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Bonus chapter! Thank you to Zzz for the donation! ^^
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The announcement echoed throughout the entire cruise ship, repeating three times consecutively, instantly causing an uproar.
The guests grew restless, erupting into noisy discussions.
"What's going on? How could someone have stowed away?"
"I remember the boarding checks were extremely strict. Even the slightest irregularity would get you stopped—they examined every document. How could anyone have slipped through?"
Someone gulped nervously. "You don't think... the person who died earlier was... killed by the stowaway?"
The person beside them immediately dismissed the idea. "No way. That guy died right in front of everyone. We’ve only been on board for half a day—we don’t even know the ship’s layout yet. How could anyone kill so quickly? The staff already said it was a case of overexcitement leading to sudden death."
Another scoffed. "And you actually believe the staff? To prevent panic, they’d call it sudden death even if it wasn’t."
Ruan Qing listened to the nearby conversations, his expression completely hidden beneath the shadow of his black cap. Only his slender, pale fingers tightened slightly.
Others might not understand the true purpose of this announcement, but he did.
This broadcast was directed at him.
Lin Zhiyan knew exactly who had stowed away—after all, he had personally brought the original owner aboard. Ruan Qing was the only one without an invitation.
Lin Zhiyan was cornering him.
Openly forcing him to beg.
Ruan Qing could easily get a player to invite him to stay without lifting a finger. He had multiple ways to evade detection—he could even hypnotize an invited guest and take their place.
But he couldn’t.
The original owner was just a country boy with no powerful connections or backing. All his pride and confidence had been worn away during his first year of university.
He would yield to Lin Zhiyan’s threats.
This wasn’t just about finding a place to sleep on the ship. It concerned his education. His future.
Though the original owner didn’t know Lin Zhiyan’s exact status, he understood one thing clearly—this was someone he could never afford to provoke.
He would have no choice but to submit.
Unless... he was already "dead."
Ruan Qing’s eyelashes fluttered slightly before he lowered his gaze, concealing the emotions in his eyes.
The short-haired "little boy" was named Ran Jia. Having also heard the announcement, she hesitated, glancing at Ruan Qing as if seeking his opinion.
"Do as the broadcast says." Ruan Qing kept his voice low. After adjusting the brim of his hat, he turned and walked away without another word.
His departure was swift—so swift that he failed to notice the young man who had been heading into the room suddenly pause mid-step, then turn back to look toward the doorway.
But it was too late. The person outside was already gone.
Even when the young man reached the door, there was no trace of that figure—the one with the mesmerizing voice.
"Who was that?" the young man asked Ran Jia, his tone low and rough.
Ran Jia’s head snapped up in shock, her expression as if she’d just witnessed the sun rising from the west.
Her brother never asked about other people. Even the rare times he called her "sister," it sounded no different from addressing a stranger—something she’d only earned after risking her life for him.
Stunned into silence, she didn’t answer immediately. The young man’s eyes dimmed slightly.
Panicking, Ran Jia blurted out, louder than intended, "A player! He’s a player, just like us!"
The shadows in the young man’s eyes lifted. "Player?" he repeated flatly.
"Yes, a player!" Ran Jia nodded eagerly. "Probably even a top-tier one."
She spilled everything she knew—how they’d met while investigating the crime scene, the business card Ruan Qing had shown her, even his invitation to team up.
The young man, who usually lived in his own world, listened with rare focus.
Meanwhile, Ruan Qing had no idea that a single offhand remark had drawn someone’s attention.
He was currently hidden in a shadowy corner of the ship, contemplating the possibility of "death."
As long as he remained "alive," he had to maintain his character’s persona—and with so many people on board, breaking character would cost him more points than he could afford.
Especially since he’d nearly drained his points reserve to exchange for that last item.
But if he were "dead," things would be much simpler. He could openly assume a player’s identity, blending seamlessly into their ranks.
More importantly, "dying" might just be his ticket to escaping death itself.
Ruan Qing lowered his gaze in deep thought. The current problem was how to stage his own "death."
His "corpse" absolutely couldn't be left behind.
To die in front of witnesses, without damaging the ship's structure, and leaving no body behind...
Falling overboard.
Falling into the sea was the simplest and most effective method.
As long as he "fell" in front of the cruise staff, the news would surely reach Lin Zhiyan—and then, he could finally shed his original identity.
Lin Zhiyan had assigned him to the second deck, which meant he had been given a staff access card.
And the second deck had an open deck area.
He even had a ready-made excuse for going there—unwilling to simply submit to Lin Zhiyan's demands, he could claim he needed some air to clear his head... only to tragically "slip and fall" into the sea, vanishing without a trace.
There were still two hours left until 10 PM—plenty of time to prepare.
