Chapter 41: Silencing Witnesses

After taking the photo, Meng Yufei asked the photographer to develop three copies, planning to send one to Haishi.

The photos would take at least three days to develop, so they agreed to return next weekend to pick them up.

Three o’clock in the afternoon, Qiongzhou City Pier.

Xia Junshan carried a snakeskin bag over one shoulder while holding Xia Qinqin in his other arm. Meng Yufei carried a package of pastries and candies wrapped in oil paper. The family of three bought tickets for a ferry heading to Nanya Island.

The return ferry was less crowded than in the morning, with plenty of empty seats in the cabin. After they sat down, a mother and her young son took the seats across from them. The woman looked to be around forty, and the boy seemed to be about seven or eight years old.

From the moment he got on the boat, the little boy had been running around the cabin, causing a commotion.

Once the ferry departed, Meng Yufei noticed that the boy was still running around and spoke to his mother, who was sitting across from her. “Sister, the ferry has set off now. You should call your child back to sit down. It’s dangerous for him to be running around in the cabin like this.”

Unexpectedly, the woman responded, “My son Shuanzi is a boy—he’s just naturally energetic. Unlike your daughter, who’s a girl, you wouldn’t understand a boy’s nature.”

Meng Yufei: “…” Alright, whatever you say.

Hearing this, Xia Junshan frowned and said, “Being lively is one thing, but being disruptive is another. This is a public space. Not only is it dangerous for your child to run around like this, but it’s also a nuisance to others. People have to keep dodging him when they walk.”

Passengers nearby overheard and nodded in agreement.

“Exactly! When I boarded earlier, if I hadn’t dodged in time, that kid would’ve knocked me into the sea!”

Another passenger across the aisle complained, “I was just about to sit down when the kid suddenly climbed onto the seat. I almost sat right on top of him—scared me half to death!”

Noticing Xia Junshan’s military uniform and stern expression, as well as the complaints from other passengers, the boy’s mother didn’t argue further and finally called her son back to sit down.

In the afternoon, the wind picked up, and the ferry swayed as it traveled across the waves. Since Xia Qinqin hadn’t napped at noon, she got sleepy after watching the seagulls for a while. Her little head bobbed up and down before she finally dozed off in Xia Junshan’s arms.

Meng Yufei, enjoying the ocean breeze, also felt drowsy and yawned.

Xia Junshan spoke softly, “Lean on my shoulder and sleep for a bit. We still have a while before we arrive.”

Meng Yufei nodded. “Alright, wake me when we get there.” With that, she rested her head on his shoulder and fell asleep.

When the ferry reached the middle of the sea between Nanya Island and Qiongzhou Wharf, it suddenly came to a stop.

“Hey, did the boat just stop?”

“Yeah, it feels like we’re not moving. What’s going on?”

“Could it be a malfunction?”

“That’s unlikely… maybe we ran into something?”

—

The cabin filled with murmurs and speculation.

The noise woke Meng Yufei, and she groggily asked in a hoarse voice, “What’s going on?”

Xia Junshan explained, “The boat has stopped.”

Meng Yufei glanced out the window. The sea was calm and unmoving, and the boat had indeed come to a halt. She asked in confusion, “Why did it stop?”

“I’m not sure yet. Let’s wait a bit—maybe it’ll start moving again soon,” Xia Junshan said softly.

After waiting for about ten minutes, the boat still hadn’t started, and the voices of passengers questioning and complaining grew louder.

“What exactly is going on? This is wasting our time!”

“Yeah, I need to get home and cook!”

“Can we at least get an explanation? Just stopping here like this—what kind of situation is this?”

Finally, a crew member came over to explain, “Everyone, please don’t worry. The boat has run out of fuel. We’ve already contacted the dock by radio, and they’ve dispatched a boat to bring us fuel. It should arrive in about thirty minutes.”

“You people work on this boat every day, and you actually forgot to refuel?”

“Yeah! Good thing we’re not too far out. If we were heading to deeper waters, would you have left us stranded in the middle of the Pacific?”

“Don’t you check these things before departure?”

More and more passengers joined in, complaining.

Just then, Xia Qinqin woke up. Rubbing her eyes, she said, “Mom, I need to go to the bathroom.”

Meng Yufei replied, “Okay, I’ll take you.”

