Huayu97: Starting with Wu Song Fighting the Tiger

Liu Xiang was filled with emotion; this terrifying sea voyage was finally coming to an end.

"Liu Xiang, you can finally rest. You must be exhausted after working all night last night." Su Wanyi walked up to Liu Xiang and said gently, her eyes filled with genuine concern.

Although she didn't witness Liu Xiang's actions in the cabin last night, she heard the whole story from the crew. The thought of him facing the ruthless bandits alone and daring to use a corpse to lure the sharks made her think of throwing a bait to get some benefits for Liu Xiang.

Liu Xiang shook her head and replied with a smile, "Fortunately, it's all within my duty. As long as I can protect everyone, that's enough."

"What is this? It's an immense favor!" Su Wanyi immediately waved her hand, her tone exceptionally serious. She deliberately raised her voice to ensure that the wealthy businessmen and artists who had gathered around could hear her clearly.

"Ladies and gentlemen, if it weren't for Mr. Liu Xiang risking his life to protect us last night, we would all be dead by the pirates, let alone have survived until dawn! I, Su Wanyi, will take the lead and write Mr. Liu a check for 100,000 US dollars as a token of my gratitude and to repay this life-saving favor!"

Su Wanyi knew perfectly well that there were many wealthy businessmen on the ship. She took the lead in contributing a large sum of money, and the others would naturally follow suit. This way, Liu Xiang could earn more and have more confidence in the future, whether she returned to China to develop her career or dealing with troubles. Checks were easier to carry and withdraw when she returned to the mainland. She had already thought of everything for Liu Xiang.

As soon as she finished speaking, Su Wanyi took out a checkbook and pen from her bag, quickly filled out a check for $100,000, and handed it to Liu Xiang. The handwriting was neat and clear, and the amount was particularly eye-catching. Seeing this, the wealthy rubber businessman immediately had his assistant bring the checkbook, saying, "Miss Su is so generous, I can't be lenient either. $30,000, Mr. Liu, you must accept it!"

Another shipping tycoon was not to be outdone. He waved his hand and said, "I'll give you 20,000 US dollars! Mr. Liu's courage is a life-saving favor. This amount of money is nothing!" In an instant, the deck was filled with the sound of counting. From 10,000 to several thousand US dollars, the wealthy businessmen filled out checks and handed them to Liu Xiang. The checks stacked together were quite heavy.

Looking at the thick stack of checks in her hand and the gazes of the crowd, Liu Xiang waved her hands repeatedly to decline, saying, "You're all too kind. There's really no need for this. I was just doing what I was supposed to do. Saving my life is just an instinct."

"Mr. Liu, please don't refuse!" Su Wanyi continued, her eyes filled with an unyielding determination. "Take this money; it will save you trouble later. Whether you return to China to develop your career or for emergencies, it will be very useful. If you don't accept it, we'll feel terrible. This is a life-saving favor; no amount of repayment is too much!"

The wealthy businessmen around him chimed in, urging Liu Xiang to accept the money. They seemed to think that if Liu Xiang refused, they would be uneasy. Li Tiansheng patted him on the shoulder: "Young Liu, accept it. This is everyone's good intention; don't let it go to waste. Use the money to plan your future well, so that everyone's good intentions won't be wasted."

Seeing that she couldn't refuse, Liu Xiang had no choice but to accept it solemnly and carefully put away the stack of checks.

He said to everyone, "I'll remember it all, and I'll definitely help if I have the chance in the future!"

He did a rough calculation and found that Su Wanyi's initial $100,000, plus the contributions from other wealthy businessmen, Director Li, Instructor Cheng, and the two girls, actually amounted to more than $200,000! Converted to today's RMB, that's a solid two million! In the late 1990s, two million was more than enough to buy a house or start a business and establish a firm foothold.

Liu Xiang clutched his wallet, feeling a pang of emotion. In his past life, he had never saved up this much money. In this life, he had only risked his life on a cruise ship and yet he had received such a large windfall. No one would believe it if he told them.

He immediately started planning his life after returning to China. With more than two million RMB, he could buy a spacious house in Beijing or Shanghai, so he wouldn't have to squeeze into a rented room anymore and wouldn't have to be at the mercy of others like he was in his previous life.

"Hey Liu, what are you thinking about? You're grinning so broadly, your mouth is practically reaching your ears!" Li Tiansheng patted Liu Xiang on the shoulder, teasingly asking, "Are you planning how to spend this money?"

Liu Xiang didn't hide her feelings, grinning and saying with anticipation, "That's right. I'm thinking of settling down with some business after returning to China, and then trying my luck in the entertainment industry. I can't let down Director Li's previous advice and everyone's good intentions."

"Good lad, you've got ambition!" Lee Tim-shing said approvingly, patting his shoulder and assuring him, "When I get back to Hong Kong, I'll help you make connections, get to know some old friends in the industry, directors, producers, and investors. With your skills and brains, you'll definitely make it big!"

Coach Cheng nodded in agreement, smiling approvingly: "Liu Xiang is skilled and has a good appearance. If she wants to develop in the film and television industry, I can help her with action scenes. I guarantee no one will dare to bully her, and I'm absolutely reliable!"

Liu Xiang felt even warmer inside. Just as she was about to express her gratitude, she saw two patrol boats flying the Malaysian flag sailing rapidly on the sea in the distance. They were heading straight for the cruise ship despite the wind and waves. The officers on board were heavily armed and looked quite formidable, instantly making the atmosphere a bit more tense.

Huang Kun was a little surprised to see this. Although he had already contacted the Penang pier, he did not expect the police to catch up with him in international waters.

"Everyone, I'll go make contact. It should be a routine check by the Malaysian police!" Huang Kun reassured everyone loudly.

At this time, the cruise ship was still in the South China Sea, having just crossed the border with Malaysia and still quite a distance from the Penang port. The Malaysian police boarded the ship directly in international waters, clearly taking the previous night's piracy incident very seriously and not daring to be complacent. The patrol boat quickly approached the cruise ship, and several uniformed Malaysian police officers were the first to board.

The officer in front had a serious and unsmiling expression, holding a thick notebook in his hand, followed closely by six other officers.

Several plainclothes officers with sharp eyes climbed onto the cruise ship. Liu Xiang could tell at a glance that they didn't look like ordinary police officers.

Huang Kun took the cruise ship's navigation records, passenger list, and last night's incident report and went forward to check them one by one.

He was humble and cooperative with the investigation, but the leading police officer didn't even look at the report. He coldly ordered his men to search the entire ship immediately and take statements from everyone. His tone was particularly harsh and did not allow any rebuttal. Clearly, he was up to no good.

Everyone was puzzled, but dared not ask any questions. They could only obediently cooperate, since they were near someone else's waters and had to follow the rules. First, Huang Kun gave a detailed account of the entire encounter with the pirates the previous night, from the pirates boarding the ship and setting it on fire to Liu Xiang taking action to subdue them, and then to the large number of pirates swarming in and Liu Xiang having no choice but to use sharks to drive them away. He explained every detail clearly.

He then had several wounded sailors and martial arts instructors come forward to corroborate his statement.

Su Wanyi, Li Tiansheng, and others were also called in to give their statements. They all said in unison that Liu Xiang had fought desperately to repel the enemy.