing: “...”

Pei Youchuan, who had been about to intervene: “...”

Weisheng Wenzhan, checking the time: “Wow, that didn’t even take a minute.”

They all stood frozen, watching Qiao Chuchu lean on the railing like a queen, looking down at the man with a smirk: “Come on! Pop your head out of the water and let me see what you’re made of!”

The man in the water struggled to surface, his face pale from the cold: “Help—uh—help!!”

Qiao Chuchu squinted, then gasped in surprise: “Qiao Qihang?”

Qiao Qihang was Qiao Yue’s father.

The person trying to kill her was Qiao Yue’s father?

She nimbly flipped onto the railing, sitting on it with a look of surprise: “So it’s you. I thought it was Ji Yanchuan trying to kill me.”

Qiao Qihang flailed in the water, struggling: “I’m going to die! It’s too cold!!”

Qiao Chuchu shrugged, lounging on the railing: “Don’t worry. In a little while, your legs will cramp, and you’ll drown. No one will even know you’re gone.”

Qiao Qihang didn’t respond.

He was already choking on water: “Help—help! I can’t—my legs are cramping!!”

Qiao Chuchu watched him with a smile of satisfaction: “If you’re going to try to kill someone, you should first experience what it’s like to be killed. Don’t you think, Qiao Qihang?”

【Feel what it’s like to be unable to save yourself, to grasp at nothing, your lungs burning with pain, the cold and fear intertwining as you sink to the darkest depths of the ocean with your heavy body.】