Time seemed to hit a pause button in that instant.
The surrounding music, the salty sea breeze, the bustling crowd, all vanished.
Nie Qingkong pursed his lips, gazing at the person before him.
Xia Qingyu met Nie Qingkong's eyes directly, awaiting his response.
Another gust of sea breeze blew, passing over Xia Qingyu's shoulder and towards Nie Qingkong's face. The chill jolted him back to reality.
Pushing Xia Qingyu's hand away from him, Nie Qingkong averted his gaze, his voice low, "This has nothing to do with you."
"Nothing to do with me?" Xia Qingyu noticed Nie Qingkong's evasion and questioned him, "Can you swear to that? Does this really have nothing to do with me? The person you want to harm isn't someone near me, someone I know? Can you swear to that?"
Nie Qingkong didn't answer Xia Qingyu directly. He merely looked up into her eyes and retorted, "You want me to swear? Are you worthy?"
Are you worthy?
To these three words, Xia Qingyu truly didn't know how to respond. A sinking feeling settled in her heart, making her feel deeply uncomfortable.
It was a bitter, fishy taste, more potent than swallowing a mouthful of seawater.
"Move aside." Nie Qingkong reached out to push Xia Qingyu's shoulder, "Don't get in the way."
"I won't." Xia Qingyu slapped away Nie Qingkong's hand and stubbornly blocked his path.
Knowing full well that Nie Qingkong intended to harm someone close to her, it would be preposterous if Xia Qingyu stepped aside.
"Don't force me," Nie Qingkong warned coldly.
Xia Qingyu didn't reply. She reached out and shoved Nie Qingkong's chest forcefully. As Nie Qingkong took a step back from her, Xia Qingyu immediately advanced, simultaneously raising her hand to close the half-open door completely.
The slamming door split the entire world in two.
Only the light filtering through the window changed colors, reflecting on the sides of their faces.
Nie Qingkong frowned, attempting to squeeze past Xia Qingyu. Xia Qingyu lifted her leg high, blocking Nie Qingkong's face. Her foot pressed against the wall, her arms crossed, her back against the opposite wall. She raised an eyebrow slightly and asked coldly, "Did I say you could leave? Hmm?"
Nie Qingkong's gaze drifted from Xia Qingyu's slender ankle, then, as it approached her skirt, he gentlemanly averted his face. His tone remained full of impatience, "Are you done causing trouble!"
"Shouldn't I be the one asking you that?" Xia Qingyu retorted. "What exactly do you people want to do? We haven't even landed on the island yet, and that one treasure isn't enough to satisfy your greed? You have to kill someone to feel good?"
Nie Qingkong looked at Xia Qingyu's face and took a deep breath. "You think trapping me here will solve everything? How long can you keep me here? Forever?"
"Then I'll trap you forever!" As soon as Xia Qingyu finished speaking, she realized the conversation had taken on a slightly ambiguous meaning.
Nie Qingkong naturally noticed it too. The corners of his lips curved into a subtle arc, which he quickly concealed with a light cough.
"In any case..." After a brief silence, Xia Qingyu cleared her throat and said, "I won't let you go out and cause trouble."
"And what if I cause trouble right here?" Nie Qingkong raised an eyebrow and asked.
"You won't," Xia Qingyu glanced at Nie Qingkong and stated matter-of-factly. "Besides, you can't beat me."
Xia Qingyu was never one to act on impulse. She had sparred with Nie Qingkong before and knew clearly that there was a gap in their combat strength.
"Xia Qingyu, do you even know what you're doing?" Nie Qingkong, who had intended to place his hand on Xia Qingyu's leg, hesitated before pressing his palm against the wall beside her instead. "Never provoke a man lightly!"
"You too," Xia Qingyu said, looking at Nie Qingkong. "Never underestimate a woman."
Nie Qingkong felt that speaking further with Xia Qingyu was futile. He directly drew a pistol from his waist and pressed it against her leg.
Sometimes, actions speak louder than words.
It was time to teach Xia Qingyu a lesson on how terrifying and irrational it was to provoke a man, especially one armed.
If it were someone else here today, who knew what terrible things might have happened!
Nie Qingkong felt it was necessary to give Xia Qingyu a proper lesson.
No matter how intelligent or strong-willed someone was, once a gun was pointed at them, they lost all initiative.
At that moment, their life was effectively surrendered to the mercy of the other.
The consequences were unimaginable!
Xia Qingyu deserved to learn this lesson well.
"Cold!" Xia Qingyu, wearing only a pair of bare legs according to the ship's crew attire standards, felt the icy touch of the gun barrel against her skin, causing her brow to furrow.
"Sorry." Nie Qingkong instinctively moved the muzzle away from Xia Qingyu's leg, then paused. Wait a minute!
Before he could react, Nie Qingkong saw a blur of motion. A heavy blow to his elbow caused his wrist to go numb, and the gun was instantly snatched from his grasp.
Immediately after, Nie Qingkong felt the cold metal press against his jaw.
"Let me teach you a lesson," Xia Qingyu said, tilting her head. "Never underestimate a woman."
"You..." Nie Qingkong choked. Before he could retort, he heard Xia Qingyu start issuing orders.
"Your clothes, take them off," Xia Qingyu said. "And your pants, take those off too."
"???" Nie Qingkong's mind went blank. After a moment of daze, he finally managed to ask, "Do you even know what you're talking about?"
"I do," Xia Qingyu said, holding the gun in one hand. With the other, she tapped the glass on the closed door that allowed light to pass through, revealing a mischievous smile. "The deck is full of people now. If you don't mind going out naked and becoming the most dazzling spectacle, you can leave, find another handgun, and continue your heinous mission.
However, if you don't want to be humiliated and catch a severe cold, then stay here obediently until tomorrow when everyone disembarks. I'll bring you pants then.
Oh, and your phone needs to be mine too." Seeing Nie Qingkong's lips pressed together in a rigid stalemate, Xia Qingyu urged him on, "Come on, move. Take off your clothes. Can't you?"
"Xia Qingyu..." Nie Qingkong unbuttoned his suit jacket, gritting his teeth as he said, "I'll remember you!"
"Remember you?" Xia Qingyu retracted her leg from the wall, playing with the gun in her hand, a smile playing on her lips. She retorted with the same words Nie Qingkong had used to question her, "Are you worthy?"
These three words left Nie Qingkong speechless. A sinking feeling settled in his heart, making him feel deeply uncomfortable.
It was a bitter, fishy taste, more potent than swallowing a mouthful of seawater.
Seeing Nie Qingkong flustered, Xia Qingyu felt a little better. "Hurry up, your pants, take those off too."
"You... turn your head away!" Nie Qingkong felt his earlobes grow warm as Xia Qingyu kept staring at him. He wondered to himself: For a young lady, how could she be so bold!