Chapter 9

Xiao Chen and I both shivered.

By now, the cruise ship had already left the coast far behind and was cutting through the endless sea.

The waiter, as if he could read our minds, said, “You don’t need to worry. This is a high-end cruise. There aren’t even a hundred passengers on board. It’s just a one-month trip-how could anyone die in such a short time?”

Xiao Chen and I thought about it. There weren’t many elderly people on the ship, so we finally relaxed.

That night, Guo Bin didn’t stumble back to the room until the early hours. He’d been in the casino all day.

He rambled on, “This casino is weird. We don’t pay a cent, and they actually give us money instead.”

“Like when we play mahjong, we don’t settle with each other at all in the end.”

“They look at how many points are left in the playing cards in our hands, and the house pays us accordingly.”

“It’s not a lot, sure, but after a whole day you can still make a few hundred yuan.”

“They say it’s all included in the cruise ticket.”

As he said this, Guo Bin climbed into bed and tried to snuggle up to me. “This high-end cruise really is something else. Your boyfriend must be loaded.”

I was thinking about Xiao Wang, in no mood to deal with him, so I just brushed him off perfunctorily.

Fortunately, over the next ten-plus days, aside from when the cruise docked and everyone went ashore together, Guo Bin was glued to the casino.

That suited me just fine. I could sneak around with Xiao Wang, and I found myself growing more and more addicted to him.

I learned that he was single, with no wife and no girlfriend.

He said he’d been busy with investments and making money, with no energy left for dating.

Until he met me. Only then did he realize there was something more enjoyable than making money.

He wanted me to break up with Guo Bin and be his girlfriend.

I agreed without hesitation. “If we rip things open on the cruise, it’ll be ugly. Once this trip is over, I’ll break up with him.”

Back in the room, my mind was racing. I took out the diary I’d stuffed in my suitcase.

The trip was already nearing its end, and I hadn’t written a single word.

Breaking up with Guo Bin would be as easy as snapping my fingers. What I couldn’t let go of was Xu Jiacheng.

I couldn’t let go of his money.

Xiao Wang might be rich too, but that didn’t mean he’d be willing to give me that much every month.

I’d been with Xu Jiacheng for more than two years, and I’d already raked in over five million.

Honestly, who could resist that kind of temptation?

I put the diary into my carry-on bag, thinking that in the next few days, if I had time, I’d take it out somewhere and write.

I still had to keep Xu Jiacheng steady. I couldn’t afford to lose him.

Just then, my phone screen lit up. It was a message from Xiao Chen.

“There’s something really wrong with Xiao Wang.”

“Come find me. Now.”