Without wasting another moment, Ruan Qing set his plan into motion. After returning to the second deck, he immediately headed for a storage room in a remote corner.
Of course, he couldn’t actually plunge into the sea. He needed safety measures to ensure his survival.
Inside the storage room, he gathered ropes, pulleys, and other necessary equipment. Only after setting everything up did he change back into his own clothes and head toward his room.
His plan was simple: wait for a staff member to pass by, then make his way to the deck within their line of sight—before "falling" dramatically into the ocean right in front of them.
But his plan died at the very first step.
Ruan Qing never expected that, the moment he opened his door, several men would already be standing inside his room.
Dressed in the crisp uniforms of the ship’s staff, they were unmistakably Lin Zhiyan’s people—and they had clearly been waiting for him.
Frozen in the doorway, Ruan Qing stood rigid, the access card still clutched in his hand.
The leader of the group, a uniformed staff member, stared at him in stunned silence, his eyes widening with shock and something else—something like awe.
Because the young man before him was breathtakingly beautiful.
So beautiful that it almost blurred the lines of gender.
So beautiful that it defied reality.
He stood there, so radiant that even the luxurious cruise ship—grand as a castle—seemed to fade into nothing more than a backdrop.
The boy was like a pampered little prince from a castle, and this cruise ship was merely one of his insignificant playthings.
No wonder Mr. Lin had made an exception to allow this stowaway on board—and had even gone to such lengths for him.
The staff member's heartbeat had been so loud he could hear it in his ears, but the moment he remembered Mr. Lin's ruthlessness, he quickly lowered his head in panic, not daring to look at the boy a second longer.
The staff member bowed slightly to Ruan Qing. "Mr. Xia, Mr. Lin has requested your presence. Please come with us."
Ruan Qing stood frozen in place, his slender frame radiating fragility and unease. His beautiful eyes flickered with a trace of panic.
"I... I can't right now—"
The lead staff member seemed to sense his reluctance and cut him off. "Apologies, Mr. Xia."
"But you must know—you don't have the right to refuse."
Ruan Qing's face paled instantly. He pressed his lips together and said nothing more.
He didn't want to go with them.
But he had no choice.
Openly defying Lin Zhiyan on this cruise ship was no different from digging his own grave.
In the end, Ruan Qing followed behind the lead staff member as the group entered the elevator.
The elevator required a keycard to operate. While floors three to six were accessible to guests, other levels couldn't even be selected without authorization.
Once inside, the staff member swiped an ID card and pressed the button for the tenth floor.
Though the ship was moving, it sailed so smoothly that there was almost no sense of rocking—so stable that being in the elevator felt no different from standing on land.
The elevator soon arrived at the tenth floor.
The lead staff member knocked on an office door, then spoke in an unusually deferential tone:
"Mr. Lin, Mr. Xia is here."
A deep, magnetic voice answered from inside.
"Let him in."
The staff member turned the doorknob, opening it just enough before gesturing for Ruan Qing to enter.
His movements left no room for refusal.
Ruan Qing had no choice but to step inside, his body stiff with tension.
Behind him, the door closed with a soft click—the staff member's idea of consideration.
Ruan Qing glanced uneasily at the sealed door before turning his helpless gaze toward the man seated at the desk.
Lin Zhiyan leaned back in his chair, his focus entirely on the documents in his hands.
Ruan Qing didn’t dare get too close. He stood stiffly a short distance from the office, radiating unease.
There was a reason the original owner had feared Lin Zhiyan—and it wasn’t just because of the man’s high status. It was also because of that one time he had overstepped boundaries by trying to get close.
Back then, not yet understanding Lin Zhiyan’s nature, he had thought to approach him with a bit of coquetry. But the look Lin Zhiyan had given him was so murderous that it had instilled a lasting terror in him.
Even after Ruan Qing entered, Lin Zhiyan remained focused on the documents in his hands, ignoring him as if he weren’t there. The silence grew unnervingly thick.
Swallowing hard, Ruan Qing finally spoke up cautiously, “Mr. Lin… I heard you wanted to see me?”
Lin Zhiyan didn’t answer directly. Instead, still flipping through the papers, he remarked with deliberate indifference,
“You attend S University?”
Ruan Qing’s long lashes fluttered nervously before he finally replied in a small voice, “…Yes.”
“Getting into S University isn’t easy—especially given your family circumstances.” Lin Zhiyan tossed the documents onto the desk and finally looked up at him. “Must’ve taken a lot of effort.”
With the papers now sprawled across the table, Ruan Qing could see what they were.
His personal records.
His face paled, and he froze where he stood.
Lin Zhiyan tapped the desk with his slender fingers, the rhythm carrying an unspoken pressure. His voice was cool as he spoke again.
“College life… must be treating you well?”
