Huayu97: Starting with Wu Song Fighting the Tiger

The cruise ship sailed smoothly in the South China Sea, with only the faint sound of waves outside the window and the soft breathing inside the room creating the softest melody in the dead of night.

Liu Xiang nestled on the sofa, the thin blanket barely covering her waist. She kept tossing and turning, her mind a jumbled mess for hours. She lay awake until the wee hours of the morning before finally drifting off to sleep.

In her dream, she was surrounded by the sea breeze and the warmth of the air, as well as the reddened tips of Shen Qing's ears. But before the dream could continue, the ship suddenly lurched violently, as if something had hit the side of the ship. The impact wasn't large, but it was enough to make everything in the room tremble slightly. The glass on the table bumped against the edge of the table with a soft "clang".

Liu Xiang sat up almost instantly, her hands instinctively gripping the sofa armrests. Her mind was still blank, and her first thought was, "Has there been a collision?" Although maritime shipping in 97 was not backward, it was far from the precise navigation that came later. Fishing boats occasionally passed through this area of ​​the South China Sea, and she had heard quite a few rumors of collisions.

The next second, two soft gasps came from the bed.

Su Wanyi was only lightly drunk to begin with, and the swaying woke her up instantly. She sat up, rubbing her temples, her eyes still a little blurry, but she first frowned and looked out of the boat: "What's going on? This boat is rocking strangely."

Shen Qing was so frightened that she shrank to the side, clutching the blanket, her cheeks still flushed from sleeping. When she looked up, she met Liu Xiang's eyes—in the dim light of the night lamp, Liu Xiang's hair was messy, her T-shirt was wrinkled, and she was sitting on the narrow sofa, her tall body curled up, which looked strangely comical.

Liu Xiang froze instantly when she saw the two people on the bed.

Su Wanyi leaned against the headboard, her silk robe loosely hanging down, revealing a section of her fair neck. Most of her hair was loose, clinging to her cheeks. She looked less capable than during the day and more languid. Shen Qing, on the other hand, was wrapped in a quilt, with only her head showing. Her long eyelashes were still trembling slightly, and the panic and shyness in her eyes were like a little secret that she couldn't hide.

This scene is incredibly awkward no matter how you look at it.

He, a grown man, was curled up on the sofa while two women were comfortably sleeping in his bed, on a cruise ship adrift at sea. If word got out, he wouldn't be able to stay in Macau; the gossip tabloids of Hong Kong would probably dig him up from head to toe and come up with headlines like, "Rising Star Liu Xiang Meets Two Beauties at Night, Spending a Wonderful Night in a Cruise Ship Room."

Liu Xiang coughed lightly, quickly looked away, and scratched her messy hair, trying to break the silence: "It...it must have been a big wave. That happens sometimes at sea, it's nothing to worry about."

As soon as he finished speaking, the ship rocked slightly again, this time less so, but enough to fully wake Su Wanyi up.

She rubbed her temples, her gaze sweeping across the room, from the messy sofa to Liu Xiang's embarrassed look, and then to Shen Qing's reddened ears. She knew everything perfectly well, and couldn't help but curl the corners of her mouth, but deliberately put on a straight face, pretending that she had just realized what was happening.

"Oh dear, look at my memory." Su Wanyi patted her forehead, her tone carrying a hint of deliberate apology. "I drank too much last night and ended up staying in your room, even making you sleep on the sofa. That was so rude of me."

As she spoke, she threw off the covers and got out of bed. Her steps were still a little unsteady, but much more steady than last night. She walked up to Liu Xiang, reached out and gently patted his shoulder. Her eyes held a hint of amusement, but she didn't reveal her true feelings: "Liu Xiang, I'm sorry you had to go through all this trouble. This sofa doesn't look comfortable. I'll have my assistant bring you some snacks later as an apology."

Liu Xiang quickly waved her hand: "Ms. Su, you're too kind. It was just a small favor, nothing to be ashamed of."

Shen Qing also got out of bed, folded the blanket draped over her, and walked to Liu Xiang's side, her voice barely audible: "Brother Liu Xiang, I'm so sorry, it's all my fault for losing my composure..."

"It has nothing to do with Qingqing, I just drank too much." Su Wanyi interrupted her, put her arm around Shen Qing's shoulder, and couldn't hide the smile in her eyes. "It's getting late, we should go back to our own rooms and not disturb Liu Xiang's rest anymore."

As she spoke, she pulled Shen Qing toward the door. Shen Qing glanced back at Liu Xiang, her eyes filled with reluctance and shyness. She waved gently before being led out the door by Su Wanyi.

The door closed gently. Liu Xiang let out a long sigh, slumped onto the sofa, and wiped his face, feeling his neck burning. He would never forget that embarrassing scene, especially the look Su Wanyi gave him, which seemed to be feigning ignorance, making him feel extremely uncomfortable.

Meanwhile, on the other side, Su Wanyi led Shen Qing along the corridor, where the lights were still on. Shen Qing was still blushing from what had just happened, her head down, fidgeting with her fingers, and remained silent for a long time.

Su Wanyi suddenly stopped and turned to look at her. The playfulness on her face faded, replaced by a serious expression, even a hint of solemnity.

Shen Qing felt uneasy under her gaze, and blinked, looking up: "What's wrong, godmother?"

Su Wanyi reached out and gently pinched her cheek, her fingertips slightly cool, but her tone was unusually serious as she said, word by word, "Qingqing, your godmother has something to tell you, and you'd better remember it."

Shen Qing nodded, then her heart skipped a beat, wondering what her godmother was going to say.

"Liu Xiang is a good guy. He's skilled, quick-witted, and knows his limits. He's someone you can entrust with your life." Su Wanyi's gaze fell on Shen Qing's flushed cheeks, a hint of understanding flashing in her eyes. She paused before continuing, "So, your godmother is telling you, we'll compete fairly, you and I."

"What?"

Shen Qing was instantly stunned, her eyes wide open as if she hadn't heard clearly. She opened her mouth but couldn't say a word for a long time, the words "fair competition" echoing repeatedly in her mind. She was completely dumbfounded.

This is fair competition?

Has her godmother gone mad? She wants to compete fairly with herself for Liu Xiang's brother?

What kind of outrageous development is this?

She always thought that her godmother only regarded Liu Xiang as a friend and a junior. After all, her godmother had been in the Hong Kong business world for so many years and had seen countless outstanding men. How could she possibly be interested in Liu Xiang, a newcomer to the industry? Besides, her godmother was her godmother. How could the two of them compete fairly for the same man?

Shen Qing's mind was a jumbled mess, her cheeks flushed red, then turned white, then back to red. She twisted the hem of her clothes with her fingers, stammering, "Godmother, what...what are you saying? What fair competition? I don't understand..."

"You silly child, still pretending not to understand your godmother." Su Wanyi couldn't help but laugh at her, reaching out to flick her nose. "Just now in the room, do you think your godmother couldn't see through your little scheme? Your eyes were glued to Liu Xiang, like a piece of chewing gum."

Shen Qing's face instantly burned, wishing she could disappear into the ground. She covered her face with her hands and stamped her feet, saying, "Godmother! Don't talk nonsense... I didn't..."