Chapter 44

Ning Zhen climbed the stairs. 

Typically, the top floor of any cruise ship would be reserved for the most luxurious cabins, not the ship’s doctor. 

Sure enough, as soon as she arrived, a servant barked, “Who goes there?” 

Ning Zhen wanted to see what Ge Baoxian was up to. She needed to make sure Ge Baoxian gave up on her schemes. 

When the servant scolded her, Ning Zhen stopped. “I’m the Governor’s wife.” 

Two servants approached, aiming their guns at her with great caution. “Who are you? How did you get up here?” 

“There’s a small door over there,” Ning Zhen said slowly. 

“What Governor’s wife? Are you an assassin?” The servants were extremely tense. One said to the other, “Go restrain her and search her.” 

The other servant said, “Put your hands up!” 

Ning Zhen complied and raised her hands. 

At that moment, there was a commotion not far down the corridor, followed by a flash and a gunshot. 

The two servants were startled and almost fired their weapons at Ning Zhen’s handgun. 

“There’s an assassin!” 

“Catch him quickly!” 

Ning Zhen saw a shadow, who, after quickly firing a shot, attempted to escape through the window and into the sea. 

She immediately drew her gun and fired two shots at the shadow’s knees. 

The shadow fell, struggling desperately to flee but was soon subdued. 

In the ensuing chaos, Ning Zhen saw Meng Xinliang emerge from the largest cabin on the third floor. 

Ning Zhen thought,  

As she had suspected, Ge Baoxian had created such a commotion for the sake of a man. 

Ning Zhen was already the Governor’s wife. Could Ge Baoxian really steal Meng Xinliang from her? 

Ge Baoxian’s arrogance had reached such a level that even the Governor’s wife was not allowed to get too close to the person she coveted. 

Meng Xinliang looked over. 

The servants immediately said, “Be careful, she has a gun!” 

“She’s an accomplice!” 

Meng Xinliang’s other servants aimed their guns at Ning Zhen. 

The usually slow-to-react Meng Xinliang spoke urgently, “Stop! She’s my sister!” 

The servants were taken aback and put their guns away. 

Meng Xinliang looked at Ning Zhen and saw her holding a gun. He nodded. 

He said nothing further and turned his attention to the shadowy figure. 

Ning Zhen overheard him talking to his servants. 

“Leave him alive and take him down for interrogation.” 

“There’s someone waiting for him in the sea. Block off the area and make sure to catch him.” 

The servants complied. 

Only then did Meng Xinliang approach Ning Zhen. 

The two servants lowered their guns and stepped aside. 

Meng Xinliang, still in his suit, looked elegant and noble, with a charming and gentle smile. “Your shooting is quite good.” 

Ning Zhen responded, “Thank you, Mr. Meng.” 

“The dress is also very nice and fashionable,” he added. 

Ning Zhen: smiled 

“How did you get up here? No one notified me,” he asked. 

Ning Zhen pointed to the small door nearby. “Through there.” 

Meng Xinliang glanced at it and quickly understood. “You were set up?” 

“Yes,” Ning Zhen confirmed. 

The small door must have been an emergency exit, usually kept closed. 

Meng Xinliang had hosted the event on the third floor and would have conducted a thorough check, so there shouldn’t have been any oversight. 

Someone must have opened the door at the last minute to lure Ning Zhen upstairs. 

When she went up, the assassin appeared and fired a shot. 

The assassin’s gun was fired without aiming, just to create chaos and escape; not aiming made it easier to flee without being identified. 

Leaving Ning Zhen behind, whether she was an accomplice or not, was only to have her interrogated alone. 

What a vicious plan. 

Unfortunately, Ge Baoxian didn’t expect Ning Zhen to carry a gun or know that her shooting was very skilled. 

The “assassin” tried to escape smoothly, but Meng Xinliang’s people might have been caught off guard. Ning Zhen, however, was the hidden player and managed to take him down and capture him alive. 

“Would you like to come in and sit?” Meng Xinliang asked. “It’s just a small gathering with friends, nothing major.” 

Ning Zhen said, “I won’t disturb you any longer; you have matters to attend to here.” 