Taking Xia Qinqin from Xia Junshan’s arms, Meng Yufei said, “I’ll bring her to the restroom. Wait for us here.”

Xia Junshan nodded and instructed, “Alright. When you exit the cabin, walk along the right side of the deck to the end—the restroom is at the back of the boat.” He then stood up and walked them to the cabin door, pointing to the right. “Just go straight this way to the end.”

Meng Yufei smiled. “Got it. Just wait for us at your seat—we won’t get lost.”

Inside the cabin, after hearing that the ferry would be stuck for another thirty minutes, many passengers got up to go outside for fresh air. The little boy sitting across from them saw that his mother was asleep and quietly snuck out as well.

He ran along the deck toward the back of the boat, where he spotted a staircase. Curious, he climbed down.

The passenger cabin was on the second floor of the ferry, while the first floor was where the crew stayed. Hardly anyone came to the rear of the boat. The boy wandered back there and saw another person standing at the stern.

“Uncle, what did you just throw into the sea?”

His curious voice broke the silence. The man at the stern stiffened upon hearing it—he clearly didn’t expect anyone to be there. Turning around, he revealed a face in his early thirties, with a gaunt complexion and sharp, piercing eyes.

Seeing that it was just a child, the man’s tense and wary expression relaxed slightly. He asked, “Whose kid are you? Why are you here?”

The little boy, intimidated by the man’s fierce gaze, obediently answered, “I… my dad is the commander on the island. I—I was visiting relatives in the city with my mom…”

The man, growing impatient, cut him off. “Aren’t you supposed to be in the second-floor cabin? Why did you come here? Who brought you?”

The little boy mumbled nervously, “The boat stopped… I—I sneaked out on my own. No one brought me here… I saw a staircase and climbed down.”

“So you came out here alone?”

“Yes… yes, I did.”

Hearing that the boy had come alone, the man smiled and beckoned him over, speaking in a gentle voice, “Oh, I see. Uncle was just throwing away a candy wrapper. Come here, kiddo, I’ll give you some candy.”

A chill ran down the little boy’s spine. His instincts warned him not to approach, but his feet remained frozen in place. He stood there, trembling, as the man smiled and took slow steps toward him.

—

After helping Xia Qinqin use the restroom, Meng Yufei told her daughter to wait at the door.

Standing outside, Xia Qinqin curiously looked around at the deck railing. She noticed a staircase leading downward at the stern of the boat and was about to walk over to check it out when she remembered what her mother had just said. She stopped in place, standing obediently by the door, though her eyes kept darting toward the stairs.

Splash!

A loud splash came from below the staircase.

Xia Qinqin’s attention was immediately drawn to it. She ran over to see what had happened and spotted a man leaning over the railing at the stern, peering into the water as if looking for something.

Before she could take a closer look, Meng Yufei stepped out of the restroom and called out, “Qinqin, what are you doing over there?”

Hearing her mother’s voice, Xia Qinqin turned around.

“I told you to wait for me by the door. Why did you run off? It’s dangerous to wander around on a boat, do you understand? Come on, let’s go back—your dad is waiting for us in the cabin.”

Meng Yufei walked over, took Xia Qinqin’s hand, and led her back toward the cabin.

They had only taken a few steps when the sound of hurried footsteps came from the stairs behind them. Meng Yufei turned her head and saw a man coming up. He looked like a crew member.

Meanwhile, in the cabin, Xia Junshan was still waiting for Meng Yufei and their daughter when, across from him, a woman suddenly woke up. Realizing her son was missing, she anxiously searched the cabin before calling out in a panic, “Shuanzi! Shuanzi! My son is gone! Has anyone seen him?”

Some people who knew her asked, “When did he go missing?”

The woman clapped her hands anxiously. “I don’t know! I just dozed off for a moment, and when I woke up, he was gone!”

“That kid of yours is always running around. Maybe he’s hiding somewhere.”

“Let’s help look for him.”

“Could he have gone outside? I’ll check the deck.”

In an instant, the cabin was bustling with passengers helping to search. Xia Junshan also got up to join the search for the child.

Back on the deck, Meng Yufei looked at the man behind her and asked, “Are you a crew member?”

The man stared at Meng Yufei’s face for a few seconds. Seeing that she seemed calm and not pretending, he replied, “I work for a department store. I’m delivering goods to the island’s supply and marketing cooperative.”

