"If you aren’t going to fuck me I suggest you let me go... captain," he said with the last word said in a whisper deliberately.

Luo Muchen immediately let go when he felt something poking at his thigh beneath him. "Qie Xieling, you sick bastard," he said his voice dripping with venom.

Qie Xieling sat up and ruffled his hair before saying, "That’s a first. I have never been called a sick bastard before." He got up from the ground and stood tall before him.

Luo Muchen’s eyes narrowed with anger as he glared at him his gaze dripping with hatred. The air around them crackled with tension.

Qie Xieling’s face remained calm, his gaze steady as he met his seething eyes. There was a flicker of something unreadable in his expression further confusing Luo Muchen.

Seeing him appear this calm his anger flared even brighter at Qie Xieling’s audacity. He clenched his fists, his knuckles turning white. "Get out! Now!" he roared.

Qie Xieling’s serene demeanour remained unshaken, and he offered Luo Muchen a small, enigmatic smile his gaze lingering on the mask covering half of Luo Muchen’s face. "Very well," he said, his voice carrying a hint of mystery. "I will leave, but remember this, Captain Luo. One day, when you least expect it, you will regret treating me with such hatred."

Luo Muchen scoffed, dismissing his words as empty threats. He watched as Qie Xieling turned to leave, his movements graceful and unhurried. But deep down, a flicker of curiosity ignited in his heart. There was something about his unwavering confidence that piqued Luo Muchen interest, even as anger coursed through his veins.

As Qie Xieling disappeared from sight, he couldn’t shake off the strange mix of emotions that had stirred within him. Hatred and anger still lingered, but there was also a newfound intrigue, a seed of doubt planted in his mind. He wondered what Qie Xieling meant by making him regret it in the future, and why he seemed so unaffected by his rage.

He tapped the communicator on his wrist and Bo Ailun’s voice came through. "Yes captain," he said and Luo Muchen commanded,

"Put Qie Xieling in deck seven for his duties and cross-check for security breaches. I want to know how he entered my leisure room," he said sounding quite irritable.

He wasn’t in the mood to workout anymore so he left for his bedroom to take a shower. At a glance everything seemed fine but to a trained eye who was particular about his things he knew something was amiss.

Luo Muchen instantly knew that Qie Xieling was in there which was impossible. Like his leisure room, no one could grant him access except for himself.

Luo Muchen’s rage intensified. How dare Qie Xieling enter his bedroom without permission? The mere thought of his intrusion fueled his fury so much that he wanted to find him and kill him.

His heart raced as he yanked the bed covers off, intending to toss them into the wash and rid himself of any of Qie Xieling’s lingering presence.

But as he held the crumpled sheets in his hands, a faint fragrance wafted up, a trace left behind by Qie Xieling when he had laid on his bed. His breathing suddenly stagnated, his grip tightening until his knuckles turned white. In that moment, he was torn in two by conflicting emotions, hatred and intrigue.

His eyes narrowed, studying the fabric as if it held the secrets of the universe. The scent, delicate and elusive, whispered of Qie Xieling’s proximity, a reminder of a tangled past that didn’t even happen. The fragrance enticed him, captivated him and clawed at his senses, refusing to let go. Luo Muchen thought he was losing his mind.

He swallowed hard and tossed the bedding on the bed before heading to take a shower. While the water ran down his back memories of the way Qie Xieling lay under him with something poking his thigh surfaced. He felt his blood boil the heat shooting straight to his brain. Seeking an outlet he punched the wall hard almost cracking his knuckles.

***

Lee Ya sat comfortably in her bedroom, enjoying the soothing ambience as the nail technician meticulously painted her nails. As the vibrant colours began to take shape, a subtle vibration caught her attention. She quickly glanced at the communicator on her wrist and saw a message notification. Sensing the urgency, she signalled the nail technician to step away.

"Excuse me, could you please leave the room?" she requested politely, her voice concealing the urgency she felt.

The nail technician nodded and exited the room, leaving Lee Ya alone. She swiftly locked the door behind her, ensuring her privacy. With a determined expression, she activated the secure communication channel in her bedroom establishing a connection shielded from prying eyes.

Just as she finished securing the channel, the magnificent floor-to-ceiling window in her bedroom suddenly turned pitch black.

The darkness gradually receded, revealing the figure of an old man adorned in regal attire, his presence emanating power and authority.

"Your tail has surely grown," the old man remarked, his voice a mix of anger and disdain.

"Fa-father?" she stammered, her voice trembling. She immediately dropped to her knees, kowtowing before the king. Her mind raced with a mixture of awe, reverence, and fear.

The old king surveyed his daughter with a scrutinising gaze. "Your half-brother persists in being stubborn," he said, his tone laced with disappointment. "You aren’t working hard enough to convince him to leave his piracy behind."

Lee Ya’s resolve surged within her, fueled by her father’s words. She raised her head, determination shining in her eyes. "Father, you don’t need him," she declared with conviction. "I can take his place."

Seething in anger he muttered, "Foolish girl," before a fit of coughing seized him, and he doubled over, his hand covered in blood.

Lee Ya’s heart sank, filled with a mixture of panic and desperation. She rushed forward intending to support her ailing father but he wasn’t in her presence.

Her voice filled with anguish she cried out, "Father!"