Kong Wenyu was the first to withdraw his gaze and signaled to Ao Yongwang. “Your turn.”
Ao Yongwang realized he was referring to the cards. After a brief hesitation, he tossed his hand away. “Fold.”
The dealer continued dealing. When it came to Di Xun, he glanced at his cards and pushed out ten chips.
Kong Wenyu looked at his own cards, then raised to forty chips.
Yu Jiatuo glanced at him, tossed his cards aside. “I’m out.”
All three cards had now been dealt. The dealer moved the chips to the center of the table.
Di Xun looked at him with interest. “You’re not bluffing me, are you?”
Kong Wenyu didn’t confirm or deny, pressing a finger against his cards. “Take a guess.”
Di Xun hesitated for a few seconds between calling the forty chips to see the showdown and folding directly. Then he pushed the chips forward. “Let’s find out.”
He turned over his cards: a pair of sixes with a three.
Kong Wenyu smiled slightly, didn’t reveal his cards, and simply tossed them aside. “You win.”
Di Xun reached over, flipped Kong Wenyu’s cards, and saw a 4, 6, and 7—not even a flush, just about the worst hand possible.
“Damn,” Di Xun muttered, “you’d bluff with trash like that? I knew you played dirty, but this dirty?”
The dealer pushed the chips toward Di Xun. Amid the clatter, Kong Wenyu said lightly, “It’s just a game.”
Di Xun laughed heartily, genuinely amused.
Hai Ming was still drinking at the side. He was holding up well, though his pace had slowed, while Yuan Laisheng’s cheeks were already flushed bright red from the alcohol.
Di Xun glanced over and said to Kong Wenyu, “That’s enough. A little drinking sets the mood. Drink until you’re senseless, and the night won’t be any fun. Don’t you agree?”
“You really know how to show pity,” Kong Wenyu replied with a small smirk, waving his hand dismissively.
Hai Ming finished the last glass and returned to his post.
Di Xun gave Yuan Laisheng a look. The latter pressed his lips together, then volunteered, “I’ll wait for Mr. Kong on the second floor.”
With that, he turned and left, his steps unsteady, clearly drunk.
By the door, Hai Ming lifted his eyes and looked at Nie Jun. Nie Jun remained silent, turned, and followed out.
Yuan Laisheng climbed to the second floor, found Kong Wenyu’s room, and was just about to push the door open when a cold voice came from behind him:
“Wait.”
He froze, narrowed his eyes, and looked toward the speaker.
Only a single row of colored lights illuminated the second-floor corridor, swaying uncertainly with the motion of the sea.
Nie Jun’s tall frame loomed in the shadows, his gaze cold and heavy.
“I need to conduct a check first,” he said, keeping his tone as businesslike as possible. “You can only go in if there’s no issue.”
The other man stared at him. “How do you check?”
“Take off your clothes.”
“Here?” Yuan Laisheng glanced at the open end of the corridor, almost amused.
Nie Jun gave a short “Mm.”
Yuan Laisheng locked eyes with him for a moment, then a faint smile tugged at the corner of his lips. His eyes, hazy with alcohol, glinted. “A bodyguard? Back when my Yuan family hadn’t fallen, Kong Wenyu was nothing more than a spoiled second-generation rich kid who only knew how to eat, drink, and waste time. Seeing me even once was nearly impossible. And now you’re telling me to undress here?”
Nie Jun’s expression didn’t change. His voice remained emotionless. “This is standard procedure. Please don’t make things difficult.”
Yuan Laisheng drew in a long breath, tore off his silk tie with a dark face, stripped off his shirt in a few swift motions, then reached down to remove his pants, shoes, and socks all together—standing barefoot by the door.
Nie Jun paused briefly, opened the door. “Go in and wait.”
Yuan Laisheng stepped inside. Nie Jun added, “Clean yourself up first. Don’t get the bed wet.”
Yuan Laisheng said nothing, went into the bathroom, and locked the door with a loud click.
