Thirst!
Ye Zhinan's throat was parched. Suddenly, a watermelon field appeared in front of her. Just as she was about to reach out, a sharp pain pierced through her chest. Then a white light flashed by. She forced her eyes open and saw a pale face in front of her.
"Dear daughter, you're finally awake!" Han Xiangmei's eyes were filled with tears as she tightly held Ye Zhinan's hand. Ye Shenyan was sitting beside them, looking rather pale.
"Dad? Mom! Are you guys okay?" Ye Zhinan propped herself up and sat up. She noticed that they had changed their clothes. "What's this?"
"Inspector Qin saved us." Ye Shenyan pointed to the side. Qin Yihuai stepped forward. Just then, a drop of water slid down his hair.
"Was it you just now?" Ye Zhinan remembered the familiar figure and the scene instantly flashed through her mind.
It turned out that what had entangled her wasn't waterweed but the rope Qin Yihuai used to pull her up.
"Inspector Qin saved your father first and then came to rescue us. If you hadn't resisted, he wouldn't have had to knock you out." Han Xiangmei's words were a mix of gratitude and complaint. Her look at Qin Yihuai was full of complex emotions.
Qin Yihuai placed a dagger beside Ye Zhinan. "Don't be so impulsive next time."
If Ye Zhinan hadn't tried to stab him at that time, he wouldn't have knocked her out.
Ye Zhinan silently put away the dagger. Suddenly, she remembered something. "You just waited for them to make a move?"
Qin Yihuai nodded. "I saw that you had made arrangements, so I didn't interfere."
...
Ye Zhinan rolled her eyes at him.
She had indeed made arrangements in advance. She gave each of Ye Shenyan and Han Xiangmei a blood bag and a bulletproof vest, thinking that if the enemy made a move, they could play dead. But she didn't expect that the enemy would first poison them, then try to stab them to death, and finally throw them into the sea. This foolproof multi - layer safeguard forced her to take a risk. Fortunately, it was just a false alarm.
Ye Zhinan rubbed her neck, still feeling scared. When she saw Qin Yihuai, her heart actually warmed up, and there was a bit more gratitude in her eyes.
"Thank you!"
Qin Yihuai was stunned for a moment. Then he suddenly turned around, walked in front of Ye Shenyan, and knelt down. "Lord Ye, please forgive me for not informing you in advance, which made you and your family suffer."
Ye Shenyan's wrinkled face was pale. He waved his hand. Although he was fished out first, he was old and his health was not as good as before. After taking a long time to recover, he still felt a bit unwell. But he forced himself to look at the person in front of him with a stern gaze.
"Inspector Qin, don't say such things. You saved the lives of my family of three. I'm grateful enough. Moreover, now that we've left the northern border, you'll have to take responsibility."
Ye Zhinan was stunned when she heard this.
It was a big taboo for an official to leave his post without permission.
"Go back secretly quickly before it's too late."
"Don't worry. Boss was transferred this time."
Chen Zhenhai walked in from outside at this time and handed a document to Ye Shenyan.
After Ye Shenyan read it carefully, he felt relieved. "This is a promotion. It's a good thing. Why didn't you tell me before?"
"I have to thank Miss Ye. It was the thing she gave me that provided this opportunity."
A gentle look flashed across Qin Yihuai's eyes. Only then did Ye Zhinan realize that it was the ledger she had stolen from the prefect's house.
"What's the situation with the prefect now?"
Ye Zhinan asked hurriedly.
"There's no prefect anymore. Shen Beiting has been dismissed from his post and escorted to the capital. I'm the one in charge of the escort."
Qin Yihuai pointed outside the door. Only then did Ye Zhinan realize that they were on a big ship, and there was another ship following behind. No wonder she hadn't seen Chen Zhenhai for a while. Presumably, he was on the other ship giving commands.
"So you've been following us all the time?" There were many questions in Ye Zhinan's mind.
How did he know her plan?
When did he catch up with their ship?
Why didn't he save them before boarding the ship? Even if he knew her plan, he didn't have to let it be carried out!
Qin Yihuai picked up a bowl of porridge from the table, walked to the bedside, glanced at Han Xiangmei. Seeing that she didn't object, he sat down at ease. "Have something to eat first. You've been through a day of turmoil. I'm sure you're hungry. After you've eaten and drunk your fill, I'll answer your questions slowly."
Ye Zhinan looked at the white porridge in front of her. Her stomach growled uncontrollably. So she gave up thinking about the plan and filled her stomach first.
Soon, she finished the bowl of white porridge, but she still wanted more. She licked the spoon and looked at Han Xiangmei pitifully. "Mom, I want to eat pork knuckles."
"We're on the sea. Just make do with it!" Han Xiangmei couldn't bear to refuse seeing her daughter eat so deliciously, but the reality was that there were no pigs on the ship!
"Then I want to eat grilled fish." Ye Zhinan didn't give up. She looked at her mother with her eyes, but her voice was directed at the man beside her.
Qin Yihuai turned to Chen Zhenhai. "Get two!"
Chen Zhenhai replied crisply with a "Sure" and rushed out.
Soon, the fragrant smell of grilled fish came from outside.
After Ye Zhinan smelled the aroma, she excitedly rushed out of the cabin. A gust of wind blew. The salty smell of the sea water mixed with the fragrance of the grilled fish made the glutton in her stomach churn.
"Add some of these too." With that, she stuffed a set of bottles into Chen Zhenhai's hands.
Qin Yihuai walked up, looking at the granules sprinkled on the fish. "Is this chili powder?"
"Yes, and there's also cumin, pepper, Chinese prickly ash, and bean paste. Oh, it's useless to tell you. You don't understand. Just eat it." Ye Zhinan said and then took action herself. "The fish tastes better when it's a bit charred. Try it."
She held the grilled fish in front of Qin Yihuai, blinking her eyes, looking forward to his reaction.
Qin Yihuai didn't take it. He just leaned forward and took a bite. "Not bad."
Ye Zhinan was stunned. She stared blankly at the handsome face in front of her for a long time without saying a word. It was Chen Zhenhai shouting "The fish is burnt" that brought her back to her senses.
What a handsome devil! A man who was too good - looking was just a waste of food.
Thinking this, she stopped looking at the person in front of her and took a big bite of the fish.
The ship sailed steadily. There was no wind or waves, and there was no sign of danger at all. It seemed that everything was over.
Ye Zhinan had a good sleep and even had a very comfortable dream. But suddenly, the ship shook, and she rolled to the ground.
"Mom! Dad!" She shouted and got up from the ground, then rushed out. But when she saw the scene in front of her, she immediately retreated.
Outside, Qin Yihuai and Chen Zhenhai were fighting with a group of black - clothed men. Many people had already fallen beside them, some in the same official uniforms as them and some black - clothed men.
Seeing that no one noticed her, Ye Zhinan carefully opened the cabin door again. But just as she ran out a few steps, a black - clothed man fell in front of her.
So close!
She turned to look in Qin Yihuai's direction and saw him waving at her. So she moved towards her parents again.
At this time, Ye Shenyan was protecting Han Xiangmei and hiding in the cabin. After Ye Zhinan went in, she closed the door tightly and moved all the things that could be used to block the door in front of it.
"Dad, who are those people?"