Mrs. Ling covered her face. She was about to speak again, but another voice suddenly echoed through the ballroom.
"How lively. Mrs. Ling is here too? Oh, isn't this my patient, Xiao Ci?"
A man in a silver-gray suit and gold-rimmed glasses strode into the center of the commotion, a faint smile flickering in his eyes.
"Xiao Ci had been bullied by her classmates at school and suffered from severe psychological issues, which flare up from time to time. If Xiao Ci has offended Mrs. Ling, please don't hold it against her. She's a patient, and someone as magnanimous as Mrs. Ling wouldn't trouble a sick young girl, would she?"
Mrs. Ling's face had been a picture of anger. But as the man approached, she glanced at him, a hint of apprehension in her eyes. She forced herself to suppress the emotions that were about to erupt.
She gave a cold "Mmm."
"This young girl is so ill-mannered. As a doctor, you certainly should focus on treating her properly and not engage in such embarrassing behavior!"
She turned and left hastily. The man with the gold-rimmed glasses smiled. He pursed his lips and looked at Ling Qianhe opposite him, then Ling Qianhe heard him say,
"Xiao Ci and I had made an appointment. I'll take her with me first. You don't mind, do you? After all, Xiao Ci is my patient."
Lin Muci wanted to say she didn't want to leave with her psychiatrist, but given the situation, staying might not be wise. She could only lower her head and feign obedience. Ling Qianhe then watched her being led away by the doctor.
In the corridor, the gold-rimmed glasses doctor reached out and ruffled the back of her head.
"I don't know whether to praise your boldness or scold you for your lawlessness. Were those words appropriate for a young girl like you to say? Do you still want to enter high society? Think about how those people will see you. If you want to deal with Mrs. Ling, with Lu Yuanhang, why use such a tactic that harms yourself as much as the enemy?"
Lin Muci took a deep breath and sniffled.
"I don't want to enter high society at all!"
The doctor chuckled.
"Silly girl, people live in this society, how can you escape it? Even someone as powerful as Ling Qianhe, who hides so many secrets, cannot directly kill Mrs. Ling, can he? Even though he hates her so much, he still has to abide by the rules of the world. We are all pitiful creatures crawling under the rules."
"You're still young; you don't understand. For example, today you publicly embarrassed Mrs. Ling. She has a myriad of ways to silence you. How can a young girl with no social experience possibly contend with her?"
"I said you're my patient, and that you're naive. If she, being magnanimous, overlooks your actions, it would make her appear petty and unreasonable. However, this only makes her slightly more cautious in her actions. She's the most vengeful; she'll surely retaliate fiercely sooner or later."
Lin Muci remained silent. She knew her impulsive move was risky and could even implicate Ms. Lin Cuiping and her grandfather. But in that moment, seeing Ling Qianhe's trembling fingers, she couldn't bear it.
The doctor led her forward.
"And," he said, "didn't I tell you to stay away from that family? Since you no longer like Ling Qianhe, stop pestering him."
Lin Muci sniffled.
"I can't help but be entangled with him. I have to film with him later."
The man sighed helplessly.
"Then why not distance yourself from his life? He's like a bottomless black hole; you can't fill him."
Lin Muci hummed. The man with the gold-rimmed glasses walked to the elevator. He looked at the buttons and asked,
"Never mind, I won't discuss unpleasant topics with a schoolgirl like you. I said I wanted to take you out for some fresh air. What do you want to do? There are quite a few entertainment options on this cruise ship. The duty-free shop has the latest bags, do you want one?"
Lin Muci thought for a moment.
"I want to watch the boxing match on the ground floor. I heard it's very exciting and passionate."
The man turned around, his arms crossed, and looked at her. He pointed a slender finger at her forehead.
"Passionate? Exciting? That's because you don't know the darkness and brutality behind it. Why would a beautiful young girl like you insist on shouting about fighting and killing?"
Lin Muci raised her hand to defend herself.
"I didn't! My classmate might be there, and I want to bring him out safely!"
The man looked at her in silence. After a long pause, he sighed.
"Alright then."
In the waiting room, Zhou Yuanan was huddled in a corner. Although he was tall, he wasn't particularly noticeable here; instead, he appeared somewhat傻傻的, full of youthful innocence. Others scoffed at him. He himself wasn't sure. Was coming here for money the right decision? He did question his actions. If he had asked Xiao Ci for money, she would have given him a large sum, wouldn't she? After all, Xiao Ci's family was so wealthy. But he always remembered how poor Xiao Ci used to be. How could he bring trouble to Xiao Ci? Zhou Yuanan stared blankly, shook his head with a bitter smile, and then stepped onto the stage.
Ten minutes later. His body fell heavily onto the stage. Blood instantly gushed from his nose and mouth. The warm blood made him dizzy. The noisy, mocking laughter reached his ears, as if the entire world was ridiculing his overestimation of his own abilities. A pair of hands pulled him up, and the girl, her eyes red with anger, cursed him.
"You big idiot! Why didn't you tell me you needed money?"
"Come on, I'll take you home!"
His face was covered in blood from the beating. The young man wanted to cry but held back, gritting his teeth.
"Xiao Ci, I can't leave. I signed a contract."
Zhou Yuanan raised his head, his breathing rapid. Beside Lin Muci stood a stranger in a silver-gray suit and a bow tie. The man looked at him with an elegant demeanor, then a smile flickered across his face.
"It's alright. Xiao Ci has already spoken with the cruise operators. She'll cover your breach of contract fee, and you can disembark. Next time, don't sign contracts that gamble with your life, because while you want others' money, they want your life. A person's life is the most precious."
Zhou Yuanan stood beside Lin Muci, like a child who had made a mistake.
"Xiao Ci, I'll pay you back when I earn money from working."
Lin Muci scolded him.
"Big idiot! Just focus on your studies! Are you trying to make me die of anger!"
Zhou Yuanan scratched his head. Lin Muci thought to herself, "Why are these two so troublesome?" Ling Qianhe was like this when he was young too, never listening to advice. Every time he got into a fight and ended up bruised and battered, she had to clean up the mess. He wanted to be a police officer, yet he almost got arrested and imprisoned. How could he be a police officer like that? She sulked to herself.
The system in her mind chimed in again.
"Host, you're thinking about Ling Qianhe again. Caught you."
Mentioning this, Lin Muci's breathing quickened.
"What is he doing? Will he cry like a baby after Mrs. Ling released that video?"
The system thought for a moment and gave a negative answer.
"His tears dried up long ago when the doll you possessed shattered. However, if you really want to know what he's doing, why don't you go see him yourself? Isn't he still on this cruise ship? If you want to see him, go."
Lin Muci fell silent. She was also wavering. After a moment of hesitation, she asked,
"Where is Ling Qianhe?"
The system gave her a coordinate.
"The lowest level of the cruise ship. The cold storage for cargo. He's there."