“Not going to watch the show?” Meng Xinliang asked with a smile. 

Ning Zhen:  

She entered the largest private room on the cruise ship’s third floor, the only one on that level. 

The room was opulently decorated with intricate details. 

Screens were used for partitioning, with the dining table situated behind two layers of screens. 

At the table were several middle-aged people, with servants stationed behind the screens on the inside and outside. 

“This is my sister,” Meng Xinliang introduced. “She’s the Governor’s wife and the daughter of Ning Zhoutong.” 

The middle-aged people nodded and smiled. 

Ning Zhen took a seat next to Meng Xinliang, who instructed a waiter to bring more cutlery. 

“What’s going on outside?” someone asked. 

Meng Xinliang served Ning Zhen a bowl of soup. “Just some kids causing trouble, nothing serious. We’ve caught the person, and we’ll find out more after some interrogation.” 

He handed the soup bowl to Ning Zhen. 

They continued their meal and conversation. 

The topic even turned to railways. 

Ning Zhen had finished eating and drinking, and half an hour had passed. 

A servant came in and whispered to Meng Xinliang. 

Meng Xinliang waved his hand. “Keep an eye on things and make sure she doesn’t leave. We’ll talk about it later.” 

The servant acknowledged the order. 

In the second-floor private room, the atmosphere was lively and cheerful, though Jin Nuan felt a bit uncomfortable. 

Ning Zhen had not returned. 

After a while, Ge Baoxian returned alone, smiling and instructing the servants to start serving the food. 

“Where’s Ning Zhen?” Ge Baoxian asked Jin Nuan. 

Jin Nuan replied, “Wasn’t she with you?” 

“We finished our conversation, and she said she was going to the dressing room. She hasn’t come back?” Ge Baoxian seemed surprised. 

“No,” Jin Nuan said. 

“Then wait a bit; she’ll be back soon.” 

Jin Nuan offered, “I’ll go look for her.” 

“There are so many dressing rooms on the ship. Don’t get lost. If you don’t find her and then go missing yourself, I’ll have to look for you as well,” Ge Baoxian said impatiently. 

Jin Nuan noticed that Ge Baoxian had changed into a cheongsam; she wasn’t wearing this earlier. 

What happened to the previous cheongsam? 

As they sat for a moment, the door to the private room was suddenly pushed open. 

Several servants dressed in blue stood at the door, each carrying a gun. 

The guests were surprised but not afraid. 

In Suzhou, everyone feared gang members, but they were here with Ge Baoxian. 

The Ge family wasn’t intimidated. 

A man entered. 

He was dressed elegantly, with a noble demeanor that seemed to illuminate the room even in the shadows. 

He had a striking appearance, making everyone look at him twice. 

Ge Baoxian’s heart softened when she saw him. 

“Mr. Meng,” she said sweetly. 

She stood to greet him. 

Meng Xinliang walked in, maintaining a gentle smile. 

Ge Baoxian had a seat cleared for Meng Xinliang and said, “Mr. Meng, I’m hosting today. Would you honor me with a drink?” 

Meng Xinliang sat at an angle, his arm draped casually over the back of the chair, exuding effortless elegance. “No, Miss Ge. I came to see you.” 

“Is there something wrong?” Ge Baoxian asked. 

“Miss Ge, aren’t you concerned about the outcome of your scheme? The assassin you hired didn’t escape; don’t you know about it? The person waiting for him at sea has also been captured. Aren’t you aware of this?” Meng Xinliang said with a smile, his tone indifferent. 

His other hand rested casually on the table. His slender hand was well-defined and graceful. 

The entire room suddenly fell silent. 

Ge Baoxian’s face stiffened, then she asked loudly, “What do you mean? Did someone speak ill of me? Is it Ning Zhen?” 

It was then that everyone realized Ning Zhen, one of the guests, had not returned. 

“Miss Ge, someone attempted an assassination on the third floor earlier, and fired a shot at me. The person has confessed that you sent him; the person waiting at sea is also from your family. You can deny it if you like. However, I have to take you with me,” Meng Xinliang said slowly. 

He gestured with his hand. 

Servants stepped forward and immediately restrained Ge Baoxian’s hands behind her back.