Nie Jun stood there for a moment, staring at the light spilling from the bathroom, then glanced toward the large bed by the window. His hand, gripping the door handle, tightened before he finally closed the door.
When he returned to the first floor, Kong Wenyu was nowhere in sight—only Hai Ming stood by the doorway.
Nie Jun walked over and asked in a low voice, “Where is he?”
“Went out for some air. Someone’s with him,” Hai Ming replied. “Everything arranged upstairs?”
Nie Jun gave a curt “Mm” and headed outside.
The wind on deck was fierce. The moment he stepped out, it rushed at him, stinging his face and making it hard to keep his eyes open.
He immediately spotted Kong Wenyu standing by the railing, gazing out into the distance, lost in thought. The team leader and Xiao Jin kept their positions not far away, looking tense.
The wind whipped strands of hair wildly across Kong Wenyu’s face, but he didn’t bother fixing them. He simply stared calmly at the pitch-black sea.
Nie Jun slipped a hand into his pocket, feeling the two condoms he always carried.
As he approached, Kong Wenyu turned his head slightly. “What are you doing out here?”
Black sky, dark sea, dark hair, and a face pale as fine paper—it was like negative space in a Chinese ink painting.
Nie Jun felt the same unease as when standing near a priceless, fragile artifact—constantly worried it might be lost or damaged.
He didn’t answer. Seeing Kong Wenyu standing too close to the edge, he couldn’t help but warn, “Be careful.”
Kong Wenyu made a soft “Mm.”
They stood together in silence for a while. When a strand of Kong Wenyu’s windblown hair brushed Nie Jun’s arm again, he finally pulled out the two condoms he’d been unconsciously rubbing between his fingers and held them out.
Kong Wenyu lowered his eyes, glanced at them, then lifted his gaze.
Meeting that deep, shadowed look, Nie Jun didn’t look away this time. “I’ve checked Mr. Yuan. He’s clean. The bedroom has surveillance; I’ll be checking it every two minutes.”
He stood still, hand outstretched, waiting silently before saying, “Make sure you use them. Stay safe.”
Kong Wenyu stared at him for another moment. Just when Nie Jun thought he wouldn’t take them and was about to make some cutting remark, two slender fingers reached out and pinched them.
“You’re learning fast,” Kong Wenyu said, the sea wind brushing against him as he studied the two thin plastic packets. “Want to be my head bodyguard?”
Nie Jun looked at him steadily.
Kong Wenyu gave a faint, unreadable smile. “I heard from Hai Ming that you don’t want the job. You think it’s beneath you?”
“No,” Nie Jun said, lowering his hand. “It’s just too much responsibility. I only want to work my shifts.”
“The pay’s higher,” Kong Wenyu reminded him.
Nie Jun paused. “I earn overtime. Same difference.”
Kong Wenyu looked at him for a few seconds through the strands of hair dancing in the wind, then tilted his head and smiled again.
This time, unlike the earlier fleeting smirk, the smile carried something more genuine. For a brief instant, he seemed as unrestrained as the wind itself, each strand of hair speaking of freedom.
Nie Jun couldn’t look away, staring at his jade-like profile and lips that stood out vividly in the night.
He regretted it—he shouldn’t have handed over those condoms. He should have kept them for himself.
The door leading to the deck creaked open. Yu Jiaduo stepped out, followed by a well-behaved-looking young man dressed in a pristine white silk shirt, his smile radiating an almost innocent purity.
As Yu Jiaduo approached, he called out, “Wenyu.”
Kong Wenyu responded, his expression settling back into its usual composed look as he turned his gaze toward a distant lighthouse.
Nie Jun instinctively stepped back two paces, half his body hidden in the shadow cast by a large umbrella.
Yu Jiaduo seemed unsure how to begin. After a brief pause, he finally said, “You’d better not mess with that Yuan Laisheng.”
Kong Wenyu’s face remained unchanged. He continued staring out at the faraway sea, the long lashes half-lowered over eyes as still as water, utterly devoid of ripples—completely unlike the waves below.
Yu Jiaduo placed one hand on the railing and used the other to push the young man behind him forward.