Meng Yufei suddenly understood. “Oh, are you delivering goods to Director Zheng? This batch includes toys, right?”

The man nodded and said, “Yes. We were originally supposed to deliver the goods this morning, but Director Zheng sent us an urgent list yesterday, so we had to deliver them today. Some items were out of stock, so we made a special trip to the toy factory this morning to purchase them, then rushed to catch the afternoon boat.”

Meng Yufei said, “These toys were something I asked Director Zheng to buy. Sorry for taking up your time.”

The man replied, “It’s no problem. This is our job.”

She didn’t see me throw the kid into the sea. The man thought to himself.

Xia Qinqin clung tightly to Meng Yufei’s hand, carefully hiding behind her mother. Hearing the man’s voice made her so scared that she tugged at Meng Yufei’s clothes.

Noticing her daughter’s unusual behavior, Meng Yufei said to the man, “I’ll let you get back to work. I need to return to the cabin—my husband is still waiting for us.”

She took her daughter’s hand and walked away from the stern. Lowering her head, she asked, “Qinqin, what’s wrong? Do you feel unwell?”

Xia Qinqin turned her head and, seeing that they were getting farther from the man, cautiously reached out and said, “Mom, come closer.”

Meng Yufei bent down, bringing her ear near, and Xia Qinqin whispered, “Mom, that man just pushed a kid into the sea.”

Meng Yufei froze upon hearing this but didn’t turn around. She remained calm, picked up her daughter, and quickly walked toward the cabin.

Halfway there, she happened to run into Xia Junshan, who was coming out to look for the missing boy.

Meng Yufei let out a breath of relief. She turned to glance behind her, but the man was already gone. She had no idea when he had left.

“Junshan, just now, at the stern, there was a man who came up from the lower deck. Qinqin said that man pushed a child into the sea,” Meng Yufei quickly informed Xia Junshan.

From the moment her daughter told her about the incident, Meng Yufei had believed her. Qinqin wouldn’t say something like that for no reason. Plus, when the man came up the stairs earlier, the way he looked at her carried an inexplicable sense of scrutiny and wariness.

Xia Junshan had already been searching for the boy, and upon hearing this, he immediately asked, “Where is that man now?”

Meng Yufei said, “He was just at the stern. He was wearing a blue work uniform, looked to be in his early thirties, about 1.7 meters tall, and very thin.”

Xia Junshan quickly said, “You two go back to the cabin. I’ll go check it out.”

Meng Yufei nodded. “Be careful.”

Xia Junshan ran to the stern, went down the stairs to the lower deck, and looked around, but there was no one there. However, on the ground, among a pile of ropes, he spotted a small button—something easily overlooked.

He crouched down and picked up the button. As he recalled what the missing boy had been wearing, he realized it was a button from the child’s jacket.

Looking out from the railing, he scanned the sea. The water was calm, with only gentle waves lapping against the boat. Without hesitation, Xia Junshan rushed to the commander’s office, which was conveniently on the same deck, arriving within seconds.

“Commander, I’m Xia Junshan, commander of the 1st Regiment of the island garrison. A man just pushed a young boy into the sea. Please organize a rescue operation immediately!” Xia Junshan identified himself and reported the situation without delay.

The commander was shocked. “Commander Xia, are you sure?”

Xia Junshan held up the button. “I found this at the stern—it’s from the child’s clothing. A life is at stake. Please start the rescue immediately.”

The commander’s expression turned serious. “Understood. I’ll notify the crew right away.”

He immediately took out a walkie-talkie and called, “Qi Jianhua, Zheng Hongye, head to the stern on the lower deck immediately! A child has fallen into the sea. Begin rescue operations at once! Confirm receipt! Repeat, confirm receipt!”

“Received.”

“Received.”

Two replies came through the walkie-talkie, and the commander said, “Commander Xia, don’t worry. These two are the best swimmers on our crew. I’ve already sent them over.”

Xia Junshan breathed a sigh of relief. He wasn’t a strong swimmer—he could manage on his own, but diving into the sea to rescue someone was beyond his ability. It was best to leave it to the professionals.

He then asked, “Commander, where are the lifeboats on the ferry?”

The commander replied, “They’re all stored on the left front side of the first-deck deck.”

