Lin Dong, seeing Chu Ge’s complex expression, thought he was interested and glanced around before leaning in closer to Chu Ge, whispering secretively, "Hehe, you might not know about the others, but you’ve surely heard of the Frost Flower of Shanghai? Mu Bingtong, the chairwoman of Jinxiu Group, is practically every man’s dream in Shanghai! What about the gossip between Mu Bingtong and Chu Ge, huh? Brother, as long as the price is right, I guarantee you’ll be satisfied!"
To tell the truth, Chu Ge really didn’t know what kind of expression to make.
However, the awkward atmosphere didn’t last long. Just when Lin Dong was about to continue peddling his "exclusive insider information" to Chu Ge, he seemed to glance inadvertently into the distance, then his expression instantly froze on his face.
Standing far away was a middle-aged man in a suit, appearing every bit the nouveau riche, especially with a pure gold chain as thick as a finger hanging around his neck, which added a strong scent of vulgarity to him.
Lin Dong seemed to be very wary of this man. The moment he saw him, he shivered all over and quickly hid behind Chu Ge.
Chu Ge found Lin Dong’s reaction somewhat amusing and turned to tease him, "What’s the matter, even a scoundrel like you has someone to fear?"
"It’s not the same," Lin Dong hid behind Chu Ge, sneakily observing the middle-aged man and muttered, "I’ve got a bit of a feud with him. This guy is too petty—over such a trivial matter, does he need to keep hounding me !"
The space on the cruise ship was still quite large, and the spot where Chu Ge stood wasn’t too far from the entrance; it was an open area with few people around for cover. Therefore, before Lin Dong could continue his argument, the middle-aged man had already fixed his gaze on them.
"Damn, brother, cover for me a bit!" Lin Dong, who seemed to be really scared of the nouveau riche, quickly shrank behind Chu Ge.
But as he was already quite tall, shrinking didn’t quite hide him.
"Damn it, you son of a bitch are also here!" Clearly, the nouveau riche had seen Lin Dong and with a roar, he charged in Chu Ge’s direction, followed closely by a man in a suit who looked like a bodyguard.
Seeing this, Chu Ge made no move, while Lin Dong behind him cursed under his breath and then called out, "Brother, run!"
Having said that, he bolted toward the inside of the cruise ship. Halfway through his sprint, he looked back to see Chu Ge still standing there, and couldn’t help shouting urgently, "Fuck, brother, why the hell are you still standing there? Run! Ever heard of ’guilty by association’?"
But seeing that Chu Ge showed no intention of moving, and as the nouveau riche was drawing near, Lin Dong cursed under his breath and dashed into the ship.
Reaching Chu Ge’s side was already a significant distance, at least for the somewhat fat nouveau riche it was; he bent his legs slightly and rested his hands on his knees, panting heavily, with beads of sweat the size of soybeans continuously dripping from his forehead.
"Boss!" The black-clad bodyguard approached a bit, seemingly ready to say something.
But the nouveau riche pushed him away: "Give me some space, it’s hot. I said... what are you doing looking after me, chase that kid down! On this ship, we don’t have a robber or something, go on, don’t let... that little bastard get away!"
"Yes." The bodyguard carefully sized up Chu Ge, felt he posed no threat, and then nodded, slipping into the ship.
Only then did the nouveau riche’s gaze shift onto Chu Ge.
He panted heavily for a few sentences, finally evening out his breath. Taking a few steps forward, he stood in front of Chu Ge, looking up at him—although he appeared fat and brawny, his height was only about 1.65 meters.
"Are you that little bastard’s friend? Or accomplices?" The nouveau riche finally steadied his breathing and managed to get the question out.
"So, what are you planning to say?" Chu Ge stepped back slightly, leaning against a railing.
"Good, a debt has its debtor, an injustice its perpetrator. I can’t catch that kid, so catching you will have to relieve a bit of my anger!" The nouveau riche instantly showed a grimace of grinding his teeth, as if there was some deep-seated grudge between him and Chu Ge.
"Alright, actually, I just met that kid today. He even tried to sell me a fake cruise ticket earlier." Seeing the nouveau riche’s demeanor, Chu Ge felt compelled to explain.
He wasn’t particularly concerned about the nouveau riche’s threats; what mainly bothered Chu Ge was the idea of being blamed for something Lin Dong did for no reason. Naturally, he wanted to clarify.
However, the nouveau riche clearly did not believe this explanation: "Stop bullshitting me, you’re all playing the same tricks as that little bastard. Do you think I can’t see it?"
"Murderers pay with their lives, debtors pay with money. Since that kid did something, as his friend, you should be prepared to face the consequences. Stop arguing already!" The nouveau riche was convinced of Chu Ge’s association with Lin Dong, his hateful gaze never leaving him.
Seeing this, Chu Ge couldn’t help but become curious, and asked, "Speaking of which, what’s your grudge with that kid? You gotta tell me, I can’t just take the blame for him without reason, right?"
"You motherf—" It seemed to be something too embarrassing to say. The nouveau riche’s eyes reddened, and he stepped forward, trying to grab Chu Ge’s collar.
However, Chu Ge just slightly stepped to the side, avoiding his action.
"I told you, I have nothing to do with that kid."
"Oh, still stubborn as a mule?" The nouveau riche gave Chu Ge a nod and sneered, "The ticket you have, it was also from that kid, right? Haha, I’m not afraid to tell you, there’s only one real ticket in that kid’s hands, and with his sneaky nature, he would surely keep it for himself. Do you understand now? The moment I call out, you’ll be arrested immediately!"
"So, what do you want to do?" Chu Ge looked at him, a smile not quite a smile on his face.
"Just come quietly with me, and I can keep your secret," the nouveau riche revealed a smug look, believing himself to be in control of the situation.
With the roar of a ship’s horn, the cruise ship began to slowly move.
Chu Ge, at this point, lost any interest in playing games. He glanced at the nouveau riche and then headed towards the cabin.
But the nouveau riche quickly took a few steps forward, blocking his path.
"I’ll say it only once, move aside." Chu Ge’s brows furrowed slightly.
"Hey, you’re actually getting tough with me!" The nouveau riche’s eyes widened as he looked at Chu Ge and said, "I’m also only going to say this once, do you want to die or do you want to live!"