"Qie Xieling," he called out wanting to ask him a question to see if he would answer honestly.

Qie Xieling raised his head his gaze sparkling with mirth and a mischievous smile playing on his lips. The atmosphere in the room shifted, an unspoken tension hanging in the air.

"Yes, Daddy," Qie Xieling replied, his voice laced with amusement, causing a collective gasp from those around them. The sound of his voice cut through the cafeteria’s clamour, capturing everyone’s attention.

It was clear to all that he was intoxicated otherwise what in the world would possess him to say that?

The cafeteria fell into an uneasy silence, the weight of Qie Xieling’s response hanging in the air but the culprit didn’t even react like he saw nothing wrong with what he said.

Luo Muchen’s heart raced at the unexpected term of endearment, his emotions tangled in a whirlwind of confusion.

Never in his life had something like this happened to him before. He struggled to find the right words, his gaze locked with Qie Xieling’s enchanting eyes. He couldn’t even yell in anger because his mind was blank. He couldn’t understand what the hell psycho Qie was playing at.

"Uuup up, take me to bed. I drank too much," continued Qie Xieling digging his grave deeper. He was even stretching his hands over the table to touch him.

"Oh god, shh shh shh," said Bo Ailun covering his mouth. "Will you stop talking?"

Qie Xieling removed his hand and pushed Bo Ailun away. "BoBo, I will deal with you later. Daddy, hurry uppp an-," he said only for Bo Ailun to cover his mouth again.

"Captain, he is just too drunk. He probably mistook you for someone," he said when he noticed Luo Muchen’s tightly clenched fist. The man was obviously on the verge of exploding so he had to step in before the boss killed Qie Xieling. It wasn’t the spicy sauce he should have been worried about. It was Qie Xieling’s mouth that was going to get him killed.

He beckoned over Mauve to take him away. Mauve rushed over and picked Qie Xieling up. Qie Xieling smiled when Mauve picked him up.

"Hey, buddy... I think I drank too much," he said the coquettish tone he was using on Luo Muchen completely gone. Mauve could feel the dark energy emanating from the captain growing stronger by the second so he acted swiftly. He hauled Qie Xieling over his shoulder and carried him away.

"Wah, you are so super strong," he mumbled while being carried off to the cabin. The drama had come to an end but one best believe that they won’t make Qie Xieling forget it.

"Captain," called out Bo Ailun and Luo Muchen who hadn’t even touched his food got up and left without saying a word.

Qie Xieling was the most well-behaved drunk. He lay on his bed silently watching something on his communicator.

Mauve was pacing back and forth while scolding him. "Are you fuckin stupid? You called him daddy not once but twice... twice! You are lucky he didn’t throw you off the ship," he said only for the door to slide open.

Bo Ailun called Mauve to step out for a minute and when the door closed he said, "You have to move to deck three... captain’s orders."

Mauve was a little surprised. They were on deck five which wasn’t like deck six with four people sharing one cabin hence it wasn’t bad but on deck three there were more spacious cabins with even more comfortable beds. This was like ranking up.

"Serious? When?" he asked and Bo Ailun replied,

"Now. You can take all your stuff and move. I already updated your biometrics."

Mauve couldn’t understand why the rush but he wasn’t going to question it. A win was a win no matter the reason.

He entered the cabin and gathered all his stuff quickly. "Where are you going?" asked Qie Xieling his voice low.

Mauve’s hands didn’t stop moving as he replied, "I am moving to deck three."

"Right now?" asked Qie Xieling half raising his head with his hair a dishevelled mess.

Mauve turned to him and tapped his communicator transferring star coins to him. "Don’t spend it all in one place," he said before heading for the door.

Qie Xieling sighed his eyes a little droopy. When the door closed he peeled off all his clothes except his underwear and pulled up the sheets to cover himself up before falling asleep. The alcohol he drank was no joke. It took him out in an instant.

In the middle of his sleep, he heard the faint sounds of the door opening and a figure entering the cabin. Thinking it was his new roommate or something he pulled the sheets over his body and fell asleep again.

Meanwhile, the person in his cabin shamelessly picked up Qie Xieling’s clothes and found the box he had been hiding.

He sat on the bed opposite and examined the box trying to figure out how to open it. But just like Qie Xieling, he couldn’t figure it out.

Qie Xieling had something very important. Something that could bring down the king and his counsel but he couldn’t understand why Qie Xieling was holding on to this information. What was he waiting for?

***

Qie Xieling slowly opened his eyes, wincing at the piercing pain throbbing in his head. The dimly lit room danced before his blurry vision, and for a moment, he couldn’t make sense of where he was. As his senses gradually came back to him, he realised he was in his small cabin of the warship. Turning his head to the side, his eyes widened in astonishment. There, in the corner of the cabin, sat the old man who had saved him before. "Uncle... you... how?" Qie Xieling stammered, his voice heavy with disbelief. He sat up with the bed sheet covering his body slipping down.

The old man slowly turned around, his gaze meeting Qie Xieling’s. As his eyes travelled down Qie Xieling’s bare chest, he froze momentarily before saying,

"Put on some clothes," his tone stern.

Qie Xieling couldn’t help but chuckle softly, the laughter easing the tension in the room. He swung his legs over the side of the bed and stood up revealing a strong pair of legs and black underwear outlining his butt cheeks perfectly.

Amused by the old man’s reaction, he playfully retorted, "Oh, come on, Uncle. It’s not like you’ve never seen a shirtless man before."