Xia Junshan said, “The child was pushed into the sea by a man. I suspect the culprit is trying to escape. Commander, please instruct all passengers to return to the second-floor cabin and stay put. I’ll go check the lifeboats first.”

The commander nodded. “Understood.”

Meanwhile, Meng Yufei brought Xia Qinqin back to the cabin, where people were still searching for Shuanzai. Across from her, a woman was anxiously wiping her tears, muttering over and over, “Shuanzai is such a good boy. He wouldn’t run off on his own… It’s all my fault! Why did I have to sleep? It’s my fault! How can I face his father if I lost Shuanzai? If anything happens to him, I don’t want to live anymore…”

Meng Yufei wanted to comfort her, but with the situation still unclear, telling her the child had fallen into the sea would only make her more frantic. And the man who pushed him was still missing… After some thought, she simply held Xia Qinqin in her arms and sat down without saying a word.

In her arms, Xia Qinqin looked up and asked, “Mom, did Dad go to catch the bad guy?”

Meng Yufei stroked her daughter’s head and gently said, “Yes. Dad is very strong. He’ll definitely catch the bad guy.”

“Grandpa said Dad is a great hero,” Xia Qinqin said seriously.

Meng Yufei snapped back to reality and softly asked, “Qinqin, you saw the bad guy push the child into the sea. Why didn’t you tell Mom right away?”

Xia Qinqin looked up at her, then leaned close to her ear and whispered, “Mom, I didn’t see him push the child. I heard him say it.”

“You heard it?” Meng Yufei was startled. Could the man have an accomplice? Did Qinqin overhear them talking? “Were there other bad guys?”

Xia Qinqin gently shook her head. “I heard it when you were talking to him—he said it in his heart.”

“In his heart?” Meng Yufei was stunned.

Xia Qinqin nodded seriously and said, “Yes, he said it in his heart.”

Meng Yufei was momentarily speechless. She figured Qinqin must have been frightened and subconsciously blocked out the actual scene, only remembering the fact that the man pushed the child into the sea. That’s why she insisted she had “heard” it.

Thinking this, Meng Yufei gently patted her daughter’s back, feeling sorry for her.

The commander’s voice came through the ship’s loudspeaker: “Attention, all passengers. There has been an unexpected incident on board. Please return to your cabins immediately. I repeat, please return to your cabins immediately.”

Hearing the announcement, Meng Yufei knew that Xia Junshan must have reported the situation to the commander. It seemed almost certain now—the child had indeed fallen into the sea.

Passengers who had been on the deck started returning to the cabin, discussing the situation with curiosity.

“What kind of emergency is this? Why are we all being told to go back to our cabins?”

“You just stepped out for fresh air, so you don’t know—a little boy went missing.”

“Missing? Could it be… he fell into the sea?”

“Most likely. What else could count as an emergency?”

“How could the parents be so careless? How do you lose a child on a ship? And instead of calling us back to the cabin, shouldn’t they be focusing on saving him?”

“Who knows? Maybe they’re afraid someone else might fall overboard.”

—

Meanwhile, Xia Junshan arrived at the left side of the deck where the lifeboats were stored—and saw a man untying the ropes. He was wearing a blue work uniform!

Xia Junshan moved carefully, his special training allowing him to silence his footsteps. Without making a sound, he crept up behind the man.

Earlier, when Meng Yufei left with Xia Qinqin, the man had felt relieved that his secret wasn’t exposed. But when Xia Qinqin turned back to glance at him and whispered something into Meng Yufei’s ear, he immediately sensed something was wrong!

At first, he was ready to act ruthlessly—planning to grab the mother and daughter and silence them together. But before he could move, he spotted someone in a military uniform approaching in the distance. Without hesitation, he turned and slipped away.

He made his way to the lifeboats but saw two crew members nearby, making it impossible to leave unnoticed.

Just as he was contemplating what to do, the crew members received a call through their walkie-talkies—they were summoned by the commander.

Seizing the opportunity, the man rushed to untie the lifeboat.

He had heard the announcement over the walkie-talkie as well. They had already discovered the child had fallen into the sea. That meant the mother and daughter must have truly seen his actions. He didn’t expect that woman to be such a good actress—she even managed to fool him.

With the ropes untied, he carefully lowered the lifeboat onto the water. Hearing the commander’s announcement over the loudspeaker, he grinned and thought to himself: I won’t be heading back to the cabin—I’m leaving first!