“Yuan Laisheng belongs to Di Xun. If you like that type, take this one instead. How about it?”
Nie Jun watched Kong Wenyu closely, but the man gave no sign of agreement or rejection, still maintaining that same detached, uninterested demeanor.
He must be feeling seasick, Nie Jun guessed.
Yu Jiaduo hesitated for a moment, then tried to persuade him further: “The Yuan family’s fallen. Yuan Laisheng barely managed to latch onto Di Xun. If you leave him a way to survive now, he might be useful later.”
Kong Wenyu moved slightly, reached into his pocket for his cigarette pack but didn’t find it—his fingers brushed against the two condoms instead.
He withdrew his hand and frowned, a trace of irritation crossing his face.
Yu Jiaduo kept talking: “Di Xun sending someone to your bed tonight is nothing more than him acknowledging that you’ve risen from a mere second-generation rich kid to a first-generation power. If you succeed, you’ll climb even higher. But if you actually sleep with his man, it’ll damage that so-called brotherhood between you.”
Kong Wenyu stared at him for a few seconds without answering.
“Since I came out here with you, I can’t just stand by and do nothing.” Yu Jiaduo licked his lips, dried by the wind. “Tonight, you can take anyone you want, but not someone who belongs to Di Xun. We still need him later.”
Kong Wenyu stayed motionless for a moment before exhaling lightly. He gave in easily: “Fine.”
His response wasn’t surprising—after all, the two of them were close, and there was family blood between them. It was a favor Yu Jiaduo had the right to ask.
Yu Jiaduo let out a breath of relief, then pushed the young man forward again. “Don’t worry about the Ao family. This engagement is just for show. Business is business; in everything else, you both do as you please. Ao Yongwang himself has plenty of mistresses.”
“Ten minutes,” Kong Wenyu said, his voice roughened by the sea wind. “Get him out of my room.”
Yu Jiaduo turned to handle it, but before leaving, he told the young man beside him, “Work hard tonight. He’s a real patron. If anything goes wrong, I’ll hold you responsible tomorrow.”
Kong Wenyu gave a brief nod, indicating see you tomorrow. Yu Jiaduo left quickly.
The young man stepped forward, his snow-white lower back leaning lightly against the railing. He smiled at Kong Wenyu, his voice soft and coaxing: “Mr. Kong, whatever you need, just tell me. I guarantee I’ll satisfy you.”
Kong Wenyu glanced at him, but his eyes slid away without lingering even a second.
The young man, assuming it was just shyness or reserve, closed the distance himself, pressing closer. “I know a lot,” he hinted meaningfully.
Kong Wenyu didn’t react, still standing there in the wind. Then, without turning his head, he spoke toward Nie Jun:
“Do you still have something to say?”
Nie Jun’s eyes, darker than the sea itself, were fixed on the narrow gap between their arms that was about to disappear.
“Yes.”
Kong Wenyu didn’t respond, as if waiting for him to continue.
The sea wind blew harder than before, whipping stray strands of hair so that this time they brushed against the young man’s arm.
Nie Jun narrowed his eyes slightly. “If he wants to enter your room, he needs to be checked first. Only once we’re certain there are no issues can he go in.”
The young man looked at Kong Wenyu, listening as this strikingly young yet unmistakably aristocratic man asked, “How do you check?”
“Strip and submit to a search,” Nie Jun replied.
It had been made clear before boarding: everyone on this ship had their own tricks, but without exception, they all came here willingly—and they all understood the game.
For those who could manage to climb high enough, there were rewards to be gained.
The young man spread his arms casually, waiting for Nie Jun to do his inspection.
Nie Jun stared at him but didn’t move. After a moment, he turned to look at Kong Wenyu instead.
Kong Wenyu’s mind didn’t seem to be on this at all; he handled everything with the same detached indifference. He reached into his pocket. “Check him, then send him to my room.”
He turned away as he spoke, casually pulling out the two condoms and slipping them into the young man’s collar before walking off without looking back.
