Jing Minghe finished speaking, tied all the skeletons together, then turned back and grinned at everyone, giving Chi Hao a warning glance before immediately turning and running towards the target.
For the first time, Chi Hao watched someone's back with a knot of anxiety in his chest. He wanted to go after him, but he didn't dare, because he knew Minghe was a man of his word.
Moreover, he believed Jing Minghe could do it. He just didn't want to see Jing Minghe take such a risk in front of him. He wished he could bear all the danger in Jing Minghe's stead.
You Mi and the others' hearts were in their throats. The cruise ship swayed violently, yet they let themselves be tossed about, holding their breath as they stared intently at Jing Minghe's receding figure.
Jing Minghe moved with the rhythm of the cruise ship's rocking, rapidly closing in on the target. Just as he was about to reach it, he bent down, picked up the broken half of the flagpole, and stuck it into a gap in the railing beside him to steady himself. Then, using the flagpole's rebound force, he plunged into the water.
Jing Minghe's figure vanished completely into the water. Chi Hao finally couldn't hold back and rushed forward.
Just as Chi Hao was about to reach him, the cruise ship suddenly stopped swaying.
Upon closer inspection, it wasn't just the cruise ship; the entire space was frozen in time.
Jing Minghe slowly walked out of the static waterfall. Chi Hao couldn't control his actions and rushed forward, pulling Jing Minghe into a tight embrace.
A low voice, laced with worry, reached Jing Minghe's ears, "You're too reckless."
Jing Minghe saw a portal of light appear not far behind Chi Hao. He let out a soft chuckle and whispered in a voice only the two of them could hear, "I have to be worthy of the great Brother Hao."
Just as Jing Minghe finished whispering to Chi Hao, he heard Ke Wuwen's excited shout.
"Idol, you succeeded! The light portal, the light portal appeared!"
Jing Minghe patted Chi Hao's back. Chi Hao reluctantly let go, freeing Jing Minghe.
"Let's go," Jing Minghe lightly hooked Chi Hao's finger. "Back to the rest area, let's have a good chat."
"Mm."
Jing Minghe hadn't joined them yet, so You Mi and the others stood where they were, waiting for him. None of them dared to approach the portal first.
"Why aren't you going yet?" Jing Minghe waved at You Mi and the others. "Hurry up, are you reluctant to leave this broken cruise ship?"
"Of course not!" Ke Wuwen retorted, pulling Tong Zheng towards the portal. "Let's leave here quickly, Idol, don't linger here either."
Everyone was amused by Jing Minghe and Ke Wuwen's words, and the previous tension evaporated.
After the danger passed, relaxed expressions finally appeared on everyone's faces. Under Jing Minghe's urging, they entered the portal one after another.
Before leaving, Jing Minghe looked back and asked Chi Hao in a low voice, "Brother Hao, should we go find Shen Rong?"
Chi Hao pulled Jing Minghe along, saying, "No need, she's out of chances."
Jing Minghe gave a wry smile and nodded. "True, this instance probably won't let her go. After all, losers have no right to choose."
"What?" Chi Hao paused and turned to look at Jing Minghe.
For some reason, at that moment, he felt Jing Minghe's demeanor seemed to overlap with someone from his memory. It wasn't the appearance, but the tone when he spoke the words.
Losers have no right to choose.
It seemed someone had said the same thing to him before.
But who was that person? Why did he feel that Jing Minghe was so similar to that vague person in his memory?
For the first time, Chi Hao desperately wanted to know if the hazy memories in his mind were truly his. More importantly, did the occasional things related to Jing Minghe have anything to do with him?
"Brother Hao?" Jing Minghe sensed Chi Hao's gaze and turned to him. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing, let's go."
Once on the train, everyone's hearts finally relaxed. One by one, they collapsed onto the seats, and soon, all of them were asleep, including Jing Minghe.
Only Chi Hao was awake.
He pulled the sleeping Jing Minghe into his arms.
Earlier, in the cabin of the dilapidated cruise ship, he had confirmed that Jing Minghe liked him too. This result still made him feel a little lightheaded, and he couldn't help but curve his lips.
Recalling the nervousness he felt when he asked that question in the cabin, Chi Hao believed it must have been the moment he lacked confidence the most in his life, and certainly an unforgettable moment.
Of course, the moment he received the answer was also the happiest moment for him.
He was Chi Hao. From birth to adulthood, he had never bothered to care about anything. Whether he succeeded or failed, nothing could affect him. He never worried about failing because, in Chi Hao's dictionary, the word "failure" simply didn't exist.
Until he met Jing Minghe.
He now understood that when you truly love someone, the greatest fear is not not getting them, but facing the possibility of losing them before you've even fully obtained them.
This was why even someone as confident as Chi Hao, no matter how much he liked someone, dared not easily express his feelings.
Fortunately, he discovered that Jing Minghe seemed to like him too, perhaps even more worried about his hidden feelings being discovered than he was.
Chi Hao felt he should be very grateful to his Minghe for not making him worry about failing for too long.
Jing Minghe woke up after a short nap and found himself in his Brother Hao's arms. But he knew he wasn't someone who thrashed around in his sleep.
Therefore, thinking about why he ended up in Chi Hao's embrace, Jing Minghe couldn't help but let out a soft laugh.
"Awake?"
Chi Hao's deep and magnetic voice reached his ears. Jing Minghe sat up from Chi Hao's embrace and then rested his chin on Chi Hao's shoulder, whispering, "Brother Hao, I didn't expect you to take advantage of someone when they're sleeping."
"You're not just anyone."
"..." Jing Minghe nudged Chi Hao's chin gently. "Brother Hao is right, I'm not just anyone. We're lovers, we're family."
"Mm."
Jing Minghe was about to say something else when the train stopped.
"We're here," Jing Minghe stood up and scanned the carriage. You Mi and the others were still fast asleep. Jing Minghe chuckled and said, "I'll go wake them up."
He woke up You Mi and Tong Zheng one by one. The two sober individuals, along with four groggy teammates, disembarked the train, crossed the platform, and went through the portal back to the rest area where they could finally relax.
Standing in the lobby of the rest area, Ke Wuwen couldn't help but exclaim, "We're alive!"
Tong Zheng ruffled Ke Wuwen's hair. "Are you finally awake? Stop being so excited, hurry back to your room and get cleaned up. Look at you, you're soaked."
Ke Wuwen scoffed. "Who isn't soaked? Even Brother Chi and Idol are... Ah, why is Brother Chi so clean?"
Ke Wuwen quickly averted his gaze and whispered to Tong Zheng, "Brother Tong, if I remember correctly, the last skeleton was found by Brother Chi under that dirty pool, right? You're all covered in dirt, how come Brother Chi doesn't even have water stains on him?"