Qiong Dao
It was night, and on Cang Yu's huge luxury yacht, Qin Yinan was eating barbecue with iced sparkling water as his drink. Qin Yinan wasn't a picky eater, but he could be very difficult when it came to drinks; he didn't like to drink alcohol. Despite his reservations, there were occasions where he had to drink, and it was during these events that Cang Yu discovered Qin Yinan's ability to handle alcohol was much greater than expected. He also had a dislike for beverages like cola and orange juice, claiming they were too sugary for his taste. Thus, he habitually only drank carbonated water, though sometimes he would also add salt to the water. His justification was that excessive consumption of plain water could deplete the salt levels in the body, leading to potential health risks. This is why he always made it a point to add a pinch of salt to his water. Every time Cang Yu heard these arguments of his, he would laugh at him for paying attention to some groundless information.
"Cang Yu, fetch me another glass of sparkling water."
Qin Yinan was chewing on a skewer of Brazilian kebab when he said to Cang Yu, who was currently looking down at the sea, "The barbecue today is salty."
Cang Yu faintly smiled at him. "Rest assured, there'd be more than enough water for you to drink, until you can no longer do."
Just as Cang Yu handed the fizzy drink to Qin Yinan, Xiao Le came in with a compass and informed Cang Yu, "We're almost there."
Cang Yu nodded his head, then turned around and asked Qin Yinan pensively, "Do you know where this is?"
Seeing that Qin Yinan shook his head with a puzzled expression on his face, Cang Yu continued to say, "This is the place where Little Hai died."
Qin Yinan knew that Cang Hai, Cang Yu's younger brother and only relative, had drowned at sea.
Cang Yu looked at the pitch-black sea in the night. His voice was deep and husky, with a hint of hoarseness as he said, "That day the wind was very strong, the ship of the narcotics police division was chasing right behind us, Lao Zhao was already killed by a stray bullet, and there were only Little Hai and me. We poured three boxes of heroin into the sea, and from below the deck, I also found a life jacket. Little Hai said that he had already learned how to swim with Ah Sheng last month and told me to quickly put on the life jacket and escape. As I jumped into the sea, he was exercising his muscles before going into the water…" Cang Yu's bright and sharp pair of eyes were like an eagle, suddenly shifting from the sea surface to Qin Yinan. "But… he lied to me. Ah Sheng actually never taught him how to swim at all."
"A week later, Little Hai's corpse was found; he had choked on a lot of water… His stomach was full of water, and his whole body was covered in blisters… He was swollen to the point that I could hardly recognize him."
"Yu," Qin Yinan held Cang Yu's chilly hand, cooled by the sea breeze, "it's all in the past. Don't blame yourself too much. In fact, it was the drugs that caused him harm; they have harmed so many people, even Little Hai. Now that you are no longer doing drug trafficking, nobody in your group of brothers will have to end up like Little Hai any more…"
"Who said that I'm no longer doing drug trafficking?" Cang Yu's voice echoed along with the sea breeze, both carrying a chilling coldness.
It took half a day for Qin Yinan to react; his eyes were wide open, and he looked as if he couldn't believe what he just heard. "Isn't Haiyu currently doing legitimate business…?"
"The information you were given is completely fabricated; looking through the business records, anyone would be convinced that everything is above board and lawful. I cannot express enough gratitude for your assistance in dispelling the police's suspicions of me."
Qin Yinan lowered his head. Perhaps it was because of the cool air of the sea breeze, but his body was slightly trembling. His left hand was placed on the railing, and because he gripped it too tightly, it had now turned pale white.
"When?! When did you know I was—"
"From the moment you first entered Haiyu."