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After all, a lot of things had happened recently, all related to her, which forced her to be on her guard.

After packing her luggage, Gu Xiaoxi heard a knock at the door.

She immediately went forward, opened the door, and Ai Xiang was standing at the entrance, already waiting for her.

"Let’s go! The ship has set off, and the banquet in the hall has started. I heard there’s going to be a pretty good stage show tonight," Ai Xiang said with a smile.

Gu Xiaoxi casually locked the room door, slipping a small piece of paper into the door as a makeshift lock, and as she passed by a nearby attendant, she instructed, "No matter what happens, don’t let anyone into my room."

"Yes, Miss Ai," the attendant replied respectfully.

Gu Xiaoxi was posing as Ai Xiang’s younger sister under the alias Ai Zhen. With only makeup on her face and a wig, there was some difference from her previous appearance, but those who knew her could still recognize her at a glance.

But to those who didn’t know her, it would probably never occur to them that she was Gu Xiaoxi, especially since the soldier covered in dirt and the current version of her, clad in magnificent, noble elegance, were starkly different.

*

The banquet hall was bustling.

The wealthy in this society were more numerous than you might think.

This ship was said to carry three hundred people.

Mostly young men, accompanied by beautiful women.

Or middle-aged men, surrounded by several beauties.

Or groups of young men and women, all acquainted with each other.

But most people were not familiar with one another.

*

At this moment, on the gangway of the Dream Island cruise ship.

A woman with a seductive figure and exquisite looks was sitting above the sun, sipping juice while making a video call.

If one looked closely, they could see on the other end of the video call was a young, handsome, distinguished, and arrogant man—who else could it be but Jing Yuan!

"Auntie, haven’t you found your daughter yet?" Jing Yuan sat in his office, looking at the beautiful woman through the phone, and was worried for her.

Jing Rui sighed, leaning back in the sun lounger, crossing her legs, and nonchalantly lighting a cigarette from a pack she picked up, "Haven’t found her!"

"Haoran said that it happened seventeen years ago, so it’s really very hard to find her now, after so much time. Shall I help you check the national household registration from seventeen years ago?" Jing Yuan said seriously.

In fact, he too was curious to know what his aunt’s daughter would look like now if she existed, and whether she could be even more beautiful than Gu Xiaoxi.

Jing Rui exhaled a smoke ring, glanced up at the sun above her, and spoke with profoundness, "With a population of over a billion, you’d be looking till an indefinite time in the future. Forget it, it’s also possible that Fu Qiuyi has hidden the daughter and won’t let me see her."

Anyway, she would never believe that Fu Qiuyi would lose the child.

She believed more in the possibility that he was keeping her from seeing the child in this way!

Jing Rui was on her way to handle some business on Dream Island until the matter with the International Alliance was settled.

She would come back!

Whether her daughter wanted her or not, she had to see her one more time.

"Alright, if there’s nothing else, I’ll hang up the phone," Jing Rui said as she looked at Jing Yuan, suddenly feeling that her nephew was a bit clingy.

"Auntie, they say looking at a beautiful woman is pleasing to the eyes. Just let me look at you a bit longer. And chat with me about what’s fun on Dream Island. If I wasn’t rushing to deliver a shipment right now, I’d have come with you," Jing Yuan said, somewhat reluctantly.

Unable to go, watching through the video was all he could do.

Jing Rui was speechless, turned the camera to show him the luxurious cruise ship and said, "Just stay at home and be a good patriot with your father. This isn’t a place for you, be careful of assassination."

"It’s not that serious! I’m not afraid," Jing Yuan said as he looked at the luxury cruise ship through the video, immediately resolving, "Once I handle this business well, I want to go next time."

"Then just wait for next time," Jing Rui said unapologetically.

Even if Jing Yuan was rich, he had no business being there without a reason.

Given his special identity, he shouldn’t visit such places full of potential danger and people with unclear identities.

"No worries, I’m hanging up now!" Jing Rui said, cutting the conversation short and ending the call.

Jing Yuan was lost for words. A beautiful aunt, and she wouldn’t let him watch for a little longer, how stingy.

Jing Rui gently set down her phone and then lied back on the sun lounger with an attendant respectfully holding a tray with various types of alcohol behind her.

"Who’s coming this time?" Jing Rui asked seemingly nonchalantly, with a cigarette between her fingers and her eyes closed.

The attendant immediately responded respectfully, "There are a lot of people. The young masters from the four big families of Liuli Country are here, as well as the young masters and misses from the Eastern Three Provinces and Beihai Dao. Some rich merchants and several Gambling Kings."

Jing Rui moved her fingers lightly, tapping the table with her lovely and round fingertips, as if calculating something.

"Everyone is of extraordinary identity indeed. I heard that the Jade Watermelon that caused a murder in A City appeared on Dream Island. Is this true or false?" Jing Rui asked casually.

"I wouldn’t know that. We’re just attendants. If you want to know, you’ll find out at the auction," the attendant replied respectfully.

Jing Rui sighed, opened her eyes, moved the hand holding the cigarette, her fair skin making her look like a young girl—it was hard to believe she was already in her forties. "I heard that the Jade Watermelon has developed spirituality. What do you think, is that true or false?"

After a moment of thought, the attendant sighed, "That’s definitely false. Though jade has spirituality, it definitely isn’t like in the myths. The rumors out there are too mythological, making them seem fake."